Capital City Christian Church | Podcast

"Why does God create anything? Here’s a big philosophical question: Why is there something instead of nothing? Why is there existence as opposed to nothingness? Weird questions, right? But seriously, why did God create anything? Why is it that when God created, he created with an unnecessary diversity? Why is it that he created such a high level of extravagance? I mean, we did this video before with the tour of the pools, and we're rating them on a scale of 1 to 10 on functionality and 1 to 10 on beauty. There's a sense in which you can have both, you can swim in just about any pool, but not all pools are strikingly beautiful. Why is it that when God made the world, it doesn't remind us of an inflatable pool in the backyard, but it's more of an absolute extravagance? Why does God create in that kind of way? Why is it that God filled the earth with life that is endless in variety, boundless in scope, that it's relentless and resilient, that it's marvelous in complexity? Why has God gone to such great lengths? He's under no obligation. It's not anything that we would deserve. Last week we defined grace as getting something that we don't deserve. If we look at creation around us, it looks like the grace of God. It's just this large extravagance, over-the-top grace. That's exactly what God does. And when God creates, he calls it good."

What if, in humility, we rightly see ourselves as deserving nothing from God? And what if we shifted our thinking away from what we do or didn't deserve and looked at the beginning part of that definition? What if we begin to look at everything we've received from God as being a way that God has graced us?

"Humility is about getting honest with ourselves, and honest with God, and honest with those we do life with. Humility is about embracing reality, instead of the fantasy worlds we tend to live in. Humility is about taking my eyes off of me and focusing on God... which can be a real pride killer."

The apostle Paul says, “The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Galatians 5.22-23) … Here’s what he’s talking about. When we become Jesus followers, the Spirit of God- the Holy Spirit- makes a home inside us. He’s always on the outside, working on us, but it’s kind of like we invited him in, and he goes to work on us from the inside. And what he tries to do, in every single one of us Jesus followers, is to morph us back into what we were meant to be … what we were created to be by God. You see, you were created “in the image of God,” and life works best when we look at life and when we do life God’s way. These “fruit of the Spirit” are simply the character of God … he’s trying to make us like him … the way we were meant to be.

"But I think there's one fruit of the spirit where our standard matches God's. God expects that we will be 100% faithful. If you knew someone who was 90% faithful, you would think that isn't good enough. No wife would be appreciative of a 90% faithful husband; she expects that her husband would be faithful 100% of the time. No employer would appreciate a 90% faithful employee; they expect that you would be faithful 100% of the time. You wouldn't be satisfied with an employee who shows up nine out of 10 times – that isn't good enough. Faithfulness is that one fruit of the spirit where I believe we can clearly see and appreciate God's standard. This one we seem to get. Most of the fruit of the spirit have this sliding-scale-percentage-grade kind of scenario. We think that 90% is a pretty good grade. But it's not the same with faithfulness. It feels more like that pass/fail situation. Either you are faithful, or you aren't."

Have you ever thought about why we like to be at least a little bit bad sometimes? We’re drawn to sin, right? As much as we hate it … I hope … we kind of like sin, too, don’t we? “Sinners have more fun,” right? Craig Groeschel, a really good pastor in Oklahoma, puts it like this. He says, “If sin isn’t fun, you’re not doing it right!” We enjoy the thrill of tasting the forbidden fruit. It’s exciting. Maybe because there is this rebellious streak in all of us, there is this “self” in all of us that loves bucking someone else’s rules … even God’s.

Believe it or not, I am way more patient now than I used to be. The Spirit of God had a whole lot of work to do on me. Because this patience is a big deal. It’s one of the “fruit of the Spirit” that we have been talking about in this “Remastered” series. It’s one of those pieces of the “image of God” that God’s Spirit is trying to cultivate in every one of us Jesus followers. And it’s hard, because … Well, we live in a world that does not revolve around us. And more than that, we live in a world surrounded by sinners. Everyone I do life with is a sinner, and some of those sins hurt me. Just like, some of my sins hurt those who do life with me. So, this … God-like … patience … is a really, really big deal. Let me show you.

