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Andy Stanley - Practicing What I Preach · Andy Stanley Sermons

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Speaker 1: If you've been at one of our churches or attend
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Speaker 1: to one of our churches for any length of time,
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Speaker 1: you are familiar with these two phrases. Circles are better
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Speaker 1: than rows and life is better connected. Hopefully you've bumped
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Speaker 1: into these butt even if you've never heard those before
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Speaker 1: in one of our church contexts, you already knew this.
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Speaker 1: You knew this beginning in middle school, and then you
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Speaker 1: felt this in high school. You remember in high school,
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Speaker 1: you're sitting in class in rows, and then the bell
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Speaker 1: rings and you go looking for your circle, right, you
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Speaker 1: go looking for your people. That's just what we do,
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Speaker 1: because you know, we just know intuitively that life is
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Speaker 1: better connected.
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Speaker 2: This is what we gravitate toward.
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Speaker 1: We gravitate toward relational connectedness. We actually gravitate toward acceptance
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Speaker 1: and finding our people. We're relational creatures. And so you
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Speaker 1: may know this, you may not. But from day one
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Speaker 1: we started this organization about twenty eight years ago, from
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Speaker 1: day one, we have always measured our success by how
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Speaker 1: well we connect children's, students and adults in circles or
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Speaker 1: in groups. That's how we measure our success. Not Rose,
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Speaker 1: And of course we love Rose, but we really do
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Speaker 1: think circles are better than rose and we call these
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Speaker 1: when it comes to adults, we call these community groups.
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Speaker 1: Not community like neighborhood groups, but community. In terms of
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Speaker 1: experiencing authentic community, we call it the ABC's of community.
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Speaker 1: Accountability that somebody is there to hold you accountable to
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Speaker 1: what you need to do, belonging. If you don't show up,
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Speaker 1: you're actually missed in care. If you need something, someone's
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Speaker 1: there to provide what you need.
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Speaker 2: Accountability, belonging, and care.
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Speaker 1: And we just feel like this is what makes life
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Speaker 1: great and we want to facilitate this kind of authentic community.
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Speaker 1: In fact, up until last year, the only numeric goal
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Speaker 1: that our churches had ever set, the only numeric goal
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Speaker 1: up into last year was to connect one hundred thousand
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Speaker 1: children's students and adults in community or in groups all
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Speaker 1: at one time. And I don't mean one hundred thousand
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Speaker 1: people like over the course of time. I mean at
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Speaker 1: one point, at one time, there would be one hundred
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Speaker 1: thousand people connected. And we got to just pass about
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Speaker 1: eighty five thousand people in our network of churches, and
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Speaker 1: then COVID came along and we kind of had a
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Speaker 1: set back, but we are still committed to that. That's
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Speaker 1: how important this is to our organization. Now again, if
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Speaker 1: you've been around, you know that we launched small groups
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Speaker 1: for adults twice a year, in September and then in January.
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Speaker 1: And so our group launched for this fall is going
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Speaker 1: to happen in a few weeks. And I'm going to
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Speaker 1: give you an opportunity to sign up, not for a group,
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Speaker 1: but to sign up for a reminder, to sign up
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Speaker 1: for a group in a little bit, but for a
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Speaker 1: few minutes. Because we do this, we talk about this
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Speaker 1: all the time. I want to spend a few minutes
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Speaker 1: just answering this question. Why why do we do this?
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Speaker 1: I mean Sandra and I she's here today on the
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Speaker 1: front row. We have been in a community group for
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Speaker 1: longer than the church has even been around. This has
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Speaker 1: been This is one of those practice what I preach,
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Speaker 1: things that I have practiced consistently.
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Speaker 2: But why, why is this a big deal?
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Speaker 1: We don't need new friends, but I will tell you
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Speaker 1: we have met some of our dearest friends.
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Speaker 2: In community group.
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Speaker 1: But at this season in our life, we don't need
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Speaker 1: new friends. We don't need something else to do.
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Speaker 2: So why do we do this?
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Speaker 1: And more importantly, and more to the point of today,
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Speaker 1: why do we do this corporately? Right?
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Speaker 2: I mean this is not profitable for the church. In fact,
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Speaker 2: it's expensive.
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Speaker 1: I mean we don't take up an offering in small group, right,
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Speaker 1: it's expensive. We have to hire additional staff in order
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Speaker 1: to facilitate what we do with children, and additional staff
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Speaker 1: as it relates to what we do with adults when
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Speaker 1: it comes to community groups. And in fact, compared to
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Speaker 1: other large churches, we spend way more money on staff
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Speaker 1: for adult for adult groups than any other church we know.
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Speaker 1: But why would we do this? It decentralizes us. I
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Speaker 1: mean you get people in homes talking about who knows what.
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Speaker 1: So it's a little bit risky at times.
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Speaker 2: But here's why this is a big deal.
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Speaker 1: And here's why we come back to a year after
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Speaker 1: year after year.
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Speaker 2: It's important to us. It's important to us.
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Speaker 1: Because we are convinced personally it is essential for you,
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Speaker 1: and it's essential for me, and this is essential for
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Speaker 1: your children. And I say that because of something that
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Speaker 1: Jesus said over and over and over and over that we're.
