We can learn to see through our enemies to see God’s presence. When troubles like fear, depression, or anxiety seem right on top of us, we can look through them to see that God is right on top of them. Without struggle would assume that the strength came from us instead of from God. But God wants to show Himself strong on our behalf by working in and through our weaknesses. We are afraid of bad news. “I need to talk to you about something.” If you get enough bad news, it creates an undercurrent of dread in your psyche. What do you do with bad news? Paul said in Philippians 4: “Think about things that are of good report.” The report you believe is much more important than the news you receive. A reporter wanted to write a story about our church. A veteran pastor told me, “He’s not writing a story that’s true, He’s writing a story that sells, and that story is already written.” You are an investigative reporter. You go out every day collecting evidence. But may I suggest that your story is already written based upon the nature of God and His disposition toward you. Numbers 13: 18-23 . The spies are sent into the Promised Land. They are requested to bring back a report. What is the land like? Are there trees, fertile ground, fruit? Moses never asks the spies to tell Him if they were strong enough to do what God has called them to do. God knows that if you size up yourself, you will always retreat in fear. My purpose as a preacher is to be a big magnifying glass of a big God. You will tend to size up yourself according to your weaknesses and not your strengths. The report you believe determines the future you experience. Verse 26 “Look at these grapes, the fruit of God’s blessings. The grapes represents God’s reality. You experience your perspective. We don’t experience our reality, we experience our perspective of reality. Do you tell an all-powerful God that your enemies are too powerful to defeat? There are ten spies talking about giants. There are 2 spies talking about grapes. Spies inside of you? Ephesians says we have every spiritual blessing in heavenly places. Caleb silences the people. We should go up, take possession of it. We should for we can. They saw the same reality, but they believed a different report. We can’t so we won’t. They ended up dying in the desert. You are looking at it wrong. Verse 32-Fear will turn good news into a bad report. You don’t have to have good news to have a good report! The giant is big, but the grapes are bigger! God had promised Israel about the land they were going into 170 times in Scripture! Exodus 3:8 God said, “I have come to rescue them out of this land (Egypt) into a good and spacious land, a land of milk and honey.” God said, “Before you ever got here, I gave it to you.” If you don’t experience victory, it isn’t because God didn’t give it! If the Israelites didn’t have the faith to enter, how would they have had the faith to fight! Joshua 2:1 We can’t walk by sight, we MUST walk by faith! We’ve got to focus on the first thing we have to do, then the next…just go check out. God secretly sent how many spies. You only need two spies. Psalm 23:6: David said “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…you only need two spies. Surely goodness and mercy (love) shall follow you all the days of your life. Goodness and mercy will follow me! I’m going forward in faith. I’ve got a great report. My story is already written! Preached at Elevation Church. Used by permission.

A Little Leaven John Beeson 1 Corinthians 5 As a pastor, you get to participate in things of life in people's families. Oftentimes you get to participate or be there shortly after birth. You're at weddings, you're at funerals, baptisms, dedications, these events of life. And one thing that might surprise you that we get to participate in fairly often is painting. The number of times you're with a small group of people, whether at a school or a gap house or in some situation with need, that we're painting is pretty frequent. And I'm not sure Christians are very good at painting is one of my conclusions. So in broad. In broad spectrum, like, 70% of painting is prep work. It's the taping, it's the plastic. It's getting ready. And I don't just grab that statistic off the top of my head. The two largest painting organizations in the country have 70% of painting is prep work. And that's the part we kind of skip over a lot of times. And so you're in a church environment, helping out, and you're painting, and there's plastic that goes down, but it's not taped or done carefully. It's just kind of plopped on the ground. And the paint's on the ground. You're going to it with rollers, and inevitably there's a puddle that leaks out at some point. And for a while you dance around it and do pretty good. But eventually the. There is a foot that goes in the paint, and then it goes on the plastic. So now there's more paint on the plastic to step on. It gets on the carpet, it goes off, it's a mess. And the reason I bring that up. Cause that's really where we're going. In today's passage, Paul is speaking to the church in Corinth. And early on, he just says, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. What are you doing? Don't you understand that this is a mess? It's a mess, and it needs to be cleaned up. So we're walking through a series on First Corinthians, and if you've been here with us the last couple of weeks, we were in chapter one and then chapter two, three weeks so far, and there's 17 weeks in the series. We're going to jump into chapter five today, and you can say, well, where did three and four go? So we're skipping over three and four simply because the. The principles in three and four revolve around leadership, things of I follow Paul, I follow Paulos, I follow Peter. We covered that a little bit in Chapter one. And we want to save some weeks to spend more time specifically on the Holy Spirit as we go through this letter. And so we're jumping into chapter five. And in the very first verse, in bold letters, we're going to see Paul address sin. And he's just going to say, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. What are you doing? This isn't something to treat lightly. This isn't something to track around. Do you understand the damage of what's happening here? This is a mess, and it needs to be cleaned up. One of the promises we made at the top of this series is that the more we press into 1 Corinthians, the more we'll see ourselves in. In the Corinthian Church. There's just so many echoes of our own experience in this church. And that's the case in three and four as we. Chapters three and four as we already dealt with in Chapter one, a divisive spirit of people following different people on different platforms and that wreaking division within the church. And then in chapter five, we're gonna see the church dealing with rampant sexual sin in its midst. And this kind of, I'll keep my nose out of your business if you keep your nose out of my business mentality that's in the church. So let's pick up first Corinthians 5, and let's step into the text. Paul says this. It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans. For a man has his father's wife. Whoa, there we go. There's a juicy headline for you. All right, so Paul has heard word that within the church at Corinth, there is a man who's having sexual relations. Ongoing sexual relations with his dad's wife. Now, it could be his mom, but it would be unusual that he wouldn't just say, with his mom. So it's likely his stepmom that this relationship is going on with. Now, there's all sorts of questions that we would love to ask. Aren't there, is the dad dead? Like, what's. Like what's happening? Like, what caused this to happen? There's all sorts of questions we can't answer about the situation other than a man has ongoing sexual relationships with likely his stepmom. Now, you could say, how do I know it's ongoing? Well, it's that little word. A man has his father's wife not had, has. In an ongoing sense, there's sexual sin. The church in Corinth and the Church is turning a blind eye to it, not doing anything. They could say, well, what's the big deal about that? Well, there's a few things that are happening here. One is, what's the. What's the world's biggest critique of the church? We're hypocrites. And Paul's like, the world knows this is wrong and you're not dealing with it, and that's a big deal. There's other issues, of course, relational issues, issues in which the church just has a posture that's lackadaisical towards sin. Now, here's the wild thing. Corinth was a pretty perverse place with sexual immorality pretty rampant in that culture. And Paul says, even the culture gets that. This is messed up. You better deal with it. We have a similar type culture, don't we? Like, on the one hand, there's a sense in which kind of live and let live, everything goes in our culture. So sexually, to an extent, there are little moments that happen in our culture where all of a sudden you realize, oh, there is a little bit of a moral compass still left there. So about a month ago, there was this event that kind of hit the social media waves of our culture. It's a Coldplay concert. At the Coldplay concert, you have two individuals, the CEO and a top level executive at the company flaunting this affair in public, both married to other people at the Coldplay concert, together having an affair. You'd think, well, they don't care. And yet in the middle of that concert, the kiss cam comes out. You've probably been to an event with a kiss cam, right? So it's scanning the crowd. It settles on a couple and they're supposed to kiss. Well, it settles on them with their faces splashed up, and all of a sudden, horror comes over both their faces and they literally duck off the screen. There's this residue within all of us that recognizes there is something that sex is that's beyond just my own gratification. And it's resonating in the Corinthian context, and it resonates in our context. And Paul says, there's a mess and you guys have to clean it up because it's affecting your witness, it's affecting your life, it's affecting your community. You need to clean up the mess. You're supposed to be salt, you're supposed to be light. The world knows this is wrong and you're not doing anything about it. The sin is shocking in verse one, but the exclamation point of the passage comes in verse two, with what's even more shocking to Paul, and that's the church's reaction, Verse two, and you are arrogant, exclamation point. Ought you not rather to mourn, Let him who has done this be removed from among you. There's lots of reactions that individuals or groups can have to sin. Being