Scripture referenced
The passage this message was preached from, in full, with every other passage it reached for.
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Daniel 7:18 holy people of the Most High will be given the kingdom and rule forever and ever
18 But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.’
World English Bible · Read it in another translation
Keep this verse
Daniel 7:21-22
the horn waging war against the saints until the Ancient of Days came and judgment was given in favor of the saints
21 I saw, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them,
22 until the ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High, and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.
World English Bible · Read it in another translation
1 Corinthians 6:2-3
believers will judge the world and judge angels, used to correct squabbling among the Corinthians
2 Don’t you know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
3 Don’t you know that we will judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?
World English Bible · Read it in another translation
Jeremiah 12:5
if you have raced with men on foot and worn out, how can you compete with horses, called the Wyoming verse
5 “If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses? Though in a land of peace you are secure, yet how will you do in the pride of the Jordan?
World English Bible · Read it in another translation
Romans 12:2
do not be conformed to the patterns of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind
2 Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God.
World English Bible · Read it in another translation
John 1 (unspecified verse)
in the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, used to describe God's word as a plumb line
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through him. Without him was not anything made that has been made.
4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness hasn’t overcome it.
6 There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John.
7 The same came as a witness, that he might testify about the light, that all might believe through him.
8 He was not the light, but was sent that he might testify about the light.
9 The true light that enlightens everyone was coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world didn’t recognize him.
11 He came to his own, and those who were his own didn’t receive him.
12 But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God’s children, to those who believe in his name:
13 who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 John testified about him. He cried out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me, for he was before me.’”
16 From his fullness we all received grace upon grace.
17 For the law was given through Moses. Grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.
18 No one has seen God at any time. The one and only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him.
19 This is John’s testimony, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”
20 He declared, and didn’t deny, but he declared, “I am not the Christ.”
21 They asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.”
22 They said therefore to him, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
23 He said, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”
24 The ones who had been sent were from the Pharisees.
25 They asked him, “Why then do you baptize, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?”
26 John answered them, “I baptize in water, but among you stands one whom you don’t know.
27 He is the one who comes after me, who is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I’m not worthy to loosen.”
28 These things were done in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
29 The next day, he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who is preferred before me, for he was before me.’
31 I didn’t know him, but for this reason I came baptizing in water: that he would be revealed to Israel.”
32 John testified, saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending like a dove out of heaven, and it remained on him.
33 I didn’t recognize him, but he who sent me to baptize in water, he said to me, ‘On whomever you will see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’
34 I have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.”
35 Again, the next day, John was standing with two of his disciples,
36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”
37 The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
38 Jesus turned, and saw them following, and said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, being interpreted, Teacher), “where are you staying?”
39 He said to them, “Come, and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about the tenth hour.
40 One of the two who heard John, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.
41 He first found his own brother, Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah!” (which is, being interpreted, Christ).
42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him, and said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas” (which is by interpretation, Peter).
43 On the next day, he was determined to go out into Galilee, and he found Philip. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.”
44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter.
45 Philip found Nathanael, and said to him, “We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, wrote: Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46 Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said about him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!”
48 Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are King of Israel!”
50 Jesus answered him, “Because I told you, ‘I saw you underneath the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these!”
51 He said to him, “Most certainly, I tell you all, hereafter you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
World English Bible · Read it in another translation
Psalms (unspecified verse)
measuring life according to God's standards as a plumb line for right and wrong
Keep this versePsalms (unspecified verse)
he sent forth his word and healed them, used in closing prayer for healing
Keep this verse2 Corinthians (unspecified verse)
God's power works best in our weakness, referenced during the offering prayer
Keep this verseRecap
The message in order, in a few minutes of reading.
This was the third installment in a series on what the return of Jesus means for believers. Brian worked through two passages to show that reigning with Jesus and, surprisingly, refereeing angels are part of the assignment waiting for those who endure to the end. He also pushed hard on why keeping that future perspective matters for the ordinary Monday stuff, from squabbles at church to knowing when to fight and when to let go.
What was said
Brian opened by finishing the thread from previous weeks: the holy people of the Most High will be given the kingdom and will rule forever and ever. That future assignment, he said, requires an upgrade in our hardware, a resurrection body suited to what is coming. The reward for enduring is not just survival but actual leadership and influence, the same kind of thing he felt the first time his boss Lynn put him in charge at 21.
From there he moved to a passage in First Corinthians where Paul corrects the Corinthian church for suing one another in front of unbelievers. The congregation pushed back and filled out the picture: judging in the biblical sense is about establishing justice, not looking down on people. Paul's point, the room worked out together, was twofold. Stop airing your grievances in front of a watching world, and pull on your big-kid pants because you have far bigger fish to fry.
That raised the harder question of when Christians should fight for justice and when they should stand down. Brian drew on a season in his own life where he had the evidence to bury someone who had wronged him, and the Holy Spirit kept telling him to wait. His answer was not a clean rule but two things held together: keep the eternal weight of the situation in view, using C. S. Lewis's line that all that is not eternal is eternally worthless, and stay close enough to the Holy Spirit to hear when he says this battle is mine and when he says stand up and speak.
A short detour into Jeremiah 12 landed the point differently. God tells Jeremiah that if running a foot race with men has worn him out, how will he ever compete against horses. Brian read that as God's way of saying the small disciplines now are training for the larger assignment ahead. The congregation connected it to faithfulness with money, with small decisions, with the daily things that feel like men-against-men races, because God will not outpace us with responsibility before our character can carry it.
The tent was the visual aid that tied everything together. Brian set up a tent in the room, first climbing in without the poles so it collapsed around him, then raising it properly once the poles were in place. The tent poles, he said, represent the return of Jesus and the establishment of his millennial reign. Without that framework, Christianity has fabric but no shape, verses and effort but nothing to organize them. With it, everything from turning the other cheek to the beatitudes to daily obedience has a reason: we are practicing now for the administration we will share with Jesus then.
He closed the teaching by looping back to Daniel, where the Ancient of Days comes and judges in favor of his holy people after the horn has been winning. That verse, Brian said, is for anyone who has felt like the system or a person has beaten them and justice will never come. The assurance is that the Ancient One will come and establish righteousness in favor of his holy people, and then the time will arrive for them to take over. The practical shape of getting there, he said, is dying to your own strength in the moment, letting Christ in you love and lead and act, and obeying the small next steps the Holy Spirit puts in front of you.
Touch points
Things you could actually do this week.
- Find one situation this week where you feel outmatched and try the pattern Brian described: tell Jesus you have nothing left, then ask him to act through you and just follow the next small step he gives you.
- If you have been carrying a grievance where you feel wronged, sit with the Daniel 7 passage and ask the Lord whether this is a battle he is asking you to fight or one he is asking you to hand to him.
- The next time a conflict with another believer flares up, pause and ask yourself whether the issue looks different when you hold it next to the picture Paul gives in 1 Corinthians 6 of believers one day judging angels.
