I Am... Jesus

Gregg Marutzky: 00:00:01

Today I want to talk about who are we.

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It's very important we know who we are

because, uh, when you start losing touch

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with the reality and don't know who you

are, you need someone to bring you back.

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Right?

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And so if you'd like to, you know,

some of the, some of the young

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people, they're gonna wish they

sat next to somebody different.

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But if you'd like to.

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You can hold hands for just a

minute with a person next to you.

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'cause that's gonna help

ground you in reality.

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All right, go ahead.

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And then if you are sitting next to

somebody that, uh, of the opposite sex,

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you're a little hesitant there too.

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I know.

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So, so go ahead.

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This is following direction from

the leaders, so it's, all right.

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There you go.

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We used to hold hands in

the huddle every huddle.

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When I played football,

high school, college.

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So it's all right guys to hold hands,

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but that's enough.

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All right.

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Today we're gonna look at who

Jesus was and is, and we're

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going to talk about who we are.

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It's very important to

understand your identity.

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Let me define ident identity

for you for a second here.

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It says, identity refers to the

qualities, beliefs, and relationships

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that make a person or thing unique,

recognizable, encompassing, both

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personal and social aspects.

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Who are we?

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Identity refers to the organization

of the individual's, drives abilities,

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beliefs, and history into a consistent

image of self, what you see in the mirror.

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All right.

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Identity is developed

usually in adolescence.

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Ericsson and his stages of growth

says in every stage there's a crisis.

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In the crisis when you're an

adolescent or teen, or a youth.

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Is gaining your identity, and when you

don't go through the crisis and get

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it resolved, then in some ways you get

stuck and you won't have a full identity.

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Identity involves deliberate choices and

decisions, and that's why we're gonna

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talk about today, particularly about

work values, ideology, and commitments to

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people and ideas, including the church.

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So identity for a church is

what we decide and choose to be.

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Now if I say we are

what comes to your mind?

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We are, oh, you didn't

watch the same movies?

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I did.

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Then Marshall, we are Marshall.

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Do you any of you remember that movie?

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Yeah, it was a great chant.

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We are Marshall.

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We are Marshall.

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We are Marshall.

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Why?

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Because they had had a tragedy.

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Uh, a whole team was lost,

their football team was lost.

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I think it was in a plane crash.

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It might have been a bus accident.

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It really stood out to me because

I had three cruel older brothers.

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And we'd always go to Oklahoma

for Christmas to visit our

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grandparents, and my mother and

dad would drive over Monarch Pass.

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We lived in Colorado and we'd go over

Monarch Pass and get to Oklahoma.

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It's before they had the.

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Superhighway and finished the,

the tunnel through the Eisenhower

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tunnel, through the mountain.

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And so we'd go over the pass and

my cruel older brothers would

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say, Greg, you better, you.

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You better start praying because it's

on this downhill slope that the buses

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always lose their brakes and they'd go

off and people die every day on this road.

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And we could die, Greg.

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And you know.

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I don't know how old I was,

but it really shook me.

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And even when as an adult, when I

drive on that road, I'd sort of start

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holding my breath and hyperventilating.

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Then Kathy would say, now, Greg, breathe.

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Greg, breathe.

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All right, so don't be a

cruel older brother or sister.

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All right.

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You could scar someone for life.

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But when that movie came out, it,

it resonated with me because it

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was about a team that had an act.

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Accident and it really forged that

university and they still use that

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chant today for their identity.

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Who are we?

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Who are you?

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Some of us are spouses, some of us are

parents, some of us are children, some of

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us are students, some of us are workers.

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We're a lot of things right.

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Who are we gonna be collectively together?

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That's my question for us this morning.

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And as I was thinking about

this, I thought, who am I?

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You know, and I started making a list

of some things that I am, I'm the one

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that became a disciple 48 years ago.

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I had to count up.

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I thought it was less than that, but

it was, it was more than I thought.

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I'm the one that became a,

an evangelist 43 years ago.

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I got married 44 years

ago this year in May.

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This coming year will

be my 45th anniversary.

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Can you believe someone

put up with me that long?

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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45 years.

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It's gone fast.

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It's for me anyway.

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You'll have to ask her.

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40 years ago, sorry Mandy, I'm

outing you on your age, but I

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became the father of Amanda, Leanne.

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And then Megan Beth,

and it was a great day.

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I remember she was born in the Boulder

Hospital and, and, uh, I took a break

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after everything had settled down

to go home and shower and come back.

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We were up all night and the

first, uh, song on the radio

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was by Mary Menlow, Mandy.

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I wasn't a real emotional guy,

but I just started crying.

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Maybe I was tired, but also

it was just so beautiful.

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It was, it was God saying, you

named her right and she's yours.

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You got a little baby girl.

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I, I think she knows that story.

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If not, I cried.

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And then 10 years ago, and, uh,

Sienna just had her birthday last week

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and so I, that one was an easy one.

