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Max Lucado – FaithWorks: What It Really Means to Live on Mission · Max Lucado Daily Sermons

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  Speaker 1: I've got a few things I'm going to put on eBay.
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  Speaker 1: I thought maybe some of you might like to have
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  Speaker 1: a shot at them first. I've been hoarding a few
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  Speaker 1: things and thought it would be wise, you know, to
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  Speaker 1: share them with others. And then I had second thoughts
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  Speaker 1: and I thought, no, I'm just going to make some
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  Speaker 1: money off the Extra toilet paper. Here's some more. And
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  Speaker 1: some more. I've got some, here's some verses in the
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  Speaker 1: Bible that talk about purify us, oh Lord. I think
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  Speaker 1: they have taken on a new dimension. These verses have.
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  Speaker 1: Some more. And some more. And you can't have it. Well,
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  Speaker 1: good morning, everybody. God bless you today. As Greg said,
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  Speaker 1: we're continuing this study in the beautiful epistle of James.
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  Speaker 1: So if you have a Bible with you or a
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  Speaker 1: smartphone device, either one, I would encourage you to have
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  Speaker 1: that open. And welcome to all of you watching today. online.
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  Speaker 1: We're grateful that you're here. Those of you, I got
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  Speaker 1: a text from somebody on their way on a spring
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  Speaker 1: break vacation, but they're watching early. So I hope they're listening,
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  Speaker 1: not watching as they drive, just listening live today. And
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  Speaker 1: if you're here visiting from out of town on spring break,
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  Speaker 1: thank you for including Oak Hills as a part of
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  Speaker 1: your travel plans. In AD 251, a plague struck the
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  Speaker 1: Roman Empire. Historians believe that the plague, the disease was
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  Speaker 1: the measles. Citizens of Rome, however, they did not know
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  Speaker 1: what it was, nor did they know what to think.
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  Speaker 1: All they knew was that a devastating, mysterious illness had
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  Speaker 1: settled over their regions like an evil fog. According to
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  Speaker 1: one report, 5,000 people were dying a day in the
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  Speaker 1: city of Rome The trepidation was every bit as fatal
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  Speaker 1: as the affliction. Several on-site accounts survived the time. One
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  Speaker 1: historian wrote that the Romans believed the plague was the
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  Speaker 1: scourge of the gods. They would push a sufferer away
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  Speaker 1: and flee even from their dearest, hoping thereby to avert
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  Speaker 1: the spread and contagion. of the fatal disease. Another reported
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  Speaker 1: that many were afraid to visit one another and they
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  Speaker 1: died with no one to look after them. Indeed, there
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  Speaker 1: were many houses in which all the inhabitants perished through
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  Speaker 1: the lack of any attention. There was one exception to this, however, Christians.
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  Speaker 1: Christians were the one segment of the population who fared
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  Speaker 1: better than any other. Listen to this summary as written
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  Speaker 1: by Larry Hackman. Christians responded differently. Trusting in God's promises
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  Speaker 1: of eternal life, they turned to care for the sickest.
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  Speaker 1: The ironic result is that the mortality rate of Christians
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  Speaker 1: was significantly lower because they cared for one another. That
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  Speaker 1: gave the a chance for the measles sufferer to recuperate,
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  Speaker 1: whereas those who isolated themselves would inevitably perish from neglect,
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  Speaker 1: even if they survived the ravages of the disease. Because
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  Speaker 1: they did not fear death, the Christians lived. Do you
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  Speaker 1: think the Christians of that day would have a word
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  Speaker 1: for the Christians of this day? We're beginning to see
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  Speaker 1: the same fear. The coronavirus is contagious, but fear of
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  Speaker 1: the virus is even more so. It is one thing,
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  Speaker 1: and it is a very good thing, a wise thing,
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  Speaker 1: to make preparations and take precautions. Preparation is good, but
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  Speaker 1: panic is not. And so I'd like to begin and
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  Speaker 1: end my message with prayers. Prayers for faith, prayers for confidence,
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  Speaker 1: and prayers for peace. My prayer at the end of
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  Speaker 1: the message will be a collective prayer in which anyone
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  Speaker 1: who's facing any challenge whatsoever will invite you to come
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  Speaker 1: to the front and pray over everyone who comes one
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  Speaker 1: time as a group. I begin the sermon, however, with
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  Speaker 1: a prayer for us all. Whether you would come forward
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  Speaker 1: or not, I'm not giving you the choice. I'm going
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  Speaker 1: to pray for you anyway. I would encourage you to
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  Speaker 1: turn your hearts toward heaven and bow your heads in
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  Speaker 1: reverence to our almighty God who loves us and protects us.