in a camp, you can get holier than thou, start condemning and judging and look down and kind of puff out your chest in your own self righteousness and look down at that person because they're sinning over there. We all know that's hypocrisy and it has a stench to it. But that's not what's going on here in Corinth in our day. And in Corinth there's kind of this do not judge principle. I won't stick my nose in your business. You don't stick your nose in my business. Let's not judge. In fact, let's just rest on the grace of God. We're all here because of forgiveness. We're all here because of his mercy. We're all here because of his grace. Let's just rest in the grace of God. And Paul says, the moment grace becomes an excuse for sin, you're confessing that you don't understand what grace is all about. Because the forgiveness of God not only washes away the spiritual consequences of our sin and takes sin off externally, the forgiveness of God, the grace of God also is planted inside and rejuvenates us and purifies us and gives us by supernatural power the ability to fight against sin and live increasingly victorious lives. You could go back to Jesus statement, do not judge. Jesus did say that. Jesus teaching on the Sermon on the Mount, do not judge or you too will be judged. In the same way you judge others, you will be judged and with the measure you used, it will be measured to you. You can say, well, Jesus says, don't judge. But if you listen in that passage, clearly Jesus isn't saying, don't judge in any way, shape or form. I say that because 14 verses later in the same sermon, Jesus says, watch out for false prophets, for they come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they're ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Jesus is saying, don't judge with a capital J. Don't judge in an eternal sense. Don't judge. Judge in a condemning sense. But he actually is teaching how to judge appropriately. Take the log out of your own eye, then you'll see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. And Paul is looking at this church and they're boasting in an arrogance of grace, I'll mind my business if you mind your business. And Paul says, wouldn't it have been more appropriate if you had wept and wailed that there's sin in the camp? There is a mess here and it's a damaging mess. And it has to be dealt with. Our posture as Christians, as if you're a follower of Jesus Christ towards sin ought to be mourning. Our hearts ought to break for our own sin first and then for the sin of the body of Jesus Christ. Paul continues, he says this in verse 3. For though absent in body, he's writing from afar, I am present in spirit. And as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. Paul's like, I don't have any confusion. I'm offering judgment from afar. It's that clear to me. So why are you struggling, judging? Now, there's a way in which we can read the Bible, read this and be like, well, wait a second. It seems like there's like a Jesus Christ version of grace toward the sin and a pole version of judgmentalism, like, how do we rectify these? Greg's already begun that. Actually in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talks about this tension. He continues, and Greg actually even mentioned kind of where he goes in the Sermon on the Mount over in chapter seven, where he holds this tension that we take all sin seriously, our own sin first, but that also means we take the sin of brothers and sisters and Jesus around us seriously. He says this, Jesus, Matthew 7:3. Why do you see the speck that's in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that's in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, let me take the speck out of your eye when there's a log in your own eye, you hypocrite. First take the log out of your own eye and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. Jesus says, take all sin seriously. Begin with your own heart. Begin with your own self examination. Recognize that there is sin within you, within your heart that you need to repent of. But that then doesn't excuse you from stepping into community, into relationship with those who claim the name of Jesus, who say, I'm a follower of Jesus, and stepping in and saying, whoa, what's going on, brother? What's going on, sister? And calling that person out in faith. There's an invitation here. Paul continues, over in verse four, back in first Corinthians, when you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh so that his spirit may be saved in the day the Lord. Now that's, that's heavy. Deliver him up to Satan. Whoa. Now recognize here we're talking about somebody within this church who A, says they're a Christian, B, is refusing any repentance, C, is now making others stumble and is affecting the church. So there's a series of gravity, a depth of the gravity of the sin of this man. But Paul is saying, stop coddling his sin. Release him and allow his sin to have the effect on his life that Lord willing, will drive him back to me. Did you catch the end of that? Don't miss the end of that. It's easy to hear the hand him over to Satan part, but don't miss what is the heart of that so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. His heart is for the salvation of this brother. I do this because I love you. It's not a first response to his sin. It's a last resort response to his sin. The church is called to discipline individually and corporately. Walking with Jesus Christ demands of us repentance and growing in sanctification. Like we get this in other areas of life, don't we? Like my, like nightly ice cream habit. Ice cream habit is at direct odds with my desire to be fit and healthy. Right? Like we get it right? Like my desire to be fit and healthy has to be coupled with my eating habits, my exercise habits. The same thing is true in the walk of the Christian. We receive Christ, he rescues us from our sin. But then we have to walk in the steps of Christ as he shapes us in his likeness. It's church discipline. It's being shaped in the likeness and the disciplines of Jesus Christ. There's a recent study that was pretty alarming. It's done by Lifeway. They asked pastors, hey pastors, when was the in the last year. Has your church exercised church discipline on anyone in your midst? Meaning have you come alongside a brother or sister in faith and corrected them, called them back to living in line with the gospel in their lives? Only 16% of pastors said their churches had done that in the last year. 16%. They then asked, has your church ever, to your knowledge, practiced church discipline in the body? And only 46% said they had. So good news. 54% of churches have perfectly sinless Christians within them. I need to find that church. That's pretty awesome. No, what it actually speaks to is our misunderstanding of the gospel, that the gospel is the free gift of Jesus Christ that then calls us to walk in accordance with him, in faith, growing in repentance, growing in awareness of my own sin. You look at Paul's own life and be like, Paul, buddy, are you walking in that manner? Are you owning your own stuff? Flip over to first Timothy, where Paul says, I am the chief of sinners, I'm the foremost of sinners. Paul owns his own sin, but then walks out the faith of Jesus Christ alongside his brothers and sisters in faith, saying, let us grow in likeness with Jesus. Let us walk out the work of Jesus Christ in our life. The Christian life is a life of looking more and more like Jesus Christ. Our witness is at stake. Our souls are at stake. We just don't like the word discipline. It's a harsh word. In new life, it's possible to get a call from an elder just checking in, wanting to do lunch and see how you're doing. That elder's not going to say, hey, I want to get together for church discipline. We just don't like the word. But occasionally I have to look at Deborah and say, okay, don't even buy ice cream. If it's here, I'll eat it. Discipline is a loving thing that brings to us something that is better now. The extreme of handing someone over to Satan, of having someone pushed outside the church until they repent. The extreme in the New Testament happens twice in Paul's life. So all of his ministry happened twice. It's an extreme. But on a normal basis, we're called to sharpen each other and be accountable to each other. The passage goes on, and Paul goes right back to that air of boasting, of boasting in the grace of God. Verse 6, you boasting is not good. Do you not know that? A little leaven leavens the whole lump? Your boasting isn't good. Don't you know? A little leaven, it affects the whole loaf. A little paint on the ground, it ends up spreading around. This is a mess. Now, any Jewish person who would have heard this or someone familiar with the Old Testament would hear this analogy, this picture of a little leaven affecting the whole loaf and immediately think of Passover. So for Passover, in a Jewish home, you go through sometimes a month before, if not weeks and days before, to clean out the leaven from your house. You actually take A feather, you know, and go through your cupboards and clean out the leaven, because it's a symbol of offering a holy life to God in worship, of cleaning out the sin and doing our part. And that's exactly where Paul's going when he brings up this leaven analogy. He continues it in verse seven. Cleanse out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us therefore celebrate the festival not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. In other words, Jesus is our Passover lamb, not just once for a holiday. He is our Passover lamb, continually, perpetually. So let us as Christians then live perpetually, removing leaven from our midst. One of my best friends, I could tell something was up in life. I didn't know what it was. I could just tell they weren't doing good, and he wasn't doing good, and I didn't know. The backstory that I was unaware of is that his wife started to have a glass of wine in the evenings to relax. And, you know, I'm not going to have a glass of wine, but wine's, like, more popular today than it used to be. It's like a trendy thing. And so she was drinking wine to relax, and life is stressful, and she wanted to relax more, so she started drinking more, and she was drinking more in the evenings and then slipping into the day and slipped right into alcoholism. And their marriage and family were tanking. For me, it's just a conversation. Say, hey, I don't know what's going on? Are you doing all right? Like, where are you guys at? Then it all comes out, and in a loving way, trying to help, I don't mind saying, and celebrating. She's been sober