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I became a grandfather for Sienna

and then McKenna came a Dean

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and Kensington and Maddie's here

in the audience this morning.

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And it's awesome being a, a grandpa.

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I gave her a, a, uh, bottle this

morning for a little while, as

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long as she could stay still.

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And then, uh, she spilled it on me.

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And so, uh, but, uh, it's awesome.

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That's something I am, I'm a professor,

I'm a professional counselor, but

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most of all, I thought about it.

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What matters most is I'm a disciple,

and I hope that's what you.

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Care about the most in your life,

and I want to be like Jesus.

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I know when I became a

Christian, I wanted to be saved.

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Frankly.

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I wanted to get control of myself, get

control of my anger, get control of

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some of my issues I wanted to change,

but the longer I've been, a com been

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a Christian, the more and more in

love with God and in love with Jesus,

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and now there's nothing more that

I want them to be just like Jesus.

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So if I could say to myself, I could

look in the mirror and say, hi, Jesus,

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I'd, I'd be feeling good about myself.

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Now that sounds a little

weird as I say it out loud.

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I fought it though when I've looked

in the mirror, you know, be like

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Jesus today, Greg, don't be you.

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Be Jesus.

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All right.

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Be better than you.

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So we're gonna look at

who Jesus said he was.

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Seven verses in the book of John.

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He says who he is.

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He says, I am.

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I am this, I am that.

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So it's a self portrait that he

paints with words for us to really

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get a good picture of who he is.

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And I think each of these things we're

gonna look at are things that you and I

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need from God and need from Jesus and need

to imitate so we'll have better lives.

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You probably heard this sermon before,

but I want us to embody these things.

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I want us to really embrace them

so we become like him and so that

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whatever things that he knew he

needed to be for us, we can be

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for ourselves and for each other.

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So let's look at a list of all these

things that, uh, he is all right,

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because that's what I am means.

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It's I is.

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Be all right.

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He was cool before we got Cool.

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All right.

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He said, I am, I am, I be, I

are not are he wasn't Plural.

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I is.

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Okay.

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So I am, I am the way,

the truth and the life.

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John 14th, six.

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And we'll have a whole sermon

series about each one of these.

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We'll go into depth on

each one of them today.

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I'm just gonna give a, a

little overview on it, but, uh.

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There's great profound meaning

to Jesus saying, I'm the way, and

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throughout the scriptures, I love

reading the Book of Proverbs because

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it starts off talking about the way,

the path, which path are you on?

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Don't be on the path with bandits.

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Don't be on the path with thieves.

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Get on this straight and narrow path.

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Be on the wise path.

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Don't be on the foolish path.

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Talks about the way

that we live our lives.

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Jesus says, I'm the way, I'm your guide.

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You follow me.

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If you, you let me guide you, you can

have a good, fulfilling, meaningful

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life, or you can go on your own way.

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You don't have to have a map or you

can follow me and I'll be your map.

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I'll be your guide.

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I'm the true vine.

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We know what vines are about.

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Some of us.

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Anybody, well, I shouldn't push

this, but anybody been to a winery?

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All that's where you see vines

and great things come from vines.

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All right.

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But they're, they, they're interwoven

and they're attached, and you don't see

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where one ends and another one begins.

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It's just this interconnectedness.

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So Jesus is saying, I can connect you.

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I can connect you to the source to God.

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I can connect you to each other.

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I can even get you connected to yourself.

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'cause there's a long distance

between head and heart, all right?

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You can think things but not feel

things, so you need to be connected.

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We need a vine in our lives.

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He says, I am the shepherd.

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I'm your mentor.

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I'm the one.

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I'm your tutor.

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I'm the one that's gonna put my

arms around you and encourage you.

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I'm your coach.

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I'm gonna pump you up sometimes I'm

gonna challenge you to stretch yourself.

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I'm gonna teach you the

things you don't know.

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All right?

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Some of us had fathers that

taught us, some of us didn't.

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Jesus says, I want to be your shepherd.

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I'm gonna be the door

for the price is right.

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No, I'm gonna be the door

where you get to win.

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Whatever choice you make, I'm gonna

guide you to the right door, the right

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place, the right choices to make, you

know, life's made of, made up of choices.

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Where you choose to live, where you

choose to go to school, how you choose

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to work, who you choose to marry, you

know, or not Mary, you know, whatever.

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Jesus says, I'm the door,

I'm the bread of life.

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I mean, you gotta eat and

bring into yourself the right

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things or you won't live.

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I'm gonna feed you.

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I'm gonna feed your soul.

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And he says, I'm the light of the world.

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You ever just been in a gloomy place?

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We are so blessed living

in Southern California.

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Don't ever move to Boston.

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I moved to Boston for two years.

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Happiness was Boston in

the rear view mirror.

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For me.