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  Speaker 1: And I'm opening my Bible to Psalm chapter 91, which
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  Speaker 1: is the recording of a beautiful psalm, a beautiful prayer,
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  Speaker 1: a prayer of protection. Heavenly Father, we adjoin our hearts
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  Speaker 1: now as we make this prayer our prayer. He who
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  Speaker 1: dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall
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  Speaker 1: abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say
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  Speaker 1: of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress,
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  Speaker 1: my God. In Him will I trust. Surely He shall
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  Speaker 1: deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from
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  Speaker 1: the perilous pestilence. And he shall cover you with his feathers.
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  Speaker 1: And under his wings you shall take refuge. His truth
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  Speaker 1: shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be
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  Speaker 1: afraid of the terror by night. Nor of the arrow
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  Speaker 1: that flies by day. Nor of the pestilence that walks
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  Speaker 1: in the darkness. Nor of the destruction that lays waste
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  Speaker 1: at noonday. Verse 9. Because you have made the Lord
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  Speaker 1: who is my refuge. Even the most high your dwelling place.
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  Speaker 1: no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come
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  Speaker 1: near your dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge
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  Speaker 1: over you to keep you in all your ways. In
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  Speaker 1: their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash
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  Speaker 1: your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the
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  Speaker 1: lion and the cobra, the young lion and the serpent
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  Speaker 1: you shall trample underfoot. Heavenly Father, we make this prayer
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  Speaker 1: our prayer. We dwell in the secret place of the
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  Speaker 1: Most High. We abide under the shadow of the Almighty God.
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  Speaker 1: And we say of you that you are our refuge
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  Speaker 1: and you are our strength and you we will trust.
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  Speaker 1: You shall deliver us. You shall cover us. We will
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  Speaker 1: not be afraid of the terror by night nor of
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  Speaker 1: the arrow that flies by day. nor of the pestilence
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  Speaker 1: that walks in the darkness, nor of the destruction that
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  Speaker 1: lays waste at noonday. We have made you our refuge,
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  Speaker 1: you the Most High, our dwelling place. No evil shall
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  Speaker 1: befall us, no plague shall come near our dwelling, for
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  Speaker 1: you have given your angels charge over us to keep
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  Speaker 1: us in all our ways. We thank you, Lord. And
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  Speaker 1: we receive this blessing in the name of Jesus. And
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  Speaker 1: all the church said, Amen. Well, I'm really grateful that
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  Speaker 1: Travis has called upon us to study the book of James.
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  Speaker 1: In fact, can I just say, I'm just grateful for Travis, period.
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  Speaker 1: Each weekend, his messages grow stronger. And each day, his
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  Speaker 1: leadership gifts become more and more evident. He's on a
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  Speaker 1: well-deserved spring break. So you are stuck with me this
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  Speaker 1: weekend and the next. He and I went to lunch
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  Speaker 1: the other day. Yeah, you can applaud the lunch. Is
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  Speaker 1: that what that is? Just kidding. Thank you. He and
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  Speaker 1: I went to lunch the other day. And an Oak
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  Speaker 1: Hills member walked over and she said, my favorite Oak
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  Speaker 1: Hills preacher. And she extended her hand to Travis. And
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  Speaker 1: when she then saw that I was at the table too,
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  Speaker 1: she was a bit embarrassed. But I was not. I
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  Speaker 1: was thrilled. I was thrilled. I was thrilled. It's been
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  Speaker 1: over 18 months since we officially passed the baton, Max
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  Speaker 1: to Travis, the senior minister. But sometimes what is official
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  Speaker 1: takes a little longer emotionally, but it's happening. Travis is
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  Speaker 1: walking in his anointing and he is displaying the presence
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  Speaker 1: and the power of the Holy Spirit and I am
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  Speaker 1: more confident than ever that this pulpit this privilege of
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  Speaker 1: preaching is in the capable hands of someone who can
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  Speaker 1: guard it and curate it well over the next generation.
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  Speaker 1: And for that, I'm immensely grateful. And so we turn
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  Speaker 1: our attention now to James chapter 2. As Travis pointed
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  Speaker 1: out last week, it's quite likely that James is the
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  Speaker 1: earliest of the epistles written early in the first generations.
