WEBVTT
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I wanted to mention that this past week I went to my mailbox and in my mailbox was the current.
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And in the current, staring back at me on the front of the current was our distinguished Pastor Emeritus and my father, Gary Hebden.
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Yes.
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Here's a little picture of him.
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And then if you open up the current, the very first page is a full write-up.
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And if you've met, if you heard my dad preach, you know he's gonna know the stop sign and just blow right past it.
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And in true form, it took up more than one page for my dad.
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He just blew right past that page and went into a second half.
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But my bringing up is the reason I bring it up is because it does have a picture of him right about here with the cross behind it, and he talks about our church, and it really is a beautiful story.
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He is ministering, he's in charge of the one of the barns at the fair, and it's talking about uh just his journey and how he's participating in that, and just a beautiful story about what God does and is how it continues to use him, and he's a part of our congregation.
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So take a look at the current, see what it says, and it's a reminder to me, too, that when we retire, God isn't done with us yet.
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He's still active and participating.
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When we're retired, God still has a calling on our life, and then maybe that is serving at the fair, which I know many of you have been recruited by him uh to do that, so thank you.
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Uh, but also it could be meals on wheels, hometown hero, union gospel, serving in a school.
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There's all kinds of places that uh we're serving and active, and praise Jesus for that.
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Praise Jesus for that.
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Anyway, take a look at the current.
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It really was uh just a great article, so and proud to have him as our former retired pastor emeritus, and of course my father.
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So, Dad, thanks for doing that.
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Um speaking of my father, several years ago, oh by the way, I didn't introduce myself.
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My name's Isaac.
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I'm the lead, I'm the lead pastor.
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If you're new, welcome.
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You are among incredible people.
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It's just a joy to have you here.
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I mean that sincerely.
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Uh several years ago, my dad took a group of us to from the church to Israel.
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And on our way, we had a rather long layover in Amsterdam.
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And so we took a day tour of Amsterdam, of the city.
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It was incredible, just a great time, very memorable.
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And one of our stops along the way was in a neighboring city called Harlem.
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And in Harlem, we visited the most incredible church.
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It's called the Groat Kirk.
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Kirk is the word for church.
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Groat Kirk, I think we have a picture of the outside of it.
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And uh so here's a here's a church outside in Harlem.
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We went in and we walked around.
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The church, this church was built in 1307 and is absolutely stunning.
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Now, when you there's a few things that were memorable for me when I went into this church.
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The first thing is you're walking on the floor, and what's the floor is marked by where people are buried.
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So the slabs of stone you're walking on have names of people who are buried directly beneath you.
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This is the town cemetery from centuries ago.
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And it was memorable.
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You just, you know, forget something like that.
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The other thing I thought was interesting about this church is they had a spot on the church wall of the tallest person who'd ever come in and the shortest person who'd ever come in, and it had their name and when they appeared.
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And I thought, well, that was interesting.
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You know, we're gonna mark all kinds of things on a church.
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We're gonna they mark the tallest and the shortest.
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I just thought that was interesting.
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Um, but the other thing that we noticed is the beauty of the place.
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Remarkable, remarkable.
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We walked around and we have a couple pictures of the pillars in this church.
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Inside the church, there are these remarkable, massive pillars.
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They are huge and they hold up this incredible building.
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And so you just walk around and you see these pillars.
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And you've seen structures like this.
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Pillars hold up the ceiling, the overhang.
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And in order to do this, these pillars themselves must be strong.
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If the pillars are weak, they will crumble and everything else will crumble and fall.
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Weak pillars result in destruction and pain.
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If a pillar is not strong and stable, the structure won't stand.
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So over the next few weeks, we're gonna be exploring the invitation of Jesus to make his people pillars in the temple of God.
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Jackson just read that this is possible.
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The way that we're gonna do this is by exploring a man named Peter.
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Peter means rock or rocky.
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He didn't start out as a pillar, but became a pillar.
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His birth name was Simon, and Jesus changed his name.
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So we're beginning a series called Pillar Principles, which comes from an idea by a pastor named Jack Hayford in a book called Blessing, The Power and Blessing.
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And I just need to give credit where credit is due.
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Side note, you may wonder why I quote people or say people's names or give credit where credit is due.
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I don't think I've ever explained that, and you should know why I do that.
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I have two primary reasons for doing it.
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Many years ago, I was in a group of meeting with young pastors and a kind of a nationally known pastor, and one of my friends said something that the nationally known speaker liked, and he said, Oh, I really like that.
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He said, The first time I'm gonna use I use that, I'm gonna give you credit.
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The second time I'm gonna say I heard a person say, the third time it just becomes of my stew, and I'm gonna say it and not quote you ever again.
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And I thought, well, that doesn't seem very fair.
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That doesn't seem like a person of much integrity.
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And I just didn't like that.
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So I I'm I'm gonna give credit where credit is due.
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I wanna give these aren't my ideas, so I want to give credit to somebody's bright idea.
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The other reason I'm gonna mention it is hopefully if I mention people, some of you may go back and say, Oh, this Dallas Willard guy may check him out.
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I may read Eugene Peterson, Kate Bowler, N.
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T.
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Wright, C.S.
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Lewis.
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You may, if I say their names enough, some of you may be interested and go back and read them.
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I would love that.
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No, not just so you know, if I quote somebody, that doesn't mean I agree completely with them, but it's just to spur us on.
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So that's why I quote people and reference it because I want to be a person of integrity and be honest about that.
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And the other thing is, hopefully you'll be encouraged to go read some of those people.
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All right, so let's get back to Peter.
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We're looking at Peter and his transformation from a person who is often concerned about his own interests to become a pillar in the church.
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Who, is there anybody who'd say, Peter, ah, I just don't think he's that important to what we believe.
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You know, he's he's kind of a, we hear about him, he's famous, but did he do anything?
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No, no, Peter is critical to us.
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And many of us we see his mistakes in ourselves.
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One person called Peter, and every man.
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He represents all of us.
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He is similar to that fictional hero we all love, Rocky.
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Same name.
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Rocky went from an unpolished, undeveloped individual who, under the training of the master, became the world champion.
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Simon spent time with Jesus, he is transformed into a new creation, and he too is named Peter, Rocky, and becomes a pillar.
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Let's start with the beginning.
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Uh, one day, Jesus is in one day in the Judean wilderness.
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Jesus goes to his cousin John the Baptist and wants to be baptized.
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John the Baptist says, Okay, baptize Jesus.
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The next day, Jesus starts inviting people to follow him.
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And we're told this in John 1 40, verse 40 through John 1, 40 through 42.
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One of the two who heard John the Baptist speak and follow Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.
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He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, We have found the Messiah, which means Christ.
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He brought him to Jesus.
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Jesus looked at him and said, You are Simon, the son of John.
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You shall be called Cephas, which means Peter.
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Verse 42 says, Jesus looked at Simon.
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He looked at him.
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He noticed him.
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You could say he saw him intently.
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And when Jesus looks at Peter, he says, You are Simon's son of John.
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You're going to be called Rocky.
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Now, if you're a Rocky fan, instantly the chimes are starting in your head.
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Gonna fly now?
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That should be going.
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That's the moment.
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This is an epic moment in Peter's life.
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And when Jesus encounters Peter, he saw beyond the external person of who Simon was, and he says, I know what's inside of you, and inside of you is a rock.
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We're gonna draw that out over the next few years, and you're gonna be renamed Rocky or Peter.
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Now, many, my tendency is to say, Well, yeah, Peter became a rock, became a pillar.
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He's Peter, of course he's awesome.
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I I and I think I could never become Peter.
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I'm not Peter.
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I could never do what he did.
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And the obvious response is, well, yeah, no, I'm not Peter.
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I'm Isaac, and I live in the Spokane Valley in 2026.
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I am not Peter, but that doesn't, and it wasn't my assignment to be Peter.
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That doesn't mean that Jesus doesn't look at me and see be the on the external, five foot nine, red hair, pasty white, and say, There's something inside of you that I'm gonna make a pillar.
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And he looks the same at you.
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He looks at you and tells you, you too are significant.
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You are valuable, you have a God-given purpose.
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You too can become a pillar.
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In fact, Peter would later write this important phrase in 1 Peter 2, 4 through 5.
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Peter writes a letter to a church.
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Notice the language here.
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He says, As you come to Jesus, a living stone rejected by men, but in the sight of God, chosen and precious, he says, Jesus was a stone.
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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.
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Peter, the rock, says that the one who he follows is a living stone, and we too become stones.
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We become living stones.
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And then as we become stones, what happens is we become part of the temple of God.
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We become the place where God himself is housed.
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We, right here, us as a people, are where God lives and resides and dwells.
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How incredible is that! That's amazing.
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And just like Peter becomes a living stone, we get that opportunity as well.
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We too become rocks.
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It's not just Peter.
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Then in Revelation, Jesus takes it a step further.
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Revelation 3 12, Jackson read it for us.
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The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God.
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Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven and my own new name.
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Not only do we become the rocks of the temple, but we become the pillars.
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We become these massive structures that hold up the ceiling that people rely on.
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We become pillars in the temple.
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Now you may come in this morning not feeling like a pillar.
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You may come in not feeling stable or solid like a rock.
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You come in and you just feel exhausted and tired.
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You walk in this morning full of anxiety, frustration, anguish.
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You you're maybe you're listening online and you feel insecure.
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You don't believe you have value.
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You you've listened to the lies of the enemy who says you're just not important.
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People don't love you.
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People don't even see you.
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You've people don't pay attention.
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Maybe that's where you're at this morning.
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You come in this morning, unable to make up your mind, you're just feeling like you're trampled on or unvalued.
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But catch this Peter looked, Jesus, I'm sorry, Jesus looked at Peter intently.
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And just as Jesus did that with Peter, he does the same to us.
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You two are a pillar in his temple.
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You were invited into this journey with him.
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So we before we go too much further, though, we have to spend a couple of moments on that critical word in here where Jesus says, the one who conquers.
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We have to ask, what does it mean to conquer?
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Well, when we think of conquer, oftentimes we think of a nation to nation.
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So maybe you think of the Soviet Union rolling in and eating up most of Eastern Europe and oppressing people and putting them under their subjection, claiming that property, those people as their own.
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Perhaps closer to home, we might think of the Native Americans and how they were conquered by the early American settlers, brutal wars, brutal treatment of the Native Americans.
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And this is what conquering looks like forced subjection.
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Forced submission.
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Somebody takes over and says, you will do exactly as I say.
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Or maybe in our cultural climate, conquering looks like your preferred politician winning and you sticking it in the nose of everybody who voted for the other person.
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Maybe it's celebrating the demise of politicians while other, while neglecting to mention that your side of the aisle has the same set of narcissism and corruption as the other side.
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You just don't mention that part.
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Maybe it's taking a little bit more time, a little bit more for yourself when you really have enough.
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You have enough, we think, ah, I might use it, and other people go home hungry or go home without enough.
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This is not conquering in God's kingdom.
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That's the conquering of this world.
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So what does it mean to conquer in God's kingdom?
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Revelation 3, 21.
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The one who conquers, I will grant to him to sit with me on my throne.
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And Jesus says, as I also conquered and sat down with my father on his throne.
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Well, Jesus said he conquered.
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Well, how did Jesus conquer?
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What did he do?
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What can we learn?
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And if you read Revelation 2 through 5, chapters 2 through 5, you see the word conquer over and over and over and over again.
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It's an important word in Revelation.
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What does it mean to conquer?
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Well, this is what Jesus did.
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If he said he conquered, this is what Jesus did.
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Philippians 2, 5 through 9.
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Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men, and being found in human form, he humbled himself by being obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
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Therefore, God highly exalted him.
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Conquering in God's kingdom looks like obedience, looks like service, it looks like humility, looks like love, it looks like suffering.
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All of these things look like conquering in God's kingdom.
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So let me say it this way: Conquering in God's kingdom looks like a faithful, resilient, loving, joyful obedience to God and service to others, while being humble even in the face of suffering.
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This is what it means to conquer.
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This is not normal behavior.
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This is not normal.
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We don't look at, we don't look around and go, yeah, that's what the world looks like.
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Faithful, resilient, obedience in the faith of suffering.
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Yes, that's conquering.
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That's not normal.
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Victory looks like this in Jesus.
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This is what it looks like.
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So victory looks like joyful, loving obedience to God, knowing that our obedience to Him, He has our good in mind.
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That's what's happening here.
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So to say it in the context of our message this morning, this is what a pillar looks like.
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We know people who are pillars.
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If you say, oh, who's a pillar of faith?
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They probably look like faithful, resilient, loving people, obedient to God, and service to others while remaining humble even in the suffering.
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That's what a pillar would look like in our life.
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So we we have a few in my life, I have a few in my life that when my life gets bumpy, I turn to pillars of faith.
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You know who I'm calling?
