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Best 30 Minute Investment: (L)earning Christ- Habits That B.L.E.S.S, Part 3 — Transcript

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0:00All right, good morning to everyone and
0:02welcome to the well here at STSA. So
0:05great to see all of you here on this
0:07beautiful feast day of extra hour of
0:09sleep, the greatest day of the entire
0:11year if you ask me, in my opinion. And
0:14we're also those welcome to also those
0:16who are joining us on the other side of
0:17the camera, our friends in Leesburg, as
0:19well as all the network of churches that
0:20are streaming us here today. We are in
0:23part three of a series called habits
0:26that bless. And the whole purpose of
0:28this series, something that you and I
0:30know all too well, is that this pace of
0:32the life that's around us, the pace of
0:35the hurry, the busy, the distraction, we
0:37are pushing back against that in this
0:39series. Because what we've agreed from
0:41the very start is that the rush, the
0:43hurry, like our goal is not just to get
0:46through life, our goal is to live a
0:48meaningful life, a purposeful life. Our
0:52goal is to find the ability to have the
0:54ability to be able to connect deeply
0:58with God and one another.
1:01To be able to focus and be present when
1:03it matters most.
1:05And the number one enemy of all those
1:06things is the rush and the busy and the
1:08distraction. Because what we agreed is
1:10the faster we move through life, the
1:11more superficial our lives become. The
1:13faster we move through life, the more
1:15superficial our lives become. Repeat
1:17after me, the faster we move through
1:19life,
1:21the more superficial our lives become.
1:26The number one enemy of a meaningful
1:27life is not the devil.
1:30It's not the TV. It's not your phone.
1:32It's not AI. It's not the news. It's not
1:35the president or the It's not none of
1:37those things. The number one enemy of
1:39you living a meaningful life is the
1:42pace,
1:43the busy, the hurry, the distraction.
1:48And the worst part is that especially in
1:50the time that we live in in the area
1:52that we live in, not only do we not see
1:54it as a danger, we actually like let's
1:57to honest. We talked about this in the
1:59first week. We view busyness as a badge
2:02of honor.
2:03We love saying how busy we are, how it's
2:05a busy time of year, how we got so many
2:07meetings, and it's just a heck I can't
2:09tell you the number of text messages
2:11that I get when I say, "Hey, hey, I
2:12haven't seen you in a while. I missed
2:13you." It's a hectic time. Okay, it can't
2:15always be a hectic time. If it's a
2:17hectic time all the time, then you're
2:18just a hectic person. Like, it's not a
2:20hectic time. You're just a chaotic
2:22person. You're a chaotic family. You
2:24have no boundaries and no priorities if
2:26it's always chaos and it's always busy.
2:29The worst part is we see it as a badge
2:31of honor.
2:32Oh, I'm so busy. I'm moving going from
2:34here to there. My calendar is so full.
2:36And you know what? I'll tell you an
2:37area, I got to be honest right here, no
2:39one be offended, one area that I see
2:41this so obviously today, and it's it's a
2:44blind spot for so many of us is parents.
2:47With our children.
2:49It's Oh, my my my it's just a busy time
2:51with the kids. I don't have time for
2:52that. Where's my kid takes, you know,
2:54French class on Mondays and then piano
2:56on Tuesdays, and then I got travel
2:58soccer, this and that. And then, you
3:00know, got a underwater basket weaving
3:02degree. Like, whatever it may be. Like,
3:05I I I
3:06And we think it's the we think more is
3:08better.
3:09And we think the faster we go, the
3:11quicker we get to
3:14We don't even know where we're going,
3:15but we know we're going to be there
3:15first. We know we're we're IN A RUSH TO
3:18GET wherever there may be.
3:21And the Gold series is to push back and
3:23say no.
3:25I reject a superficial life.
3:28Raise your hand if you're with me. Say,
3:29"I reject a superficial life." Raise
3:30your hand. Who rejects a superficial
3:32life? I reject a superficial life. I
3:34don't want a superficial life. I want a
3:35meaningful life. I want meaningful
3:37connection with my children. I don't
3:39want them just to be in a million
3:40activities. I'd rather one or two with
3:42meaning. I want a meaning I want to be
3:44able to pray. I want to be able to stand
3:46in front of God and not after 2 seconds
3:48I've lost my focus. I want to be able to
3:50come to church without having check my
3:51phone. I want to be able to have a
3:53meaningful conversation with my spouse,
3:55take a walk with my spouse. And if I
3:56don't have time to do those things, and
3:58I'm too busy to those do those things,
4:00come on.
4:01The superficiality, the busyness. No, we
4:04reject it. We got to be intentional. And
4:06that's why what we're doing in this
4:07series is we are looking at five habits
4:10that all of them take time. They take
4:13time, but they are habits that going to
4:15lead us towards an intentional,
4:18meaningful, deep, connected life. So,
4:21they're worth the time.
4:22They're worth setting aside some of the
4:24other busyness cuz we say we're taking a
4:26step back, no matter what age you are.
4:27If you're 25 or 35 or 45 or 55, doesn't
4:31matter. Whatever age you are, we're
4:32looking at it and we're saying, "I don't
4:34want to just be on the escalator of
4:36life. I don't want to be just on the
4:37merry-go-round of life. I want to be
4:39intentional. And why I want to be I want
4:41to do things that have meaning. So,
4:43we're looking at five habits, and we're
4:45calling them habits that bless cuz it's
4:46an acronym, but it's also has meaning.
4:48That if you do these habits, I guarantee
4:50you your life will be a blessed life.
4:55The first week,
4:56last week's the habit number one. I
4:58heard great stories about people
5:01blessing others. Life groups blessing
5:04others. Okay, I heard things about
5:06people sending encouraging notes and
5:08encouraging text messages. And every
5:10single person told me that the response
5:12was, "You can't believe the perfect
5:14timing of that. How I needed to hear
5:16that today." I If I I'm telling you, I
5:17heard 10 times something like that. I
5:20know several I want to ask for a show of
5:21hands, but I know several volunteer
5:23teams that were blessed this week. Okay,
5:26where certain life groups like my
5:28particular life group said there's a
5:29certain team in the church that they
5:31feel is un-
5:33uh unappreciated. So, they said, "We're
5:34going to bless that week." And I know
5:36and you know there was lots of hugs this
5:38week after last week. I know there was
5:40lots of hugs. And I saw people Actually,
5:42some people taught me about a few more
5:44types of hugs that I didn't talk about
5:45last week. So, I'll incorporate that
5:47into the curriculum next time that we do
5:49this.
5:51I even heard, this is true, in case you
5:54see the I even heard a story
5:57about a teenager
5:59doing the dishes at home.
6:02Can you believe that?
6:04Can you believe that?
6:06People, we see we may not listen to but
6:09a teenager went and did dishes at home.
6:11The parents were going to call the
6:12police but they said to call me instead.
