1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:08,640 Well this is the last Sunday in our series entitled, Be Yourself, Discovering 2 00:00:08,640 –> 00:00:15,380 your New Identity in Jesus Christ. Now knowing who you are is really of 3 00:00:15,380 –> 00:00:20,240 critical importance in living the Christian life, and that’s what we’ve 4 00:00:20,240 –> 00:00:26,760 been exploring over these last weeks together. Now we’ve experienced a 5 00:00:26,840 –> 00:00:32,119 significant change in our family over the last few weeks that I’d like to tell 6 00:00:32,119 –> 00:00:40,880 you about. My wife has started making her own bread. Now I have to tell you that 7 00:00:40,880 –> 00:00:45,480 for over 40 years I have been very very contented with white bread I like my 8 00:00:45,480 –> 00:00:51,520 toast, I like my marmalade, I’ve eaten it that way for years. So when I was told 9 00:00:51,520 –> 00:00:59,779 that what I’ve been eating for over 40 years is made with white flour, and that 10 00:00:59,779 –> 00:01:06,260 most of the goodness that God intended me to enjoy has been taken out of this, I 11 00:01:06,260 –> 00:01:12,599 wasn’t really quite too sure how to take it. Well now we have buckets of grain 12 00:01:12,599 –> 00:01:20,000 and a flour mill, and I have to tell you that this new bread is fantastic 13 00:01:20,080 –> 00:01:28,639 one slice of this has more goodness in it than five slices of the other. I can 14 00:01:28,639 –> 00:01:37,160 tell the difference. Now I want to suggest to you that some of us have got 15 00:01:37,160 –> 00:01:46,080 used to what I’m going to call the white flower gospel, a gospel that has much of 16 00:01:46,120 –> 00:01:55,080 the goodness taken out of it. It’s been so refined that it’s lost its substance, 17 00:01:55,080 –> 00:02:04,199 and although we can live on it, it lacks what God originally gave us and intended 18 00:02:04,199 –> 00:02:12,119 us to build ourselves up on. The white flower gospel goes something like this. 19 00:02:12,119 –> 00:02:16,720 Jesus came into the world. He died on the cross for our sins, and on the third day 20 00:02:16,720 –> 00:02:20,759 he rose again. If you believe these things, you will be forgiven and you will 21 00:02:20,759 –> 00:02:27,119 have everlasting life. That is true but it is a long way from being the whole 22 00:02:27,119 –> 00:02:33,160 truth. So someone raised on the white flower gospel comes to church and then 23 00:02:33,160 –> 00:02:38,279 gets involved in a Bible study and then says, hey, I believe that Jesus died and 24 00:02:38,860 –> 00:02:42,520 They say a prayer and then they’re told hey, this is great you are now 25 00:02:42,520 –> 00:02:46,740 forgiven and you have everlasting life, so this person says marvelous I’m 26 00:02:46,740 –> 00:02:51,479 forgiven I have everlasting life I believe the gospel, all I’ve got to do 27 00:02:51,479 –> 00:02:54,520 now is figure out how to live the rest of my life. 28 00:02:54,520 –> 00:03:00,220 The result is that many Christians live with a deep sense that the gospel is 29 00:03:00,220 –> 00:03:04,919 addressed to the past, it’s about our forgiveness, and it’s addressed to the 30 00:03:04,940 –> 00:03:10,059 future it’s about our everlasting destiny but it is somehow disconnected 31 00:03:10,059 –> 00:03:16,660 from the real issues with which all of us struggle in our lives today. After all 32 00:03:16,660 –> 00:03:24,479 all of us have deep wounds in our lives where do you go for that? All of us have 33 00:03:24,479 –> 00:03:31,000 ongoing struggles in our lives where do you go for that? All of us or many of us 34 00:03:31,080 –> 00:03:35,619 have feelings of insignificance in our lives does my life really count for 35 00:03:35,619 –> 00:03:41,220 anything in the vastness of this world? Where do I go to work out that? Many 36 00:03:41,220 –> 00:03:44,000 Christians have come to the conclusion because they’ve been raised on the 37 00:03:44,000 –> 00:03:49,240 white-flower gospel that the gospel simply does not really address the 38 00:03:49,240 –> 00:03:54,679 issues with which I live today and so the gospel becomes relegated to be in a 39 00:03:54,679 –> 00:03:59,000 kind of spiritual insurance policy, something you’re glad you have you 40 00:03:59,520 –> 00:04:03,139 without it but in a really a lot of use or interest in the practicalities of 41 00:04:03,139 –> 00:04:09,699 your everyday life. That’s the white-flower gospel. Immediately you’re 42 00:04:09,699 –> 00:04:14,699 going to say, well now what’s missing? What’s been taken out of the 43 00:04:14,699 –> 00:04:21,920 white-flower gospel that God originally put in? What is the nourishment that God 44 00:04:21,920 –> 00:04:27,459 intended us to enjoy in our day-to-day lives that has so often been removed 45 00:04:27,459 –> 00:04:33,260 from the way in which we understand the gospel today? The answer is simply this— 46 00:04:33,260 –> 00:04:38,459 it’s been the focus of our whole series—that to be a Christian is to be in 47 00:04:38,459 –> 00:04:48,899 Jesus Christ. If anyone is in Christ, he or she is a new creation. The old has 48 00:04:48,899 –> 00:04:56,640 gone and the new has come. And many have never really understood what it is to be 49 00:04:56,640 –> 00:05:04,940 a new person now in Jesus Christ. The gospel puts this many different ways. 50 00:05:04,940 –> 00:05:13,799 You must be born again—John 3, verse 7. Christ saved us by the 51 00:05:13,799 –> 00:05:18,619 washing of rebirth. The word is used in the New American Standard Version and 52 00:05:18,619 –> 00:05:24,000 many other versions, by regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit, an important 53 00:05:24,920 –> 00:05:30,540 God made us alive in Jesus Christ. When you come to Christ, there’s a new life, 54 00:05:30,540 –> 00:05:38,059 there’s a new power, there’s a new identity. You become a new person, that’s 55 00:05:38,059 –> 00:05:46,179 the whole grain