Capital City Christian Church | Podcast

"We talked about raising godly children – which is hard work and requires discipline. Wisdom says to listen to God. Fools despise discipline. We talked about money – which requires hard work and discipline to handle well. It wasn’t groundbreaking information. Wisdom says to listen to God. Fools despise discipline. We talked about our hurts, and we talked about friends. All these things take work and discipline. Wisdom says to listen to God. Fools despise discipline. And today we’re going to talk about marriage." Ben Webb, Associate Minister

"I don’t care whether you are a Boomer, a Gen Xer, a Millennial, a Zer, or even Gen Alpha … the questions are the same: Does your work life matter to God? Does how you work affect your life with God? Does God care? And if he does, should you? What do you think: Is work a necessary evil? Should our goal be to do as little as possible and get past it as soon as possible? Do you think heaven will be about sleeping in, playing golf as often as you want, hanging with friends by the pool, and doing what you want when you want, never having to worry about a timecard? Would that be the perfect life? Randy, my preaching partner for about 20 years, asks it like this. He says, Your attitude towards work reflects how much of your soul belongs to God."

It's dangerous to be in a place where no one cares for you spiritually because it's incredibly easy to drift away from God. We need people in our corner to help pull us toward God. It's that together part of what Doc always says. We've got this saying that we use a lot around here. We're all about doing life with God, for God, God's way … together. There's something significant about us doing life … together. There's another thing Doc says. We all have this responsibility to drag each other to heaven. And if you're alone … you're in a very dangerous place. It means you don’t have anyone dragging you towards heaven. But I don't think that this is the biggest problem. We’re talking about friendships today, but I don’t think loneliness is the biggest issue we face. I think all of us know intuitively that we need friends. You may experience loneliness – we may experience loneliness – but nearly all of us are working on resolving that already. We crave relationships. And we naturally work to foster them. I think the bigger issue is that we're all so desperate to not be lonely … we're so desperate to not be lonely … that we will take friendship anywhere we find it. Is that your story? I guarantee you know someone who has that story.

"How many of you have been wounded? Not physically, but emotionally? … Yeah, that’s a universal, right? Emotional pain, spiritual pain, relational pain? Anger, sadness, bitterness, despair, remorse maybe; you are wounded, you hurt. It's pretty much universal. How many of you are hurting somehow right here, right now? A bunch of you, probably. Because hurt happens. Hurting is universal. Healing … not so much." Stephen "Doc" Pattison

"Paul says, “I've learned the secret … to being content.” That feels a little bit like a letdown. Like, really? Is that a secret you've been trying to discover? Have you been actively pursuing contentment? Look, I think that we all want contentment. But we don't live like it. We live like contentment is right around the corner … and we never quite catch up. Every time we come around the corner, it's just around the corner. And instead of ever becoming content, we learn to crave more and more. After all, that is the American dream, right? More – bigger – better. It’s the American dream. There's a crisis on our border right now with people trying to get into our country because of the American dream. They view us as wealthy … they view us as a success story. The rest of the world is watching us, and they want contentment like we have contentment. Except that, we know we don't have contentment. I think we've become content in our discontentment. We’re satisfied to keep chasing the next thing."

“Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.” There are times we fear that God has a sense of humor, right? But what if … what if he is serious? What if God meant them to be so? And what if there was a way to make it so? Not a guarantee but a strategy. What if there was a strategy for raising kids you can be proud of, for raising kids who would be proud of you? Would it be worth it to listen to some tips from our Designer, our Creator? I think so, don't you?"

"How do I live like Jesus when it comes to disagreements? How do I live like Jesus when it comes to the ways in which we don't agree? And then, here's the big idea. Here's the answer at the end of the message. I’ll give it to you on the front end. Here’s the big idea: live in unity and peace with one another. The answer – which feels like it's lacking a little bit – but we're going to find that difference of opinion is not an excuse for division. It's not an excuse for division. Again – this is so weird. We live in unity and peace with one another even if we have different opinions … even if we have different ideas and different conclusions. We don’t have an excuse to divide." Ben Webb, Associate Minister

Let’s start with the word of the day, the question of the day, and the attitude of the day. • The word of the day is “agape.” There it is in the Greek: ἀγάπη. It means “love,” … but it’s a very special kind of love. We’ll get there. • The question of the day is, “What would agape do?” As Jesus followers, we need to ask this question: “What would agape do?” • And the attitude of the day: We use these verses as a mirror, instead of binoculars. You’re going to be thinking, “I hope my husband, or my wife, hears this!” Or “I wish my twit neighbors could hear this!” Don’t be thinking about who else needs to hear this; think about whether maybe the Holy Spirit is nudging you. Okay?