6:15I'll show you how much the blessing
6:17spread. The blessings were everywhere
6:19including I told you guys last week no
6:22one is allowed to bless me. That doesn't
6:23count. I feel the most blessed and I
6:25everyone encouraged me and I get more
6:27support than anyone on the planet. So I
6:29said no one is allowed to bless me.
6:31But some nice people decided to bless me
6:34and bless my home last night.
6:36I went to Vespers last night in Leesburg
6:38and I came home.
6:41And this is what I saw at my house.
6:44That's toilet paper ladies and
6:46gentlemen. My house got
6:49TP'd.
6:51I guess this is what happens when you go
6:53to Vespers like a good priest and then
6:54you don't have the candy out for the
6:56kids on Halloween. The kids came and
6:58blessed my home so I was very
7:01appreciative of that wonderful blessing.
7:05Other than this blessing
7:09I think and you agree with me that
7:11nothing is better than when we take time
7:14to appreciate one another, to love one
7:16another, to encourage one another. As a
7:18father like you as parents there's
7:20nothing you want more than to see your
7:21children loving each other and caring
7:23about each other. I feel that same way
7:25as a priest and I know God looks down on
7:26us and says the same thing.
7:28So because that was so great we don't
7:31want that just to be a one week thing.
7:32You agree you want that to keep going.
7:35So here's what we're going to do.
7:36I want you right now. I want everyone to
7:38turn to their neighbor. Turn to two
7:40neighbors. High five someone and say I'm
7:42glad you're in church today. Let's go.
7:44High five two people. Say I'm glad
7:45you're in church today. High five. There
7:47you go. There you go. I like it. High
7:49fives all around. Very good. Very good.
7:53All right. I love it. THAT'S HOW YOU DO
7:55CHURCH LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. I LOVE IT.
7:57OKAY, look at me again. Stop that now.
7:58Look at me. Stop talking at each other.
8:00Look at me. Look at me. Look at me.
8:02Okay?
8:03Last thing I gave you hugs today made
8:04easier with the high fives.
8:07That's how you do church, ladies and
8:09gentlemen. The easiest way to receive a
8:11blessing is to give a blessing. The
8:14easiest way to receive a blessing, which
8:16we all want, is to give a blessing. And
8:17my hope and my prayer is that this is
8:19not was not just a one-week thing. The
8:21whole point is I don't want to just be
8:23blessed for one week. I want to keep
8:25that going. So, we're going to move on
8:26to habit number two. But, we're going to
8:28keep this one going. We're going to
8:30continue to keep the principle in mind
8:32that it is more blessed to give than to
8:33receive. That the generous soul will
8:35always be made rich. We're going to keep
8:36that in mind. That we want to be
8:38blessed, we will bless others. Sound
8:40good? Now, we're going to go to habit
8:41number two.
8:43Habit number two is the opposite end of
8:44the spectrum.
8:48Habit number two has nothing to do with
8:50anyone else except yourself.
8:53Habit number one was care about others,
8:55love others, encourage others, be a
8:57blessing to others. Habit number two is
8:59100% selfish.
9:02100% just you.
9:04But, I believe that without this habit,
9:06you cannot be like Christ.
9:09Because if you look at the life of
9:10Christ, Christ was always blessing
9:13others, always caring about others. He
9:16was healing people, he was preaching, he
9:18was washing feet. He was always for
9:20others. But, he wasn't always for
9:22others.
9:23If you look carefully at the gospels,
9:25what you will see is that Jesus would be
9:28out with the multitudes. And then what
9:30would he do after that?
9:32He would retreat and be alone.
9:35And then he would preach in front of the
9:37masses.
9:39And then he would take time to be with
9:40his heavenly father with no one else
9:42around.
9:43If you study the gospels, you will see
9:45that Jesus was constantly playing this
9:47game. With the crowds, alone. With the
9:50people, retreat. He was constantly doing
9:52this. And what we're going to do,
9:55habit number two, is the same thing. And
9:57the L for us stands for learn Christ.
10:01Learn Christ. Now, this is an expression
10:05that we don't hear much today. You hear
10:07it in the Bible. Saint Paul at one point
10:08says, "You have not so learned Christ."
10:10It was actually a common expression in
10:12the early church.
10:14We think of the early church, we always
10:17think of like Pentecost Sunday where
10:19Peter preached, 3,000 people repented
10:23and joined and were baptized and we're
10:24like, "That's great. They heard, they
10:26accepted, they were baptized, and they
10:28were done."
10:31The truth is there was much more to
10:33being a Christian in the early church
10:35than just being baptized, just accepting
10:37and believing and being baptized. There
10:39was this whole idea of growth,
10:42of maturing, of yes, it was great come
10:45as you are, but you should not leave as
10:47you came.
10:49That was that was the way in the early
10:50church.
10:52And we want to incorporate that into our
10:54lives as well. Believe is great, accept
10:56is great, being born is great.
11:00But if there's no growing up and there's
11:02no maturing and there's no deepening,
11:06then we're in a problem.
11:07Second Peter chapter 3, verse 17 and 18,
11:10Saint Peter says this, "You therefore,
11:11beloved, beware." And whatever the Bible
11:14says beware, we should
11:17beware.
11:19"Beware, lest you fall from your own
11:21steadfastness being led away with the
11:23error of the wicked. Beware lest you
11:25fall by being led away." Okay, what what
11:27What do we do? We don't want to fall. He
11:29says number number He says right after.
11:31He says, "But grow in the grace and
11:33knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus
11:35Christ." How do I protect myself from
11:37falling away?
11:39Is by growing closer. Like the best
11:41defense is always a good offense. How do
11:42I protect myself from growing away from
11:45my wife? By growing in my love for my
11:47wife. How do I protect myself from just
11:49being a spiritual infant and falling
11:52away? By deepening my faith. And that's
11:54the expression called learning Christ.
11:57Again, let's go back to the early
11:58church. When Christians When people
12:00would join Christianity in the early
12:01church, they would go through a process.
12:03It was Yes, it was like they would they
12:05would preach and some people would
12:06repent and be baptized and believe and
12:08that was great. But the usual process
12:11was when someone wanted to learn about
12:13the faith and become part of the church,
12:15they would go through a process called
12:17catechism. Okay, we here in this church
12:19call it membership group, same concept.
12:21The idea of of learning what it is that
12:24you're joining. And the way they would
12:26do it was they would take a period of 40
12:28days. It was during Lent. That's
12:29actually where the original Lent fast
12:31came from. It was a fast for the people
12:33who were joining the church and the rest
12:34of the church would fast with them
12:36because we were one body.
12:37So, people would join the church by
12:39going through this 40-day period of
12:42learning Christ. Now, when I say 40
12:45days, you're thinking like today, you're
12:47like, "Wow, 40 days? It was probably
12:49like an hour class every night from like
12:517:00 to 8:00 or something like that."