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Calling people who have been through some stuff and remained obedient and joyful and service and kind and loving.
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I call my dad, Gary Kahn, Chris Hansler, Jeff Savage.
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I call these people who are individuals, they're pillars of faith.
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They've gone through some stuff.
00:18:00.960 --> 00:18:02.799
This is what we can become.
00:18:03.039 --> 00:18:05.039
This is what we're invited to.
00:18:05.519 --> 00:18:09.599
So, what does an ingredient of a pillar look like?
00:18:10.400 --> 00:18:13.359
Let me give four ingredients of a pillar.
00:18:13.599 --> 00:18:15.680
Number one, faith.
00:18:16.640 --> 00:18:20.640
In 1 John, John writes a letter to the church.
00:18:21.359 --> 00:18:26.640
John is the same person who writes about pillars in Revelation, same guy who wrote it.
00:18:26.720 --> 00:18:29.759
This is what John writes in 1 John 5, 4 through 5.
00:18:30.160 --> 00:18:38.319
For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world, and this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith.
00:18:38.559 --> 00:18:44.319
Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
00:18:46.799 --> 00:18:51.759
Now that word overcome is the same exact word I read earlier in Revelation, conquer.
00:18:51.920 --> 00:18:53.359
You could, it's the same thing.
00:18:53.519 --> 00:18:58.000
You could say this for everyone who has been born of God conquers the world.
00:18:58.319 --> 00:19:02.640
And this is the victory, by the way, for you shoe fans, that word victory is the word Nike.
00:19:02.880 --> 00:19:08.319
So this is the Nike that has conquered the world, our faith.
00:19:08.640 --> 00:19:10.960
So our faith is what has conquered.
00:19:11.279 --> 00:19:18.880
Because of Jesus, we are able to become pillars in the temple only through faith in Jesus.
00:19:19.119 --> 00:19:26.960
It's this idea of faith or belief, which has gotten so far afield from what Jesus and the New Testament writers meant.
00:19:27.680 --> 00:19:32.559
Belief or faith is not just something that we think is true.
00:19:32.960 --> 00:19:36.799
I think it's true that the moon orbits the earth.
00:19:37.359 --> 00:19:38.559
I don't care.
00:19:39.599 --> 00:19:42.319
Does it have some kind of ramification for my day?
00:19:42.559 --> 00:19:43.279
Probably.
00:19:43.519 --> 00:19:48.480
I look at it, it's got a sliver today or a full moon and has something to do with tides.
00:19:48.799 --> 00:19:52.319
Doesn't affect me day to day, it probably does, but I don't notice it.
00:19:52.480 --> 00:19:54.160
I don't spend a lot of time dealing with it.
00:19:54.319 --> 00:19:56.000
You can tell I didn't even look it up.
00:19:56.160 --> 00:19:57.119
I don't care.
00:19:59.119 --> 00:20:01.039
Do I believe it exists a situation?
00:20:01.200 --> 00:20:01.759
Yep.
00:20:02.000 --> 00:20:02.880
Don't care.
00:20:03.200 --> 00:20:05.440
That is not biblical faith.
00:20:06.559 --> 00:20:16.079
What John writes, that when John writes that we overcome or conquer the world through faith in or belief in Jesus, it means we give our lives to it.
00:20:16.319 --> 00:20:20.400
My life becomes utterly dependent on Jesus.
00:20:20.640 --> 00:20:24.400
We live in complete surrender and submission to Him.
00:20:24.799 --> 00:20:26.160
My life becomes Jesus.
00:20:26.319 --> 00:20:30.240
That's the kind of faith that Jesus is, that John is talking about in Jesus.
00:20:30.480 --> 00:20:38.960
So my hourly, my daily, hourly, minute by minute, I'm trying more and more to give my complete dependence on Jesus.
00:20:39.200 --> 00:20:40.799
Everything becomes impacted.
00:20:40.960 --> 00:20:45.440
The way I interact with you becomes impacted because of my belief in Jesus.
00:20:45.680 --> 00:20:52.559
So as we put our faith in Jesus, we discover that he continues to invite us closer and closer to him.
00:20:53.039 --> 00:20:58.720
And when he does that, it challenges who really is in control of my life.
00:20:58.880 --> 00:21:00.240
Have you experienced this?
00:21:00.400 --> 00:21:05.519
The closer I get to Jesus, the more I realize I really like being in charge of my life.
00:21:05.680 --> 00:21:07.599
And there's this wrestling tension.
00:21:07.759 --> 00:21:15.839
So when I experience hardship and trouble and difficulty, what's happening is if I'm paying attention, I'm learning who's in control of my life.
00:21:16.000 --> 00:21:24.400
Is it me and my way and my might and my wisdom, or in these tough moments, am I saying, no, I'm gonna utterly depend on Jesus.
00:21:24.640 --> 00:21:30.160
That's what faith does, is over time, hopefully, more and more I'm saying, no, less of me.
00:21:30.319 --> 00:21:37.519
I need to get out of this, stop relying on my own strength and wisdom or lack thereof, and rely on Jesus.
00:21:37.680 --> 00:21:39.200
That's what faith is.
00:21:39.680 --> 00:21:45.440
The problems we face daily in our lives expose who we believe in.
00:21:46.559 --> 00:21:51.759
When you face trials and tough times, who your God is exposed.
00:21:51.839 --> 00:21:55.440
And so we try more and more to see show that God is God.
00:21:55.519 --> 00:21:57.440
We rely on Him over time.
00:21:59.119 --> 00:22:01.200
Notice what John says it.
00:22:01.440 --> 00:22:04.880
He says that we put our faith in Jesus.
00:22:05.039 --> 00:22:09.839
He doesn't say you must have all the answers when you put your faith in Jesus.
00:22:10.160 --> 00:22:11.519
He doesn't say that.
00:22:11.839 --> 00:22:13.680
Some of us don't like that part.
00:22:13.839 --> 00:22:15.519
We want to know the answers.
00:22:15.680 --> 00:22:19.119
We want to know what's happening, but that's not what faith is.
00:22:19.759 --> 00:22:21.200
We want to know what's happening.
00:22:21.359 --> 00:22:22.559
We want to know what next step.
00:22:22.640 --> 00:22:23.920
We want to make sure we understand.
00:22:24.000 --> 00:22:24.880
We want to agree.
00:22:25.039 --> 00:22:27.680
We want to have all the ducks in row and in the order.
00:22:28.319 --> 00:22:32.799
The primary question is not what, how, when, why.
00:22:33.119 --> 00:22:36.000
The primary question of faith is who?
00:22:36.880 --> 00:22:37.839
That's it.
00:22:38.240 --> 00:22:40.240
Who's in control and it's Jesus?
00:22:40.400 --> 00:22:45.759
Some of us that when we start feeling the tension, it's because we want to be in charge and not God.
00:22:46.559 --> 00:22:51.839
Now, when we don't see the next step or the next answer, that's what faith is.
00:22:52.000 --> 00:22:55.200
Faith is I can't see what's next.
00:22:55.440 --> 00:22:56.240
That's what faith is.
00:22:56.400 --> 00:23:00.559
So I can, we can have all this knowledge, but I still don't know that's faith.
00:23:00.960 --> 00:23:03.519
Faith is not opposed to knowledge.
00:23:03.759 --> 00:23:07.599
We work really hard at knowing Jesus and knowing who he is.
00:23:07.839 --> 00:23:09.759
Faith is opposed to sight.
00:23:10.000 --> 00:23:15.759
So that, so what I mean by that is, I don't like it when people say, I'm gonna take a step of faith.
00:23:15.920 --> 00:23:18.960
I have no idea if there's anything out there, I'm just gonna take a wild step.
00:23:19.119 --> 00:23:20.079
That's not faith.
00:23:20.240 --> 00:23:22.799
Faith is rooted and grounded in knowledge.
00:23:23.039 --> 00:23:24.880
We just can't see the next step.
00:23:25.119 --> 00:23:29.200
And so because I have all this knowledge, I'm gonna believe that God has taken care of me.
00:23:29.680 --> 00:23:33.359
Some of us are going through hard things.
00:23:34.400 --> 00:23:46.559
And when you experience those hard things, you're learning to put your faith and trust in Jesus, saying, I can't see the next step, but I'm gonna rely on him and you're trusting Jesus to come through.
00:23:46.799 --> 00:23:53.759
What happens is you practice this idea of faith, you become a person strengthened by Jesus.
00:23:55.279 --> 00:24:02.400
I want to be a person whose house is built on people who have found strength in Jesus.
00:24:02.559 --> 00:24:08.079
I want to be a pillar who's gone through some stuff that has been tried and true.
00:24:08.319 --> 00:24:11.200
Faith in Jesus strengthens us over time.
00:24:11.359 --> 00:24:22.240
The longer we trust in Jesus, the more we go through life and stretch our faith muscles, trying to trust him more, the more we are able to stand firm and be relied upon.
00:24:22.319 --> 00:24:24.240
We'll talk about that in a couple minutes.
00:24:26.000 --> 00:24:33.279
Peter says this, 2 Peter 3.18, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
00:24:34.240 --> 00:24:37.519
Our faith grows as we practice this.
00:24:37.920 --> 00:24:47.519
We grow and we as we've tested and go through hard things, our faith expands and we become stronger as we learn to lean on Jesus more and more.
00:24:48.240 --> 00:24:51.200
Our faith is practice and develop and it grows.
00:24:51.440 --> 00:24:56.720
So, my point for you, if you walk in going, boy, I wish I had faith, my point is not to discourage you.
00:24:56.880 --> 00:24:59.200
Your faith will grow as you trust in Jesus.
00:24:59.440 --> 00:25:05.680
As you go through hard things and you rely on Him, your strength will begin to grow and expand.
00:25:06.160 --> 00:25:11.920
You will have, your faith will deepen as your reliance on Jesus expands.
00:25:12.240 --> 00:25:15.920
You have today the grace you need for today.
00:25:16.160 --> 00:25:18.319
You have what you need for right now.
00:25:18.480 --> 00:25:19.440
God is with you.
00:25:19.680 --> 00:25:24.160
Jesus said, if you have the faith of a mustard seed, you can move a mountain.
00:25:24.480 --> 00:25:29.279
I believe all of us in this room have the faith of a mustard seed because you're here.
00:25:29.519 --> 00:25:30.960
You're listening to this.
00:25:31.200 --> 00:25:32.160
You came here.
00:25:32.480 --> 00:25:35.680
You have enough faith to make it through the day.
00:25:36.000 --> 00:25:39.440
Then as you start practicing and growing, your faith will expand.
00:25:39.599 --> 00:25:40.160
All right.
00:25:40.640 --> 00:25:44.000
Ingredient number two: creative power.
00:25:44.240 --> 00:25:45.599
Revelation 3.12.
00:25:45.680 --> 00:25:50.640
The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God.
00:25:50.880 --> 00:25:53.839
Notice who the active agent is in the process.
00:25:54.240 --> 00:25:56.799
Jesus says, I will make him a pillar.
00:25:57.039 --> 00:25:59.359
Jesus is the one who does the transformation.
00:25:59.599 --> 00:26:03.680
Jesus is responsible for your growth and for fruit in your life.
00:26:03.839 --> 00:26:04.799
He will bring it.
00:26:05.039 --> 00:26:07.519
Now, we have a part to play.
00:26:07.680 --> 00:26:09.359
There are things that we do.
00:26:09.519 --> 00:26:21.279
We just like we tend the garden, you make up whatever, if you have peppers or fruit or a pumpkin, whatever it is you're growing, you have your element that you do, but you can't force that pumpkin to grow.
00:26:21.519 --> 00:26:23.519
It's gonna grow or not, and that comes from Jesus.
00:26:23.599 --> 00:26:28.880
So we have a part to play, but ultimately it is Jesus who makes the fruit happen.
00:26:29.200 --> 00:26:32.319
God is the one who brings about transformation in your life.
00:26:32.640 --> 00:26:41.200
We're gonna talk about this more in the weeks to come, but I keep coming back to this passage from Acts, and it's in Jesus says this in Acts 1.8.
00:26:41.759 --> 00:26:50.880
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria into the ends of the earth.
00:26:51.119 --> 00:26:59.359
The necessary power to be faithful witnesses who look like the people of God when it just isn't going well.
00:26:59.519 --> 00:27:02.480
That only is possible through the Holy Spirit.
00:27:02.640 --> 00:27:09.519
Only when the Holy Spirit comes upon us are we empowered to get through this life well and look like Jesus.
00:27:09.759 --> 00:27:14.880
It's when the Spirit of God gets involved in our life and we are baptized in the Holy Spirit.
00:27:15.039 --> 00:27:18.240
And by baptized I mean fully immersed.
00:27:18.480 --> 00:27:20.960
Means soaking wet, saturated.
