1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:14,840 Hallelujah, one of Savior, my Redeemer, my Redeemer. 2 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:32,000 you 3 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:02,000 You 4 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:32,000 You 5 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:02,000 You 6 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:40,000 know what I want to do with you, and I want you to know what God is doing in this passage, and I want you to know what God is doing, and I want you to know what God is doing in this passage, and I want you to know what God is doing in this passage, and I want you to know what God is doing in this passage, and I want you to know what God is doing in this passage. 7 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:46,000 I want you to know what God is doing in this passage. I want you to know what God is doing in this passage. I want you to know what God is doing in this passage, and I want you to know what God is doing in this passage, and I want you to know what God is doing in this passage. 8 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:52,000 I want you to know what God is doing in this passage. I want you to know what God is doing in this passage. I want you to know what God is doing in this passage. I want you to know what God is doing in this passage. 9 00:02:52,000 --> 00:03:08,000 I want you to know what God is doing in this passage. I want you to know what God is doing in this passage. I want you to know what God is doing in this passage. 10 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:14,000 I want you to know what God is doing in this passage. I want you to know what God is doing in this passage. I want you to know what God is doing in this passage. 11 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:20,000 I want you to know what God is doing in this passage. I want you to know what God is doing in this passage. I want you to know what God is doing in this passage. 12 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:26,000 I want you to know what God is doing in this passage. I want you to know what God is doing in this passage. 13 00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:32,000 I want you to know what God is doing in this passage. I want you to know what God is doing in this passage. 14 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:38,000 I want you to know what God is doing in this passage. I want you to know what God is doing in this passage. 15 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:40,000 We have already hyped children, but we'll try to survive the rest of Mother's Day, I guess, on that. 16 00:10:40,000 --> 00:10:50,000 But good morning. Happy Mother's Day. Just a little announcement. After the service, we do have some flowers in the back for all the women in the church, 17 00:10:50,000 --> 00:11:00,000 so please feel free to take one or two, and I think you can plant them. I tried to get ones that you could plant, but after that, it's up to you to keep them alive. 18 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:10,000 Yeah, and hopefully everything goes good today because nothing is working right, so just, well, for now. We'll see. 19 00:11:10,000 --> 00:11:14,000 So just bear with our service today if something randomly shuts down, so. 20 00:11:14,000 --> 00:11:24,000 All right, so today we're celebrating Mother's Day, and we're also celebrating women who may not have children of their own, but they embody the spirit of motherhood. 21 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:30,000 So being a mom, the first day I was pregnant, I learned that it's mainly about sacrifice. 22 00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:41,000 So first our bodies are taken over as we grow this new human, which alone is a miracle of design and science that only God himself could have created. 23 00:11:41,000 --> 00:11:48,000 Then you have morning sickness, followed by stretch marks, and your favorite foods taste different, and the foods you used to hate, you crave. 24 00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:56,000 And what I've found is even the most random things, like you lose your hair, your eyesight changes, weird stuff happens when you're growing a baby. 25 00:11:56,000 --> 00:12:07,000 But when that life begins inside a woman, that's when the woman begins to adapt and keep going, no matter what sacrifices to her personal physical self is happening. 26 00:12:07,000 --> 00:12:12,000 So then comes labor and delivery, which everyone has a different story about that. 27 00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:19,000 But once again, the woman proves the strength and miracle that our bodies are able to survive such a traumatic event. 28 00:12:19,000 --> 00:12:25,000 And from then on, you have this beautiful little soul whose job is to never leave you alone again. 29 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:36,000 So now you sleep in personal space, showers, sanity, sometimes hot coffee, your food becomes their food, and your lap becomes their dinner table. 30 00:12:36,000 --> 00:12:45,000 You get to deal with a lot of really gross things, a lot of gross things, things I never even thought could happen. 31 00:12:45,000 --> 00:12:54,000 But you get to the wonder of seeing their first smiles and their first crawls and first steps, and you get to be there for them in the pains of their first 32 00:12:54,000 --> 00:13:05,000 injuries and boo-boos, and the first time they deal with the loss of someone or something that they love, and see the joy of them learning something new or discovering something for the first time. 33 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:13,000 And so to me, motherhood is simply a beautiful and terrifying sacrifice that you never know what's coming next. 34 00:13:13,000 --> 00:13:23,000 And we know that every woman is not a mom, and we know not all moms are good, but we do know that every woman possesses that same strength of sacrifice. 35 00:13:23,000 --> 00:13:29,000 Women's bodies are vastly different from men, and that is both wonderful and frustrating. 36 00:13:29,000 --> 00:13:36,000 But there are many things physically and mentally a woman deals with, and women have continually learned to adapt and keep going. 37 00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:45,000 And what I've learned from our women's study is that the women throughout the Bible have dealt with life-changing and even traumatic events, 38 00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:52,000 that they're able to find their strength and hope in the Lord. And any woman today who can do that is an unstoppable force in this world. 39 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:59,000 These are women who extend kindness and compassion to those who've only known abuse their whole life. 40 00:13:59,000 --> 00:14:05,000 Women are women who embody the spirit of motherhood. Women who speak up for those who have no voice, 41 00:14:05,000 --> 00:14:12,000 protect the weak with a fear that's often described as a grizzly bear, or women who embody the spirit of motherhood. 