“'Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellow man has fulfilled the law.' Guys, I want you to hear it: overcome evil with good. Be a good citizen. Give what is owed, whether that's taxes or revenue, respect or honor. You give what is owed. And everyone is owed love. I promise you that if the church lived like this, it would stand out like light on a hill. This is how we change the world. And the darker our world gets, the more valuable we become. If we take this seriously, there is no limit to the impact we could make in this community. Right now, give up your craving for rebellion. Replace it with a desire to honor your God."

"So, we’re kind of like a family, right, a family of Jesus followers? It’s kind of like God is our dad, and we’re his kids. So, we’re going to treat this kind of like a family meeting this morning. Did your biological family ever have family meetings? Maybe your dad or mom laid down some of the family rules … You know, where you could go, what you could do, who you could hang with, how you were to treat each other, what kind of words you could use … that kind of stuff? Well, it’s kind of like we are going to go over some of the CapCity family rules this morning … because we are a family of Jesus followers. Now, Dad’s not here physically, but He has given us guidelines as to how he expects us to behave … as Jesus' followers. And some of those guidelines sound pretty weird to our twisted little minds. It’s kind of like Dad is telling us … “Do it anyway. First, because I am like … God. And second, whether you understand it yet or not, my way will make your life better and make you better at life.”

"We’re going to walk through the first few verses of Romans 12 and see what they say about you, what they say about me, and we're going to see what they say about our responsibilities to each other. But it starts with this word, “Therefore …”. When I was in high school, my youth minister taught us that whenever you come across the word “Therefore” in the Bible, you have to ask, “What is the therefore there for?” It's so cheesy, right? But … that word means that we are starting in the middle of an idea. It means you're picking up an idea while Paul's in the middle. When he says, “Therefore,” it means that he's made some sort of a case before this word, and now he’s transferring that idea into something else going forward. Romans 12 begins some practical teaching, but it's based on deeper theological teaching before this verse."

Do you ever doubt God? Jesus? I mean, some guys doubt Jesus even existed...which is crazy. But, have you ever doubted Jesus went around working all those miracles, raising the dead, and raising from the dead? Although, if there really is a God, it's kind of weird to deny the possibility of a resurrection, isn't it? But, have you ever wondered if Jesus was "God in a bod" like He claimed to be? What would it take to convince you? What would it take for you to acknowledge Jesus as THE Son of God, your Savior, and your LORD... all of which He claimed to be.

So, don’t forget where we started. The quality of Jesus as guest is directly related to your quality as host. Meaning, the way in which you welcome him will determine the level of impact he's able to make. Have you welcomed him simply as a guest … or have you made him ruler of your home? Have you welcomed him? If so, you should see him welcoming you back. Has he welcomed you at his feet as a disciple like he did Mary? If he's welcome, he will. Has he rebuked you like he did Martha? Has he called out selfishness in you? If he's welcome, he will. Has your sin been disturbed? Are you dealing with your own stench like Lazarus? Is he making dead things come alive in you? If he's welcome, he will.

"Jesus—The I AM—is the true vine, he says, and we are kind of like branches created to be connected to the vine. And God is kind of like the gardener. And, like a gardener … Well, have you ever pruned bushes or trees? What do you do if a branch is dead? You know, it’s flat-out dry, brittle, and dead. You cut it off, right? Throw it away; burn it up, maybe...how about what you think or what you fear. Would you honestly expect the Gardener to prune you or to cut you off? I’m not asking what you deserve. None of us deserve grace. That’s why it’s called grace. None of us deserve to be saved, redeemed, rebirthed, forgiven, acquitted, sanctified, made righteous, made new. It’s not about what we deserve. Do you think your life gives evidence that you are attached to the vine, that you are drawing life from the vine, that you are being transformed by the vine, that the Gardener would choose to prune you, rather than cut off? In another place, Jesus says, “By their fruit you will recognize them.” (Matthew 7.16) By your fruit, do you see evidence that you are “in Christ”?" Stephen "Doc" Pattison

It's something that we struggle with because we love having options. The ability to choose is something that God gave us in the very beginning. He gave us free will. He gave us the ability to choose. And it may be the biggest gift that God gives us. It's one of the things God gives us that make us distinctively human. It's one of the things that separates us from animals. But it is also maybe the most dangerous gift that God gives us. Because when we have the right to choose … we can choose what is right and what is wrong. We have the opportunity to choose God … or not God.