Bottom line … how many of you guys … let’s see hands this time … be honest … How many of you struggle with some self-control issue? If your hand wasn’t up, I suspect you have one of 3 problems. #1: You are in denial. #2: Or you’re lying like a dog. Or #3: you have a problem with pride. Because self-control is a battle for all of us … isn’t it? Now, I’m going to be an absolute hypocrite this morning. I have a bunch of self-control issues, even though I’ve been a Jesus follower for a long time. But I’ve got to tell you God’s truth even when I struggle with it, right? I’ve told you before I preach to myself and let you listen in.

"We've been walking through the fruit of the spirit for the last few weeks and talking about love, joy, and peace. We've talked about the definition of each fruit and worked through what the counterfeit version of that fruit is. We've even talked about what the opposite of that fruit is. So let's start real briefly with the definition of hope. I think hope is an optimistic anticipation in the person and the promises of Jesus. It’s an optimistic anticipation – meaning it's looking forward. Hope is something that has not yet happened. It's not something that is happening; it's something that's looking forward. It's anticipating something that will happen. And it's optimistic. It's not a negative anticipation. It's looking forward in excitement. And, like we’ve seen with other fruit, there's this sense that there's a perception to it. There's a robust confidence to it because of where it's rooted. It's an optimistic anticipation in the person and promises of Jesus. That's so key to this definition. A Jesus follower has a perception that's different. Because of who Jesus is, how He lived and what he taught – and specifically His death and His resurrection. Hope is that optimistic anticipation in the person of who He is and the promises of Jesus, meaning the things that are yet to come. The promises of His return – the promises of eternal residence with Him."

"'Then' you will experience … God’s peace, he says. What would that feel like? God’s peace. Any of you need some of that? I’ll bet some of you guys need a boatload of it. Because a lot of you guys have a PhD in worry, right? You could teach classes on it! How many of you guys struggle with worry, anxiety, stress? Health issues, and you are scared to death. Money issues, and you can’t sleep. Your marriage is struggling, or your kids are a mess, and it's sucking the life out of life. Trouble at work, or maybe you’re out of work … that’s hard! Maybe you are being bullied, or maybe you’re just flat our lonely … and it’s stealing your peace. Maybe it’s sin … that is stealing your peace. Have you ever been unsettled, or even undone by your sin? I hope so. That will create some anxiety, won’t it? On top of all that … just read the news … you’re not going to find peace out there!"

Bob Russell discusses the importance of praying for the church during the end of days.

See, I think having joy includes feelings of good cheer and a vibrant happiness. But joy, in its fuller, even spiritual meaning involves way more. It is a deep-rooted, inspired happiness. It’s a feeling, but it’s also a choice. It’s a lasting emotion that comes from a choice. Joy endures through difficult moments. Happiness isn’t joy. Happiness is fleeting, not long-lasting. It’s dependent on people making you happy or something good happening or something going your way. Pleasure isn’t joy. Pleasure is fleeting, not long-lasting. It’s dependent on people making you happy or something good happening or something going your way. Joy, while accompanied by emotion, is more than an emotion. It’s rooted. It’s a choice. Which means that when something happens that wouldn’t make you happy, you can still have joy. When something happens that doesn’t bring you pleasure, you can still have joy.

"This is a really big deal … if you are a Jesus follower. A God kind of love is #1 in the apostle Paul’s list of the fruit of the Spirit … for a reason. It all starts here, guys. Jesus identified a God kind of love as priorities # 1 and 2 for a Jesus follower. He says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22.37-39) And guys, 1 Corinthians 13 is the kind of love Jesus is talking about. He’s not talking about any of our cheap substitutes. The apostle John said, “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.” (1 John 4.20-21) And I Corinthians is the kind of love he’s talking about, not the counterfeit stuff we settle for."