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I grew up in Colorado, and contrary

to what you see on the news and what

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most people think it is, sunshiney

more in Colorado, the sun shines more,

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there's less clouds, there's more

sunshine that gets to the earth than

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almost anywhere in the United States.

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And so I'm a sunshine boy.

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I like the light and then I got, the

second place I lived was California San

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Diego, and it gets a little cloudy in

the morning there and then it burns off.

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It's a lot of sunshine and the

two places I've loved to live the

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most is Colorado and California.

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And I lived in Nebraska for a while.

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Not a whole lot different than Boston.

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Very cloudy and gloomy and dull.

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I'd have to go in the house and

just turn on all the lights.

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Our electricity bill was terrible

because I can't stand the,

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the gloom, the gray, the dull.

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I like the light.

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I like the light.

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I like to see the beauty.

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You know, without light,

there's no beauty.

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Everything's ugly and dull.

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With light.

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We have colors and we have brightness.

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Jesus is the light of the world, and the

last one, the resurrection and the life.

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You know, if there wasn't

resurrection, we'd die.

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We'd be dead all over just like rover.

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I think that's funny,

but you don't, all right.

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You're dog lovers.

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So I, I'm not really a dog lover.

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We had lots of dogs growing up.

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They'd run off.

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We lived out in the country

and unfortunately some of them

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even get run over by cars.

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So I didn't get real attached.

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Some of you, it's part of the family.

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I, I apologize.

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I shouldn't have told that joke.

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My wife will scold me on

the way home, you know.

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Craig, when will you learn?

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When will you learn?

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Yeah, when I grow up.

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When I grow up.

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But I love resurrection.

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I love resurrection.

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It's what converted me.

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A book who Moved the Stone

really solidified my faith that

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it really answered the question

that there's more to life.

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And if you don't think there's

more to life than just what we

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see and what we can create and

what we can imagine, then that's a

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pretty existential and dreary life.

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And I feel bad for, uh,

the generations that have.

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Have come in the last few generations

because most of the philosophy, the

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undergirding philosophy that you're

taught in school is a nihilist philosophy.

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It's not a faithful, it's not

a transcendent philosophy.

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It's a philosophy.

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It's a secular philosophy that says.

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Nothing is really true.

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Nothing really matters.

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It's an existential philosophy that

says whatever you think is fine

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and it's nihilistic, it eventually

the ends in a dead end road.

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And that's why the anxiety

and the depression of young

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people have gone through the

roofs because that underlining.

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Philosophy that your professors are com,

their perspective, their worldview that

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they're coming from, they don't tell you

'cause it's too depressing, depressing.

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And they don't even want to think about

it much because they'll get depressed.

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All right.

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But it, it isn't a transcendent one.

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God got kicked out of the academy, out of

the universities during the enlightenment

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and we're trying to bring him back in.

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But you're not gonna find God.

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You're not gonna find faith.

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You're not gonna find spiritual power.

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You're not gonna find a higher being or

a higher meaning at any secular place.

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And so just realize that

and don't look for it there.

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Come to church and we'll give it to you.

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Amen.

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Shameless plug, way to go, Greg.

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Amen.

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Who are we?

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We're the church.

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We're the place you can find God.

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Who are we?

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I want us to be Jesus.

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That's that.

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I, I posed the question, who are you?

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And I want you to say more than

anything, I'm Christlike, I'm Christian.

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I'm like, Jesus.

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He's my hero.

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He's my example.

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He's all these things in life.

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The vine, the way, the shepherd,

the bread, the light, the

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resurrection and the door.

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And so that's who we

are as an, as a church.

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We're a little bit fragmented.

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I have an outside perspective,

so I'm not saying it critically

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'cause I'm here and I'm gonna stay

here and I'll probably die here.

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So I don't wanna make any, I

don't wanna be antagonistic.

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I don't wanna be ornery.

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All right?

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But I want us to be our best, and I

want to be a part of something great.

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All right?

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And I want us to come together and

really figure out our identity together,

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who we are, and I want it to be.

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Biblical and act like Jesus.

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: 00:18:20

All right, so before I tell you what I

really hope we decide together to be,

334

: 00:18:26

and if you read my article, you already

know where I'm going, but, uh, I, I sent

335

: 00:18:31

that out late last night, so most of

you didn't have time to read it 'cause

336

: 00:18:35

I want you to listen to the sermon.

337

: 00:18:37

All right?

338

: 00:18:38

But the, the article will follow

up the sermon, but here's a

339

: 00:18:42

verse and, and Steve read it.

340

: 00:18:45

Just as the body's one and has many

parts, but all its parts form one body.

341

: 00:18:52

So it is with Christ.

342

: 00:18:54

For we're all baptized, that's our

birth by one spirit into the body of

343

: 00:18:58

Christ, the church, whether Jews or

gentiles, slaves or free anybody, we're

344

: 00:19:04

all given the one spirit to drink.

345

: 00:19:07

So we're all connected.