of the gospel. Now the purpose of our short series has been to 56 00:05:46,179 –> 00:05:52,640 identify and to recovery that whole grain of the gospel to discover your new 57 00:05:52,720 –> 00:05:57,640 identity in Jesus Christ, to put back into our understanding of the gospel 58 00:05:57,640 –> 00:06:03,880 what has too often been taken out and therefore lost. Now our focus verse is 59 00:06:03,880 –> 00:06:10,000 1 Corinthians chapter 1 and verse 30, where we discover that Jesus Christ 60 00:06:10,000 –> 00:06:16,200 has become for us wisdom from God, that is, he is our righteousness, our holiness, 61 00:06:16,440 –> 00:06:22,679 and our redemption. And so let’s take a moment just to review what we’ve learned 62 00:06:22,679 –> 00:06:29,739 about this very substance of what it is to be in Christ. In Christ, number one, you 63 00:06:29,739 –> 00:06:39,440 are clean. Even though you still sin. How is that possible? Because Christ is your 64 00:06:39,440 –> 00:06:44,760 righteousness and your purity lies in him. That’s why nothing that happened to 65 00:06:44,859 –> 00:06:48,079 you in this world can ever touch it. That speaks to some of the deepest struggles 66 00:06:48,079 –> 00:06:56,079 of abuse in this world. You are free, secondly, though you still struggle. 67 00:06:56,079 –> 00:06:59,760 You say, how is that possible? If I struggle, how can I be free? I know I 68 00:06:59,760 –> 00:07:04,100 struggle so I have assumed that I’m not free. No, you are free because Christ is 69 00:07:04,100 –> 00:07:10,399 your redemption. You used to be a slave to sin but Christ has brought you out of 70 00:07:10,399 –> 00:07:14,279 that position. You’re not in the cage, you’re in the field, you’re not a 71 00:07:14,320 –> 00:07:19,420 hostage, you are equipped to fight. And because you’re involved in a battle, you 72 00:07:19,420 –> 00:07:24,160 may fail, you may be set back many times, but ultimately you will triumph. 73 00:07:24,160 –> 00:07:32,200 Sin will no longer be your master. Do you are Holy. You’re holy even though you 74 00:07:32,200 –> 00:07:36,480 still live in the world. You see, how is that possible? Because Christ is your 75 00:07:36,480 –> 00:07:41,679 holiness. It’s what Paul is saying in 1 Corinthians 1-30. You don’t belong to 76 00:07:41,679 –> 00:07:46,399 this world. You’ve been called from this world, but you’ve also been sent into 77 00:07:46,399 –> 00:07:55,260 this world. Christ is your righteousness, your holiness, and your redemption. 78 00:07:55,260 –> 00:07:59,440 Now, of course, these things that are true of me as a person in Jesus Christ, true of you 79 00:07:59,440 –> 00:08:07,279 in Jesus Christ, they are things that are known by faith. And when we talk as 80 00:08:07,279 –> 00:08:13,040 Christians, as we talk so loosely about faith, this is a large part of what 81 00:08:13,040 –> 00:08:17,399 we’re talking about, we walk by faith and not by sight. 82 00:08:17,399 –> 00:08:25,320 It’s very easy for me to see my sins, for me to see my struggles, but it is by 83 00:08:25,320 –> 00:08:31,500 faith that I believe that in Jesus Christ I am righteous because he is my 84 00:08:31,500 –> 00:08:36,640 righteousness. That in Jesus Christ I’m free because he is my redemption. That in 85 00:08:36,659 –> 00:08:42,059 Jesus Christ I’m holy because he has called me out of the world and is my 86 00:08:42,059 –> 00:08:48,520 holiness. You know we talk a lot about faith, and yet some of us don’t believe 87 00:08:48,520 –> 00:08:56,000 the very things that we say are the substance of our faith. We walk by faith 88 00:08:56,000 –> 00:09:03,400 and not by sight. So what I’m wanting to say as a pastor in this series is look, 89 00:09:03,460 –> 00:09:13,219 feed yourself on the whole grain of the Gospel. Feed this truth to yourself. 90 00:09:13,219 –> 00:09:17,840 Don’t go around feeding yourself the devil’s lies that you’re still the same 91 00:09:17,840 –> 00:09:23,080 old person you used to be. Feed yourself the truth of who you are in Jesus 92 00:09:23,080 –> 00:09:32,099 Christ, and as you feed yourself that truth, be who you are, be who you are. 93 00:09:32,099 –> 00:09:37,380 Today we come to the fourth dimension of our new identity in Jesus Christ and in 94 00:09:37,380 –> 00:09:43,780 some ways it’s the most important of all. You are wise though you still make 95 00:09:43,780 –> 00:09:51,159 mistakes. Christ is our wisdom, 1 Corinthians chapter 1 and verse 30. 96 00:09:51,159 –> 00:09:59,359 Christ is our wisdom. So in Christ you are wise, even though you still make 97 00:09:59,359 –> 00:10:01,359 mistakes. 98 00:10:02,219 –> 00:10:07,539 Now I want to give a very simple definition of wisdom. Wisdom is very 99 00:10:07,539 –> 00:10:14,739 simply the ability to put things together. Now in the Old Testament there 100 00:10:14,739 –> 00:10:20,739 was a man by the name of Bezalel and Bezalel was a very skilled master 101 00:10:20,739 –> 00:10:25,119 craftsman. He made the furniture for the tabernacle at least he was in charge of 102 00:10:25,119 –> 00:10:34,340 that project. He had the ability to put things together in gold, in silver and in 103 00:10:34,340 –> 00:10:40,320 wood. And the word that is used to describe Bezalel skill in the Old 104 00:10:40,320 –> 00:10:47,940 Testament is this word wisdom. You see these two things are speaking to the 105 00:10:47,940 –> 00:10:53,479 same reality the man who has the ability to put things together is the man who 106 00:10:53,679 –> 00:11:00,000 has wisdom. Now it takes great skill for Bezalel to put the furniture for the 107 00:11:00,000 –> 00:11:04,340 tabernacle together it takes even greater skill for you or for me to put 108 00:11:04,340 –> 00:11:10,539 our life together. But that is what wisdom is all about it is the ability to 109 00:11:10,539 –> 00:11:16,919 put things together. Now it’s important to notice at this point the difference 110 00:11:16,919 –> 00:11:23,440 