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Speaker 2: Going to look at today.
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Speaker 1: In fact, what Jesus said in this regard really was
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Speaker 1: the great differentiator. It's what differentiated him from not only
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Speaker 1: the religious leaders of his time, but really kind of
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Speaker 1: differentiated him from religion in general. And perhaps, and I
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Speaker 1: don't know, because I don't know your story, perhaps one
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Speaker 1: of the reasons that church was never really a big
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Speaker 1: deal for you or never made much of a difference
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Speaker 1: for you, Or maybe one of the reasons that church
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Speaker 1: never was never a big deal for your father in
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Speaker 1: particular and didn't really make a difference for him.
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Speaker 2: Maybe just maybe you or he or they just attended.
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Speaker 1: You just attended a church, and you never were actually
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Speaker 1: challenged to follow your savior. You attended church, but you
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Speaker 1: you never were never taught and held accountable to follow Jesus.
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Speaker 1: To follow the teaching of Jesus and group or community
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Speaker 1: is where we are are challenged at a personal level
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Speaker 1: to follow or more specifically, as we're going to see,
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Speaker 1: to follow through, because it's in a circle that the
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Speaker 1: teaching of Jesus begins or has the potential to intersect
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Speaker 1: with our daily lives, with what's really going on in
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Speaker 1: our lives, as opposed to the things that maybe I
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Speaker 1: talk about in general. It's where the teaching of Jesus
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Speaker 1: intersects our lives, and honestly, it's the stuff that religion
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Speaker 1: kind of skims over or.
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Speaker 2: Skips all together. In fact.
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Speaker 1: And we've talked a little bit about this, and you
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Speaker 1: know this, I think it's pretty too. You know, you're
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Speaker 1: you're smart, you've been around for a while. Religion, both
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Speaker 1: ancient and modern, not just modern religion. Religion ancient and modern,
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Speaker 1: strives to keep things.
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Speaker 2: It's my way of saying it in house and vertical.
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Speaker 1: I mean, the church historically is trying to, you know,
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Speaker 1: let's keep it all in the box, because you know,
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Speaker 1: if it's in the box, we have a little bit
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Speaker 1: more control. And let's keep it vertical. Let's just keep
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Speaker 1: it between you and God. You know, let's come up
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Speaker 1: with some routine that makes you feel good about you
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Speaker 1: and God. And as long as as you feel good
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Speaker 1: about you and God, and as long as you're coming
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Speaker 1: to the church box in order to feel good about
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Speaker 1: you and God, well then that's enough. That was ancient religion,
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Speaker 1: all religions, pagan and the religion the religious system that
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Speaker 1: Jesus stepped into in the first century in Jerusalem. But
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Speaker 1: Jesus came to challenge that. Not only did it come
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Speaker 1: to challenge it.
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Speaker 2: He came to reverse it.
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Speaker 1: And here's what that sounded like. His most famous message,
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Speaker 1: we call it the Sermon on the Mount. He preached
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Speaker 1: this many many, many, many, many, many many times.
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Speaker 2: I have a feeling the Apostles could quote it.
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Speaker 1: Many of us can quote it, because we've read parts
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Speaker 1: of it so often, and so many parts of the
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Speaker 1: Sermon on the Mount are popular. They've been kind of extracted,
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Speaker 1: phrases has been extracted, and you know some of this.
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Speaker 1: But this message was so revolutionary because it stood religion
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Speaker 1: on its head. It flipped it over, and he was
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Speaker 1: introducing a completely different way not of believing. He was
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Speaker 1: introducing a different way of living, a way of living
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Speaker 1: that is not intuitive, and a way of living that,
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Speaker 1: in some ways is so contrary to our nature and
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Speaker 1: contrary to how we're wired that if somebody doesn't come
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Speaker 1: along and help us and prod us and encourage us
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Speaker 1: and hold us accountable.
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Speaker 2: We're just not gonna do it.
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Speaker 1: So I'm gonna kind of hop skip and jump through
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Speaker 1: some of these things, he said. And I want to
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Speaker 1: give you just you know, heads up. Okay, some of
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Speaker 1: this is disturbing, some of this does not fit your
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Speaker 1: Christian theology and don't email me.
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Speaker 2: I'm just quoting Jesus. Okay. And here's the thing. If
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Speaker 2: it's up a little upsetting to you, that's kind of
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Speaker 2: his point. It's like, wait, wake up, this is something
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Speaker 2: I want you to do.
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Speaker 1: This is how important this is to me, and something
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Speaker 1: new has comes.
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Speaker 2: Here's here's how he starts off.
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Speaker 1: He's the master communicator, so he leans in with something
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Speaker 1: that would kind of give, you know, allow them to
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Speaker 1: breathe the sigh of relief. And then he just drops
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Speaker 1: a bomb on him. Here's how he starts. Do not
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Speaker 1: think that I have come.
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Speaker 2: To abolish, that is, to do away with the Law
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Speaker 2: or the Prophets. Now, this isn't familiar phraseology for us.
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Speaker 1: The Law and the Profits was essentially their Hebrew Bible.
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Speaker 1: They didn't really have a Bible because it was all scrolls.
