Latest / Karl and Crew / 101 Secrets for Your Twenties with Paul Angone & Born Again to a Living Hope with Colin Smith

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101 Secrets for Your Twenties with Paul Angone & Born Again to a Living Hope with Colin Smith · Karl and Crew

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S1: Broadcasting from Chicago, across North America and beyond. It's Carl
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S1: and crew.
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S2: Come as you are an experienced guide, overcome what seems
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S2: impossible and live as you never imagined.
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S1: Start your morning with a laugh.
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S2: Cold spaghetti's. Great. Okay.
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S3: Okay, I disagree. I guess not. No, certainly it is not. No. Okay. Well, man,
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S3: I'm going back.
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S2: To my bachelor days. I guess I thought cold spaghetti
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S2: was universally loved.
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S4: I've never been known for, like, high levels of coordination.
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S4: That's just. It feels like.
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S2: I've never been known for high levels of coordination.
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S1: Delivering the truth daily.
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S4: If it were possible to have every worldly gain available
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S4: and you're forfeiting your soul. There's no amount of gain
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S4: that would make it worth it.
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S5: Our own way never ever works. Because it's apart from
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S5: the life source, which is God.
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S6: For me, growing up, love was always conditional and can
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S6: be taken from you. Christ's love can't. And he went
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S6: to the cross with my mind and my heart that night.
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S1: Now from the call of Hope Studios, this is Carl
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S1: and crew.
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S2: Sometimes we need to remind ourselves of anchor truths in
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S2: Scripture that are undeniable. And yet, oftentimes by the life
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S2: we live, we run from them without even knowing we're
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S2: running from them. So let me give you one. This
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S2: is a hallmark around here, and we've missed it as
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S2: of late next week, I think I'm going to drill
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S2: down on this thing heavy duty. But in John 15,
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S2: we find the truth that it is to God's glory
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S2: that we bear much fruit. I just camp on that
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S2: for a second. How cool is that? That it's to
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S2: God's glory, that we have stuff coming out of our
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S2: life that is unexplainable in human terms. How cool is that?
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S3: I mean, that's.
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S4: I love that as a as just a foundational truth.
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S3: Yeah.
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S2: Now I'm going to quiz you guys. Let's just go
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S2: around the horn here, not around the horn. Just as
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S2: you feel prompted in that narrative from John 15. I
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S2: just made a statement that is not in the statement
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S2: that Jesus made. It's to God's glory that you bear
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S2: much fruit, but it is only possible by God. And
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S2: there is no way we can do it. How do
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S2: we know that? How do we know that from that narrative?
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S4: Because he's the vine. We're the branches. Apart from him,
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S4: we can do nothing.
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S2: Apart from him. We can do nothing.
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S5: And we all have personal experience with those scenarios in
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S5: our lives.
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S6: All the time.
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S3: Yeah.
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S2: Isn't it interesting how we sometimes live as if we
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S2: must be able to eke out a little something, right?
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S4: Just a little bit of fruit.
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S5: It's funny because you look at like just how how
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S5: nature works, how how this works. As a real life example,
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S5: you've never seen a branch that's fallen off of a
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S5: tree and laying on the ground that's just pouring out apples.
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S5: Like there's no when I when a branch is on
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S5: the ground, not connected to the tree, it can no
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S5: longer produce apples and.
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S3: It.
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S2: Can't.
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S3: Do it.
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S5: And we wouldn't expect it to. Yet sometimes we expect
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S5: ourselves to be far away from where Jesus is, yet
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S5: pouring fruits the spirit.
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S2: That's a great statement. You look at a branch and
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S2: you go, that can not produce apples, and the apples
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S2: that are dangling off it are soon going to die. Yep. Oh,
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S2: it's so it's so true, man. Okay, what else do
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S2: we know from John 15? Anything else? High points. Jesus said,
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S2: I am the vine. You are the branch. If you
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S2: abide in me and I in you, you will bear
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S2: much fruit. It's to my father's glory that you bear
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S2: much fruit. Apart from me, you can do nothing. What
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S2: are some other inductive things we can learn from that text?
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S4: I mean, you hear a lot about the abiding principle.
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S4: Like what? What does that really mean?
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S3: Um, yeah.
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S2: So what have we learned over the years here? Ali?
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S2: What is abiding all about?
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S4: I mean, it's that close connection when you think about
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S4: that tree. The branch is is a very part of
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S4: the tree or the vine. Like you can't tell one
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S4: from the other. And there isn't a branch without the vine.
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S2: Yes. Now, the interesting thing, and the reason we look
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S2: at text in context is that chapter 14 of John
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S2: and chapter 16 of John, I believe, are the two
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S2: most instructive and illuminating chapters. Well, throwing Romans eight on
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S2: the power of the Holy Spirit so you can't detach
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S2: abiding from the power of the Holy Spirit, can we?
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S2: Because that's that whole section that he's teaching. His disciples
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S2: are anchored in the spirit. Who's going to comfort, who's
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S2: going to guide, guide us into all truth, bring to
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S2: remembrance all that I've taught so that we can put
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S2: it into practice. And he's going to convict the world
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S2: regarding sin, righteousness, and judgment so that it's just so cool.
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S2: So this abiding thing, I think the tendency is, and
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S2: by the way, I'm big on quiet times. I think
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S2: they're great, but I think a lot of times then
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S2: we think, okay, got to have quiet time and then,
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S2: oh God, help me let the fumes of my time
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S2: with you linger throughout the day. But that's not necessarily
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S2: the only way we abide, is it, guys?
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S5: No, not not at all. I like what Jesus says here, uh,
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S5: in verse nine where he he kind of explains it
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S5: a little further. He says, abide in me. But then
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S5: in verse nine he says, abide in my love.
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S3: Yes.
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S5: And I think that that's so important because it shows
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S5: us that it's not just a sense of checking the boxes,
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S5: being in the word, but sometimes it's going on a
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S5: walk outside and just focusing on on all that Jesus
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S5: has done for you and all that he allows you
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S5: to experience because of the love that he has for you.
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S5: That's abiding in Jesus's love just the same.
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S2: Isn't that awesome?
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S3: Yeah.
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S2: Isn't that rich?
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S6: I like the part of the for me stands out
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S6: as the relationship part of John 15. If you think
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S6: of a vine, it's so intertwining with each other. I mean,
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S6: it has to exist with each other. And that's what
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S6: Christ wants. A relationship, not good works, a relationship that
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S6: that is how much he wants to be tied in
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S6: with us and us with him.
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S2: And out of that is an overflow of bearing fruit.
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S7: And he would have looked at.
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S2: I'm telling you, he would have grabbed a bunch of
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S2: grape leaves, picked them up and said, boys, that's what
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S2: I want your life to look like.
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S3: Yeah.
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S2: And how cool is that? Now they were freaked out
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S2: because he's going away and they're like getting a lesson
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S2: in simultaneously wondering, how are we going to make it here, man?
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S2: All right. He said it's to our advantage that he goes,
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S2: but that can't be an advantage. Don't you know they
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S2: were questioning that?
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S4: Oh, of course. I mean, so many things they they
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S4: had they just trusted their relationship with him. Like, okay,
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S4: he's saying it. So, uh, we gotta trust him.
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S5: Yeah. And I mean, if you look at the historical
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S5: context of things, this people group had been waiting for
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S5: the Messiah for hundreds and hundreds of years, and he's
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S5: finally here. And then after a few years of ministry,
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S5: he says, I'm going to go away now. And they're like,
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S5: we've been waiting for you. Where are you going?
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S2: Set up your kingdom now.
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S3: Right?
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S2: Here's the amazing thing he did. He did in the
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S2: hearts of men and women, boys and girls who will
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S2: have that relationship with God. And, you know, somebody brings
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S2: up a great point. The intertwining and the connectedness of
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S2: the branch to the vine is such a powerful image.
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S2: And it's not just in quiet time. It's all the time.
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S2: Even in a really tough conversation at work today, or
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S2: with a kid who's doing stupid kid tricks, we can
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S2: still have that abiding relationship that will fuel us to
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S2: respond rightly in any given moment. Oh, to be perfected
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S2: in that area of our life, right?
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S4: I mean, that's the constant process. I don't think we
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S4: ever arrive this side of glory at that perfect abiding.
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S2: But we can have more and more.
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S4: We can. We can grow in it.
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S2: We really can grow in it. What a beautiful truth.
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S2: So remember this today, boom crew. It's to God's glory
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S2: that you bear much fruit. Think about that. God is
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S2: glorified in you as you are satisfied in him and
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S2: bearing fruit. Do it today.