00:27:21.119 --> 00:27:27.039
To be baptized in the Holy Spirit means every area of my life is soaking wet with the Holy Spirit.
00:27:27.279 --> 00:27:28.319
That's what's going on.
00:27:28.480 --> 00:27:33.519
And when that happens, that's when the Holy Spirit comes and changes us and shapes us and molds us.
00:27:33.599 --> 00:27:36.079
And he will do things we never expect.
00:27:36.720 --> 00:27:39.440
And he's so creative in the way he shaped us.
00:27:39.759 --> 00:27:46.079
I never expected to be standing here talking to you guys at 48 years old.
00:27:46.160 --> 00:27:47.519
I don't know what I expected.
00:27:47.680 --> 00:27:48.720
It wasn't this.
00:27:48.880 --> 00:27:52.799
And yet God is doing incredible things in and through this church.
00:27:53.200 --> 00:27:55.759
God is doing great things in your lives.
00:27:55.920 --> 00:28:06.240
The Holy Spirit is the active agent and he's pouring out love as you send out letters, as you love your community, God is doing great things, and it's because of his work through you.
00:28:07.039 --> 00:28:12.240
If we can do this life on our own, we do not need the Holy Spirit.
00:28:24.400 --> 00:28:27.440
The Holy Spirit is the one that powers us through those moments.
00:28:27.599 --> 00:28:36.960
Have you gone through a situation where after it was over, you experienced more love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, self-control?
00:28:37.039 --> 00:28:46.319
You went into a situation that you knew it was going to be bad, and you look back and go, somehow I just responded a little bit kinder than I really felt.
00:28:46.559 --> 00:28:49.200
Somehow the peace of God really went through that.
00:28:49.359 --> 00:28:51.759
Some of you are like, no, that has never happened to me.
00:28:51.920 --> 00:28:52.880
I can see it.
00:28:53.039 --> 00:28:57.759
Well, we will pray for the Holy Spirit to come and empower you because that's what the Holy Spirit does.
00:28:57.920 --> 00:29:00.400
Well, you get through a moment, you go, I don't know how I did it.
00:29:00.559 --> 00:29:10.319
Well, it's because the Holy Spirit gave you grace and pushed you through, propelled you through in his strength to respond in a way that looks like Jesus.
00:29:10.559 --> 00:29:12.720
This is the work of God through you.
00:29:13.759 --> 00:29:15.839
Jesus says, I will make a pillar.
00:29:16.000 --> 00:29:17.039
That's what's happening.
00:29:17.200 --> 00:29:23.680
As and the more we grow with Jesus, the way we walk with Jesus, we become to get shaped into a pillar.
00:29:24.000 --> 00:29:26.480
God is the active agent in your life.
00:29:26.640 --> 00:29:34.960
How incredible is this! God, the creator of the universe, is doing that in your life.
00:29:35.440 --> 00:29:37.839
And from up here, I can see it.
00:29:38.240 --> 00:29:40.160
I can see what God is doing in your lives.
00:29:40.240 --> 00:29:41.359
It's beautiful.
00:29:42.079 --> 00:29:45.599
Number three, formulated strength.
00:29:46.240 --> 00:29:52.640
I mentioned this earlier, but a pillar had better be strong or it is pointless if not destructive.
00:29:53.039 --> 00:29:56.480
Have you ever had a pillar that just collapsed and falls?
00:29:56.880 --> 00:29:58.960
Boy, that's dangerous.
00:29:59.759 --> 00:30:02.559
What Jesus tells us is that He is going to make us a pillar.
00:30:02.640 --> 00:30:04.960
So He's making us people of strength.
00:30:05.200 --> 00:30:06.880
He's making us dependable.
00:30:07.039 --> 00:30:10.640
You can count on a pillar to hold ground.
00:30:11.440 --> 00:30:22.240
Now you may not be feeling that this morning, but when you begin to follow Jesus, he begins to strengthen you even when life is hard.
00:30:23.039 --> 00:30:29.599
Even when it is hard and you have hard days, the Holy Spirit is shaping you and giving you strength.
00:30:29.839 --> 00:30:32.400
You can become to be dependable.
00:30:34.400 --> 00:30:47.200
When life gets hard, people will look to you to be pillars of strength in their life because they've seen you go through hard things and come out of it with joy and goodness and peace and love.
00:30:47.279 --> 00:30:52.480
And they'll say, I don't know what you did, but I want to lean against you for a while.
00:30:52.559 --> 00:30:54.160
I'm going to rely on your strength.
00:30:54.240 --> 00:30:56.640
I'm going to come, can you just sit here with you?
00:30:56.880 --> 00:31:00.960
Because you've become a pillar of strength to them through Jesus.
00:31:02.559 --> 00:31:08.400
This is, and when you go through hard times and you look like joy and peace and goodness, that's different than the world around us.
00:31:08.559 --> 00:31:18.000
When the world around us goes through hard times, they look like bitter, angry, resentful, short-tempered, or maybe apathetic, where they just go, I don't even care anymore.
00:31:18.319 --> 00:31:19.440
Which are you this morning?
00:31:19.680 --> 00:31:27.279
Angry, resentful, short-tempered, apathetic, or love, joy, peace, patience, goodness?
00:31:27.839 --> 00:31:28.960
Where are you this morning?
00:31:29.200 --> 00:31:35.680
Well, the Holy Spirit works in us to help us, to strengthen us.
00:31:37.359 --> 00:31:41.440
Our society does not like to do hard things anymore.
00:31:41.759 --> 00:31:44.160
I just use Chat GPT.
00:31:48.160 --> 00:31:53.200
We just, we go, ah boy, if I just had this program, I could just do it and move on.
00:31:53.839 --> 00:32:02.319
Um we we, if it's any kind of boredom, any kind of hardship, we go, ah, I'd rather not.
00:32:02.559 --> 00:32:03.759
It's hard.
00:32:04.079 --> 00:32:07.359
I could do it, but I'll let them do it.
00:32:07.519 --> 00:32:09.440
We don't like to do hard things.
00:32:09.920 --> 00:32:14.400
We want to stop doing it, we want to quit, we find the easy way out, we want the pain to stop.
00:32:14.559 --> 00:32:16.799
Can I have a Tylenol, please?
00:32:18.160 --> 00:32:18.799
Extra strength.
00:32:19.119 --> 00:32:19.680
But this is not real.
00:32:20.000 --> 00:32:20.880
Yeah, extra strength.
00:32:21.039 --> 00:32:22.319
Extra strength, Tylenol.
00:32:23.359 --> 00:32:24.720
This is not reality.
00:32:24.880 --> 00:32:37.119
Our world needs people who have gone through hard things and have been empowered by the Holy Spirit and are forged with his strength to stand up under the weight of the world and say, I'm not going anywhere.
00:32:37.279 --> 00:32:47.920
I've been forged by the Holy Spirit, I can be counted on, I can be dependent on, and the world needs us and your community, and your workplace, and your families.
00:32:48.640 --> 00:32:52.400
Our world needs pillars in the temple of God.
00:32:53.039 --> 00:32:57.839
Jesus is in the business of making pillars, and that includes you.
00:32:59.519 --> 00:33:00.799
And pillars are beautiful.
00:33:01.039 --> 00:33:05.599
I showed the pictures of Groat Kirk, and the pillars are beautiful.
00:33:05.759 --> 00:33:10.240
They're not just big, but they have scribings on it and artistic things.
00:33:10.319 --> 00:33:15.839
You if you go around and look at other churches, they have incredible, ornate decorations.
00:33:16.480 --> 00:33:23.039
We can be strong and beautiful, and that's what God is doing in this place, in you.
00:33:27.599 --> 00:33:30.480
The fourth ingredient is settled stability.
00:33:32.640 --> 00:33:36.640
Verse 12 The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God.
00:33:36.880 --> 00:33:39.680
Never shall he go out of it.
00:33:39.920 --> 00:33:42.079
Pillars don't move.
00:33:43.440 --> 00:33:45.440
We are not going anywhere.
00:33:45.680 --> 00:33:47.039
A pillar is stable.
00:33:47.200 --> 00:33:50.559
It's set where it's set, and it never moves again.
00:33:50.960 --> 00:33:53.359
Some of you have this transient lifestyle.
00:33:53.440 --> 00:34:00.240
You hear you're constantly moving, you feel exhausted, you're always on the move, you're always running around, and life is exhausting.
00:34:00.559 --> 00:34:03.920
Catching our breath seems impossible.
00:34:04.160 --> 00:34:06.079
We feel, if you ask people, how are you feeling?
00:34:06.160 --> 00:34:10.719
Oh, I just feel chaotic, I feel untethered, unmoored, I feel adrift.
00:34:10.800 --> 00:34:13.119
I just, you know, I'm all over the place.
00:34:14.000 --> 00:34:16.320
This is our interior world.
00:34:17.599 --> 00:34:19.679
And when when people ask, how are you doing?
00:34:19.760 --> 00:34:24.480
If this is your relationship with Jesus, well, a lot of times it'll depend on your current circumstances.
00:34:24.639 --> 00:34:25.920
How's your relationship with Jesus?
00:34:26.079 --> 00:34:29.519
You think, oh, it's terrible right now because circumstances are hard.
00:34:30.800 --> 00:34:32.800
But not so with a pillar.
00:34:33.039 --> 00:34:35.199
A pillar doesn't move.
00:34:35.360 --> 00:34:45.840
Circumstances, rain or shine, wind, difficulty, Republican or Democrat in the presidency doesn't move.
00:34:46.719 --> 00:34:48.639
The political climate, we stay there.
00:34:48.800 --> 00:34:53.519
Technological advances, the painful aging process, they don't move that.
00:34:53.679 --> 00:34:55.360
That pillar stays right there.
00:34:56.079 --> 00:34:58.880
This is it is unmoving in the temple of God.
00:34:59.039 --> 00:35:05.920
There is a stability, a dependability, settledness we long for in our world today.
00:35:06.159 --> 00:35:08.639
Where we just want something stable.
00:35:08.800 --> 00:35:10.800
God is doing that in our lives.
00:35:11.440 --> 00:35:14.880
Here's what I mean by settled stability.
00:35:15.039 --> 00:35:16.639
I mean a couple of things here.
00:35:16.880 --> 00:35:27.280
A few of us come in believing that uh I have to do exactly right, or God is going to kick me out of his temple.
00:35:27.440 --> 00:35:38.880
And we if we read that word rock, we think of God taking a like walking around a river, picking up a skipping rock, just ready for us to make a mistake so he can chuck that rock out of here and get out of here.
00:35:39.199 --> 00:35:41.280
That's not what God does at all.
00:35:41.760 --> 00:35:47.840
God is building a foundation of a temple, and you're, when you say yes to Jesus, you're in.
00:35:48.239 --> 00:35:50.719
You are in that building.
00:35:50.880 --> 00:35:52.480
You're not going anywhere.
00:35:52.639 --> 00:35:53.519
You can count.
00:35:53.679 --> 00:35:56.000
If you say yes to Jesus, you're in.
00:35:56.320 --> 00:35:57.119
He loves you.
00:35:57.280 --> 00:36:00.480
He's not looking for some little mistake to kick you out.
00:36:00.800 --> 00:36:03.360
He invested in you so much, he died for you.
00:36:03.440 --> 00:36:05.440
He doesn't want you going anywhere.
00:36:05.760 --> 00:36:06.880
You're right where that is.
00:36:07.119 --> 00:36:08.639
You can count on him.
00:36:09.199 --> 00:36:10.800
You can count on it.
00:36:11.119 --> 00:36:11.920
It's stable.
00:36:12.000 --> 00:36:13.599
Your faith in Jesus is stable.
00:36:13.760 --> 00:36:15.440
He's not looking to move you.
00:36:16.079 --> 00:36:19.199
The other thing we have is there's a stability in our life.
00:36:19.360 --> 00:36:21.679
As I mentioned, we just kind of feel all over the place.
00:36:21.840 --> 00:36:25.840
But when we do, we can be reminded we are rooted and grounded in Jesus.
00:36:26.000 --> 00:36:30.880
When life gets chaotic, we can say, no, I am rooted in Christ.
00:36:31.039 --> 00:36:32.960
I'm not going anywhere.
00:36:33.199 --> 00:36:36.239
I have stability, dependability in Him.
00:36:36.480 --> 00:36:38.719
He is faithful, and I can stay right here.
00:36:38.960 --> 00:36:41.360
This is what I mean by settled stability.
00:36:42.639 --> 00:36:45.920
Maybe you've tried to move a big rock in your garden.
00:36:46.159 --> 00:36:52.400
You know that that rock, you move a couple of shovels and you go, listen, honey, that rock is staying right there.
00:36:52.480 --> 00:36:54.000
We're gonna work around it.
00:36:54.239 --> 00:36:55.440
That's what's happening.