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Speaker 1: Nobody carried a Bible around, but this represented their sacred
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Speaker 1: ancient text. The Law and the Prophets are sometimes it
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Speaker 1: was referred to as the Law and the Prophets and
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Speaker 1: the Psalms.
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Speaker 2: He says, now, look, I know I've been saying some
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Speaker 2: unusual things.
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Speaker 1: Don't think that I've come to abolish the law and
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Speaker 1: the profits. They were starting to wonder again because his
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Speaker 1: teaching was so different.
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Speaker 2: He says, but.
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Speaker 1: You're not wrong, and sensing that something is a stir,
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Speaker 1: that something is off, and then he drops this bomb.
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Speaker 1: I have not come to abolish them, but I have
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Speaker 1: come to fulfill them.
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Speaker 2: And this is like, wave, what does that even mean?
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Speaker 2: And this is what he meant.
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Speaker 1: I have come to bring everything you have been taught
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Speaker 1: to completion to a designed and designated and preordained end.
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Speaker 1: The time was up, the time had run out, that
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Speaker 1: the law was a placeholder until the king arrived.
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Speaker 2: And now the king is here. If the law was.
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Speaker 1: An airplane, I'm landing it. If it was a homework assignment,
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Speaker 1: I'm finishing it. I'm completing it. This is it that
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Speaker 1: I'm doing a way or abolishing it. I have come
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Speaker 1: to ready. I have come to illustrate it in such
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Speaker 1: a way that you'll know exactly how to And this
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Speaker 1: is his phrase, practice your righteousness. And this was so
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Speaker 1: confusing and offensive to them until after the resurrection. His
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Speaker 1: point is simply this, I've come to show you how
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Speaker 1: to live. I've come to show you how to live
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Speaker 1: this out. I've come to show you how to live
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Speaker 1: out the principles of the Kingdom of God here and
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Speaker 1: now that will impact everyone, not just those who believe,
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Speaker 1: but even those who don't believe.
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Speaker 2: And here's the good news.
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Speaker 1: You can practice it in the comfort of your own home.
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Speaker 1: In fact, you need to be again practicing it in
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Speaker 1: the comfort of your own home.
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Speaker 2: And then instead of going.
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Speaker 1: Vertical, like here's how to please God and keep God happy,
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Speaker 1: he immediately goes horizontal. He dives directly to what was practical, relational, personal.
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Speaker 1: He gets all up in their business and he's about
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Speaker 1: to get all up in hours.
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Speaker 2: Anyone who is angry, he said, just angry, haven't done anything,
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Speaker 2: just angry. Anyone who is angry.
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Speaker 1: With a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.
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Speaker 1: We're like, whoa just for being angry? Yeah, anyone who
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Speaker 1: says to her brother or sister, raka is answerable to
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Speaker 1: the court. You're gonna be held accountable. This is a
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Speaker 1: This was a statement. It was just a put down.
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Speaker 1: It was the way it was basically making fun of
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Speaker 1: somebody because they're ignorant or an idiot or stupid. It
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Speaker 1: was that's what you know when you call someone a
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Speaker 1: stupid or a dumb person. He's like, that's that's he says,
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Speaker 1: you're you're gonna be held accountable. And they're like, wait, wait,
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Speaker 1: wait a minute, nobody's ever told us this before.
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Speaker 2: And then are you ready for this?
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Speaker 1: And anyone who says you fool will be in danger
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Speaker 1: of the.
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Speaker 2: Fire of hell.
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Speaker 1: They're like, wait, wait, wait, now, first century Jewish hell
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Speaker 1: was different than the way we view hell. Okay, that's
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Speaker 1: another sermon for another day. But it was still terrifying.
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Speaker 1: And they have been taught you go to hell or
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Speaker 1: Gehenna if.
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Speaker 2: You displease God. That's your sister in law.
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Speaker 1: Like, what this was uncomfortably new? He said, you've heard
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Speaker 1: it said, and we've talked about this before. He said,
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Speaker 1: you've heard it said that you can be right with
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Speaker 1: God and out of source with your brother or your sister,
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Speaker 1: or your wife, or your father or your mother or
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Speaker 1: your neighbor.
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Speaker 2: But I say to you, that's not the case.
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Speaker 1: If you pull up in the parking lot and you
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Speaker 1: realize that there's a relational conflict and unresolved relational conflict
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Speaker 1: with somebody in the car, you just sit in the
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Speaker 1: parking lot until you figure that out and work that
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Speaker 1: out before you come to church in order to praise
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Speaker 1: and worship and try to be pleasing to your heavenly Father.
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Speaker 2: If you pull up at church and realize there's.
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Speaker 1: Someone you have it forgiven, you need to forgive them.
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Speaker 1: You pull up at church and you realize there's somebody
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Speaker 1: to whom I need to make restitute, then you just
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Speaker 1: leave and go make restitution. The way he said it
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Speaker 1: to that group, he says, if you get to the
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Speaker 1: temple and it took you.
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Speaker 2: Hours to get here.
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Speaker 1: And you've got your pigeon, or you've got your grain offering,
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Speaker 1: or if you're wealthier, you actually have a goat or
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Speaker 1: a lamb, and you've stood in that hot sun waiting
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Speaker 1: in line for your time to, you know, make your sacrifice.
