Finding Our Way

From the transcript... But when you get to Jesus and His finished work, all that goes away. I'd rather not get into that. God is not imputing our trespasses against us. He reconciled us to Himself in Christ. We didn't have anything to do with it. Just like in Adam, where we fell, we didn't have anything to do with it. Listen, I don't know what that fruit in the garden tasted like. I didn't eat it....

From the transcript... Hey, be sure to run through those potholes right there. Make me feel at home. Oh, well. Takes a son to know the father. I was reading this morning. For a little bit, I got to read some. John 1:18, man, that's so good. And then you pair that with John's gospel words—the one laying on Jesus' bosom. John, the night before he was betrayed, he's laying on Jesus' chest. What a pic...

From the transcript... In that story of what Jesus does with the woman at the well, about “I don't condemn you, go and sin no more,” somewhere he's striking that full of grace, full of truth person that he is, and of that fullness we have received. What McDonald was talking about, I think, he was restating that concept. God forgives us of our sins because that's what love does. It keeps no record...

From the transcript... Hit your wiper so I can see. What you want to see? I know, but I'd like to look out the window. I am, but I'm not going to look that way. Yeah, I think we all get on these journeys following the Lord and trying to figure out what he wants for us and what we want in life and where those two things seem to meet or conflict. And it's all part of our journey that seems to be, fo...

From the transcript... I'm detecting a little sarcasm. A little? I was trying to put it as heavy as I got it. Yeah, somebody's got it cleaned up now. Oh, you know there is. You ease over here a second. I'll see one. Yeah. A little white oaks there. Man, I'm going to tell you something. Tell me something. Tell me something good, James. I've just been realizing afresh how blessed we are. We are bles...

From the transcript... I’m going to read this out of The Message . Romans 5—just before verses 8, 9, 10, because it sets the tone so beautifully: “There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for wh...

From the transcript... All right, this might be good too because I’ve got a star by it: “The Word through whom all things were made enters into the very fabric of creation—human flesh—to renew it from within.” We didn’t think much about that. I mean, five years of seminary, growing up in church—we didn’t really sit with the weight of the Incarnation. There wasn’t much meditation on it. If it came...

From the transcript... I want to talk to you about Colossians, because in Ephesians 1 it says… when you read that, what did you say? Verses 15–16—that’s where Ephesians 1 comes to mind. Yeah, verse 15–16. We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created. Right there. Because he keeps bringing us back to that original p...

From the transcript... We do the same thing. We just repeat the pattern over and over, but we're not seeing what's happening—that Jesus came to break that pattern and to give us a different way of living. But normally we gather up in our Christian circles and we justify living under what Christ came to give us. That’s right. Because we say, “We’re just down here in this old sinful world.” And in d...

From the transcript... Oh man, that was a good breakfast. Always is. Yeah—good, steady kind of place. Nothing flashy, just consistent. Good food, good service, familiar faces. Something about sitting there, coffee in hand, not in a hurry… it does something to you. Slows things down a bit. Looks like the whole town’s out today. Oh, they’ve got a big garage sale going on—up and down the road. One of...

From the transcript... Jesus is the crescendo of God's conversation with us. He gives context and content to the authentic thought that God had in mind for mankind is voiced in him. Jesus is God's language. His name declares his mission. As savior of the world, he truly redeemed the image and likeness of the invisible God and made him apparent again in human form. The God who gave you birth is you...

From the transcript... Well, it's because we believe that we were far from love and that heaven had turned his face. We believe that sin had slammed the door on grace and left us feeling displaced. Yeah. But could a father, son, and spirit whose bond no dark can sever create us in communion's flame, then cast us off forever? In other words, is God out of this love relationship, face-to-face-to-fac...

From the transcript... Oh, we’re finding our way through this wild life. His love shines brighter than the brightest light. 2 Corinthians 3:18—so you’re being changed into the same image. As we behold Jesus, He transforms us into what He is. We begin to awaken to the reality that we are joined to Him, one with Him, complete in Him. We’re in union—a life-giving union. But we don’t really understand...

