18.854625 26.554625 Well hello there Mary Beth. Hello Sarah. Let's try to do my best. Hello, Newman.
26.554625 31.654625 Were you a Seinfeld fan? Oh, yes. Hello, Newman.
31.654625 40.794625 That's probably not very good. The guy that played Newman went to my college. Really? Go dogs. Yeah. That's awesome.
40.794625 43.554625 Well Sarah, it's almost spring.
43.554625 48.154625 It's almost time for me to clean out my closets again.
48.794625 54.454625 Time to plant some things. I'm sure your family is getting busy ready to plant things in the garden. Oh, yeah.
54.454625 61.394625 We actually already have some peas and radishes out there. Little seeds and lots of plants started inside.
61.394625 64.074625 I'm pretty excited because this year we're gonna have
64.074625 68.034625 We're hoping to have a larger cut flower garden.
68.034625 72.274625 So I know I know I know I'm already dreaming of
72.274625 77.874625 all the beautiful flower bouquets that will be created and just yeah
78.154625 80.154625 Do you have a favorite flower?
80.154625 82.154625 Oh my goodness.
82.154625 93.834625 That's a hard question. I guess I would say as far as what I grow one of my favorites has been since I was a child are the sweet William Dianthus.
93.834625 96.914625 I don't know what that is. Yep. Well
96.914625 103.874625 It's a pretty flower. It's a pretty flower. Yeah, and it it is magenta
104.794625 112.134625 And there's variations; each of the flowers is a little different. There's white and magenta and
112.134625 119.334625 mixed white and magenta together. Yeah, anyway, very pretty. Maybe we'll try to find a picture of some and put it up on our
119.334625 124.994625 Instagram so people can enjoy that as well. There you go. So yeah, anyway
124.994625 133.474625 Speaking of a garden, yeah, yeah, exactly speaking of ephemeral versus eternal
134.474625 136.474625 Mary Beth
136.474625 139.114625 Some things in this life last longer than others
139.114625 143.434625 Something's last longer than flowers. That's right
143.434625 146.514625 Not not you
146.514625 152.634625 Flowers you will be eternal, but the flowers that grow in your garden. Yes, not be a
152.634625 161.674625 Or will they well, there we go. I believe that the flowers will be appearing in the new heaven and the new earth
162.234625 167.314625 Yeah, and there will be oh, I just I can't wait. This is going to be mind-boggling
167.314625 173.194625 There's going to be things that we see that we've never seen before
173.194625 178.154625 Yeah, and the new heaven's in the new earth. Yeah, absolutely
178.154625 185.954625 Well, we've been bouncing around this idea of the future and also
187.474625 196.234625 Work and we spent a couple moments in our last few episodes talking about how we can't sit idly by and watch the world go by and
196.234625 201.354625 There are practical things we can do with our building blocks of discipleship and other things
201.354625 204.794625 But today we kind of wanted to talk about the bigger picture of
204.794625 208.354625 Why? what does that matter?