- Pick one area of life where you have been avoiding a small, uncomfortable act of obedience and do it this week, treating it the way Brian talked about Jeremiah learning to run with men before God called him to race horses.
- If you have never been baptized as an adult and you felt that nudge during the service, reach out to someone at Tribe this week about the baptism conversation Brian mentioned for the first Sunday of the new year.
Doing a Bible study?
Here is a guide we have prepared for you: the passages in order, questions for the group, and room to write.
- Brian talked about the idea that our current bodies are suited for our current assignment, and that we will get an upgrade for the assignment that comes with Jesus' return. How does thinking about that future assignment change the way you see what you are doing right now?
- Paul corrects the Corinthians by zooming them out to the bigger picture of judging the world and even the angels, rather than squabbling over small disputes. When have you found that pulling back to a wider perspective actually changed how you handled a conflict or a grievance?
and 3 more questions in the guide
Resumen en español
El mensaje resumido, en español.
El mensaje de este domingo fue la continuación de una serie sobre lo que nos espera cuando Jesús regrese. Pastor Brian usó tres ideas principales: renovar la tierra, reinar con Jesús, y arbitrar a los ángeles. Este último punto, tomado de 1 Corintios 6, sorprendió a muchos, pero Pablo lo usa para recordarle a la iglesia de Corinto que si vamos a juzgar incluso a los ángeles, deberíamos ser capaces de resolver nuestras disputas cotidianas entre nosotros mismos sin llevarlas ante jueces no creyentes.
La conversación se fue abriendo hacia preguntas prácticas: ¿cuándo debe un cristiano buscar justicia y cuándo debe soltar? Pastor Brian compartió una experiencia personal en la que sintió que tenía razón en un conflicto, pero el Espíritu Santo lo llevó a esperar y dejar que Dios actuara a su manera y en su tiempo. La clave, según lo que se habló, está en la motivación del corazón y en escuchar la voz del Espíritu. También se usó Jeremías 12:5, "si corriste con hombres a pie y te cansaron, ¿cómo competirás con caballos?", para hablar de cómo Dios nos entrena en cosas pequeñas para prepararnos para responsabilidades mayores.
Para cerrar, Pastor Brian armó una carpa en el salón como ilustración: una carpa sin postes no tiene forma ni estructura, igual que una fe cristiana sin la perspectiva del regreso de Jesús. Sostuvo que entender el reino milenial y la segunda venida de Cristo son los "postes" que le dan forma y sentido a todo lo demás en la vida cristiana.
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Pasajes bíblicos mencionados:
- Daniel 7:18
- Daniel 7:21-22
- 1 Corintios 6:2-3
- Jeremías 12:5
- Santiago 5:16 (la oración del justo es poderosa y eficaz)
- Salmos (medir la vida según los estándares de Dios)
- Romanos 12:2 (la renovación de la mente)
- 2 Corintios 12 (el poder de Dios en la debilidad)
- Proverbios (el corazón es engañoso)
- Colosenses 1:27 (Cristo en vosotros, la esperanza de gloria)
Read the full transcript 10,853 words
You're going up on
low. Yeah. Hi, everyone. Yeah. Hi, everyone.
Good
morning.
Hi, Otises. Today feels weird. Well, the prompt faithful. Who are you on time? Clay?
Clay, are you comfortable if during worship anyone wants to share passing the microphone around? Is the green light on the bottom? Okay. So all you have to do is just flip the mute. Yep.
Yep. If you're joining us on the livestream, you have time to fill up
your coffee.
We're still getting settled in the room.
Hi, Bob. Hi, Bob.
Where's your lovely wife? Is anyone watching the World Cup final before they came here? Does anyone I won't spoil the score, but it's gonna go into shootout, I think. Was anyone gonna really go back and watch it? People who like have a recording because they're being faithful at church and they like this room now.
I feel like the World Cup though final is not something that you can keep a secret. You know, like you're gonna hear, like, what it is. Right, Christian? I should pull a Christian. You're right.
Let's pray together. Oh, Lord Jesus, we just come together today. We praise you. We give you all the glory in this space today. We put all our hope in you.
Tell you that you are worthy worthy. We love you this morning. Come and just speak to us today as we worship you, as we sing to you. Come holy spirit. In Jesus name.
We're gonna do a song we haven't done here before, so I'm just gonna teach you this chorus. It's really simple. It's hope has a name, that his name is Jesus. And the chorus goes like this. Hope has You got it?
It's pretty simple. Alright. The verses go like this. To read yes lord we do let's stand together I just feel like this is worthy welcome welcome Just close your eyes with me for a minute and just thank him. Just thank him for that truth because of the hope that we have in him, that we have victory, true victory.
Christ, we praise. I have it to read. One more time. Hope has a name. Hope has a name.
His name is Jesus. Just thank him. Savior's cross has set the sinner free. Hope has an end. His name is Jesus.
Oh, Christ be praised. I have victory. Be praised. Have victory. Victory.
Oh Oh, Lord, we thank you for that truth today. We have victory in you. Victory in you. We just rejoin with the angels in heaven today worshiping telling you you are worthy, worthy, holy. Just with your eyes closed this morning and your heart fixed on him, just ask him to search your heart today.
Is there anything that you need to get right before him today, unrepentant sin? He needs you to ask him to forgive you today. Lord, search our hearts. We wanna be close to you. Remove anything that would hinder.
Hinder us from drawing close to you because nothing can separate us from the love of God. Your love is there, but our sin can cloud can cloud our minds, cloud our hearts from experiencing your presence. Just let us be quick to confess. We'll be right with you. We tell you we love you.
You're worthy, worthy, worthy, worthy, worthy.
Will adore you, Lord.
Jesus. Oh, yeah. Just think about what that word adore means. We don't use it super often, but we sing it at Christmas time, come let us adore him. The Shelton's are living near us for a little while, and then I don't know if you've seen little baby Micah, but he's like the cutest thing ever.
And it's just reminding me of when my kids were little and you just could stare at them. Just literally just stare at them for hours and hours and hours and hours just adoring every little thing about them. That's what makes me think whenever we sing this, like, does that mean like and I will adore you. When you sing that about the Lord, it's just being in his presence. It's just fixing your eyes on his face.
Fixing your eyes on his character, his nature. You know, just your savior, your creator, the one who made you, the one who cares more about you than anything else. Just adoring him, thinking on who he is, on his presence, on his magnificence, on his creation, on who he is. So when we sing this, Lord, would you fix our eyes and our hearts on you that they wouldn't just be words, that we would long to just abide, to be close to you, to just as best as we can in the natural right now on this side of heaven. Because of who we know you are in your word and by your holy spirit that lives inside of us, that we would just connect with you, long to connect with you.
If it would just be sitting in your presence, not always just coming in with all of our needs, but just adoring you.
And I will adore you. Oh, yeah. We will adore you, Lord.