12:53And maybe you like you missed a few here
12:54and there. Probably there was like a
12:55Zoom option something. No, no, no, no,
12:57no. It wasn't 40 days. It wasn't 40
12:59hours. It was 40 days of all day every
13:01day.
13:02What they would do during those 40 days,
13:03they would not only learn the entire
13:04faith, they would learn the entire
13:06Bible.
13:07They would teach or read the entire
13:09Bible. Now, with that said, the Bible
13:11they had isn't the same as the Bible we
13:13have. They didn't have the New
13:14Testament, they had the Old Testament.
13:15BUT THE OLD TESTAMENT'S LIKE 75% OF IT.
13:17SO, COME ON. In 40 days, they learned
13:20the whole Bible. Some of us, there's no
13:21judgment here. Some of us in 40 years,
13:24we haven't read the whole Bible.
13:26They in 40 days.
13:29But [clears throat] they did that. They
13:30were coming to church every day for
13:32teaching, for prayers, for learning
13:35Christ, and for understanding what it is
13:37that they're joining.
13:38Compare that to the path that most of us
13:43took to get here today. And again, I'm
13:45not judging anyone. But most of us, we
13:47were born into the faith.
13:49We did nothing to be here.
13:51The most that we have, like if I say,
13:53"Your education in the faith." Most of
13:55us
13:56Most of us would point to Sunday school,
13:5845 minutes
14:00a week that we skipped every now and
14:02then, okay? And most of the 45 minutes
14:04for me was Uncle Girgis chasing me
14:05around the parking lot to get me going
14:07in the class.
14:08SO, COMPARE THAT WHAT WE had when we
14:11don't remember anything compared to what
14:13they had. And now I come to us and I
14:16say, "Okay, guys, to be a member of the
14:17church, got to go through membership.
14:19IT'S A SIX I DON'T NEED MEMBERSHIP." Uh
14:21we do this thing called ancient faith
14:23class. We like to learn. No, no, no, I
14:24ALREADY I ALREADY KNOW THAT STUFF. I I
14:26was born INTO THIS. I KNOW. I KNOW GOD
14:29GOOD, DEVIL BAD. LIKE THAT'S IT, YOU
14:31KNOW, JESUS, SAINT MARY, HEAVEN, HELL.
14:33Like I already know this stuff. YEAH,
14:35GIVE THAT TO THE PEOPLE OFF the street,
14:37the losers who just walk in who don't
14:39know as much as me.
14:43Is the goal of life
14:45is the goal to be born spiritually?
14:49Parents, is your goal to have children
14:51born of you and that's it? Have a baby,
14:54throw them on the side, hope it turns
14:56out well?
14:57Like a child that is born that doesn't
14:59grow is a tragedy. Like goo goo ga ga at
15:02age two or one or six, I don't know,
15:05whatever at whatever is fine. At age 16,
15:08it's a tragedy. It means there's like a
15:10real sickness.
15:14And I think the same is true
15:15spiritually.
15:17What's your goal spiritually? Be honest,
15:18no one's judging. You just between you
15:20and you.
15:21Is your goal bare minimum?
15:24Is your goal just I know the bare
15:26minimum and I like I understand the
15:28faith, I read the creed, read the book,
15:31signed the dotted line, I'm good to go?
15:34Or is your goal to learn Christ and to
15:36grow deeper?
15:38Let's say it a slightly different way.
15:41There's a difference between knowing
15:43information
15:44and knowing a person.
15:47Knowing information is not the same as
15:49knowing a person. Information is
15:51limited. So, therefore, I can say like
15:55if Christianity was just information,
15:57here is a book, read it, I give you a
16:00test, you're good to go. You know the
16:03information.
16:04How about compare that to a person like
16:08my wife, for example? Could I like let's
16:11say we started dating, you know, me and
16:13Mary Ann back in the stone ages, okay?
16:15We started dating and I'm getting to
16:16know her and I'm asking questions, you
16:17know, what you you you know, you're born
16:20and
16:21like how many kids and like what's your
16:23fears and LIKE ALL THOSE FUNNY THINGS
16:24THAT YOU ASK EACH OTHER in the dating.
16:26And then I get to the point I'm like,
16:27"Okay, I'm good. I know Mary Anne. Let's
16:30get married and I'm good now."
16:32Married people, when we got married, WE
16:35KNEW NOTHING ABOUT THE PERSON. WE
16:36THOUGHT WE DID.
16:38We thought we did, but we DIDN'T LEARN
16:39NOTHING. I'M MARRIED 25 YEARS AND EVERY
16:41DAY I'm discovering new things about my
16:43wife.
16:44Great things, of course.
16:46Spectacular things.
16:49But it's new.
16:51And if that's with a person like Mary
16:53Anne, how about a person like Christ?
16:57Christ is not information. Christ is a
16:59person. It's a relationship.
17:01Relationships are dynamic. They are
17:04constantly growing. And if they're not,
17:06they're dying.
17:08Relationship needs constant investment.
17:10NOT LIKE, "YEAH, YEAH, Mary Anne, we got
17:13all this stuff cleared in 2001. Like I
17:14learned everything. LIKE STOP TALKING."
17:16LIKE THAT DOES NOT HOW IT WORKS.
17:18I'm learning new and she's learning new
17:19and with the same thing. So you and your
17:21relationship with God, yes, you were
17:23born.
17:24Yes, you accepted.
17:26YES, YOU'VE PASSED THE TEST OF
17:28membership group.
17:30That's it.
17:31You're done?
17:35Let me ask you a question.
17:38Are you growing up or just growing old?
17:42Are you growing up?
17:44Or just growing old?
17:45I know you're growing old.
17:47Your hairline says it.
17:52But are you growing up? AND BEFORE YOU
17:55RUSH TO SAY, "NO, I'M GROWING UP." OKAY,
17:56I got a question for you. Again, you're
17:58not asked to answer to me. Like I don't
17:59know you. Like it's between you and you.
18:01How are you more spiritually mature
18:02today than you were a year ago?
18:07And what's your plan that a year from
18:08now you'll be even more spiritually
18:09mature than you are today?
18:11Cuz if the answer is
18:13I go to church and there's nothing else,
18:19a baby who doesn't mature is tragic. A
18:21Christian who doesn't mature is just as
18:24tragic, if you ask me.
18:26So, that's what this is all about. Learn
18:27Christ means that we want to be more
18:29than just believe and accept and glory
18:32be to God forever. Amen. And the reason
18:34why this is so important, I'm going to
18:35take a step back to come back a step
18:37forward here. The reason why it's so
18:39important that we have this discussion,
18:41because there is something you need to
18:42know this about yourself. I don't know
18:44you. I don't know everyone watching
18:45this. I don't know who you are. I don't
18:46know your story. But, I know something
18:48about you. I know there's one area. I
18:50don't know all your gifts and talents,
18:51but I know one area you are very
18:53talented in. You are very gifted in.
18:55That every single one of us on this
18:57planet is gifted in the area of
18:59self-deception.
19:00You know what self-deception is, right?