208.354625 213.874625 Does what we do here on earth last or is it just
215.274625 222.554625 For here? hmm when I hear that phrase or when I hear that question, I should say I
222.554625 227.274625 Think about some verses in Ecclesiastes
227.274625 230.434625 Ecclesiastes 3 11 to 15
230.434625 234.274625 He has made everything beautiful in its time
234.274625 241.754625 He is also set eternity in the human heart yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end
241.754625 247.554625 I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and do good while they live
247.554625 253.634625 That each of them may eat and drink and find satisfaction and all their toil. This is the gift of God
253.634625 258.154625 I know that everything God does will endure forever
258.154625 264.394625 Nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it God does it so that people will fear him
264.394625 266.994625 whatever has already been
266.994625 272.434625 And what will be has been before and God will call the past to account
272.434625 281.474625 There's a lot in that passage Mary Beth, but specifically what I wanted to point out is that
281.474625 284.554625 everything that God does will endure forever and
284.554625 292.154625 While nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it when we are in God
293.074625 296.514625 The work that we do for him also endures
296.514625 302.914625 And as Ecclesiastes points out this is the gift of God
302.914625 307.854625 Satisfaction and all their toil. This is the gift of God and that
307.854625 314.354625 When we are able to see that eternal perspective
314.354625 322.714625 It should give us a better appreciation and motivation and understanding of our work here
323.514625 329.394625 We've talked about this a variety of times of kind of the concept of every moment holy and
329.394625 333.314625 Taking even the meany old things that we're doing
333.314625 337.234625 I'm viewing them in light of eternity. So I think there is some
337.234625 340.834625 Calling on us as believers
340.834625 343.674625 to do things like
343.674625 346.874625 pulling weeds in the garden and
347.634625 356.014625 Folding laundry. Yeah wiping down our kitchen counters. Is that lasting into eternity? I don't know that that specific
356.014625 363.874625 Act of wiping down a kitchen counter is is lasting into eternity, but what it is doing to tie back to our
363.874625 366.674625 building block of discipleship
366.674625 370.394625 We are disciplining; we're creating self-discipline. We are
370.394625 377.074625 Submitting ourselves to the work God has given us. We are working with diligence. We are serving others and you know
377.074625 380.434625 It's kind of more the are we creating an
380.434625 386.534625 Environment and a culture and a kingdom that is one of
386.534625 390.794625 the Lord? and not to get too caught up in this example
390.794625 394.714625 We're not we're not coming down on the side of spotless countertops
394.714625 398.234625 having had dark granite countertops in the past and
398.234625 403.514625 Nothing could make them shine except a very specific cleaner that you had to rub in
404.474625 407.474625 Yeah, but you're absolutely right, Mary Beth and
407.474625 412.154625 In 1 Corinthians 1558
412.154625 418.834625 Paul encourages us with these words therefore my beloved brothers and sisters be steadfast
418.834625 426.514625 Immovable always abounding in the work of the Lord knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain
426.514625 430.754625 Yeah, I just think about the
432.074625 438.394625 The ripple effects even across generations of how people before us have lived their lives
438.394625 446.634625 Of how I'm living my life how that's impacting my children and their children and the community around us. We have
446.634625 455.074625 a relatively young history in our country even though we're celebrating our 250th this year compared to the rest of the world our country is pretty young
455.074625 461.914625 But if you look even just a couple generations back at things that people were doing that still impact our daily life now
462.794625 464.794625 Are we thinking in those terms?
464.794625 470.034625 How is what I am doing now not just impacting future people here on earth, but
470.034625 476.834625 future people in eternity, right? and I think there's a good
476.834625 478.834625 Biblical
478.834625 481.434625 Illustration of this that we wanted to talk about today. Mm-hmm
481.434625 484.274625 yes
484.274625 485.114625 and
485.114625 490.114625 One that we're a little more familiar with now that we've been reading through the Bible with our friends from church
490.434625 492.434625 the story of Moses
492.434625 496.314625 When Moses was leading the people
496.314625 499.954625 He had a very close relationship with God
499.954625 503.234625 but Moses was still human and
503.234625 506.834625 Moses made a pretty
506.834625 509.554625 Big mistake
509.554625 516.194625 Well, he was disobedient. He was just straight out disobedient to God and there were consequences of that
517.194625 522.194625 This second time the people we needed water and when the Israelites were at Meribah
522.194625 524.594625 they were crying for water and
524.594625 527.954625 Moses always goes to God and says God, what am I supposed to do with these people?
527.954625 534.514625 You know this this job is too heavy for me and and God always answers him and gives them a solution and so this time
534.514625 535.434625 God says well
535.434625 541.074625 I want you to get your brother Aaron and take the staff and this was probably the staff that Aaron
541.434625 547.434625 Had put into the mix with the staffs from the other Israelite leaders when they had called
547.434625 550.674625 Moses and Aaron out and said well, who gave you the authority?