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S1: He was running from God, but God's love brought him home.
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S1: Carl is in the crew. It's Carl and crew on
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S1: Moody Radio.
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S2: Some lessons take a little time to learn. And Peter
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S2: finally got it. There's. Without a doubt, when Jesus was,
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S2: as we find in John 1415 and 16, and he's
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S2: speaking to the disciples about the great advantage of him
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S2: going away in the Holy Spirit will come this great
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S2: comforter and guide us into all truth. Bring to remembrance
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S2: all that I have spoken. There would have been a
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S2: lot of confusion, but just a few decades later, we
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S2: see Peter writing a book, a letter, and in it
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S2: he begins with a very significant nod to the power
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S2: of the Holy Spirit that leads to sanctification and growing
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S2: up into Christ Jesus our Lord. With us right now
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S2: is Colin Smith. We'll get a proper ID here in
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S2: a moment. But, Colin, isn't it beautiful that we find
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S2: Peter a few decades at least. Later, he really understood
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S2: what Jesus told him in that narrative of John 1415
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S2: and 16 about the power and the comfort of the
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S2: Holy Spirit. Colin.
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S8: Yeah. And not only did he understand what Jesus said
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S8: to him, he's a completely different man. And, you know,
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S8: I think this is just so encouraging because it says
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S8: to us in a real life example that we should
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S8: never place limits on the change that the Holy Spirit
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S8: can bring in the life of a person. I mean,
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S8: look at Peter in the in the Gospels. In many ways,
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S8: he's all over the place. He's so impulsive. He doesn't
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S8: do what Jesus says. He questions what Jesus says, and
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S8: so forth and so on. And yet, years later, through
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S8: the work of the Holy Spirit in his life, he's
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S8: writing in a way that clearly indicates that he is
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S8: a transformed person, and he is a ministry that is
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S8: beyond perhaps anything that he could have imagined. I think
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S8: this is one of the most wonderful stories in all
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S8: of the Bible.
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S2: It's just an amazing picture of God's ability to grow
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S2: us up. It's just beautiful. Pastor Colin Smith, pastor emeritus
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S2: of the Orchard Evangelical Free Church. They have six campuses
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S2: across Chicagoland. He's also the founder and teacher of the
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S2: long time radio program right here. Open the Bible first. Peter. Colin,
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S2: you recommend this book to brand new followers of Jesus?
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S2: Why is that?
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S8: Well, I'll give you the simple answer because that's what
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S8: my pastor recommended to me many.
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S3: Many years ago.
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S8: And I think he's right. His point was simply this,
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S8: that often what happens for someone who's a new believer
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S8: is that they have some course that has them looking
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S8: up verses all over the Bible. That can sometimes be
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S8: quite confusing. And his point was that first, Peter is
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S8: really a letter that is written to new believers, and
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S8: it has in it everything that you would want a
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S8: new believer to grasp and to learn. So why not
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S8: introduce a new believer to one letter in the New Testament?
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S8: It's not even a very long letter. And if a
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S8: person can get that inside of them, they've not only
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S8: learned what's in one Peter, they've actually, in the process
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S8: learned how to learn from the Bible because having got
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S8: into one Peter, they can get into other parts of Scripture.
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S8: So it's got everything. I mean, the letter begins with
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S8: understanding what has happened to you now that you've become
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S8: a Christian, the call to a holy life. It's got
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S8: what Jesus accomplished on the cross. It's got the cost
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S8: of commitment. It's got relationships, marriage. I mean, it's got
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S8: everything in there that you would want a new Christian
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S8: to grasp.
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S4: Colin Smith with us this morning. Okay, let's focus in
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S4: a little bit. We're going to first Peter one three
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S4: through eight. I'll read it for you. Blessed be the
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S4: God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to
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S4: his great mercy, he has caused us to be born
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S4: again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus
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S4: Christ from the dead to an inheritance that is imperishable,
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S4: undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven for you who by
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S4: God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation
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S4: ready to be revealed in the last time. In this
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S4: you rejoice, though now for a little while if necessary.
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S4: You have been grieved by various trials, so that the
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S4: tested genuineness of your faith more precious than gold that perishes,
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S4: though it is tested by fire, may be found to
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S4: result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation
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S4: of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you
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S4: love him. Though you do not now see him, you
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S4: believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible
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S4: and filled with glory. So much there. Where do you
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S4: want to start?
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S8: Well, probably at the end. And work backwards there. You know,
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S8: I mean, verse eight, you've really got three distinguishing marks
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S8: of a true Christian, though you have not seen him.
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S8: Obviously Peter had, but he's writing to people like us
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S8: who've never seen Jesus. This is right for us. We've
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S8: never seen him. But here's what's true of us. We
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S8: love Christ. We believe in Christ and we have great joy,
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S8: he says, even an inexpressible joy in Christ. And the
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S8: reason that we've got an inexpressible joy, even though we
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S8: are grieved by various trials, which is what he says
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S8: in the middle is what you read at the beginning there,
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S8: that we've been born again to a living hope. That
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S8: we've got an inheritance that can never be taken away,
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S8: and that by God's power, we're actually kept. So we're
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S8: going to get there. I mean, that is ask a
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S8: Christian to put into words what these three things mean,
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S8: and they'll not be able to do it. That's why
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S8: he says it's an inexpressible joy. How could you say
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S8: how good these things are?
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S2: Yeah, this is tremendous. Colin, would you say that joy
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S2: is one of the evidences, not happiness, but joy is
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S2: one of the greatest evidences of authentic faith, even through trials.
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S8: I think so, and I do think that verse six
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S8: here where he says, in this you rejoice and the
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S8: this is that you are born again, that you do
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S8: have a living hope that Jesus did rise from the dead,
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S8: that heaven is being kept for you and you're being
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S8: kept from heaven. That's a reason to rejoice in worst trial.
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S8: And so he's not talking about something that's kind of false,
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S8: that's put on. It's that there's real joy in that
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S8: for everyone who knows that it's theirs.
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S4: Let's talk about this inheritance that's imperishable, undefiled, and unfading,
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S4: kept in heaven for you. Uh, that's not often language
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S4: that we use, but what, what what's this inheritance that's
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S4: being kept in heaven for us? How are we to
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S4: understand that?
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S8: Well, I'm sure that it includes everything that is in
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S8: the new life that we will enjoy in the new creation.
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S8: But the supreme thing in it is God himself. I mean,
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S8: when you get to the end of the Bible, it's
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S8: God who dwells with his people. And the way it's
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S8: put in revelation almost leaves you saying, oh, at last,
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S8: God's people are with him and we're able to enjoy
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S8: him forever. That's what we're made for. And Peter says,
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S8: that's ahead of you, and it can never be taken
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S8: from you.
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S2: Colin, do you believe that this inexpressible, undefiled promise of
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S2: the future. Do you believe Peter? Uh, I don't know
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S2: which way it would be weighted. Is it weighted in?
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S2: Anchored in the truth that he lived? Or the truth
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S2: as lived out in the face of severe opposition?
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S8: Well, there certainly was opposition that these believers, early in
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S8: their experience, um, endured. And and that runs right throughout
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S8: the letter. Yeah. I mean, it's fascinating, Carl, isn't it?
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S8: What were the shaping factors in.
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S3: This.
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S8: Vibrant faith? The suffering must be one. And I think
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S8: that his failure when he denied the Lord Jesus that
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S8: time and then his restoration, I think that that was
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S8: another I think God used that to humble this man.
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S8: He doesn't exactly come across as humble to me in
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S8: the Gospels. But at the end of one Peter, he's
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S8: talking about humble yourself under the mighty hand of God
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S8: and God will lift you up. He talks about the devils,
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S8: you know, prowling around like a roaring lion. It's almost
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S8: straight out of his experience. He's able to minister because
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S8: not only did he fail, but God wonderfully restored him.
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S8: And I just think that's a marvelous reason for hope.
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S3: You know, an.
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S2: Interesting thing here. First Peter, is book ended with obedience
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S2: and obedience gets a bad rap. And because a lot
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S2: of people have been raised in legalistic contexts, what's a
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S2: healthy perspective of obedience from Peter's heart?
