WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:04.500 Grace mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus 2 00:00:04.500 --> 00:00:04.900 Christ. 3 00:00:04.900 --> 00:00:05.700 Amen. 4 00:00:06.900 --> 00:00:08.400 A laymen reached out to me 5 00:00:08.400 --> 00:00:12.100 he was a little perplexed at his pastors last sermon. 6 00:00:13.100 --> 00:00:18.200 It seems like there were a lot of I's and me's and mine in the 7 00:00:18.200 --> 00:00:18.600 sermon. 8 00:00:19.900 --> 00:00:23.400 So many times to listen to that sermon again. 9 00:00:25.000 --> 00:00:31.700 The 18 minute sermon, not a narrative sermon, had just under a hundred 10 00:00:31.700 --> 00:00:35.800 and fifty I's me's and mine. 11 00:00:36.900 --> 00:00:38.400 It made him uncomfortable. 12 00:00:40.100 --> 00:00:43.800 As he told me that story I thought about my own preaching 13 00:00:45.200 --> 00:00:46.100 and writing 14 00:00:47.600 --> 00:00:48.500 and speaking. 15 00:00:51.200 --> 00:00:51.800 Watch 16 00:00:53.000 --> 00:00:54.000 your pronouns. 17 00:00:56.000 --> 00:00:57.800 Or in this text 18 00:00:59.000 --> 00:01:01.600 watch the pronouns. 19 00:01:03.100 --> 00:01:07.400 You were dead in your trespasses and sins. 20 00:01:08.800 --> 00:01:11.600 You lived according to the ways of this world. 21 00:01:13.300 --> 00:01:17.000 We lived our fleshly desires and thoughts. 22 00:01:18.100 --> 00:01:21.100 We were children under wrath, 23 00:01:22.000 --> 00:01:23.200 God's wrath. 24 00:01:24.700 --> 00:01:31.800 Watch the pronouns. Salvation is not from you it is for you 25 00:01:33.900 --> 00:01:34.800 and salvation 26 00:01:36.000 --> 00:01:36.900 is a gift. 27 00:01:38.400 --> 00:01:42.900 About 8 months ago or so a friend of mine who I work out at the YMCA with 28 00:01:42.900 --> 00:01:44.400 suddenly disappeared. 29 00:01:45.200 --> 00:01:47.100 Only to find out that my friend Lee 30 00:01:48.600 --> 00:01:49.400 had Covid. 31 00:01:50.500 --> 00:01:51.900 Quent, an older guy, 32 00:01:53.400 --> 00:01:57.100 tells a story that as they were taking the paramedics were taking 33 00:01:57.100 --> 00:01:57.800 him out of his house. 34 00:01:57.800 --> 00:01:59.300 He glanced at his family 35 00:01:59.300 --> 00:02:02.000 he was sure that he was never going to see them again. 36 00:02:03.800 --> 00:02:05.700 In his weakness in intensive care 37 00:02:05.700 --> 00:02:09.500 he called the few friends that he had to say farewell. 38 00:02:09.500 --> 00:02:11.400 He knew he was going to die. 39 00:02:13.400 --> 00:02:15.300 Well after months and months of recovery 40 00:02:16.500 --> 00:02:18.600 he showed back up at the YMCA. 41 00:02:19.900 --> 00:02:23.800 We invited him to actually be a part of a video for the Northern 42 00:02:23.800 --> 00:02:24.900 Illinois District. 43 00:02:25.800 --> 00:02:27.400 And after a little coursing 44 00:02:27.400 --> 00:02:28.400 he said yes. 45 00:02:29.300 --> 00:02:31.200 We're in a big empty gym. 46 00:02:32.300 --> 00:02:35.400 Just three of us the videographer, Lee and myself. 47 00:02:36.700 --> 00:02:40.100 And she's asking him questions about the journey with Covid 48 00:02:41.000 --> 00:02:42.100 and almost dying. 49 00:02:44.300 --> 00:02:45.800 In the middle of that interview 50 00:02:47.000 --> 00:02:49.900 he looks toward me and he said pastor 51 00:02:51.000 --> 00:02:52.500 I shouldn't be doing this. 52 00:02:53.800 --> 00:02:54.800 In my younger days 53 00:02:54.800 --> 00:02:57.400 I was a Hellraiser. 54 00:02:59.200 --> 00:03:03.000 He turns back and starts answering the question again the 55 00:03:03.000 --> 00:03:03.400 videographer. 56 00:03:05.900 --> 00:03:09.800 And about 20 seconds later, he turns again to me and he says, you 57 00:03:09.800 --> 00:03:11.500 know, I've done a lot of things in my life 58 00:03:11.500 --> 00:03:13.000 I'm not proud of. 59 00:03:17.400 --> 00:03:19.700 Well, I figured I'm a pastor I should say something. 60 00:03:21.800 --> 00:03:22.500 I said 61 00:03:23.600 --> 00:03:24.400 me too Lee. 62 00:03:25.900 --> 00:03:28.600 I've done a lot of things and said a lot of things in my life 63 00:03:30.300 --> 00:03:32.100 that I'm not proud of either. 