550.674625 552.674625 Let's have God choose from among us
552.674625 557.114625 And so they put all the staffs in and then Aaron's is the only one that budded and sprouted
557.114625 561.894625 But anyway, so this was probably a very distinct looking staff and
561.894625 568.154625 The power of the staff was always the power of God. It was never the power of Moses and Aaron
568.434625 572.914625 But God said lift up the staff and tell the rock to give water
572.914625 578.634625 But Moses did not follow God's instructions exactly and many of us are familiar with this story
578.634625 582.794625 But I'm just going to read what Moses says in Numbers 20:10
582.794625 589.354625 So he and Aaron are standing by the rock with the staff and Moses says here "now you rebels
589.354625 595.594625 Shall we bring water for you out of this rock and he strikes the rock with the staff?"
597.034625 599.034625 That's not what God asked him to do and
599.034625 606.314625 You could say that he was leaning on his own understanding you could say that he let his anger get the frustration get the best of him
606.314625 611.074625 You could say any number of things, but what he did in that moment is he took
611.074625 622.554625 The divine which would have been God just making water appear out of rock and again cementing the power of God and Israel's reliance on God
624.554625 633.314625 But he took that and he used his own power and his own understanding and striking the rock to produce water and
633.314625 640.914625 So he took the divine and just made it mundane. In that part of the world the rocks are actually porous and they
640.914625 649.314625 Store water the high winds caused dirt to fill the pores in and it creates like this tough crust on the rocks
649.314625 657.194625 And it is well known that shepherds can break this crust off the rock with their staff and water will come out. So
657.194625 662.794625 Yeah, maybe not water for 600,000 people or whatever, but still
662.794625 665.514625 Moses
665.514625 671.794625 Did not do what he was told to do and the consequence of that was that he and Aaron were not to enter the promised land and
673.994625 682.834625 If you think about the impact of that through the rest of Moses and Aaron's life, but also just for the future of
682.834625 685.194625 Israel
685.194625 688.314625 there were long reaching consequences to that and
688.314625 694.234625 While that is a cautionary tale. I think that we can still find
694.234625 703.314625 God trustworthy in that because he followed through and not only did he follow through on the punishment consequences
703.674625 705.954625 That they couldn't go into the promised land
705.954625 711.034625 But he also followed through on his continued provision
711.034625 714.194625 For the nation of Israel
714.194625 717.714625 Yeah, that's the Moses's disobedience did not
717.714625 722.354625 Stop God from providing for people. Yeah, yeah, and
722.354625 729.554625 That is where things I think for us can get a little tricky if
731.954625 738.994625 Sometimes I like to take matters into my own hands. Just like Moses did right and I know the ways that God has called for us to live
738.994625 748.094625 But sometimes I'll say all right, but I'm gonna I'm gonna do it a little bit differently because I think that's what's best and then it works
748.094625 752.514625 Right, okay, then it produces something and
752.514625 756.314625 It does benefit whatever the situation is
757.714625 764.394625 But that doesn't mean that God is pleased with my choice to do it my way, right?
764.394625 771.194625 Right and so there's this multiple things happening at once where the blessing still came for the people of Israel
771.194625 773.874625 but
773.874625 777.674625 Moses had to endure the long term consequence of
777.674625 783.154625 His sin God wasn't for going to forsake his people his plan was still going to be in place
783.154625 786.874625 He was going to provide for them and take care of them
787.834625 789.594625 But Moses
789.594625 796.834625 Was only going to be able to look at the promise later after that and I think that that makes me trust God more
796.834625 801.554625 Yeah, because he followed through like it's it is
801.554625 807.874625 Very difficult as a parent to follow through on a
807.874625 811.034625 Consequence for your child
811.034625 815.914625 Sometimes it hurts us more than it hurts them
816.514625 821.994625 But we have to follow through and we have such an example of our loving Heavenly Father
821.994625 825.994625 But yet there's mercy just like you said there's mercy
825.994625 829.914625 He still continued to provide for Israel, but I often wonder
829.914625 833.314625 What the difference would have been?
833.314625 839.834625 Mm-hmm if Moses hadn't taken his own power and his own understanding to try to accomplish
839.834625 844.314625 What God was doing and what he you know in the way Moses saw best
844.994625 846.994625 What if he hadn't done that?