19:02It's selling yourself an idea that isn't
19:05actually true. And every single one of
19:07us is able to CONVINCE OURSELVES. YOU
19:09MAY NOT BE ABLE TO CONVINCE A SOUL ON
19:11THE PLANET of anything, but there's one
19:13sucker. You see him every day in the
19:15mirror that is perfect perfectly
19:18perfectly able to convince that person.
19:21And I'll prove it to you.
19:23Every single one of us, no show of hands
19:25here, cuz it could get awkward.
19:27Every one of us
19:28knows at least one person
19:31who suffers from self-deception.
19:34Like, do you know? And again, don't look
19:35around. Don't elbow. Don't point.
19:37Nothing.
19:38Do you know someone
19:40who thinks that they're funny, but
19:43they're not?
19:46No one should be pointing at me.
19:49Do you know someone who thinks they can
19:51sing,
19:52but they can't?
19:54Do you know someone
19:56who thinks they're always right?
20:00Mhm, the married people like that one.
20:03The married people like that one.
20:05How about this one? I got you over here.
20:07Do you know someone who thinks their kid
20:09is an angel?
20:11And you're like, "Yeah, if you count the
20:12fallen ones like Lucifer."
20:17Every one of us. So, look here. If you
20:20know someone self-deceived, and you do,
20:21and you do, and you do, and you do, and
20:23you do, and you do, AND EVERY SINGLE
20:24PERSON KNOWS SOMEONE WHO SELF-DECEIVED.
20:26ARE YOU NO, it's not me.
20:28LIKE THE MATH THE COME ON. IF EVERY ONE
20:30OF US KNOWS SOMEONE, BUT NONE OF US
20:31THINK IT'S US, COME ON. AT SOME POINT IT
20:34COULD BE US.
20:37PEW RESEARCH, A COMPANY that uh does
20:39like surveys for Christians and
20:40churches,
20:43asked people,
20:44this was an anonymous survey,
20:47how often you attend church.
20:49I'm sorry. Uh how often I'm sorry. Do
20:51you attend church weekly? Do you attend
20:53church weekly? And 50% of the people,
20:55roughly, said they attend church weekly.
20:57Now, weekly is not a vague term. Weekly
20:59means what?
21:01Once a week.
21:02So, it's not IT'S NOT THERE'S NO GRAY
21:04AREA.
21:05Did you know the truth? Like they asked
21:07people, and then they asked people to
21:08track, and this was anonymous, SO
21:09THERE'S NO THERE'S NO LYING in this.
21:12They asked them, how often do you attend
21:13church? How often do you think you
21:14attend church? Half the people said they
21:16attend weekly. The truth? 20% attend
21:19weekly.
21:2020%. So, less than half that said they
21:22attend weekly, when they actually looked
21:24at it, and they actually tracked it over
21:26the course of 3 months, they didn't
21:27attend weekly. Much less than that.
21:29How often do you read the Bible?
21:31A third, which I think is sad even that
21:34it's this, but a third of Christians
21:36said they read the Bible four or more
21:38times per week.
21:40A third of Christians,
21:42actually it was 31%, but I'm making them
21:44even rounding up because
21:45a third of Christians said they read the
21:47Bible four or more times per week. The
21:49actual number was less than 15%.
21:52that actually read the Bible four or
21:53more times per week. We convince
21:56ourselves. We convince ourselves, all of
21:58us.
22:00If I asked you, is faith a priority?
22:01Yes.
22:03My faith? Absolutely. My religion? Of
22:05course. THE CHURCH? 100%. I GOT NOTHING
22:09IN LIFE OTHER THAN MY RELATIONSHIP WITH
22:11GOD. WE CONVINCE OURSELVES THAT.
22:15But do you invest in your relationship
22:16with God?
22:19Where are you invested?
22:20Is it just
22:22like you Is you know what this is? This
22:24is the man, sorry men. This is the
22:26husband, the father.
22:28God, family, and then work. That's my
22:31priority. God one, family two, and then
22:33work. And then you work 100 hours a
22:35week.
22:36Never spending time with his family,
22:37never spending TIME IN PRAYER. GOD ONE,
22:39FAMILY TWO, WORK THREE. OKAY, you can
22:41say that all you want.
22:43But if you're not invested in God,
22:45you're not invested in your family, all
22:47your time is invested in work, like come
22:48on.
22:51Don't confuse.
22:52>> [clears throat]
22:53>> Don't confuse, please, please, please.
22:55Don't confuse accepting Christ with
22:56investing in Christ. They're not the
22:58same thing.
23:00Don't confuse I believe, I accept with I
23:03am invested. And I'm putting in time and
23:06energy and effort in deepening.
23:09Investing and accepting are not the
23:11same. If I asked who is accepting,
23:13everyone will raise their hand.
23:15But then if I ask you, where are you
23:17invested?
23:19That might be a little bit more
23:20challenging.
23:21You know I think of here that struggled
23:23with this information versus a person.
23:25I think of the Pharisees.
23:27In case you haven't read the Bible, the
23:28Pharisees, they're the bad guys in the
23:30Bible.
23:31And we look at them as they're the worst
23:33of the worst. But you realize that if
23:35you were alive during the biblical
23:37times, you would not have said that. The
23:39Pharisees were the top of the top. They
23:42were the ones that were respected. They
23:43were the ones that knew the Bible better
23:45than anyone. They were the teachers,
23:46they would memorize the Bible. It was a
23:48very strict requirement to be a
23:50Pharisee. So we look at them and say,
23:52"Bad guys, you stink, you're not as
23:54smart as us. Haha." No, no, no, no.
23:56Pharisees were up here. Like the
23:58Pharisees were the ones
24:01that accepted God,
24:02that knew the scriptures, that memorized
24:05not verses, but memorized books. LIKE,
24:08IF YOU'RE DOING BIBLE TRIVIA, YOU'RE
24:10CHOOSING THEM. LIKE THEY'RE CRUSHING it
24:11in Bible trivia.
24:15But they missed Jesus.
24:19They missed him.
24:20They didn't miss him because he was far
24:21away and they couldn't get to him.
24:24They missed him like right there.
24:26Couldn't see him. Right in front of
24:28their face.
24:30How?
24:32If you look at the Pharisees,
24:35they started great, they're born into
24:38it, okay? They have the knowledge, they
24:40have the heritage, but they never went
24:43beyond information
24:45and going to a person. In other words,
24:48Pharisees would be tempted to say,
24:51"I know the Bible.
24:53I know God.
24:56I don't need I don't need to learn
24:57anything else.
25:00I already know everything there is to
25:01know. Find me someone who knows as much
25:03as me."
25:05And that, ladies and gentlemen, that's
25:06called complacency.
25:08Because then here comes Jesus.
25:10As he always does, he turns things
25:12upside down. "I have new ideas." We
25:14don't want new ideas. We already know
25:15all our information. "I have new
25:17concept. I want to renew your mind. I
25:20want to flip things. I want first to be
25:21last and last to be first. I want die to
25:23be life and life to be die." They're
25:25like, "No, no, no, no, no, no."