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  Speaker 1: Of the first era. First church. And I believe that James.
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  Speaker 1: Who wrote this epistle. To those who were suffering persecution.
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  Speaker 1: Would call upon us. As he called upon them. To
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  Speaker 1: be communities of courage. They had been banished. All over
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  Speaker 1: the then known world. A part of the diaspora. Spread around.
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  Speaker 1: And this letter written by James then circulated among the
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  Speaker 1: churches was a call to courage, a call to even
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  Speaker 1: count it joy when we face various tribulation. James chapter
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  Speaker 1: 2 can be divided, at least I believe, into two
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  Speaker 1: very clear sections. The first section could be called the
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  Speaker 1: folly of favoritism. The folly of favoritism. Here's what James says.
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  Speaker 1: My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to
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  Speaker 1: have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you
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  Speaker 1: favor some people over others? For example, suppose someone comes
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  Speaker 1: into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry
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  Speaker 1: and another comes in who is poor and dressed in
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  Speaker 1: dirty clothes. If you give special attention to and a
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  Speaker 1: good seat to the rich person. But you say to
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  Speaker 1: the poor one, well, you can stand over there or
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  Speaker 1: else sit on the floor. Well, doesn't this discrimination show
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  Speaker 1: that your judgments are guided by evil motives? Listen to me,
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  Speaker 1: dear brothers and sisters. Hasn't God chosen the poor in
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  Speaker 1: this world to be rich in faith? Aren't they the
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  Speaker 1: ones who will inherit the kingdom he promised to those
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  Speaker 1: who love him? But you dishonor the poor. Isn't it
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  Speaker 1: the rich who oppress you and drag you into court?
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  Speaker 1: Aren't they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble
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  Speaker 1: name you bear? So James invites us to imagine a
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  Speaker 1: church service, a worship assembly, in which a billionaire walks
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  Speaker 1: in the door. His tan is Caribbean. His suit is
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  Speaker 1: white linen and his hat is Panamanian. It's as if
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  Speaker 1: the great Gatsby himself has come to church. The people
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  Speaker 1: turn and stare. They know who this man is. The
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  Speaker 1: ushers scurry down the aisle and tell the people on
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  Speaker 1: the front row to get up and leave so that
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  Speaker 1: our special guest can have the best seat. The pastor
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  Speaker 1: who stands in front of the church, having just begun
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  Speaker 1: his introduction, stops everything. And he issues a verbal, personal,
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  Speaker 1: warm welcome to this man who has bling bling on
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  Speaker 1: his fingers. And hopefully has a checkbook in his pocket.
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  Speaker 1: Who can write a great check to the church. Everybody
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  Speaker 1: notices the rich man. No one notices the common man.
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  Speaker 1: He is dressed in shabby clothes, as James says, in
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  Speaker 1: dirty clothes. He walked a long distance from the homeless
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  Speaker 1: shelter to come to the church. He carries all of
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  Speaker 1: his possessions in a grocery sack. And he's doing his
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  Speaker 1: best to turn away from the bottle and toward the Bible.
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  Speaker 1: But the pivot is not easy. And the cool reception
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  Speaker 1: that he receives at the church makes it even more difficult.
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  Speaker 1: Now James is not tolerant of this type of favoritism.
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  Speaker 1: In his comments directed toward the early church, Boy they
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  Speaker 1: land like hand grenades on the congregation. He accuses them
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  Speaker 1: of evil motives. He reminds them that the poor in
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  Speaker 1: this world are rich in faith. A reason that they
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  Speaker 1: should be welcomed in the church. And then he has
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  Speaker 1: a bit of a cryptic comment. He says the rich
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  Speaker 1: are the ones who take you to court. I don't
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  Speaker 1: know what he was talking about there. Maybe some specific
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  Speaker 1: event that they would all remember or maybe just a
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  Speaker 1: playing a practice that was typical of the day. But
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  Speaker 1: this much is clear. James detests, he hates favoritism. It's
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  Speaker 1: easy to see why. Remember, James was none other than
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  Speaker 1: a half-brother of the Lord Jesus Christ. And initially, he
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  Speaker 1: was an unbeliever. In the Gospel of John we read,
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  Speaker 1: for even his own brothers... did not believe in him.