00:36:55.519 --> 00:36:58.239
You're not going anywhere.
00:36:59.199 --> 00:37:00.159
This is us.
00:37:00.320 --> 00:37:01.440
We are in Christ.
00:37:01.599 --> 00:37:03.280
We are not going anywhere.
00:37:03.599 --> 00:37:06.559
And just as Jesus spoke to Peter, you are a rock.
00:37:06.800 --> 00:37:10.880
Jesus tells us this morning, we are a rock.
00:37:11.119 --> 00:37:14.880
He is building his temple through us.
00:37:15.360 --> 00:37:17.039
We become a part of that.
00:37:17.280 --> 00:37:19.599
We become a pillar in his temple.
00:37:20.480 --> 00:37:22.559
To close this out, I want to read the rest of the passage.
00:37:22.639 --> 00:37:27.039
It says this the one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God.
00:37:27.199 --> 00:37:28.559
Never shall he go out of it.
00:37:28.639 --> 00:37:38.639
And I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.
00:37:38.880 --> 00:37:43.199
The fifth ingredient is that it has a new name.
00:37:43.360 --> 00:37:44.079
That's next week.
00:37:44.239 --> 00:37:45.760
Come on back next week.
00:37:46.000 --> 00:37:47.360
It's gonna be good.
00:37:47.920 --> 00:37:51.039
You have the name of God written on you.
00:37:51.199 --> 00:37:53.840
How incredible is that! We'll talk about that.
00:37:54.079 --> 00:37:55.760
But that's next week's conversation.
00:37:56.000 --> 00:37:59.119
So, how do we practice being a pillar in the temple of God?
00:37:59.280 --> 00:38:00.719
How do we what do we do this week?
00:38:00.880 --> 00:38:02.559
Well, this is what I want you to do.
00:38:03.199 --> 00:38:14.159
I want you to notice when you start getting tired, when you get cranky, irritable, frustrated, confused, I want you to go to a pillar in your house.
00:38:14.320 --> 00:38:21.360
Somewhere there's a wall that's holding up other parts of your house, I want you to go to that wall and just lean on it.
00:38:21.760 --> 00:38:23.679
And just be reminded.
00:38:24.079 --> 00:38:28.639
I can lean on Jesus just like I'm leaning on this table.
00:38:29.280 --> 00:38:32.880
And he is making me a pillar through this process.
00:38:33.039 --> 00:38:46.960
I might be frustrated right now, I might be confused, but I, if I lean on Jesus and put my faith and trust in him, I too will be made faithful, dependable, and trustworthy, and beautiful.
00:38:47.280 --> 00:38:48.719
Jesus will do that in our life.
00:38:48.800 --> 00:38:49.519
He empowers us.
00:38:49.599 --> 00:38:52.800
So go to that wall and just lean on it.
00:38:52.880 --> 00:38:58.079
Just give it a little nudge and sit there for a minute and be reminded that Jesus can be counted on.
00:38:58.320 --> 00:38:59.760
He is our pillar.
00:39:00.800 --> 00:39:07.119
Some of you look at your life this morning, as I mentioned, and you don't feel like a pillar.
00:39:07.360 --> 00:39:09.119
You are exhausted.
00:39:09.760 --> 00:39:15.360
You feel like uh you are a flower that has been stamped and trampled upon.
00:39:15.519 --> 00:39:18.159
Maybe you're a mat that's been walked over.
00:39:19.760 --> 00:39:28.239
My hope this morning is that you hear the voice of Jesus calling to you that he conquered sin and death.
00:39:28.719 --> 00:39:30.239
He beat the grave.
00:39:30.480 --> 00:39:39.039
He came to this earth, lived the perfect life, died on a cross, then beat the grave by rising again.
00:39:39.679 --> 00:39:44.159
He walked in love and faithful obedience to his father.
00:39:44.480 --> 00:39:46.639
He conquered the enemy.
00:39:47.119 --> 00:39:49.840
We too can be conquerors through Jesus.
00:39:50.000 --> 00:39:54.800
And just like Jesus looked at Peter and said, You're not just Simon, you're Peter.
00:39:55.119 --> 00:39:56.400
You're a rock.
00:39:57.199 --> 00:40:00.079
Jesus is looking at you saying, You're more than a conqueror.
00:40:00.719 --> 00:40:03.679
You can conquer sin and death through me.
00:40:03.920 --> 00:40:07.360
Put your faith and hope and trust in me, and I'll take care of the rest.
00:40:07.599 --> 00:40:09.840
Jesus is inviting you this morning.
00:40:10.000 --> 00:40:15.920
You can lean on him in these difficult moments, and he will give you strength to get through this moment.
00:40:16.480 --> 00:40:20.639
You can do hard things when the Holy Spirit powers you through it.
00:40:21.920 --> 00:40:23.760
This is great news today.
00:40:24.400 --> 00:40:25.519
This is great news.
00:40:26.000 --> 00:40:26.800
Let's pray.
00:40:28.079 --> 00:40:34.400
Jesus, thank you for conquering the grave.
00:40:34.880 --> 00:40:41.039
And you did it by love, joyful obedience of your father, humility.
00:40:42.559 --> 00:40:44.400
You did it through suffering.
00:40:45.920 --> 00:40:48.239
You did it through service.
00:40:49.360 --> 00:40:52.239
God, you conquered all of that on our behalf.
00:40:52.400 --> 00:40:59.199
And today we can join you in that victory by putting our faith and trust in you, by giving you our life.
00:40:59.440 --> 00:41:01.599
And God, you're changing us and molding us.
00:41:01.679 --> 00:41:07.039
And some of us need to be reminded this morning that we are you are enough for us.
00:41:07.360 --> 00:41:11.840
Whatever we're going through, we can put our trust and faith in you, even if it's hard.
00:41:12.480 --> 00:41:17.920
Even if it's hard, we can experience your joy, your grace, your kindness.
00:41:18.719 --> 00:41:20.400
God, we need you today.
00:41:21.119 --> 00:41:22.159
We need you today.
00:41:22.320 --> 00:41:22.960
In your name.
00:41:23.199 --> 00:41:23.840
Amen.
00:41:24.320 --> 00:41:26.239
We have a couple of discussion questions.
00:41:26.480 --> 00:41:31.039
Number one, what do you think it looks like to be a pillar in the temple of God today?
00:41:31.199 --> 00:41:31.840
What does that mean?
00:41:32.000 --> 00:41:33.360
I'm talking about being a pillar.
00:41:33.599 --> 00:41:37.199
Pastors can use all this Christian language that nobody really understands.
00:41:37.440 --> 00:41:41.920
In your small group, define what I'm saying by this Christianese language.
00:41:42.000 --> 00:41:44.559
What does it mean to be a pillar in the temple of God today?
00:41:44.719 --> 00:41:45.840
Talk about that.
00:41:46.079 --> 00:41:50.800
And where do you rely on your own strength rather than in God's strength?
00:41:51.119 --> 00:41:56.159
Where are you trying to be God and saying, no, no, I got this, instead of leaning on Jesus?
00:41:56.400 --> 00:41:57.840
Those are our discussion questions.
00:41:58.000 --> 00:42:00.639
As a reminder, we have prayer teams in the back.
00:42:00.800 --> 00:42:01.760
I'm happy to pray for you.
00:42:01.920 --> 00:42:03.679
Pastor Nick is happy to pray for you.
00:42:04.079 --> 00:42:05.440
We believe in the power of prayer here.
00:42:05.599 --> 00:42:10.159
Let me give you a prayer of blessing as you go, and we can enjoy the weekend.
00:42:10.960 --> 00:42:13.199
The Lord bless you and keep you.
00:42:13.679 --> 00:42:16.880
The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you.
00:42:17.119 --> 00:42:20.159
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
00:42:20.480 --> 00:42:22.800
Intersection, you are loved.
00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:07.200
I wanted to mention that this past week I went to my mailbox and in my mailbox was the current.
00:00:07.519 --> 00:00:16.399
And in the current, staring back at me on the front of the current was our distinguished Pastor Emeritus and my father, Gary Hebden.
00:00:17.039 --> 00:00:17.679
Yes.
00:00:18.399 --> 00:00:20.000
Here's a little picture of him.
00:00:20.160 --> 00:00:24.559
And then if you open up the current, the very first page is a full write-up.
00:00:24.879 --> 00:00:30.719
And if you've met, if you heard my dad preach, you know he's gonna know the stop sign and just blow right past it.
00:00:30.960 --> 00:00:34.960
And in true form, it took up more than one page for my dad.
00:00:35.039 --> 00:00:38.960
He just blew right past that page and went into a second half.
00:00:39.119 --> 00:00:48.479
But my bringing up is the reason I bring it up is because it does have a picture of him right about here with the cross behind it, and he talks about our church, and it really is a beautiful story.
00:00:48.640 --> 00:01:02.479
He is ministering, he's in charge of the one of the barns at the fair, and it's talking about uh just his journey and how he's participating in that, and just a beautiful story about what God does and is how it continues to use him, and he's a part of our congregation.
00:01:02.560 --> 00:01:11.760
So take a look at the current, see what it says, and it's a reminder to me, too, that when we retire, God isn't done with us yet.
00:01:12.079 --> 00:01:14.560
He's still active and participating.
00:01:14.719 --> 00:01:24.959
When we're retired, God still has a calling on our life, and then maybe that is serving at the fair, which I know many of you have been recruited by him uh to do that, so thank you.
00:01:25.040 --> 00:01:30.879
Uh, but also it could be meals on wheels, hometown hero, union gospel, serving in a school.
00:01:31.040 --> 00:01:35.599
There's all kinds of places that uh we're serving and active, and praise Jesus for that.
00:01:35.760 --> 00:01:36.480
Praise Jesus for that.
00:01:36.560 --> 00:01:37.840
Anyway, take a look at the current.
00:01:37.920 --> 00:01:45.760
It really was uh just a great article, so and proud to have him as our former retired pastor emeritus, and of course my father.
00:01:45.840 --> 00:01:47.760
So, Dad, thanks for doing that.
00:01:48.079 --> 00:01:54.640
Um speaking of my father, several years ago, oh by the way, I didn't introduce myself.
00:01:54.719 --> 00:01:55.599
My name's Isaac.
00:01:55.680 --> 00:01:58.000
I'm the lead, I'm the lead pastor.
00:01:58.159 --> 00:01:59.519
If you're new, welcome.
00:01:59.680 --> 00:02:01.359
You are among incredible people.
00:02:01.519 --> 00:02:02.799
It's just a joy to have you here.
00:02:02.879 --> 00:02:04.000
I mean that sincerely.
00:02:04.159 --> 00:02:10.560
Uh several years ago, my dad took a group of us to from the church to Israel.
00:02:10.800 --> 00:02:15.840
And on our way, we had a rather long layover in Amsterdam.
00:02:16.159 --> 00:02:21.120
And so we took a day tour of Amsterdam, of the city.
00:02:21.280 --> 00:02:24.400
It was incredible, just a great time, very memorable.
00:02:24.560 --> 00:02:29.199
And one of our stops along the way was in a neighboring city called Harlem.
00:02:29.520 --> 00:02:32.719
And in Harlem, we visited the most incredible church.
00:02:32.879 --> 00:02:35.120
It's called the Groat Kirk.
00:02:35.360 --> 00:02:36.479
Kirk is the word for church.
00:02:36.639 --> 00:02:39.360
Groat Kirk, I think we have a picture of the outside of it.
00:02:39.520 --> 00:02:42.639
And uh so here's a here's a church outside in Harlem.
00:02:42.879 --> 00:02:44.479
We went in and we walked around.
00:02:44.639 --> 00:02:50.639
The church, this church was built in 1307 and is absolutely stunning.
00:02:50.879 --> 00:02:55.599
Now, when you there's a few things that were memorable for me when I went into this church.
00:02:55.759 --> 00:03:02.800
The first thing is you're walking on the floor, and what's the floor is marked by where people are buried.
00:03:02.960 --> 00:03:09.199
So the slabs of stone you're walking on have names of people who are buried directly beneath you.
00:03:09.280 --> 00:03:12.960
This is the town cemetery from centuries ago.
00:03:13.120 --> 00:03:14.159
And it was memorable.
00:03:14.319 --> 00:03:16.159
You just, you know, forget something like that.
00:03:16.400 --> 00:03:27.599
The other thing I thought was interesting about this church is they had a spot on the church wall of the tallest person who'd ever come in and the shortest person who'd ever come in, and it had their name and when they appeared.
00:03:27.759 --> 00:03:29.039
And I thought, well, that was interesting.
00:03:29.120 --> 00:03:31.039
You know, we're gonna mark all kinds of things on a church.
00:03:31.120 --> 00:03:33.360
We're gonna they mark the tallest and the shortest.
00:03:33.520 --> 00:03:35.199
I just thought that was interesting.