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Speaker 1: And you realize you have conflict with someone, you just
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Speaker 1: leave your gift there.
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Speaker 2: They just moaned, nobody was going to do this.
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Speaker 1: You just leave your gift there and first first go
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Speaker 1: and be reconciled to them. And they're like, wait a minute, wait,
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Speaker 1: you're telling us it's more important to reconcile to other
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Speaker 1: people than to reconcile with God and then come offer
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Speaker 1: your gift. They're thinking, wait a minute, that is that
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Speaker 1: is the complete opposite of how we were told it works,
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Speaker 1: to which Jesus to say.
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Speaker 2: Well, that was then, this is now.
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Speaker 1: The king has arrived. You heard it said. You've heard
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Speaker 1: it said, you shall not commit adultery. They're like, yeah,
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Speaker 1: so it's okay to commit it. Wait what He's like, no, no, no, no, no,
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Speaker 1: it's not okay to commit adultery. Your heavenly father doesn't
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Speaker 1: only want you to be faithful to your husband.
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Speaker 2: Or wife physically.
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Speaker 1: Your heavenly Father wants you to be faithful to your
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Speaker 1: husband or wife with your mind and with your thought,
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Speaker 1: and with your heart, and with your eyes.
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Speaker 2: And they're like, this is so extreme, and Jesus is like,
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Speaker 2: it's more extreme than you think.
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Speaker 1: Speaking of your eyes, if your right eye offends you,
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Speaker 1: it causes you to stumble, gouge it.
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Speaker 2: Out with a spoon.
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Speaker 1: I added the spoon part that's not in there. But
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Speaker 1: you know, I don't know what you used to gouge
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Speaker 1: out an eye. But then this is what here here's
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Speaker 1: what he actually said. If your right eye causes you
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Speaker 1: to stumble, gouge it out with whatever you can find, and.
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Speaker 2: Throw your eye away, it is better for you to.
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Speaker 1: Lose one part of your physical body than for your
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Speaker 1: whole body.
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Speaker 2: Here it is again to.
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Speaker 1: Be thrown into hell. They're like, what are you talking about.
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Speaker 1: I mean, God cares what we think about. God cares
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Speaker 1: what we look at. God cares what our minds.
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Speaker 2: Are filled with.
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Speaker 1: He's like, yes, because your unmonitored thoughts can lead to
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Speaker 1: harmful behavior. Your unmonitored thoughts is where the harm that
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Speaker 1: comes to other people comes from. In fact, that another
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Speaker 1: time he was teaching, he said, every single evil thing
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Speaker 1: that has come from anybody began on the inside. So
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Speaker 1: of course your heavenly father wants you to monitor what
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Speaker 1: you think about, what you dwell on, and what you
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Speaker 1: look at. And then he just eliminates all the excuses
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Speaker 1: men were using in that day and age to divorce
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Speaker 1: and abandon their wives. He just eliminates all those excuses.
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Speaker 1: And the women are like, well, finally somebody is standing
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Speaker 1: up with the girls.
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Speaker 2: I mean, this was This is why I say all
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Speaker 2: the time, and I know this is probably offensive to.
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Speaker 1: Somebody, but every woman in the world should be a
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Speaker 1: follower of Jesus and at least celebrate Jesus. Jesus did
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Speaker 1: more for women earlier than anyone who has ever lived.
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Speaker 1: He raised their dignity, and he raised their status constantly.
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Speaker 1: And the men were like, wait a minute. Women in
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Speaker 1: Jesus says, yes, this is it's a new day. It's
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Speaker 1: a new kingdom. It's a new world order. I am
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Speaker 1: successfully landing the plane of the old, and I'm introducing
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Speaker 1: something new.
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Speaker 2: I'm not abolishing it. I'm fulfilling it.
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Speaker 1: I am a walking, talking, living fulfillment of what God
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Speaker 1: wants for the world. You want to know what God
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Speaker 1: wants for people in the world, Jesus would say, look
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Speaker 1: at me, emulate me, follow me, and when you mess up,
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Speaker 1: you confess, You make restitution, You ask for forgiveness. He says,
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Speaker 1: if anyone insults you, you don't insult them back. If
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Speaker 1: someone insults you, you don't insult them back. Not only
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Speaker 1: do you not insult them back, you don't insult them
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Speaker 1: behind there back no more. I for an eye. Does
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Speaker 1: somebody ask you to do something, they want you to
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Speaker 1: do one thing, you do two things. If they want
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Speaker 1: two things, you do three things. You surprise them with
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Speaker 1: your availability, your compassion, and your service.
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Speaker 2: You've heard it said, we all know this.
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Speaker 1: We can memorize that. We've memorized this one accidentally. You
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Speaker 1: didn't memorize it on purpose. You've just heard it so
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Speaker 1: many times you memorize it. You've heard it said, love
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Speaker 1: your friends and hate your enemies. I mean, Jesus is like,
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Speaker 1: everybody does that. But I tell you I love that phrase.
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Speaker 1: But I tell you, in other words, the king has come,
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Speaker 1: the new authority has come.
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Speaker 2: Moses was your guy. Now I'm your guy.