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S8: Well, kind of a way that I'm trying to say
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S8: this these days is that we obey God's commands as
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S8: we believe his promises. And one of the things I've
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S8: started trying just to spot more regularly in the Bible
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S8: is that where God gives a command, there's usually a
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S8: promise that's very, very close to it. And we obey
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S8: God's commands by believing his promises. That's how we actually
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S8: live the Christian life. As I read scripture to note
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S8: what the commands are and to note the promises that
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S8: are actually going to mean make it possible to fulfill
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S8: the command. I mean, it's very simple. It's all over
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S8: the place. You know, love one another as I have
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S8: loved you. Well, there's a command and a promise right
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S8: next to to each other. And that's all over the
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S8: pattern of scripture.
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S3: You know.
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S2: You're bringing up a point that I've I've contended that
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S2: this is true from Genesis to Revelation. I don't know
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S2: that there's one precept teaching command that isn't directly linked
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S2: to our ultimate greater good. Maybe not immediately, but it's
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S2: ultimately linked to a promise. What do you say, Colin?
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S8: Well, yeah, I mean, I so I've just got it
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S8: up and you said, you know, at the end of
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S8: one Peter so I'm just looking at chapter five and
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S8: verse six, humble yourselves, therefore under the mighty hand of God,
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S8: there's a command so that at the proper time he
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S8: may exalt you. There's a promise. Yeah. Next verse. Casting
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S8: all your anxieties on him. There's a command because he
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S8: cares for you. There's a promise. I mean, that pattern
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S8: is just everywhere. And once you see it, you say, ah,
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S8: this is how I live the Christian life. I'm pursuing
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S8: this life as I believe the promises that are given
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S8: to me on this path.
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S4: You know, one of my favorite little verses here in
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S4: this section is verse five, that that by God's power,
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S4: I'm being guarded through faith for a salvation that's going
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S4: to be revealed in the last time. This idea that
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S4: God's power is guarding through faith, my salvation. I mean,
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S4: trying to wrap my mind around that. Speak to that
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S4: a little bit.
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S8: Yes. Kept until what God already has in place is
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S8: known and and revealed. I love that word revealed in
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S8: verse five that you've pointed to there. And it comes
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S8: actually in verse seven where we talk about where Peter
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S8: talks about praise, glory and honor at the revelation of
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S8: Jesus Christ. Often the New Testament refers to this as
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S8: like the Second Coming or the return of the Lord Jesus.
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S8: But Peter uses the language revelation or revealed. What's the
19:51
S8: significance of that? Well, a reveal is when you get
19:54
S8: to see what's already there. And that's the beauty of this.
19:58
S8: When we see Jesus, he'll not be a stranger to us.
20:01
S8: We'll know that he is the one who has invisibly
20:04
S8: walked with us all the days of our lives. And
20:07
S8: now faith is turned to sight, and he's revealed, and
20:10
S8: we see him. It's going to be glorious.
20:12
S3: Oh.
20:13
S2: I gotta tell you, this has been rich in just
20:16
S2: a few short minutes. And you can pick up where
20:18
S2: we are leaving off right now. And we've got a
20:21
S2: link for you.
20:22
S3: Boom crew.
20:22
S4: Yeah. We mentioned that Pastor Colin Smith is the host
20:25
S4: of the daily radio program Open the Bible. He also
20:28
S4: has some books, podcasts. We want to get you connected.
20:31
S4: Just text open to (800) 555-7898. Text open to (800) 555-7898.
20:41
S1: Take your next step with Jesus today. You're listening to
20:45
S1: cast and Crew.
20:47
S2: It's the most wonderful time of the year.
20:50
S9: Why do you keep singing.
20:52
S3: And.
20:52
S9: Christmas songs?
20:53
S7: Graduation.
20:54
S2: Season.
20:55
S4: Graduation.
20:56
S2: Graduation. When you graduate, you want to. You want to
20:59
S2: know where am I going from here? We get the
21:02
S2: man with the plan right now. We got the Italian stallion,
21:04
S2: poorly known. And he's related to who? Who are you
21:08
S2: related to?
21:08
S10: Louis. Anthony angoni.
21:10
S3: Louis.
21:11
S2: Anthony angoni. And what's hilarious is I asked you if,
21:14
S2: and I was hopeful that you had some mobsters in
21:16
S2: your background, but you you weren't for sure. But you
21:19
S2: you what'd you say.
21:20
S3: About.
21:21
S10: My dad was a pastor my whole life, so I'd
21:23
S10: always joke with my friends that it was just a front.
21:26
S3: For.
21:26
S10: For his import export business in the Mafia world, which
21:29
S10: is totally not true. But that was but he was
21:32
S10: he's an intimidating guy. You know, he was the guy.
21:34
S10: If I fell asleep in the front row, which you
21:36
S10: knew you.
21:37
S3: Were in trouble.
21:38
S10: Oh my gosh. I mean, he would huck whatever he
21:39
S10: had in his hand, just all of a sudden something
21:41
S10: would peg me in the head and I'd be up.
21:43
S10: I'd be.
21:44
S3: Paying attention. What a good pastor. Wow.
21:48
S2: Paul Langone is his name. Ally. Come on. What's what's
21:52
S2: what's up with this guy?
21:53
S4: Yeah, I don't know how to follow that up, so
21:55
S4: I guess I'll just tell you a little bit more
21:56
S4: about him. He's a dynamic national keynote speaker, best selling author.
22:00
S4: He's one of the leading voices to and for the
22:03
S4: millennial generation. He's got a new book out, 101 secrets
22:07
S4: for Your 20s. This is a follow up to 101
22:11
S4: Questions You Need to Ask in your 20s, right?
22:13
S10: Yes, yes. So. Well, well, it's funny, this one actually
22:16
S10: came out first. 101 secrets for 20s and then 101
22:19
S10: questions You need to ask in your 20s came out
22:21
S10: and now and now this is a new edition, new
22:23
S10: addition to the first book. It's done really well. It's
22:26
S10: gone all over the world. It's been amazing. But it
22:29
S10: was time to update it. I felt like it was
22:30
S10: getting old. I was talking about Facebook all the time
22:33
S10: and Craigslist, you know, in the book. So I felt
22:35
S10: like if somebody is reading it now, they're going to
22:37
S10: feel like, what world did this guy come from? This
22:40
S10: old dude.
22:40
S2: So it'd be good to edit out that part where
22:42
S2: you invented the wheel. All right. Just leave that out.
22:45
S10: Talking about talking about when I saw fire for the
22:47
S10: first time. But no, no, I feel like today more
22:51
S10: than ever. I mean, 20 somethings are really going.
22:53
S2: Oh my.
22:53
S10: Word. It's so hard. And so my heart is still
22:56
S10: so much for them because I felt like such a
22:58
S10: failure in my 20s. I mean, that's really where this
23:00
S10: passion started is because I felt like I was really
23:02
S10: blowing it in my 20s.
23:04
S4: Why? What made you feel that way?
23:06
S10: You know, you have all these expectations, right? And I
23:09
S10: think most of us do whatever that expectation looks like.
23:11
S10: If I'm going to go change the world or I'm
23:12
S10: going to make a lot of money, I'm going to
23:13
S10: get married, all these things. And for me, I felt
23:16
S10: like all those expectations were going up in flames and
23:19
S10: I felt like a failure. Now, little did I know
23:23
S10: that was part of the process and God was growing me.
23:25
S10: God was honing me. God was getting me ready for
23:28
S10: so my character could be ready for my calling. Uh,
23:32
S10: and I talk about in the book that success in
23:34
S10: your 20s is more about setting the table than it
23:37
S10: is about enjoying the feast. And I had to learn
23:40
S10: that the hard way. I feel like and but that's
23:43
S10: why I became so passionate because I felt like when
23:45
S10: I started talking to other 20 somethings about this intense
23:47
S10: season of life, I started realizing I'm not alone. And,
23:51
S10: and just knowing that is so important and so liberating
23:54
S10: to talk about this because we're all hiding behind the
23:56
S10: social media post to make our lives look amazing when
23:59
S10: they're not. And so I felt like this is such
24:01
S10: a vital conversation because people are struggling with depression, anxiety, suicide,
24:06
S10: walking away from their faith. It's such a crucial season
24:09
S10: of our lives. So we have to make decisions and
24:12
S10: make choices well and figure out the framework that we're
24:15
S10: going to base those off.
24:16
S2: You just said something in passing there I want to
24:18
S2: drill down on. I have I'm in the middle of
24:20
S2: a project right now, a deep dive. And one of
24:23
S2: the things about the gospel is the gospel is so transformative.
24:27
S2: And I think a lot of these kids that have
24:28
S2: walked away from their faith and put that in air
24:30
S2: quotes Really walked away from the church, but they never
24:33
S2: walked away from the Lord because they were never in Christ.