846.994625 851.474625 What if Israel had been more faithful? Like where would the nation of Israel be today if the decisions?
851.474625 856.114625 Yeah, where would I be today if I kept trying to take
856.114625 861.714625 My power back when I don't really have any anyway do you mean yeah, yeah
861.714625 865.474625 Well, and if you think about the immediate consequences
865.474625 870.754625 That happened on the earth and Moses's time obviously he was not able to enter the Promised Land
871.634625 877.154625 But you then had Joshua coming to leadership that would have likely looked different
877.154625 880.434625 If Moses was still leading them into the Promised Land correct
880.434625 882.994625 So how would Joshua's life have been different?
882.994625 888.674625 How would the different tribes who refused to cross over and those who wanted to and the
888.674625 892.754625 Dividing of all the land would all of that have looked the same? I don't know
892.754625 899.394625 Right would any of the fighting and bickering look different? I don't know right and it's not that we should be playing
899.794625 904.754625 What if with our lives, but I think the point is
904.754625 911.954625 We don't operate in isolation from other people and we don't operate in isolation
911.954625 915.074625 from God's
915.074625 916.754625 eternal
916.754625 919.234625 plan which is somewhat
919.234625 921.234625 outside of
921.234625 925.874625 Our concept of time and space. Yeah, well and just like those verses and Ecclesiastes said
926.194625 930.034625 Everything that he does will endure forever nothing can be added or taken away from it
930.034625 934.114625 But I also love just the concept of sowing and reaping
934.114625 937.314625 That had got his his built into the universe
937.314625 943.074625 Galatians 6:7 says do not be deceived God is not mocked for whatever one says that will he also reap
943.074625 945.794625 Just case in point with Moses's story
945.794625 950.754625 But there's also a promise here too and Paul talks about this in 2nd Corinthians 9
951.394625 959.474625 Verse 6 he says "the point is this whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully"
959.474625 961.154625 and
961.154625 964.674625 That speaks a little bit to our earthly experience, but also
964.674625 966.994625 just
966.994625 970.194625 What will be lasting into eternity?
970.194625 972.594625 Yeah
972.594625 974.914625 one that reminds me too of
974.914625 976.994625 First Corinthians 15 Paul writes
976.994625 980.994625 I mean, I would encourage anyone to go read the full chapter, but
981.154625 985.794625 Mm-hmm. He talks all and verses 16 through 19
985.794625 989.074625 about
989.074625 991.234625 If Christ did not
991.234625 992.834625 Raise from the dead
992.834625 995.634625 None of this really matters, right? But he also says
995.634625 1006.114625 And verse 19 if only for this life we have hope in Christ we being those to our Christians are of all people most to be pitied
1007.954625 1012.514625 Because we're holding on to this promise of eternal significance
1012.514625 1018.114625 If if we're only hoping for this life that you know we work hard and
1018.114625 1025.794625 We enjoy our reaping here on this earth and we have success here on this earth like if that's the end of it
1025.794625 1032.994625 Uh, which is what some people think, right, uh if that's the end of it that's the end of it our belief is that that's not the end of it
1032.994625 1036.114625 Yeah, we don't we don't have hope in Christ just for this life
1036.834625 1038.994625 We have hope in Christ for eternity and if
1038.994625 1041.154625 if
1041.154625 1043.394625 Christ was not raised from the dead
1043.394625 1051.474625 Then yeah people should pity us they should be calling us a little bit crazy, right? If it's not true because what we're claiming is that
1051.474625 1058.194625 Our work here matters not just for us not just for the generations here on the earth
1058.194625 1064.114625 But it is contributing toward the future righteousness of God's kingdom
1064.994625 1068.834625 Which goes back a little bit to what we've talked about previously about
1068.834625 1075.714625 How are we being sanctified? How are we contributing to
1075.714625 1083.634625 The work that God wants us to do to bring others to Himself for this future kingdom not just this current one
1083.634625 1086.194625 The empty cross the empty grave