00:03:35.439 --> 00:03:39.280
Um, but the other thing that we noticed is the beauty of the place.
00:03:39.520 --> 00:03:41.360
Remarkable, remarkable.
00:03:41.520 --> 00:03:45.599
We walked around and we have a couple pictures of the pillars in this church.
00:03:45.759 --> 00:03:49.840
Inside the church, there are these remarkable, massive pillars.
00:03:50.000 --> 00:03:53.599
They are huge and they hold up this incredible building.
00:03:53.840 --> 00:03:56.800
And so you just walk around and you see these pillars.
00:03:57.599 --> 00:04:00.159
And you've seen structures like this.
00:04:00.479 --> 00:04:04.000
Pillars hold up the ceiling, the overhang.
00:04:04.159 --> 00:04:09.199
And in order to do this, these pillars themselves must be strong.
00:04:09.439 --> 00:04:14.960
If the pillars are weak, they will crumble and everything else will crumble and fall.
00:04:15.280 --> 00:04:19.600
Weak pillars result in destruction and pain.
00:04:20.399 --> 00:04:25.279
If a pillar is not strong and stable, the structure won't stand.
00:04:25.519 --> 00:04:34.160
So over the next few weeks, we're gonna be exploring the invitation of Jesus to make his people pillars in the temple of God.
00:04:34.399 --> 00:04:37.040
Jackson just read that this is possible.
00:04:37.439 --> 00:04:42.240
The way that we're gonna do this is by exploring a man named Peter.
00:04:42.480 --> 00:04:45.360
Peter means rock or rocky.
00:04:45.839 --> 00:04:49.439
He didn't start out as a pillar, but became a pillar.
00:04:49.519 --> 00:04:53.920
His birth name was Simon, and Jesus changed his name.
00:04:54.160 --> 00:05:02.399
So we're beginning a series called Pillar Principles, which comes from an idea by a pastor named Jack Hayford in a book called Blessing, The Power and Blessing.
00:05:02.480 --> 00:05:04.720
And I just need to give credit where credit is due.
00:05:04.959 --> 00:05:10.240
Side note, you may wonder why I quote people or say people's names or give credit where credit is due.
00:05:10.399 --> 00:05:13.680
I don't think I've ever explained that, and you should know why I do that.
00:05:13.920 --> 00:05:16.240
I have two primary reasons for doing it.
00:05:16.639 --> 00:05:29.279
Many years ago, I was in a group of meeting with young pastors and a kind of a nationally known pastor, and one of my friends said something that the nationally known speaker liked, and he said, Oh, I really like that.
00:05:29.439 --> 00:05:34.000
He said, The first time I'm gonna use I use that, I'm gonna give you credit.
00:05:34.319 --> 00:05:41.839
The second time I'm gonna say I heard a person say, the third time it just becomes of my stew, and I'm gonna say it and not quote you ever again.
00:05:42.000 --> 00:05:45.360
And I thought, well, that doesn't seem very fair.
00:05:45.600 --> 00:05:48.160
That doesn't seem like a person of much integrity.
00:05:48.319 --> 00:05:49.360
And I just didn't like that.
00:05:49.519 --> 00:05:52.319
So I I'm I'm gonna give credit where credit is due.
00:05:52.480 --> 00:05:56.639
I wanna give these aren't my ideas, so I want to give credit to somebody's bright idea.
00:05:56.879 --> 00:06:04.560
The other reason I'm gonna mention it is hopefully if I mention people, some of you may go back and say, Oh, this Dallas Willard guy may check him out.
00:06:04.720 --> 00:06:07.600
I may read Eugene Peterson, Kate Bowler, N.
00:06:07.680 --> 00:06:07.759
T.
00:06:07.920 --> 00:06:08.720
Wright, C.S.
00:06:08.800 --> 00:06:09.199
Lewis.
00:06:09.279 --> 00:06:14.079
You may, if I say their names enough, some of you may be interested and go back and read them.
00:06:14.319 --> 00:06:15.600
I would love that.
00:06:16.160 --> 00:06:23.199
No, not just so you know, if I quote somebody, that doesn't mean I agree completely with them, but it's just to spur us on.
00:06:23.360 --> 00:06:29.120
So that's why I quote people and reference it because I want to be a person of integrity and be honest about that.
00:06:29.199 --> 00:06:33.040
And the other thing is, hopefully you'll be encouraged to go read some of those people.
00:06:33.279 --> 00:06:35.839
All right, so let's get back to Peter.
00:06:36.160 --> 00:06:45.839
We're looking at Peter and his transformation from a person who is often concerned about his own interests to become a pillar in the church.
00:06:46.319 --> 00:06:51.680
Who, is there anybody who'd say, Peter, ah, I just don't think he's that important to what we believe.
00:06:51.839 --> 00:06:56.879
You know, he's he's kind of a, we hear about him, he's famous, but did he do anything?
00:06:57.040 --> 00:06:59.439
No, no, Peter is critical to us.
00:06:59.680 --> 00:07:03.759
And many of us we see his mistakes in ourselves.
00:07:04.000 --> 00:07:07.040
One person called Peter, and every man.
00:07:07.439 --> 00:07:09.040
He represents all of us.
00:07:09.279 --> 00:07:14.560
He is similar to that fictional hero we all love, Rocky.
00:07:15.279 --> 00:07:16.560
Same name.
00:07:16.879 --> 00:07:26.560
Rocky went from an unpolished, undeveloped individual who, under the training of the master, became the world champion.
00:07:26.959 --> 00:07:38.079
Simon spent time with Jesus, he is transformed into a new creation, and he too is named Peter, Rocky, and becomes a pillar.
00:07:39.040 --> 00:07:41.680
Let's start with the beginning.
00:07:42.560 --> 00:07:48.399
Uh, one day, Jesus is in one day in the Judean wilderness.
00:07:48.560 --> 00:07:52.800
Jesus goes to his cousin John the Baptist and wants to be baptized.
00:07:52.959 --> 00:07:55.680
John the Baptist says, Okay, baptize Jesus.
00:07:55.920 --> 00:08:00.079
The next day, Jesus starts inviting people to follow him.
00:08:00.720 --> 00:08:06.319
And we're told this in John 1 40, verse 40 through John 1, 40 through 42.
00:08:06.800 --> 00:08:14.160
One of the two who heard John the Baptist speak and follow Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.
00:08:14.399 --> 00:08:19.120
He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, We have found the Messiah, which means Christ.
00:08:19.360 --> 00:08:20.720
He brought him to Jesus.
00:08:20.879 --> 00:08:25.279
Jesus looked at him and said, You are Simon, the son of John.
00:08:25.839 --> 00:08:29.600
You shall be called Cephas, which means Peter.
00:08:31.040 --> 00:08:35.600
Verse 42 says, Jesus looked at Simon.
00:08:37.440 --> 00:08:38.559
He looked at him.
00:08:39.440 --> 00:08:40.480
He noticed him.
00:08:40.720 --> 00:08:43.519
You could say he saw him intently.
00:08:44.080 --> 00:08:49.519
And when Jesus looks at Peter, he says, You are Simon's son of John.
00:08:50.480 --> 00:08:52.559
You're going to be called Rocky.
00:08:53.200 --> 00:08:57.360
Now, if you're a Rocky fan, instantly the chimes are starting in your head.
00:09:00.399 --> 00:09:01.600
Gonna fly now?
00:09:01.840 --> 00:09:02.720
That should be going.
00:09:02.799 --> 00:09:03.679
That's the moment.
00:09:03.840 --> 00:09:07.440
This is an epic moment in Peter's life.
00:09:10.000 --> 00:09:21.519
And when Jesus encounters Peter, he saw beyond the external person of who Simon was, and he says, I know what's inside of you, and inside of you is a rock.
00:09:21.840 --> 00:09:27.440
We're gonna draw that out over the next few years, and you're gonna be renamed Rocky or Peter.
00:09:28.720 --> 00:09:36.240
Now, many, my tendency is to say, Well, yeah, Peter became a rock, became a pillar.
00:09:36.559 --> 00:09:39.919
He's Peter, of course he's awesome.
00:09:40.720 --> 00:09:43.679
I I and I think I could never become Peter.
00:09:43.840 --> 00:09:44.720
I'm not Peter.
00:09:44.879 --> 00:09:46.399
I could never do what he did.
00:09:46.480 --> 00:09:49.440
And the obvious response is, well, yeah, no, I'm not Peter.
00:09:49.600 --> 00:09:53.759
I'm Isaac, and I live in the Spokane Valley in 2026.
00:09:53.919 --> 00:09:59.919
I am not Peter, but that doesn't, and it wasn't my assignment to be Peter.
00:10:00.159 --> 00:10:14.480
That doesn't mean that Jesus doesn't look at me and see be the on the external, five foot nine, red hair, pasty white, and say, There's something inside of you that I'm gonna make a pillar.
00:10:15.120 --> 00:10:17.759
And he looks the same at you.
00:10:18.159 --> 00:10:23.279
He looks at you and tells you, you too are significant.
00:10:23.519 --> 00:10:28.159
You are valuable, you have a God-given purpose.
00:10:28.399 --> 00:10:30.879
You too can become a pillar.
00:10:31.120 --> 00:10:36.080
In fact, Peter would later write this important phrase in 1 Peter 2, 4 through 5.
00:10:36.240 --> 00:10:38.159
Peter writes a letter to a church.
00:10:38.399 --> 00:10:39.519
Notice the language here.
00:10:39.600 --> 00:10:49.679
He says, As you come to Jesus, a living stone rejected by men, but in the sight of God, chosen and precious, he says, Jesus was a stone.
00:10:50.399 --> 00:11:03.120
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.
00:11:03.440 --> 00:11:10.720
Peter, the rock, says that the one who he follows is a living stone, and we too become stones.
00:11:11.840 --> 00:11:13.120
We become living stones.
00:11:13.200 --> 00:11:18.639
And then as we become stones, what happens is we become part of the temple of God.
00:11:19.120 --> 00:11:22.960
We become the place where God himself is housed.
00:11:23.120 --> 00:11:28.879
We, right here, us as a people, are where God lives and resides and dwells.
00:11:29.200 --> 00:11:33.200
How incredible is that! That's amazing.
00:11:33.919 --> 00:11:39.120
And just like Peter becomes a living stone, we get that opportunity as well.
00:11:40.080 --> 00:11:42.240
We too become rocks.
00:11:42.480 --> 00:11:43.840
It's not just Peter.
00:11:45.279 --> 00:11:48.320
Then in Revelation, Jesus takes it a step further.
00:11:48.639 --> 00:11:51.120
Revelation 3 12, Jackson read it for us.
00:11:51.360 --> 00:11:56.000
The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God.
00:11:56.559 --> 00:12:07.679
Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven and my own new name.
00:12:08.480 --> 00:12:12.639
Not only do we become the rocks of the temple, but we become the pillars.
00:12:12.799 --> 00:12:18.399
We become these massive structures that hold up the ceiling that people rely on.
00:12:19.039 --> 00:12:21.039
We become pillars in the temple.
00:12:21.279 --> 00:12:24.960
Now you may come in this morning not feeling like a pillar.
00:12:25.279 --> 00:12:29.519
You may come in not feeling stable or solid like a rock.
00:12:29.679 --> 00:12:32.799
You come in and you just feel exhausted and tired.
00:12:33.039 --> 00:12:37.919
You walk in this morning full of anxiety, frustration, anguish.
00:12:38.399 --> 00:12:42.559
You you're maybe you're listening online and you feel insecure.
00:12:42.879 --> 00:12:45.120
You don't believe you have value.
00:12:45.840 --> 00:12:49.279
You you've listened to the lies of the enemy who says you're just not important.
00:12:49.440 --> 00:12:50.080
People don't love you.
00:12:50.240 --> 00:12:51.679
People don't even see you.
00:12:52.159 --> 00:12:53.919
You've people don't pay attention.
00:12:54.080 --> 00:12:55.759
Maybe that's where you're at this morning.
00:12:55.919 --> 00:13:02.480
You come in this morning, unable to make up your mind, you're just feeling like you're trampled on or unvalued.
00:13:02.720 --> 00:13:08.159
But catch this Peter looked, Jesus, I'm sorry, Jesus looked at Peter intently.
00:13:08.480 --> 00:13:11.759
And just as Jesus did that with Peter, he does the same to us.
00:13:12.320 --> 00:13:14.559
You two are a pillar in his temple.
00:13:14.720 --> 00:13:16.879
You were invited into this journey with him.
00:13:17.360 --> 00:13:26.240
So we before we go too much further, though, we have to spend a couple of moments on that critical word in here where Jesus says, the one who conquers.
00:13:26.720 --> 00:13:29.679
We have to ask, what does it mean to conquer?
00:13:31.120 --> 00:13:34.799
Well, when we think of conquer, oftentimes we think of a nation to nation.