25:27"We know our information. WE PASSED THE
25:29TEST. WE TEACH THE TEST. WE TEACH the
25:31stuff.
25:32We don't need to learn anymore. We're
25:34good."
25:36They relied on what they knew in the
25:37past
25:38versus what Christ was trying to teach
25:40them today. They stopped learning
25:43because of that,
25:44they missed
25:46everything.
25:47They didn't miss a little.
25:49They missed everything. Jesus said it
25:51this way in John chapter 5.
25:53Scary verse. He says, "You search the
25:56scriptures, for in them you think
25:59you think you have eternal life, and
26:01these are they which testify of me, but
26:03you are not willing to come to me that
26:06you may have life." It's a scary verse,
26:09ladies and gentlemen.
26:10Saying, "You know everything.
26:12You believe, you accept, you teach.
26:14You're the top of the top, but I'm right
26:17in front of you. And I'm trying to tell
26:19you you're wrong, or there's more, or
26:22there's new.
26:23I'm trying to tell you that that
26:25relationship with me is is infinite.
26:27Just like a relationship with any person
26:28never stops learning."
26:31But say I'm good.
26:34You know the problem with the Pharisees
26:36and the problem that we have a lot of
26:37times as well is we don't understand the
26:39goal. What's the goal? If I were to ask
26:40you, what's the goal of this Like why do
26:42you go to church? Why do you pray? Why
26:44do you read the Bible? Like why do you
26:46do any of these things? And truthfully
26:47most of us don't know the answer to
26:48that. Like when I was younger, I would
26:50have said I do those things because my
26:52goal is, you know, just to be good and
26:55like I feel like if I go to church and
26:56pray enough then like on judgement day
26:58God would be like, "Yeah, I recognize
27:00him. He's on the list. Bring him in."
27:02Most of us that's how we think. But did
27:04you know that there actually is a goal
27:06for why you should pray that's more than
27:08just be on the list to get in the party
27:10in heaven? That there's actually a
27:11purpose of why you should read the
27:13Bible? There's a purpose of why you
27:15should forgive your enemy? There's
27:16actually a purpose, something that
27:17you're driving towards? I'll give you
27:19two verses and you tell me what the
27:20purpose is. John chapter 8 verse 29. For
27:22whom he foreknew, he also predestined to
27:25be conformed to the image of his son.
27:27Say image of his son.
27:29That he might be the firstborn among
27:31many brethren. Next verse from 2
27:33Corinthians chapter 3 verse 18 says,
27:35"But we all with unveiled face beholding
27:37as in a mirror the glory of the Lord are
27:39being transformed into the same image."
27:42Say transformed into the same image.
27:47From glory to glory. What is the purpose
27:49of everything that we do? What is the
27:51purpose of prayer? What is the purpose
27:53of loving our neighbor? What is the
27:54purpose of going the second mile? What
27:56is the purpose of turning the turning
27:58our cheek? What is the purpose? The
27:59purpose is
28:01the image of Christ.
28:03That's the purpose.
28:05That's why we do what we do.
28:07That's why we do everything that we do.
28:08Because the image of Christ, look at
28:10that as the North Star. That's the top
28:12of the mountain. And all of us, it
28:13doesn't matter where we're coming from.
28:15Okay, we're Limitless Acceptancy here at
28:16SCCA. It doesn't matter where you're
28:17coming from or where Doesn't matter
28:18where you start on the mountain. IT
28:19DOESN'T MATTER. THAT'S where we're
28:20going.
28:21All of us. You're here, you're here,
28:23you're here. It doesn't matter. As long
28:24as we're going in that direction, that's
28:25all that matters. Image of Christ. Our
28:27goal is to talk as Christ spoke. Talk as
28:30he talked. Think as he thought. The goal
28:33is to treat our mom the way he treated
28:35his mom. The goal is TO TREAT OUR
28:36ENEMIES AND THOSE WHO SLANDER US AND
28:39THOSE WHO GOSSIP ABOUT US THE WAY HE
28:41TREATED PEOPLE who gossip about him.
28:43That's the goal of everything that we
28:43do. The goal is to is to stress the way
28:45he was stressed. Trust the way he
28:47trusted. To deal WITH MONEY THE WAY HE
28:49DEALT WITH MONEY. THAT'S THE GOAL. AND I
28:51LOOK AT THAT GOAL AND COME ON, IS THAT
28:53EASY?
28:54LIKE THAT'S A LIFETIME. THAT'S A
28:56LIFETIME OF INVESTMENT.
28:58YOU THINK YOU CAN GET THERE BY just I
29:01believe?
29:03BY JUST LIKE, YEAH, LIKE YOU WANT TO be
29:06doctor or lawyer or whatever you want to
29:08be.
29:10Okay.
29:11I don't want to do any work, but I
29:12really believe
29:14in doctors.
29:16I really believe I believe that I will
29:18be a doctor. I DON'T HAVE TO CRACK A
29:20BOOK OR GO TO A CLASS, BUT I believe
29:23with all my heart that one day I'll be a
29:24doctor. Will you be a doctor?
29:27You'll never be a doctor.
29:28I mean, I BELIEVE WITH ALL MY HEART I
29:30SHOULD BE in the NBA, okay? But here I
29:32am, I'm on my like plan B for my career.
29:34So because
29:35because belief is not enough.
29:40If you can't accomplish
29:42any earthly goal without being invested,
29:47what makes you think that you can
29:48accomplish Christ
29:51without being invested?
29:53Without putting in some effort.
29:57>> [clears throat]
29:59>> We have turned Christianity
30:02into something passive.
30:05Where we think the goal is just to
30:07accept the teachings, to believe in
30:10them, sign the dotted line,
30:13and coast through life.
30:14That's never ever
30:17how the church taught it.
30:19It's we believe, we accept,
30:23and then we start the journey up the
30:25mountain to become like Christ.
30:27We learn Christ, we grow into Christ, we
30:30mature, sometimes we fall, but that's
30:32the goal of life
30:33is to grow into Christ.
30:36It's the difference between
30:38believing in medicine
30:41versus becoming a doctor.
30:44The goal is not to believe in medicine.
30:47The goal is to put in the investment to
30:49become a doctor. And the same is true
30:50when it comes to our faith. Give you one
30:52more verse. Ephesians chapter 4, verse
30:5414 through 15. Says, "We should no
30:56longer be children, tossed to and fro
30:58and carried about by every wind of
30:59doctrine, by the trickery of men and the
31:01cunning craftiness and deceitful
31:02plotting." And again, parents, this is
31:04easy for us. We don't want our kids to
31:05be immature forever. Like just thrown
31:07around here and there. So, what we need
31:08to do? We need to grow up. Grow up in
31:12all things into him who is the head,
31:13Christ. Grow up. That's our message for
31:16today is grow up. Now,
31:19how practically?