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  Speaker 1: He was an unbeliever. He didn't believe that his brother
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  Speaker 1: was who his brother said. However, sometime in that period
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  Speaker 1: of 40 days in between the resurrection of Jesus and
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  Speaker 1: the ascension of Jesus into heaven, look what happened. Jesus
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  Speaker 1: appeared to whom? To James. And to all the apostles.
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  Speaker 1: I'm wondering if this direct reference to Jesus appearing to James.
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  Speaker 1: Suggests that Jesus sought James out. Sought James out. Even
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  Speaker 1: though James had been. Maybe he still was at this
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  Speaker 1: time an unbeliever. But now James saw his brother Jesus.
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  Speaker 1: They had exited the same womb of Mary. And now.
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  Speaker 1: Jesus had exited the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea and
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  Speaker 1: James became a believer. What stories he could tell about Jesus.
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  Speaker 1: They grew up in the same house. They might have
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  Speaker 1: wrestled in the same yard. They surely slept in the
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  Speaker 1: same room. He knew that Jesus was fully human, but now,
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  Speaker 1: having witnessed the resurrected Christ, he knew that Christ was
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  Speaker 1: fully divine. And this God-man, this Jesus the Christ, made
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  Speaker 1: a special appearance to receive James. And James says that
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  Speaker 1: the one who has received us is an example. having
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  Speaker 1: been received by Christ, should we not receive others? If
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  Speaker 1: anybody could claim to be treated as a favorite, it
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  Speaker 1: could have been James, right? He could have claimed, hey,
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  Speaker 1: I grew up with our Lord. But he makes no
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  Speaker 1: reference to that. In fact, he calls for a wide
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  Speaker 1: open door for all people, whether they believe or struggle
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  Speaker 1: to believe. To be received. Whether they're affluent or poor.
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  Speaker 1: Whether they're healthy or sick. Whether they seem to have
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  Speaker 1: it all together. Or quite candidly don't have anything together.
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  Speaker 1: He says we need to receive one another. Jesus made
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  Speaker 1: room for us. Dare we not do the same for others.
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  Speaker 1: No partiality is permitted. At all. Period. Dare we who
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  Speaker 1: have been received by Christ. Refuse to receive others who
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  Speaker 1: search for Christ. And dare we who have benefited from
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  Speaker 1: the greatest work of God. Not be willing to do
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  Speaker 1: our best to do good works for God. This is
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  Speaker 1: James second point. The second point is. The impossibility. Of inactivity.
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  Speaker 1: Again he begins this section the same way. My brothers
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  Speaker 1: and sisters. As if. signaling that we're continuing but moving
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  Speaker 1: into a slightly different topic if people say they have
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  Speaker 1: faith but do nothing their faith is worth nothing can
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  Speaker 1: faith like that save them a brother or sister in
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  Speaker 1: christ might need clothes or food if you say that
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  Speaker 1: person if you say that person, God be with you.
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  Speaker 1: I hope you will stay warm and get plenty to eat.
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  Speaker 1: But you do not give them what that person needs.
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  Speaker 1: Your words are worth nothing. In the same way, faith
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  Speaker 1: by itself that does nothing is dead. Someone might say,
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  Speaker 1: you have faith, but I have deeds. Show me your
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  Speaker 1: faith without doing anything, and I will show you my
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  Speaker 1: faith by what I do. You believe that there is
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  Speaker 1: one God, good. But the demons believe that too, and
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  Speaker 1: they tremble with fear. You foolish person. Must you be
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  Speaker 1: shown that faith that does nothing is worth nothing? Now
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  Speaker 1: this passage, in a sense... seems to posit James against
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  Speaker 1: the Apostle Paul. Remember, the Apostle Paul is the one
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  Speaker 1: who championed that we are saved by faith alone in
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  Speaker 1: Christ alone. We wonder, would James disagree with a statement
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  Speaker 1: like this from the pen of the Apostle Paul? We
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  Speaker 1: maintain that man is justified by faith apart from the
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  Speaker 1: works of the law. James seems to champion works. Paul
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  Speaker 1: seems to champion faith. Are they at odds one with
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  Speaker 1: the other? Not at all. The message of Paul is
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  Speaker 1: addressing before conversion. The message of James is addressing life
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  Speaker 1: after conversion. In no way do good works save us.