24:36
S2: And I think we made a lot of assumptions for millennials.
24:39
S2: That's an epidemic right now. How do we go reach
24:42
S2: these kids that were cultural Christians but were never in
24:45
S2: Christ Jesus?
24:47
S10: Gosh, that's a good one. You know, I think for
24:48
S10: some of us, it's it's being open and honest about
24:52
S10: our own struggles. I think that's a great entry place
24:55
S10: to be like, because I don't think we, we don't
24:57
S10: connect over our pretend perfection. We connect over our shared struggles.
25:01
S10: And I do think sometimes church especially can be so
25:05
S10: rosy hyped up. Everybody loves everything. You know, everybody's doing great.
25:10
S10: And I think for people that are on the fringes
25:11
S10: that feel that disconnect, they can feel like, well, my
25:14
S10: faith doesn't feel that pretty. I'm really struggling and I'm
25:18
S10: questioning everything. And I think sometimes church doesn't feel like
25:22
S10: a place you can bring some of your, your shame
25:25
S10: and your questions because again, you're trying to play the
25:27
S10: game of Christianese and that I look great, which is
25:30
S10: just an extension really of the game. We're playing online
25:33
S10: as well, that I look amazing. And so I think
25:36
S10: those honest conversations, led by mentors, led by people that
25:40
S10: have been there and have done that and can say, look,
25:43
S10: I went through a season two where it was really
25:45
S10: hard and I was questioning things. Let's talk about it.
25:48
S10: And I think that conversation opens up at least a place,
25:52
S10: a dialogue where maybe we can be honest and get
25:55
S10: to a place of depth and back to a place
25:57
S10: of legitimate faith.
25:59
S4: Paul and Connie with us right now, author of 101
26:01
S4: secrets for Your 20s. This is the revised edition. Okay.
26:05
S4: So let's talk about some of these secrets we won't
26:07
S4: get to. 101 of them. But what are some ones
26:10
S4: that pop out as maybe a little bit unexpected?
26:13
S10: Well, I, I talk about in one of my secrets
26:16
S10: that and this goes back to what we were talking about,
26:18
S10: but I coined a phrase called obsessive comparison disorder. And
26:22
S10: I talk about that being the smallpox of our generation.
26:26
S10: And what I mean by obsessive.
26:27
S2: Time out, that's one of the most powerful statements going.
26:30
S10: Thank you. Yeah. I, um, you know, comparisons always been around.
26:35
S10: We've always been looking at the Jones next door, you know,
26:38
S10: Cain and Abel. The first murder was, you know, in
26:40
S10: the Bible was based on comparison. Um, but now we're
26:43
S10: doing it instantaneous global at the touch of my fingertip level.
26:48
S10: You know, you used to have to go to your
26:49
S10: ten year reunion to look everybody up and down to
26:52
S10: see who's doing better than whom. Right. And you just
26:54
S10: had to fake it for one night, like rent a BMW,
26:58
S10: get a toupee, lose some weight. Like you just had
27:01
S10: to pull it off for one night that your life
27:03
S10: was doing amazing. Now we're pulling off trying to pull
27:06
S10: off that same phenomenon every day with every post, we're
27:09
S10: scrolling through everybody's amazing updates, and it's become a huge
27:14
S10: problem because we all know that comparison kills creativity. It
27:18
S10: creates anxiety, it creates depression. You can't have any forward
27:21
S10: movement in your life if you're looking to the side
27:24
S10: all the time. It's like, try to try to run
27:25
S10: full speed forward, but keep looking to the left and
27:28
S10: looking to the right like you're going to kill yourself.
27:31
S2: Paul everybody identifies that now, though. So what's the answer?
27:35
S2: I think I think everybody gets it. I don't care
27:38
S2: if you're a boomer. You get it. Yeah.
27:41
S10: Well one gosh you and this is another secret. This
27:45
S10: is one of my bonus secrets. One of the secrets
27:48
S10: I talk about that you are what you pay attention to.
27:52
S10: So where are you paying your attention and where and
27:56
S10: really your attention? Where are you investing your attention? And
28:00
S10: it's in the phrase pay attention, right? It's literally like
28:03
S10: you're making payments with everything that you are focusing on
28:06
S10: with your attention. And so you start becoming what you
28:09
S10: pay attention to. And really, you only, you only see
28:12
S10: what you're looking for. You've made a decision. I'm looking
28:15
S10: for this and that's what you see. So that's why
28:18
S10: people that, you know, if you're reading the newspaper and
28:21
S10: you're watching the news 247, watching all the terrible headlines
28:24
S10: and updates, you might have a pessimistic view of life,
28:27
S10: because all you're hearing is about all the terrible things
28:29
S10: all the time. And so with social media, first of all,
28:33
S10: we got to stop paying so much of our choice
28:35
S10: attention to social media. You know, it's become an addiction
28:39
S10: for many of us, obviously, because it's not like, you know,
28:43
S10: you ask people after you spend 30 minutes on TikTok
28:46
S10: or Instagram, do you feel better about your life? Do
28:49
S10: you feel great? Do you feel energized? Well, most people
28:51
S10: would say, no. I feel like I wasted that time
28:54
S10: and I feel terrible about myself. So we have to
28:56
S10: put the phone down. We have to stop looking at it.
28:59
S10: We can't let the algorithms run our lives and take
29:02
S10: all our attention. Like we got to go outside and
29:05
S10: pray and seek the Lord and and seek truth. Seek
29:08
S10: from the word. You know, these age old truths. Um,
29:12
S10: but also I think you fight comparison by just being
29:16
S10: so grateful for who God made you to be.
29:20
S2: So.
29:20
S10: Good, and owning what I call your signature source. And
29:24
S10: I picture you as a chef in the kitchen, and
29:27
S10: you're bringing these flavors together to create a substance that
29:30
S10: only you can bring. Because it's your skills and your
29:33
S10: values and your problems and your pain. Things you've gone
29:37
S10: through your story, you bring it together to create your
29:39
S10: signature sauce, the way God has made you. And when
29:42
S10: you are okay with that, and when you're just grateful,
29:45
S10: you can celebrate other people's successes because you're not trying
29:49
S10: to be like them anymore. You're just, you're just grateful
29:51
S10: for the way God has designed you and you're running
29:54
S10: your own race, which is really freeing.
29:56
S4: Paul, you know, there's a good chance that right now
29:59
S4: you're speaking to far more parents of 20 somethings maybe
30:03
S4: than directly to 20 somethings. What can I don't want
30:06
S4: to say the older generation, because that sounds maybe that
30:10
S4: doesn't sound great, but for parents and even grandparents who
30:14
S4: want to help a young adult who seems like they
30:16
S4: are struggling through this transition from and from adolescence into like, adulting. Yeah.
30:22
S4: What are some things that we need to hear that
30:25
S4: maybe ways that we think we're helping but really aren't,
30:28
S4: or places that there's been this kind of intergenerational misunderstandings.
30:33
S10: Yeah, that's a, that's a great question. And it's and
30:35
S10: it's funny too. It's been a funny dynamic that probably
30:38
S10: half my reviews of this book, like on Amazon 100
30:42
S10: secrets are from parents and grandparents who have picked the
30:44
S10: book up to give it as a gift because it's
30:46
S10: a great college graduation gift. And then they read it
30:50
S10: and they're like, oh my gosh, I wish I had
30:51
S10: this in my 20s. Or, wow, this really spoke to
30:53
S10: me kind of what you were saying, Carl. Like this
30:55
S10: really spoke to me now, you know. So again, I'm
30:57
S10: trying to get to truth and not just generational truth.
31:00
S10: I'm trying to get to truth. And, and so for
31:03
S10: older generations that are trying to help 20 somethings, you know,
31:07
S10: it goes back to what we talked about before being
31:09
S10: willing to say, you know, gosh, I wasn't always successful.
31:12
S10: Like I have my own questions and doubts. And the
31:15
S10: younger generation really resonates with that. I think leaders of
31:20
S10: all kinds. You have to be honest about your weaknesses
31:24
S10: to the younger generation so that they can trust your strengths.
31:29
S10: And I think it's a real flip of leadership dynamics
31:31
S10: because before leaders were kind of the superhero leaders, you
31:34
S10: never had any flaws, you never had any mistakes, and
31:38
S10: you led and you charged forward and people just followed you.
31:41
S10: And now with the younger generation, they really want something
31:44
S10: real and authentic. You hear those catchphrases all the time.
31:47
S10: And for it to be authentic, it has to be vulnerable.