00:13:34.879 --> 00:13:47.519
So maybe you think of the Soviet Union rolling in and eating up most of Eastern Europe and oppressing people and putting them under their subjection, claiming that property, those people as their own.
00:13:48.000 --> 00:13:58.960
Perhaps closer to home, we might think of the Native Americans and how they were conquered by the early American settlers, brutal wars, brutal treatment of the Native Americans.
00:13:59.279 --> 00:14:02.720
And this is what conquering looks like forced subjection.
00:14:02.960 --> 00:14:04.080
Forced submission.
00:14:04.320 --> 00:14:08.320
Somebody takes over and says, you will do exactly as I say.
00:14:08.720 --> 00:14:19.759
Or maybe in our cultural climate, conquering looks like your preferred politician winning and you sticking it in the nose of everybody who voted for the other person.
00:14:20.639 --> 00:14:31.440
Maybe it's celebrating the demise of politicians while other, while neglecting to mention that your side of the aisle has the same set of narcissism and corruption as the other side.
00:14:31.519 --> 00:14:33.440
You just don't mention that part.
00:14:34.320 --> 00:14:39.759
Maybe it's taking a little bit more time, a little bit more for yourself when you really have enough.
00:14:39.919 --> 00:14:45.440
You have enough, we think, ah, I might use it, and other people go home hungry or go home without enough.
00:14:51.440 --> 00:14:55.360
This is not conquering in God's kingdom.
00:14:55.600 --> 00:14:58.000
That's the conquering of this world.
00:14:58.240 --> 00:15:01.200
So what does it mean to conquer in God's kingdom?
00:15:01.679 --> 00:15:03.840
Revelation 3, 21.
00:15:04.720 --> 00:15:10.879
The one who conquers, I will grant to him to sit with me on my throne.
00:15:11.039 --> 00:15:15.919
And Jesus says, as I also conquered and sat down with my father on his throne.
00:15:16.159 --> 00:15:18.159
Well, Jesus said he conquered.
00:15:18.399 --> 00:15:20.240
Well, how did Jesus conquer?
00:15:20.480 --> 00:15:21.360
What did he do?
00:15:21.440 --> 00:15:22.399
What can we learn?
00:15:22.639 --> 00:15:30.159
And if you read Revelation 2 through 5, chapters 2 through 5, you see the word conquer over and over and over and over again.
00:15:30.320 --> 00:15:32.320
It's an important word in Revelation.
00:15:32.559 --> 00:15:34.320
What does it mean to conquer?
00:15:35.200 --> 00:15:36.720
Well, this is what Jesus did.
00:15:36.799 --> 00:15:38.720
If he said he conquered, this is what Jesus did.
00:15:38.879 --> 00:15:41.039
Philippians 2, 5 through 9.
00:15:41.279 --> 00:16:03.279
Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men, and being found in human form, he humbled himself by being obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
00:16:03.519 --> 00:16:06.799
Therefore, God highly exalted him.
00:16:07.519 --> 00:16:17.600
Conquering in God's kingdom looks like obedience, looks like service, it looks like humility, looks like love, it looks like suffering.
00:16:17.840 --> 00:16:21.759
All of these things look like conquering in God's kingdom.
00:16:22.000 --> 00:16:36.159
So let me say it this way: Conquering in God's kingdom looks like a faithful, resilient, loving, joyful obedience to God and service to others, while being humble even in the face of suffering.
00:16:36.399 --> 00:16:38.320
This is what it means to conquer.
00:16:39.039 --> 00:16:41.919
This is not normal behavior.
00:16:42.879 --> 00:16:43.840
This is not normal.
00:16:43.919 --> 00:16:47.679
We don't look at, we don't look around and go, yeah, that's what the world looks like.
00:16:47.919 --> 00:16:50.799
Faithful, resilient, obedience in the faith of suffering.
00:16:51.200 --> 00:16:52.480
Yes, that's conquering.
00:16:52.720 --> 00:16:54.000
That's not normal.
00:16:54.320 --> 00:16:58.799
Victory looks like this in Jesus.
00:16:58.960 --> 00:17:00.080
This is what it looks like.
00:17:00.240 --> 00:17:08.559
So victory looks like joyful, loving obedience to God, knowing that our obedience to Him, He has our good in mind.
00:17:08.720 --> 00:17:10.160
That's what's happening here.
00:17:10.400 --> 00:17:16.720
So to say it in the context of our message this morning, this is what a pillar looks like.
00:17:17.200 --> 00:17:18.799
We know people who are pillars.
00:17:18.960 --> 00:17:20.799
If you say, oh, who's a pillar of faith?
00:17:21.039 --> 00:17:31.599
They probably look like faithful, resilient, loving people, obedient to God, and service to others while remaining humble even in the suffering.
00:17:31.759 --> 00:17:33.920
That's what a pillar would look like in our life.
00:17:34.240 --> 00:17:41.279
So we we have a few in my life, I have a few in my life that when my life gets bumpy, I turn to pillars of faith.
00:17:41.440 --> 00:17:42.559
You know who I'm calling?
00:17:42.799 --> 00:17:48.960
Calling people who have been through some stuff and remained obedient and joyful and service and kind and loving.
00:17:49.039 --> 00:17:53.839
I call my dad, Gary Kahn, Chris Hansler, Jeff Savage.
00:17:54.160 --> 00:17:58.480
I call these people who are individuals, they're pillars of faith.
00:17:58.640 --> 00:18:00.640
They've gone through some stuff.
00:18:00.960 --> 00:18:02.799
This is what we can become.
00:18:03.039 --> 00:18:05.039
This is what we're invited to.
00:18:05.519 --> 00:18:09.599
So, what does an ingredient of a pillar look like?
00:18:10.400 --> 00:18:13.359
Let me give four ingredients of a pillar.
00:18:13.599 --> 00:18:15.680
Number one, faith.
00:18:16.640 --> 00:18:20.640
In 1 John, John writes a letter to the church.
00:18:21.359 --> 00:18:26.640
John is the same person who writes about pillars in Revelation, same guy who wrote it.
00:18:26.720 --> 00:18:29.759
This is what John writes in 1 John 5, 4 through 5.
00:18:30.160 --> 00:18:38.319
For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world, and this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith.
00:18:38.559 --> 00:18:44.319
Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
00:18:46.799 --> 00:18:51.759
Now that word overcome is the same exact word I read earlier in Revelation, conquer.
00:18:51.920 --> 00:18:53.359
You could, it's the same thing.
00:18:53.519 --> 00:18:58.000
You could say this for everyone who has been born of God conquers the world.
00:18:58.319 --> 00:19:02.640
And this is the victory, by the way, for you shoe fans, that word victory is the word Nike.
00:19:02.880 --> 00:19:08.319
So this is the Nike that has conquered the world, our faith.
00:19:08.640 --> 00:19:10.960
So our faith is what has conquered.
00:19:11.279 --> 00:19:18.880
Because of Jesus, we are able to become pillars in the temple only through faith in Jesus.
00:19:19.119 --> 00:19:26.960
It's this idea of faith or belief, which has gotten so far afield from what Jesus and the New Testament writers meant.
00:19:27.680 --> 00:19:32.559
Belief or faith is not just something that we think is true.
00:19:32.960 --> 00:19:36.799
I think it's true that the moon orbits the earth.
00:19:37.359 --> 00:19:38.559
I don't care.
00:19:39.599 --> 00:19:42.319
Does it have some kind of ramification for my day?
00:19:42.559 --> 00:19:43.279
Probably.
00:19:43.519 --> 00:19:48.480
I look at it, it's got a sliver today or a full moon and has something to do with tides.
00:19:48.799 --> 00:19:52.319
Doesn't affect me day to day, it probably does, but I don't notice it.
00:19:52.480 --> 00:19:54.160
I don't spend a lot of time dealing with it.
00:19:54.319 --> 00:19:56.000
You can tell I didn't even look it up.
00:19:56.160 --> 00:19:57.119
I don't care.
00:19:59.119 --> 00:20:01.039
Do I believe it exists a situation?
00:20:01.200 --> 00:20:01.759
Yep.
00:20:02.000 --> 00:20:02.880
Don't care.
00:20:03.200 --> 00:20:05.440
That is not biblical faith.
00:20:06.559 --> 00:20:16.079
What John writes, that when John writes that we overcome or conquer the world through faith in or belief in Jesus, it means we give our lives to it.
00:20:16.319 --> 00:20:20.400
My life becomes utterly dependent on Jesus.
00:20:20.640 --> 00:20:24.400
We live in complete surrender and submission to Him.
00:20:24.799 --> 00:20:26.160
My life becomes Jesus.
00:20:26.319 --> 00:20:30.240
That's the kind of faith that Jesus is, that John is talking about in Jesus.
00:20:30.480 --> 00:20:38.960
So my hourly, my daily, hourly, minute by minute, I'm trying more and more to give my complete dependence on Jesus.
00:20:39.200 --> 00:20:40.799
Everything becomes impacted.
00:20:40.960 --> 00:20:45.440
The way I interact with you becomes impacted because of my belief in Jesus.
00:20:45.680 --> 00:20:52.559
So as we put our faith in Jesus, we discover that he continues to invite us closer and closer to him.
00:20:53.039 --> 00:20:58.720
And when he does that, it challenges who really is in control of my life.
00:20:58.880 --> 00:21:00.240
Have you experienced this?
00:21:00.400 --> 00:21:05.519
The closer I get to Jesus, the more I realize I really like being in charge of my life.
00:21:05.680 --> 00:21:07.599
And there's this wrestling tension.
00:21:07.759 --> 00:21:15.839
So when I experience hardship and trouble and difficulty, what's happening is if I'm paying attention, I'm learning who's in control of my life.
00:21:16.000 --> 00:21:24.400
Is it me and my way and my might and my wisdom, or in these tough moments, am I saying, no, I'm gonna utterly depend on Jesus.
00:21:24.640 --> 00:21:30.160
That's what faith does, is over time, hopefully, more and more I'm saying, no, less of me.
00:21:30.319 --> 00:21:37.519
I need to get out of this, stop relying on my own strength and wisdom or lack thereof, and rely on Jesus.
00:21:37.680 --> 00:21:39.200
That's what faith is.
00:21:39.680 --> 00:21:45.440
The problems we face daily in our lives expose who we believe in.
00:21:46.559 --> 00:21:51.759
When you face trials and tough times, who your God is exposed.
00:21:51.839 --> 00:21:55.440
And so we try more and more to see show that God is God.
00:21:55.519 --> 00:21:57.440
We rely on Him over time.
00:21:59.119 --> 00:22:01.200
Notice what John says it.
00:22:01.440 --> 00:22:04.880
He says that we put our faith in Jesus.
00:22:05.039 --> 00:22:09.839
He doesn't say you must have all the answers when you put your faith in Jesus.
00:22:10.160 --> 00:22:11.519
He doesn't say that.
00:22:11.839 --> 00:22:13.680
Some of us don't like that part.
00:22:13.839 --> 00:22:15.519
We want to know the answers.
00:22:15.680 --> 00:22:19.119
We want to know what's happening, but that's not what faith is.
00:22:19.759 --> 00:22:21.200
We want to know what's happening.
00:22:21.359 --> 00:22:22.559
We want to know what next step.
00:22:22.640 --> 00:22:23.920
We want to make sure we understand.
00:22:24.000 --> 00:22:24.880
We want to agree.
00:22:25.039 --> 00:22:27.680
We want to have all the ducks in row and in the order.
00:22:28.319 --> 00:22:32.799
The primary question is not what, how, when, why.
00:22:33.119 --> 00:22:36.000
The primary question of faith is who?
00:22:36.880 --> 00:22:37.839
That's it.
00:22:38.240 --> 00:22:40.240
Who's in control and it's Jesus?
00:22:40.400 --> 00:22:45.759
Some of us that when we start feeling the tension, it's because we want to be in charge and not God.
00:22:46.559 --> 00:22:51.839
Now, when we don't see the next step or the next answer, that's what faith is.
00:22:52.000 --> 00:22:55.200
Faith is I can't see what's next.
00:22:55.440 --> 00:22:56.240
That's what faith is.
00:22:56.400 --> 00:23:00.559
So I can, we can have all this knowledge, but I still don't know that's faith.
00:23:00.960 --> 00:23:03.519
Faith is not opposed to knowledge.
00:23:03.759 --> 00:23:07.599
We work really hard at knowing Jesus and knowing who he is.
00:23:07.839 --> 00:23:09.759
Faith is opposed to sight.
00:23:10.000 --> 00:23:15.759
So that, so what I mean by that is, I don't like it when people say, I'm gonna take a step of faith.
00:23:15.920 --> 00:23:18.960
I have no idea if there's anything out there, I'm just gonna take a wild step.
00:23:19.119 --> 00:23:20.079
That's not faith.