1086.194625 1091.234625 Changed everything and to me that's the encouragement of God's
1092.354625 1094.354625 trustworthiness
1094.354625 1096.434625 Because sometimes
1096.434625 1101.474625 This life does feel very futile and it feels like what is the point of
1101.474625 1109.314625 Even trying in the world that is burning down all around us? You know Ecclesiastes: meaningless. Yes. Everything is meaningless. Yeah. Yes
1109.314625 1113.554625 And we've talked about this in our small group and other places, but
1113.554625 1118.834625 How do people live without the hope of eternity? It seems to be
1120.594625 1123.794625 Incredibly depressing to think that this earth is all there is
1123.794625 1131.154625 Yeah, I don't want that to be true. So I'd rather be I'd rather be crazy and cling to the fact that the earth is not all there is
1131.154625 1135.954625 Yeah, well even the stuff of the earth is amazing because God created it
1135.954625 1142.754625 I mean the image of God is everywhere. So it's so we have to be so careful about not worshipping His creation
1142.754625 1146.434625 Yeah, but I but I do think that that's what people do
1146.914625 1152.834625 That's how they try to limp along their worshiping creation, which is just a mere
1152.834625 1155.074625 glimmer of
1155.074625 1161.714625 the fullness and awesomeness of the creator of the universe. I mean how sad wow
1161.714625 1164.274625 Yeah
1164.274625 1166.514625 Well, we were also referencing our
1166.514625 1169.874625 sermons at church recently kind of touched on
1169.874625 1173.794625 abundant serving and
1174.034625 1176.434625 And how we are called as humans to work
1176.434625 1180.594625 But again that that work is not
1180.594625 1184.034625 The end here
1184.034625 1186.594625 For those who aren't
1186.594625 1190.034625 Willowdale Chapel folks. We have two different campuses at our church and so we have two different
1190.034625 1194.514625 Pastors who preach on the same thing, but obviously everybody has their own little
1194.514625 1197.394625 flavor on it. So
1197.394625 1202.034625 At the campus where I went where the sermon was being preached the pastor gave an illustration
1203.074625 1207.874625 Of like a painter and he wanted to paint. He had this vision in his mind. This beautiful tree
1207.874625 1213.234625 But he was only able to paint one leaf in great detail before
1213.234625 1217.154625 He died basically and then when he got to eternity
1217.154625 1224.354625 He saw not just the tree but an entire landscape behind it and it was even better than he had even envisioned in his mind for the artwork to be
1224.354625 1230.114625 And if that's kind of this glimpse. I'll just read a little quote from the sermon
1230.114625 1232.834625 um
1233.154625 1235.234625 This is what our pastor said. Sometimes I'm like man
1235.234625 1242.514625 Did I get bogged down in perfectionism trying to just tend for this thing and not really getting on with the bigger work?
1242.514625 1247.714625 I still think that in eternity my work is going to count. I think your work is going to count too
1247.714625 1251.234625 And maybe when we get to eternity we're going to realize that oh
1251.234625 1257.234625 There's whole worlds that we've only barely dreamed of. They're actually going to come into existence
1258.034625 1265.874625 We're going to get to be a part with God in recreation and we're going to do it together. So let's start doing it together now
1265.874625 1271.874625 And to me that is that hopeful perspective of
1271.874625 1276.514625 Not getting bogged down in the tedious, but
1276.514625 1279.954625 Let's start doing that work together with God now
1279.954625 1284.114625 I like that illustration of the
1285.714625 1288.034625 literal illustration of the painting of the leaf
1288.034625 1289.874625 Yeah
1289.874625 1290.914625 and
1290.914625 1293.874625 When he gets to Heaven and sees the much bigger picture
1293.874625 1296.274625 Well, just like Paul said too in
1296.274625 1299.714625 Corinthians and what we see now we see dimly is through a mirror
1299.714625 1302.514625 But someday we'll see face to face
1302.514625 1305.634625 Yep. Yeah
1305.634625 1310.914625 I think there's another part of this Mary Beth that I want to just kind of touch upon. I
1310.914625 1313.954625 myself have found a lot of hope
1314.834625 1321.794625 In this concept and I'll just kind of explain it a little bit. So when we talk about this topic of our work lasting Marybeth