31:51
S10: And so I think leaders, parents, pastors, corporate leaders, you
31:55
S10: have to be willing to be vulnerable to a certain
31:57
S10: extent with those who are following you so that they
31:59
S10: can trust you, so that they can say, okay, this
32:02
S10: person really cares about me and I, and I do
32:04
S10: want to follow them. And I think that's a great
32:06
S10: place to start because then you can have real conversations
32:08
S10: with each other if there's trust there.
32:11
S2: Paul Mangone, who's been our guest, this is amazing content
32:15
S2: and this is timely. Now, I happen to know that
32:19
S2: with wedding gifts and even graduation gifts. You can come
32:23
S2: in a little bit late. And as Ali was telling
32:26
S2: me earlier, no one's going to complain about getting a
32:29
S2: gift a little bit late.
32:30
S4: Oh, you decided that you'd like to get me something,
32:32
S4: but it was meant for a week ago. I'll still.
32:35
S2: Take it.
32:36
S7: And this is a dynamite resource.
32:38
S2: I mean, this is dynamite. So you're listening all over
32:42
S2: the world right now. We're going to give you a
32:44
S2: link here in just a moment. It's been revised because
32:47
S2: it's gone so far and wide. And you want to
32:50
S2: make sure that we got this thing freshened up. He
32:52
S2: did a rewrite on it. 101 secrets for Your 20s.
32:56
S2: And we've got boomers picking it up going. Yeah, that's
32:58
S2: a pretty good one. I think I'll tuck that away
33:00
S2: in my heart. And that's the way truth is, isn't it, Paul?
33:04
S10: Mhm.
33:04
S2: Final word.
33:05
S10: Yeah. Yeah. First of all, to 20 somethings, you're not alone.
33:08
S10: Like it's supposed to be hard. Your 20s are supposed
33:10
S10: to be kind of hard because you're training, you're building
33:13
S10: strength again, you're putting seeds in the ground. And sometimes
33:16
S10: seeds will go to the ground and they're going to die.
33:18
S10: And then other seeds are going to grow. But it's
33:21
S10: a process. Um, so if it's hard, that's okay because
33:24
S10: maybe God is really growing you up because he needs
33:27
S10: you to be ready for your calling. He needs your
33:30
S10: legs to be strong enough so you have to walk
33:32
S10: on your own. And sometimes that's difficult. So if you
33:34
S10: feel lost right now, that's okay. You know, getting lost
33:38
S10: is the first step to exploring. Uh, you have to
33:41
S10: get lost to explore, but don't explore by yourself. Bring
33:46
S10: with you guides, you know, and that's what this book
33:48
S10: is for me. It's, it's my way to be a guide,
33:51
S10: to be someone there on the journey with you and say, hey, look,
33:54
S10: watch out for that cliff ahead. I've been there before.
33:57
S10: Let's go a different direction. And so that's what you
33:59
S10: need when you're going on this journey.
34:01
S4: The book is called 101 secrets for Your 20s. Just
34:04
S4: text 20. Spell it out for me. Just text 20
34:07
S4: to 805 557898. We'll send you the link, just text
34:12
S4: 20 to 805 557898.
34:16
S1: Your spiritual pit stop to keep you going in the race.
34:20
S1: You're listening to cast and crew.
34:23
S7: All right, let's get real practical here.
34:24
S2: Why has got down on gossip?
34:29
S5: I don't think it brings any life.
34:31
S2: I love you guys.
34:32
S6: Cold or lights.
34:35
S2: Or doesn't bring any life. Okay. What are some other
34:38
S2: reasons here, guys?
34:39
S4: Well, when we use the I'm thinking of the verse.
34:43
S4: I don't know where it is, but it talks about
34:45
S4: out of the same mouth that we bless and praise
34:48
S4: the Lord, that we would speak poorly of people. That's
34:52
S4: a very loose paraphrase, but it's a biblical principle that
34:55
S4: when we use our words to tear down, we're not
34:58
S4: like functioning in how God intended us to use our words.
35:03
S7: Yeah.
35:03
S2: James talks about that crazy thing that we can sometimes do.
35:07
S2: It's like, wow, do these things work together? No.
35:11
S5: And let's identify what gossip is. I mean, gossip is because,
35:16
S5: you know, let's say, let's say I had an issue
35:19
S5: with Ali and I needed to talk to her about it.
35:24
S5: It is not gossip.
35:26
S2: You want to do it right now?
35:27
S5: Well, yeah, sure. Let's hash it.
35:28
S6: Out here every day.
35:30
S5: Yeah. No, if I went to a trusted mentor of
35:34
S5: mine and said, I. I'm trying to figure out how
35:37
S5: to talk to this coworker for this problem that I'm
35:40
S5: having and I want to restore it. You know, that's
35:43
S5: not gossiping because one, it's gaining some counsel about how
35:48
S5: to approach Ali than face to face so that we
35:51
S5: could reconcile it. And gossip is, did you hear what
35:56
S5: this person did? Did you hear what this person said?
35:58
S5: Only really for the purpose of kind of getting a
36:02
S5: little bit of a kick on the inside, of getting
36:05
S5: some new information, of spilling some tea about somebody and
36:08
S5: there's no life or, or help in that. It only
36:11
S5: brings destruction.
36:12
S4: It's also sometimes masked at as there's something that we
36:17
S4: really need to be praying about. Let me share it
36:19
S4: with you.
36:20
S2: That's how we spiritualize, which is crazy.
36:22
S4: Thank you. Sometimes we don't actually say that. Here's this
36:26
S4: juicy morsel of gossip I want to share with you.
36:29
S4: Sometimes we find ways to kind of ease into it
36:31
S4: that feel a little less sinful.
36:33
S6: And the truth? I mean, gossip, gossip is not pure truth.
36:38
S6: So therefore, how is it going to make Jesus's heart happy?
36:42
S6: It's not truth.
36:43
S2: Yeah, well, sometimes it is. But most often I would
36:48
S2: say I agree with you. Gossip is sharing content for
36:52
S2: which must. A lot of it could be half truth
36:55
S2: or no truth at all.
36:56
S6: Yeah. And to tear down someone.
36:57
S2: And to tear someone down. But the interesting thing about
37:01
S2: even truth. Think about this one here for a second.
37:04
S2: Because gossip is a fascinating thing, and I'm with you.
37:07
S2: It is most often either not true or partially true.
37:14
S2: And it's. Yeah. And it's really to gloat over something else.
37:17
S2: And but if you go to Matthew 18, the reason
37:20
S2: I wanted to raise this is the intriguing thing is
37:23
S2: that even when there's truth involved in Matthew 18, we
37:27
S2: get a prescription for what I love to call straight
37:29
S2: line communication. And if someone sins against you. So if
37:34
S2: they sin against you, by the way, that word sin
37:36
S2: is willful intent to harm. It's not just a difference
37:40
S2: of opinion or different style of doing things, or someone
37:44
S2: who ignorantly said something that offended you. It's like, no,
37:47
S2: this is willful intent. Okay. What are we to do
37:51
S2: with it? Supposed to go straight to them, not go
37:53
S2: around Macready's barn and get hey, I go around and. Hey, Diana,
37:57
S2: did you see what Allie did to me? And, hey.
38:00
S4: How come I keep being the one?
38:01
S2: That's the example. Well, because it's least likely to happen.
38:05
S4: Least likely. Joking.
38:07
S2: Um, but we go around Mercury's barn. I go to
38:10
S2: young Thunder man, look what she did to me, blah
38:12
S2: blah blah. Here's what's interesting. Jesus said, go to that
38:17
S2: person alone. Now that does not preclude gaining wise counsel.
38:20
S2: I'm convinced of that, as you led with young thunder.
38:23
S2: But then if that person doesn't acknowledge that willful intent
38:27
S2: to harm you, what are you supposed to do? Then
38:30
S2: you go, gosh, no, that's not when you got a
38:33
S2: green light to go gossip. Can you believe it? I
38:35
S2: went to him. They didn't acknowledge it. I can't believe it. No.
38:39
S2: You get one person and you go back to them
38:43
S2: and then if they don't repent, you actually go before
38:48
S2: the church. Now, this is often considered. This is why
38:51
S2: we trot people up in front of the whole church congregation.
38:56
S2: I gotta tell you, that is so wrongheaded and so.