64 00:03:35.200 --> 00:03:36.100 But that's why 65 00:03:37.500 --> 00:03:38.500 Jesus came 66 00:03:39.700 --> 00:03:41.200 for people like you and me. 67 00:03:44.500 --> 00:03:45.400 Now this morning 68 00:03:45.400 --> 00:03:47.000 you may be sitting here and saying well 69 00:03:48.500 --> 00:03:51.100 I was no Hellraiser, or maybe you were. 70 00:03:53.700 --> 00:03:57.600 But we know that as the word of God says that whether we were 71 00:03:57.600 --> 00:04:02.300 Hellraiser in our younger days or not that because of our sin and our 72 00:04:02.300 --> 00:04:05.400 hostility toward God the lack of loving our neighbor. 73 00:04:05.400 --> 00:04:07.400 We are all hell deserves. 74 00:04:10.100 --> 00:04:11.300 Hell deserves. 75 00:04:12.200 --> 00:04:16.300 We've not love God with our whole are we not loved our neighbors as 76 00:04:16.300 --> 00:04:19.899 ourselves and we'd like to compare ourselves to other people at least 77 00:04:19.899 --> 00:04:21.700 I'm not like so and so. 78 00:04:24.300 --> 00:04:25.600 Back to the pronoun. 79 00:04:27.300 --> 00:04:28.600 His great love 80 00:04:29.700 --> 00:04:35.700 for us. He raised us up with Christ and seated us in the Heavenly 81 00:04:35.700 --> 00:04:41.200 realms in Christ. For people like you and me watch the pronouns, 82 00:04:41.200 --> 00:04:45.900 especially as we see got it working this text his mercy chasing you 83 00:04:45.900 --> 00:04:50.000 down and it's not just a little mercy, but it's great mercy 84 00:04:50.000 --> 00:04:52.200 immeasurable riches. 85 00:04:52.200 --> 00:04:55.300 No generic Jesus talk here. 86 00:04:57.300 --> 00:05:00.100 No religious, happy talk. 87 00:05:02.000 --> 00:05:05.300 No countless theological debates here. 88 00:05:07.000 --> 00:05:09.800 No endless discussion of church politics 89 00:05:11.200 --> 00:05:11.700 here. 90 00:05:13.500 --> 00:05:15.200 Only the beautiful 91 00:05:16.100 --> 00:05:18.300 and rich Gospel of Jesus 92 00:05:19.600 --> 00:05:20.900 which is for you 93 00:05:22.000 --> 00:05:26.900 and the world. People like us who need the gospel who need this rich 94 00:05:26.900 --> 00:05:31.600 mercy. Who need God reaching out to us and pulling us out of the slimy 95 00:05:31.600 --> 00:05:32.700 pit of our own sin. 96 00:05:32.700 --> 00:05:34.500 To bring us back to God. Later on we hear in this chapter 97 00:05:36.000 --> 00:05:39.300 how we were far away are brought near. 98 00:05:40.300 --> 00:05:43.800 Not because somebody whipped out the name Jesus at his but we have 99 00:05:43.800 --> 00:05:46.800 been brought near by the holy precious blood of Jesus. 100 00:05:49.000 --> 00:05:51.300 By his innocent life for you. 101 00:05:52.700 --> 00:05:57.500 By his bloody death on the cross for you. Appeasing the wrath of God. By 102 00:05:57.500 --> 00:06:01.500 his rest in the grave for you. By his resurrection for you 103 00:06:01.500 --> 00:06:05.800 and you are raised with Christ and you are seated at the right hand 104 00:06:05.800 --> 00:06:07.400 with him and in him. 105 00:06:09.200 --> 00:06:11.400 Jesus is the life giver. 106 00:06:12.900 --> 00:06:15.600 And Jesus is your life Giver. 107 00:06:16.800 --> 00:06:23.800 Jesus is the savior and Jesus is your savior and mine and thanks be to 108 00:06:23.800 --> 00:06:24.000 God. 109 00:06:27.600 --> 00:06:30.300 It was January 6th. 110 00:06:30.300 --> 00:06:33.100 We kind of all remember January 6th, right? 111 00:06:35.200 --> 00:06:36.800 Was at a birthday party of a friend. 112 00:06:38.600 --> 00:06:43.400 And as I'm getting ready to leave there's a woman who said I hey 113 00:06:43.400 --> 00:06:43.900 Pastor 114 00:06:43.900 --> 00:06:45.500 I need to talk to you. 115 00:06:45.500 --> 00:06:51.700 It was cold outside in Northern, Illinois so I said let's talk. No, let's talk out there. 116 00:06:52.400 --> 00:06:53.300 I thought to myself 117 00:06:53.300 --> 00:06:54.100 it's cold out there 118 00:06:54.100 --> 00:06:56.600 can we talk in here? Out there. 119 00:06:59.000 --> 00:07:00.200 This was her statement. 120 00:07:01.600 --> 00:07:02.400 When I die 121 00:07:04.000 --> 00:07:05.800 will you say something good about me? 122 00:07:08.300 --> 00:07:09.400 There's a lot there. 123 00:07:10.700 --> 00:07:12.600 She knows she's going to die 124 00:07:16.000 --> 00:07:17.200 but there's a lot of baggage 125 00:07:18.900 --> 00:07:19.800 a lot of hurt 126 00:07:21.400 --> 00:07:22.500 and a lot of sadness. 