31:22How practically are we going to do this?
31:25There's lots of different ways. So, I'm
31:27not telling you I'm going to talk about
31:28just one way that we're going to like
31:30the challenge for this week. And for me,
31:32this is by far by far the number one
31:35indicator of my I'm trying to figure out
31:38the right word zeal
31:40or my enthusiasm
31:42or my like where I'm at. Okay? It's not
31:45the only habit that matters cuz there's
31:46lots like I always come to church every
31:48Sunday. So, that like go to church on
31:50Sunday, read your Bible every day,
31:53tithing, fasting, like those are like
31:55the So, those I'm not saying against
31:58those. Those are important. Those are
31:59foundation. But to me, I can do those
32:01and kind of be on autopilot. Like my
32:03tithe comes out of my bank. It doesn't
32:05even like I don't even think about it. I
32:06go to church every Sunday cuz I'd
32:07probably lose my job if I stopped going
32:09to church on Sundays.
32:11So, I can do those on autopilot. But
32:12there's one habit for me that like
32:16takes the investment and shows it's like
32:19the barometer of where my heart is at
32:21more than anything else.
32:24And it's the opposite of hurry.
32:27You can't do this if you're hurried. In
32:30a rush You can't do what I'm about to
32:32say if you're in a rush. And most of
32:34you, especially you young ones, I'm
32:35going to put it up here on the screen in
32:37a little bit what the challenge is. And
32:38some of you are going to say like,
32:40that's not real. Like that's like from
32:42like World War II people used to do
32:43that. Like people don't do that stuff
32:44now. But I'm going to show you how you
32:46can do stuff that people in World War II
32:47used to do as well.
32:49I want to show you a cartoon
32:51that I think perfectly illustrates it's
32:53a great cartoon.
32:55The habit is is called reading. And for
32:57you youngsters, it's how people install
32:59new software into their brains.
33:02I loved it when I saw this.
33:04Cuz I think that's how we would have to
33:05talk to a question none of you here.
33:07You're sophisticated. I always say the
33:08the crowd at the Well is a very
33:09sophisticated. Okay? But the heathen who
33:12are outside those doors.
33:14That's how we have to speak to them.
33:16It's like, why would you read when you
33:18could listen?
33:19Why would you read when you could
33:21scroll? Why would you read when you can
33:23just watch?
33:25And the answer is, that's how you put
33:27software into your brains.
33:31>> [clears throat]
33:31>> For me, this is the secret sauce for me.
33:34This is the key. This is how I stay
33:36fresh.
33:37Reading.
33:39This is how so many times people say
33:40like, your sermons, like where did you
33:41come up with that idea? And the answer
33:42is, 90% of the sermons that I preach
33:45come from stuff that I read. Like an
33:47idea or like a book that led to this And
33:49actually this series is based on a book
33:51that I read, you know, I don't remember
33:53when it was, about this idea of habits
33:55that we need to incorporate to keep
33:56ourselves fresh and whatever it may be.
33:58I have a certain friend who I've known
34:00for
34:01probably 20-something years. And every
34:03time I see this friend, we have this
34:05like thing that we always ask each
34:07other, what are you reading now?
34:09What are you reading now?
34:11And the answer, like if I got nothing,
34:14that judges me. Like that that's like
34:16our thing with each other. Like what are
34:17you reading now? And when I'm like, oh,
34:19I just read this, and I'm sharing and
34:20I'm like, you know what I mean? Or
34:21sometimes I'm like, you know, just going
34:23through one of those It's
34:25whatever excuse, it's because I'm
34:26stagnant. So we always hold each other
34:28that what are you reading right now? And
34:30I love to hear from him. And I know if
34:31I'm going to see him, he's going to ask
34:33me that. So I need to read something,
34:34okay?
34:38But it's not just me
34:40that finds
34:42joy in reading.
34:44St. Paul was an avid reader as well.
34:46This is 2 Timothy chapter 4, the end. In
34:49case you don't know, 2 Timothy was one
34:51of the last epistles that St. Paul wrote
34:53to his disciple Timothy as he was dying,
34:56or he not he would be eventually was
34:57killed, but he as far as he knew he was
34:59in a pri- he was in a prison on a death
35:01sentence. He's probably never going to
35:02get out of this. So, this is the end of
35:03his life.
35:05And he says to Timothy, "Be diligent to
35:06come quick to come to me quickly. For
35:08Demas has forsaken me, having loved this
35:10present world and has departed for
35:12Thessalonica, Crescens for Galatia,
35:14Titus for Dalmatia." So, basically, at
35:17the end of St. Paul's life, like St.
35:18Paul started so many churches and so
35:20many followers. He's like he's the best.
35:21But, you know at the end of his life,
35:23everyone forsook him.
35:25And everyone left him. And they're like,
35:26"Oh, the old man's lost it." Or, you
35:28know, whatever it may be. And everyone
35:29And he was just That's why at the end
35:30he's like, "Timothy, I'm kind of lonely
35:32here. So, if you don't mind to come
35:33visit me cuz everyone else And he
35:35doesn't say the masses have left me. He
35:36names them. Like there was like three.
35:38Those three are gone. So, you feel for
35:39St. Paul. But, look what he says after
35:40that. He says, "Only Luke is with me.
35:43Get Mark and bring him with you, for he
35:44is useful to me for ministry. And take
35:46Aquila I have sent to Ephesus." Now,
35:48here's the part I want.
35:49Listen to what he says. "When you come,
35:51bring the cloak that I left with Carpus
35:54at Troas when you come.
35:56And the books, especially the
35:59parchments."
36:01So, St. Paul abandoned in prison, number
36:04one request is, "I miss people. I miss
36:07my son." That makes total sense to us.
36:10Number two, he says, "When you come,
36:12bring a cloak." Meaning what?
36:15Yeah, it's cold in here. Don't don't
36:16over-spiritualize things. Like it's
36:17cold. It's a Roman prison. Like they
36:19probably didn't have heat back in
36:21[laughter] the day. And they didn't
36:22care, but they just threw him in the
36:23prison AND LET HIM DIE. SO, HE'S LIKE,
36:24"I'M COLD." LIKE HE WAS A NORMAL PERSON.
36:26HE WASN'T SUPERMAN. I'm cold.
36:30What does a lonely, cold, dying person
36:34What's your third request?
36:36Bring me the books.
36:38Bring me the books.
36:41I read this and I say to myself, "St.
36:43Paul, avid reader, bring me the books.