00:23:20.240 --> 00:23:22.799
Faith is rooted and grounded in knowledge.
00:23:23.039 --> 00:23:24.880
We just can't see the next step.
00:23:25.119 --> 00:23:29.200
And so because I have all this knowledge, I'm gonna believe that God has taken care of me.
00:23:29.680 --> 00:23:33.359
Some of us are going through hard things.
00:23:34.400 --> 00:23:46.559
And when you experience those hard things, you're learning to put your faith and trust in Jesus, saying, I can't see the next step, but I'm gonna rely on him and you're trusting Jesus to come through.
00:23:46.799 --> 00:23:53.759
What happens is you practice this idea of faith, you become a person strengthened by Jesus.
00:23:55.279 --> 00:24:02.400
I want to be a person whose house is built on people who have found strength in Jesus.
00:24:02.559 --> 00:24:08.079
I want to be a pillar who's gone through some stuff that has been tried and true.
00:24:08.319 --> 00:24:11.200
Faith in Jesus strengthens us over time.
00:24:11.359 --> 00:24:22.240
The longer we trust in Jesus, the more we go through life and stretch our faith muscles, trying to trust him more, the more we are able to stand firm and be relied upon.
00:24:22.319 --> 00:24:24.240
We'll talk about that in a couple minutes.
00:24:26.000 --> 00:24:33.279
Peter says this, 2 Peter 3.18, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
00:24:34.240 --> 00:24:37.519
Our faith grows as we practice this.
00:24:37.920 --> 00:24:47.519
We grow and we as we've tested and go through hard things, our faith expands and we become stronger as we learn to lean on Jesus more and more.
00:24:48.240 --> 00:24:51.200
Our faith is practice and develop and it grows.
00:24:51.440 --> 00:24:56.720
So, my point for you, if you walk in going, boy, I wish I had faith, my point is not to discourage you.
00:24:56.880 --> 00:24:59.200
Your faith will grow as you trust in Jesus.
00:24:59.440 --> 00:25:05.680
As you go through hard things and you rely on Him, your strength will begin to grow and expand.
00:25:06.160 --> 00:25:11.920
You will have, your faith will deepen as your reliance on Jesus expands.
00:25:12.240 --> 00:25:15.920
You have today the grace you need for today.
00:25:16.160 --> 00:25:18.319
You have what you need for right now.
00:25:18.480 --> 00:25:19.440
God is with you.
00:25:19.680 --> 00:25:24.160
Jesus said, if you have the faith of a mustard seed, you can move a mountain.
00:25:24.480 --> 00:25:29.279
I believe all of us in this room have the faith of a mustard seed because you're here.
00:25:29.519 --> 00:25:30.960
You're listening to this.
00:25:31.200 --> 00:25:32.160
You came here.
00:25:32.480 --> 00:25:35.680
You have enough faith to make it through the day.
00:25:36.000 --> 00:25:39.440
Then as you start practicing and growing, your faith will expand.
00:25:39.599 --> 00:25:40.160
All right.
00:25:40.640 --> 00:25:44.000
Ingredient number two: creative power.
00:25:44.240 --> 00:25:45.599
Revelation 3.12.
00:25:45.680 --> 00:25:50.640
The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God.
00:25:50.880 --> 00:25:53.839
Notice who the active agent is in the process.
00:25:54.240 --> 00:25:56.799
Jesus says, I will make him a pillar.
00:25:57.039 --> 00:25:59.359
Jesus is the one who does the transformation.
00:25:59.599 --> 00:26:03.680
Jesus is responsible for your growth and for fruit in your life.
00:26:03.839 --> 00:26:04.799
He will bring it.
00:26:05.039 --> 00:26:07.519
Now, we have a part to play.
00:26:07.680 --> 00:26:09.359
There are things that we do.
00:26:09.519 --> 00:26:21.279
We just like we tend the garden, you make up whatever, if you have peppers or fruit or a pumpkin, whatever it is you're growing, you have your element that you do, but you can't force that pumpkin to grow.
00:26:21.519 --> 00:26:23.519
It's gonna grow or not, and that comes from Jesus.
00:26:23.599 --> 00:26:28.880
So we have a part to play, but ultimately it is Jesus who makes the fruit happen.
00:26:29.200 --> 00:26:32.319
God is the one who brings about transformation in your life.
00:26:32.640 --> 00:26:41.200
We're gonna talk about this more in the weeks to come, but I keep coming back to this passage from Acts, and it's in Jesus says this in Acts 1.8.
00:26:41.759 --> 00:26:50.880
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria into the ends of the earth.
00:26:51.119 --> 00:26:59.359
The necessary power to be faithful witnesses who look like the people of God when it just isn't going well.
00:26:59.519 --> 00:27:02.480
That only is possible through the Holy Spirit.
00:27:02.640 --> 00:27:09.519
Only when the Holy Spirit comes upon us are we empowered to get through this life well and look like Jesus.
00:27:09.759 --> 00:27:14.880
It's when the Spirit of God gets involved in our life and we are baptized in the Holy Spirit.
00:27:15.039 --> 00:27:18.240
And by baptized I mean fully immersed.
00:27:18.480 --> 00:27:20.960
Means soaking wet, saturated.
00:27:21.119 --> 00:27:27.039
To be baptized in the Holy Spirit means every area of my life is soaking wet with the Holy Spirit.
00:27:27.279 --> 00:27:28.319
That's what's going on.
00:27:28.480 --> 00:27:33.519
And when that happens, that's when the Holy Spirit comes and changes us and shapes us and molds us.
00:27:33.599 --> 00:27:36.079
And he will do things we never expect.
00:27:36.720 --> 00:27:39.440
And he's so creative in the way he shaped us.
00:27:39.759 --> 00:27:46.079
I never expected to be standing here talking to you guys at 48 years old.
00:27:46.160 --> 00:27:47.519
I don't know what I expected.
00:27:47.680 --> 00:27:48.720
It wasn't this.
00:27:48.880 --> 00:27:52.799
And yet God is doing incredible things in and through this church.
00:27:53.200 --> 00:27:55.759
God is doing great things in your lives.
00:27:55.920 --> 00:28:06.240
The Holy Spirit is the active agent and he's pouring out love as you send out letters, as you love your community, God is doing great things, and it's because of his work through you.
00:28:07.039 --> 00:28:12.240
If we can do this life on our own, we do not need the Holy Spirit.
00:28:24.400 --> 00:28:27.440
The Holy Spirit is the one that powers us through those moments.
00:28:27.599 --> 00:28:36.960
Have you gone through a situation where after it was over, you experienced more love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, self-control?
00:28:37.039 --> 00:28:46.319
You went into a situation that you knew it was going to be bad, and you look back and go, somehow I just responded a little bit kinder than I really felt.
00:28:46.559 --> 00:28:49.200
Somehow the peace of God really went through that.
00:28:49.359 --> 00:28:51.759
Some of you are like, no, that has never happened to me.
00:28:51.920 --> 00:28:52.880
I can see it.
00:28:53.039 --> 00:28:57.759
Well, we will pray for the Holy Spirit to come and empower you because that's what the Holy Spirit does.
00:28:57.920 --> 00:29:00.400
Well, you get through a moment, you go, I don't know how I did it.
00:29:00.559 --> 00:29:10.319
Well, it's because the Holy Spirit gave you grace and pushed you through, propelled you through in his strength to respond in a way that looks like Jesus.
00:29:10.559 --> 00:29:12.720
This is the work of God through you.
00:29:13.759 --> 00:29:15.839
Jesus says, I will make a pillar.
00:29:16.000 --> 00:29:17.039
That's what's happening.
00:29:17.200 --> 00:29:23.680
As and the more we grow with Jesus, the way we walk with Jesus, we become to get shaped into a pillar.
00:29:24.000 --> 00:29:26.480
God is the active agent in your life.
00:29:26.640 --> 00:29:34.960
How incredible is this! God, the creator of the universe, is doing that in your life.
00:29:35.440 --> 00:29:37.839
And from up here, I can see it.
00:29:38.240 --> 00:29:40.160
I can see what God is doing in your lives.
00:29:40.240 --> 00:29:41.359
It's beautiful.
00:29:42.079 --> 00:29:45.599
Number three, formulated strength.
00:29:46.240 --> 00:29:52.640
I mentioned this earlier, but a pillar had better be strong or it is pointless if not destructive.
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Have you ever had a pillar that just collapsed and falls?
00:29:56.880 --> 00:29:58.960
Boy, that's dangerous.
00:29:59.759 --> 00:30:02.559
What Jesus tells us is that He is going to make us a pillar.
00:30:02.640 --> 00:30:04.960
So He's making us people of strength.
00:30:05.200 --> 00:30:06.880
He's making us dependable.
00:30:07.039 --> 00:30:10.640
You can count on a pillar to hold ground.
00:30:11.440 --> 00:30:22.240
Now you may not be feeling that this morning, but when you begin to follow Jesus, he begins to strengthen you even when life is hard.
00:30:23.039 --> 00:30:29.599
Even when it is hard and you have hard days, the Holy Spirit is shaping you and giving you strength.
00:30:29.839 --> 00:30:32.400
You can become to be dependable.
00:30:34.400 --> 00:30:47.200
When life gets hard, people will look to you to be pillars of strength in their life because they've seen you go through hard things and come out of it with joy and goodness and peace and love.
00:30:47.279 --> 00:30:52.480
And they'll say, I don't know what you did, but I want to lean against you for a while.
00:30:52.559 --> 00:30:54.160
I'm going to rely on your strength.
00:30:54.240 --> 00:30:56.640
I'm going to come, can you just sit here with you?
00:30:56.880 --> 00:31:00.960
Because you've become a pillar of strength to them through Jesus.
00:31:02.559 --> 00:31:08.400
This is, and when you go through hard times and you look like joy and peace and goodness, that's different than the world around us.
00:31:08.559 --> 00:31:18.000
When the world around us goes through hard times, they look like bitter, angry, resentful, short-tempered, or maybe apathetic, where they just go, I don't even care anymore.
00:31:18.319 --> 00:31:19.440
Which are you this morning?
00:31:19.680 --> 00:31:27.279
Angry, resentful, short-tempered, apathetic, or love, joy, peace, patience, goodness?
00:31:27.839 --> 00:31:28.960
Where are you this morning?
00:31:29.200 --> 00:31:35.680
Well, the Holy Spirit works in us to help us, to strengthen us.
00:31:37.359 --> 00:31:41.440
Our society does not like to do hard things anymore.
00:31:41.759 --> 00:31:44.160
I just use Chat GPT.
00:31:48.160 --> 00:31:53.200
We just, we go, ah boy, if I just had this program, I could just do it and move on.
00:31:53.839 --> 00:32:02.319
Um we we, if it's any kind of boredom, any kind of hardship, we go, ah, I'd rather not.
00:32:02.559 --> 00:32:03.759
It's hard.
00:32:04.079 --> 00:32:07.359
I could do it, but I'll let them do it.
00:32:07.519 --> 00:32:09.440
We don't like to do hard things.
00:32:09.920 --> 00:32:14.400
We want to stop doing it, we want to quit, we find the easy way out, we want the pain to stop.
00:32:14.559 --> 00:32:16.799
Can I have a Tylenol, please?
00:32:18.160 --> 00:32:18.799
Extra strength.
00:32:19.119 --> 00:32:19.680
But this is not real.
00:32:20.000 --> 00:32:20.880
Yeah, extra strength.
00:32:21.039 --> 00:32:22.319
Extra strength, Tylenol.
00:32:23.359 --> 00:32:24.720
This is not reality.
00:32:24.880 --> 00:32:37.119
Our world needs people who have gone through hard things and have been empowered by the Holy Spirit and are forged with his strength to stand up under the weight of the world and say, I'm not going anywhere.
00:32:37.279 --> 00:32:47.920
I've been forged by the Holy Spirit, I can be counted on, I can be dependent on, and the world needs us and your community, and your workplace, and your families.
00:32:48.640 --> 00:32:52.400
Our world needs pillars in the temple of God.
00:32:53.039 --> 00:32:57.839
Jesus is in the business of making pillars, and that includes you.
00:32:59.519 --> 00:33:00.799
And pillars are beautiful.
00:33:01.039 --> 00:33:05.599
I showed the pictures of Groat Kirk, and the pillars are beautiful.
00:33:05.759 --> 00:33:10.240
They're not just big, but they have scribings on it and artistic things.
00:33:10.319 --> 00:33:15.839
You if you go around and look at other churches, they have incredible, ornate decorations.
00:33:16.480 --> 00:33:23.039
We can be strong and beautiful, and that's what God is doing in this place, in you.
00:33:27.599 --> 00:33:30.480
The fourth ingredient is settled stability.
00:33:32.640 --> 00:33:36.640
Verse 12 The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God.