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  Speaker 1: Let's be clear. Good works in no way save us
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  Speaker 1: Good works, however, are a sign of the saved. How
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  Speaker 1: can we who have been made right by God's grace
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  Speaker 1: not seek to lead righteous lives? Salvation by grace through
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  Speaker 1: faith is the root. Works that honor God are the
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  Speaker 1: fruits of We know we have been saved because of
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  Speaker 1: the deeds of our lives. And others know this as well. Well,
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  Speaker 1: James wants us to envision another scenario. This time he
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  Speaker 1: wants us to imagine a person who is in need.
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  Speaker 1: A brother or sister who is in need. Who knows why?
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  Speaker 1: Maybe they're in between jobs. Maybe they've never had a job.
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  Speaker 1: Maybe they made the mistake and got into debt. Maybe
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  Speaker 1: they've got mortgage payments up to their eyeballs. For whatever reason,
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  Speaker 1: they're in a difficult circumstance. So difficult that they need clothing.
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  Speaker 1: They even need food. James warns us against empty words.
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  Speaker 1: He warns us against that strategy that goes to the
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  Speaker 1: person and says, Oh, may God bless you in your
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  Speaker 1: time of need. May you be warm. May you be filled.
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  Speaker 1: But does nothing. He warns us against that. Now blessings
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  Speaker 1: are good. But blessings don't buy blankets. Blessings don't stock
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  Speaker 1: a pantry. Blessings don't help somebody make a car payment.
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  Speaker 1: Blessings are good. But blessings without deeds are empty. Empty
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  Speaker 1: words are a sign. of an empty faith. A frontier
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  Speaker 1: preacher happened across a friend whose horse had been accidentally killed.
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  Speaker 1: A crowd of onlookers had gathered around, each of whom
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  Speaker 1: was expressing their sympathy toward the man who had just
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  Speaker 1: lost his horse. The country preacher said, I'm sorry as well.
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  Speaker 1: In fact, I'm sorry, five dollars worth. How much is
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  Speaker 1: your sorry worth? He said to the others. It's one
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  Speaker 1: thing to say I'm sorry. It's another thing to help somebody.
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  Speaker 1: The Apostle Paul agreed with this. There's no contradiction here.
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  Speaker 1: The Apostle Paul said grace teaches us. Grace truly received
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  Speaker 1: is a life led differently. It teaches us. It teaches
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  Speaker 1: us not to live against God nor to do the
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  Speaker 1: evil things that the world wants us to do. Instead
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  Speaker 1: that grace teaches us to live in the present age together.
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  Speaker 1: in a wise and right way that shows we serve God.
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  Speaker 1: So grace appropriately received results in a life that honors God. Again,
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  Speaker 1: we're not saved by what we do, but being saved
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  Speaker 1: changes and affects what we do. And as I bring
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  Speaker 1: this message to a close, Can I say that grace
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  Speaker 1: not only changes what we do, it changes the way
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  Speaker 1: we look at the challenges of life. It creates a
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  Speaker 1: sense of assurance, a sense of peace. And boy, do
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  Speaker 1: we need it today. The great affliction of our day
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  Speaker 1: is anxiety. This is the most anxious nation in the
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  Speaker 1: history of the world. We begin assuming this, but now
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  Speaker 1: we are documenting this In 2018, the American Psychiatric Association
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  Speaker 1: revealed a study that indicated that 51% of Americans describe
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  Speaker 1: themselves as anxious. 51%. For the first time, we've tipped
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  Speaker 1: the scales over the 50% mark. And the land of
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  Speaker 1: stars and stripes has become the land of stress and strife.
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  Speaker 1: We're anxious today. And our anxiety is stealing our peace
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  Speaker 1: and robbing our sleep and hurting our health and invading
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  Speaker 1: our relationships. We are anxious people. Have I told you
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  Speaker 1: that story about the man who went to the doctor
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  Speaker 1: and the doctor said, what's wrong? He said, well, I'm
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  Speaker 1: having this weird dream. One night I dream I'm a
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  Speaker 1: pup tent. The other night I dream I'm a teepee.
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  Speaker 1: The doctor said, well, I see your problem. You're too tense.
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  Speaker 1: Tough crowd. Tough crowd. We're all too tense. We're all
• 26:44
  Speaker 1: too tense. And these studies, the study I'm referring to,
• 26:49
  Speaker 1: of course, predates coronavirus and Imagine what results we'd find
• 26:56
  Speaker 1: were we to take such a study today. Here's my belief.