36:46Bring me the books. No wonder
36:49No wonder St. Paul was so MATURE
36:52SPIRITUALLY. NO WONDER he could say, "I
36:55can do all things through Christ who
36:57STRENGTHENS ME." NO WONDER he could say,
36:59"I have learned in whatever state I am
37:01to be content." No wonder he could talk
37:03about THE PEACE WHICH SURPASSES ALL
37:05UNDERSTANDING. NO WONDER HE COULD SAY,
37:07"REJOICE in the Lord always. Again, I
37:09SAY LIKE NO WONDER HE HAD SUCH DEPTH. NO
37:12WONDER HE TRUSTED GOD SO MUCH. IT'S NOT
37:14MAGIC. THE PEOPLE WHO TRUST GOD, it's
37:16not magic. THE PEOPLE WHO ARE CLOSE TO
37:18GOD, IT'S NOT A GIMMICK. IT'S NOT LIKE
37:20THEY WERE JUST BORN THAT WAY. The people
37:22who are close to God are there because
37:24they invested in getting close to God.
37:27And here's our challenge for this week.
37:28It's to learn Christ
37:30and it is to spend 30 to 45 minutes
37:33reading.
37:34And you say 30 to 45 minutes reading,
37:37LIKE IN A YEAR?
37:40NO.
37:41IN A WEEK.
37:43And I promise you, especially you young
37:45people who haven't read a book, I
37:46promise you can do it.
37:48Your brain won't explode. I promise you.
37:51Like the
37:52What should I read? That's the first
37:53thing people What should I read? And the
37:54answer is, I don't care what you read.
37:56IT REALLY DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOU READ.
37:57PICK UP ANY BOOK. THE GOAL ISN'T THE
37:58INFORMATION. The goal is the habit.
38:00The goal So, READ A BOOK ON PRAYER.
38:03READ A BOOK Read a book about lives of
38:05saints or lives of missionaries. Read a
38:07commentary on like I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU
38:09READ BECAUSE THE GOAL IS NOT get this
38:11information, learn it, and then go back
38:13to your miserable life after. The goal
38:14is getting the habit of every week, at a
38:17minimum, 30 minutes, at a minimum.
38:22Turn off the phone.
38:23Shut the TV.
38:27And spend time investing in your
38:29relationship with Christ.
38:33We all know the benefits of reading.
38:35Give you some statistics. 30 minutes a
38:37day reading, they say, can reduce
38:38mortality rate by 17%.
38:4217%.
38:44Reading 30 minutes a day will reduce
38:46your chance of getting dementia or
38:48Alzheimer's by, watch this, 23%.
38:5230 minutes a day. Keep that brain in
38:54action. And I'm not here to talk about
38:56your brain. I'm here to talk about your
38:57soul. What reading is, for me and for
39:00you, reading is the equivalent of a date
39:03night with your spouse.
39:05Like, if your relationship, like all
39:07relationships, I said they get stale,
39:08they get like they need constant
39:10investment. That's what reading is.
39:12Reading is a time to say to others,
39:13"Excuse me, I need to be with my
39:15beloved. I need to spend time, just me
39:18and him, just getting to know him, just
39:20hearing from him what he's teaching me."
39:23Reading is our way of learning Christ.
39:27And I'm not judging anyone.
39:28But I know I put that up on the screen,
39:3030 to 45 minutes.
39:32And I know
39:34I got no time. I got no Father Anthony,
39:36I got no time. I got no time. IT'S A
39:38BUSY. AND MY KIDS, and and work, and
39:42whatever it may be. Come on now. Come on
39:44now. Like let's be honest. Again, the
39:45self-deceptions, uh uh uh.
39:48We think nothing
39:50of spending two or three hours scrolling
39:51on Instagram. We think nothing of that
39:53day.
39:54We think nothing of spending two hours
39:55on Instagram scrolling, and 30 minutes I
39:57got no time.
39:58LIKE, YOU HAD TIME. NETFLIX. YOU WEREN'T
40:01IN A RUSH WHEN YOU FINISHED EPISODE
40:03SEVEN, AND THEN THAT LITTLE COUNTDOWN,
40:05YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? NEXT EPISODE
40:06START. YOU WEREN'T IN A RUSH THERE.
40:08YOU WEREN'T IN A RUSH. YOU HAD PLENTY OF
40:09TIME. AND THEN YOU WAIT UNTIL YOU WAIT
40:10UNTIL GOD WANTED IT. YOU KNOW WHAT I
40:11mean?
40:14Parents,
40:15you got time TO DRIVE YOUR KIDS ALL
40:17AROUND NORTHERN Virginia for 17
40:20activities per week.
40:22And you don't got time to spend 15, 20
40:25minutes, or sorry, 30 to 45 minutes in
40:27the Bible? COME ON. LIKE, YOU DO THAT.
40:30YOU FOLLOW THE NEWS. WE'RE LIKE YOU
40:32DON'T HAVE NO PROBLEM FINDING TIME
40:33THERE. You do those things. I'm saying
40:36this out of love. I promise I'm saying
40:37it out of love.
40:38You do those things, and then you wonder
40:40why your faith is weak?
40:43Like, you spend no time invested in
40:44Christ, and then you wonder why you
40:46can't pray?
40:48You wonder why you're so stressed?
40:50You wonder why your home is so chaotic?
40:53Like you wonder why that there's such a
40:55negative spirit, a grumbling, a
40:57complaining. WHERE'S THE JOY? WHERE'S
40:59the peace? WHERE WHY IS THERE SO MUCH
41:01FEAR? LIKE YOU WONDER?
41:04NETFLIX ISN'T GOING TO GIVE YOU FAITH.
41:07YOU ARE NOT GOING TO GROW IN JOY FROM
41:09INSTAGRAM. YOU ARE NOT GOING TO FIND
41:11PEACE FROM THE NEWS.
41:17WE INVEST nothing in our spiritual life
41:19and then wonder why we're not spiritual
41:20giants.
41:23I have a statistic right here, which
41:24this is true cuz I I know this to be
41:26true in my own life. Did you know that
41:28if you spent 20 minutes a day reading
41:31the Bible, you can finish the entire
41:32Bible in a year.
41:35The entire Bible in a year 20 minutes.
41:37That is
41:39Like think about your favorite episode
41:41or whatever. Should be about 45 minutes.
41:43That means if you gave up one episode,
41:46one episode of whatever nonsense, you
41:49could READ THE ENTIRE BIBLE twice in one
41:52year.
41:53That's that's that's shameful for us.
41:57Parents, in the time of one kid's
42:00practice or lesson or whatever it may
42:02be,
42:03you could read the Bible with your
42:05children, pray the obey with your
42:07children, and still have time for a game
42:08of Scrabble
42:11and quality time with them.
42:13>> [snorts]
42:13>> The problem isn't no time.
42:15The problem, if you ask me,
42:18problem is two things. Number one is
42:20FOMO,
42:22which is a real thing, which we look at
42:23and say, "No, FOMO, that's for the
42:25kids." No, no, no, FOMO is not for the
42:26kids. It's for the adults with our
42:27parents. No, if my kid isn't in 17
42:29activities, they're going to be behind.