00:33:36.880 --> 00:33:39.680
Never shall he go out of it.
00:33:39.920 --> 00:33:42.079
Pillars don't move.
00:33:43.440 --> 00:33:45.440
We are not going anywhere.
00:33:45.680 --> 00:33:47.039
A pillar is stable.
00:33:47.200 --> 00:33:50.559
It's set where it's set, and it never moves again.
00:33:50.960 --> 00:33:53.359
Some of you have this transient lifestyle.
00:33:53.440 --> 00:34:00.240
You hear you're constantly moving, you feel exhausted, you're always on the move, you're always running around, and life is exhausting.
00:34:00.559 --> 00:34:03.920
Catching our breath seems impossible.
00:34:04.160 --> 00:34:06.079
We feel, if you ask people, how are you feeling?
00:34:06.160 --> 00:34:10.719
Oh, I just feel chaotic, I feel untethered, unmoored, I feel adrift.
00:34:10.800 --> 00:34:13.119
I just, you know, I'm all over the place.
00:34:14.000 --> 00:34:16.320
This is our interior world.
00:34:17.599 --> 00:34:19.679
And when when people ask, how are you doing?
00:34:19.760 --> 00:34:24.480
If this is your relationship with Jesus, well, a lot of times it'll depend on your current circumstances.
00:34:24.639 --> 00:34:25.920
How's your relationship with Jesus?
00:34:26.079 --> 00:34:29.519
You think, oh, it's terrible right now because circumstances are hard.
00:34:30.800 --> 00:34:32.800
But not so with a pillar.
00:34:33.039 --> 00:34:35.199
A pillar doesn't move.
00:34:35.360 --> 00:34:45.840
Circumstances, rain or shine, wind, difficulty, Republican or Democrat in the presidency doesn't move.
00:34:46.719 --> 00:34:48.639
The political climate, we stay there.
00:34:48.800 --> 00:34:53.519
Technological advances, the painful aging process, they don't move that.
00:34:53.679 --> 00:34:55.360
That pillar stays right there.
00:34:56.079 --> 00:34:58.880
This is it is unmoving in the temple of God.
00:34:59.039 --> 00:35:05.920
There is a stability, a dependability, settledness we long for in our world today.
00:35:06.159 --> 00:35:08.639
Where we just want something stable.
00:35:08.800 --> 00:35:10.800
God is doing that in our lives.
00:35:11.440 --> 00:35:14.880
Here's what I mean by settled stability.
00:35:15.039 --> 00:35:16.639
I mean a couple of things here.
00:35:16.880 --> 00:35:27.280
A few of us come in believing that uh I have to do exactly right, or God is going to kick me out of his temple.
00:35:27.440 --> 00:35:38.880
And we if we read that word rock, we think of God taking a like walking around a river, picking up a skipping rock, just ready for us to make a mistake so he can chuck that rock out of here and get out of here.
00:35:39.199 --> 00:35:41.280
That's not what God does at all.
00:35:41.760 --> 00:35:47.840
God is building a foundation of a temple, and you're, when you say yes to Jesus, you're in.
00:35:48.239 --> 00:35:50.719
You are in that building.
00:35:50.880 --> 00:35:52.480
You're not going anywhere.
00:35:52.639 --> 00:35:53.519
You can count.
00:35:53.679 --> 00:35:56.000
If you say yes to Jesus, you're in.
00:35:56.320 --> 00:35:57.119
He loves you.
00:35:57.280 --> 00:36:00.480
He's not looking for some little mistake to kick you out.
00:36:00.800 --> 00:36:03.360
He invested in you so much, he died for you.
00:36:03.440 --> 00:36:05.440
He doesn't want you going anywhere.
00:36:05.760 --> 00:36:06.880
You're right where that is.
00:36:07.119 --> 00:36:08.639
You can count on him.
00:36:09.199 --> 00:36:10.800
You can count on it.
00:36:11.119 --> 00:36:11.920
It's stable.
00:36:12.000 --> 00:36:13.599
Your faith in Jesus is stable.
00:36:13.760 --> 00:36:15.440
He's not looking to move you.
00:36:16.079 --> 00:36:19.199
The other thing we have is there's a stability in our life.
00:36:19.360 --> 00:36:21.679
As I mentioned, we just kind of feel all over the place.
00:36:21.840 --> 00:36:25.840
But when we do, we can be reminded we are rooted and grounded in Jesus.
00:36:26.000 --> 00:36:30.880
When life gets chaotic, we can say, no, I am rooted in Christ.
00:36:31.039 --> 00:36:32.960
I'm not going anywhere.
00:36:33.199 --> 00:36:36.239
I have stability, dependability in Him.
00:36:36.480 --> 00:36:38.719
He is faithful, and I can stay right here.
00:36:38.960 --> 00:36:41.360
This is what I mean by settled stability.
00:36:42.639 --> 00:36:45.920
Maybe you've tried to move a big rock in your garden.
00:36:46.159 --> 00:36:52.400
You know that that rock, you move a couple of shovels and you go, listen, honey, that rock is staying right there.
00:36:52.480 --> 00:36:54.000
We're gonna work around it.
00:36:54.239 --> 00:36:55.440
That's what's happening.
00:36:55.519 --> 00:36:58.239
You're not going anywhere.
00:36:59.199 --> 00:37:00.159
This is us.
00:37:00.320 --> 00:37:01.440
We are in Christ.
00:37:01.599 --> 00:37:03.280
We are not going anywhere.
00:37:03.599 --> 00:37:06.559
And just as Jesus spoke to Peter, you are a rock.
00:37:06.800 --> 00:37:10.880
Jesus tells us this morning, we are a rock.
00:37:11.119 --> 00:37:14.880
He is building his temple through us.
00:37:15.360 --> 00:37:17.039
We become a part of that.
00:37:17.280 --> 00:37:19.599
We become a pillar in his temple.
00:37:20.480 --> 00:37:22.559
To close this out, I want to read the rest of the passage.
00:37:22.639 --> 00:37:27.039
It says this the one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God.
00:37:27.199 --> 00:37:28.559
Never shall he go out of it.
00:37:28.639 --> 00:37:38.639
And I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.
00:37:38.880 --> 00:37:43.199
The fifth ingredient is that it has a new name.
00:37:43.360 --> 00:37:44.079
That's next week.
00:37:44.239 --> 00:37:45.760
Come on back next week.
00:37:46.000 --> 00:37:47.360
It's gonna be good.
00:37:47.920 --> 00:37:51.039
You have the name of God written on you.
00:37:51.199 --> 00:37:53.840
How incredible is that! We'll talk about that.
00:37:54.079 --> 00:37:55.760
But that's next week's conversation.
00:37:56.000 --> 00:37:59.119
So, how do we practice being a pillar in the temple of God?
00:37:59.280 --> 00:38:00.719
How do we what do we do this week?
00:38:00.880 --> 00:38:02.559
Well, this is what I want you to do.
00:38:03.199 --> 00:38:14.159
I want you to notice when you start getting tired, when you get cranky, irritable, frustrated, confused, I want you to go to a pillar in your house.
00:38:14.320 --> 00:38:21.360
Somewhere there's a wall that's holding up other parts of your house, I want you to go to that wall and just lean on it.
00:38:21.760 --> 00:38:23.679
And just be reminded.
00:38:24.079 --> 00:38:28.639
I can lean on Jesus just like I'm leaning on this table.
00:38:29.280 --> 00:38:32.880
And he is making me a pillar through this process.
00:38:33.039 --> 00:38:46.960
I might be frustrated right now, I might be confused, but I, if I lean on Jesus and put my faith and trust in him, I too will be made faithful, dependable, and trustworthy, and beautiful.
00:38:47.280 --> 00:38:48.719
Jesus will do that in our life.
00:38:48.800 --> 00:38:49.519
He empowers us.
00:38:49.599 --> 00:38:52.800
So go to that wall and just lean on it.
00:38:52.880 --> 00:38:58.079
Just give it a little nudge and sit there for a minute and be reminded that Jesus can be counted on.
00:38:58.320 --> 00:38:59.760
He is our pillar.
00:39:00.800 --> 00:39:07.119
Some of you look at your life this morning, as I mentioned, and you don't feel like a pillar.
00:39:07.360 --> 00:39:09.119
You are exhausted.
00:39:09.760 --> 00:39:15.360
You feel like uh you are a flower that has been stamped and trampled upon.
00:39:15.519 --> 00:39:18.159
Maybe you're a mat that's been walked over.
00:39:19.760 --> 00:39:28.239
My hope this morning is that you hear the voice of Jesus calling to you that he conquered sin and death.
00:39:28.719 --> 00:39:30.239
He beat the grave.
00:39:30.480 --> 00:39:39.039
He came to this earth, lived the perfect life, died on a cross, then beat the grave by rising again.
00:39:39.679 --> 00:39:44.159
He walked in love and faithful obedience to his father.
00:39:44.480 --> 00:39:46.639
He conquered the enemy.
00:39:47.119 --> 00:39:49.840
We too can be conquerors through Jesus.
00:39:50.000 --> 00:39:54.800
And just like Jesus looked at Peter and said, You're not just Simon, you're Peter.
00:39:55.119 --> 00:39:56.400
You're a rock.
00:39:57.199 --> 00:40:00.079
Jesus is looking at you saying, You're more than a conqueror.
00:40:00.719 --> 00:40:03.679
You can conquer sin and death through me.
00:40:03.920 --> 00:40:07.360
Put your faith and hope and trust in me, and I'll take care of the rest.
00:40:07.599 --> 00:40:09.840
Jesus is inviting you this morning.
00:40:10.000 --> 00:40:15.920
You can lean on him in these difficult moments, and he will give you strength to get through this moment.
00:40:16.480 --> 00:40:20.639
You can do hard things when the Holy Spirit powers you through it.
00:40:21.920 --> 00:40:23.760
This is great news today.
00:40:24.400 --> 00:40:25.519
This is great news.
00:40:26.000 --> 00:40:26.800
Let's pray.
00:40:28.079 --> 00:40:34.400
Jesus, thank you for conquering the grave.
00:40:34.880 --> 00:40:41.039
And you did it by love, joyful obedience of your father, humility.
00:40:42.559 --> 00:40:44.400
You did it through suffering.
00:40:45.920 --> 00:40:48.239
You did it through service.
00:40:49.360 --> 00:40:52.239
God, you conquered all of that on our behalf.
00:40:52.400 --> 00:40:59.199
And today we can join you in that victory by putting our faith and trust in you, by giving you our life.
00:40:59.440 --> 00:41:01.599
And God, you're changing us and molding us.
00:41:01.679 --> 00:41:07.039
And some of us need to be reminded this morning that we are you are enough for us.
00:41:07.360 --> 00:41:11.840
Whatever we're going through, we can put our trust and faith in you, even if it's hard.
00:41:12.480 --> 00:41:17.920
Even if it's hard, we can experience your joy, your grace, your kindness.
00:41:18.719 --> 00:41:20.400
God, we need you today.
00:41:21.119 --> 00:41:22.159
We need you today.
00:41:22.320 --> 00:41:22.960
In your name.
00:41:23.199 --> 00:41:23.840
Amen.
00:41:24.320 --> 00:41:26.239
We have a couple of discussion questions.
00:41:26.480 --> 00:41:31.039
Number one, what do you think it looks like to be a pillar in the temple of God today?
00:41:31.199 --> 00:41:31.840
What does that mean?
00:41:32.000 --> 00:41:33.360
I'm talking about being a pillar.
00:41:33.599 --> 00:41:37.199
Pastors can use all this Christian language that nobody really understands.
00:41:37.440 --> 00:41:41.920
In your small group, define what I'm saying by this Christianese language.
00:41:42.000 --> 00:41:44.559
What does it mean to be a pillar in the temple of God today?
00:41:44.719 --> 00:41:45.840
Talk about that.
00:41:46.079 --> 00:41:50.800
And where do you rely on your own strength rather than in God's strength?
00:41:51.119 --> 00:41:56.159
Where are you trying to be God and saying, no, no, I got this, instead of leaning on Jesus?
00:41:56.400 --> 00:41:57.840
Those are our discussion questions.
00:41:58.000 --> 00:42:00.639
As a reminder, we have prayer teams in the back.
00:42:00.800 --> 00:42:01.760
I'm happy to pray for you.
00:42:01.920 --> 00:42:03.679
Pastor Nick is happy to pray for you.
00:42:04.079 --> 00:42:05.440
We believe in the power of prayer here.
00:42:05.599 --> 00:42:10.159
Let me give you a prayer of blessing as you go, and we can enjoy the weekend.
00:42:10.960 --> 00:42:13.199
The Lord bless you and keep you.
00:42:13.679 --> 00:42:16.880
The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you.
00:42:17.119 --> 00:42:20.159
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
00:42:20.480 --> 00:42:22.800
Intersection, you are loved.