42 00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:21,000 Women who have offered shelter, clothing, food, comfort, healing, wisdom, who show honesty, who have an open ear to listen to all 43 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:28,000 the zany stuff that kids talk about. My kids are a prime example. They never stop talking, and people just sit there and listen happily. 44 00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:39,000 And that's great, because my ears are tired. And women who give an example of integrity to all the little girls around them, 45 00:14:39,000 --> 00:14:50,000 all of these things embody the spirit of motherhood. And possibly the biggest reason that all of these things embody the spirit of motherhood and the strength of women is that most of the time, 46 00:14:50,000 --> 00:14:58,000 we do these things when we simply don't want to, or we feel like there's no way we have enough energy for ourselves, much less anyone else. 47 00:14:58,000 --> 00:15:09,000 And that's when the strength of the Lord comes through. In 1 Chronicles 16:11 it says, "Seek the Lord and his strength. Seek his presence continually." 48 00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:19,000 So some of the strongest women I know do this very thing. Seeking the Lord continually in the midst of hurt, loss, frustration, depression, 49 00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:33,000 trauma, monthly cycles, miscarriages, infertility, adoption processes, recovering from the pain of giving a child up for adoption, even recovering from the pain of deciding to have an abortion. 50 00:15:33,000 --> 00:15:44,000 Continuing to live in a world where oftentimes women are seen as less than always possible, this is how a woman remains strong, and this is how mothers seem like unstoppable forces. 51 00:15:44,000 --> 00:15:48,000 The joy of the Lord is her strength, and strength and dignity are her clothing. 52 00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:55,000 And so today we're actually going to read that verse out of Proverbs 31, if we'll go ahead and stand together. 53 00:15:55,000 --> 00:16:09,000 We're going to be reading Proverbs 31:25 through 31, and the words should be on the screen, and hopefully they'll stay up there. 54 00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:17,000 And it begins, "Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come." 55 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:24,000 She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. 56 00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:31,000 She looks well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. 57 00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:38,000 Her children rise up and call her blessed. Her husband also, and he praises her. 58 00:16:38,000 --> 00:16:46,000 Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all. Charm is deceitful, 59 00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:52,000 and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. 60 00:16:52,000 --> 00:16:58,000 Give her the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates. 61 00:16:58,000 --> 00:17:02,000 This is the word of the Lord. Let's pray. 62 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:06,000 God, we thank you so much for the opportunity to gather here today, 63 00:17:06,000 --> 00:17:10,000 and to be encouraged by one another, and for those that are watching online, 64 00:17:10,000 --> 00:17:15,000 and for the opportunity to worship you. We thank you so much 65 00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:20,000 for moms and women, and the strength that you give us and give them, 66 00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:27,000 and the wisdom that you give them, and for just carrying us through so much 67 00:17:27,000 --> 00:17:31,000 that half the time we can't even imagine what other women go through, 68 00:17:31,000 --> 00:17:34,000 but we know that you are there, and that you're with them. 69 00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:40,000 We thank you so much for the love, and the compassion, and the kindness, 70 00:17:40,000 --> 00:17:44,000 and the strength and dignity that is described here in Proverbs 31. 71 00:17:44,000 --> 00:17:50,000 And it might seem like something that's out of reach for us as women, 72 00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:55,000 but those that fear you have already accomplished these things. 73 00:17:55,000 --> 00:17:59,000 We thank you so much for Jesus. We thank you that he loves women. 74 00:17:59,000 --> 00:18:04,000 He protects women. We thank you that you think women are important, 75 00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:08,000 and that we thank you for the women that help grow the church. 76 00:18:08,000 --> 00:18:13,000 Be with our service today, and allow it to glorify you. In Jesus' name. Amen. 77 00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:20,000 All right, so we're doing a new song today, and I think it's working. 78 00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:23,000 I don't know where Brandon went, but I think it's working. 79 00:18:23,000 --> 00:18:28,000 So we're going to be doing "My Lighthouse" today to start, and if you don't know it, that's fine. 80 00:18:28,000 --> 00:18:34,000 We'll learn it, and we're going to be doing a couple verses, and then we'll move on with our service. 81 00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:50,000 In my wrestling, in my doubts, in my failures, you won't walk out. 82 00:18:50,000 --> 00:19:05,000 You are the peace in my troubled sea, oh, you are the peace in my troubled sea. 83 00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:30,000 In the silence, you won't let go. In the questions, your truth will hold. Your great love will lead me through. You are the peace in my troubled sea, oh, you are the peace in my troubled sea. 84 00:19:30,000 --> 00:19:57,000 My lighthouse, my lighthouse, shining in the darkness, I will follow you. My lighthouse, my lighthouse, I will trust the promise. You will carry me safe to shore, safe to shore, safe to shore. 85 00:19:57,000 --> 00:20:24,000 I won't fear what tomorrow brings. With each tornado I'll rise and sing. My God's love will lead me through. You are the peace in my troubled sea. You are the peace in my troubled sea. 86 00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:51,000 You are the peace in my troubled sea. My lighthouse. My lighthouse. Shining in the darkness. I will follow you. My lighthouse. My lighthouse. I will trust the promise. You will carry me safe to shore. Safe to shore. 87 00:20:51,000 --> 00:21:03,000 Safe to shore. Safe to shore. Safe to shore. 88 00:21:03,000 --> 00:21:18,000 Fire before us. You're the brightest. You will lead us through the storms. Fire before us. You're the brightest. You will lead us through the storms. Fire before us. You're the brightest. 89 00:21:18,000 --> 00:21:45,000 You will lead us through the storms. My lighthouse. My lighthouse. Shining in the darkness. I will follow you. My lighthouse. My lighthouse. I will trust the promise. You will carry me safe to shore. Safe to shore. 90 00:21:45,000 --> 00:21:57,000 Safe to shore. Safe to shore. Safe to shore. 