42:31BECAUSE HOW MY KID ONLY KNOWS THREE
42:32LANGUAGES. HE'S IN FIRST GRADE. HE
42:34DOESN'T KNOW FOUR HE ONLY KNOWS THREE
42:35LANGUAGES. HE'S BEHIND. HE HE CAN PLAY
42:37SOCCER AND TENNIS AND BASKETBALL, BUT HE
42:39DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO SWIM AND SCUBA DIVE.
42:40LIKE HE'S GOING TO BE BEHIND. NO, JUNIOR
42:42WILL BE OKAY. Junior will be okay. He's
42:44not that talented. Trust me. Like he's
42:45not going anywhere.
42:49It's FOMO that our life will be behind
42:52if we don't get that promotion or WE
42:54DON'T GET THAT HOUSE OR WE DON'T HAVE
42:55THAT WHATEVER IT MAY BE. THAT'S one
42:57aspect. And the other one is
42:58self-deception. And it's the two working
43:00together because I'm afraid of what I'm
43:01going to miss out on here. But when it
43:03comes to my spirit, Father Anthony, I am
43:07good.
43:08I'm good.
43:09I go to church every week, mostly.
43:12I know all the right answers. I'm good.
43:14Be careful. I promise you I promise you
43:16I promise you. Be careful. This is a
43:19priority.
43:20When was the last time you sat down,
43:23phones off, screens off, kids off,
43:27and just sat down and read a book? Not
43:30listen to a sermon.
43:32NOT A PODCAST. BECAUSE YOU KNOW WHY?
43:34BECAUSE THOSE are still passive.
43:37The The difference between reading a
43:38book for yourself and listening to a
43:40sermon, listening to a sermon is like or
43:42especially when we watch a sermon, is
43:44the equivalent of looking at like here I
43:46am giving my my my my my stuff for for
43:49you. It's the equivalent of watching
43:51another person date his wife versus
43:53actually going on a date with your own.
43:55LIKE LOOKING AT PICTURES OF OTHER
43:56PEOPLE'S DATES. So like and I'm I'm I'm
43:58good. I I looked at all the No, no, no,
44:00no, no. I'm telling you, sit down with
44:01your Bible. Or sit down with your Bible,
44:03with a spiritual book. Because Bible,
44:05you're already doing that. So it's not
44:06Bible or a book. You should be doing
44:08Bible. That's That's foundational.
44:11But spend some time.
44:12Read a book.
44:14Last verse.
44:15In case you're still not convinced.
44:17First Corinthians chapter 13 verse 11. I
44:19know your time is tight, but listen to
44:20this. When I was a child, I spoke as a
44:23child. I understood as a child. I
44:26thought as a child. All makes sense,
44:28age-appropriate. But St. Paul says,
44:29"When I became a man, I put away
44:32childish things."
44:35Making excuses is a childish thing.
44:39Expecting results with no investment,
44:42that's a childish thing. That's what
44:46children are immature. They expect
44:47something for nothing. But come on,
44:50you're better than that. You know that
44:52if you want to reach that mountain IMAGE
44:54CHRIST, YOU KNOW IT'S GOING to take some
44:56investment.
44:57And what I'm saying this week, let's
44:59agree together that investment is 30 to
45:0245 minutes of reading.
45:06And I promise you
45:07I promise you. Okay, last week I did the
45:09blessed thing and I said I want to hear
45:11feedback and I got lots of text messages
45:13and emails and I loved it loved it loved
45:15it. I know I didn't respond to every one
45:16of them, but it encouraged me so much.
45:19Nothing makes a father happier than to
45:21see his children loving each other. It
45:23was the best week in the history of SCSA
45:25as far as I'm concerned. Like I said,
45:26we're going to do it every year somehow.
45:27We're going to make up a holiday for it.
45:28Maybe it'll be the holiday of daylight
45:29savings. Whatever it may be. I don't
45:30know.
45:32I want to hear the same thing this week.
45:34I want to hear you tell me I did what
45:36you said, Father Anthony. I left church
45:38on Sunday. I hated your guts.
45:40I didn't want to do it. I said I don't
45:42have time to do it, but I forced myself
45:44to do it. Tell me how it went.
45:47You know, usually when I when I finish
45:49my talk here at The Well, I usually try
45:51to end with something upbeat and
45:53positive and I always try to I call it
45:56like the imagine if section of my
45:57sermon. Imagine if like like like we
46:00talk about prayer. Imagine if we all
46:02prayed. Imagine what it could do for
46:03your life. Imagine if we all read the
46:05like imagine if imagine if imagine if.
46:07Well, today I have an imagine if, but on
46:09the negative side.
46:11Imagine if you don't invest in Christ.
46:14Imagine if you say, you know what? I'm
46:16good as is.
46:18Status quo. I'm not going to learn
46:20anything new.
46:21I'm not going to spend any time
46:22one-on-one. Like I'm good. I'm going to
46:24do the kids thing. I'm going to do the
46:26work thing. I'm going to do the the cars
46:28thing. But you know what? I'm good here.
46:32Imagine your faith never grows.
46:36Imagine your strength
46:37stays the same or declines. Imagine you
46:40never find peace
46:42or joy.
46:43Like one thing that you and I both know
46:45is that wherever your life is today, it
46:47isn't getting easier.
46:50It's only going to get harder. So my
46:52question to you
46:54is what are you doing to be prepared for
46:56those challenges that are inevitably in
46:58front of you? How are you strengthening
47:00your faith? How are you growing closer
47:02to God into that image?
47:04This is our chance, ladies and
47:06gentlemen. This is our chance not just
47:08to grow older, but to grow up. And I
47:10promise you, you will not regret it.
47:14Let's stand together for a prayer.
47:18>> [clears throat]
47:18>> In the name of the Father, and the Son,
47:20and the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen.
47:23Heavenly Father, we thank you, Lord,
47:25for this message that you gave us today,
47:27Lord, that you love us so much, and you
47:29desire so much for us. This is not what
47:31you want from us, Lord, but what you
47:33want for us.
47:34So, please, God, help us. Give us the
47:37the the strength, and the courage, and
47:39the discipline to be able to set aside
47:4230 to 45 minutes this week to just
47:44invest in our relationship with you.
47:46You, Lord, are worth so much more than
47:4930 to 45 minutes. It's embarrassing to
47:50even say that, Lord. But, help us to be
47:53able to carve that time out, Lord. And I
47:55know whatever we sacrificed, you will
47:57more than make up for in terms of the
47:59depth and connection with you.
48:01We pray this in the name of your son,
48:02Jesus Christ, with the intercessions and
48:04prayers of all your saints. Hear us as
48:05we pray thankfully. Our Father, who art
48:08in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy
48:11kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth
48:13as it is in heaven. Give us this day our
48:15daily bread, and forgive us our
48:17trespasses, as we forgive those who
48:19trespass against us. And lead us not
48:22into temptation, but deliver us from the
48:24evil one. In Christ Jesus, our Lord, for
48:26thine is the kingdom, the power, and the
48:28glory forever. Amen.
48:30Have a great week, everyone. We'll see
48:31you next Sunday.

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