• 27:01
  Speaker 1: I believe that Satan peddles anxiety. I believe he traffics
• 27:07
  Speaker 1: in fear. I believe that he runs a language school
• 27:13
  Speaker 1: dedicated to teaching one topic, the language of anxiety. And
• 27:18
  Speaker 1: down in the bowels of hell, There is a cavern
• 27:25
  Speaker 1: that serves as a classroom for demons who are being trained.
• 27:31
  Speaker 1: And that there is a professor, a lieutenant of the
• 27:34
  Speaker 1: devil himself, who stalks about in the room teaching his students,
• 27:41
  Speaker 1: his minions, his demons, the fine art of parlaying fear.
• 27:48
  Speaker 1: And he points his bony finger in the air. And
• 27:52
  Speaker 1: he speaks through a snarl saying. You must sow seeds
• 27:57
  Speaker 1: of distress. In the minds of these children of God.
• 28:05
  Speaker 1: Their target are not unbelievers. Satan already has them. Their
• 28:10
  Speaker 1: target is you. You. And according to the training manual
• 28:18
  Speaker 1: and according to the three words written on the whiteboard
• 28:21
  Speaker 1: of the language classroom, the strategy is exaggerate, overstate, and amplify.
• 28:30
  Speaker 1: Exaggerate every problem, overstate every issue, and amplify every concern.
• 28:37
  Speaker 1: Wake them up in the middle of the night. Better still,
• 28:42
  Speaker 1: don't let them go to sleep at all. Create within
• 28:47
  Speaker 1: them an addiction to news. Let them find fear on
• 28:53
  Speaker 1: CNN and Fox and MSNBC. Keep their Bibles closed. Keep
• 29:01
  Speaker 1: them out of church. Keep them listening to other anxious
• 29:06
  Speaker 1: voices so that they then can communicate this anxiety to others.
• 29:12
  Speaker 1: Because as we all know, Fear is the most contagious virus.
• 29:23
  Speaker 1: I'm wondering, are they whispering in your ear? If so,
• 29:31
  Speaker 1: your Lord Jesus gives you this invitation. Cast all your
• 29:37
  Speaker 1: anxiety on Him.
• 29:41
  Speaker 2: Why?
• 29:43
  Speaker 1: Because He cares. Because He cares. It is not His
• 29:50
  Speaker 1: will that you go through life weighed down with anxiety
• 29:59
  Speaker 1: and worry. And he will help you find a life
• 30:03
  Speaker 1: that is peaceful as opposed to panic marked. One way
• 30:12
  Speaker 1: he does this is by giving us promises. In fact,
• 30:17
  Speaker 1: he urges us to remember his promises. There is one time,
• 30:20
  Speaker 1: in fact, in the Old Testament in the book of Isaiah.
• 30:23
  Speaker 1: He says through Isaiah, put the Lord in remembrance of
• 30:27
  Speaker 1: his promises. Keep not silence. In other words, pray like
• 30:30
  Speaker 1: we prayed out of promises of Psalm 91. Remember, Lord,
• 30:35
  Speaker 1: you said this another time. God himself says, put me
• 30:39
  Speaker 1: in remembrance. Let's contend together. You don't have to contend
• 30:43
  Speaker 1: by yourself. You don't have to fight this by yourself.
• 30:47
  Speaker 1: He will fight with you. He will walk with you.
• 30:50
  Speaker 1: Put me in remembrance. You said, Lord, you would never
• 30:53
  Speaker 1: leave me or forsake me. You said, Lord, that you
• 30:57
  Speaker 1: would walk me through the valley of the shadow of death.
• 31:01
  Speaker 1: You said, Lord, that you would walk me through the waters.
• 31:05
  Speaker 1: You said, Lord, let your prayer be marked with you said,
• 31:09
  Speaker 1: you said, you said, and let your time be spent.
• 31:13
  Speaker 1: meditating on the great and precious promises of God. Find
• 31:17
  Speaker 1: a promise that fits your problem and build your prayer
• 31:20
  Speaker 1: around it. How many of you think that we could
• 31:24
  Speaker 1: use a quorum of people in our society whose lives
• 31:27
  Speaker 1: are marked by promises and not by panic? Maybe you
• 31:33
  Speaker 1: could be that person in your school room. The Apostle
• 31:37
  Speaker 1: Paul says, let your gentleness be made evident to all.