I just get this picture in my mind of, you know, how it talks about in Revelation that the angels they sing. I just picture them flying around the Lord God Almighty and Jesus who's seated at his right hand and they're, you know, they're they're singing that and saying that all the time. You know, and like our human minds like, doesn't that get boring or like, how how do they just keep doing that? And And I just when we were just singing that, I just get this picture of there's like these angels and they're flying around his throne and one's like flying flying and he's like, oh, getting a glimpse of the Lord's presence and his glory. And then as he flies around like, sees another facet of who God is.
And then gets a whole new burst of just like, oh, he's so holy. He's so, like, overwhelmed again with his holiness. And that for eternity because of who he is in his presence. We just he never he never falls short. He never runs out.
His glory is matchless. And we just can't imagine on this side of heaven what that will be like to be in his presence but he's coming again. We're gonna get to see him face to face either he on his return or when we go to meet him face to face. And this is practice right now what we're doing. We're agreeing in our spirits spirits with with what we will sing for eternity and what we were made for for eternity is to sing his praise, just tell him back that he is holy, that he is worthy.
It's our greatest purpose is to bring the Lord glory and to glorify him with who we are and what he's giving us. Lord, we just praise you. Let's sing that again.
Has a name, Hope has a name. His name is Jesus. My savior's cross has set the sinner free. Hope has a be praised. Have it to read.
Oh, Lord, we just thank you for that truth today. We adore you. We come before you. We just ask that you would take this time that we've set aside today and meet us. Speak to us, we wanna leave here changed by you today.
No matter where we are in closeness to you, if we've turned our back or if we're sitting in your lap with your arms around us right now and we feel your presence, Lord, you are close. That your word says that one glance of our eyes ravishes your heart. That's right, Jesus. So no matter where each one of us finds our self today, you are close and long to be close to us. So speak to us today as we dig into your word.
Christmas is such an amazing time to just think about your coming, but then your coming again. And this time as a victorious king, we truly have victory in you Jesus. Thank you for who you are. Come have your way in this place today in each of us. Thank you that you are hope and you have a name and it's Jesus and we can call on you.
We love you and everybody said, amen. Well, if you're new, welcome. Fill up your coffee, get out your bible, greet someone. If there's someone here that you don't recognize, say good morning and then, we'll find a seat for you.
I do not wanna know anything. Did I hear somebody say what's the score? Don't. Don't talk like that. Oh, yeah.
Becky. Yes. I have your voice on mute. Perfect. Alright.
Annie, what do we got? What's the word? What's good this morning? What's good this morning? Oh, a little chilly.
Minus six? Okay, friends. Good morning, everybody. Just for those of you watching the livestream, I'm glad that you're choosing to watch this livestream instead of any other livestream options that could be out there today. If you have your bibles with you this morning, let's start in Daniel chapter seven.
Daniel chapter seven is gonna be just a a brief touch on a review of where we've been for last few weeks. We're going to finally get to the last component, the last part of what it means when Jesus returns, this new assignment. What is it going to look like for this new assignment? Right now, the bodies that we have, the earth suits that we have been given, are for our current assignment. They do well in this on this planet, in this environment, although it does get a little cold for my Earth suit.
We just have to you just to moving. Who really likes this cold, cold, cold weather? You like the cold, cold weather? Yeah. Alright.
I mean, it's kind of fun. Like, I always wanna I like I I try to compete with everything. And so I even will compete with the thermometer. Like, how cold can it get? I remember it seems like we haven't had well, I don't know.
And then I, like, stand outside, like, this is what minus four four feels like. When we first moved to the valley and I'm sure that there's maybe a few of you here that have been in the valley longer than we have been, but every winter we would have week or two of minus 20. Seems like we haven't had that in quite a while. Two weeks of minus 20. I'm not going to say those were the good old days.
Those were the cold old days. Our earth suits, even though they get a little chilly here, they are perfectly suited for the assignment that we have now. When Jesus returns, we see lots of different glimpses and elements of what our new assignment is going to be like, but that new assignment will require an upgrade in our hardware. The Bible says that we will trade this mortal flesh for immortality. We're going to get a new super suit for the assignment that we will have when Jesus returns in the millennial reign.
For the last couple of weeks, we've been talking about different elements and aspects of what is that new assignment, including renewing the earth and reigning with Jesus. That's where we left off. Today, what I'd like to do is tie a bow and finish up this idea of reigning with Jesus, and then we're going to touch on that third element of our new assignment, which includes refereeing the angels. If you've never heard of that, if that sounds weird to you, if that sounds like, What are you even talking about? I'm with you.
I hear you. It's nothing that's in our little storybooks. It was never in Sunday school class that we will be judging and arbitrating and help adjudicating issues with the angels, but that is apparently a part of our assignment. We're going to talk about why that's important for us on Monday. I know that the holidays, you have family coming into town, things are busy, it's hustling and busting, we get towards the end of the year, we got to get a lot of stuff done.
For some folks, holidays are really joyful times. For others, holidays can be like lonely and maybe painful times. How does judging angels impact my life on Monday? We're going to talk about that as well. Again, if you're new to TRIBE or if you haven't been here in a while, I really want this to be a conversation.
I want to hear your thoughts and input. Sidney, if you have a question, all the way over there in the back row, want you to throw your hand up, I want you to ask, I want you to participate. I really love to hear all that any of you would have to contribute. With that in mind, did I tell you to turn to Daniel, chapter seven? Daniel, chapter seven.
We're going to look at one verse. We might have touched on this verse, but this is where we're going to pick up our journey. Daniel seven, and would somebody out loud with the mic please read verse 18. And if those of you who are part of a discipleship campus or participate in service with us in the livestream and you text me your questions and comments, sorry, I won't get those today because I have my phone off because I don't want any of my friends spoiling the game for me. Sorry.
You got it, Ellie girl? Alright. Okay. One sentence. A lot to unpack.
The best that you can do, write that address down. Now we're going to spend a little bit more time in Daniel here in a moment, but for right now, it's so important for you to I feel like I've said this a lot last couple of weeks but this has been in your Bible all along. I sneak it in there this morning before preaching. But in the end, that phraseology should create a hyperlink in our brain, like, Okay, the end, the great day, the great and terrible day, the day of judgment, the day of the return of the Lord. Jesus talked a lot about this, but in the end Even though the Old Testament was written in Hebrew, we were reading Jesus' words and the book of Revelation in Greek, we're reading it in English because we're not that smart.
That phraseology transfers from Hebrew to Greek. In the end, it should remind us that at the end of the age, the holy people of the Most High. The Bible says that the prayer of the righteous man is powerful and effective. The book of James says that. We have been made James We invite Jesus into our heart, make him the leader of our life.
He says, Be holy as I am holy. We have been made holy and have right standing with God when we invite the blood of Jesus to cover our sins and give us resurrection new life. When it says, The holy people of the Most High, who is that? Everybody say us. Us.
Yep. Unless you're saved, then you need to get saved, and then you can say us. You're still on the outside. We'll be given the kingdom, and they will rule forever and ever. I'll never forget the first leadership opportunity I ever had my whole life.