346

: 00:19:09

But the only way you have community.

347

: 00:19:12

The only way you have family, the only

way you have committed relationships is

348

: 00:19:17

if you make covenants with one another

and covenants that mean something sacred.

349

: 00:19:24

Vows in a wedding can help your

marriage the rest of your life.

350

: 00:19:29

I still remember, especially one thing

the preacher told Kathy and I to do

351

: 00:19:34

really, he didn't tell her, he just

told me, he said, don't go to bed angry.

352

: 00:19:42

He kept and he was looking right at me.

353

: 00:19:44

And Greg, you know why I'm saying this.

354

: 00:19:47

He was the father of my roommate.

355

: 00:19:49

He knew me well.

356

: 00:19:51

We got engaged in his house.

357

: 00:19:53

Uh, well, we went to dinner

first and got engaged.

358

: 00:19:55

Then we went and celebrated his house.

359

: 00:19:57

So he knew me, but he knew that I

had anger problems at that time.

360

: 00:20:03

And so he's, he's just telling

me, don't ever, and Kathy and I

361

: 00:20:07

have tried to live up to that.

362

: 00:20:10

All right, and so I want us

to live up to some covenants.

363

: 00:20:15

Let's define a covenant first, though.

364

: 00:20:17

All right.

365

: 00:20:18

Stay with me here.

366

: 00:20:19

Covenants are shared

commitments to one another.

367

: 00:20:23

What we're gonna share with each

other, we can depend on each other for.

368

: 00:20:27

Covenants are like wedding

vows in a marriage ceremony.

369

: 00:20:30

They're based on the commands

of God and they're necessary

370

: 00:20:34

to define community or church.

371

: 00:20:37

They're very necessary.

372

: 00:20:39

Covenants create unity due to these

common commitments and covenants

373

: 00:20:44

are vows to God and one another.

374

: 00:20:47

So let's make some covenants

based on who Jesus is.

375

: 00:20:52

Let's make some covenants

that say we're gonna love God.

376

: 00:20:55

Because Jesus is the mind.

377

: 00:20:58

We're gonna imitate Jesus because

he's the way, the truth and life.

378

: 00:21:02

We're gonna love each other

because he's the good shepherd.

379

: 00:21:05

We're gonna worship God

because he's the bread of life.

380

: 00:21:08

We're gonna be on his mission

because he's the light of the world.

381

: 00:21:12

We're gonna have one another.

382

: 00:21:14

Discipling mentoring relationships,

deep in depth relationships because

383

: 00:21:19

he's the resurrection of life, and

we're going to be committed to the body.

384

: 00:21:25

Because he's the door.

385

: 00:21:27

If you don't have covenants based

on scripture, why even have any?

386

: 00:21:32

All right.

387

: 00:21:34

I mean, I use the Bible a lot when I do

a wedding because that's sacred stuff.

388

: 00:21:40

That's a foundation for that couple,

and I know they're not gonna get it

389

: 00:21:45

from the secular society that we're in.

390

: 00:21:48

So that I, they need me to help 'em to

have that foundation that can help their,

391

: 00:21:53

their family and their marriage last.

392

: 00:21:55

And we've gotta have a biblical

spiritual foundation as a church

393

: 00:22:00

for us to be a strong church.

394

: 00:22:03

Amen.

395

: 00:22:05

For us to be the OC Church.

396

: 00:22:07

So these are the covenants, Simon.

397

: 00:22:09

Inviting all of us to embrace, to

love God, to really be lovers of God.

398

: 00:22:16

Who are we?

399

: 00:22:17

We're lovers of God.

400

: 00:22:19

Who are we?

401

: 00:22:20

We're imitators of Jesus.

402

: 00:22:21

Who are we?

403

: 00:22:23

We love other people.

404

: 00:22:25

Who are we?

405

: 00:22:25

We're worshipers of God.

406

: 00:22:27

We love to worship.

407

: 00:22:28

We love to pray.

408

: 00:22:29

We love to praise.

409

: 00:22:30

We love to see, right?

410

: 00:22:33

Because that's who we are.

411

: 00:22:34

We're missionaries of Christ.

412

: 00:22:36

We're brothers and sisters.

413

: 00:22:38

When I hug you and I say,

brother, great to see you.

414

: 00:22:41

I mean it, I have three ornery brothers

and I have a lot of great brothers.

415

: 00:22:47

A couple of my brothers have

come around now, alright, so I

416

: 00:22:50

shouldn't, I shouldn't poke on 'em.

417

: 00:22:52

They may even watch this online.

418

: 00:22:54

So I gotta be careful.

419

: 00:22:55

And I have a few nephews and nieces that

watch me preach, so I better be careful.

420

: 00:23:00

They're gonna tell my dad my,

uh, not my dad, my brothers, and,

421

: 00:23:04

and they're ones bigger than me

especially, so I better be careful.