91 00:21:57,000 --> 00:22:12,000 All right. Good job. We're going to be moving into our prayer and share time next. If you're watching online, there'll be a slide up with a number you can text if you have any requests. Please send them to that number. And we will be muted here during that time. 92 00:22:12,000 --> 00:22:19,000 Just a few minutes, and we'll be back after that to move into our time of communion. And so we're going to be singing "I Need Thee Every Hour." 93 00:22:29,000 --> 00:22:58,000 I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord. No tender voice like Thine can peace afford. I need Thee, oh, I need Thee. Every hour I need Thee. 94 00:22:58,000 --> 00:23:27,000 Oh, bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee. I need Thee every hour. Stay Thou nearby. Temptations come to Thee. 95 00:23:27,000 --> 00:23:56,000 Temptations lose their power when Thou art nigh. I need Thee. Oh, I need Thee. Every hour I need Thee. Oh, bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee. 96 00:23:56,000 --> 00:24:25,000 I need Thee every hour. Teach me Thy will. And Thy rich promises in me fulfill. I need Thee, oh, I need Thee. 97 00:24:25,000 --> 00:24:44,000 Every hour I need Thee. Oh, bless me now, my Savior. I come to Thee. 98 00:24:44,000 --> 00:24:48,000 Alright, you may be seated. 99 00:24:54,000 --> 00:25:23,980 Thank you. 100 00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:53,980 Let's pray. 101 00:25:54,000 --> 00:26:23,980 Let's pray. 102 00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:49,220 Let's pray. Let's pray. 103 00:26:54,000 --> 00:27:00,000 Let's pray. 104 00:27:24,000 --> 00:27:26,000 Let's pray. 105 00:27:54,000 --> 00:27:56,000 Let's pray. 106 00:29:24,000 --> 00:29:51,000 All right, as we move into our time of communion, we're going to be singing "Reckless Love." 107 00:29:54,000 --> 00:29:59,000 That was my fault. Here we go. 108 00:29:59,000 --> 00:30:21,000 Before I spoke a word, you were singing over me. 109 00:30:24,000 --> 00:30:29,000 You have been so, so good to me. 110 00:30:29,000 --> 00:30:39,000 Before I took a breath, you breathed your life in me. 111 00:30:39,000 --> 00:30:47,000 You have been so, so kind to me. 112 00:30:49,000 --> 00:30:57,000 Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God. 113 00:30:57,000 --> 00:31:05,000 Oh, it chases me down, fights till I'm found, leaves the 99. 114 00:31:05,000 --> 00:31:14,000 I couldn't earn it, I don't deserve it, still you give yourself away. 115 00:31:15,000 --> 00:31:23,000 Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God. 116 00:31:23,000 --> 00:31:30,000 When I was your foe, still your love far from me. 117 00:31:30,000 --> 00:31:38,000 You have been so, so good to me. 118 00:31:42,000 --> 00:31:47,000 When I felt no worth, you paid it all for me. 119 00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:55,000 You have been so, so kind to me. 120 00:31:55,000 --> 00:32:05,000 Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God. 121 00:32:06,000 --> 00:32:13,000 Oh, it chases me down, fights 'til I've found leaves the night. 122 00:32:13,000 --> 00:32:18,000 I couldn't earn it. I don't deserve it. 123 00:32:18,000 --> 00:32:22,000 Still, you give yourself away. 124 00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:31,000 Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God. 125 00:32:33,000 --> 00:32:40,000 There's no shadow you won't light up, mountain you won't climb up, coming after me. 126 00:32:40,000 --> 00:32:48,000 There's no wall you won't kick down, lie you won't tear down, coming after me. 127 00:32:48,000 --> 00:32:56,000 There's no shadow you won't light up, mountain you won't climb up, coming after me. 128 00:32:58,000 --> 00:33:05,000 There's no wall you won't kick down, light won't tear down, coming after me. 129 00:33:05,000 --> 00:33:13,000 Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God. 130 00:33:13,000 --> 00:33:21,000 Oh, it chases me down, fights till I'm found, it leaves the 99. 131 00:33:22,000 --> 00:33:30,000 I couldn't earn it, I don't deserve it, still you give yourself away. 132 00:33:30,000 --> 00:33:39,000 Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God. 133 00:33:52,000 --> 00:34:18,000 In Luke, the 15th chapter, Jesus will tell three stories to two audiences: one audience, the sort of self-righteous, religious people of the day; the second audience, a group of tax collectors and sinners. 134 00:34:18,000 --> 00:34:27,000 The message to both audiences is the same: that God loves you, God wants you, and it's an invitation to come home to the Father. 135 00:34:27,000 --> 00:34:36,000 And the first story, we're familiar with these. Some people titled this chapter of Scripture, "The Lost Sheep, Lost Coin, and Lost Son." 136 00:34:36,000 --> 00:34:46,000 And we're familiar with these stories. The first one is a parable about a lost sheep, the second, a parable about a lost coin, and the third, a parable of the lost son. 137 00:34:46,000 --> 00:34:57,000 And I understand the sorrow of the lost coin, because this would have been this lost coin that this woman lost, even in terms of monetary value, maybe not expensive. 138 00:34:57,000 --> 00:35:06,000 It was from her wedding. It would have had deep sentimental value. And I understand the son who goes astray and returns home, and the sorrow and the joy of that. 139 00:35:06,000 --> 00:35:14,000 But the one that always sort of catches me by surprise is this parable of the lost sheep. So it says this, beginning in verse 3. 140 00:35:14,000 --> 00:35:27,000 So he told them this parable, "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? 141 00:35:27,000 --> 00:35:34,000 And when he has found it, he lays his on his shoulder, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 142 00:35:34,000 --> 00:35:49,000 "Rejoice with me, for I have found the sheep that was lost, just so I tell you there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance." 143 00:35:49,000 --> 00:35:58,000 And it's a little bit startling because he has a hundred sheep. And percentage-wise, the one that goes lost is just one percent. 144 00:35:58,000 --> 00:36:10,000 A business owner who looks at his sheep and says, "Well, one percent have disappeared," but then he leaves ninety-nine percent to go and find the one. 145 00:36:10,000 --> 00:36:22,000 We might say that from our perspective, it seems like it's maybe not a good business decision, or maybe not a wise thing to do, but the good shepherd seeks to bring all of his sheep home. 146 00:36:22,000 --> 00:36:35,000 But I also, in verse five, there is a picture here of love and care, and you find the attitude of the shepherd toward this lost sheep. He doesn't scold it. He doesn't yell at it. 147 00:36:35,000 --> 00:36:41,000 We've had problems. We've shared this before with Dodger running away. We finally chase him down and catch him. 148 00:36:41,000 --> 00:36:50,000 It's never like, "Oh, you're such a good boy. We're so glad you came back," right? It's like, "Why are you the way that you are? Why do you keep doing this to us?" 149 00:36:50,000 --> 00:37:01,000 He doesn't scold this sheep, but look at what he does in verse five. "When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing." 150 00:37:01,000 --> 00:37:08,000 So you have the shepherd who goes out after the one sheep. When he finds it, he doesn't scold it. He doesn't reprimand it. 151 00:37:08,000 --> 00:37:15,000 He doesn't give it a lecture, but what does he do? He picks it up, puts it on his shoulders, and with joy carries it home. 152 00:37:15,000 --> 00:37:24,000 It's a picture of the gospel that you and I, who have gone astray from our good shepherd, he has come and found us. 153 00:37:24,000 --> 00:37:33,000 He didn't stay with the other sheep, simply calling out, hoping we would hear, but he came, stepped into our world, into our lives, and he found us. 154 00:37:33,000 --> 00:37:42,000 And when he found us, he didn't scold us, he didn't lecture us, he didn't reprimand us, but he laid us on his shoulders, and he carries us home. 155 00:37:42,000 --> 00:37:52,000 And so, as we partake of this small meal, this little piece of bread, and this little cup of juice, we remember that we have a good shepherd. 