I was maybe 21 or 22 years old. I was working as an outdoor education instructor in Estes Park, Colorado, and there was a team of us, maybe eight or 10 of us. And I really looked up to my boss. His name was Lynn Sanson. He was a mentor of mine.
He taught me about ice climbing and rock climbing and backcountry skiing. And he had to go away to a conference, and there were other members of our team that were older and had more education, but we were all in the room. Lynn said, Hey, I'm going away for a week, but Brian, I want to put you in charge. And I was like, I'd never even been I could barely be in charge of myself. And Lynn gave me this opportunity for leadership, and I'll never ever ever forget the first opportunity of leadership that I had.
Now, if we could rewind the tape and you could go back and ask them, How did I do my first week of leadership? Who knows what they would say? But I loved the opportunity. I felt like it was such a tremendous honor, And I took it like I just I had no idea. It's like skiing for the first time.
You're like, I love this. And here, the reward for those that endure to the end, they will be given the kingdom and they will rule. They will have leadership and influence forever and ever. That's us. That's part of the assignment.
What I want to do today is begin to cover some new territory and then tie a bow on on our the conversation that we've been having for several weeks. And, again, it's it's a little quiet out there, but maybe you're just thinking and you're taking it in and your blood slowly warming up from the cold temperatures. Right, Annie? Yes. Okay.
Alright. So here's this idea. We're gonna cover some new territory today. Not only will we participate in renewing the earth, but we will be reigning with Jesus. Here's my third R, and for lack of a better R word, I chose the word refereeing the angels.
Ask and you shall receive. First Corinthians. Let's turn over to first Corinthians chapter six verse two and three. Paul, in the larger context, is talking about disagreements, squabbles, bickering, disagreements among members of the church in Corinth. And what does Paul do?
He corrects them by redirecting their focus and helping them to zoom out and see the bigger picture. Have you ever been like, you were spun up about one thing, and in that moment it was a really big thing. But then maybe you get a phone call from a relative, or something happens at work, or something happens at home, and all of a sudden, that thing that you were worried about, messing with, fussing over, all of a sudden it becomes absolutely trivial in light of the developments that are currently unfolding in your life. So Paul, without putting the church of Corinth in an actual crisis, he tries to redirect them to shift their perspective and focus. Instead of fighting with one another, Paul then tells the Corinthians this: Would somebody please read first Corinthians chapter six, just two verses, two and three?
And the mic will come around to you.
Who wants it? I got it.
Don't
you know that someday we Christians are going to judge and govern the world?
Pause. Just like, let's not race through that. We got two verses. It's been in our bible all along, but the our perspective needs to be calibrated to much more forward thinking. The more forward thinking and perspective we have, the more of an influence it has on us in shaping our hearts and lives, and framing the challenges that we face today.
So take another run at that. Do it again? Again.
Don't you know that someday, we Christians are going to judge and govern the world? Keep going. Yes. So why can't you decide even these little things among yourselves?
Mhmm.
Keep going?
One more.
And
here's your answer.
Wait, three.
Didn't you realize that we Christians will judge and reward the very angels in heaven? So you should be able to decide your problems down here on Earth easily enough.
Okay. Again. You would think that we could resolve them together here on earth.
There's too much evidence against it.
It's challenging.
Say that again.
I said there's too much evidence against being able to judge ourselves.
Mhmm. Mhmm. Don't you realize that someday we believers will judge the world? And since you are going to judge the world, can't you decide even these little things among yourselves? Don't you realize that we will judge angels?
So you should surely be able to resolve your ordinary disputes in this life. When you hear that verse, I'm not looking for theological accuracy or some sort of deep fountain of wisdom profundity. When you read that verse, what goes through your mind or what emotional reactions do you have to that passage? What comes to your mind? I just want to hear you.
I just think about what judges did in the Bible. Like, they came they were appointed by God to, like, establish justice. Not to, like, judge anybody. Like, the judge in the sense that we are, like, oh, look at your shoes. They don't match.
You know? It's like to establish justice, not to look down or judge in the way that we would normally think of judging.
Oh, I really like that. You have to consciously tell yourself there's the definition of the word, but then there's the popular connotation in culture that judging is a really bad thing.
Yeah, like what did Samson do? He was a judge in the Bible.
He's a judge in the Bible and he kicked butt. Yeah. It's good. Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. All the way back here.
Okay. Cool. When I read this verse, I think that Paul is telling the Corinthians to pull on your big girl and big boy pants. So if you look at the first verse of the chapter, what he's talking about is basically squabbling between folks. And he's trying to get them to level up.
Like, if you're gonna be expected to actually judge angels and you can't work out these little things between each other, like, come on. Like, figure figure out how to look at things objectively. Stop being so concerned about all the little things. Work it out and and get on get on with your with your life.
They're on the same team. He's not like It's for our livestream if you're new. Whose thought? Whose thought?
Okay. So reading past it, because I just wanted to know and they're like, two Christians, like, I'm a Christian and I'm gonna sue you in front of a non believer. And, I mean, when I when I saw that, I'm like, it's we're on the same team
Mhmm.
And we shouldn't be acting that way because we're on the same team
Mhmm.
Type of you know?
So so what you're seeing is a a twofold exhortation from Paul. Number one, let's put on our big girl, big boy pants and and work this out among ourselves because we have bigger fish to fry in perspective. Second of all, Paul is saying, guys, look at what this squabbling is doing to your witness to a lost and dying world.
Yeah. Because it feels like to me like you're trying to get, like, affirmation from a non believer that you're right and your your fellow Christian is, like, in the wrong you know what I'm saying?
I do know what you're saying. Let me just throw out another question. Perhaps this is a big question. Perhaps this is like, you know, this is easy. Should Christians sue?
I think I heard somebody say, well, that depends. I think that's a really good answer. That depends. Now, the Bible is super clear. God says, Vengeance is mine, declares the Lord.
There was a time in my life, not suing wise, but I had perceived that a great injustice was done to me. From my perspective, I was in the right and they were in the wrong. It wasn't just between two parties. There were ripples that went out, and there was reputations that were being tarnished. It was ugly, and it wasn't pretty.
I felt like before the Lord that I was in the right. And there were several opportunities that I had to pin this person to the ground with their own sword. Please do not hear this as a story of how awesome Brian is, because if you know me, you know that I'm not that awesome. But by the grace of God, the Holy Spirit would speak to me and say, Yep, you could eat their lunch in this instance. You could present this, you could say this, you could share this, and they would be done for.
Or you can let me handle it according to my time, in my way. That was so hard. So hard. But the world is watching. Talk to me.
Thoughts, questions about about this? I have just a few more verses, and then I'm yes, ma'am.
I'm sorry. You're good.