"So, Jesus’ enemies have finally got him exactly where they want him. They had had him arrested on trumped up charges, they had put him through a farce of a trial, they had beaten him nearly to death with a whip, then stripped him naked and nailed his hands and feet to a cross … and he was hanging there … right on the edge of dying. One of his disciples was dead, 10 were in hiding, and only one dared watch. Their hopes that Jesus might be their messiah, their inklings that he might actually be even more than that … the Son of God, even … all their hopes crushed by this … disillusionment … this emptiness. And Jesus says … “It is finished.” “It is finished” … what in the world does that mean?" Stephen "Doc" Pattison

"There are moments when Jesus looks very normal – and moments when he looks supernatural. There are moments when he sounds very human – and moments when he sounds like he has a supernatural authority. Which are you more comfortable with? Do you like Jesus as God? Or do you prefer Jesus, the man? And if you see him as God, is he a good God? Is he a failure? If he’s a man, do you see him as a winner? A loser? Pitiful? Fool? I want us to see Jesus in the moment today. I want us to appreciate what the disciples experienced and even see what Jesus was revealing from moment to moment. And I think you’ll find you are in the story as well. And there is a sequence of stories starting in Mark 8 that, to me, really shows the complexity of what we are talking about. And as hard as it is for us to comprehend it all, we’ll follow Peter and see how he handles all of it in the moment."

Some of the stories in the Bible sound weird. Now, if you’ve grown up in the church as I have, you forget how weird they sound to people who haven’t heard them a few dozen times. And this is one of the weird ones. It’s a wild, weird story … to people who aren’t used to the wild, weird stories of the Bible. And they read it, and they’re like … “Really?! Do you actually think that happened … literally? Do you actually think it happened … that way? I mean, there are so many head-scratchers in it, right?” It's a story of a skirmish between this “God-man” Jesus … and this supernatural being they called “Satan.” According to the Jesus stories in the New Testament, Jesus is young … about 30, maybe … just kicking off his “ministry” on earth, and he’s kind of tossed into this cage match with the devil, Lucifer, “the prince of darkness,” Beelzebub, Mephistopheles … you know, the guy we picture with red skin, teeth like some vampire, horns, a serpent-like tail, and, holding this pitchfork … for some reason. … Really?

We're going start unpacking some of the most famous verses in the Bible ... deservedly so ... and I think all of us need to lean in. Because they are not only some of the most famous verses in the Bible, but they are also, I think, some of the most misunderstood. And if you actually listen to what Jesus was actually saying this is really, really important stuff. So, if you want to follow along, open your Bible or your Bible app to Matthew chapter 5. The verses will be on screen as well. These are the opening verses to what is called "The Sermon on the Mount." Ever heard of it? The Sermon on the Mount, from the Gospel of Matthew, chapters 5-7. Here's how it starts.

"If you have submitted yourself to Jesus, and if you are a part of this family here, you are now an ambassador to God’s brand. What you do and say reflects the perceived values of CapCity. And of God himself. Again, you don’t have to agree with me. You don’t have to like this news. This isn’t information just for Jesus followers. But it is true. It’s true for all people in all circumstances. What you do and say is constantly telling others something about who you are and who you represent. And if you are a Jesus follower, this verse should be pretty important to you: 2 Corinthians 5:20 – “And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. (God has decided that the way his message will go throughout the world will be through us – and his message is reconciliation). We are, therefore Christ’s ambassadors (we represent his message and his brand – that makes us ambassadors) as though God were making his appeal through us. (I hate that phrase “as though.” It’s not there in the Greek and the idea isn’t present in this passage. It isn’t “as though,” some passive “could be.” It is exactly this way. God is making his appeal through us. It is his plan. It is his strategy. And, again, our message:) We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.'"

It's easy to complain. It's easy to diss and mock and attack. What's harder is to show them something better. Which is kind of our job, right? as Jesus-Followers? To show them something better? And we don't think that it is better because we are smarter than they are. We don't think it is better because we think our ideas are superior to their ideas. We think it is better because we are trying to live out God's ideas...we think. And we think God, our Creator God, is way smarter and way better than we are. We think He kind of proved it...in Jesus.