156 00:37:52,000 --> 00:37:58,000 A good shepherd who ultimately gave his life for the sheep, so that they could be brought home. Let's pray. 157 00:37:58,000 --> 00:38:07,000 Father in heaven, thank you for sending your son to find us. Thank you that you didn't leave it up to us to try to find you, 158 00:38:07,000 --> 00:38:18,000 but rather you stepped into our world and came to find us. We thank you that you saved us. Thank you that you bring us safely home. 159 00:38:18,000 --> 00:38:25,000 So as we break this bread this morning and drink this cup, may we see your love that has been poured out through the cross. 160 00:38:25,000 --> 00:38:32,000 May we see your grace, and may we see the hope that you have given us. I ask that you bless this bread and bless this cup. 161 00:38:32,000 --> 00:38:37,000 It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 162 00:38:37,000 --> 00:38:44,000 In 1 Corinthians, as Paul writes about this meal, he says this, 163 00:38:44,000 --> 00:38:50,000 "For what I received from the Lord I delivered to you, the Lord Jesus, on the night when he was betrayed, took bread. 164 00:38:50,000 --> 00:38:53,000 And when he had given thanks, he broke it, and he said, 165 00:38:53,000 --> 00:38:58,000 "This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." Let's partake together. 166 00:39:02,000 --> 00:39:07,000 In the same way also, he took the cup after supper, saying, 167 00:39:07,000 --> 00:39:13,000 "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me." 168 00:39:13,000 --> 00:39:24,000 "For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." 169 00:39:32,000 --> 00:39:41,000 I just want to make a little bit of a note this morning. If you came in and you are used to grabbing a sermon handout, 170 00:39:41,000 --> 00:39:49,000 you noticed that there were no sermon handouts. There is a bit of a reason for that. We're going to take a look at just, 171 00:39:49,000 --> 00:39:58,000 I think there's maybe four total verses. Three of them are essentially the same, with sort of a surprise fourth verse. 172 00:39:58,000 --> 00:40:04,000 And just like when you watch a movie, a new movie, you don't want somebody spoiling it for you. 173 00:40:04,000 --> 00:40:13,000 I don't want you reading ahead and getting to the end before we get there, because it sort of takes a remarkable turn in how things go. 174 00:40:13,000 --> 00:40:21,000 So I'm going to go ahead and pray, and then we will just dive into it. Father in heaven, thank you for Jesus and for grace. 175 00:40:21,000 --> 00:40:30,000 Be with us this morning as we consider the good news of the gospel, as we consider how you change the trajectory of families, 176 00:40:30,000 --> 00:40:38,000 how you change where they're going and what they're doing, and we thank you for quiet faithfulness. 177 00:40:38,000 --> 00:40:45,000 So we ask this morning that you would help us to be encouraged by the gospel, to be changed by the gospel, 178 00:40:45,000 --> 00:40:54,000 that you would be at work in our lives and in our families, and that you would help us to see the inspiring power of quiet faithfulness. 179 00:40:54,000 --> 00:40:57,000 It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 180 00:40:57,000 --> 00:41:06,000 So it was my last year of college, and it was spring break, so it was 2003, I think the beginning of April, 181 00:41:06,000 --> 00:41:12,000 and I was driving from Missouri to Vermont, and the best route, not really a lot of good routes, 182 00:41:12,000 --> 00:41:17,000 but the best route to do that was to go through Interstate 90 across New York, 183 00:41:17,000 --> 00:41:23,000 and I was hitting the big rest areas where they have gas and food and everything, and I needed coffee, 184 00:41:23,000 --> 00:41:30,000 and it was pretty late at night, and I'd pull in, and it just was this scene of chaos, right? 185 00:41:30,000 --> 00:41:37,000 Everybody was wearing orange. Everybody was, like, talking and yelling and cheering, 186 00:41:37,000 --> 00:41:43,000 and I was just like, "This is really, really strange." So I was like, "You know what? 187 00:41:43,000 --> 00:41:47,000 I'm just going to go to the next one." So I, you know, drove another 20 or 30 miles, 188 00:41:47,000 --> 00:41:52,000 pulled in to that one. Same thing was happening. I was like, "I don't know what's happening. 189 00:41:52,000 --> 00:41:56,000 Like, has this part of New York turned into, like, a weird orange-wearing cult 190 00:41:56,000 --> 00:42:01,000 where everybody's just yelling and screaming and super excited?" So I got my coffee, 191 00:42:01,000 --> 00:42:05,000 got back in my car, and I said, "I'm just not going to stop in New York ever again." 192 00:42:05,000 --> 00:42:09,000 It turned out what had happened, and this tells you a little bit about me, 193 00:42:09,000 --> 00:42:13,000 was that it was the night of the final game of the Final Four, 194 00:42:13,000 --> 00:42:17,000 and it was the year that Syracuse had won the championship, 195 00:42:17,000 --> 00:42:21,000 and I was literally driving by Syracuse at all of these rest areas, 196 00:42:21,000 --> 00:42:26,000 and you just sort of stumbled into this thing, and you have sort of no idea what's going on. 197 00:42:26,000 --> 00:42:32,000 Now, some of you would. Rachel probably would have. She will make fun of me for all of this later. 198 00:42:32,000 --> 00:42:36,000 But I had no idea what was going on. 199 00:42:36,000 --> 00:42:42,000 And the person that we're going to meet this morning in Scripture, 200 00:42:42,000 --> 00:42:47,000 he sort of stumbles into a very similar type of situation. 201 00:42:47,000 --> 00:42:52,000 Not a happy situation, but on the other end of the spectrum, 202 00:42:52,000 --> 00:42:59,000 he gets into town, and it's sort of like, "What has happened? Where am I going? What is going on?" 203 00:42:59,000 --> 00:43:04,000 So I want to introduce you to him this morning. There's not a lot in Scripture about him. 204 00:43:04,000 --> 00:43:08,000 Three verses in the Gospel are the only places he's mentioned. 205 00:43:08,000 --> 00:43:12,000 There's a fourth verse that is sort of tangential to his story. 206 00:43:12,000 --> 00:43:15,000 And I think the important part that we want to look at this morning, 207 00:43:15,000 --> 00:43:21,000 but these three verses almost essentially say the same exact thing. 208 00:43:21,000 --> 00:43:26,000 And so the person I want to introduce you to this morning is named Simon. 