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Speaker 1: But I tell you love your enemies and pray for
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Speaker 1: those who persecute you, to which we say, we pray
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Speaker 1: about the people who persecute.
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Speaker 2: Us, We don't pray for them. And Jesus has said,
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Speaker 2: Jesus said, but.
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Speaker 1: Now you're going to pray for them, because I'm calling
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Speaker 1: you to a different standard, a different way to practice
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Speaker 1: your righteousness, to live out this new kingdom ethic to
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Speaker 1: which they're thinking what some of.
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Speaker 2: Us are thinking, Wait, waits, that's just too much camp.
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Speaker 2: Can't we just love God and be done with it?
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Speaker 1: And Jesus would say, this is how you love God
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Speaker 1: by loving the people that your heavenly father loves, and
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Speaker 1: he loves your enemy, and he loves those who persecute you,
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Speaker 1: and I want you to love them to And before
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Speaker 1: you push back, wait, till the end of my own story,
17:40
Speaker 1: because some of them would be there that day.
17:42
Speaker 2: Again, we can't imagine this.
17:44
Speaker 1: Some of them would be there that day when Jesus,
17:46
Speaker 1: hanging from across, looks down at the people who crucified
17:51
Speaker 1: him and whispers, Father, forgive them, forgive the ones who
17:59
Speaker 1: put me here.
18:03
Speaker 2: This was so different. This is stuff.
18:06
Speaker 1: Come on, we don't do or don't do well, or
18:11
Speaker 1: don't do consistently.
18:14
Speaker 2: But imagine if that changed the worst day.
18:20
Speaker 1: Maybe I'm not the worst day, but one of the
18:21
Speaker 1: worst days of Peter's life, you know, Peter the Apostle
18:24
Speaker 1: of Jesus, famous one.
18:25
Speaker 2: Probably the worst day, one of the worst days of his.
18:27
Speaker 1: Life is when Jesus invited Matthew to become part of
18:29
Speaker 1: their small group. Because they're walking along and Peter and
18:33
Speaker 1: Andrew and James and John, you know, their business owners,
18:35
Speaker 1: small business be owners. You know, you know, they got
18:37
Speaker 1: this thing going on, and they stop at this tax
18:39
Speaker 1: collector's booth.
18:39
Speaker 2: Jesus s this, LEVI, you know.
18:42
Speaker 1: Hey, Levi, Matthew, I want you to come be a
18:45
Speaker 1: part of my small group.
18:46
Speaker 2: And they're like, I don't know.
18:48
Speaker 1: We don't even talk to him, we don't even look
18:50
Speaker 1: at people like him. We're not going to associate with him.
18:52
Speaker 1: He can't go with us. And Jesus said, oh yeah,
18:55
Speaker 1: he's going to with us, and Jesus invites him. This
18:58
Speaker 1: was because it's like Matthew was like the irs and
19:01
Speaker 1: Peter was like a business owner.
19:02
Speaker 2: It's like, no, we don't mix. And Jesus smiles and goes, Now, this.
19:05
Speaker 1: Is why I came to reconcile you to God, and
19:08
Speaker 1: to reconcile you to each other, and to reconcile you
19:11
Speaker 1: to each other. As an expression of your reconciliation to God,
19:15
Speaker 1: the Father who loves the people who persecute you, and
19:19
Speaker 1: love the people that you perceive.
19:22
Speaker 2: As an enemy. Forgive regardless. He would say, forgive regardless.
19:28
Speaker 1: And they're like, regardless, I mean, Jesus, is that important?
19:30
Speaker 2: And Jesus is like, yeah, it's important. Here's how important
19:33
Speaker 2: it is.
19:33
Speaker 1: Okay, this is theologically disturbing, this is Jesus, here's how
19:37
Speaker 1: important it is. He says, for if you forgive other
19:40
Speaker 1: people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will
19:42
Speaker 1: also forgive you.
19:44
Speaker 2: But if you do not forgive.
19:47
Speaker 1: Others their sins, your heavenly Father isn't going to forgive
19:50
Speaker 1: you of your sins. Well, here's what they thought. I
19:55
Speaker 1: know what you're thinking, you're thinking what I'm thinking. Here's
19:56
Speaker 1: what they thought. But what what do you mean to
19:57
Speaker 1: won't forgive us? We're the child where the children of God.
20:00
Speaker 1: We're Israel, We're related to Abraham, we are Abraham's offspring.
20:04
Speaker 2: What do you mean God won't forgive us? And Jesus
20:07
Speaker 2: that I just.
20:07
Speaker 1: Explained it to you. What if you won't forgive others,
20:11
Speaker 1: God won't forgive you. And one of the reasons God
20:14
Speaker 1: won't forgive you for not forgiving others is refusing to
20:16
Speaker 1: forgive others is a sin, and refusing to forgive others
20:22
Speaker 1: is committing a sin that God would then have to forgive,
20:24
Speaker 1: and round and round and round it goes in God
20:26
Speaker 1: and Jesus is saying, I just want.
20:27
Speaker 2: You to be like me. I want you to forgive regardless.
20:31
Speaker 2: Then he says, don't.
20:31
Speaker 1: Hoard your wealth, don't don't assume that it's all yours
20:35
Speaker 1: to consume.