Philippians 1.21, do you remember it? Can you say it with me? … “To me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Yeah, there it is: “To me, to live (living, life to the fullest) is Christ, and to die is gain.” We’re getting there. Let me come at it this way. Ben and I are drawing some of the big ideas for this series from a book called, “Jesus Manifesto,” by Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola. And, in chapter 6, they pull out a tweet from Twitter. That still sounds funny to me: “Tweeting on Twitter.” Anyway, this guy says, “There is no greater cause that you can give your life to than the cause of Christ.” Now, do you buy that? I know, you feel like you are supposed to, here in church; but do you actually buy that? Is it true? And, is that what Jesus is to you … the greatest cause you can give your life too. Kind of the king of causes? … Is that … enough?

"Which version of this Jesus should I follow? Because while we can say that we ought to imitate Jesus, there is a wide spectrum of what our world believes Jesus to be. A few weeks ago, when we started this series, I shared a host of different versions of Jesus in a somewhat humorous way. We live in a culture where there is a wide spectrum of different Jesus’. I mentioned Republican and Democrat Jesus. Therapist Jesus and Starbucks Jesus. Open-minded Jesus. Touchdown Jesus. Martyr Jesus. Gentle Jesus. Hippie Jesus. Yuppie Jesus. Spirituality Jesus. And Platitude Jesus. And Revolutionary Jesus. Guru Jesus and Boyfriend Jesus. Good Example Jesus. And … I got a text from a few of you afterward to point out that I'd skipped past Ricky Bobby's 8 lbs. 6-ounce newborn baby Jesus, right? Whether you understand what each of those Jesus represents or not, we can recognize that there are lots of versions of Jesus, lots of ways that he has been manipulated. So, when we say that you ought to imitate Jesus, what are we actually talking about? What does that actually look like? Which version of him are we going to follow? Because the reality is that it's easy to get it wrong. It's easier to get it wrong than it is to get it right."

"Now, sometimes it’s not your choice who you will imitate, right? You can’t choose your parents, but you’re going to imitate them … especially when you are little. And sometimes, even when you’re older, right? Have you old guys ever said something or done something, and you’re like, “Holy cow! That was my dad or my mom.” If you haven’t, you will. “Like father, like son,” right … even when we’re not trying. Because listen – this is huge: did you know that intimacy evokes shared behaviors and values? Let me say that again: Intimacy evokes shared behaviors and values. We become like those we do life with. Do you buy that? It doesn’t matter if you buy it; it will still work that way." Stephen "Doc Pattison

The truth is, God is writing your story … but you don't have to accept it. You don't have to accept it. God will actually let you write your own story. One of the more shocking things that God does is that he allows free will, which means that we have the right to hijack the story. That we can take the pen from his hands, and we can begin writing our own story. We can make ourselves the central figure – the lead character. God has ways in which he thinks we ought to answer and do things … he has his will … his story line of what should be … but we have the authority to do what we want.

"It means that creation rebelled against the Creator. It means that what God created as good fell; it broke; what it became was not what God meant it to be. It means that the Creator watched his creation fall, and it broke his heart! He cared! He watched us fall, and it broke his heart ... he cares! Do you get that? And do you know how much he cares? He cared so deeply that he took the form of a Galilean peasant and went to a cross to purchase our peace with his blood. Do you get it? A God who is infinitely powerful and infinitely smart, a God supreme over a creation unimaginably vast … cares for those as insignificant as us so deeply that he would take a form like ours so he could take the punishment we deserved for the mess we made … That means God is not only infinitely powerful and infinitely smart … it also means he is unfathomably good. How cool is that! ... For those who reaffirm the supremacy of Jesus."

Every generation has had to answer this question: “Who do you say that I am?” Who do you say that Jesus is? We answer those questions in lots of different ways … and if we get it wrong, we get everything wrong.