422

: 00:23:11

When you're the youngest, somebody

in your family is bigger than you.

423

: 00:23:16

All right?

424

: 00:23:17

Thankfully one of them wasn't.

425

: 00:23:19

All right, Johnny, time for story.

426

: 00:23:24

Ready for story.

427

: 00:23:26

I love reading the stories of Jesus

because there's so interesting and it

428

: 00:23:30

what's interesting, some of 'em, and this

is just me and maybe this is bad about me.

429

: 00:23:35

But some of them, there's

always some conflict, right?

430

: 00:23:39

There's always antagonists

and protagonists.

431

: 00:23:42

There's always some kind of drama.

432

: 00:23:44

There's always some kind of stirring.

433

: 00:23:46

And so let's read this story in John

chapter eight because, uh, it can

434

: 00:23:51

really teach us something about how

important these I am passages are.

435

: 00:23:57

Once more, Jesus said to them,

I'm going away and you will

436

: 00:24:01

look for me, and you will not.

437

: 00:24:03

You and you or, and you

will die in your sin.

438

: 00:24:06

Wow, that's tough language

where I go, you can't come.

439

: 00:24:11

This made the Jews ask,

will he kill himself?

440

: 00:24:14

Is that why he says, where

I go, you cannot come.

441

: 00:24:18

But he continued.

442

: 00:24:19

You are from below and I'm from above.

443

: 00:24:24

You are of this world,

and I'm not of this world.

444

: 00:24:28

I told you that you will die in your

sins if you do not believe what.

445

: 00:24:33

If you do not believe that

I am the one I claim to be,

446

: 00:24:41

you'll indeed die in your sins.

447

: 00:24:45

Who are you?

448

: 00:24:46

They ask just what I've been

claiming all along to you.

449

: 00:24:50

This replied, I have much to say

judgment of you, but he who sent me is

450

: 00:24:55

reliable and what I have heard from him.

451

: 00:24:57

I tell the world.

452

: 00:24:59

They didn't understand that Jesus was

telling them about God the father.

453

: 00:25:04

So Jesus said, when I am lifted up, when

you lift up the son of man, then you will

454

: 00:25:10

know that I am the one that I claim to be.

455

: 00:25:15

So believing these claims about Jesus,

his deity, his divinity, are so important

456

: 00:25:21

and that I do nothing on my own, but I

speak just what the Father has taught me.

457

: 00:25:26

The one who sent me is with me.

458

: 00:25:28

He has not left me alone for,

I always do what pleases him.

459

: 00:25:34

The rest of the story,

stay with me at this.

460

: 00:25:37

The Jews exclaimed.

461

: 00:25:38

Now we know that you are demon possessed.

462

: 00:25:42

Why?

463

: 00:25:42

Because he said they were from below.

464

: 00:25:44

Anytime someone's offended and they

don't have a response, they get personal.

465

: 00:25:49

So they got personal with Jesus.

466

: 00:25:51

Said your demon possessed Abraham

died and so did the prophecy.

467

: 00:25:56

Yet you say that if anyone keeps

your word, he will never taste death.

468

: 00:26:01

Are you greater than our father Abraham?

469

: 00:26:03

He died and so did the prophets.

470

: 00:26:05

Who do you think you are?

471

: 00:26:07

And Jesus answered.

472

: 00:26:08

I tell you the truth, before

Abraham was born, I am.

473

: 00:26:16

I is.

474

: 00:26:18

At this, they picked up stones to

ston him, but Jesus hid himself

475

: 00:26:22

slipping away from the temple grounds.

476

: 00:26:26

Let's talk about this I am statement.

477

: 00:26:29

He is always in the present tense.

478

: 00:26:33

He says, I am, I is.

479

: 00:26:35

I be because he's always present.

480

: 00:26:39

I was would convey that there was a

time that Jesus didn't exist so to.

481

: 00:26:44

That we can't use that about Jesus.

482

: 00:26:47

It's always I am that he is one

commentator guy in woods says The verbs

483

: 00:26:53

here are quite significant, that with

reverence, Abraham's signify signifies

484

: 00:26:59

a beginning to come to be, but that

of Christ is that he evermore existed.

485

: 00:27:06

Jesus claimed deity like God,

Jehovah when he said, I am who I am.

486

: 00:27:12

Exodus three.

487

: 00:27:14

14.

488

: 00:27:15

God uses the same language about himself,

and then Jesus uses it here in John

489

: 00:27:21

eight, verse 58, that he is who He is.

490

: 00:27:25

That he is, I am.

491

: 00:27:27

And then in verse 21 through 23,

this is what got under their skin.

492

: 00:27:33

You are from below.

493

: 00:27:35

Beneath.

494

: 00:27:36

I'm from above.

495

: 00:27:37

You are of this world.

496

: 00:27:39

I'm not of this world.

497

: 00:27:41

You know, I was a smart kid.