• 31:42
  Speaker 1: Let your gentleness. In Philippians 4, that passage can also
• 31:46
  Speaker 1: be translated, let your cool-headedness. When everybody else is losing,
• 31:53
  Speaker 1: they're cool, you're keeping yours. You're the one who in
• 31:56
  Speaker 1: the midst of the anxiety says, yes, but God. But
• 32:00
  Speaker 1: God is still on the throne. But God is still
• 32:03
  Speaker 1: in control. But God is still with us. I know
• 32:06
  Speaker 1: these are tough times. And he never calls upon us
• 32:09
  Speaker 1: to be naive or blind or foolish. But he calls
• 32:14
  Speaker 1: upon us to be people of faith. People who simply trust.
• 32:19
  Speaker 1: People who believe that our God is still a good God.
• 32:22
  Speaker 1: And that he will walk us through. And our society
• 32:25
  Speaker 1: is in dire need. Your family perhaps is in dire need.
• 32:30
  Speaker 1: Your workforce perhaps. Your schoolroom perhaps. Is in need of
• 32:34
  Speaker 1: a few people. Who will come in with a voice
• 32:37
  Speaker 1: of faith. The voice of faith. And help others. Deal
• 32:43
  Speaker 1: with the fear. Would you be one of those people?
• 32:46
  Speaker 1: Would you move forward in faith? I believe that James
• 32:49
  Speaker 1: would call upon us. To be a community of courage.
• 32:54
  Speaker 1: A community of hope. To place our trust as those
• 32:58
  Speaker 1: in Rome did. In AD 251. In the living God.
• 33:03
  Speaker 1: And that as a result would give us courage. To
• 33:06
  Speaker 1: move into the future. Jesus said this. We close with
• 33:10
  Speaker 1: his words. He said live. So people will see the
• 33:15
  Speaker 1: good things you do. The good things you do. And
• 33:20
  Speaker 1: praise your father in heaven. No favoritism. Toward the rich.
• 33:29
  Speaker 2: No neglect.
• 33:30
  Speaker 1: No neglect. of the poor, and no fear of the future.
• 33:38
  Speaker 1: I think that's a pretty good description of a good life,
• 33:41
  Speaker 1: don't you? Amen.
• 33:46
  Speaker 2: You don't have to be new.
• 33:52
  Speaker 1: You don't have to stay close. As long as you're
• 33:59
  Speaker 1: somewhere out there.
• 34:03
  Speaker 3: That's enough for me. I don't need to hold you
• 34:09
  Speaker 3: near me. Don't need promises to keep. Just the thought
• 34:15
  Speaker 3: that you are breathing somewhere in this world I see.
• 34:21
  Speaker 3: Even if I'm not beside you. Even if you never know.
• 34:28
  Speaker 3: There's a quiet kind of comfort just in knowing you
• 34:32
  Speaker 3: still glow I don't need forever I.
• 34:38
  Speaker 4: Just need you to exist.
• 34:47
  Speaker 2: You don't have to stay with me.
• 34:50
  Speaker 3: You don't have to feel the same. Just as long
• 34:54
  Speaker 3: as you're still out there calling softly through my days.
• 35:00
  Speaker 4: You don't have to look my way. You don't have
• 35:04
  Speaker 4: to be my home. It's enough to know you're living
• 35:11
  Speaker 4: in a world I'm not alone.
• 35:17
  Speaker 3: I won't chase you through the distance. Won't disturb your
• 35:21
  Speaker 3: chosen life. I'll just keep you in my silence like
• 35:26
  Speaker 3: a star that shines at night. Through the dark and
• 35:32
  Speaker 3: through the blue.
• 35:38
  Speaker 4: I still think of you.
• 35:45
  Speaker 3: You don't have to feel the same Just as long
• 35:49
  Speaker 3: as you're still out there Calling softly through my days.
• 35:55
  Speaker 4: You don't have to look my way You don't have
• 36:00
  Speaker 4: to be my home It's enough to know you're living
• 36:06
  Speaker 4: In a world I'm not alone.
• 36:24
  Speaker 3: I don't need to be your light I don't need
• 36:28
  Speaker 3: to cross your mind All I need is just the
• 36:31
  Speaker 3: truth That you're somewhere Still alive.
• 36:40
  Speaker 1: You don't have.
• 36:40
  Speaker 2: To stay with me You don't have to feel the
• 36:45
  Speaker 2: same Just as long as you're still out there Calling
• 36:50
  Speaker 2: softly through my days You don't have to look my way.
• 36:57
  Speaker 4: You don't have to be my home It's enough to
• 37:01
  Speaker 4: know you're living
• 37:06
  Speaker 1: In the world I'm not alone