127 00:07:24.900 --> 00:07:26.700 Will you say something good about me? 128 00:07:27.700 --> 00:07:28.400 When I die. 129 00:07:32.000 --> 00:07:35.300 I looked at her and said well if I'm there when you're die, I would 130 00:07:35.300 --> 00:07:37.200 talk to you about Jesus. 131 00:07:39.500 --> 00:07:43.300 And I need to say some good news to you right now. 132 00:07:44.300 --> 00:07:45.100 about Jesus. 133 00:07:47.100 --> 00:07:51.200 That is a great privilege and our great joy. 134 00:07:52.900 --> 00:07:57.600 That he is rich in mercy toward my friend toward you and toward me. 135 00:07:59.000 --> 00:08:03.700 That that gospel still works the word of God and that gospel is still 136 00:08:03.700 --> 00:08:09.000 the power of God to Salvation to watch the pronouns and witness the 137 00:08:09.000 --> 00:08:11.300 rich mercy of God that you experience and hear in 138 00:08:12.200 --> 00:08:14.300 this Chapel and on this campus. 139 00:08:16.100 --> 00:08:19.800 And then walk as the new creation 140 00:08:19.800 --> 00:08:24.800 Yyou are in Christ. I have a pastor friend and he and I were lamenting 141 00:08:24.800 --> 00:08:27.200 Church life and all that. 142 00:08:27.200 --> 00:08:30.600 He says, you know I wish I would have been a pastor like in the 60s and 70s 143 00:08:30.600 --> 00:08:34.600 and the 80s the good old days when people still went to church. 144 00:08:36.299 --> 00:08:39.500 I kind of can relate to that of some of you lived it and you know that 145 00:08:39.500 --> 00:08:41.799 it wasn't that great always either. 146 00:08:44.700 --> 00:08:47.300 But this is our time. 147 00:08:48.500 --> 00:08:53.900 Your time and my time I can tell you the lay people that I work with 148 00:08:53.900 --> 00:08:56.100 have a lot of questions and uncertainties. 149 00:08:56.100 --> 00:08:59.700 There's more than a few pastors and commission workers who have a lot 150 00:08:59.700 --> 00:09:02.200 of anxiety and uncertainty about future. 151 00:09:02.200 --> 00:09:03.700 Yes after the pandemic. 152 00:09:05.800 --> 00:09:09.400 But actually as our culture becomes more and more hostile to the 153 00:09:09.400 --> 00:09:10.100 gospel 154 00:09:10.700 --> 00:09:11.500 and the word of God. 155 00:09:15.000 --> 00:09:16.800 But this is our certainty. 156 00:09:18.300 --> 00:09:19.500 Your salvation 157 00:09:20.900 --> 00:09:24.100 and mine is in Christ. For by Grace 158 00:09:24.100 --> 00:09:26.900 you are saved through faith, that not of yourselves 159 00:09:26.900 --> 00:09:29.800 it is a gift of God not of works. 160 00:09:29.800 --> 00:09:31.100 So no one can boast. 161 00:09:32.500 --> 00:09:38.900 Your life, your service and your good works are in Christ too for we are 162 00:09:38.900 --> 00:09:41.600 God's workmanship created in Christ 163 00:09:41.600 --> 00:09:47.100 Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for you to do. 164 00:09:52.500 --> 00:09:53.300 As Dr. 165 00:09:53.300 --> 00:09:54.800 Egger begins his presidency 166 00:09:55.900 --> 00:09:57.900 we can say those very same words 167 00:09:57.900 --> 00:09:58.300 to him. 168 00:09:58.300 --> 00:10:02.700 You are God's workmanship created in Christ 169 00:10:02.700 --> 00:10:08.300 Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for you to do. 170 00:10:10.900 --> 00:10:14.400 Well, some of you are thinking about vicarage and others are thinking 171 00:10:14.400 --> 00:10:15.700 about internships. 172 00:10:16.600 --> 00:10:20.500 Others are thinking about placement service and the first call. 173 00:10:22.100 --> 00:10:26.200 There can be a lot of questions with that too or uncertainty and for the 174 00:10:26.200 --> 00:10:26.800 rest of us. 175 00:10:28.800 --> 00:10:30.100 Isn't it a marvelous thing? 176 00:10:31.600 --> 00:10:33.400 Isn't it a marvelous thing? 177 00:10:34.500 --> 00:10:38.500 That your future and my future that the church's future 178 00:10:39.900 --> 00:10:41.100 is not in you. 179 00:10:42.900 --> 00:10:44.200 It is in Christ. 180 00:10:46.200 --> 00:10:47.700 You are of Christ 181 00:10:49.700 --> 00:10:50.400 and Christ 182 00:10:51.800 --> 00:10:52.800 is a God. Amen. 183 00:10:55.900 --> 00:10:56.800 Please stand.