From the transcript... We ended up turning into a restaurant. Somebody else turned in, I turned in behind them, and then somebody was backing out in their parking spot. So it hung us out—I was sitting sideways in traffic. They stopped for me. Then I got to a four-way stop. The truck was straight across from me, but the intersection wasn’t a perfect square—it was kind of offset. The truck across fr...

From the transcript... But that doesn’t mean God’s not drawing and He’s not teaching. It’s, I don’t see it, I don’t perceive it, I’m not responding—I’m fighting against it, whether it’s consciously or subconsciously. And He’s just patient, waiting on us and working in us. Scripture says He tasted death for every man. Yeah. Okay, and He takes away the sins of the world. He’s the Savior of all men,...

From the transcript... We didn’t even finish chapter five. He talks about, “Do not think I will accuse you to the Father.” That’s a good one. We don’t have to—we’re looking at everyone. Oh well, verse 43 and 45: “I have come to represent my Father, yet you refuse to embrace me in faith. If someone comes in their own name and with their own agenda, you readily accept it. Of course, you’re unable to...

From the transcript... So you don't think when Jesus said have meat to eat you don't know if he found some musky dines on the side of the road like we just did. No, she was talking about the Father's will. It was the Father's will that I came down this road and ate those musky dimes on the side of the road, and they were good. This next passage—oh, what's your next one? Ought to be really good. Jo...

From the transcript... You were asking about John 3:34—the one whom God has sent to represent Him will speak the words of God, because God has poured out upon Him the fullness of the Holy Spirit without limitation. The Father loves His Son so much that He has given all things into His hands. Those who trust in the Son possess eternal life; those who don’t obey the Son will not see life—God’s anger...

From the transcript... Well, I’ve been reading the Gospel of John, looking for the times that Jesus spoke to or spoke of His Father—that’s a good one. And I’ve found in John chapter 8, there’s a lot of it; He talks a lot. It seems like when He talks about the Father, He talks about judgment. I don’t know if it’s as regular as I think it is, but I know it’s there in chapter 8, and I know it’s there...

From the transcript... But the first thing is, you’re talking about how He sees us in Christ. The reality is that we were created in Christ. That’s right—because in Him was life, and that life is the light of men. John’s right. So there was something created in Christ; there’s this creation—God creating something. It’s in Him and through Him and by Him that the Word created all that is. So that’s...

From the transcript... So we were looking at, or talking about, how we’re coming to see God differently. And in understanding who He is, we realize He sees us differently than what we thought. Yeah—how He sees us is different than I used to think how He saw us. Exactly. He hasn’t changed His mind; it’s our perspective that has changed. Because under that penal substitutionary thought process, the...

From the transcript... He’s just saying something about the love of God. No, but maybe we don’t want to look at that. That’s right—look, it’s something about holiness and justice, the wrath. Oh yeah, vengeance is mine, said the Lord. Let’s see here, Romans 1:1—what’s that say? I’m not sure, I thought you had a Bible. Passions, yes. Just verse one? Yeah, for right now, I might have to get to verse...

From the transcript... There’s no more. The in and out and us and them is gone. Yes. You know, you think about what you were talking about—being in Him and incarnation and all that. Listen to this verse. It says, Through His creative inspiration, this living expression made all things. For nothing has existence apart from Him. A fountain of life was in Him, for His life is light for all humanity....

From the transcript... in Christ as he died for us all, with us all, as us all. There was such an inescapable union when the Word became flesh. And we all died. And then when He got up out of the tomb, He put to death everything that wasn’t right. And He brought to life all that has eternally been true of us—that we were deceived and confused and blinded and doubtful of—so that now everything we a...

From the transcript... Nor your ethnicity, education, nor economic status. They matter nothing. For it is Christ that means everything. As He lives in every one of us. So what he’s saying is, it’s not these physical things that we look at out here—where you come from, what kind of money you’ve got, or anything. It’s the Christ that’s in you. Yeah. That’s everything. Well, I think in the outworking...