498

: 00:27:44

When I went to college, I wanted

to figure out my life and what

499

: 00:27:49

I was gonna do with my life.

500

: 00:27:51

And I thought, you know, all these

philosophers, all these theologians,

501

: 00:27:56

all these people talk about,

you know, their the way to live.

502

: 00:28:01

They try to tell us young

people how to live right.

503

: 00:28:05

And I thought, you know, I'll read it.

504

: 00:28:07

So I read a bunch of it.

505

: 00:28:09

I read all these.

506

: 00:28:11

Philosophy books and all

these theology books.

507

: 00:28:14

And I finally decided,

well, there's two choices.

508

: 00:28:17

Either I can choose to believe.

509

: 00:28:19

The guy that said he was from

above, that he was from where we all

510

: 00:28:23

want to go, the transcendent, the

other world, heaven, eternal life.

511

: 00:28:29

And he came here to tell us about it

and he proved himself with his miracles

512

: 00:28:34

and he really proved himself with

his death and then his resurrection.

513

: 00:28:38

And he says, if I can raise

myself, then I can raise you.

514

: 00:28:42

And that's what you're

gonna want when you die.

515

: 00:28:44

And so this is how you're gonna know I

am who I am and I'm gonna go back up.

516

: 00:28:51

And so I was there, I came down, I went

back up, and everybody else is gonna

517

: 00:28:56

tell you they've never been there.

518

: 00:28:59

But listen to me though.

519

: 00:29:02

Listen to my philosophy, listen to

my religion, listen to my teaching.

520

: 00:29:07

I've never been there, but I think

I've figured out a way to get there.

521

: 00:29:13

So follow me and let's go there together.

522

: 00:29:16

I'm like, I'm not following nobody that's

not been there and nobody that can't

523

: 00:29:23

prove it to me, and Jesus has proven

it to me through the resurrection.

524

: 00:29:28

I told you that's made all

the difference in my life.

525

: 00:29:31

I am.

526

: 00:29:32

Seems so simple and yet it says so much.

527

: 00:29:36

It declares Jesus deity

and Christ is divine.

528

: 00:29:42

Jesus was from above.

529

: 00:29:44

Therefore, we must seek the things above.

530

: 00:29:47

Jesus attaches our salvation

to believing this one simple

531

: 00:29:50

statement, unless you believe I

am, and you will die in your sins.

532

: 00:29:58

And so that's why I want our

covenant as a church to be.

533

: 00:30:02

We are Jesus.

534

: 00:30:04

We are gonna be like him.

535

: 00:30:06

We're gonna be binds for

ourselves and for other people.

536

: 00:30:10

We're gonna be the way,

the truth and the life.

537

: 00:30:13

We're gonna be shepherds.

538

: 00:30:14

We're gonna be the bread of life.

539

: 00:30:15

We're gonna be the light of the

world, we're gonna be resurrection,

540

: 00:30:18

and we're gonna be the gate

that helps people find the way.

541

: 00:30:22

Amen.

542

: 00:30:24

That's what a church ought to be.

543

: 00:30:25

If people can't come to church and say,

that's church, that's where God is.

544

: 00:30:31

That's a sacred place.

545

: 00:30:32

There's some holiness there.

546

: 00:30:35

I went to church.

547

: 00:30:36

I looked it up in the phone

book as a sophomore in college.

548

: 00:30:39

My first year I didn't go to go to church.

549

: 00:30:42

I lived a terrible life and I

transferred schools and said,

550

: 00:30:45

I'm gonna change my life.

551

: 00:30:47

And I looked it up in the phone book.

552

: 00:30:49

My brother had gone there.

553

: 00:30:50

He says, this is a church

you ought to go to Greg.

554

: 00:30:52

He was five years older than

me, so he was long gone.

555

: 00:30:56

So I looked up in the phone booth

and I went there and I was observing.

556

: 00:31:01

And one thing I hated was

they hugged each other.

557

: 00:31:05

So some of you may leave and

they, they make you hold it

558

: 00:31:09

other guy's hands, you know,

559

: 00:31:13

you don't have to, all right.

560

: 00:31:17

But you know, I walked

away feeling those people.

561

: 00:31:20

Really are true Christians.

562

: 00:31:23

That's all I want our church to be.

563

: 00:31:26

When people come in, I want 'em

to say they are really Christians.

564

: 00:31:30

They're wild and crazy Christians.

565

: 00:31:33

They're happy Christians.

566

: 00:31:34

They're a little bit weird.

567

: 00:31:35

Even at times, I don't

relate completely to 'em.

568

: 00:31:38

They hug each other and they're

always smiling, and some of them

569

: 00:31:42

are really happy, you know, but I

think they're really Christians.

570

: 00:31:49

I convinced my roommate and the kid

next door to come to church that night.

571

: 00:31:55

Not 'cause I didn't want to go

by myself, but because I told

572

: 00:31:59

him, I think this is for real.