between wisdom and knowledge this is very significant. Knowledge is about 111 00:11:23,440 –> 00:11:32,679 gathering information. Wisdom is about putting it together. So for many years my 112 00:11:32,679 –> 00:11:38,299 father was a policeman. He worked in the CID, the Criminal 113 00:11:38,299 –> 00:11:44,640 Investigation Department in Edinburgh Scotland. He was a detective. Now the 114 00:11:44,719 –> 00:11:49,840 first thing that a detective does is that he gathers evidence. Takes 115 00:11:49,840 –> 00:11:55,380 fingerprints, takes photographs, takes statements. He gathers the evidence and 116 00:11:55,380 –> 00:12:02,359 he builds a base of knowledge, but the real skill of the detective, of course, is 117 00:12:02,359 –> 00:12:09,320 to put the evidence together in a way that solves the case. Watch any detective 118 00:12:09,320 –> 00:12:12,780 series on television and you’ll find this is what it’s about, the formula is 119 00:12:12,780 –> 00:12:17,419 always the same. There are various pieces of disconnected information that just 120 00:12:17,419 –> 00:12:21,780 don’t fit together, but the knowledge is assembled. And then the genius of the 121 00:12:21,780 –> 00:12:26,979 detective is that at some point the light goes on and he or she says, ahh, and 122 00:12:26,979 –> 00:12:31,500 puts the pieces of evidence together and suddenly solves the case and you 123 00:12:31,500 –> 00:12:39,640 suddenly know whodunnit, as it were. Now remember then, that wisdom is always 124 00:12:39,799 –> 00:12:45,440 based on knowledge. If you don’t have the evidence you can’t solve the case. You 125 00:12:45,440 –> 00:12:49,280 can’t form a conclusion without the evidence. You can’t put the pieces 126 00:12:49,280 –> 00:12:55,200 together if you don’t have the pieces in the first place. But at the same time 127 00:12:55,200 –> 00:13:00,719 knowledge does not always lead to wisdom, and that’s equally important to 128 00:13:00,719 –> 00:13:05,580 remember. Of course that is precisely the issue that’s under review at this time 129 00:13:05,820 –> 00:13:12,419 in our reflections on September the 11th. For our Intelligence Services are 130 00:13:12,419 –> 00:13:19,219 saying that they did have certain pieces of information, but they were not able at 131 00:13:19,219 –> 00:13:25,340 that time to put them together. We had the dots they’re saying, but we weren’t 132 00:13:25,340 –> 00:13:29,780 able to join the dots to make a picture of what was going on. We had the 133 00:13:29,780 –> 00:13:35,020 information but we did not have the understanding. We had knowledge but we 134 00:13:35,500 –> 00:13:41,460 did not have wisdom, the ability to put it together. That’s what wisdom is all 135 00:13:41,460 –> 00:13:44,099 about. That’s why, by the way, you can be in church for a very long time and 136 00:13:44,099 –> 00:13:50,940 learn many things about the Bible and never come to the wisdom of God. 137 00:13:51,419 –> 00:13:55,460 Now, how are you going to put your life together? That’s really the issue that’s 138 00:13:55,460 –> 00:13:59,840 at stake today. I want us to see from the passage of Scripture in 1 139 00:13:59,840 –> 00:14:03,460 Corinthians and chapter 2 that there are very clearly two different ways of doing 140 00:14:03,460 –> 00:14:08,640 this. First, you can put your life together through the wisdom of this age, 141 00:14:08,640 –> 00:14:14,200 which is in verse 6, or second through God’s secret wisdom, which Paul describes 142 00:14:14,200 –> 00:14:21,039 in verse 7. Two ways of putting your life together. Two kinds of wisdom. It’s what 143 00:14:21,039 –> 00:14:29,520 wisdom is. Now notice first, then, in verse 6, the wisdom of this age. The wisdom of 144 00:14:29,679 –> 00:14:37,299 this age is simply a way of putting your life together with yourself at the 145 00:14:37,299 –> 00:14:44,219 centre. That’s how this world thinks. The wisdom of this age is the way of 146 00:14:44,219 –> 00:14:47,580 putting life together that begins with the question, what do I want to get out 147 00:14:47,580 –> 00:14:55,080 of life? What will it take to get it? How do I act and behave and position 148 00:14:55,080 –> 00:15:01,859 myself in such a way to get what I want? Now, notice that Paul tells us three 149 00:15:01,859 –> 00:15:08,919 things about that way of putting life together. Number one, that kind of wisdom 150 00:15:08,919 –> 00:15:16,659 will not bring you to God. I’m looking at chapter 1 in verse 21 now. Notice, 151 00:15:16,700 –> 00:15:23,640 the world through its wisdom did not know him. 152 00:15:23,640 –> 00:15:33,260 Chapter 1 verse 21, the world through its wisdom did not know him. In other words, 153 00:15:33,260 –> 00:15:37,739 if you’re putting your life together simply on the basis of, how can I get 154 00:15:37,739 –> 00:15:46,340 everything that I want, you cannot come to know God that way. If you come into a 155 00:15:46,340 –> 00:15:52,299 church environment because you want to add God to the agenda of your life, which 156 00:15:52,299 –> 00:15:58,219 is essentially self-serving, you just cannot come to know God that way. You 157 00:15:58,219 –> 00:16:01,580 simply will not get there. You can be religious, you can say prayers, but you 158 00:16:01,580 –> 00:16:09,179 will not know God so long as the central agenda of your life is to get out of 159 00:16:09,559 –> 00:16:15,580 what you want. God cannot be found on the path of the 160 00:16:15,580 –> 00:16:20,500 world’s wisdom, and if that is where you are walking because he’s not there, you 161 00:16:20,500 –> 00:16:28,179 will not find him. Believe in him and pray to him, but never know him. The 162 00:16:28,179 –> 00:16:34,539 wisdom of this world does not know God, you cannot add belief in Jesus to an 163 00:16:34,539 –> 00:16:39,619 unchanged self-centered view of life, you just can’t. 164 00:16:40,059 –> 00:16:45,380 Second, this way of putting life together, the the way of