209 00:43:26,000 --> 00:43:30,000 We know where he's from, North Africa specifically. 210 00:43:30,000 --> 00:43:33,000 Today we refer to the country as Libya. 211 00:43:33,000 --> 00:43:37,000 And so if you look at a map of Africa, and you kind of see the top where Libya is, 212 00:43:37,000 --> 00:43:41,000 and where you sort of move west along the coast in the northern part, 213 00:43:41,000 --> 00:43:45,000 and you begin to sort of drop south right where it begins to turn. 214 00:43:45,000 --> 00:43:50,000 There's a little city that existed for centuries, and he is from that city. 215 00:43:50,000 --> 00:43:54,000 We also know that he is Jewish, and we know for two reasons that he's Jewish, 216 00:43:54,000 --> 00:43:57,000 because his name is Simon. 217 00:43:57,000 --> 00:44:02,000 And secondly, he's in Jerusalem for Passover, 218 00:44:02,000 --> 00:44:07,000 something that would have been a dream of Jewish people. 219 00:44:07,000 --> 00:44:11,000 He's not just Jewish sort of in the sense that he says, "Well, I'm Jewish," 220 00:44:11,000 --> 00:44:14,000 but he's faithfully Jewish. 221 00:44:14,000 --> 00:44:17,000 You see, for those Jews who had been dispersed from Israel, 222 00:44:17,000 --> 00:44:23,000 the depth of their dream and their desire was to return to Israel and celebrate Passover. 223 00:44:23,000 --> 00:44:28,000 Now, if you lived a little ways away, you could do that every year. 224 00:44:28,000 --> 00:44:31,000 But if you lived in Libya, 225 00:44:31,000 --> 00:44:34,000 this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip, 226 00:44:34,000 --> 00:44:37,000 a once-in-a-lifetime journey, 227 00:44:37,000 --> 00:44:40,000 something that you would have planned for, 228 00:44:40,000 --> 00:44:42,000 that you would have saved for, 229 00:44:42,000 --> 00:44:44,000 that you would have prayed, that you would have been able to take, 230 00:44:44,000 --> 00:44:48,000 with no guarantees that you would ever have been able to do this. 231 00:44:48,000 --> 00:44:52,000 It was the work of years to prepare for this, 232 00:44:52,000 --> 00:44:54,000 the work of a lifetime. 233 00:44:54,000 --> 00:44:57,000 And we see his dedication in the fact that he makes this journey. 234 00:44:57,000 --> 00:45:00,000 So if you go in a straight line from where he lives, 235 00:45:00,000 --> 00:45:01,000 in Libya, 236 00:45:01,000 --> 00:45:03,000 all the way up to Jerusalem, 237 00:45:03,000 --> 00:45:07,000 it's 785 miles in a straight line. 238 00:45:07,000 --> 00:45:09,000 Now, a lot of that is water. 239 00:45:09,000 --> 00:45:10,000 Now, if you were to, 240 00:45:10,000 --> 00:45:13,000 today, I don't know what route he would have taken if he went by ground, 241 00:45:13,000 --> 00:45:16,000 but if you were to get in a car and drive from his city to Jerusalem, 242 00:45:16,000 --> 00:45:22,000 it would be something like 1,142 miles. 243 00:45:22,000 --> 00:45:25,000 And so, 1,150 miles in those days, 244 00:45:25,000 --> 00:45:28,000 you could walk between 20 and 25 miles a day. 245 00:45:28,000 --> 00:45:32,000 It was sort of average walking pace because everybody walked everywhere all the time. 246 00:45:32,000 --> 00:45:37,000 You're talking somewhere 50 days or more to make this journey on foot. 247 00:45:37,000 --> 00:45:40,000 So not only is it long and dangerous and difficult, 248 00:45:40,000 --> 00:45:42,000 it requires you to take time off work, 249 00:45:42,000 --> 00:45:44,000 if you're doing this on foot, 250 00:45:44,000 --> 00:45:49,000 it's going to take you two months to walk to Jerusalem. 251 00:45:49,000 --> 00:45:54,000 And so you have this man who is from North Africa. 252 00:45:54,000 --> 00:45:57,000 He's Jewish. He's from far away. 253 00:45:57,000 --> 00:46:01,000 He's looked forward to this moment for his entire life 254 00:46:01,000 --> 00:46:06,000 to celebrate Passover in Jerusalem with God's people from all over the world. 255 00:46:06,000 --> 00:46:11,000 This picture of unity. The emotions would have been running high. 256 00:46:11,000 --> 00:46:16,000 And when we meet him, it's in the middle of a Friday. 257 00:46:16,000 --> 00:46:20,000 And he doesn't know it, but the night before, 258 00:46:20,000 --> 00:46:23,000 a man by the name of Jesus has been arrested. 259 00:46:23,000 --> 00:46:26,000 And he's been tried by the Jewish authorities three times, 260 00:46:26,000 --> 00:46:28,000 by the Roman authorities three times. 261 00:46:28,000 --> 00:46:31,000 Pilate has had Jesus flogged. 262 00:46:31,000 --> 00:46:35,000 The soldiers have beaten him, spit on him, mocked him, 263 00:46:35,000 --> 00:46:38,000 put a crown of thorns upon his head. 264 00:46:38,000 --> 00:46:41,000 And then they have taken that cross beam of the cross, 265 00:46:41,000 --> 00:46:43,000 50 to 75 pounds, 266 00:46:43,000 --> 00:46:46,000 placed it upon the shoulders of Jesus, 267 00:46:46,000 --> 00:46:48,000 and began to march him 268 00:46:48,000 --> 00:46:52,000 to the place where they are going to kill him. 269 00:46:52,000 --> 00:46:56,000 And it's as they put that cross on the shoulders of Jesus, 270 00:46:56,000 --> 00:47:00,000 and as they began to walk down that road, 271 00:47:00,000 --> 00:47:02,000 we meet Simon. 272 00:47:02,000 --> 00:47:04,000 Luke 23. 273 00:47:04,000 --> 00:47:07,000 As they led him away, they seized one, 274 00:47:07,000 --> 00:47:09,000 Simon of Cyrene, 275 00:47:09,000 --> 00:47:11,000 that's North Africa, Libya today, 276 00:47:11,000 --> 00:47:13,000 who was coming in from the country, 277 00:47:13,000 --> 00:47:16,000 he just walked into the city, 278 00:47:16,000 --> 00:47:19,000 and they laid on him the cross 279 00:47:19,000 --> 00:47:21,000 to carry it behind Jesus. 280 00:47:21,000 --> 00:47:23,000 Matthew says it this way, 281 00:47:23,000 --> 00:47:25,000 "As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, 282 00:47:25,000 --> 00:47:26,000 Simon by name, 283 00:47:26,000 --> 00:47:29,000 and they compelled this man to carry the cross." 284 00:47:29,000 --> 00:47:32,000 So first thing, he's just getting into town, right? 285 00:47:32,000 --> 00:47:35,000 Travel from a long distance is not predictable. 286 00:47:35,000 --> 00:47:38,000 Even today, when we go to fly somewhere, 287 00:47:38,000 --> 00:47:39,000 it might be delayed, 288 00:47:39,000 --> 00:47:40,000 it might be canceled, 289 00:47:40,000 --> 00:47:42,000 you might have to be diverted to another place, 290 00:47:42,000 --> 00:47:44,000 and in this time, even more so, right? 291 00:47:44,000 --> 00:47:45,000 Because if you're going by ship, 292 00:47:45,000 --> 00:47:47,000 there's no ship schedules. 293 00:47:47,000 --> 00:47:49,000 Is there a ship going in the right direction 294 00:47:49,000 --> 00:47:50,000 that has room for passengers? 295 00:47:50,000 --> 00:47:51,000 Good, you can go. 296 00:47:51,000 --> 00:47:53,000 If not, you wait for the next one. 297 00:47:53,000 --> 00:47:55,000 And so this guy who has been traveling, 298 00:47:55,000 --> 00:47:58,000 likely for at least a month if he's gone by water, 299 00:47:58,000 --> 00:48:00,000 maybe two if he's gone by foot, 300 00:48:00,000 --> 00:48:02,000 has finally arrived, 301 00:48:02,000 --> 00:48:04,000 and he's just barely made it to the deadline. 302 00:48:04,000 --> 00:48:07,000 And he walks into town, 303 00:48:07,000 --> 00:48:12,000 and he stumbles into the middle of the Romans getting ready to murder someone. 