for, like, six, seven years now. And God is doing a good thing. It's a good thing. So this week, the executive leadership team, we get together on Tuesday morning. So the executive leadership team here at New Life is five of us. And really the task is to help John and I lead better, more wisely, cover blind spots. And so we get together once a week, at least. And at that meeting, we. We normally start with some kind of piercing question in life. And the question this week just happened to me. John wrote the question. The question happened to be, what are some of my blind spots in my leadership? Now, the trick of a question like that is you can't answer it for yourself because you don't know blind spots by the fact that they're blind. So the way the answering this question went is you were on the hot seat and everybody else told you what your blind spots were. It was super fun. And so we went around and people are essentially just pointing out your sins. Oh yeah, I see you do this and you don't notice this and you've got just a little problem in this area of your life. Everybody knows it except for you. And it's true. This is part of what it is to be a church. Not to judge with a capital J, not to walk around as fruit inspectors, not self righteous and pious and condemning, but with acknowledgement that we all deal with sin, we all have sin residing inside of us and we need each other's help to come alongside each other. Just say, I've noticed your fuse is a little short lately. Are you doing okay? I just heard you talking to your spouse in ways that felt a little disrespectful. Are you doing okay? I saw you get so angry. Are you doing okay? Paul is saying, sin is a mess. And in the church that's called to be salt and light to the world, it's not to be treated lightly. And the church has to, has to come alongside each other lovingly, humbly, gently getting the leaven out of the loaf. Paul's not going to provide some bumpers to this. He's going to explain, hey, this is not just in your relationship with anybody. In fact, if there's people in your life, there are people in your life who don't claim the name of Jesus. Like this isn't to be applied to them. You don't expect someone who hasn't put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ to look like Jesus. You just don't. Paul continues in verse nine, he says this, I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people. Not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world or the greedy and the swindlers or idolaters. Since then you would need to go out of the world. Like that is the world. Paul says, don't expect those who don't claim the name of Jesus, who are neighbors, who are family members, who are co work, don't go pounding them with those expectations. He continues in verse 11. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard or swindler, not even to eat with such A one for what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. Purge the evil person from among you. There's a type of Christian who claims the name of Jesus but says, don't you dare judge me. You can't judge me. That person, Paul says, that's a person that you need to respond to. If there's a growing callousness, rejection of the claims of Jesus Christ on their life, you need to something. You need to pursue them. You don't start with the hammer, right? Like, part of the beauty of church discipline is that, like, church discipline doesn't push somebody out of communion. If there's repentance in their life, if there's an acknowledgement and a humbleness, then there's a warmth and an embrace and an encouragement and a support of that person. And that's all of us. It's all of us. But if there is a person who says, you have no access here. Stay out of my business, then you have to. You have to respond strongly. Eventually. Paul says, because they are affecting the witness of Jesus Christ, they are tainting the light of the gospel in your community. So respond, Respond. It begins with our own hearts, doesn't it? Where are our hearts in this? It takes humility and courage to ask these questions, doesn't it? So this summer, we were with our daughter, and she's a senior in college right now. And angel and I were with her. We had this. So many sweet conversations. One of those conversations was that she was reflecting on some blind spot, some sin that God had revealed to her. And now she looked back, she's like, oh, my goodness. Like, God had done this amazing work in her life, and now she sees them. And then in this place of vulnerability and humility and courage, she says, what am I not seeing now? Mom and dad? Help me see that. That. That is a question Christians ask each other. Humility, raising our hand and saying, help me see what I can't see. I want to repent. I want to look more like Jesus. I don't want to taint the gospel. I want to be in step with the spirit of God in my life. So help me to see myself so that I can repent and follow Jesus in every way. It's so easy sometimes to start thinking sin is that group over there and that group over there and those people in culture and that group over there. And we point the fingers elsewhere. Paul says, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, no, no, no, no, no. We start here. We start here. At home. It's our own behavior that needs to be solved, needs to be laid. And now he's going to raise the stakes in his whole argument by kind of peeling back the veil and allowing us to gaze into eternity for just a moment. We're going to sneak into chapter six for three verses. Says one of you has a grievance against another. Does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more than matters pertaining to this life. And you might listen to that. What? We judge angels. We think of angels like angels are. And we're just doofuses down here on this earth. Like, what, What? What? What's this? And Paul's reminding us. No, no, no, no, no, no. They're not redeemed in the same way you are. You are created in the image of God and you have the spirit of God residing inside of you, making you new from the inside out, with a regenerate heart and a regenerate mind. He says, one day, one day in glory, you will be lifted up above. So get used to the practice in a healthy way with humility and gentleness to come alongside brothers and sisters and try to live more God honoring lives, offering to God the most fundamental worship we can, which is obedience. More important than the songs we sing, more important than the words we say is obedience. Obedience. So what do we do with this? There's a lot here. It's a heavy passage, really. How do we apply it? Three practical takeaways. The first one is purify your own life. Everything in this passage comes back to Jesus teaching, take the log out of your own eye. Before you try and take the speck of a brother or sister's eye, you take the log out of your own eye. You stand before Jesus and see the darkness of your own selfishness. You're awfully gentle approaching someone else because you know you come from a flawed place yourself. This. This starts with. With me. It starts with saying, God, I am. I want to have a more God glorifying life. Search me and show me. Reveal to me the things that are between you and I. Show me the selfishness of my thoughts. Show me the selfishness of my heart. Purify me, God. That's step one, Purify your own life. Step two, live accountable with others. Live accountable lives. In other words, this is more than any of us can do. We need to sit on that hot seat and say, all right, help me out here. We need brothers and sisters who will come into our lives and say, hey, are you doing okay? Like, even the way you told that story, it just sounded prideful. Are you doing okay? We need to live in an environment with groups of people that can speak into our lives. And sometimes, sometimes people just push everybody at arm's length. It's one of the reasons, over and over and over, you'll hear us talk about community beyond a Sunday morning worship service. We like Sunday morning worship services. Like we're pastors. We like that. But sitting in rows, looking at that handsome bald head in front of you takes more. Last Wednesday, we had a rooted kickoff, a time to go, because rooted is the mechanism we use to launch small groups. And so we encourage people to be a part of that. If you didn't make it last Wednesday, don't worry about it. You can stop by the first step table and ask some questions. There are numerous groups ongoing and just launching that would take new people. And eventually we have to be in community, where there's at least a few people around us who are speaking into our lives. And it ought to be like a weekly thing. It's not just the extreme. It's the weekly purifying, sanctifying process of, how are you doing? And sharing and praying for one another. Purify your own life and live accountable with others. It's really easy, right, 2025, to have a whole life of faux relationships, relationships this deep. We're not really giving ourselves to others and not allowing others to give themselves to us. Live intentionally, press in, take the risk of stepping into a group, stepping into community, and finally, then. Then help take the speck out of your brother or sister's eyes. Help them with their sin. Step in with love and with courage. It's a loving thing to call another one who's struggling with something into faith, to come alongside them, to put an arm around them and say, I love you too much to let this blind spot continue in your life. We do so not out of a sense of judgmentalism, but a sense of love and of care and compassion. This is what we do because the Gospel witness depends on it. The world is watching, and the world is hypersensitive to the hypocrisy of the Christian community. And Jesus said, I have made you to be salt and light, so clean up the mess through the power of the spirit of God in your own hearts. And then do so in your community, that my light may shine in your neighborhood, in your home, in your workplaces, in your schools. For my name, let's pray. Lord, we are so grateful. God, we ask you that you would grant us courage and wisdom to press into each other's life with questions that push past the surface, that we would be those who set the culture with our own transparency and ownership of our own sin. I'm the chief of sinners. We are the foremost of sinners. And we desperately need the gospel, Jesus. So move in our lives and change us. Change us by the spirit of God working in us that the world may see the purity, the love, the grace of our Savior, Jesus. It's in his name we pray. Amen. Amen. Let's respond by standing and singing together.