saying, you know, 165 00:16:45,380 –> 00:16:50,820 how do I get what I want? This way of putting life together has no room for 166 00:16:50,820 –> 00:16:57,960 Jesus Christ. Chapter 2 and verse 8 the Apostle Paul refers here to those who 167 00:16:58,000 –> 00:17:06,619 crucified the Lord of Glory. Chapter 2 in verse 8. they crucified the Lord of 168 00:17:06,619 –> 00:17:14,500 glory, those who followed the wisdom of this age, because of course if you’re 169 00:17:14,500 –> 00:17:19,900 putting your life together on the basis of trying to get what you want, 170 00:17:19,900 –> 00:17:24,900 you will have no room for a Jesus who says, deny yourself and take up your 171 00:17:24,900 –> 00:17:31,479 cross and follow me. The wisdom of this world and the way of Jesus are like oil 172 00:17:31,479 –> 00:17:39,000 and water. That’s why you can’t add Jesus to a self-centered view of life, and a 173 00:17:39,000 –> 00:17:45,079 person who tries to do that will ultimately end up like Judas, the man 174 00:17:45,079 –> 00:17:51,239 among the twelve who wanted Jesus to fulfill his agenda. And when he found 175 00:17:51,239 –> 00:17:55,280 that ultimately that could not work, he traded Jesus in to get what he thought 176 00:17:55,280 –> 00:18:01,180 was good, 30 pieces of silver. The wisdom of this age, the putting of life 177 00:18:01,180 –> 00:18:07,839 together in a way that says, how do I get what I want, has no room for Jesus. If you 178 00:18:07,839 –> 00:18:18,119 follow the wisdom of this world, you have to crucify Christ. Then thirdly this way 179 00:18:18,180 –> 00:18:20,800 of putting life together ultimately comes to nothing. 180 00:18:20,800 –> 00:18:25,119 Notice verse 6, Paul speaks of the wisdom of this age, the rulers of this 181 00:18:25,119 –> 00:18:32,319 age who are coming to nothing. The wisdom of this world promises you 182 00:18:32,319 –> 00:18:40,859 everything, everything you can be. But it comes to nothing. And if you put your 183 00:18:40,900 –> 00:18:50,900 life together on the basis of everything I want what will that be in the end? 184 00:18:53,099 –> 00:18:57,140 So there’s one way of putting life together, it is so common throughout 185 00:18:57,140 –> 00:19:02,119 this world, how do I get what I want. It’s the way of wisdom of this world, 186 00:19:02,119 –> 00:19:05,500 you can’t come to know God that way, you just can’t add God into that, 187 00:19:05,500 –> 00:19:10,660 just doesn’t mix. There’s no room for Jesus there, you have to crucify Christ 188 00:19:10,699 –> 00:19:15,180 if you’re going that way, and it will come to nothing. 189 00:19:18,380 –> 00:19:20,699 The other way of putting your life together is what Paul calls 190 00:19:20,699 –> 00:19:26,859 in verse 7, the secret wisdom of God. God’s secret wisdom, 191 00:19:26,859 –> 00:19:32,020 the secret wisdom of God is simply a way of putting your life together with 192 00:19:32,020 –> 00:19:37,599 God at the center. And, of course, that is precisely what 193 00:19:37,599 –> 00:19:43,060 Jesus did. The way that Jesus put his life together on 194 00:19:43,060 –> 00:19:44,359 earth was not to say, 195 00:19:44,359 –> 00:19:47,400 how can I get everything that I want out of life on this earth? 196 00:19:47,400 –> 00:19:50,560 It was to say, how can I do what the father has called 197 00:19:50,560 –> 00:19:55,160 me to do? How can I serve and be a blessing and 198 00:19:55,160 –> 00:20:00,079 minister to others? Now, obviously, if you’re asking 199 00:20:00,079 –> 00:20:04,560 that question, you will put your life together on 200 00:20:04,560 –> 00:20:09,479 a day to day basis in an entirely different way. 201 00:20:09,479 –> 00:20:13,939 There will be all the difference in the world between 202 00:20:13,939 –> 00:20:21,719 a father who says in his mind, how can I get what I want? 203 00:20:21,719 –> 00:20:27,020 And a father who says, how can I fulfill God’s purpose 204 00:20:27,020 –> 00:20:31,160 as a father? And how can I be a blessing to 205 00:20:31,199 –> 00:20:33,959 those God has placed around me. All the difference in the 206 00:20:33,959 –> 00:20:37,619 world in the way these two men put their lives together. 207 00:20:37,619 –> 00:20:42,420 The same for a husband. The same for a student. 208 00:20:42,420 –> 00:20:50,560 The same for an employee. The same in any capacity that 209 00:20:50,560 –> 00:20:56,780 God has given you in this life. Now if you put your life 210 00:20:56,800 –> 00:21:04,800 together in this way you will be thinking the same way as 211 00:21:05,280 –> 00:21:10,079 Jesus did. Think about that. Which is why Paul says in 212 00:21:10,079 –> 00:21:15,079 verse 16 we have the mind of Christ. It doesn’t mean we 213 00:21:16,319 –> 00:21:19,439 think every thought as Jesus did but our fundamental 214 00:21:19,439 –> 00:21:23,339 approach to life. If we are putting life together on the 215 00:21:23,339 –> 00:21:26,560 basis of the wisdom of God, our fundamental approach to 216 00:21:26,560 –> 00:21:29,619 life is the same approach as Jesus took. It’s what it is to 217 00:21:29,619 –> 00:21:34,619 be a Christian. Now what does this actually look like? 218 00:21:36,439 –> 00:21:40,599 First it is rooted in the cross. 219 00:21:41,780 –> 00:21:45,280 Again here in look at chapter one verses 23 and 24 220 00:21:45,280 –> 00:21:49,560 we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews 221 00:21:49,560 –> 00:21:52,099 and foolishness to gentiles but to those whom God 222 00:21:52,099 –> 00:21:55,000 has called both Jews and Greeks Christ the power 223 00:21:55,020 –> 00:21:58,239 and the wisdom of God. 224 00:21:59,479 –> 00:22:04,459 The wisdom of God is directly tied here to the cross. 225 00:22:06,280 –> 00:22:10,459 The wisdom of Christ to put his life together 226 00:22:10,459 –> 00:22:13,359 as he did was immensely costly. 227 00:22:15,739 –> 00:22:19,359 He said what does the Father call me to do? 228 00:22:19,359 –> 00:22:21,099 How can I be a blessing to others? 