Where do you, like, draw the line on the letting god handle all the vengeance part of it? Because you know what I mean? Like, somebody could do something really bad, and are you just not supposed to do anything and handle it peacefully? I don't know
if that That's makes a
beautiful question. That can be asked in lots of different venues and ways politically, in the social justice arena, personally. There are so many ways that that question can be asked and wrestled with, and I think that there would be two things that you could do to apply to discern the right course of action. Number one, keep this perspective. C.
S. Lewis once said, All that is not eternal is eternally worthless. What is this, whatever that issue is, even if it's for you, it's personal, I mean, it could be a huge deal. What does this mean in light of eternity? How is this going to impact eternity and the kingdom forever in my heart and my character that I will carry into eternity.
I don't become a new person. The choices that I've made, the things that I've seen and done, said, and by the grace of God, done and said, I'll carry that with me. And when I win those small victories, I carry those victories into eternity that will help me become a better judge. I really like the word you used a moment ago, Kim, to establish justice on the earth. That's thing number one, keeping in perspective.
Thing number two is listening to the voice of the Lord, the voice of the Holy Spirit in that moment. You may hear Jesus say, Turn the other cheek. You may hear Jesus say, If fate compels you to carry his armor a mile, you take it two miles. If he robs you of your cloak, give him your beanie too. So there's an idea, there's a character trait of meekness that is cultivated.
When we lay down our sense of self preservation and justice and needing to be right, even if we are right, meekness is cultivated. And again, teed me up perfectly for this idea and concept of resurrection. Our flesh dies, but our reward grows in new life. But I'm not saying that you should always lay down, capitulate, roll over on your belly. That's where you need the discernment of the Lord, and that's where it's vitally important for all of us to cultivate that relationship with the Holy Spirit, that still, small voice that leads and guides and says, This battle is mine, or, Stand up, make your voice be heard.
What a cop out answer. It's true though. It's true. The Holy Spirit will tell you when to fight, and he always picks really good battles to fight. I
kinda have a thought on that.
So I'm gonna get a little copy here, but I think it depends, like, on your intent. Like, what's Yeah. What's your intent on, like, doing that? I mean, is it for greed? Because I think
a lot of people sue or Mhmm.
Seek vengeance because of greed. Mhmm. On the other hand, like, are you trying to marry truth to light? And I think that's, like, more important, kind
of what you just said.
So Motivations play a big role into it. And here's what's crazy. Like, the Bible in the book of Proverbs says, the heart is wicked and deceitful above what? All You know that that that bumper sticker, that coffee mug that says, like, the heart wants what the heart wants or something like, follow your heart. Like, oh my gosh.
I'm like, Just fill that cup right up with vomit because it's the most bankrupt, bullcrap, good sounding, terrible advice. And it sounds really good. Wouldn't it be great if we could trust our heart? Now, again, we could get off into the weeds here defining heart, but what I'm saying is our soul, our emotions, oh my gosh, they want this, and then they want the other thing, and then they're happy, then emotions will lead you straight into a ditch. As Amanda says, they're great passengers, We should pay attention to them, but they make a terrible driver of the vehicle of our life.
Trademark, Amanda Lack. I feel like
when we address things like of god's word versus the law, we don't have very much discipline to self examine really the direction that's correct in making decisions. I was getting my oil change the other day and in the waiting area there. Judge Judy was on, so, you know, obviously, you know, got some You're gonna pay close attention. Perspective here for for this. But, you know, it was amazing to me the simplicity of the law sometimes, but how ignorance steps in and distorts the direction of of the, you know, the opinion of the person who is either filing the complaint or,
you know,
filed against. So, again, I think it's, you know, lack of knowledge. Just like just like god's word, you know, sometimes we get in trouble trying to, quote, be the judge when we don't really know the scriptures, to to make those decisions. I don't wanna say correctly, but at least Mhmm. With a, with something of meaning behind whatever you're you know, whatever you think
Yeah.
In in making in making that decision. So, you know, I think sometimes we need to step back and and really look at things, maybe from that 3,000 foot view, as opposed to just making a quick a quick judgment and make sure that we not only know what we're, what we've read in God's word, but that maybe we get some advice. Sure. Sure. So God's word is the ultimate plumb line for the establishment of the entire universe.
The Bible tells us that in the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and then the
Word became flesh and dwelt among us. You know what a plumb line is, right? A plumb line is when you're trying to determine absolute vertical. If you have a string with a weight on the end of it suspended, that string, because of gravity pulling on the weight at the bottom, is going to create a perfectly straight line. It doesn't matter what all of the other lines are doing.
That plumb line is the standard, And as of yet, gravity has never shifted. And so when we measure our lives, not according to other people or the wrongs that we've done, the Bible says in the book of Psalms, when I measure my life according to your standards, O God, that's that plumb line to measure right and wrong. Do we attack? Do we defend? Do we let go?
Letting go? Oh my gosh, that's rough. I wanna come back to something that you said a a moment ago, Colin. Would you turn to Jeremiah 12? Jeremiah what?
Jeremiah 12. It's a this is a a a a little detour, but I think it's worth mentioning. However you identify Colin said, put your big girl or your good big boy pants on. You have to choose one or the other. Colin said it, not me.
He only gave you two options. Damped right across that. Jeremiah 12. Would somebody read verse five? Just five.
This is such a good one. On my on my in my bible, I have a little note here that says this is the Wyoming verse, cowboy up.
So good. Okay. You ready?
Oh, yes, sir. Go for it, Mark. Sorry.
I was just checking.
Thank you, Mark.
Okay. 12 verse five. If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?
So God is telling Jeremiah, you need to cowboy up, son. Yeah. Right now, you getting upset about what nation of Israel and these people are saying about you and saying about God, and you're off in the weeds, Jeremiah, and you're complaining about running a foot race with men. But what is God's perspective? What is God's call, plan, intention for Jeremiah?
Who should Jeremiah be thinking about running against? Horses. He says, If racing against mere men makes you tired, how will you race against horses? It almost sounds from the grammar I don't think I'm abusing the text if I use my imagination to project into the text that that is what God has in mind for Jeremiah. Perhaps not physically, but metaphorically.
God has this intended for Jeremiah. If racing against mere men makes you tired, how are you going to do when I call you to the starting line and you look to your right and you look to your left and you just see the flaring nostrils of stallions stamping their feet and raring to go. Would you not feel inadequate, maybe even foolish? Why am I at the starting line when I'm the only person, I'm the only bipedal competitor in this competition against a bunch of equines. A stampede.
Maybe as a stampede. I wouldn't even be thinking about winning, I'd be thinking about not getting run over. And God's like
I think it's like that scripture too, and I'm gonna I can't remember the reference, but about
Just let it rip. That's what I do.
Yeah. And let someone else clean it up. Trusted with the little, so that you can be trusted with the bigger thing. Like, if you can be faithful in the small thing, then you can be trusted with the bigger. And I was just thinking about, okay, how do I apply that?
Like, someone who's really competitive and physical, you know, like, I'm thinking about our friend David. Like, that scripture, he would he would picture himself actually running against a horse. Like, to me, I'm like, okay, how would the Lord use that? And I was just reminded of when we had like we didn't have no money. I never would say that.