1 Peter 2 The most beautiful church building that I have ever been in is a church in Colorado. It's outside of Estes park and Allen's Park. And it. In some ways, it has no name because it has three names. It's the Church of St. Catherine of Siena. It is also sometimes called the Church of Saint Malo, or Chapel on the rock. And a little over 120 some years ago, 130 years ago, there was a Catholic monsignor who was there, and he was standing on a rock underneath Mount Meeker, and he just looked at the ground and he thought, on this rock, I'll build my church. Kind of thinking of the passage of. Of Jesus, talking about the church being built on Peter's confession of him, and he said, a church ought to be built here. So for 20 years, they mined stones in that area and built up a church. You can take a look at the picture. The church is this magnificent stone building. It's relatively small, hanging under the view of the mountain. And you go inside with a group of people and you. You sing, and the harmonies just bounce off the walls. Yeah, let's put the picture up there. It. It's. It's magnificent. It's this small chapel, but you go inside and you begin singing. And the harmonies, the harmonies just bounce off the walls. And it is a magnificent place of worship. Now, I will say something about that building. The stones in that building are special. And you could take any stone out, or you could look at any stone on the hillside there, and you could say, is there a glory in those stones? And you say, yeah. I mean, God made them. There's a certain glory in them, but nothing that compares to the glory of when those stones are put together and they house the presence of God in this sanctuary in this church building. And I bring that up because we're walking through first Peter in a series called Elect Exiles, coaching us on how to live as foreigners here in this world. And Peter is going to give us an image today that we are living stones collected in to build a spiritual house. He's going to give us an image that as that spiritual house, we have the presence of God inside of us collectively. It's a beautiful thing. So I'm going to read through the passage, and then we'll go back through the passage and kind of walk through it and draw some principles out. As I read through the passage, I want you to think, who is the you in the passage? What defines the you in the passage? Just to whet the appetite, I'm going to Read verse five. And verse nine is kind of preludes. Listen to verse five. You yourselves, like living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Who. Who is the you? You yourselves. You yourselves, like living stones. Who is the you in verse nine? But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Who is the you? Now I'm going to go back and read the whole passage. I'm going to start in verse two. And ask yourselves who the you is. All the way through, like newborn infants long for pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation. If indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good as you come to Him. A living stone rejected by men. But in the sight of God, chosen and precious, you yourselves, like living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ, for it stands in Scripture. Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone, chosen and precious. And whoever believes in him will not be be put to shame. So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe. The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. They stumble because they disobey the word as they were destined to do. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people. Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. So we're going to walk through this passage. It's a traditional 12 point sermon that we're going to navigate today. 12, one for each of the apostles. There's like 15 sermons in this passage. Well, that's the problem is we're going to walk through a 12 point sermon. We're going to leave so much on the cutting room table, in fact, we would encourage you. This is like the perfect passage to walk back through this week and to dig into all of the Old Testament references here, all of the inner biblical references here, and just press in to see what God has for you even deeper than what we have over the next 30 minutes. So 12 points. First point, each one a definition of what you is, of who you is. Definition number one, you is Plural, you is plural. Over these nine verses, you occurs again and again and again, and every single time you is plural. I'll begin with the end. I'll begin with the final verse, verse 10. Four instances of you. In that passage, all are plural. It says this, once you were not a people, but now you are God's people. Once you had not received mercy, but now you, plural, have received mercy. There is something profound about God's work in the corporate. In the plural, you. The Southerners have a version of that. Right, y' all or all y'? All. I kind of like even the last one better. All y'. All. Right. Like every one of you. And this is the language of scripture, that God does something glorious in the individual. Absolutely. Let's go back to that picture. We have this glorious setting with the lake. You go along on the shore of that little lake there, and you could pluck up any stone. Could you say, does this stone have God's glory in it? Absolutely. And I could pluck up any individual Christian and say, does this Christian have the spirit of God, the glory of God in him or her? Absolutely. But is there something more glorious about the stone in the structure? Scripture says yes. Peter says yes. Jesus says yes. God says there's something even more profoundly glorious about the collection of the you of what I'm doing in y'. All. Not just you individually. Who is the you? The you is y'. All. We just. This Monday, we had an elders meeting, and we were kind of just going around, just checking in, and two of our elders gave up their. Their weeks a few weeks ago to serve as a team leaders for our day camp. And, man, I just love our elders. And that's just a. That's just one picture of the sacrifice, the heart of our elders, for kids and for this church. I just love it. And he was just beaming. He's like, if you weren't there, you missed it. It was amazing. God was present in so many ways. I can't believe it took me this long to start doing camp. I love it. And it's true. There's something special. You can't put your finger on it, your name on it, but when God draws his people together, God does something special in the plural you. Definition number one, you is plural. Definition number two, you grows. You grows. Going back to the first verse, we read verse two. Like newborn infants long for the pure spiritual milk that by it, you, y' all may grow up into salvation. Is it true that each of us is supposed to yearn for the truths the deeper Things of God that we would grow up into salvation individually. Yes. But Peter is actually speaking even past that to the reality is that we need us collectively to grow up into that depth of maturity. The part of what the body is to do as we gather together is to exhort us, to push us along, to challenge us, to direct, to call us forward. Do you long for the things of God in your life? The spirit of God in your life? Like, we all have those little cravings in our life. If you're like me, they, like, they change seasonally. Right now, angel discovered these little mochi things. And like, I'm telling you, like, every, like, 3pm in the afternoon, I'm like, oh, dinner's coming. And that means emoji balls come explode in your mouth. You're like, I want one. I want one right now. Right? I do. Like, we all have it. Do you crave in that way for the work of God in you? The gift of God is that collectively we grow, we challenge. We crave more together than we do alone. You is plural, and you grows. I hope you catch the sharp nature of that. That an individual stone can have the Holy Spirit in them, yes, but never to the fullness of the stones when they're the collected whole. The house of God, the spiritual home. You as plural, you is growing. Number three. You enjoys God. Verse three. If indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. If indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. This is a reference back to Psalm 34, verse 8. Taste and see that the Lord is good. You is a people who experiences God and tastes God. We say it every single week in our mission statement. We exist to cultivate a community that enjoys God and transforms the world through the gospel. You say, well, why don't we say glorifies God or worships God or praises God? Because enjoying him is glorifying him. You cannot glorify him without enjoying him. It is meant to be partaken of God says, taste and see. My goodness. Experience me. So we have all kinds of traditions in my home that revolve around food. I'm not sure. Like, I think that's just what it is to be human. We all have these food traditions. One in our home is cherry pies. So cherry pie is kind of the regular, special treat of my house. And Deborah will make these cherry pies. And they are like. It was maybe 20 years ago that she finally, you know, finally hit this. This recipe, this. And I looked at her, I said, freeze right there. Don't change it. Don't do anything. If I go from this day until I die, and this never changes. I die a happy man. This is it. We've arrived. The cherry pie. And my son and I, Sam specifically, have the deepest hunger for this cherry pie. My son, he gets it all. It's like a monthly thing in his life. He gets the pie all the time. You ask Sam to do a favor. Hey, Sam, could you help out with. Sure. For a pie. It's just his response. Hey, can I use this in a sermon? Sure, for a pie. He's got a pie coming just from this. Now, I don't mind it because I get to partake. But I will say this. When the cherry pie is made, it doesn't sit on the counter. You don't just smell it from a distance. You don't look at it and say, ooh, that's a good looking pie. Ooh, that looks so good. Or that smells. No, you cut a slab of that baby into your bowl with the ice cream on top and you taste it and you go, ah, yes. God has a people called you, and they experience him and they partake in Him. You is plural, you is growing. And you enjoys God. Number four. You comes to him. You comes to Him. Verse four. As you come to Him, a living stone rejected by men. But in the sight of God, chosen, precious, you comes to him. We come to Jesus. We seek out Jesus. We look for Jesus. We are built on Jesus. Now, a beautiful part of this passage is. This is a profoundly significant passage for