20:36
Speaker 2: Don't assume that everything that comes your way is yours.
20:39
Speaker 1: And they're like, we just is this how we please God?
20:44
Speaker 1: I mean, you're this is how we please God? That's
20:46
Speaker 1: so strange because you've all, you've barely even mentioned God.
20:49
Speaker 2: This is all about us and the people around us.
20:54
Speaker 1: Jesus is like, exactly, and then this might be new
20:58
Speaker 1: for you. Then, Jesus, this is so brilliant. He puts
21:03
Speaker 1: a new twist on something that many of them had
21:06
Speaker 1: heard their entire lives before Jesus came along. This is
21:10
Speaker 1: what many of them had been taught. And this is
21:11
Speaker 1: going to remind you of something Jesus said. But what
21:14
Speaker 1: made this so amazing is what you didn't know that
21:16
Speaker 1: Jesus didn't say that they'd heard most of their lives,
21:19
Speaker 1: they'd heard this. Don't do to another what you don't
21:22
Speaker 1: want done to you. Don't do to another what you
21:26
Speaker 1: don't want done to you. In other words, don't bother
21:30
Speaker 1: them if you don't want them to bother you. It's
21:33
Speaker 1: pretty much what parents tell their kids about yellowjackets, right
21:37
Speaker 1: and wys Right, don't bother them and they won't bother you.
21:42
Speaker 1: But this requires no compassion, This requires no love. In fact,
21:47
Speaker 1: this doesn't require anything of anybody except just mind your
21:51
Speaker 1: own business. And Jesus leverages the rhetoric of this statement,
21:57
Speaker 1: and he says, in my kingdom in my world. If
22:00
Speaker 1: you're going to follow me, here's what this looks like.
22:03
Speaker 1: In everything, in everything, every circumstance, every relationship, at home,
22:10
Speaker 1: at work, at school, on the mall, at the mall,
22:12
Speaker 1: on the street, and everything due to others. I want you,
22:17
Speaker 1: is my followers, to take the initiative. I want you
22:20
Speaker 1: to look for opportunities. I don't want you to turn
22:22
Speaker 1: and not look. I don't want you to pretend you
22:24
Speaker 1: didn't see. I want you to do to others what
22:28
Speaker 1: you would have them do, or how you would have
22:32
Speaker 1: them respond to you if you were in their same circumstances.
22:39
Speaker 1: And then this is so brilliant, for this one idea
22:43
Speaker 1: sums up the law and the profits that I have.
22:48
Speaker 2: Come to fulfill.
22:52
Speaker 1: Don't just be entertained by my little parable of the
22:55
Speaker 1: good Samaritan. I want you to be the Samaritan.
22:58
Speaker 2: And I'm serious? How serious you would say? This? Serious? Everyone? Now,
23:04
Speaker 2: this is one of those we know.
23:05
Speaker 1: In fact, some of you grew up singing a song
23:07
Speaker 1: about this one. Everyone who hears these words of mine
23:10
Speaker 1: and puts them into practice is like a wise man
23:13
Speaker 1: who built his house on the rock. Everyone who listens
23:17
Speaker 1: and does something with.
23:17
Speaker 2: What they've heard.
23:19
Speaker 1: Their life is like a life or gonna be built
23:21
Speaker 1: on a rock. It's gonna take longer, a lot more effort.
23:24
Speaker 1: People won't understand, but it's a life.
23:26
Speaker 2: That will last.
23:28
Speaker 1: And everyone who hears these words of mine and doesn't
23:31
Speaker 1: put them into practice, it's like somebody who just built.
23:34
Speaker 2: Their house on sand.
23:35
Speaker 1: But yeah, I was in church every week, and I
23:37
Speaker 1: went to Mass every night, and I know everyone who
23:39
Speaker 1: hears these words of mine and does not put them
23:41
Speaker 1: into practice is like someone who builds their house their
23:44
Speaker 1: life on sand. That's why I tell you all the
23:49
Speaker 1: time follow Jesus through the gospels. When he finishes this message,
23:52
Speaker 1: he walks down the mountain and begins practicing what he preached.
23:55
Speaker 1: He touches a leper, do unto others as you would
23:59
Speaker 1: have others do un to you. I'm not gonna mind
24:02
Speaker 1: my own business. I'm gonna get involved in his business.
24:05
Speaker 1: And then he does a favor for a Roman centurion.
24:09
Speaker 1: Peter just rolls his eyes, like, what have we gotten
24:13
Speaker 1: ourselves involved in?
24:16
Speaker 2: What they didn't know? What they couldn't know. What I
24:21
Speaker 2: wish we knew more about.
24:24
Speaker 1: Is that following the resurrection, there would be a generation
24:28
Speaker 1: of Jesus, followers who would take the teaching of Jesus,
24:32
Speaker 1: this extreme impractical teaching of Jesus seriously, and they would
24:38
Speaker 1: live that way, and they would give that way, and they.
24:42
Speaker 2: Would forgive that way.
24:44
Speaker 1: They would one another that way because this was his way,
24:49
Speaker 1: This was the way, this was the way of the kingdom.
24:54
Speaker 2: And it would shake and empire, and the day would come.