We live in America where but when we when money was really tight and we felt like the Lord say, I want you to do a ceremony where you literally take your checkbooks and everything you have and just ceremonially give it to me and just remind ourselves that like even the very money that we have is not his because we just had a picture from the Lord that he needed to trust us with the little so that he could trust us with the big. And he just gave us a picture of like, I'm gonna use my resources to flow millions and millions of dollars from my kingdom. I gotta be able to trust you with the little things. So to me, that's how I translate for me. If you can't run with me, man, like if you can't be trusted to just balance your checkbook and be faithful and tithe when you have very little, how am I when there's I'm you know, I want to use all of you for bigger, bigger things, but I'm I love you so much.
I'm I'm giving you the small things to be faithful, faithful.
Because he knows that that if he outpaces us with responsibility and or blessing, it will it will corrupt us. Right. What was the where did Israel get the gold for the calf? Remember, they had been slaves for four hundred years. Where did the gold come from that they made the golden calf that got him into trouble?
The Egyptians. It says they showered them with gifts and gold, like, Get out! But they didn't have the character to steward it well. God, in his goodness, is like, Let's get these little things dialed in, because I've got real big things for you. To me, that excites me.
Thank you, Lord, that you give me enough responsibility that feels like a stretch, that it feels like I'm on the starting line with a bunch of horses. But I trust, I walk by faith and not by sight, trusting in the Son of God to lead me. He wouldn't have me here at this starting line if he knew that I couldn't run and win?
It's like Lynn giving you your first responsibility at 21 and then you've had lots of responsibilities now at 22, age 22.
Thank you. Thank you.
I'm 24. Excuse me. Sorry. But the Lord is so gracious in his character. He lets us start running men with men.
You know, like Jeremiah in this text context wasn't was past that point. He was where Colin needed said he needed his big boy pants on. Mhmm. You know, you read this story. But he started there.
The Lord always meets you where you're at. So I love I'm encouraged too. Like, yes, I have you need to run with horses, proverbial metaphorically. And you started with men, fine. We're done with that though.
So strap up, buckle up. And, you know, but just like Lynn gave you that chance and you probably didn't feel like you had deserved it yet, you gotta take those opportunities and you have to start somewhere. You're not just gonna magically go from, as Paul says in other texts, going from milk to meat overnight.
Right.
It's good. So, I love that about the character of God.
I love that that you see that about the character of God, and it's something to just meditate on. Like, he's so good to us. Yeah. We talk about, you are good. I won't keep singing.
This is one of many aspects where the rubber meets the road of his goodness. No temptation has seized you but that which is common to man. God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, but when you are tempted, he'll provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. Therefore, He's really, really good.
Let's get okay. Turn to this, and I'm gonna get really, really, like, mega super practical on what that actually looks like. Okay? You were in Daniel. Go back to Daniel.
But back to Daniel chapter seven, we're going to read that verse. But I want to get just like super, ultra, mega, add a few more superlatives in there, practical. Alright? When it feels as though you are lined up at the starting line, and you are the only human, and every other competitor is horses, maybe, and I need you to make some connections to apply it to your specific situation, it could be an overwhelming season at work that you find yourself in, where you feel woefully inadequate to meet all of the challenges and the demands of the current work season that you're in. Maybe it's in the form of temptation, and it feels as though the horses are that thing that's been dogging your heels.
Whatever situation you find yourself in, when the gun goes off, how do I compete and win against horses? I want to take matters into my own hands, when I want to defend myself, when I feel like I've been wronged? Whatever it is, fill in the blank. How do you compete and win in those moments? You just gotta die.
Simple as that. You just gotta die to your own assessment of your own abilities. I use this example a lot, but when Selah and Kai were little, I would come home from work, and I knew that I was after a long day of work, I knew that I was about to be on daddy duty so that Lisa could go out. And I had just, like, worked all day, and I was tired and exhausted. And as soon as I came in the door, I knew that no matter how tired I was, Lisa was twice as tired as me, and she needed a break.
How did I have any gas in the tank left to, like, be present for my family, for my wife, for my children? And I would pull up in the driveway, and there I was at the starting line with a bunch of stallions, like raging two year olds. And they win every time. And so here's the really practical thing. Jesus, I can't do this.
I don't have any gas left in the tank to be a husband or a father, a nurturer, provider. I've just been at work all day. I've got nothing left. Then Jesus would say, Perfect. Why don't you let me be a husband through you?
Paul says, Christ in you, the hope of glory. Why don't you let me be dad to these children through you? Okay, what's that look like? Just listen to my voice. So I go in, and I don't want to make what I'm about to say.
I don't want to sound as if I've got these amazing, super Holy Spirit ears, and I hear everything, I can hear the voice of the Lord better than you can. I don't want you to think that, but for the purpose of this story, just listen. I walk in, and the Lord says, now just give give Lissy a big old hug and wrap her up. Okay. I could do that.
I could do that. She says, she's telling me all the stories and the things, and I need to go grocery shopping, and I gotta get out, get some fresh air. And the Holy Spirit says, great. You watch the kids. Can you say that?
I'm I'm I can say that. And then off she goes, and then I'm, like, staring at two, like Stallions. Stallions, ready to trample me. And then the Holy Spirit would say, Bundle them up and go for a walk in the neighborhood. Could I do that?
I could do that. What I wanted to do was sit in my chair and enjoy a beer this afternoon after a long day. That's what I wanted to do. But if I die and I say, Holy Spirit, Christ in me, the hope of glory. You love, you parent, you lead.
And then all we have to do is just obey these small little steps. Look at that. You win the foot race. Is that helpful at all? It's like that board game Othello, a minute to learn but a lifetime to master.
We're trying on our own strength or we feel all alone or we think that we can like, Okay, this time I've squared up against this line of stallions a thousand times, and they've beat me every time, but I've kind of come close. Maybe this time I can do it on my own, and then you just get squashed again. But you start winning races when you just die so that his life can be resurrected and manifested in your life. Did I tell you to turn to Daniel chapter seven? Would somebody read verse twenty one and twenty two?
And then while you're while you're reading that verse, I'm gonna ask Maddie to reach over her right shoulder, and there's a stuff sack in that corner. Further. No. No. No.
Further, further on the ground behind the couch. There. That big thing. Yep. Would you bring me that big thing, please?
Let's read verse Daniel chapter seven verse twenty one and twenty two. Joe's got it.
As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them until the ancient of days came and judgment was given to for the saints of the most high. And the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom.
As I watched, this horn was waging war against God's holy people and was defeating them. So how do we overcome the enemy? Sometimes it requires laying down our life. This horn in the book of Daniel is what we would call, with our New Testament perspective and understanding, the Antichrist. Until the Ancient One, the Ancient of Days, the most high, came and judged, established righteousness, like Kim said, in favor of who?