39:01
S2: I don't even have enough descriptive adjectives to tell you
39:05
S2: how wrong that is. The purpose of the. The prescription
39:10
S2: there is to take it to circles of influence of
39:13
S2: people that love this offender enough that they will freeze
39:18
S2: them out of community and fellowship to bring restoration. It's
39:25
S2: not a penalty. It's not a public shaming. It drives
39:30
S2: me crazy when I hear that people get trotted up
39:33
S2: in front of church and excoriated for whatever it is. Okay,
39:38
S2: so that's, that's that's the biblical mandate of straight line communication.
39:43
S2: But you got to ask the question, why? And this
39:45
S2: is the coolest thing about why not to gossip. First off,
39:50
S2: your gossip could be all wrong. Second, it could be
39:54
S2: half wrong. And third, even if it's right, you know
39:57
S2: what God's plan is. Keep the circles of information so
40:03
S2: small that when a person is restored, they're not digging
40:07
S2: through another pile of shame. Isn't that cool? That's what
40:12
S2: God wants to do. He wants these circles to remain
40:16
S2: small for the purpose of restoration and not littering the
40:20
S2: countryside with even what was wrong, done wrongly. Even with
40:25
S2: bad intent. Isn't that cool? The character of our guide guys?
40:29
S4: Yeah. I mean, because his heart is for relationships to
40:32
S4: be protected.
40:34
S2: Yeah.
40:35
S4: For the body of Christ to be healthy and to
40:39
S4: not be fractured by gossip and by other things that
40:44
S4: drive us apart.
40:45
S2: Some people just don't need to know stuff.
40:48
S5: Yeah.
40:49
S2: I think we don't need to know it.
40:51
S5: I think sometimes our, our main focus, at least in
40:55
S5: in this situation where I've been wronged, uh, I, it's
41:00
S5: easier to seek validation than restoration.
41:04
S2: Oof.
41:05
S5: That, that we want to go tell other people so
41:09
S5: that we can get people to agree with us that
41:13
S5: that we have been wronged or this person is a
41:15
S5: horrible person, so we can feel better about ourselves, but
41:19
S5: we have to keep the circle small in order for
41:21
S5: restoration to really happen. Because then restoration becomes even harder.
41:24
S5: If now you've gone around and start gossiping about it.
41:27
S6: Yeah, there's such a lack of wisdom when you go
41:30
S6: the wrong route with gossip. Such a lack of wisdom.
41:33
S5: Mhm. It destroys a lot.
41:36
S2: It can really hurt people. So little nuggets of truth
41:39
S2: along the path today. Just place it. I'm out there.
41:41
S2: Think about that today. If you really look at the
41:45
S2: mandate of straight line communication in the word, uh, it'll
41:49
S2: it'll cause you to stop sharing stories today. You know
41:53
S2: what I mean?
41:54
S4: Oh, yeah.
41:56
S2: It'll shut her down.
41:57
S4: Maybe I should not say this thing. I really want
41:59
S4: to say.
42:01
S1: Your shot of hope to get you through the day.
42:04
S6: You are so, so loved. God does not want you
42:08
S6: to stay in your past. And I want you to
42:10
S6: know and believe that today.
42:11
S1: You're listening to Carl and Crew.
42:13
S2: Well, it's kind of the best of for First Peter
42:16
S2: this week. And it's a great book to look at.
42:19
S2: I mean, my goodness. Colin Smith says, if you're going
42:21
S2: to meet with a first time follower of Jesus who's
42:25
S2: just freshly surrendered their life to Christ, he says, get
42:28
S2: them in first, Peter, and we're going to have Colin
42:30
S2: Smith with us. But we've got a great guest right now,
42:33
S2: Doctor Ryan Cook. Boy, the timing couldn't be better. Now,
42:37
S2: we heard rumor, didn't we Alex?
42:39
S4: Yeah. Doctor Ryan Cook, professor here at Moody Theological Seminary.
42:42
S4: He's also the editor for the June Today in the word,
42:46
S4: which of course, first and second. Peter, we didn't know
42:49
S4: that until recently, but appropriately, we have him on with
42:54
S4: us this morning.
42:55
S2: Okay. Give us the overview. We've been laying out some
42:58
S2: of the facts and figures here. First, Peter, probably 62
43:02
S2: to 64 A.D. it was written Nero's the Emperor written
43:06
S2: to the diaspora, mainly Greeks, some Jews And there's just
43:11
S2: meat in these two books, isn't there, my man?
43:14
S11: Oh, there sure is. And that's exactly right. I mean,
43:16
S11: Peter is writing at that time period to a group
43:19
S11: of churches in what today would be like Western Turkey.
43:23
S11: And he's writing to them because they're suffering. They're going
43:27
S11: through some really difficult times because of their embrace of
43:30
S11: Jesus as the Messiah. And so Peter really wants to
43:33
S11: encourage them to remain faithful and to persevere in the
43:37
S11: midst of suffering in the midst of a very difficult time.
43:40
S11: And I'm kind of reminded of when I had young
43:43
S11: children and I first started at Moody, I had another
43:46
S11: faculty member came up to me and said, you know, Ryan,
43:49
S11: I just want you to know that I'm praying for
43:51
S11: your kids because I'm praying, not that they won't go
43:55
S11: through hard times, and not that they won't suffer because
43:58
S11: that's a part of living in a fallen world. But
44:00
S11: I pray that they'll learn how to interpret what happens
44:03
S11: to them through a biblical lens. And I thought, As
44:08
S11: there's a lot of wisdom in that prayer. And that's
44:10
S11: also a lot of what Peter's trying to do in
44:12
S11: this book is help them see what's happening to them
44:15
S11: through a biblical framework.
44:17
S4: Wow. I've not heard that. Did that surprise you at first?
44:20
S4: I mean, did it take you off guard? That's a
44:22
S4: very specific thing. Very biblical thing to pray for, for
44:26
S4: for anyone, but specifically for your children.
44:29
S11: It was I mean, that's part of the reason I
44:30
S11: still remember it. You know, a decade later is it
44:34
S11: stood out to me as like, wait, you're praying that
44:36
S11: for my kids that they will potentially go through that.
44:38
S11: But then as I reflected on it, there is a
44:40
S11: lot of wisdom in that. You know, the Bible never
44:42
S11: promises us that we'll be free of suffering. In fact,
44:44
S11: it's often the opposite. And so what's so important is
44:48
S11: learning how to interpret that through a biblical lens and
44:51
S11: to see it how God sees it. And that can
44:54
S11: be so difficult to do because our culture wants to
44:57
S11: give us other lenses to look at our suffering through,
44:59
S11: or to see what life is really about. And so
45:01
S11: we need this reminder today more than ever.
45:04
S4: Give us a little bit of your background. I know
45:06
S4: we've had you on before. We know you're a professor
45:08
S4: here at Moody. When did you come to faith in Christ?
45:11
S4: Just curious.
45:12
S11: My story is really part of the faithfulness of the
45:15
S11: Lord to our family. My parents both came to faith
45:18
S11: in Christ in their 30s. And so I remember, you know,
45:22
S11: going to church. And I grew up in a household
45:24
S11: where very much faith was new. It was fresh. It
45:28
S11: was something my parents were living out on a daily basis.
45:31
S11: And so growing up in that environment, I naturally, you know,
45:35
S11: embraced that as well. And then through a time, like
45:37
S11: many people who grew up in a faithful home, had
45:41
S11: to come to that point in my life where I
45:43
S11: had to determine, is this something I really believe or not?
45:46
S11: Do I believe this because I grew up in this household,
45:49
S11: and if I grew up somewhere else, would I believe
45:51
S11: something else? And really took me on a path of
45:54
S11: really trying to discern, is this really true or not?
45:56
S11: And am I going to put my faith in Christ
45:59
S11: personally to really live this out? And through a process
46:03
S11: in high school, through that, I came to faith in Christ.
46:06
S2: That's beautiful. Doctor Ryan Cook, our guest. Okay, we're going
46:09
S2: to give you a link here, guys to today in
46:11
S2: the word because he's doing yeah. The whole month of
46:14
S2: June is first and second. Peter I gotta have you
46:18
S2: interact with something here. We don't want to get into
46:20
S2: election and free will. We discussed that two days ago. Ali.
46:24
S2: That's one of those mind poppers. But I do want
46:28
S2: to discuss this little tag on here in verse two
46:31
S2: of First Peter one. It's beautiful. He talks about this
46:35
S2: dispersed group of people, and he says he's writing in
46:41
S2: the sanctification of the spirit and for obedience to Jesus Christ.