Well, this morning I am going to unpack these ideas in the context of money. Now, if you’ve been around CapCity for a while you know that I’m not much of a preacher, I’m more of a teacher. And this morning I’m going to teach. In fact, it may feel like trying to drink from a firehouse. But in this series we are in … “Skill Set” … the stuff we do as Jesus followers, I’ve got one week to talk about how we view and handle our money … as Jesus followers. So here goes …

Now, I’m actually going to give you one “long” sermon in three parts. Part one today, and part two next week, and part three the week after that. But they are all connected; they all flow out of the same big ideas. Four big ideas. Here they are: • Big idea #1: God owns it all. It’s all his. Everything we have, everything we can do, how we live, what we live for … it’s all his. We think it’s ours, when, in reality, it’s all his … whether we acknowledge it or not. Because he is God, right? • Big idea #2: The big G God is lavishly generous, he’s amazingly generous. Whether you are a Jesus follower, or not, God has given you so incredibly much! Do you buy that? It’s all grace, guys! • Big idea #3: With gifts comes responsibility. How did Spiderman put it? “With great power comes great responsibility.” Well, it’s the right idea: “With great gifts comes great responsibility.” • And, Big idea #4: If you live these 3 big ideas out, you’ll have a better life, and you’ll be better at life. It’s all his; he’s extravagantly generous; but he expects you to use what he gives you in a God-honoring way. Living that way will be better for you, and for everyone around you. … Because we have a very good, and a very wise God, right?

There is something true and the physical, mental, and emotional state of man in this statement: “It is not good for the man to be alone.” It isn’t good physically, mentally, or emotionally. That is what these studies have shown. But most importantly, it isn’t good spiritually. In the last couple of weeks, Doc has made this point: Spiritual health is more important than physical health. And, potentially, the greatest area of health that suffers when we are isolated and lonely is our spiritual health.

"Now, if you are a mature Jesus follower, there’s a good chance that what I’m going to talk about this morning will make you pretty uncomfortable … it does me! And, if you are not a mature Jesus follower, there’s a good chance you’re going to hate it. In fact, you’ll might think something like, “If he’s right, I’m not even sure I like God much.” And if you are not a Jesus follower at all, this stuff is probably going to sound flat out weird to you, and you may be tempted to push this God even further away. But … I think the story we’re going to unpack this morning is in the Bible for a reason. It’s a story that I go back to from time to time, because it is so … … Bottom line, for most people it is at least … problematic. In fact, it’s one of those stories people point to to justify their rejecting the God of the Bible. Because it exposes a side of God that is at least confusing, and, for some, terrifying. In fact, I think this is one of the most counter-cultural stories in the Bible … and there are boatloads of them. But, I’m going to unpack it anyway because it kind of points to the end of our discipleship path. You see, we don’t think our job is done when someone accepts Jesus as their Savior. We think that’s just the beginning. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all the nations (In other words: help people get started on the path; go and make Jesus followers), baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. (But don’t stop there! Then,) Teach these new Jesus followers to obey all the commands I have given you.” (Matthew 28.19-20) All of them. In other words, it’s not just about believing that Jesus is your Savior, it’s about learning to surrender to Jesus as your Lord … an absolute, unconditional surrender. So, are you there, yet?"

"A lifetime ago, when I was a professor at Kentucky Christian, one of my colleagues, my pastor at the time, and our basketball coach for a time … he drilled this into his players. Over and over, Dick said: Remember who you are and what you stand for. It makes a difference: Remember who you are and what you stand for. And guys, I think it will make a difference for you. If you are a Jesus follower, remember who you are and what you stand for … every day. This series is all about some of the weird things we do because we are Jesus followers. It’s not just about what we believe; it’s about what we do because we are Jesus followers. And we do this stuff to remember who we are and what we stand for."

"But listen, guys; God doesn’t just want you to “believe” in Jesus; he wants you to “follow” him. It’s easy to “believe” it takes guys to “follow.” Do you know where’s he leading you? How do you know? So, to help us get it right, God inspired this book, this guidebook, this instruction manual. Have you ever tried to put something together without reading the instructions? You can do it with simple things, maybe. But with really, really complex things … good luck. Well, into which category do you put your life? Simple or complex? Have you ever messed up your life … badly? Well, a lot of Jesus' followers try to get it done without reading the instructions. And even when we consult the book, the guidebook, the instruction manual, a lot of us are like … “Really? That’s what God wants? I must not have read that right. Did God really say … that? It must not mean what it sounds like. Did God really mean … that? That’s just weird.” Or, “That may work for some of you, but that’s not going to work for me. And it’s my call, right? After all, it’s my life.” And with stupid thoughts like these, we blow God off."