showing the deity of Christ. Because you could say, who is him as you come to Him? There is no question in the passage that him refers back to the lord of verse three. And you go back to Psalm 34, verse eight, taste and see that the Lord is good. You'll notice in that verse, taste and see that the Lord is good. That the word Lord is in capital letters, capital L, capital O, capital R, capital D. That's because that's the name Yahweh. And anytime the Old Testament is translated in English, every time the name Yahweh, I am, that I am from the burning bush comes up, anytime that name is mentioned, it's spelt Lord in all capital letters. So there's no question that him is Yahweh. And there's also no question that him is Jesus. As you come to Him, a living stone rejected by men. But in the sight of God, chosen and precious, who is the living stone rejected by men? Jesus. Jesus is God. And you comes to him, drawn to him, built on him, even back to that church, the chapel on the rock. It's a chapel on the rock. It started because you take the rock out of that foundation, all the, all the stones of that building, they just crumble down. In fact, put the picture back up there. You look at this building, you go to that area of Colorado, there is not a single structure anywhere near it that has lasted even the last 120 years. There has been a flood there, there's been an earthquake there, and there have been multiple fires there. And there's only one building that has withstood that test of time. Because it's on the rock. Because it's on the rock. You as a people who exist because of the rock. We exist because of Jesus Christ. You is plural. You is growing. You enjoys God. And you, you comes to him. Jesus, I love that. Do you want to be part of something lasting? But the kingdoms of this world, they come and they go. Babylon, Assyria, Egypt, Rome, gone. The kingdom of God endures forever because of the rock. Because of the rock. Number five, you is a spiritual house. You is a spiritual house. Verse 5 says this. You yourself, like living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house. God purposes to build us up. You think of that lake and the individual rocks on that lake. The purpose of Jesus was not merely to come and bless the rocks and leave them as they are, but to build them up into a spiritual house. You know, our culture, by and large, is a culture that's spiritual but not religious. I do my own thing with God, but I don't do that corporate thing with God. And what you hear here is this very clearly stated. God's thing for you is a corporate thing. It is a together thing. You know that word for Jesus. Most of us grow up learning. Jesus was a carpenter. Perhaps he was a carpenter. He was a technon, a skilled craftsman, which is likely, more likely a mason, one who built up stone structures. And that mason came to build a structure. He the foundation of that structure. We the living stones of that structure. He came with a calling, with a purpose, to build a structure. And in that structure, the glory of him was made manifest. The spiritual house of God glorifies him. And can we just be honest? Like, when we think of that, hey, what are some of the most profound spiritual moments of your life? I think for many of us, we think of the time alone, the time maybe on that hike, looking at the vista, jaw dropped at the glory, the majesty of God. And absolutely is God meeting you there 100%. But what we're hearing here is that there's something special that God has for us in community where God meets us in the spiritual house of God. You is a spiritual house. Number six, you is a holy priesthood. Verse five continues. You yourself, like living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house. To be a holy priesthood. To be a holy priesthood. Can I just pause and reflect? If you've been with us over these weeks, these three weeks, now that we've begun navigating Peter, do you notice something about what Peter is doing? He is layering into our hearts, into our lives, into our minds, these truths of who we are, our identity in Jesus. He starts with it. You're elect, you're exiles. He continues, you're holy. And all of these things in a sense are true individually. But this, he just whammies us with all of these truths about our identity that are connected to the corporate reality of who we are. Your identity is connected to the church, the people of God. You, who you are in Jesus Christ is a spiritual house. Who you are in Jesus Christ is a holy priesthood. Now what does that mean, a priesthood? Now you might have grown up in a tradition where Greg and I would have been called priests. In fact, I get called priests from time to time. That's fine. We are priests. You are also a priest, which is why we don't bear that title. We are all priests in Jesus Christ. What is a priest then? A priest is simply someone who brings God to people and people to God. A mediator between God and people. Well, what role then do we serve? As a holy priesthood. This rule, you are purposed by God to be sent into your school, into your home, into your neighborhood, into your family, into your workplace as one who is bringing God to people. God has placed you in a world surrounded by people who are far from him, to bring them to him. Because there's going to be that time when that co worker of you, as they learn to trust you, will open up to you and share just how hard their marriage is, how afraid they are of the cancer diagnosis that their daughter just got. And here's what you get to do as a holy priest. You get to bring them to God in a holy moment. You say, can I pray for you and this person who doesn't know how to pray. You get to stand on their behalf and bring them to a holy God and not just say, I will pray for you, but can we pray right now? You, a holy priest of God, bring them together in, I think, one of the most powerful evangelistic acts we have as Christian because you are A holy priesthood. Number seven. You offers spiritual sacrifices. Back to verse size. You yourselves, like living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house. To be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ, you offers spiritual sacrifices. Not just sacrifices, spiritual sacrifices. You can positive. Well, like, what's a spiritual sacrifice? Here's a question. Is this a spiritual sermon? I hope so, Greg. I hope so too. It's possible to give a sermon without it being a spiritual sermon. You can study the word of God, you can know it academically, and you can be a great orator and proclaim the word of God as an orator and never touch the Holy Spirit. Coming to church? You, you come to church? Are you spiritually coming to church? It's possible to attend a worship service and just zip in and zip out and not connect to anyone in the body. Or a spiritual offering to God, connecting with people and engaging in encouragement and affirmation with others. We talk about it in all kinds of acts we know from Jesus own stories. Two people can come and give to God. One could give $10,000 and another one could give one penny. And that one penny could be significantly more spiritual as an offering than the $10,000. You offer spiritual offerings. There's a spiritual way to parent, a spiritual way to be a husband or a wife. A spiritual way to be a friend, a co worker, a neighbor. Past just functioning in these roles, doing so in the Holy Spirit to his worship and the good of those around him. You offers spiritual sacrifices. Number eight. You is a chosen race. Skipping down to verse nine. But you are a chosen race. A chosen race. Like we gather in this room and we're red, yellow, black and white. We have different ethnicities. And those ethnicities don't disappear. They're a part of who we are. In fact, twice this week people have teased me in a fun way about being Jewish. So one, I was just eating my yogurt. I have yogurt. Almost every day I'm eating my yogurt and evidently at the end I'm like going to it with my spoon, cleaning out every nook and corner of the Tupperware that had my yogurt in it. At home I would use a squeegee. Most people call them spatulas. Spatulas are what you flip a burger. Spatulas. No, no, you flip things with spatulas. You squeegee things with squeegees. So I use a squeegee and I clean the yogurt and you don't leave it. I'm not wasting. I paid for it. I'm not wasting a single drop. So I'm digging away with my spoon and my yogurt and someone said so I hope I can say this appropriately, but that is the most Jewish way to eat yogurt I have ever seen. And I took that as a profound compliment. Now hear me. Our ethnicities don't disappear. But do you hear what Peter's saying? It is strong enough that we become a new race, a race called Christian, with the blood of Jesus Christ flowing through our veins. That God is our father, Jesus is our firstborn brother, and we are an actual race of people, a race of people called Christians that makes red, yellow, black and white pale in comparison as just some earthly trifling thing. We are a chosen race. He continues over in verse nine. Let me continue that verse. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood. He doubles down on that one. We heard that before. A holy nation. A holy nation. You are a holy nation. A place in which, yes. Do you respect the land in which you live? Actually, next week we're going to be talking some about that in which we are called to be good citizens of the land that we live. But our ultimate allegiance, our first allegiance, is to the King of kings and the Lord of Lords and his kingdom. We are a nation brought together by united interests, united purpose, united mission. We are a holy nation. Greg mentioned this earlier as I was just praying and diving into just the sorrow of the conflict between Iran and Israel. This week there was a special report on the impact of Christians in Iran that was really just sobering for me and to be honest, something I hadn't even thought about. I thought, those are brothers and sisters. Christ united the blood with a nation far beyond the nations of this world. We are a holy nation in Christ. Number 10, a people for his own possession. Verse 9. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. A people for his own possession. For his own possession. God looks at you individually, yes, but collectively even more so. And his heart fills with delight because you're his. You're his possession. This year or within the last year, my son got his first car. And it's really fun to see kind of what happens when it's your yours, right? It's his baby. And the squeegee, the real squeegee comes out often, right? There was a car wash this, paying his own money for a car wash. Like, why? Because it's my baby. You're God's baby. You are a people for his possession. So Last week, John did a little show and tell with stuffed animal that belonged to Soren and a stuffed animal that belonged to Camille, showing this illustration of just how much God delights in you. So I didn't want to be left out. I wanted a little show and tell. And I just thought it was a. It was the sweetest part of the message last week for me. So this is my oldest son's. He got it when he was nine months old, when he was in the hospital for a heart surgery, and my aunt gave it to him. And for more than a decade, this thing hung out of his mouth. He'd free up his hands, but just by chewing it. Essentially, the nose is long. Shotgun. I mean, it's been, it's been. This head I think would fall off real easy. It. It has been ripped. Deborah's tried to sew it together. It is frail because he cared for it. This was his prized possession. He could not like, if you left this behind on a trip, you're going to get it because he slept with it, not without it. You hear me? It is good to know God delights in you. God adores you. God loves you. God prizes you. But as much as he does that individually, and it's good for us to reflect on that, he does it corporately for a purpose, people, for that building. That's why it's filled with the spirit more than any individual stone could. Is communion more filled with the presence of God than singing a song? Like, on the one hand, God is everywhere present, but in a way that I can't fully describe or comprehend, God ordained that during communion and during baptism, he would be tangibly present in a special way. In the same way, he's saying, is he with all of us as individual Christians? Yes. Yes. But is he with the gathered family, community at a heightened level? All the more, yes. Now, you might be listening to this and, and you're not even a Christian yet. You're. You're. You're searching things out. Maybe a friend just invited you. Please hear me in this. There is an invitation to you. God is experienced and he's real and he's here. And he is inviting you not only into his presence, but into the presence then of a family, of community. Number 12. Nope. Number 11. I jumped ahead. Number 11, you is purposed to proclaim. There is a grand glorious purpose statement in the middle of this. Back to verse nine. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession that you may proclaim the Excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. So that, in other words, there's a purpose behind these you alls. You can't stop it short of the purpose statement of that. Our mission statement here in a church to cultivate a community that enjoys God and transforms the world through the gospel. If you cut it short and say cultivate a community that enjoys God, we might call ourselves a church, but we would not be followers of Jesus. If you are a church of Jesus Christ, you carry things through to the end of a purpose statement to take the gospel and share it as a light to the ends of the earth. We, we are you all and blessed in all of these blessings and identity markers that we might proclaim the excellencies of him. Why is it that we have. I'm looking over for Corey. Why is it that we have Corey and Raven up here praying for a church plant? Because we cannot get away from the command to multiply. If we lose the task, if we lose somehow a vision for the fact that Tucson is a lost place and we have neighbors and friends and there's whole communities of people to take the love of Jesus too. If we lose that mission, we're not y'. All. Y' all has a purpose. So the 12th you in this passage, we're going to double down and go to the first one. You is plural now. You can come back to me later and say, well, you didn't have 12 you's. You only had 11. You did the one twice. You're right. It's the most fun fundamental truth in the passage. We can't get away from it. It's the illustration and the picture all the way through that we are living stones built up into a spiritual house. We forget that. I have a good friend was a pastor for years, more than a decade. And he and his family went through some significant church hurt in church. And he left the ministry and he Left church. Been 15 years, doesn't attend. His kids do some. He left. Is he a Christian? Is he born again? Does he love Jesus? Yeah, he does. But he is missing out. Living stones scattered on the side of the mountain. You will never be filled with the Spirit. At the measure, you could be outside of the community of God's people. You will never taste and see the glory of God outside as you can in the midst of God's people. We are not to be individual stones scattered about. We are built into a beautiful structure, a sanctuary of his presence in a beautiful way. I hope we. I'll raise my hand. Included all receive a call to go deeper into community. This passage, Amen. So can we land this and apply it on one hand? It's pretty easy to do so, you know, I mean, this is a passage that relates to so many of us. 60% of Americans would say that they're Christians. 62% is the exact percentage of the most recent poll. 30% of Americans go to church. So more than half of those who say they're Christian don't attend church. Number in Tucson's far less. Actually Tucson, it's below 10%, kind of significantly below 10% of those who attend church. There's an invitation. If you've been walking the Christian life, getting out of it what you want and God is meeting you, we don't deny that you can experience real faith. We don't deny that. But you're missing out on the mission. The purpose of we invite you to step in. If you're here at New Life. I'm just going to just begin with some, just real basic things, things that you hear every week we say and things you might just frankly tune out on every week. If you come here, you hear this, we'd love to meet you in the lobby at the first step table. You're like, that's nice for other people. Then you come and in you go, out you go watch online. We invite you to do the same thing. Click off. We genuinely mean that. Take a first step. We want to step into a real relationship with you. Now. I'm going to just tell you what's going to happen there. You're going to have a real relationship, a real connection, and there's going to be an invitation to next steps. Next steps is happening on July 12th. I just had somebody on the way out their gate. Yeah, John, we heard you. We know. All right. We're finally doing it. When you step in that, that time is a time where we can sit around tables, we can get to know. You can get to know real people here in New Life, connect, hear their stories, share your story and then hear what God is doing at New Life and, and what the giftings where. The giftings God has given you where, where they, where they fit in this body. We need you. Maybe you've, you've done that and you haven't taken the step of partnership of just saying, yes, I'm committed. I'm in. Maybe there's more creative invitations here for you. An invitation to reach out to someone like Greg's friend. We all have that friend. We all have many of those friends and invite them in you're missing out persistently pursuing them and inviting them to be part of the people of God. Maybe it's an invitation for you to step deeper in hospitality and opening your home to deeper connection to stepping in a serving role or a connection group but to be part of the living the spiritual house where the glory of God redounds to the nations. There's an invitation for each one of us here because Jesus came to build a spiritual house and we are that house. Pray God we are grateful we are so so grateful for your work. Who are we that we stones scatter along the edge of the water would become living stones in a spiritual house for your glory but we are so grateful for your work in us and we ask God that you would move that you would move us into community and that that would glorify you bring honor to your name. In Jesus name we pray. Amen Amen. Let's stand as we respond in worship.

A day-by-day discipleship plan to help a believer understand the Word of God and follow Him more closely.

Devotional by Skip Heitzig If someone's been found guilty of murder and given a life sentence, but dies while serving that sentence, will the justice system continue to enforce that judgment? No; the convicted person is no longer subject to that penalty. They're dead—they've been released from the sentence they were required to serve. One of my favorite verses is Galatians 2:20: "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Jesus died on the cross. And because I have faith in Him, I died with Him. Because I've died, the law has no power. If I am crucified with Christ, I'm dead to the law that condemned me. I'm free in Christ. I don't have to serve my sentence. Paul continued in verse 21: "I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain." So many people will say their friends or family members didn't want anything to do with God. But then I hear this at the funeral: "He was so sincere, and such a good person. God must have forgiven him." If you're saved by your sincerity or your religiosity, Jesus' death on the cross was pointless. All God needed to do is send Him down to teach people to love each other, pat babies on the head, and heal a few people. In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus said, "Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will" (Matthew 26:39). There is no other way except the cross. And we want to make much of it, because if righteousness comes through works, Christ suffered and died in vain. That's why we boast in it. I know many churches today don't mention the blood and don't mention the cross. But Paul said, "God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Galatians 6:14). We want to make much of that because we "do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain" (2:21). He conquered death by His resurrection. The work He did on the cross is done. Are you still trying your best to make sure you deserve it? It's time to give it up. If you're honest with yourself, you know you could never be good enough—even on your best day. Here's the point: You don't have to be good enough. So stop striving and start abiding. Start living in the freedom He paid for with His life. He's already served your sentence. That is the gospel of grace. A false religion, a cult, will say you have to give your life for your god. The gospel says your God gave His life for you. As simply as that, we have been made right. We have been justified. May we make much of the cross!