304 00:48:12,000 --> 00:48:14,000 Right? 305 00:48:14,000 --> 00:48:16,000 And he doesn't have a choice. 306 00:48:16,000 --> 00:48:18,000 Luke says that he was seized. 307 00:48:18,000 --> 00:48:20,000 The word there is really emphatic. 308 00:48:20,000 --> 00:48:23,000 It's not just that they're looking for volunteers, 309 00:48:23,000 --> 00:48:24,000 or they say, 310 00:48:24,000 --> 00:48:25,000 "Hey, you." 311 00:48:25,000 --> 00:48:26,000 This is literally a Roman soldier. 312 00:48:26,000 --> 00:48:27,000 Walks up to him, 313 00:48:27,000 --> 00:48:28,000 grabs him, 314 00:48:28,000 --> 00:48:30,000 pulls him into the street, 315 00:48:30,000 --> 00:48:33,000 they place the cross of Jesus on his shoulders, 316 00:48:33,000 --> 00:48:34,000 and say, 317 00:48:34,000 --> 00:48:35,000 "Walk." 318 00:48:35,000 --> 00:48:36,000 He doesn't have a choice. 319 00:48:36,000 --> 00:48:39,000 And can you imagine his emotions, right? 320 00:48:39,000 --> 00:48:41,000 He's making this trip 321 00:48:41,000 --> 00:48:44,000 to celebrate the deliverance of God. 322 00:48:44,000 --> 00:48:45,000 And as he walks in, 323 00:48:45,000 --> 00:48:46,000 he hears this noise, 324 00:48:46,000 --> 00:48:47,000 and he comes in the crowd, 325 00:48:47,000 --> 00:48:49,000 and he looks out and makes eye contact with a Roman soldier, 326 00:48:49,000 --> 00:48:51,000 and the guy just grabs him, 327 00:48:51,000 --> 00:48:52,000 pulls him in, 328 00:48:52,000 --> 00:48:54,000 throws a cross on his shoulders, 329 00:48:54,000 --> 00:48:55,000 and tells him to walk. 330 00:48:55,000 --> 00:49:00,000 Can you imagine how that would turn your life in that moment upside down? 331 00:49:00,000 --> 00:49:04,000 And you follow Jesus to the place where he is crucified. 332 00:49:04,000 --> 00:49:07,000 You've come to celebrate God's deliverance, 333 00:49:07,000 --> 00:49:10,000 and you're in the middle of an execution. 334 00:49:10,000 --> 00:49:12,000 And you don't have the context 335 00:49:12,000 --> 00:49:14,000 of those who have lived in Jerusalem. 336 00:49:14,000 --> 00:49:16,000 You don't know who this guy is. 337 00:49:16,000 --> 00:49:17,000 You haven't heard him. 338 00:49:17,000 --> 00:49:18,000 You haven't heard him speak. 339 00:49:18,000 --> 00:49:19,000 You haven't heard the rumors. 340 00:49:19,000 --> 00:49:20,000 You haven't seen what he's done. 341 00:49:20,000 --> 00:49:21,000 All of a sudden, 342 00:49:21,000 --> 00:49:23,000 you find yourself in this place 343 00:49:23,000 --> 00:49:28,000 with no idea of what's going on. 344 00:49:28,000 --> 00:49:32,000 All you can do is sort of fearfully carry the cross. 345 00:49:32,000 --> 00:49:34,000 And that's it. 346 00:49:34,000 --> 00:49:39,000 That's what those three Gospels tell us about Simon, 347 00:49:39,000 --> 00:49:41,000 the man from Cyrene. 348 00:49:41,000 --> 00:49:44,000 Well, it's almost all of what they tell us. 349 00:49:44,000 --> 00:49:46,000 It's all they tell us about him, 350 00:49:46,000 --> 00:49:49,000 but we can learn a few more things about him. 351 00:49:49,000 --> 00:49:51,000 In Mark 15, it says this: 352 00:49:51,000 --> 00:49:57,000 Mark, writing to the Romans 25 years after Jesus has been crucified, 353 00:49:57,000 --> 00:49:59,000 will say this: 354 00:49:59,000 --> 00:50:03,000 "And they compel the passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country." 355 00:50:03,000 --> 00:50:05,000 And so, you sort of have Matthew and Luke. 356 00:50:05,000 --> 00:50:08,000 You hear sort of both of their verses there. 357 00:50:08,000 --> 00:50:13,000 But Mark adds one detail that nobody else does. 358 00:50:13,000 --> 00:50:21,000 "Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry the cross." 359 00:50:21,000 --> 00:50:24,000 You know why he says that? 360 00:50:24,000 --> 00:50:28,000 Because the church knows Alexander and Rufus. 361 00:50:28,000 --> 00:50:35,000 It was this week, I was talking to somebody, and I said, "Oh, we're going to have breakfast with my Uncle Brian and Aunt Becky this week." 362 00:50:35,000 --> 00:50:39,000 And not knowing that they had no context for who that was, I said, "They knew Cody." 363 00:50:39,000 --> 00:50:41,000 And I said, "Well, that's Cody's parents, right?" 364 00:50:41,000 --> 00:50:43,000 And that's what Mark is doing. 365 00:50:43,000 --> 00:50:48,000 The church he writes to in Rome knows Alexander and Rufus. 366 00:50:48,000 --> 00:50:51,000 You know why they know Alexander and Rufus? 367 00:50:51,000 --> 00:50:53,000 Because they're Christians. 368 00:50:53,000 --> 00:50:59,000 Now, we don't know how Simon becomes a Christian, but we know his children are. 369 00:50:59,000 --> 00:51:02,000 We don't know how they become, when they became Christians. 370 00:51:02,000 --> 00:51:06,000 We don't know any of those details, but we know that 25 years later, 371 00:51:06,000 --> 00:51:11,000 the man from North Africa who comes to Jerusalem and carries the cross of Jesus, 372 00:51:11,000 --> 00:51:20,000 his sons are active and part of the church in Rome, serving God. 373 00:51:20,000 --> 00:51:24,000 It's remarkable, right? 374 00:51:24,000 --> 00:51:32,000 We don't know so many of the details, but 25 years later, we know that this North African family was Christian. 375 00:51:32,000 --> 00:51:39,000 Now, there's one more glimpse I want to give you of this family, and it doesn't include Simon at all. 376 00:51:39,000 --> 00:51:46,000 Paul, when he finishes up his letters, one of the things that he really, really likes to do is say hi to everybody he knows, right? 377 00:51:46,000 --> 00:51:52,000 It's like when we're on the phone with the grandparents on either side, and the kids go, "Who are you on the phone with?" 378 00:51:52,000 --> 00:51:55,000 And we're like, "Oh, we're on the phone with Grandma." We want to say hi, right? 379 00:51:55,000 --> 00:51:58,000 And so Paul, as he begins to talk, sometimes he'll say hi for people. 380 00:51:58,000 --> 00:52:04,000 You know, the people who are with me say hi. Or sometimes he will say hi to the people he knows who are in the church. 381 00:52:04,000 --> 00:52:12,000 And so he goes to this giant list in Romans, the 16th chapter, saying, "Say hi to this person. Greet this person. Greet this person." 382 00:52:12,000 --> 00:52:25,000 And you get all the way down to verse 13 and you find this, "Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, also his mother, who has been a mother to me as well." 383 00:52:25,000 --> 00:52:36,000 And the picture you find in Scripture is not only does Simon evidently become a Christian, not only are his sons Alexander and Rufus known to the church in Rome, 384 00:52:36,000 --> 00:52:49,000 but the mother of the children is a Christian as well. And you find, "Greet Rufus." This time maybe Alexander has moved on, is ministering somewhere else. 385 00:52:49,000 --> 00:53:00,000 He says, "Greet this mom. We don't even know her name." But look at what Paul says, "She has been a mother to me as well." 386 00:53:00,000 --> 00:53:09,000 So I want to take three things away from the picture of this family. First of all, I want to point you toward the picture of the Gospel that we see. 387 00:53:09,000 --> 00:53:18,000 The Gospel is the good news that Jesus takes our place, He dies in our place for our sin, and He rises again for our victory. 