"And if you’re a Christian, prayer isn’t an optional skill that you can choose to learn. It’s not like riding a bike in that sense. Some of you may not know how to ride a bike because you never desired to learn. Prayer isn’t that way for Jesus' followers. Like what we saw last week with worship when prayer is mentioned in the Bible, it is often communicated as a command. Colossians 4:2 says, “Devote yourselves to prayer.” No invitation there. Just a straight demand. In Luke 18, Jesus teaches his disciples the necessity of praying. Jesus wanted them to know that “…they should always pray…”. Not an invitation. A command. And my personal favorite verse on prayer 1 Thessalonians 5:17. “Pray continuously.” No qualifiers. No explanation or exposition. Just a simple command. We have to start today with an understanding that prayer, at its most fundamental level, is an act of obedience. And it can look very formal. I personally love the few times I get to participate in a more liturgical service where there are corporate prayers. There is beauty in a congregation reciting prayers together. It’s all over the Old Testament, and you can see Jesus and his disciples practicing those prayers that had been learned. And we’re going to have an opportunity to do that today."

we’re going to kick off this new “Skill Set” series this morning by talking about worship … which is the most important thing we do as Jesus' followers. Do you buy that? We do. And we think it’s about way more than just sitting in this room for an hour on Sunday morning observing. Listen: We are here to worship our God because he’s worth it.

"We’ve got a vision, and we’ve got a mission. It’s bigger than any one of us, but if we all work together, we can see it come to reality." - Jon Sutphin, Executive Minister.

Join us as Doc discusses the myths about Christmas and shows the real reason for the season.

"Waiting is hard. Waiting on God is harder. But it’s an opportunity to be faithful and see something better than you could ever imagine."

"In the end, we have only two options. We can either say to God, "Thy will be done," or God will say to us, "Then, thy will be done." If we insist, God will grant us what we think we want - to be separated from Him...forever." - Stephen "Doc" Pattison Reference: Frazee, Randy. "Believe: Living the Story of the Bible to Become Like Jesus." Zondervan, 2015.

What if it’s not your body? What if you are just flat-out wrong? It may be your choice, but what if it’s not your body? Wouldn’t that mean that whatever choice you make matters to the one who actually owns your body? And … what if … what if it’s not your life. That’s kind of offensive to say, right? But what if it is … not. Your. Life? So … what if, in reality, you are not the boss of you. You think you are. But what if that is an illusion, or maybe, a delusion? And … what if there are things more important than … your rights? Way more important! What if a fixation on “my rights” makes me a bit of a jerk, way littler than I was created to be? Well … I’ll show you. Hang with me … please.

"Sometimes we have to move past our childish ideas, or they will mess us up. In fact, that’s why some people don’t like God. They have these childish ideas about God, and because their ideas about God are messed up, they don’t like … their imaginary God. I heard one guy say one time: “If I believed about God what you believe about God, I wouldn’t like him either.” But what if your ideas about God are wrong?" Reference: Frazee, Randy. "Believe: Living the Story of the Bible to Become Like Jesus." Zondervan, 2015.

"What if we really believed that all people are loved by God? What if we really saw all people as made in the image of God? All people?" #believe #whatwebelieve Reference: Frazee, Randy. "Believe: Living the Story of the Bible to Become Like Jesus." Zondervan, 2015.

In this video, Stephen "Doc" Pattison, a well-known church leader and pastor, shares his insights about the church. If you're a churchgoer or don't have much exposure to the church, this video is a great opportunity to learn about the church. Doc shares his thoughts on the church and its role in today's society. "But “church” is about way more than just worship, isn’t it? Here at CapCity, we talk about more than just worshipping together. We talk about connecting, growing, and serving together … because going it alone just doesn’t cut it. Alone … we’re kind of wussy, we’re kind of weak. Together … we are a whole lot smarter, bolder, a whole lot stronger, and a lot gooder (… that’s a word … now). It’s kind of like … we drag each other to heaven, right?" Frazee, Randy. "Believe: Living the Story of the Bible to Become Like Jesus." Zondervan, 2015.