24:59
Speaker 1: They could not imagine this in the first century under
25:01
Speaker 1: Tiberius and then eventually Nero. They couldn't imagine that one
25:04
Speaker 1: day Roman emperors would worship the crucified day laborer from Nazareth,
25:12
Speaker 1: Jesus of Nazareth, not because of what those first and
25:18
Speaker 1: second and third century Christians simply believed.
25:21
Speaker 2: But because of how they live their lives.
25:27
Speaker 1: But unfortunately, eventually the church and church leaders in particular,
25:34
Speaker 1: started cramming it all back into the box, into the
25:38
Speaker 1: church building, dressed up with new imperial type traditions. Show up,
25:45
Speaker 1: listen to a homily, recite a few things, confess a
25:49
Speaker 1: few things, and then just go on about your life.
25:55
Speaker 2: The church recreated thing.
26:00
Speaker 1: In some ways, Jesus came to dismantle vertical individual, vertical
26:08
Speaker 1: individual detached religion as long as I'm okay with God,
26:12
Speaker 1: it doesn't matter how I am with everybody else.
26:17
Speaker 2: But here's where you come into play. Here's where we
26:20
Speaker 2: come into play. Regardless of where you live, where you're
26:22
Speaker 2: watching from, there's always been a remnant. There's always been
26:27
Speaker 2: a group.
26:27
Speaker 1: Of people that say, no, we are going to be doers,
26:31
Speaker 1: not just hearers. And I want us to be a
26:34
Speaker 1: part of that group. And I want you to be
26:36
Speaker 1: a part of that group. So here's the question that
26:38
Speaker 1: maybe Jesus would ask at this point in the message.
26:40
Speaker 2: I don't know. This is just me imagining.
26:43
Speaker 1: He may look at us at this point say you
26:45
Speaker 1: want to be a part of that group. Yeah, you
26:47
Speaker 1: want to be a part of my kingdom on Earth
26:50
Speaker 1: rolling out for the whole world.
26:51
Speaker 2: Yeah.
26:53
Speaker 1: Then he may ask us, well, then, how's you're doing?
26:56
Speaker 1: How's you're doing doing? Are you doing.
27:02
Speaker 2: Or just moving? You know what I mean by that?
27:07
Speaker 1: Mmmm?
27:08
Speaker 2: That's a good pastor m m m mmmm that's convicting.
27:13
Speaker 2: You're you gonna do any of this? Honey? M m m
27:16
Speaker 2: mmm me. Neither sure is good. I never heard that before.
27:21
Speaker 2: That's amazing. I'm gonna share that tomorrow my Bible study.
27:23
Speaker 2: Are you gonna do any of that. No, I just
27:24
Speaker 2: in practic I'm not gonna do that.
27:26
Speaker 1: This is why you need a circle, because it doesn't
27:29
Speaker 1: matter how clear I am and how compelling I am
27:31
Speaker 1: or interesting I am. It doesn't matter if you don't
27:34
Speaker 1: do it, if I don't do it, we don't make
27:38
Speaker 1: a difference. We're playing a game. We're not following Jesus.
27:42
Speaker 1: And this is why you need a circle. You need
27:44
Speaker 1: people to ensure that you're Doers are not just hearers
27:46
Speaker 1: and appreciators and Jesus fans. You don't needy more fans.
27:49
Speaker 1: Give me a jay, give me just like I don't
27:51
Speaker 1: want fans. I want followers, and we need people. We
27:55
Speaker 1: need people around us to ensure that our faith has feet. Said,
27:59
Speaker 1: let me ask you this way, does your faith have feet?
28:03
Speaker 1: Are we living this way? Doing this now? When we
28:07
Speaker 1: first started the church twenty eight years ago. In fact,
28:10
Speaker 1: today's kind of an anniversary, but actually it's two anniversaries.
28:13
Speaker 1: It's I wasn't gonna say this, but it's our actually
28:16
Speaker 1: our wedding anniversary today. Yes, thank you, maybe thirty five
28:23
Speaker 1: thirty five years, it's a big one. Okay, it's also
28:26
Speaker 1: another anniversary. I'll tell you about another time. But anyway,
28:29
Speaker 1: the point is when we started the church, I just
28:31
Speaker 1: come out of we just come out of the most tumultuous,
28:33
Speaker 1: emotionally taxing season of our lives. And it had to
28:38
Speaker 1: do with my dad and me, and we were just
28:39
Speaker 1: at odds.
28:40
Speaker 2: I mean, like way at ods.
28:41
Speaker 1: I've written about this with his permission, you know, because
28:43
Speaker 1: we eventually worked that out and reconciled. But I mean,
28:46
Speaker 1: at the time it was it was bad, and of
28:48
Speaker 1: course I was right, and I could not convince him
28:52
Speaker 1: he was wrong. I do not understand this. I mean,
28:55
Speaker 1: I'm a pretty you know, and he was right and
28:57
Speaker 1: I was wrong. And you know how it is with
28:58
Speaker 1: the people you disagree with, aren't right?
29:01
Speaker 2: Of course you are. Of course you aren't right. I
29:03
Speaker 2: mean that's just human nature, right.