229 00:22:21,199 –> 00:22:22,859 He put his life together that way, 230 00:22:22,859 –> 00:22:25,260 and it led him to a cross. 231 00:22:26,420 –> 00:22:27,619 It cost him everything. 232 00:22:29,260 –> 00:22:32,500 And Paul says the cross is the wisdom of God. 233 00:22:34,239 –> 00:22:37,819 The cross is God’s way of putting things together. 234 00:22:39,640 –> 00:22:41,800 That’s why you can’t just add a belief in Jesus 235 00:22:41,800 –> 00:22:44,839 to a life that is fundamentally about getting what you want. 236 00:22:46,099 –> 00:22:48,439 The only way to put your life together 237 00:22:48,439 –> 00:22:52,000 through the wisdom of God is to give up your agenda 238 00:22:52,000 –> 00:22:54,500 of being all that you want to be. 239 00:22:54,500 –> 00:22:59,500 Or as Jesus put it, the way to save your life is to lose it. 240 00:23:01,880 –> 00:23:03,680 That is the wisdom of God. 241 00:23:04,900 –> 00:23:09,900 The way to put your life together is to come to the cross. 242 00:23:11,520 –> 00:23:15,079 And to give that life out of your hands 243 00:23:15,079 –> 00:23:17,359 into the hands of Christ and say, 244 00:23:17,459 –> 00:23:20,180 here are these broken pieces. 245 00:23:20,180 –> 00:23:22,640 I can’t put them together. 246 00:23:22,640 –> 00:23:24,800 I place them into your hands. 247 00:23:24,800 –> 00:23:28,319 And in giving you my life, will you put it together? 248 00:23:28,319 –> 00:23:32,079 That’s the secret wisdom of God. 249 00:23:33,839 –> 00:23:36,300 I place myself in your hands. 250 00:23:37,599 –> 00:23:39,040 You put the pieces together. 251 00:23:39,040 –> 00:23:41,119 That’s where the wisdom of God begins. 252 00:23:42,880 –> 00:23:44,380 The foot of the cross. 253 00:23:45,339 –> 00:23:46,660 Great. 254 00:23:46,660 –> 00:23:50,180 Second, notice that this way of putting life together, 255 00:23:50,180 –> 00:23:51,520 not only begins at the cross, 256 00:23:51,520 –> 00:23:55,520 but it is revealed by the Holy Spirit. 257 00:23:57,359 –> 00:23:58,900 Chapter two, verses nine and 10. 258 00:23:58,900 –> 00:24:00,979 No eye has seen, no ear has heard, 259 00:24:00,979 –> 00:24:03,319 no mind has conceived what God has prepared 260 00:24:03,319 –> 00:24:04,380 for those who love him. 261 00:24:04,380 –> 00:24:07,680 But God has revealed it to us by His Spirit. 262 00:24:09,160 –> 00:24:10,859 Take it up the same in verse 12. 263 00:24:10,859 –> 00:24:13,839 We have not received the spirit of the world, 264 00:24:14,500 –> 00:24:16,819 but the spirit who is from God, 265 00:24:16,819 –> 00:24:20,640 that we may understand what God has freely given us. 266 00:24:22,300 –> 00:24:23,699 No one could guess this. 267 00:24:23,699 –> 00:24:26,439 That’s why Paul calls it secret wisdom of God. 268 00:24:27,479 –> 00:24:29,280 You say to someone out there in the world 269 00:24:29,280 –> 00:24:31,619 that the way to begin life and to put it together 270 00:24:31,619 –> 00:24:32,859 is to stand at the cross 271 00:24:32,859 –> 00:24:34,959 and to give yourself wholly to Jesus Christ. 272 00:24:34,959 –> 00:24:36,939 They’ll say that’s foolishness. 273 00:24:39,900 –> 00:24:42,760 God has made Himself known in two ways. 274 00:24:43,579 –> 00:24:46,280 One is very public. 275 00:24:46,280 –> 00:24:48,420 He sent His Son into the world. 276 00:24:49,400 –> 00:24:50,939 The other is very private. 277 00:24:51,819 –> 00:24:54,359 He sends his spirit into your heart. 278 00:24:55,400 –> 00:24:58,520 And what the Holy Spirit does is He opens up as it were 279 00:24:58,520 –> 00:25:00,699 a window in your heart and in your mind 280 00:25:00,699 –> 00:25:04,099 to understand the truth of God as you never did before, 281 00:25:04,099 –> 00:25:05,719 to put the pieces together 282 00:25:07,079 –> 00:25:10,219 so that knowledge becomes wisdom. 283 00:25:11,219 –> 00:25:13,380 How else could you come to know God? 284 00:25:14,540 –> 00:25:17,199 How could you come to know the thoughts of God? 285 00:25:19,979 –> 00:25:20,839 Maybe you’ve wondered 286 00:25:20,839 –> 00:25:25,160 does anyone really know your thoughts? 287 00:25:26,020 –> 00:25:28,819 Is there any other person in the world 288 00:25:28,819 –> 00:25:32,260 who really knows your deepest thoughts? 289 00:25:35,140 –> 00:25:37,939 The only one who knows 290 00:25:37,939 –> 00:25:42,900 your deepest thoughts on this Earth is you. 291 00:25:42,900 –> 00:25:44,400 Your spirit. 292 00:25:46,119 –> 00:25:49,079 That’s the point that the apostle Paul is making here. 293 00:25:49,079 –> 00:25:52,160 No man knows the thoughts of a man 294 00:25:52,160 –> 00:25:54,359 except his own spirit within him. 295 00:25:54,359 –> 00:25:57,920 And then he says that no one knows the thoughts of God 296 00:25:57,920 –> 00:26:00,300 except God’s spirit within him. 297 00:26:02,479 –> 00:26:04,880 But you see if your spirit came to me, 298 00:26:04,880 –> 00:26:05,839 I would know your thoughts. 299 00:26:05,839 –> 00:26:07,520 If my spirit came to you, 300 00:26:07,520 –> 00:26:08,579 you would know my thoughts. 301 00:26:08,579 –> 00:26:10,319 If God’s spirit came to you, 302 00:26:10,319 –> 00:26:13,660 you would the know the thoughts of God. 303 00:26:16,760 –> 00:26:18,479 Now obviously Paul is not saying 304 00:26:18,479 –> 00:26:19,939 that when we have the Holy Spirit 305 00:26:19,939 –> 00:26:21,339 we know everything about God, 306 00:26:21,339 –> 00:26:23,319 which is why he says in verse 15, 307 00:26:23,319 –> 00:26:24,880 who has known the mind of the Lord, 308 00:26:24,880 –> 00:26:26,380 who’s been his counselor. 309 00:26:27,479 –> 00:26:31,160 But we do have the mind of Christ, he says. 310 00:26:31,160 –> 00:26:34,380 A window has been opened in my soul 311 00:26:34,380 –> 00:26:37,160 by which I begin to think God’s thoughts 312 00:26:37,199 –> 00:26:41,260 after him and put my life together 313 00:26:41,260 –> 00:26:46,260 in a way that reflects my thinking of Jesus Christ. 