Dear Roger and Julie, I have wrestled with questions about God for as long as I can remember. How do I know for sure that He is real? Sincerely, Joe People of all ages have serious questions that cry out for answers. “Why does God seem to answer some people’s prayers and not others?” “If God is all loving and all-powerful, why does He allow so much suffering in the world?” “How could a loving God send anyone to Hell?” But the one we hear most often is this: HOW CAN I KNOW THAT A GOD I CAN’T SEE REALLY EXISTS? “Without faith it is impossible to please God. Those who come to Godmust believe that he exists. And they must believe that he rewards those who look to Him.” (Hebrews 11:6 NIV) “Does God exist?” is an age-old question. Many of us were educated in schools and universities where we were taught that everything in the universe evolved by chance. We were made to feel that to believe in God is to be mentally weak, unintellectual, or not politically correct. What a shame. We don’t have to check our brains at the school room door. Any reasonable person can easily defend the existence of God. LET’S TALK ABOUT PROOFS FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD. 1. The Causal Proof: Creation requires a cause. Imagine that I am holding a hula hoop and everything in the universe is located inside this circle. Ask the question, Who or what caused all of this to exist? The answer can lie in only one of two places. The ultimate cause must either be located inside the circle or outside the circle. If the cause of everything is located inside the circle, then you still must ask, “Where did that cause come from?” The only rational explanation for all that lies inside the circle is to locate the cause and source outside the circle! See the universe; there must have been a Creator outside of it who caused it. Does the Bible have anything to say about this? Take a look at these two verses: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1 NIV) “Jesus is over all creation. All things were created in Him. He created everything in heaven and on earth. He created everything that can be seen and everything that can’t be seen. He created kings, powers, rulers and authorities. All things have been created by him and for him. Before anything was created, he was already there. He holds everything together.” (Colossians 1:15-17 NIV) Everything has a cause. 2. The Teleological Proof: God must exist because every design has a designer. Look at the intricacies of the universe. The teleological proof answers the question: “Who is responsible for the design, symmetry, and order that we see all around us?” The teleological proof also challenges the modern argument that life and the created order came into existence by chance. For centuries, man looked at the complexities, beautiful intricacies and symmetry of the universe and assumed that there was a master designer behind it all. This view was totally unchallenged until the 1800s. During the Age of Reason, many believed that science could explain everything. God was taken completely out of the equation and the supernatural was explained away in terms of the natural. Hebrews 11:3 teaches that God created the universe. It had a cause and design: “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” Scientists teach that the universe is a random chance collision of floating gases set into motion by a random series of events that produced random amino acids which swirled together to produce a molecule and eventually evolved to us today. How reasonable is this theory? No scientist can adequately explain where the gases came from in the first place. Many blush in embarrassment at the mathematical probabilities of a chance collision of gases producing even a single structured molecule … let alone a process as complex as photosynthesis or as breathtaking as an eagle in flight. Here is our challenge for you. Take the back off your laptop computer, look at the tiny circuits, crystals, switches, and components—then go and sit out under a tree and ask yourself if that laptop computer was designed and assembled by an intelligent being, or if it was the result of a random explosion in a metal factory? This will give you an appreciation of the teleological argument for the existence of God who alone can account for the order, symmetry, and beauty we see around us every day. Next time you hold a baby, ask yourself: Is this fantastic, complex being really the result of a cosmic accident? “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above declares His handiwork.” (Psalm 19:1 NIV) 3. The Ontological Proof: The existence of humankind implies the existence of God. Consider the question: “Why do we find men and women all over the world worshipping a higher being?” Our very existence points to God. Every culture believes in a higher power; someone or something that is greater than we are. Deep down, we all know that we are created beings … that we come from somewhere. C.S. Lewis once said that it takes much more faith to be an atheist than to believe in the existence of God. In other words, it is much harder to believe we came from nothing than that we come from something … or Someone. Does the Bible talk about this? “So, Paul saw all of the Greek idols and proclaimed “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.” (Acts 17:22-23 ESV) 4. The Anthropological Proof: God must exist because all humankind has a moral code that reflects a moral Creator. God must exist because a universal moral code is stamped on the hearts of all human beings, transcending culture, race, language, and location. The existence of this moral code demands that humankind was created in the image of a moral God. If human beings simply evolved from chance collisions from primeval gases, if we are simply grown-up germs, or a recent improvements of apes, how does one account for the fact that around the world we find a moral code of truth over deceit, kindness over violence, loyalty over backstabbing, love over hate, justice over injustice? Can chance produce a consistent moral code? Pose the moral code question to an atheist: “What is your theory regarding the moral code of humankind?” No one has an answer, ever. “Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.” (Romans 2:14-15 NIV) The four classical proofs above are all very reasonable. Thousands of scientists, theologians, and philosophers have written to support each one. In concert with them, we believe that any reasonable person must examine them and conclude that God exists. But I know that most people don’t come to God out of reason. They come out of experience. To the four classical proofs, I will add a fifth. 5. The Religious Experience Proof: Millions of people have had a personal experience with God. God must exist because hundreds of millions of well-adjusted people all over the world claim that they have experienced the love, forgiveness, peace, comfort and presence of God. This can’t be taken lightly, especially when we consider the similarity of those experiences across the ages. There are also many, many experiences with God recorded in Scripture, from His visual and verbal interaction with Moses at the burning bush to His heart-to-heart conversations with David to Jesus’s time with the disciples. A loving God has attempted on many occasions to establish contact with every living creature on the face of this earth. Honest people can all remember an occasion late at night when God came near and said, “Come on, come on, you know that I am real. Stop pretending that I am not, that you don’t need me. Open your mind and your heart and see what I can do with your life.” Every person here can remember a visit from God sometime in your life journey. The question is, what did you do with it? How did you respond? What action did you take? Now, put all five arguments (cosmological, teleological, ontological, anthropological, and religious experience) on the scale and watch the scale tip in favor of the existence of God. People who don’t believe in God have a lot of explaining to do. That is why, ultimately there are only two religions in the world. Man saves or God saves. Every world religion other than Christianity comes down to “Man saves by earning God’s favor.” Christianity is accomplished by God, not God and man. God sent His Son for us. Through His Son, He bestows perfection and righteousness as a good gift … the free gift of eternal life. You must respond. The biblical requisite for heaven is faith—trust. Transfer your faith from you to the cross. Well Joe, We hope that these proofs are very helpful to you as you work through your own beliefs regarding God’s existence and as you discuss your thoughts with others. Love, Roger and Julie

There is no topic we love discussing more than ourselves. The self-discovery industry has never had more pull than it does in the contemporary West. In the immortalized words of the country singer Toby Keith, “I wanna talk about me, wanna talk about I, wanna talk about number one, oh my me my. What I think, what I like, what I know, what I want, what I see.” We laugh because it’s true and we laugh because it reveals our narcissism. Christians might be tempted to push back on all of the obsession of self-discovery and reject it as narcissistic and ungodly. John Calvin, the 16th century French Reformer, would disagree with this wholesale assessment. In the first chapter of Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion, the Reformed theologian makes a point about self-understanding and our relationship that might surprise you. He says, Without knowledge of self, there is no knowledge of God. Our wisdom, insofar as it ought to be deemed true and solid wisdom, consists almost entirely of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves. But as these are connected by many ties, it is not easy to determine which of the two precedes and gives birth to the other. Calvin suggests that we ought to pursue self-discovery because we cannot know God without knowing ourselves. On this point, Calvin is in agreement with Socrates, who said that the first step to true wisdom is to “know thyself.” From a Christian perspective, it’s not surprising that our knowledge of God is tethered to ourselves. After all, we were made in his image (Gen. 1:27). It is for this reason that Angel and I wrote Trading Faces: Removing the Masks that Hide Your God-Given Identity. We believe that the culture gets self-discovery wrong. We have believed the lie that we can craft our own identity, or that our identity is understood by the roles we serve in or our attributes. Much of evangelical teaching on identity conflates the wealth of teaching into one category: being a child of God. While our identity as children of God is necessary and beautiful, it is the tip of the iceberg in what Scripture teaches us about our identity. God has given us many identities (the New Testament, in particular, is loaded with them), and they all point not only to who we are, but to who he is. To understand who we are is to better understand who God is and to live the abundant life he has intended for us. To navigate a world that attacks our identities from every angle, we need a robust and multifaceted theology of identity that can stand up to the assaults on our identity. We need to be able to speak God’s hopeful truth over ourselves when the twisted voice of shame fills our head. We need to be able to speak God’s corrective truth when the enticing voice of desire lures us. We need to be able to speak God’s corporate truths when our fleshly individualistic impulses beguile us. A great place to start is by taking this quiz on which false identities might have the strongest tug on your heart. Our prayer for you is that as you discover more of who you are, you might also learn more about your Creator and Savior. May our journey of self-discovery ultimately be a journey of God-discovery.