29:05
Speaker 1: So I mean I was angry and I was hurt,
29:08
Speaker 1: and I was blaming and I was complaining, and the
29:10
Speaker 1: problem was, of course, I know all about forgiveness. I know,
29:14
Speaker 1: I can't, you know, especially hold something against my dad.
29:16
Speaker 2: How ridiculous is that.
29:18
Speaker 1: I know all about you know, Tate claiming my slice
29:21
Speaker 1: of the blame pie, you know what I mean, I've
29:23
Speaker 1: taught all that stuff I get all that.
29:25
Speaker 2: I know the sermons. You know what I needed. You
29:27
Speaker 2: know what we needed.
29:28
Speaker 1: I needed somebody to prod me to practice what I
29:33
Speaker 1: actually preach. And Sandra would tell you, we would tell
29:36
Speaker 1: you in that season of our lives. Do you know
29:38
Speaker 1: who came to the rescue our small group. We were
29:42
Speaker 1: in a group and they listened. They they go I'm
29:46
Speaker 1: telling you, they got us through. When I said they listened,
29:48
Speaker 1: they listened and listened and listened and listened and listened,
29:51
Speaker 1: and then they listened to the same stuff over and
29:53
Speaker 1: over and over and over and over, because we just
29:55
Speaker 1: had one story to tell, you know. And they loved us,
29:57
Speaker 1: and they pushed us, and they held us together and
30:01
Speaker 1: they held us accountable. And maybe so much of what
30:05
Speaker 1: I'm doing now, we're doing now, is because of their
30:08
Speaker 1: love for us and that difficult, difficult season. So here's
30:11
Speaker 1: my point. If you're gonna live this out, not if
30:14
Speaker 1: you're gonna believe it or be interested in. If you're
30:16
Speaker 1: gonna live this out, walk this out, figure this out,
30:19
Speaker 1: work this out in your world, you're gonna need some
30:23
Speaker 1: people around you. You're gonna need some people who can
30:26
Speaker 1: help you figure it out. And here's why Because, as
30:29
Speaker 1: I say all the time, life is complicated. I mean
30:32
Speaker 1: your situation, your circumstances are complicated.
30:35
Speaker 2: I make it sound easy. Just follow Jesus, see you
30:39
Speaker 2: next week. I mean that's you know, every week you
30:40
Speaker 2: feel like I'm preaching the same sermon. Just follow. I know, Andy,
30:43
Speaker 2: you say that all time, followed Jesus, I'll see you
30:45
Speaker 2: next week.
30:46
Speaker 1: And you leave thinking, Andy, that's easy for you to say.
30:48
Speaker 1: You don't understand my parents. You don't understand my marriage,
30:52
Speaker 1: you don't understand my business, my finances. You don't understand
30:55
Speaker 1: what I'm coming in coming into just walked out of.
30:58
Speaker 1: You don't understand my end that I'm in and how
31:01
Speaker 1: we're struggling. You don't get it. And you're right, how
31:05
Speaker 1: could I. I live in a closet at the church,
31:09
Speaker 1: so of course I could never help you figure out
31:12
Speaker 1: how to walk through and walk out the you know,
31:15
Speaker 1: the teaching of Jesus in your personal life, because I don't.
31:18
Speaker 2: Walk in your shoes.
31:19
Speaker 1: But you're not the first person, you're not the first Christian.
31:25
Speaker 1: And there are people who've been where you are, and
31:28
Speaker 1: there are people who are where you are, and you
31:31
Speaker 1: need we.
31:33
Speaker 2: Need each other. This is an extra credit.
31:36
Speaker 1: This is essential to walking and talking and following Jesus again.
31:43
Speaker 1: People who can help you figure it out, sort it out.
31:45
Speaker 1: I chatted with at the group about two months ago.
31:48
Speaker 1: I just ran into them. This is a group of
31:50
Speaker 1: married couples and they're all in blended families. And when
31:54
Speaker 1: they found each other, do you know how they felt?
31:56
Speaker 2: It was like.
31:58
Speaker 1: Finally someone who understands what it's like to parent in
32:02
Speaker 1: a blended family.
32:04
Speaker 2: When they found each other, it was so powerful.
32:07
Speaker 1: There's no way I could speak into that intelligently. They
32:12
Speaker 1: need each other and when they found each other, it
32:14
Speaker 1: was like a breath of fresh air. And now they're
32:16
Speaker 1: figuring out how do you sort this out and walk
32:18
Speaker 1: this out in these particular unique circumstances. So, yes, you
32:22
Speaker 1: have some difficult circumstances, and yes I make it sound easy,
32:26
Speaker 1: but no, that's not an excuse not to engage and
32:28
Speaker 1: follow Jesus, and not only other people who are where
32:31
Speaker 1: you are, who are who have been where you are.
32:34
Speaker 1: You're where you are, and one day you will have
32:37
Speaker 1: been where you are and God will use you in
32:40
Speaker 1: the life of other people. But not because you get
32:42
Speaker 1: to wear a microphone, but because you find a circle
32:45
Speaker 1: of people, and you can say I understand so. As
32:51
Speaker 1: much as I like talking to Rose, this can't be
32:57
Speaker 1: as far as it goes. If you're going to practice
33:03
Speaker 1: what Jesus preached, you need, I need, we all need
33:09
Speaker 1: a circle