314 00:26:48,459 –> 00:26:50,380 And this way of putting life together, 315 00:26:50,380 –> 00:26:52,719 this wisdom is destined for our glory. 316 00:26:52,719 –> 00:26:54,140 Chapter two and verse seven, 317 00:26:54,140 –> 00:26:55,300 God’s secret wisdom. 318 00:26:55,300 –> 00:26:57,040 A wisdom that had been hidden 319 00:26:57,040 –> 00:26:58,880 and that God destined for our glory 320 00:26:58,880 –> 00:27:00,239 before time began. 321 00:27:00,239 –> 00:27:01,800 It’s for our glory. 322 00:27:03,020 –> 00:27:05,420 Put your life together as the world does, 323 00:27:05,619 –> 00:27:06,540 of course it will come to nothing 324 00:27:08,119 –> 00:27:11,000 put your life together as Jesus did 325 00:27:11,900 –> 00:27:13,979 and you will end where he 326 00:27:14,819 –> 00:27:15,660 is. 327 00:27:17,040 –> 00:27:19,060 It’s hard to imagine a bigger question than this. 328 00:27:19,060 –> 00:27:21,939 How are you going to put your life together? 329 00:27:23,680 –> 00:27:25,219 You gonna go into this coming week. 330 00:27:25,219 –> 00:27:27,420 You gonna go into the coming months and years 331 00:27:28,560 –> 00:27:31,319 saying, what can I get out of life 332 00:27:31,319 –> 00:27:34,060 that will determine a whole raft of behavior. 333 00:27:36,300 –> 00:27:41,060 Or are you going to go into these coming days 334 00:27:42,199 –> 00:27:45,140 to say, how can I honor God’s calling on my life. 335 00:27:46,719 –> 00:27:49,020 How can I be a blessing to others? 336 00:27:49,020 –> 00:27:51,640 Put your life together that way 337 00:27:53,300 –> 00:27:57,280 and it will be entirely different. 338 00:27:59,260 –> 00:28:00,420 I wanted these last moments 339 00:28:00,420 –> 00:28:03,800 just to come back to our title one more time. 340 00:28:03,800 –> 00:28:08,800 You are wise though you still make mistakes 341 00:28:09,439 –> 00:28:11,640 and the fundamental thing that we’re seeing 342 00:28:11,640 –> 00:28:13,060 through this series 343 00:28:13,060 –> 00:28:14,880 is that at the very heart of the gospel, 344 00:28:14,880 –> 00:28:16,599 because you’re in new creation, 345 00:28:16,599 –> 00:28:20,719 the Christian life is all about being who you are. 346 00:28:22,280 –> 00:28:27,280 You are wise, though you still make mistakes 347 00:28:28,280 –> 00:28:29,520 and that pattern, of course, 348 00:28:29,520 –> 00:28:31,479 reflects the whole series, 349 00:28:31,479 –> 00:28:32,880 that we live in this tension. 350 00:28:33,800 –> 00:28:35,660 You are clean, though you still sin. 351 00:28:35,660 –> 00:28:37,900 You are free, though you still struggle. 352 00:28:37,900 –> 00:28:40,359 You are holy, though you still live in the world. 353 00:28:40,359 –> 00:28:43,439 You are wise, though you still make mistakes. 354 00:28:43,439 –> 00:28:46,680 That’s the tension of the Christian life, 355 00:28:46,680 –> 00:28:49,239 understanding who I am 356 00:28:49,239 –> 00:28:54,239 in the continuing difficulties of life in this world. 357 00:28:55,060 –> 00:28:56,680 I want just to make two brief comments 358 00:28:56,680 –> 00:29:00,280 in regard to the two parts of this title. 359 00:29:01,839 –> 00:29:02,800 The first is this. 360 00:29:03,000 –> 00:29:05,660 You still make mistakes. 361 00:29:06,760 –> 00:29:08,000 We all make mistakes. 362 00:29:10,680 –> 00:29:12,119 It’s very important to remember this 363 00:29:12,119 –> 00:29:15,199 because some people have drawn the wrong conclusion 364 00:29:16,520 –> 00:29:19,920 from the Bible statement that we have the mind of Christ. 365 00:29:19,920 –> 00:29:21,239 You see that in verse 16? 366 00:29:21,239 –> 00:29:22,900 We have the mind of Christ. 367 00:29:24,260 –> 00:29:26,020 And there are some people who’ve taken that, 368 00:29:26,020 –> 00:29:27,420 ripped it out of its context, 369 00:29:27,420 –> 00:29:28,599 and drawn the conclusion 370 00:29:28,599 –> 00:29:30,459 that they are therefore always right. 371 00:29:33,619 –> 00:29:35,260 They have the idea that they somehow 372 00:29:35,260 –> 00:29:36,780 have a hotline to heaven, 373 00:29:36,780 –> 00:29:38,900 that everything that they think is God’s thoughts 374 00:29:38,900 –> 00:29:41,339 and everything they feel is a reflection of God’s heart 375 00:29:41,339 –> 00:29:45,219 and that therefore, they are infallible in their decisions 376 00:29:45,219 –> 00:29:47,119 and that they never do anything wrong. 377 00:29:49,000 –> 00:29:52,859 Well, to anyone who reads 1 Corinthians 2 in that way, 378 00:29:52,859 –> 00:29:56,819 I would say, please read the rest of the letter. 379 00:29:58,079 –> 00:30:00,000 Because if you read the rest of the letter, 380 00:30:00,000 –> 00:30:02,579 you will find a vast number 381 00:30:02,680 –> 00:30:05,439 of incredible mistakes 382 00:30:05,439 –> 00:30:07,160 that were made by those who Paul says 383 00:30:07,160 –> 00:30:09,000 have the mind of Christ. 384 00:30:09,880 –> 00:30:12,079 Christians make all kinds of mistakes, 385 00:30:12,079 –> 00:30:12,920 we all do. 386 00:30:13,900 –> 00:30:15,540 Mistakes as husbands, 387 00:30:15,540 –> 00:30:16,939 mistakes as fathers, 388 00:30:16,939 –> 00:30:18,500 mistakes as pastors, 389 00:30:18,500 –> 00:30:19,660 mistakes as workers, 390 00:30:19,660 –> 00:30:21,060 mistakes as students, 391 00:30:21,060 –> 00:30:22,219 mistakes as friends, 392 00:30:22,219 –> 00:30:23,660 mistakes as economists, 393 00:30:23,660 –> 00:30:25,260 mistakes as politicians, 394 00:30:25,260 –> 00:30:27,359 all kinds of mistakes. 395 00:30:28,219 –> 00:30:30,540 Mistakes that arouse dementia. 396 00:30:30,540 –> 00:30:31,380 You say, 397 00:30:31,380 –> 00:30:32,819 well how can you make a mistake 398 00:30:32,819 –> 00:30:34,260 if you’re in Christ? 399 00:30:34,260 –> 00:30:35,540 Some of us struggle with this. 400 00:30:35,540 –> 00:30:37,579 We made a decision that we now see 401 00:30:37,579 –> 00:30:38,500 was very foolish. 