"Guys, this stuff is not optional for a Jesus follower. You were created in the image of God. To be fully human, you need to be like him. You’ll never be a “god,” but you can be “godly” for the very best life possible. For the very best life possible for you and to give those following in your footsteps the best chance you can give them." Reference: Frazee, Randy. "Believe: Living the Story of the Bible to Become Like Jesus." Zondervan, 2015.

"Bottom line … if this is the Word of God, if this really is the story of the Word of God, God revealing himself to us culminating in Jesus … the craziest thing in the world would be to sit in on a shelf and ignore it. Why do so many reject it? Because, bottom line, they want to be the boss. But guys, we’re Jesus followers …, and when God talks, we listen. All of us want to live a life that matters. All of us want the strength necessary when times get tough. All of us want the best life possible … for now and for forever. Well, guys, digging in this is part of how we get there." References: Frazee, Randy. "Believe: Living the Story of the Bible to Become Like Jesus." Zondervan, 2015. "Thunder." The Chosen, Season 2, Episode 1, Angel Studios, April 4, 2021.

"What if there was a great story, a story that is so good that it would change your life? What if there was a story with you as one of the main characters? A story of conflict and resolution? I believe there is a great story that you will find only gets better the more you hear it, especially when you find yourself in the story. It’s the story God tells..." #believe #whatwebelieve Reference: Frazee, Randy. "Believe: Living the Story of the Bible to Become Like Jesus." Zondervan, 2015.

Here it is: The Bible says that God made us in his image. So we twist it around and figure that means God must be something like us. We’re like, “If we are God’s selfies, doesn’t that mean God is kind of like us, on steroids maybe?” Well … No! Heck no! That would make him a pretty puny God, wouldn’t it? And the real God is not … puny! Frazee, Randy. "Believe: Living the Story of the Bible to Become Like Jesus." Zondervan, 2015.

"Bottom line, our ideas about God are all over the map. And … I don’t know if you’ll buy this … yet … Listen, guys, if you believe in some kind of make-believe God, if it’s not the real thing, it’s not going to help you. It’s just going to mess you up. And people believe the weirdest things about God." #capcity #capitalcitychristianchurch #unfiltered #raw #real #authentic #God #whoisGod Reference: Frazee, Randy. Believe: Living the Story of the Bible to Become Like Jesus. Zondervan, 2015. Like, Comment and Subscribe to receive notifications for new content from Capital City Christian Church: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6Bw...

"I love the line from The Chosen that we started with. “Get used to different.” Jesus’ disciples had the same expectations that everyone else had. They thought the Messiah would be this great leader, a spiritually intelligent man who would be a conquering king and lead the Jews out of their oppression. But he was different. He broke expectations all the time and rarely fit in anyone’s mold. And even better, he embraced it. Most leaders of rebellions and wanna-be messiahs would hide in the mountains until they felt like they had enough momentum and power to stand a chance. Not Jesus. Jesus lived right next to regular people. He interacted with anyone interested in giving their time to him. He frequented the places of worship and the places of commerce. He existed out in the open. So when we think about being followers of Jesus, it requires us to get used to different. We have to embrace it." Reference: "Invitations." The Chosen, created by Dallas Jenkins, Season 1, Episode 7, Loaves and Fishes Productions, 2017. Being the Bad Guys: How to Live for Jesus in a World That Says You Shouldn't. McAlpine, Stephen. The Good Book Company, February 1, 2021.