You see, we believe God meant it to be this way from the beginning. This is what God meant for his church to look like. Let me show you two weird verses: weird in that world and still weird in ours. The apostle Paul says, “There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one … in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3.28) Those were the kinds of polarizations that caused wars back then. But not in God’s church! The Message puts it like this: “In Christ’s family, there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Among us, you are all equal (all of you). That is, we are all in a common relationship with Jesus Christ.” You see, God thinks our common allegiance to Jesus is way bigger than anything – anything -- that separates us. In another place, the apostle Paul puts it like this. He says, “In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. (That stuff mattered a lot in Paul’s world! But not in the church! No, he says:) Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.” (Colossians 3.11) Now … do you buy that? Do you really? Are you willing to try to live it out? Because that’s what we’re about.

"What do we need to grow spiritually? Last week we used this verse over and over, Ephesians 4:15. It says, “We will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.” Plants physically need space, temperature, light, water, air, and nutrients. Humans physically need food, water, clothing, shelter, sleep. At CapCity we've identified the growth catalysts that every human needs – we believe that if you want to grow spiritually, the things that you need are worship, connect, grow, and serve. Now that growth word … I know it’s redundant … we’ll get to that. But these are our catalysts for spiritual growth. If there's any part of you that wants to have a better relationship with God or even just a better life, these are the catalysts. These are the things that you're going to add to your soil of your heart to give you a chance to grow."

Now, whether we understand the importance of spiritual maturity or not, we are Jesus followers, right? We believe there is a real God. And we believe that the real God is revealed in and through Jesus. And we want God to be … God. And … And … God expects us to mature spiritually. He thinks it’s good for us. He thinks it makes for the best life possible. Do you?

What is our purpose as Christ-driven, 24/7 Jesus followers?

"Is there a God? This is our starting point. This, I believe, is every human … every person's starting point. " Ben Webb, Associate Minister

"What if Easter is true? What if the one who claimed to be the Son of God actually predicted his death and resurrection and pulled it off? What if … what if you really are the mess God thinks you are? And what if … what if God is right and you can’t fix your mess? And what if Christmas is about God providing a way out, a way back? What if Jesus really is … Emmanuel, God on earth to dwell with us, God on earth to save us, God on earth to give us a way to do life with God … the kind of life our Creator meant for us? If all that is true … then wouldn’t it be fair to say that any excuse we might have for marginalizing Jesus or pushing him away fades away into absurdity? What possible excuse could we concoct for marginalizing God or pushing him away?!"

One of the reasons Jesus shows up in a manger in Bethlehem is so that the mystery around God would be removed. Jesus would demonstrate to us who God is, who God likes, what God wants, what God values, and what God does. All those questions that we may have. This mystery around God is revealed in Jesus.

"To really understand the Christmas story, you have to go back even further … to the first chapters of Genesis … to the creation story … and the fall. You see, we learn from the creation story that we humans are special … we bear the “the image of God,” somehow. We are designed so we can do life with God, somehow. And, we learn that we humans rebelled against doing life with God … God’s way … and in so doing, we made a mess we can’t fix. We are messed up. And I’m not just talking about just Adam and Eve messing up; all of us mess up, all of us are messed up, all of us are broken … and we can’t fix us. That’s what the Bible says, and … I’ve never met the exception. Have you? But, instead of blowing us off or snuffing us out, our Creator decided to give us a way back. Because, for some crazy reason, he loves us anyway … go figure. For some reason, God treasures us anyway … go figure. So, somewhere around 4000 years ago, our Creator God somehow made a deal with this really old twit named Abraham. God said, “Go from your country, your people, and your father’s household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will (… barak) bless you. I will make your name great, and you will be a (barak) blessing. I will (barak) bless those who (barak) bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse, and all peoples on earth will be (baraked) blessed through you.” (Genesis 12.1-3) What does that even mean?"

"Marriage calls us to become servants of each other’s welfare. And that's not why you got married. In fact, you got married for the opposite reason. If we told people that's what marriage was all about, I think less people would get married. When I got married, it was because I thought she was going to bring some good stuff to my life. I got married because I thought that she was going to bring value to my life … that she was going to do good things for me. It wasn't about what I was bringing to her. Oftentimes that's the way we see it. And when we realize how selfish the other person is, we quit. Oftentimes we step into marriage with these selfish reasons because our motivations for getting married are selfish. It's all about what we think we can get. That's not what service is. Marriage calls us to become servants of others each other 's welfare. And service costs you something. Service costs you something and benefits someone else. If it doesn't cost me something, if someone else doesn't gain something, then it isn’t service. Sacrifice isn't sacrifice until it costs something, right? If it hasn't cost me something, if I haven't had to pay something for it, then it really isn't sacrifice. Same with service."