573

: 00:32:01

You guys ought to check it out.

574

: 00:32:05

And one became a Christian.

575

: 00:32:06

The other wanted to, his father told him

he, he wouldn't pay for his school and

576

: 00:32:11

if he left the, their family's faith.

577

: 00:32:14

And so he never did.

578

: 00:32:15

We're still friends.

579

: 00:32:17

I'm still working on him.

580

: 00:32:19

He's an athletic director in New Mexico.

581

: 00:32:21

I'm still working on him, you know?

582

: 00:32:24

'cause I know the seed was planted

that those guys are really Christians.

583

: 00:32:30

Amen.

584

: 00:32:31

That's all I want us to be, and I'm

gonna go quickly here through these.

585

: 00:32:36

I want us to love God with all our heart.

586

: 00:32:38

Based on Matthew 22.

587

: 00:32:41

I want us to commit to that

and we'll go through these

588

: 00:32:44

covenants over and over again.

589

: 00:32:46

I want us to imitate Jesus in our daily

life, to not be fake and hypo hypocritical

590

: 00:32:53

Christians, that people, that that

destroys the foundation of Christianity.

591

: 00:32:59

When Christians act just like the

world, I want us to be true Christians.

592

: 00:33:03

Amen.

593

: 00:33:04

And then I want us to love

each other the way Jesus loved.

594

: 00:33:07

I think that's what the world needs.

595

: 00:33:10

It was a song when I was a young kid.

596

: 00:33:12

What the world needs

now is love, sweet love.

597

: 00:33:17

You know, and I still believe it.

598

: 00:33:20

I still believe that's all we all need,

that we can get hard and crusty without

599

: 00:33:25

good love, real love, that we need to love

each other and that we need to worship.

600

: 00:33:31

We need to come together.

601

: 00:33:32

'cause so often not when I'm up here

preaching, but when I'm just singing

602

: 00:33:37

and sitting there or listening to

someone else, or listening to a prayer,

603

: 00:33:41

I get touched by the Holy Spirit.

604

: 00:33:44

I get touched by God.

605

: 00:33:46

See he's here.

606

: 00:33:46

He's wandering around and

he's wanting to touch us.

607

: 00:33:49

All right.

608

: 00:33:50

Haven't you ever felt it Sometimes,

haven't you all of a sudden got emotional,

609

: 00:33:54

haven't you all of a sudden just got

excited, haven't you all of a sudden

610

: 00:33:57

just thought, yeah, or a peace comes

over you or a good feeling or hope comes

611

: 00:34:04

into your heart and it happens to be

more at church than any other place.

612

: 00:34:09

So we gotta love coming

together at church.

613

: 00:34:12

'cause this is where God.

614

: 00:34:14

He says, where two or three are gathered

my name, that's where I'm gonna be.

615

: 00:34:19

So we can always find

God on Sunday morning.

616

: 00:34:21

Well, I like to find God out on the ocean.

617

: 00:34:24

Good for you.

618

: 00:34:25

You can also drown out there.

619

: 00:34:26

Okay.

620

: 00:34:28

I like finding God on top of a mountain.

621

: 00:34:30

Me too.

622

: 00:34:31

I love to ski.

623

: 00:34:32

I love the mountain there.

624

: 00:34:33

I love the, the evergreen pine

forest, you know, but you can

625

: 00:34:37

also fall off the mountain.

626

: 00:34:39

Right?

627

: 00:34:41

It's pretty safe in here.

628

: 00:34:43

Right.

629

: 00:34:43

It's pretty safe.

630

: 00:34:45

Worship God, participate

in the mission of God.

631

: 00:34:50

I gotta have meaning in my life.

632

: 00:34:52

I'm a sixties kid, all right?

633

: 00:34:56

I, we went to the moon when I was a kid.

634

: 00:34:59

We also killed our leaders, three

of them, JFK and RFK, and MLK.

635

: 00:35:06

You know, it was reinforced in my heart.

636

: 00:35:09

This world isn't a very safe place.

637

: 00:35:12

All right.

638

: 00:35:13

But we can do anything if we come

together in unity and in love.

639

: 00:35:18

And I still believe that.

640

: 00:35:19

I'm still a sixties, not

hippie, but I'm a believer.

641

: 00:35:22

All right.

642

: 00:35:24

You know the hippies, they

just, they checked out, they

643

: 00:35:28

did drugs and checked out.

644

: 00:35:30

We still got a bunch of them

outside Boulder in Netherlands.

645

: 00:35:34

They kicked them out of Boulder

'cause it's too expensive.

646

: 00:35:36

They live in Netherland now.

647

: 00:35:38

All right.

648

: 00:35:39

That's an aside.

649

: 00:35:40

Let's keep going,

650

: 00:35:44

and we're almost done.

651

: 00:35:46

Practice one another.