388 00:53:18,000 --> 00:53:28,000 So He takes all of the bad from our life, and He gives us all of His good. And as Simon, and this is so remarkable to me, 389 00:53:28,000 --> 00:53:36,000 as He carries the cross of Jesus, Jesus is about to carry Simon's sins on that same cross. 390 00:53:36,000 --> 00:53:46,000 That Jesus is about to die for this man who has likely never met Him and never heard about Him, but who will go on to be part of the church. 391 00:53:46,000 --> 00:53:54,000 And He and His family, His sons and His wife will minister in the church, right? They don't go back to North Africa, right? 392 00:53:54,000 --> 00:54:04,000 They keep moving. You see how the gospel comes about. But you also see very clearly, and one commentator said to you this, 393 00:54:04,000 --> 00:54:12,000 this is the first recorded account. Jesus in Luke 9:23 says this, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, 394 00:54:12,000 --> 00:54:20,000 take up his cross daily, and follow me." You literally get a picture of the gospel that Jesus, as Simon carries his cross, 395 00:54:20,000 --> 00:54:28,000 carrying Simon's sin. And then you also get a picture of what it means to follow Jesus, as Simon follows behind him, 396 00:54:28,000 --> 00:54:37,000 carrying this cross. You see, Jesus takes the burden from us, the burden of our sin and our brokenness and our guilt 397 00:54:37,000 --> 00:54:46,000 and our shame, and he takes that away from us. He gives us his righteousness and calls us to follow him. The second thing 398 00:54:46,000 --> 00:54:52,000 that is remarkable about this is you see how the Gospel transforms families, right? They're 800-ish miles 399 00:54:52,000 --> 00:55:03,000 by sea from home, 1,142 miles by land from home. We don't know if they go home. Maybe they did, maybe they didn't. 400 00:55:03,000 --> 00:55:09,000 When did they become Christians? Maybe at the day of Pentecost. Luke makes it a point when he talks about 401 00:55:09,000 --> 00:55:15,000 how people who become Christians in Luke chapter 2, he says there are men of Cyrene who become Christians. 402 00:55:15,000 --> 00:55:22,000 Maybe Simon was in that group. How do they leave Jerusalem? Why do they never go home? 403 00:55:22,000 --> 00:55:33,000 Maybe it's when a man by the name of Saul begins to persecute Christians, and they leave Jerusalem after the 404 00:55:33,000 --> 00:55:38,000 murder of Stephen. We don't know. We don't know where they went, how they went. We just know that 25 years 405 00:55:38,000 --> 00:55:45,000 later, some of the family is in Rome, right? And they were well known to the Roman Christians. 406 00:55:45,000 --> 00:55:50,000 It wasn't just somebody who sort of sat in the back, but they knew who these people were, right? 407 00:55:50,000 --> 00:55:59,000 They have walked through the Roman world, obviously serving and being part of the church. You see, the 408 00:55:59,000 --> 00:56:06,000 gospel changes the whole trajectory of this family. And third, I want you to see this testimony of 409 00:56:06,000 --> 00:56:11,000 quiet faithfulness, right? The remarkable faithfulness of this unknown woman. We don't 410 00:56:11,000 --> 00:56:17,000 know her name. All we know is Paul says, "She's like a mom to me," right? She's not his mom, but 411 00:56:17,000 --> 00:56:24,000 she acted like one toward the Apostle Paul. In Scripture, we see the wisdom from mothers, the 412 00:56:24,000 --> 00:56:29,000 provision, the protection, the teaching, the help, the prayer, the struggle for their children. 413 00:56:29,000 --> 00:56:35,000 And what you find is the Apostle Paul who frequently struggles, who is frequently persecuted, who is 414 00:56:35,000 --> 00:56:42,000 sometimes on the run, who is sometimes discouraged. He finds this woman in this family. You say, 415 00:56:42,000 --> 00:56:49,000 what impact did this woman have on the church? She was like a mother to the Apostle Paul. And 416 00:56:49,000 --> 00:56:56,000 one of the remarkable things that I have come to love about the church is you see this not 417 00:56:56,000 --> 00:57:01,000 just in Paul's story, but you see it in the story throughout the church. This quiet faithfulness 418 00:57:01,000 --> 00:57:07,000 through godly women. I remember the very first church I preached at was this little tiny church about 419 00:57:07,000 --> 00:57:11,000 four or five miles right from the edge of the Mississippi River. The river actually used to run 420 00:57:11,000 --> 00:57:16,000 through town, and then in the course of the flooding it changed and shifted over. And I remember the very 421 00:57:16,000 --> 00:57:22,000 first Sunday I was going to preach at this church, I liked to be there early. And so it was like an 422 00:57:22,000 --> 00:57:27,000 hour and a half before church was to begin these deserted back roads in rural Missouri going into 423 00:57:27,000 --> 00:57:32,000 to rural Illinois. And I crossed the bridge into Illinois, and I'm going along, and I was like, 424 00:57:32,000 --> 00:57:37,000 "Nobody's there. The roads are straight. They're flat. You can see, you know, I like to drive fast because I 425 00:57:37,000 --> 00:57:44,000 want to get to church on time," right? And there is this little old lady in this little Chrysler who's 426 00:57:44,000 --> 00:57:49,000 puttering along at like 40 miles an hour. And on the back of her car, one of those stickers is like, 427 00:57:49,000 --> 00:57:53,000 "Don't drive faster than your angels can fly." And I was like, "I don't think they're having any trouble 428 00:57:53,000 --> 00:57:58,000 keeping up with you today, ma'am." Right? And I'm sitting there going, like, "I'm just going to pass her." 429 00:57:58,000 --> 00:58:03,000 And then my thought was, "Well, obviously, she's somewhat religious, right? She's talking about angels. 430 00:58:03,000 --> 00:58:08,000 There's really nothing here except for the church that I'm going to." I was like, "Maybe I won't tailgate her 431 00:58:08,000 --> 00:58:13,000 the rest of the way to the church and just see what happens." I've got plenty of time, and won't you know it? 432 00:58:13,000 --> 00:58:19,000 Sure enough, as we get there, go to turn into the church parking lot, this little old lady in her slow car 433 00:58:19,000 --> 00:58:25,000 pulls in right in front of me, and turns out that she got to church super early every Sunday 434 00:58:25,000 --> 00:58:29,000 to make sure the doors are unlocked, make sure everything was ready to go, make sure 435 00:58:29,000 --> 00:58:34,000 communion was prepared, make sure the heat was on if it needed to be, open the windows if it wasn't, 436 00:58:34,000 --> 00:58:39,000 because there was no air conditioning, right? And for the next three years that I preached there, 437 00:58:39,000 --> 00:58:48,000 I made it my goal to try to beat her to church, just like one Sunday. Like, for three years, I never did it, right? 