His holy people. He will come. If you have ever felt like you've been wronged, if you've ever felt like you've been fighting a person or the system or or an institution, and it just like, you know, whether whether maybe you've gone through something really ugly relationally and your spouse has, like, legally taken advantage of you in a in a ugly divorce or something, and it just feels like you'll never get justice. Hold on to this verse because it says that in the end, the ancient one will come and that he will judge in favor of his holy people. And then the time arrived for the holy people to take over and administrate, exercise leadership and influence over the kingdom.
Thoughts about that? Then I wanna show you something. It's just this is a object lesson or a visual aid that perhaps is only beneficial for me. But maybe somebody else would get something out of it. So Corey, back there in their production booth, do we have more than just this lock off shot today?
Alright. Is it this camera over here? Both. Sweet. Sweet.
Alright. Jump back and forth. We'll just go to a wide shot, but I wanna show you something. I'm gonna move this mic. Okay.
Okay. What is this, guys? It's a tent. You're exactly right. And what is a tent for?
Shelter and for sleeping in. Or you could it could be your little sukkah. I like it. Good connection. Add an extra star to your child.
Now what are you supposed to do in a tent? You're supposed to get inside. Right? Okay. So now, if I get in this tent, am I am I in a tent?
Sure.
Yeah. I'm in a tent.
Am using I the tent, like, how I'm supposed to? What am I what am I missing in the tent? I'm missing the the stakes. Yeah. On.
The poles. Poles. I'm missing the tent poles. I feel like a lot of people's Christianity is is like this tent. It lacks structure and shape because it doesn't have the tent poles.
You got some verses. You got some principles. You got some effort at trying to to live like a Christian, but if you heard me say Yes. Thank you, Joe. If you heard me say, like, it's been in your bible all along, I feel like this journey has been a journey that has helped me to really provide shape and structure.
Now, you two are okay, but the rest of you watch your eyes because these I'm gonna go through with the whole object lesson here. Yep.
All the way through.
And your crotch. Watch your crotch. Just watch everything. Okay? Oh, and your instruments.
So when I was a student pastor, I learned early on, do not try object to do object lessons that you haven't first watch your coffee. That you haven't first tried before the youth service because I had some that really backfired. I thought, surely, I don't need to try this one before I
like it.
We actually do it. Mhmm. Help me out there, TD. Okay.
Now
now watch this. Corey, you gotta keep up. Never step on your team. What's What's the a camera? Camera?
Me? Well, please see. Please see everybody. I like it. This is gonna go here.
Okay. Yep. Yes. Yes. Joe, like, you're doing, like, triple duty here.
Yeah. Hold on to that, Annie. Is it looking a little more like a tent now? Yes. Alright.
Now let's just do some clips here. You work on these clips. And, Annie, you can work on these clips. Now does it look more like a tent? Now if I were to get in the tent now, what's different about when I got in the tent last time?
Because I've already been in the tent. So what's what's different now? It some structure to it. It is working more along the intended lines of design. Say that again.
The tent is now working and fulfilling its purpose the way that it was designed. For me, personally, the return of Jesus, the establishing of his millennial reign are the tent poles that provide the shape and structure for the entire rest of my Christian walk. The tent poles, in this analogy, these tent poles represent the return of Jesus. When we look at the tent fabric of all of my Christianity, it is the tent poles of the return of Jesus in the establishing of his millennial reign that give shape and structure to everything else in my Christianity. And I would suggest to you that all of the Old Testament prophets that saw prophetic glimpses and pictures of a coming messiah and a second coming establishment establishing kingdom of God provided structure to their faith.
What did Jesus say all the time? Jesus was constantly, constantly shifting the perspective of his disciples to future things. Yes, yes, yes. Like, what you're going through is important, but but but remember, guys, remember, remember, keep this in the forefront of your mind. Why do we if if remember the Bible says that when we see him face to face, that we are going to be what?
Just like him. In in similar assignment, we'll have a resurrected body as he does. We will have been made perfect salvation. We'll have finally been thoroughly worked through every fiber of our being. Right now, our hearts get born again.
But according to Romans twelve two, don't be conformed any longer to the patterns of this world, but instead be transformed by the renewing of our mind. But if we're going to be just like him, why do we need to worry about being patient on this side of the new assignment? Why do we need to worry about turning the other cheek? Why do we need to worry about selflessness? Why do we need to take those those things that Jesus talked about, which are the core values of his coming administration in the book of Matthew, what we know of as the beatitudes?
Why are those things important if when we see him, we're gonna be just like him? Practice now for the coming establishing kingdom. When we have a perspective of establishing righteousness with Jesus, like Kim said at the beginning of this service, for me personally, it is like the the tent poles of the the the the fabric of the rest of my faith. Thoughts. Brian, great analogy.
Thank you. It made sense to me.
And Danny, clap for you.
Yeah. Let it soak in a little bit.
Let's just close our eyes for a minute. Lord, what would that look like we let everything be seen through the lens of your return? Let him just speak to your heart for a minute.
And the song that we're singing, you can't think. Let's let's lift up a few prayers in relation to this idea of of the return of Jesus providing structure structure and and meaning and and focus for all of our Christianity. You know what I'm saying? If you if you if you're with me, you can just you can just pray. But, Lord, help us.
Help us. Help us to see history in light of your perspective. Now we ask you and anybody else that wants to pray can.
We're just quicken our hearts to what your word says. There's prophecies all through your word about your first coming and your second coming. Let us really grab a hold of that in our spirits, what that means for us, that you are our hope, our glory to come.
Lord, just thank you so much for the opportunity to just have a chance to listen and to see what what you put in the Bible and what you have for us, lord, before anything happens and give us a chance to just align ourselves and identify with your truth and just thank you so much for for your word and what it what it means to us, Lord. Give us a chance just to see through your lens everything going on in the world and and how at the get the at the bottom of everything, Lord, there's your truth and and there's your way, Lord, whether whether it's unfolding now or in
the near future. Yes, Lord. Thank you, Jesus.
It's good.
One or two more.
Lord, we thank you for the opportunity to trade in those things of ourselves for you, and we thank you that you've given us that opportunity in this life so that when we're resurrected, it won't be us, but it will be Christ.
It's good.
And this is a a prayer for a healing. I have a a friend in Eastern Europe named Lina has some sort of kidney cancer. I just wanna pray the Lord's healing and authority and to a fellow believer and pray healing in the authority of Christ Jesus on that.
Yes, Lord. We lift her up to you. Yes, Lord. You say she's in Eastern Europe? If there were only somebody here that could pray in that Eastern European language for her so that the Lord would hear her prayers and bring healing into her life.
If only there were anyone, a one that would volunteer maybe to pray in, I don't know, Romanian or something or if there's anyone Pray for Lina. Would to pray for oh my gosh. Wow. Thank you. Would you pray for Lina?
Yes. Sure. The healing in her body. In English? No.
No. No. No. It'll it'll be more potent in Romanian. Amen.