This … big G God invented marriage, the coupling of a man and a woman till death do us part. Because our Creator, our Designer, thinks that model will work best … He thinks it will work best for your spouse, your kids, your clan, your community. And, our Creator, our Designer, thinks it will work best for you … it will help grow you into what you were meant to be … if … if you do it his way. And his way is hard. God tells us about a kind of love that will make it work, and it’s a tough love. The kind of love that makes is work, he says, is “patient and kind.” Those are hard. The kind of love that will make it work is not jealous, or boastful or proud or rude, he says. Every one of those is hard. The kind of love that works does not demand its own ways, he says. And it is not irritable … How many of you guys love like that? How many of you guys practice that kind of love with your husband, or your wife? And then he says … “It keeps no record of being wronged.” “It keeps no record of wrongs.” It doesn’t maintain a database of your spouse’s failures. How many of you guys … practice that? In other words, God’s kind of love – the kind of love that will make it work – forgives … Is it worth it to you?

"I'll tell you the best funerals that I have ever been to have been for those who are Jesus followers. It may be weird to you, but it's true. At the end of life, having hope is so incredibly valuable. It changes the dynamics of a funeral. But … I've also seen people who were great Jesus followers have a significant burden at their funeral. I've seen people who had Jesus enter their lives late, and there were consequences, regrets, and pains from their previous lives. I've seen people who loved Jesus for much of their life but walked away late. There was an emptiness and hollowness in their service. They had Jesus … but there were signs of great dysfunction. There was celebration … but there was also lingering sorrow. Is there something more to it than just simply saying Jesus? Do the best lives have a secret to them that goes beyond simply knowing Jesus? What if it's perseverance? I've seen people who've persevered through life with or without money … that doesn't tell their whole story. I've seen people who've persevered through life with or without good relationships … and it doesn't tell their whole story."

There's a conflict between the world's way and God's way. The world loves getting respect, but Jesus followers are called to focus on giving respect. We're all about getting respect, but God says as a Jesus follower, you should focus on giving respect. It's an obligation. It's even a command. It's all throughout scripture. It's all over the place. Leviticus 19 and Exodus 20 say that you're supposed to respect your parents … that you honor your parents. It's not optional, it's not contingent, but you respect them, regardless. Leviticus 19 says that you're supposed to respect the elderly … honor the elderly. It's not optional; it's not contingent. It's a little bit confusing because there are some people that maybe you're ready to respect, but they're not ready to be elderly, right? So, it's a little bit of a conflict, but the command is still there.

God has a design and a plan for marriage. And in this marriage series, we're going to look through what it looks like to follow God's design. But it's not just for married people. In fact, the things that we talk through are going to apply to any relationship you may find yourself in. Now we will talk specifically about husbands and wives, and that's OK. The skills that we learn in that gymnasium will be valuable in other relationships as well. And I know that this could be difficult for you if you're unmarried … and you long to be. This may be difficult for you because divorce isn’t a theory; this is an experience that you've had. If you're widowed, it's going to be hard … but don’t push back or don't check out. Instead, I invite all of you to lean in and see how the things we're talking about will be valuable to you right now … even if you aren't in that marriage relationship.

Following Sunday's message, Doc, Ben, and Kari discuss what the Bible says about homosexuality and how Christians should respond. For more, listen to the full message, "At Odds: Sexuality.