We’re in this series we’re calling “Being the Bad Guys.” Because … we used to be the good guys, right? Christians were pretty much respected, and our values were pretty much accepted … we were the good guys. But our culture is shifting. And more and more often, we are not the answer; we’re the problem. What we believe is … mocked; what we value is rejected. Some of those out there think that trying to do life with God, for God, God’s way, can hold you back. Now, there is a pretty easy way for us bad guys to be considered good guys again. All we have to do is … compromise. Just … go along, right? Or maybe, hunker down, keep your head down, and don’t stand out. The problem is, if you’re trying to be one of their good guys, you will have a problem with Him. And, bottom line, what God thinks of you is way more important than what they think of you … right? Right?? Anyway, here goes. A story of some “people of God” who tried the strategy of compromise; hunkering down, keeping their heads down, not standing out … like we’re tempted to do, sometimes.

Okay, here’s kind of the big idea … the big idea I’ll be unpacking this morning. Here it is: “If God is your Father, you must be my brother.” Or, if you’re a girl, “If God is your Father, you must be my sister.” How cool is that! Or, if you want to be a little more redneck: “If God is your daddy, you must be kin!” Look around, guys … It works for most everybody in this room. Everybody eventually, I hope. We’re kind of a weird family, but we are family. Do you buy that?

Next message in our Being the Bad Guy Series.

Even though Jesus knew it’d be tough, he gave us a job to do. He says, “You guys … you Jesus followers … you are the salt of the earth.” And then he says, “You guys … you Jesus followers … are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5.13, 14) You are the salt of the earth, you are the light of the world. And when the world accepts us, that’s pretty easy. When it doesn’t … well, then we have some options. Four options, I think, and only one of them … is God-honoring.

Bottom line, our world is different … dramatically different. (white hat off) And in this world it is not clear that I am one of the good guys. In fact, in this world the majority would probably see me as one of the bad guys, as part of the problem, not the solution. (Black hat on) So … this is my hat now. And, if you guys are anything like me, you are probably bad guys now, too. Looks like we need some hats, right? In the eyes of many in our world, guys like me … old, white, middle-class, educated, Christian … Well, some of them would classify me as sexist, and racist, and privileged (which is a bad thing), and insensitive, and intolerant (which is one of the worst sins possible, right?) Now guys, I hope they are wrong. I don’t want to be any of those things. But by their definitions I am all that, I guess. I hope by God’s definitions I’m not. Because, bottom line, it doesn’t matter what people think of me. It doesn’t even matter what I think of me. What really matters is what God thinks of me, right? If God thinks I’m a bad guy, I have issues. If he thinks I’m doing okay and you don’t, well … I think you have issues, right?

There's been many divisions and many conflicts throughout history that have torn and ripped and pulled apart the church, and yet the church still stands. We are evidence of it right now in this moment. In fact, if you look globally, the church continues to grow and expand significantly, and right now it is growing incredibly fast in South America and Africa. It may not feel like the church is exploding forward in America…but The church continues to grow no matter what Satan does. I've always seen this verse as evidence that the church cannot be beaten. And that’s true. But it’s bigger than that. We are on the attack. The church presses forward. The church is pushing into hell to redeem and to save those who are captured by Satan himself and that the truth of the gospel, the rock that this is built on, the truth of who Jesus is, has the power to break people free who find themselves living in a very literal hell. People who don’t even know that they are lost.

The church is a family designed by God to value, and love, and welcome "newbies." To welcome anyone else who is wounded...like us. Anybody who needs some of the grace God has lavished on us. God has stitched together this weird, motley crew of diverse people. And, you don't have to be like us to be one of us. You don't even have to like us to be one of us. You just have to want to follow the one we're following. That's it. You're in. You're one of us...this "Band of Brothers."

Have you ever doubted the existence of God? Maybe, the goodness of God? Or, perhaps, the power of God? We have spent the last five months laying out the case for God because it is easy to doubt God. Sometimes our reasons are weak..."I don't want a God." But, sometimes, people have solid reasons to doubt God. The question is...are they going to lean into God, or will they walk away?

Hypochondria, hyperchondria, and apachondria - they are bad enough when it comes to physical sickness. They are infinitely worse when it comes to spiritual sickness. Because we are hybrids, right? There is a physical side to us and a spiritual side. And, as we all know, the physical side can get sick...and die. Our spiritual side can too. And, that is infinitely worse. Let us show you.