46:47
S2: And what's interesting to me is for many years, Ryan,
46:51
S2: my last God, was the Holy Spirit. I was raised
46:54
S2: in an evangelical tradition, very much by the book, by
46:58
S2: the word. We talked a lot about Jesus and the father,
47:02
S2: but we veered away from the spirit Because there were
47:06
S2: abuses of the spirit. And I think it was a
47:08
S2: pendulum swing that was too far. I was really encouraged
47:13
S2: looking at this. That Peter opens with sanctification is done
47:17
S2: at the hands of the Holy Spirit. That just proves
47:22
S2: yet again, this isn't about us. It's about God's work
47:25
S2: in us. Ryan, interact with that for a moment.
47:27
S11: Yeah. Well, that's a beautiful line. You know, sanctification, the
47:30
S11: root of that means to be holy, which, as I'm
47:32
S11: sure you've already talked about this week, holiness is all
47:34
S11: about what first Peter is about.
47:36
S2: Yeah.
47:37
S11: And you know, when we talk about salvation, often we
47:39
S11: focus just on the forgiveness of sins. That when we
47:43
S11: put our faith in Christ, our sins are forgiven, which
47:45
S11: is a marvelous biblical truth. But part of what happens
47:48
S11: at salvation is that we receive new life. That new
47:53
S11: life we have in Christ starts now, and that comes
47:56
S11: through God's Spirit dwelling within us. Yeah. And that is
48:00
S11: what gives us the power to walk in holiness to
48:04
S11: live a life of obedience. And so it's Christianity. The
48:08
S11: Christian faith is really not about trying to strive to
48:11
S11: please God in doing all the right things, but it's
48:14
S11: the power of God's Spirit at work in us to
48:18
S11: imprint in us the image of Christ, so that we
48:21
S11: can become more like Christ and live in holiness. It's
48:24
S11: him working in us. It's not us working. You know,
48:27
S11: us doing it ourselves in our own effort.
48:29
S4: Doctor Ryan Cook with us this morning as we're looking
48:31
S4: at first Peter, let's go to chapter three, which is
48:34
S4: where we're focused right now with our guests. First Peter
48:37
S4: 313 through 18. I will read it for you. And
48:41
S4: then Doctor Cooke will comment. Now, who is there to
48:43
S4: harm you if you are zealous for what is good?
48:46
S4: But even if you should suffer for righteousness sake, you
48:49
S4: will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled,
48:52
S4: but in your hearts honor Christ. The Lord is holy,
48:55
S4: always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who
48:58
S4: asks you for a reason for the hope that is
49:01
S4: in you, yet do it with gentleness and respect, having
49:04
S4: a good conscience, so that when you are slandered, those
49:06
S4: who revile your good behaviour in Christ may be put
49:08
S4: to shame, for it is better to suffer for doing good.
49:11
S4: If that should be God's will than for doing evil.
49:14
S4: For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for
49:17
S4: the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being
49:20
S4: put to death in the flesh, but made alive in
49:22
S4: the spirit. And it goes on. But we'll stop there.
49:25
S4: Doctor Cooke, the probably the most familiar part that most
49:28
S4: likely caught the ear of many is this being prepared
49:32
S4: to make a defence to anyone who asks for a reason.
49:35
S4: Give us some context though. So before we focus there.
49:39
S11: What I love about this passage in the book as
49:41
S11: a whole is Peter sets the bar of expecting. Suffering
49:45
S11: like that shouldn't be a surprise that you're suffering. That's
49:48
S11: part of what the Christian life is like in this
49:51
S11: moment right now. But one of the things that's really
49:54
S11: unique about followers of Christ is that because our hope
49:59
S11: is in what Christ has done and in his coming again.
50:03
S11: That is, you know, the very, very beginning of first Peter.
50:06
S11: First Peter one talks about how we have an inheritance
50:08
S11: that is kept in heaven for us that's imperishable and unspoiled.
50:12
S11: And that's where our hope is anchored. And because of that,
50:16
S11: we can suffer in the moment with hope. This idea
50:19
S11: of suffering with hope was so countercultural in Peter's day.
50:23
S11: And it's of course, countercultural for us as well. And
50:26
S11: one of the great things about suffering, Peter points out, is, well,
50:30
S11: there's a couple of things. One, he says, you know,
50:31
S11: suffering can burn away false hopes that we have. And
50:34
S11: that can be a good thing. But the second thing,
50:36
S11: what he focuses on here is that when we have
50:39
S11: hope in the midst of suffering, that can become a
50:41
S11: platform for presenting Christ, a platform for sharing the gospel,
50:47
S11: because it's so different, it's expected that people are going
50:50
S11: to ask us about it. And so what Peter says
50:52
S11: is when people ask you about this hope that you
50:55
S11: have be ready, be prepared, be able to say, hey,
51:00
S11: it's because of what the Lord Jesus has done in
51:03
S11: my life, and it's about how he's made me right
51:05
S11: with God through his death and resurrection. And I have
51:08
S11: the hope of his Second coming. And when we're ready
51:10
S11: to do that, suffering actually presents an opportunity. And then
51:14
S11: I love the next phrase because he says, not only
51:16
S11: be ready to make a defense, but to do it
51:18
S11: with gentleness and respect. Tone really matters, and the message
51:23
S11: of the gospel should be communicated in a way that
51:26
S11: embodies the fruit of the spirit. This love and joy
51:28
S11: and gentleness and patience and our witness is not only
51:32
S11: what we say, but in how we say it. And
51:35
S11: I think that's so key in our culture at this
51:37
S11: moment where, you know, you turn on TV or you
51:40
S11: listen to podcasts and there's so much outrage and tribalism
51:44
S11: and hostility out there.
51:45
S2: Got that right.
51:46
S11: And in the midst of that, if we're able to
51:49
S11: give a reason for the hope we have with gentleness
51:51
S11: and respect. Boy, that stands out even more. And it's
51:55
S11: a tone that really embodies the fruit of the spirit,
51:58
S11: as you talked about earlier.
52:00
S2: Doctor Cook, our guest. I want to drill down on
52:02
S2: this a little bit more. It's an interesting thing because
52:05
S2: here it says your behavior is going to put people
52:07
S2: to shame. The chapter earlier, even speaking of earthly authorities
52:12
S2: and emperors that God puts over us, he says, you're
52:15
S2: going to actually silence fools by your behavior. Is it
52:20
S2: a proper motivation to silence fools and to put people
52:23
S2: to shame? Is that a proper motivation or is that
52:27
S2: an after effect? Do you see what I'm driving at here, doc?
52:30
S11: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. I would say it's an after effect.
52:33
S11: So one of the things that Peter does to frame
52:36
S11: their suffering in the right way is he reminds them
52:38
S11: of who they are. What's their primary identity? Their identity
52:42
S11: is they are a holy people, a royal priesthood. They are,
52:47
S11: you know, part of this spiritual temple where God's presence
52:49
S11: dwells in the midst of a fallen world. That's who
52:51
S11: they are as children of God. Their primary identity is
52:54
S11: not a Roman citizen. That, of course, led them open
52:57
S11: to the charge of not honoring the emperor in the
52:59
S11: way that they should. Which is why Peter says, as
53:02
S11: a faithful follower of Christ, you know, hey, we need
53:04
S11: to obey the authorities that are in front of us.
53:05
S11: We do live this way because we recognize God's authority
53:08
S11: in that. But our primary identity is always one deeper.
53:11
S11: It's rooted in our union with Christ. And when we
53:14
S11: live that way, not only does it give us hope,
53:18
S11: but it's going to help us actually be better citizens
53:22
S11: than maybe our neighbors, where their Roman citizenship is their
53:25
S11: primary identity.
53:27
S2: Right. And I think if the motivation, if you're going
53:30
S2: in saying, yeah, I'm going to have good behavior because
53:32
S2: I'm going to silence this fool, or I'm going to
53:35
S2: have good behavior because I'm putting this sucker to shame.
53:37
S2: I mean, it negates the motivation, but there is a thread,
53:43
S2: a red thread of redemption, knowing it's like vengeance is mine,
53:47
S2: I will repay. There is something very satisfying knowing that
53:52
S2: foolish people, authoritarian people, Even people that are trying to
53:58
S2: persecute us. They're off our hook, but they're never off God's.
54:02
S2: And that there is some peace there, isn't there? Ryan.
54:05
S11: Right. And that's, that's of course, in first, Peter, and
54:07
S11: really all through Scripture is that God will vindicate his people.