(Brie): It has been just over a year now since my beloved father, Dr. Roger Barrier, went to be with the Lord. My friends and readers, grief is hard. It’s long. It’s heartbreaking. But you and I don’t have to walk this journey alone. In dealing with his passing and the immense grief that comes with that, I wanted to share a conversation with you. What you will find in this article are the questions I ask in my grief, and the answers I’ve found as I dove into some of my dad’s teaching about grief and comfort. I love that it’s biblically sound, practical, and effective. I hope his words help you as much as they helped me! (Roger): Far too often, we say the wrong things at funerals. No matter how well-meaning, people don’t really help the family deal with grief. I’ve heard explanations about why God let the deceased person die so young; encouragement that they would eventually get over the pain; advice on how to handle life without their loved one being around; promises that this must be God’s will … and some even say things like, “All things work together for good to those who love God.” Then, they’d ask the family, “You love God, don’t you?” The family would respond, “Of course, we do.” Then, the friend would say something like, “Well then, God promises that everything will work out good.” But as the family gazes into the casket, things don’t seem so good after all. (Brie): Where do we start when we love someone who is experiencing grief? (Roger): Every culture and family deals with grieving differently. Some of us come from families/cultures where sadness was a sign of weakness. You weren’t allowed to be depressed. The expectation was that you would stuff it and move on. Others scream and wail, but there was very little hope in God. Those who are grieving often feel numb, frozen in time. The way to break through the grief façade of someone who is hurting is with months of intensive comforting. When Job sat in utter pain and devastation, his friends sat in silence with him for days before they uttered a word. If you read Job, you know that Job would have been better off if they had kept quiet! Consider these biblical examples of effective comforting: Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). Paul wrote: “Praise be to the God of all comfort who comforts us in all of our troubles, so that we can comfort others with the very same comfort with which you have comforted us” (2 Corinthians 1:4). Paul also taught, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; and mourn with those who mourn” (Romans 12:15). Grief is always healed through mourning and comfort. Notice that this requires two people—one to mourn and one to comfort. (Brie): What can we say and not say to really comfort those who are dealing with grief? (Roger): Unfortunately, since few Christians know how properly to comfort others, their friends and loved ones continue living in hurt and pain. The proper response to the emotionally hurt and distressed is to listen to them mourn and then to comfort them. Notice these things we often say that Jesus NEVER said. Blessed are they who mourn: For they shall be told, “Don’t keep crying. Have faith.” For they shall receive a sermon. “Heaven is better anyway.” For they shall be given reasons why it was time for him to die. For they shall be told how to get past the grief. For they shall be told, “That is not nearly as bad as what happened to me.” For they shall be told, “Stop worrying, you’ll be fine.” For they shall be told, “All things work together for good to those who love God.” Instead, comfort focuses on emotional, feeling words. It’s speaking heart-to-heart and life-to-life. For example, say: “I know that your heart is aching over your husband’s death, I am so sorry for what you’re experiencing.” “It grieves me deeply that you are in such pain. Life is just not supposed to be this way. I am so sorry.” “It hurts you deeply that he is gone. Don’t feel like you have to be in a hurry. You have a lot of grieving in front of you. We are here to grieve with you.” “I hurt for you because I love you. I’m so sorry that you’re going through such a hard time.” (Brie): How can we be effective, compassionate comforters? (Brie):Dad, I remember you listening to me first, every time I was hurting. Honestly, sometimes I wanted you to be mad with me! But then, you started to comfort me in my pain, and the anger began to melt away. That’s where healing really happens. (Roger): I learned a great deal from practicing this list from Charles Swindoll. It’s great advice for comforters: Comforters care enough to come uninvited. Comforters listen carefully so they can minister to the emotions and not react to the words. Comforters openly express the depths of their feelings. Comforters are not turned off by distasteful sights. Comforters understand, so they say very little. In fifty years of ministry, I also learned three major, concrete ways to help. I think these apply to everyone who is dealing with grief—no matter how long it’s been since the loss happened. It takes a great deal of time to heal, and we often give up far too soon. First, offer practical help. Preparing food, washing clothes, cleaning the house or running errands are just a few of the practical ways of showing you care. Keep in contact. Call, text or email often. Remain available in the weeks and months to come, as well. Remember that your grieving family members or friends may reach out to you later rather than sooner. Be aware of holidays and anniversaries. Special occasions like holidays and anniversaries can be the most difficult of all—even years after a loved one has passed away. These events emphasize the absence of the person who has died. Instead of avoiding those memories, this may be the time to share them. (Brie):Dad, I remember you teaching that even when a loved one goes to heaven, he or she is able to see what’s happening in the present world. I know their focus is completely on Jesus and praising Him, but I loved that you said we could ask God to share our love with those we miss so much. Every day, during my prayer time, I ask God to tell you that I love you and miss you. It helps; so does consistently focusing on my favorite memories with you. I know that I will see you again in heaven. But for now, I will reach out for comfort from Mom, my husband, Brad, and other family members and friends. I’m so glad we were never meant to mourn alone!

We've been building something together this week. A space. Intentional. Set apart. Hallowed. And I want to ask you something honest before we go any further. What have you noticed? Not what you think you should have noticed. Not the theologically correct answer. What has actually been happening in you as you've slowed down enough to let hagiazo become more than a word? Because something shifts when a human being begins to consistently create consecrated space. The neuroscience is clear on this — the brain responds to repeated intentional stillness the way soil responds to consistent watering. Things begin to surface that the noise was covering. Feelings. Memories. Longings. Clarity that couldn't find its way through the static. And sometimes what surfaces first isn't peaceful. Sometimes it's grief. Or anger. Or a profound awareness of how long you have been running. That's not a problem. That's the hallowed working. Isaiah didn't encounter holiness and immediately feel better. He felt exposed. Woe is me came before here am I, send me. The undoing preceded the commissioning. So what is surfacing in you? And here's the deeper question underneath that one — What are you beginning to crave? Because consecrated space has a way of reordering desire. When you consistently bring yourself into the presence of the wholly other — when raphah becomes a practice and hagiazo becomes a rhythm — what you want begins to change. The noise starts to feel like loss rather than comfort. The stillness starts to feel like home rather than threat. That is transformation. That is Romans 12:2 happening beneath the surface before it becomes visible in your life. What are you noticing? What are you beginning to crave? I genuinely want to know. More information about My Rooted Soul Counseling can be found by visiting www.myrootedsoul.com

Dear Roger and Joel, What if I really feel like God is calling me to do something, and I’m just too exhausted, too frustrated, or too weak? If I say “no” to God, what will happen? Sincerely, Stacie Dear Stacie, this is Joel. Great question! Throughout the Bible, God called people who were exhausted, frustrated, and weak, so you need to know that you are in good company. Moses, David, and the disciples were all ill-equipped for the calling God gave them. In fact, it is often a red flag for me when someone tells me about a calling God has given them and that calling is firmly within their comfort zone. When God calls us to something that is beyond what we can do on our own, He gets all the glory. My own life has been filled with times when I have told God that I was too frustrated, too weak, or simply too tired to do what He was asking me to do. The Holy Spirit keeps bringing me back to verses like Matthew 11:29: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" [NIV]. But what happens if you say no? God’s ultimate plan and will are always accomplished. Just ask Jonah or Jeremiah. Yet I want to be part of the story God is writing. I’ve often wondered what would have happened if Moses had said “no” to God at the burning bush, or if Paul had refused to surrender to Jesus. I believe Israel still would have been delivered, and the letters to the early church still would have been written. God’s purposes would not have been defeated by their disobedience. But Moses and Paul had the opportunity to be part of that story because they were willing to obey—even when they were exhausted, afraid, frustrated, or carrying a terrible past. Maybe that is the encouragement we need: God does not call us because we are strong enough. He calls us, and then He gives us what we need to obey. You may feel too weak. You may feel too tired. You may even feel completely unqualified. That doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve missed God’s calling. It may simply mean that you are exactly where God can remind you that the strength was never yours to begin with. Stacie, I hope this is helpful! Joel