Jesus. In your goodness, lift our chin with your gentle fingers to redirect our gaze from the stuff that we find ourselves in day to day that we so easily and quickly get tripped up in. Lift our gaze to the horizon so that we can experience victory today and walk in greater measures of victory today knowing that the battle has already been won and that someday you will return to establish the victory that has been won. We ask that healing would be released in everybody's body. Anybody that is feeling the sickies, the crummies.
God, according to your word in Psalms, it says that you sent forth your word and you healed them. We release healing in the bodies of our tribe fam. Whether they're here in the TMC or watching the live stream. Release victory over our lives as we surrender to you. We thank you that you are our great hope.
Let's sing this song that Lisa was singing a little bit more. Teach it to us if the words aren't up on the screen.
Is
this the right place? Alright. So as we close this time together, it is so certainly not the only time that we worship. We worship the Lord through song. We've honored and worshiped him today through, his word.
And then one last time corporately while we're we're together, we're gonna honor him while we bring our tithe and give our offering. And this is such an important thing. It's not just, oh, let's check that box. And I know if you're a tribe family, you understand that and you know that. But, man, this is such a time to practice obedience.
Like we talked about today, I think the Lord is so gracious in his character that he allows us a lifetime of practicing obedience in small things and in big things. And bringing our tithe to him is just one of those ways that we can do that among other things. And it's such a win because we're honoring his word when we do that. It blesses the kingdom because it's practical money and it takes money to do ministry. It's not all of it, but, you know, when to reach and to do evangelism takes practical resources, and then it blesses you because you are obedient.
So it is such an important part of being a Christian. And I would encourage you today, if you have never practiced bringing your tithe or giving above and beyond the tithe, which is what we call offering, to just practice. We always tell you it's between you and the Lord what the amount you give. You know, it's wrong it's wrong to say you need to give x amount, you know, to certain amount of dollars or this many zeros. That's between you and the Lord.
However, just practice today. Even if you just give a few dollars because you've never done it, but you wanna practice that muscle, just give a few dollars today and say, Lord, oh, this feels weird, or, oh, it's Christmas time and I need this. But your word says to bring my tithe, and so I'm just practicing today. That's you like men walking with men. He wants you to run with horses like we talked about today.
So what in the world is he gonna ask you to do, but you've gotta start somewhere. So start today if you haven't between you and the Lord. So let's pray as we bring our tithe and we give our offering, and then I'll just have a couple quick announcements, and we will dismiss you to go see the final score of the World Cup. So heavenly father, we just oh, we just take a breath in your presence today, and we say thank you for letting us honor you and practice obedience by bringing our our tithe and giving of our offering. Lord, what a special thing you've allowed us to do to say, God, I love you and I trust you, especially when it feels in the natural like we can't give.
Man, you love that. Help us to believe what it says in second Corinthians where your power actually works best in our weakness, whether it's financial or otherwise. And so, Lord, we just thank you for the opportunity. Thank you that in your character, you never, not once, have not been faithful when we obey your word, not one time. And you're not starting now.
And so we thank you for that, Lord. Thank you that you'll bless everyone here, and then just practically speaking that you will trust this tribe team to disperse those finances exactly like you want us to, to bring more people into your kingdom. Thank you for what an honor and a privilege it is to do that. We love you, father, and we trust you today. And as a tribe family, we say, amen.
So friends, one week from today is Christmas. Wow. Maddie is excited. We will not hold tribe service like this Christmas morning because you guys will be cozied up, in your jammies drinking hot cocoa. So the big way that we celebrate Christmas here at Tribe every year is a Christmas Eve service.
So that is happening this coming Saturday, Christmas Eve, on Town Square at 06:30. So be there, but do not come Sunday morning. And then following Tuesday, we always have service Tuesday, whatever that is. The twenty seventh will be business as usual. So you can come here at 06:00, have a meal, and then we'll worship together.
But no service Sunday morning, but please, if you're around, come to Town Square. It's really magical and beautiful and special, and the Lord does something really unique warm every year. And bring a chair. And if you wanna help yes? It depending on the coldness, about thirty to forty minutes.
Tops. Tops. If if the Holy Spirit is really moving and doing something in Brian, then maybe forty minutes. But we aim for about $25.30 just to honor that space and that time. So the the other thing is this, if you have a tag that we Is that right?
You can still bring them. If you took a angel tree tag, you know, we always partner with first be and bless these precious people in our community that wouldn't have a Christmas otherwise. It's not too late up until Christmas Eve, I suppose. When's the due date?
Well, they need them to get them so their families can open
them up So Christmas
the goal is to have them back by Tuesday evening this week.
K.
So if if you have one and it needs a break, just bring it anytime to the TMC before Tuesday. Morning, yeah, at the latest.
Perfect. Brian, would you like to pray us out?
Announce lunch right now.
So couple things. I love your generosity taking those tags. If you are there any tags left? Alright. They're all out.
So send them send them back this way. Also, right after service when we dismiss, if there's anything that you need prayer for, I'm deputizing Kim Paulson, Joe Paulson. Come see them if there's anything that you need prayer for big or small, large or insignificant. It it it's all important to God and they would love to pray for you, thing number one. Thing number two, we're gonna have a baptism discussion for our candidates who are gonna get baptized.
We have two, three, or four folks that are looking to get baptized in water. And if you were baptized as a kid but not as adult or if you've recently invited, you know, whatever recently means, one month or five years, if you've invited Jesus into your heart, but you've never made a public profession of faith by receiving the sacrament of water baptism, right after service, we're going to have a conversation about that. I'm gonna walk our candidates through a few bible verses and, and then share, like, what what that means. We'll talk about the actual mechanics of baptism. We're gonna do a baptism service here the first Sunday of the New Year in 2023 right here at the TMC.
Tyler Dunn's gonna get our tank and fill it up with nice tepid water for us. And then after service, we'll all go downstairs and be witnesses and celebrate baptism with those people that have received water baptism at that time. So after we dismiss here, we're gonna have a little bit of food, and we'll gather around the table. Let's eat and talk about water baptism. And if you hadn't planned on it, but you're like, oh, no.
There's that feeling. I need to get baptized in water. But then you're like, well, was baptized as a child, but, I mean, I kinda don't remember it. My parents ah. So if you're like on the fence, then just join us for lunch.
We'll talk about it, and then you can make an intelligent decision for yourself. Sound good? Stand up. Let me pray for you. We'll get out of here.
Lord Jesus, even though I haven't seen the finish of the game, I wanna pray for Argentina today. Give them favor against Mbappe. And I command a blessing over each and every member of our tribe fam here. Give us shape and structure and meaning. Redirect our focus to your return and help that cause that realization to recalibrate and give structure to our everyday lives.
We pray these things in Jesus' name, the strong son of God. And everybody said Amen. Amen. I love you guys so much. Have a great week.
If you're staying for baptism talk, we'll do lunch, and then talk and then get out of here. Have a great week. And remember, you got this.
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