What does the Bible say about homosexuality? "Last week, Doc started this series that we are calling “At Odds” by talking about controversies surrounding gender in our culture right now. Today, I get the opportunity to talk about sexuality, specifically sexuality concerning same-sex relationships. Some of you may be wondering why a preacher would even care to talk about such things. Quite frankly … we don’t really want to. But … we’re going to talk about this because our culture is changing, our worldview is changing, our anthropology (our view of man) and our theology (our view of God) … are all changing. We’re going to talk about this because many of the problems, issues, and struggles are real. And … some of the answers and solutions being offered are not God-honoring. If you are a Jesus follower, you shouldn’t be too concerned with culture’s opinion. In fact, your opinion or my opinion doesn’t really matter. The big question is whether or not God has an expectation … and if my opinion matches his expectation. It matters because he’s not just our Savior; he’s our Lord, right? Now, the stuff Doc talked about last week and the stuff I get to talk about today is hard. So, I want to reiterate that Doc and I are going to ask for your grace. We’re probably going to say some things inelegantly. We’re probably not going to say things the way you’d say it. And, because the things we’ll be talking about are so polarizing, what we’re going to try to say, some of you guys probably won’t hear. Our job is to try to convey God’s truth with God’s grace. Sometimes that’s really hard. If you disagree with the way we understand God’s truth and grace, we’re still going to love you. And, if you disagree with the way we understand God’s truth and grace, I hope you will give us grace."

"What does the Bible say about Gender? "In a nutshell, our culture has been changing at light speed. Even the definitions of words have been changing at light speed. So, it’s hard to know the right words to use. Because what we mean by the words we choose may not be what you hear. And, what concerns us most – as Jesus followers – is that some of these cultural winds seem at odds … at odds … with the designs and purposes of our Creator, our God. You see, for thousands of years, the vast, vast majority of people have assumed there were just 2 sexes – male and female – and that sex and gender were essentially linked. In other words, your gender was based on your equipment. This wasn’t just the assumption for people who believed in the God of the Bible; this was the way just about everybody viewed the world. There was this “binary,” … not only with people but with just about all the other creatures on earth. And yet, with what seems like light speed, sex and gender have been disconnected, separated, and differentiated. Now, for many, your sex is linked to your physical body … kind of, but your gender is linked more to your heart and your mind. Your physical body determines your sex … kind of, but your identity is more about your heart … what you feel, and your mind … what you think you are."

As part of our At Odds series, Doc, Ben, and Kari dig deeper into how Christians should respond to gender issues. They will examine "Is there a binary or a spectrum? Should parents affirm their children's gender dysphoria? What if I believe God made me this way?" and more.

When God nudges us, what does that look like? Two of the most prominent ways in which God nudges us are these two other lighthouses that Sweet names: conscience and instincts. And they are linked together really well this morning because they both come from this inner dialogue. But they are different. They are unique from one another. They function in different kinds of ways.

How much does … “God’s will” matter to you? If you are a Jesus follower, is it important to know and to follow God’s will? Isn’t that kind of what being a “Jesus follower” means? And what if “God’s will” clashes with your will for your life? Because it will! When they clash, who wins? And, if you are not a Jesus follower yet, and if there really is a big G God, and if that big G God actually does have a purpose for your life … if God has a “will” for you, should you care? What will you miss if you don’t?

"You have people who've pushed you and pulled you, encouraged you and challenged you. And spoke into your life. And it's the fulfillment of Hebrews 10.24-25. The writer says, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds…” I am the fulfillment of people who have spurred me on toward love and good deeds. I am the result of people being faithful to their God through providential relationships … either speaking to me in the name of God or showing me how to live in the name of God. I'm the result of that. I'm Hebrews 10:24 come alive, because of the lives of the people around me. But he doesn't stop there. He says, “Let's consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another – and all the more as you see the day approaching.” The other side of this is that I can't be influenced by people if I'm not with them. When I give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, I miss out on those opportunities for God to speak into my life. We have strength in the community that we don't have individually. We have opportunities to hear God in a community that we don't have individually. And if you aren't surrounding yourself with Jesus' followers, then you may be preventing a significant way in which God speaks to you. And it is nearly as hypocritical as a Jesus follower who doesn't read the word of God."

If someone is speaking about something and it doesn't fit my agenda right now … if it's not the most important thing I can do at that moment … then I'm not interested. I don't want to hear it if it's inconvenient for me. And if it's terrible news, I sure don't listen to it, right? This is why most of us have these apps on our phones – these bank apps that tell us how much money is in our account – and sometimes we don't open them because we don't want to see how much isn't in our history. And sometimes, we don't go to the doctor because we don't want to hear what the doctor may say to us. And sometimes we don't want to go to church because we don't want to listen to what the preacher may say, much less what God may say. Have you ever done that? Have you ever refused to attend church because you were scared of what God may say?