402 00:30:38,500 –> 00:30:40,900 How could God have allowed that to happen we say? 403 00:30:43,359 –> 00:30:44,760 Think through this series with me 404 00:30:44,760 –> 00:30:46,560 just very briefly like this. 405 00:30:48,959 –> 00:30:51,719 God does not free us 406 00:30:52,760 –> 00:30:55,099 in such a way that we no longer struggle. 407 00:30:55,959 –> 00:31:00,959 He frees us so that we can engage in the struggle. 408 00:31:02,800 –> 00:31:05,359 God does not purify us in such a way 409 00:31:05,359 –> 00:31:06,719 that we no longer sin. 410 00:31:08,060 –> 00:31:09,900 He purifies us in such a way that 411 00:31:09,900 –> 00:31:11,719 we can learn to hate sin 412 00:31:11,719 –> 00:31:13,319 and want to be free from it. 413 00:31:15,239 –> 00:31:17,560 God does not make us holy in such a way 414 00:31:17,560 –> 00:31:19,680 that we do not live in the world. 415 00:31:19,680 –> 00:31:21,199 He makes us holy in such a way 416 00:31:21,199 –> 00:31:23,239 that we can shine in the world. 417 00:31:25,540 –> 00:31:27,420 And God does not make us wise 418 00:31:27,420 –> 00:31:29,619 in such a way that we never make a mistake. 419 00:31:29,619 –> 00:31:31,180 He makes us wise in such a way 420 00:31:31,180 –> 00:31:33,660 that we can see our mistakes 421 00:31:33,660 –> 00:31:36,560 and learn from them and grow through them. 422 00:31:39,099 –> 00:31:41,140 So when in the Christian life, 423 00:31:41,140 –> 00:31:43,339 you are faced with sin, 424 00:31:44,739 –> 00:31:48,099 repent and restore 425 00:31:48,099 –> 00:31:50,099 in as much as you are able to put right 426 00:31:50,099 –> 00:31:52,040 what you broke down, do it. 427 00:31:53,040 –> 00:31:56,199 When you’re faced with a struggle, 428 00:31:56,199 –> 00:31:59,599 fight and overcome. 429 00:31:59,599 –> 00:32:02,099 That’s what God’s called you to do. 430 00:32:02,099 –> 00:32:05,339 When you find yourself in the darkness of this world, 431 00:32:05,339 –> 00:32:07,699 serve and shine. 432 00:32:07,699 –> 00:32:09,719 That’s why you’re in the darkness. 433 00:32:11,859 –> 00:32:13,880 When you find that you’ve made mistakes 434 00:32:13,880 –> 00:32:16,560 that cause you bitter regret, 435 00:32:16,560 –> 00:32:19,339 learn and grow. 436 00:32:20,060 –> 00:32:23,979 God treats us as sons, 437 00:32:23,979 –> 00:32:28,660 and that means that he places us on the field of battle, 438 00:32:28,660 –> 00:32:33,400 that he commissions us in the world, 439 00:32:33,400 –> 00:32:36,680 that he trusts us with making decisions. 440 00:32:36,680 –> 00:32:38,719 Not like the father with a small child 441 00:32:38,719 –> 00:32:41,599 that puts a kind of hedge around so tightly, 442 00:32:41,599 –> 00:32:44,199 but like the father with the mature son 443 00:32:44,199 –> 00:32:46,180 who gives scope 444 00:32:47,099 –> 00:32:49,920 that allows the ability of learning and growing, 445 00:32:49,920 –> 00:32:53,520 because that’s the way in which you become 446 00:32:53,520 –> 00:32:55,739 all that you can be. 447 00:32:57,420 –> 00:32:59,760 You still make mistakes, 448 00:33:01,619 –> 00:33:05,319 but you are wise. 449 00:33:05,319 –> 00:33:09,079 You are wise. 450 00:33:09,079 –> 00:33:12,119 And I want us to grasp this in these very last moments, 451 00:33:12,119 –> 00:33:13,900 because this is really, it seems to me, 452 00:33:13,959 –> 00:33:16,560 the secret of confident living. 453 00:33:17,979 –> 00:33:20,900 Some of us feel so uncertain about life, 45400:33:20,900 –> 00:33:23,560 how am I going to put my life together? 455 00:33:23,560 –> 00:33:26,859 Listen, the Lord is your shepherd. 456 00:33:27,800 –> 00:33:31,459 The spirit of God lives in you. 457 00:33:32,680 –> 00:33:34,880 You have received light from above 458 00:33:34,880 –> 00:33:38,319 that many people in this world haven’t begun to grasp. 459 00:33:38,319 –> 00:33:41,619 You are in a tremendous position to live 460 00:33:41,619 –> 00:33:45,619 because you are in Christ and there is a confidence 461 00:33:45,619 –> 00:33:48,020 that comes from that that is something 462 00:33:48,020 –> 00:33:51,199 that God gives to you and wants you to enjoy. 463 00:33:52,060 –> 00:33:54,359 Let me give you the high school students 464 00:33:54,359 –> 00:33:57,459 favorite scripture verse, 465 00:33:57,459 –> 00:33:59,540 my favorite verse from high school. 466 00:33:59,540 –> 00:34:02,660 Psalm 119, verse 99. 467 00:34:02,660 –> 00:34:06,239 I have more insight than all my teachers 468 00:34:06,239 –> 00:34:10,979 for I meditate on your statutes. 469 00:34:10,979 –> 00:34:13,080 I love that, that’s a great verse, 470 00:34:13,080 –> 00:34:17,600 but please be very sensitive about how you use it in class. 471 00:34:18,860 –> 00:34:22,179 I had a maths teacher at high school 472 00:34:22,179 –> 00:34:24,659 by the name of Mr. Degenhart. 473 00:34:24,659 –> 00:34:25,520 It was a delightful name. 474 00:34:25,520 –> 00:34:28,040 Of course, we all called him Dego for short. 475 00:34:28,040 –> 00:34:29,760 Though frankly, most of the students 476 00:34:29,760 –> 00:34:32,159 called him Death Breath. 477 00:34:33,879 –> 00:34:37,979 I leave that to your imagination as to why this was, 478 00:34:37,979 –> 00:34:39,080 but it was regularly, you know, 479 00:34:39,080 –> 00:34:41,120 who have you got for math this year? 480 00:34:41,120 –> 00:34:43,000 Oh, we’ve got Death Breath. 481 00:34:43,000 –> 00:34:45,100 Well, I tell you, 482 00:34:45,100 –> 00:34:49,120 Death Breath was an absolute genius at math. 483 00:34:49,120 –> 00:34:51,159 He really was. 484 00:34:51,159 –> 00:34:54,159 He should have been in some university, not at high school. 485 00:34:55,159 –> 00:34:59,020 But he was desperately antagonistic towards Christians. 486 00:35:00,399 –> 00:35:01,280 I actually liked him. 487 00:35:01,280 –> 00:35:02,840 He helped me a great deal. 488 00:35:02,840 –> 00:35:05,820 He raised my performance in math very significantly. 