438 00:58:48,000 --> 00:58:57,000 And she was one of those quiet, faithful women who just served the Lord. And not just for me. 439 00:58:57,000 --> 00:59:01,000 One of the interesting things, and I've never had this happen in church before, 440 00:59:01,000 --> 00:59:04,000 where you're a little country church, you kind of got this little piece of property, 441 00:59:04,000 --> 00:59:08,000 it was always kind of a struggle to keep up with everything. One of the guys in the church 442 00:59:08,000 --> 00:59:12,000 worked for the Department of Corrections, the guys who organized the work crew on the side of the road. 443 00:59:12,000 --> 00:59:17,000 He's like, "Hey, I got a solution to our yard problem." He's like, "I'll show up here with a gang of convicts 444 00:59:17,000 --> 00:59:22,000 and we'll take care of it for you on Tuesday." And wouldn't you know it, she was there and she had lunch 445 00:59:22,000 --> 00:59:27,000 and a whole bunch of pie ready for these guys, right? And they walk in and there's just pie, right? 446 00:59:27,000 --> 00:59:33,000 Like everybody got a pie. It was amazing, right? And that's not a unique experience in the church. 447 00:59:33,000 --> 00:59:38,000 The experience that Paul has in faithful women, you see it throughout Scripture, right? 448 00:59:38,000 --> 00:59:46,000 Jesus' whole ministry is supported by a group of very important faithful women who follow 449 00:59:46,000 --> 00:59:53,000 and provide, right? The first good news of the resurrection is proclaimed by a group of faithful women 450 00:59:53,000 --> 00:59:58,000 who go to the tomb when the disciples are staying at home to take care of Jesus. 451 00:59:58,000 --> 01:00:09,000 And they get this wonderful joy of announcing the Gospel first. You see it in Priscilla, the wife of Aquila. 452 01:00:09,000 --> 01:00:15,000 You see it in those who let the church meet in their homes. There is this wonderful picture that goes 453 01:00:15,000 --> 01:00:25,000 in the Old Testament and the New Testament of faithful women who have kept the church going, right? 454 01:00:25,000 --> 01:00:30,000 And here's the reality. Most of us, men and women, we're going to live lives of quiet faithfulness. 455 01:00:30,000 --> 01:00:36,000 We're not going to have our names trumpeted throughout the world. 456 01:00:36,000 --> 01:00:43,000 But think of the impact this anonymous woman has, right? The mother, adopted mom of the Apostle Paul. 457 01:00:43,000 --> 01:00:49,000 She loved, she cared for, she helped, she protected. Sometimes it likely Paul stayed with them, 458 01:00:49,000 --> 01:00:54,000 at least for a period of time, to develop that kind of relationship with them, right? 459 01:00:54,000 --> 01:00:58,000 And yet, here she is supporting the ministry of the Apostle Paul. 460 01:00:58,000 --> 01:01:03,000 So I would remind you this morning, because it's easy for all of us, men and women, to be discouraged. 461 01:01:03,000 --> 01:01:09,000 Especially when we think about our gifts or our labor, and we say, "I'm so small, and there's so much to do, and it's so big." 462 01:01:09,000 --> 01:01:18,000 Remember that God takes this quiet faithfulness, and He does amazing things with it, right? 463 01:01:18,000 --> 01:01:24,000 He takes this little family you never would have guessed, I never would have guessed, from North Africa. 464 01:01:24,000 --> 01:01:32,000 You know, 800 miles as the crow flies, 1,142 miles by land, transforms this family. 465 01:01:32,000 --> 01:01:38,000 Shows us the Gospel. And then we have this picture of quiet faithfulness. 466 01:01:38,000 --> 01:01:47,000 You may not know how your faithfulness impacts people in the future, but God uses that for the good of the church. 467 01:01:47,000 --> 01:01:55,000 Let's pray. Father in heaven, we thank you for this mom who wasn't a mom of the Apostle Paul, but she became like a mother to him. 468 01:01:55,000 --> 01:02:02,000 We thank you for this picture throughout Scripture of men and women who have quietly served. 469 01:02:02,000 --> 01:02:07,000 And we thank you for those who have sacrificed so much for your kingdom. 470 01:02:07,000 --> 01:02:11,000 In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 471 01:02:11,000 --> 01:02:15,000 We're going to stand and sing "Who You Say I Am." 472 01:02:15,000 --> 01:02:19,000 And it's another picture of gospel transformation. 473 01:02:19,000 --> 01:02:28,000 It's easy for us, I think, in many cases, to look at all of our smallness and our weakness and look at all of our struggles and our fears. 474 01:02:28,000 --> 01:02:36,000 And this just simply reminds us that our identity is not found in ourselves, but it's found in what God has to say about us. 475 01:02:36,000 --> 01:03:05,000 "Who am I that the highest King would welcome me? I was lost, but He brought me in. Oh, His love for me. Oh, His love for me. 476 01:03:05,000 --> 01:03:34,000 Who the sun sets free. Oh, is free indeed. I'm a child of God. Yes, I am. At last He has ransomed me. His grace runs deep. While I was a slave 477 01:03:34,000 --> 01:04:03,000 to sin, Jesus died for me. Yes, He died for me. Who the sun sets free. Oh, is free indeed. I'm a child of God. Yes, I am. In my Father's 478 01:04:03,000 --> 01:04:32,000 house, there's a place for me. I'm a child of God. Yes, I am. I am chosen, not forsaken. I am who you say I am. You are for me, not against me. I am who you say I am. 479 01:04:32,000 --> 01:05:01,000 Who the sun sets free, who is free indeed. I'm a child of God. Yes, I am. In my Father's house, there's a place for me. I'm a child of God. 480 01:05:01,000 --> 01:05:04,000 Yes, I am. 481 01:05:04,000 --> 01:05:30,000 I want to thank you all for being with us this morning. We will be back on Wednesday night. Continuing on, we've had a couple weeks of some differences happening in life, but we will be back at 2 Thessalonians taking a look as Paul talks to a church that is hurting and struggling. 482 01:05:30,000 --> 01:05:39,000 He's going to talk about what he's thankful for, and then he's going to share some things with them that encourage them in the midst of their struggles. 483 01:05:39,000 --> 01:05:52,000 We'll be here Wednesday night, and then next Sunday we will be back in the Book of Acts. We want to remind you, too, that on the back table here, there are a bunch of flowers, and so those are for the ladies of the church. 484 01:05:52,000 --> 01:06:00,000 And so we've got a bunch, so if you don't take one, expect Rachel to kind of shove one in your hand as you're going out the door, regardless. 485 01:06:00,000 --> 01:06:09,000 So we are very thankful for you, and we are glad you're here. I'm going to pray. I'm just going to read one verse from 2 Corinthians, and then we'll sing the doxology. 486 01:06:09,000 --> 01:06:19,000 Father in heaven, thank you for how you change us, transform us, how you encourage us. We just thank you for the grace that you have shown us, the love that you have shown us, 487 01:06:19,000 --> 01:06:27,000 the fact that you have not left us alone, but have sent your Spirit to help us and encourage us. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 488 01:06:27,000 --> 01:06:38,000 Paul ends his second letter to the Corinthians like this: "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." 489 01:06:46,000 --> 01:07:07,000 Praise God, from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him, all creatures here below. Praise Him, above ye heavenly hosts. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. 490 01:07:16,000 --> 01:07:18,000 Thank you. 491 01:07:46,000 --> 01:08:15,980 God bless you. 492 01:08:16,000 --> 01:08:45,980 God bless you. 493 01:08:46,000 --> 01:09:15,980 God bless you.