652

: 00:35:49

You know, even though I was

on teams growing up and I had

653

: 00:35:54

brothers, I also got lonely.

654

: 00:35:59

I got lonely.

655

: 00:36:00

I was the youngest.

656

: 00:36:01

My parents both worked.

657

: 00:36:02

I'd always get out of school first.

658

: 00:36:04

I'd go home.

659

: 00:36:06

I was a good kid though.

660

: 00:36:07

I cleaned the house.

661

: 00:36:08

My honorary brothers would

come home and mess it up.

662

: 00:36:12

They're too big for me to smack 'em.

663

: 00:36:16

I still live in a clean house.

664

: 00:36:17

Ask my wife, you know?

665

: 00:36:20

'cause I'm a good mama's boy.

666

: 00:36:22

Any other mama's boy, you

won't raise your hand.

667

: 00:36:24

I know,

668

: 00:36:29

but I gotta have meaning.

669

: 00:36:32

I gotta have meaning in my life.

670

: 00:36:34

I'm not an existentialist.

671

: 00:36:35

I'm not a secularist.

672

: 00:36:37

I don't believe in nihilism.

673

: 00:36:38

I don't believe this is all there is.

674

: 00:36:40

I don't believe all that garbage that

some of my professors tried to spew on me.

675

: 00:36:45

And I pray you don't listen to

some of that filth and ignorance.

676

: 00:36:50

It isn't knowledge.

677

: 00:36:51

All right?

678

: 00:36:53

And look at their lives.

679

: 00:36:54

Don't just look at what they teach.

680

: 00:36:55

Look at their lives.

681

: 00:36:56

All right?

682

: 00:36:57

But I participate in the mission of

God because everybody needs Jesus.

683

: 00:37:02

Everybody needs him.

684

: 00:37:04

Amen.

685

: 00:37:05

And we need to practice these

relationships and we need to

686

: 00:37:09

participate fully in the body.

687

: 00:37:11

It's not the most popular thing

right now in Orange County.

688

: 00:37:16

You know, there's some mega churches, but

even as you're driving up here, I mean,

689

: 00:37:22

roads are so empty on Sunday morning.

690

: 00:37:24

Yeah.

691

: 00:37:25

It's sort of sad and it really

makes me sad when I go to a

692

: 00:37:29

big athletic event, go to.

693

: 00:37:31

Go to SoFi or somewhere, or Dodger

Stadium, people get so excited.

694

: 00:37:37

And I'm not down on the Dodgers.

695

: 00:37:38

I'm a Dodger fan.

696

: 00:37:39

I'm an Angel fan.

697

: 00:37:41

I'm a Rams fan, not a Chargers fan.

698

: 00:37:43

Excuse me.

699

: 00:37:44

Sorry, I'm a Bronco fan.

700

: 00:37:50

I'm not down on fans, but I wish

there were just that much and

701

: 00:37:55

even more excitement about Jesus.

702

: 00:37:58

Are you with me?

703

: 00:38:00

Amen.

704

: 00:38:01

So I have some dreams.

705

: 00:38:03

I'll share those in the leaders meeting.

706

: 00:38:05

But we are, who are we?

707

: 00:38:07

Church.

708

: 00:38:07

Let's decide.

709

: 00:38:09

Let's decide together.

710

: 00:38:10

I pray that you decide to commit to

these seven things to be just like Jesus.

711

: 00:38:16

If you're like Jesus,

you're gonna be awesome.

712

: 00:38:19

If you're not like Jesus, I don't know.

713

: 00:38:23

Can't promise.

714

: 00:38:25

Can't promise.

715

: 00:38:26

So who are we?

716

: 00:38:28

I pray, we're disciples, OC disciples.

717

: 00:38:32

All right.

718

: 00:38:32

I'm not gonna lead you in a chant.

719

: 00:38:34

I wasn't a cheerleader.

720

: 00:38:36

All right.

721

: 00:38:37

But we are OC disciples.

722

: 00:38:39

We are the OC church.

723

: 00:38:42

We are brothers and sisters.

724

: 00:38:44

We are Christians.

725

: 00:38:46

That's what I own.

726

: 00:38:47

And I'll say it publicly.

727

: 00:38:49

I'll say it loud and proud.

728

: 00:38:50

I'll say it in public.

729

: 00:38:51

I'll preach it.

730

: 00:38:52

I am Christian.

731

: 00:38:55

I am.

732

: 00:38:56

A follower of Jesus.

733

: 00:38:57

I believe it with all

my heart, and I pray.

734

: 00:39:01

My action item for all of us this morning

is that you would decide who you are,

735

: 00:39:07

especially in your faith, and you'd

decide that you're gonna be like Jesus.

736

: 00:39:12

Amen.

737

: 00:39:14

And if we all do, yeah, as we all do,

then we're gonna be an awesome church.

738

: 00:39:19

God bless you.

739

: 00:39:20

Thank you.

740

: 00:39:21

Amen.