489 00:35:07,320 –> 00:35:08,239 Now, I never forget the day. 490 00:35:08,399 –> 00:35:10,159 He knew what I wanted to do in life, 491 00:35:10,159 –> 00:35:11,620 and he asked me in front of the whole class, 492 00:35:11,620 –> 00:35:12,760 you know, nothing’s changed, 493 00:35:12,760 –> 00:35:17,679 what do you want to do with your life, Smith, he said. 494 00:35:17,679 –> 00:35:19,560 I want to be a pastor, sir, I said. 495 00:35:23,560 –> 00:35:28,520 Absolute waste of a perfectly good brain. 496 00:35:28,520 –> 00:35:30,100 It’s what he said. 497 00:35:30,100 –> 00:35:32,260 Absolute waste of a perfectly good brain. 498 00:35:34,159 –> 00:35:35,780 I owe a lot to Dago. 499 00:35:36,659 –> 00:35:40,860 Some years later, I went back to mild high school, 500 00:35:40,860 –> 00:35:42,699 met him, we got chatting, 501 00:35:43,639 –> 00:35:46,360 and he told me that he had a sister 502 00:35:47,540 –> 00:35:50,840 who had spent her life as a missionary in China. 503 00:35:52,659 –> 00:35:54,679 He had made the opposite choice, 504 00:35:56,379 –> 00:35:59,699 and he had put his life together 505 00:35:59,699 –> 00:36:04,040 as one who claimed the title of an atheist, 506 00:36:04,780 –> 00:36:09,020 who had absolutely no place for God. 507 00:36:10,760 –> 00:36:12,280 I’ve often thought about Degel 508 00:36:14,600 –> 00:36:16,120 and what good might’ve been done 509 00:36:16,120 –> 00:36:18,540 if he had given his brilliant brain 510 00:36:19,479 –> 00:36:21,300 into the hands of Jesus Christ. 511 00:36:22,760 –> 00:36:24,179 So much knowledge. 512 00:36:26,979 –> 00:36:28,120 So little wisdom. 513 00:36:29,080 –> 00:36:30,120 That, 514 00:36:32,060 –> 00:36:33,840 Christian friend, you may make 515 00:36:33,840 –> 00:36:36,300 a thousand mistakes in your life, 516 00:36:40,100 –> 00:36:43,320 but following the path of Jesus Christ, 517 00:36:45,399 –> 00:36:47,100 you have more wisdom 518 00:36:48,760 –> 00:36:51,139 than people who could multiply 519 00:36:51,139 –> 00:36:54,020 by factors of a hundred your intelligence 520 00:36:55,979 –> 00:36:57,280 and are living in a way 521 00:36:57,280 –> 00:36:58,679 according their lives together 522 00:36:58,679 –> 00:37:01,479 in a way that will ultimately come to nothing. 523 00:37:03,739 –> 00:37:06,100 So, live with confidence in Jesus Christ. 524 00:37:07,639 –> 00:37:09,179 The Lord is your shepherd. 525 00:37:10,320 –> 00:37:12,080 He’s with you, he’s leading you. 526 00:37:12,080 –> 00:37:14,959 You’re not adrift on the sea of chance. 527 00:37:14,959 –> 00:37:16,739 You may make all kinds of mistakes, 528 00:37:16,739 –> 00:37:18,659 but your life is in his hand. 529 00:37:19,600 –> 00:37:20,679 You’re not going to be right 530 00:37:20,679 –> 00:37:22,379 in every decision that you make, 531 00:37:22,379 –> 00:37:24,280 but God has given you light 532 00:37:24,280 –> 00:37:25,840 and you have chosen the path 533 00:37:25,879 –> 00:37:27,199 that leads to life. 534 00:37:28,340 –> 00:37:30,199 And in a world where there are thousands 535 00:37:30,199 –> 00:37:31,399 and millions of men and women 536 00:37:31,399 –> 00:37:33,439 who are stumbling around through their days 537 00:37:33,439 –> 00:37:35,159 without any grasp of the purpose 538 00:37:35,159 –> 00:37:36,459 of the life they’ve been given, 539 00:37:36,459 –> 00:37:38,179 you know who you are 540 00:37:39,679 –> 00:37:41,520 and you know to whom you belong 541 00:37:42,459 –> 00:37:44,439 and you know why you’re here 542 00:37:44,439 –> 00:37:46,399 and you know where you’re going. 543 00:37:46,399 –> 00:37:48,800 You have wisdom 544 00:37:48,800 –> 00:37:52,719 as God has given it to you in Jesus Christ. 545 00:37:53,719 –> 00:37:56,320 And even though you sin and struggle 546 00:37:56,320 –> 00:37:58,679 and live in this world and make many mistakes, 547 00:37:58,679 –> 00:38:01,320 you are clean, you are free, 548 00:38:01,320 –> 00:38:04,260 you are holy, you are wise. 549 00:38:04,260 –> 00:38:06,659 You’ve discovered what life is all about. 550 00:38:06,659 –> 00:38:09,800 You are a new person in Jesus Christ, 551 00:38:09,800 –> 00:38:11,239 so be 552 00:38:12,239 –> 00:38:13,899 who you are. 553 00:38:16,260 –> 00:38:17,760 Let’s pray together, shall we? 554 00:38:19,879 –> 00:38:21,199 Father in heaven, 555 00:38:23,080 –> 00:38:24,959 isn’t one of us 556 00:38:26,879 –> 00:38:29,439 who would bow before you now and say anything other 557 00:38:29,439 –> 00:38:31,840 than that we’ve made so many mistakes 558 00:38:31,840 –> 00:38:33,679 and there’s so many things we don’t know 559 00:38:33,679 –> 00:38:35,000 and don’t understand. 560 00:38:38,040 –> 00:38:39,840 We thank you that when 561 00:38:42,000 –> 00:38:44,120 it comes to the things that really matter, 562 00:38:46,679 –> 00:38:49,399 you’ve given us Christ. 563 00:38:49,399 –> 00:38:51,320 You’ve opened our darkened minds 564 00:38:51,320 –> 00:38:52,760 to the light of your truth. 565 00:38:55,080 –> 00:38:58,219 We can really say that Christ is our Wisdom, 566 00:38:59,239 –> 00:39:00,919 that the Lord is my Shepherd, 567 00:39:03,239 –> 00:39:06,280 that however I stumble, the path of my life 568 00:39:06,280 –> 00:39:10,659 is to put things together according to the pattern of Jesus. 569 00:39:13,439 –> 00:39:15,199 Lord, grant that we may go to live 570 00:39:15,199 –> 00:39:17,020 with a new sense of confidence, 571 00:39:18,080 –> 00:39:19,620 with a new sense of your presence, 572 00:39:19,620 –> 00:39:22,939 with a new sense of who we are in Jesus Christ. 573 00:39:24,919 –> 00:39:29,260 Walk with us until the day when faith is turned to sight 574 00:39:30,479 –> 00:39:32,479 and all that you’ve called us into 575 00:39:33,560 –> 00:39:35,340 is fully made known to us 576 00:39:36,280 –> 00:39:39,959 and we see how you have put it all together 577 00:39:41,540 –> 00:39:42,659 in Jesus’ name. 578 00:39:44,280 –> 00:39:45,120 Amen.