54:11
S11: And that's part of when Christ comes again, it's bringing
54:13
S11: salvation and judgment that's there. And, and that's part of
54:16
S11: what it means to have your hope in Christ and
54:19
S11: what he's done and in his second coming. So and
54:22
S11: that's part of why we can have hope in the
54:24
S11: midst of suffering and even joy in the midst of
54:26
S11: it is because we don't have to vindicate ourselves. We
54:28
S11: don't have to get the other person and prove that
54:30
S11: we're better or whatever, but we can trust that the
54:33
S11: vindication from God will ultimately come.
54:35
S2: It's almost a tip of the hat. It's almost like,
54:37
S2: all right, you're persecuting me. The Nero in front of
54:41
S2: me is crazy. I'm going to be Godward. And it's
54:45
S2: like a nod to God. God, I know you got this.
54:48
S2: I'm not motivated by you having this, but I'm thankful
54:51
S2: that you do. And now I walk on.
54:53
S11: Oh, yeah. And not only that, but knowing that the
54:57
S11: suffering is not something we just have to grit our
54:59
S11: teeth and survive, but that if our faithful obedience leads
55:03
S11: to suffering, we're actually in really good company. Because in
55:06
S11: verse 18 it says, Christ also suffered. His obedience to
55:11
S11: the father, led to suffering. And of course, through that
55:13
S11: came a redemption in a salvation that is the greatest
55:18
S11: news in history. And if that's true with Christ, we
55:21
S11: can be certain that faithfulness and suffering is not wasted
55:24
S11: by God.
55:25
S2: Yeah. And if we could go forever here, I'm sorry,
55:28
S2: but oh my goodness, you got this word and you
55:30
S2: will be blessed when you suffer in verse 14. I mean,
55:33
S2: you can't deny that that is a promise in Scripture.
55:37
S2: You will be blessed. And I don't know if it's
55:39
S2: the martyr's reward or what all that will entail, but
55:44
S2: how cool that we can take God at his word. Ryan.
55:47
S11: It is. And it leads you to a totally different
55:49
S11: way of engaging the world than the culture around us.
55:52
S11: In fact, just a little bit earlier in the chapter.
55:54
S11: This is why Peter can say, you know, in a
55:56
S11: context where they're suffering, he says, verse nine, do not
55:59
S11: repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on
56:02
S11: the contrary, bless for this you were called, that you
56:04
S11: may obtain a blessing. It's you're able to bless and
56:07
S11: to love others because of that confidence in what God
56:10
S11: has done.
56:10
S2: Oh my goodness, we scratch the surface.
56:12
S4: Ali doctor Ryan Cook, our guest this morning, we've been
56:15
S4: giving you a little bit of a taste of what's
56:18
S4: contained in the June today in the word. It's on
56:20
S4: first and second. Peter, if you want a link to
56:24
S4: today in the word, just text today to 800 555 7898.
56:29
S4: Easy to engage with these daily devotionals, whether you get
56:32
S4: them to your email inbox or you go on the
56:34
S4: app or you get a paper copy, just text today
56:37
S4: to 805 557898.
56:41
S1: Your shot of hope to help you through the day.
56:44
S1: This is Carl and Crew on Moody Radio.
56:48
S2: Well, it's only the second week of a new feature
56:51
S2: that we have right now. and this has already gotten
56:55
S2: off to a great start. Ali.
56:56
S4: Yes it has. And it's a feature with young Thunder.
57:02
S1: Finding nuggets of truth in everyday life.
57:05
S12: It's a metaphor. It's just a metaphor, dude.
57:07
S13: That's a metaphor.
57:08
S14: It's a metaphor. I know it's a metaphor.
57:10
S1: It's time for making a metaphor with young thunder.
57:15
S2: The way this. Sorry about that, man. That's you up there.
57:17
S2: That's the way this works is we tell a story.
57:20
S2: Any old story. And young thunder looks for application to
57:25
S2: the Word of God. How it dovetails beautifully together to
57:28
S2: illustrate that diamond out of the dirt. The amazing little
57:33
S2: application of a metaphor. Okay, young thunder. This is a
57:36
S2: tough one for you. So I'm out walking team yesterday,
57:40
S2: actually two days ago now. And I've got a problem
57:44
S2: with blaze and that he sees every dog in person
57:47
S2: as a potential friend. And he will pull so hard
57:50
S2: to get near them. And there were a couple of
57:53
S2: dogs and they were both on leashes, but he got close, oh,
57:58
S2: so close that he started doing 360 after 360 around
58:03
S2: these dogs. Do you know what this does to leashes?
58:06
S2: It makes the biggest tangled mess and I am busily apologizing,
58:10
S2: trying to get this guy unhooked so that I can
58:13
S2: get these leashes untangled. We've got about £180 of dogs
58:18
S2: in a big ball, and I get my finger into
58:22
S2: the middle of this mess, and I get a half
58:24
S2: hitch around my finger. Now, a half hitch is where
58:27
S2: your finger is bound tight. And I knew one thing instantly.
58:33
S2: Either I get this thing calmed down, or I get
58:37
S2: my tendons ripped out of my finger and I'm telling you,
58:40
S2: it was really nip and tuck. The other dog owner
58:44
S2: didn't know exactly what was going on, but I said, hey, hey, hey,
58:49
S2: please calm down and I'm trying to get all the
58:51
S2: dogs calmed down, and I got just enough slack on
58:54
S2: him where I could get that half hitch off my finger,
58:58
S2: and I breathed a sigh of relief. The other dog
59:00
S2: owner didn't even know how close that was to being
59:03
S2: big trouble for my index finger. But I got it
59:07
S2: out and I lived to tell the story. Jonathan.
59:14
S5: Yeah.
59:15
S2: Make it a metaphor.
59:16
S5: All right. So the way I see it, that trouble
59:21
S5: wouldn't have happened if blaze had his eyes set on
59:27
S5: his owner, rather than the distractions that were around him.
59:32
S5: He was excited about about all these things that were
59:36
S5: in and around his area, that he got all tangled
59:39
S5: up and it created a mess. You know, Hebrews 122 says,
59:43
S5: fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of
59:46
S5: our faith. For the joy set before him he endured
59:49
S5: the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the
59:51
S5: right hand of God. We have to fix our eyes
59:57
S5: on Jesus. Remember what he did as we're living our life,
1:00:01
S5: because we are in a world that we are called
1:00:04
S5: to be in and not of. And when we don't
1:00:07
S5: fix our eyes on Jesus, we look like we're a
1:00:09
S5: lot more of the world than just in the world.
1:00:12
S5: And we get into these tangled messes. And so no
1:00:15
S5: matter what you're doing today, fix your eyes on Jesus
1:00:20
S5: because he is the author and perfecter of our faith.
1:00:23
S5: And you can see those distractions. You can see those
1:00:26
S5: other dogs running over here that you may want to
1:00:28
S5: get tangled up with, but you can look back to
1:00:31
S5: him and be calmed by him and and, and be
1:00:34
S5: helped by him. It all comes down to what we've
1:00:37
S5: got our eyes fixed on. Are we fixed on the
1:00:39
S5: distractions of this world, or are we fixed on Jesus?
1:00:44
S4: Make it a metaphor. Wow.
1:00:48
S15: I love it.
1:00:50
S4: I love hearing the story. And then I love also
1:00:52
S4: trying to guess in my mind.
1:00:53
S2: Where I think.
1:00:54
S4: He might go with it.
1:00:57
S2: Way to go, my man. Way to go! Way to go!
1:01:01
S2: It's called making a metaphor. It's the bottom of the hour.
1:01:03
S2: Twice on Thursday morning, 630 and 830 central time. So
1:01:07
S2: you want to keep it pinned right here and see
1:01:10
S2: if we can ever stump this young man. But boy,
1:01:13
S2: we didn't today.
1:01:14
S5: You were real close, though. I, uh.
1:01:16
S2: That was a dicey.
1:01:17
S5: One. I was nervous for a second. About halfway through.
1:01:19
S5: I was like, what am I going to do with this?
1:01:22
S2: That's pretty good. Yeah. You know, homiletics class, it was
1:01:25
S2: called shoot from the Hip with a loaded gun. So
1:01:27
S2: a prop would give you a verse only we would
1:01:30
S2: get five minutes to step outside the classroom, get our
1:01:34
S2: heads together, five minutes and come back in and we'd
1:01:36
S2: have to preach it for five minutes.
1:01:38
S5: Oh, I like that.
1:01:39
S2: Yeah. That's good. It's dicey. Yeah it is. You cling
1:01:42
S2: to God. Let me tell you, when you're standing outside
1:01:44
S2: the door, you cling to God. Amen. Oh. That's beautiful.