"Now, I am good at not listening. In fact, when I was writing this part of the sermon Thursday morning, there was quite a bit of chatter in the office. So I popped on my noise-canceling earphones, earphones flipped them on, and there was this blissful silence. • Some of you guys, when you don’t want to listen, turn up the volume on something else. Do you ever turn up the volume on your TV so you don’t hear the noise the kids are making? Have you ever done that with God? • Sometimes, we avoid someone we don’t want to listen to. You see them coming, and you go the other way. Ever do that with God? • Sometimes, we try to hang with people who are going to agree with us. That’s called an “echo chamber.” We only hang with people to reinforce what we think, so we don’t have to … think. How many of you guys live in an echo chamber? … Have you ever been tempted to hang with people who will reinforce your grievances … with God? • What if … what if God is trying to talk … and we’re not trying to listen?"

"The Gospel of Matthew … the book they chose to be first in our New Testament … it opens up with this genealogy of Jesus. And it’s a weird genealogy … on purpose, I think. • You see, Jesus didn’t track his family tree so he could “find himself.” That’s ludicrous! How could his “human ancestors” make the Son of God any more or less? • And … even though Jesus’ genealogy skips over some guys, it’s not the bad guys they leave out. In fact, the genealogy of Jesus is pretty much a rogue’s gallery, a collection of messed-up people… like you guys. • And … someone inserted all these ladies into the genealogy of Jesus! How scandalous was that! Especially since every one of the ladies in the family tree of Jesus had pretty scandalous stories … like some of you ladies. So, we’ve been tracking this “trail of grace” through the Old Testament story leading right to Jesus … whom the apostle John describes as 100% truth and 100% grace. And I am going to wrap up this fantastic story by focusing on one of the most boring passages in the Bible … the genealogy of Jesus. And maybe … maybe … if you’ll lean in anyway … perhaps you’ll discover things about Jesus that will change your life. So … here goes." Stephen "Doc" Pattison

I want to ask a very simple question. If you were God, what would you do? If you were God, what would you be excited about? What would be the things that would thrill you – things that you could finally address or want to do? Like, what are the things that you would care deeply about and do something about if you were God?

In an interview with NBC, Dahmer reflected on his previous depravity. He said, “If a person doesn't think that there is a God to be accountable to, then what's the point of trying to modify your behavior to keep it within acceptable ranges? That's how I thought anyway.” In other words, if there is no God, then who cares what you do, who cares what you think is right or wrong. Why not do whatever you have an urge to do? … But … what if there is a God?

One of the most gracious things God could do for the people he had chosen, by grace, would be to give them some rules on how to do life together. You see, community requires either morals or rules, and these refugees had neither. And morals take time to cultivate. What they needed now were some rules. Rules, borders, guardrails regarding all kinds of stuff: diet, sanitation, marriage, children, animals, property rights, crime, and punishment … and more than anything else, on how to do life with God.

"Does God ever feel awkward? Is God ever uncomfortable or awkward? What if it's bigger than that? What if by this word uncomfortable I'm talking about something much bigger? Something like this: over the course of my life there have been a few times – not many, but a few times – when I have heard someone speak inappropriately either to or around a child and in those moments, I have felt compelled to do something about it. Moments when I felt like it was necessary for me to speak up and interject something. And it's uncomfortable. It's very uncomfortable. Is that a good example? Does God ever feel uncomfortable like that? In the sense where he's around something that he can't tolerate, or he can't just sit by and not do something about. Is God ever uncomfortable in a situation where he feels like he is driven to action, where he must act? He must respond. He must do something about it. Does God ever feel compelled to act?"

"Okay, I am going to preach this sermon in two different parts this morning. And just in case you get lost, let me tell you what the two big ideas are. The bottom line, guys, is that it’s not about you. It’s not about how good you are or how bad you are. It’s not about what you think of yourself or what other people think of you. It’s about God. #1: It’s His grace that gets you in. and #2: It’s His grace that keeps you in. Now, that’s easy to say, but it’s hard to accept up here (intellectually) and incredibly hard to accept down here (experientially). Listen, this is huge: it’s grace that gets you in, and it’s grace that keeps you in."

"We're tracing this "Trail of Grace" through the Old Testament because some of you probably still think grace isn't shown until Jesus. But the Old Testament drips with grace... if you look for it. And this story of the Fall drips with grace. Have you noticed that before? And it's not just the story of Adam and Eve; it's my story, and your story... a story of both the gravity of sin and the immensity of grace."