1321.794625 1325.234625 I do think of
1325.234625 1329.554625 the concept of how generational sin
1329.554625 1332.514625 can mess up families
1332.514625 1334.434625 and
1334.434625 1339.154625 This is a topic that I've thought of a lot for myself in my own life
1340.914625 1346.354625 In Exodus 34 Moses asks God to reveal himself and God says well
1346.354625 1351.154625 Hide yourself in this rock and I'll pass by you, but you can't see me
1351.154625 1354.834625 And so the Lord says as he passed by him
1354.834625 1361.474625 He says the Lord the Lord a god merciful and gracious slow to anger and abounding instead fast love and faithfulness
1361.474625 1367.474625 Keeping steadfast love for thousands forgiving and iniquity and transgression and sin
1368.114625 1377.954625 But who will by no means clear the guilty visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children to the third and fourth generation
1377.954625 1380.994625 and this passage is often
1380.994625 1385.954625 quoted and thought of as the sins of the fathers will be visited on the children
1385.954625 1388.674625 Well
1388.674625 1392.514625 There's also some verses in the Old Testament
1393.074625 1400.674625 In fact in Jeremiah 31 it says in those days they shall no longer say the fathers have eaten sour grapes and the children's teeth are set on edge
1400.674625 1405.954625 But everyone shall die for his own iniquity and then in other verses it talks about how
1405.954625 1411.954625 The righteous man will be rewarded for his righteousness whether his father was righteous or not
1411.954625 1418.274625 And vice versa if a righteous man has an unrighteous son each gets their own do
1419.154625 1425.874625 And so this idea of what we do last there's also a cautionary tale there as well
1425.874625 1432.754625 The ill the evil that we do the
1432.754625 1438.034625 Negative way that we treat people especially our children
1438.034625 1446.914625 That is something that is going to bear fruit and sometimes a fruit is rotten and so it is important for us to
1448.514625 1450.514625 Understand just because
1450.514625 1454.354625 Maybe we are treating people poorly
1454.354625 1462.834625 For example if a family has a situation where a parent is abusive towards a child
1462.834625 1468.514625 That child does not necessarily in turn also become an abuser
1468.514625 1474.914625 But because they have been taught that is more likely that that will happen
1475.474625 1477.954625 There is healing and forgiveness
1477.954625 1482.354625 But these are the things that can be generational
1482.354625 1485.874625 Sins handed down through families
1485.874625 1488.354625 I know that
1488.354625 1494.914625 Alcoholism is called a family disease for the very simple reason that it affects the family so much and
1494.914625 1496.994625 there are just
1496.994625 1498.674625 Ripple effects
1498.674625 1503.794625 Sometimes multi-generational from someone's alcoholism. So
1503.954625 1506.914625 There's a positive
1506.914625 1511.394625 Way to look at this and then there's also a cautionary way to look at this
1511.394625 1517.474625 And there is the blood of Jesus and there is a restoration that does come from that
1517.474625 1524.834625 And even the very first verse we've had said that God has made everything beautiful in its time and set eternity in our hearts
1524.834625 1530.034625 Yeah, so it's just important for us to kind of hold both of those things and think about that
1530.434625 1534.594625 What we do matters and what kind of legacy do we want to leave?
1534.594625 1538.674625 I would add as a resource for people
1538.674625 1545.314625 I did this way back in high school Beth Moore has a study called breaking free and if
1545.314625 1548.994625 you are someone who
1548.994625 1555.874625 Wants to break kind of the generational sin that's happening in your family. I would recommend that study to you
1555.874625 1559.714625 Because of Sarah is saying
1560.034625 1563.474625 There are consequences of our actions. There are things that can be passed down
1563.474625 1568.514625 But there's also a God who is waiting and willing
1568.514625 1572.194625 to redeem and to restore and
1572.194625 1577.234625 To end some of that. So just like Sarah saying both are true
1577.234625 1580.034625 if that's something you're particularly
1580.034625 1588.034625 sorting through wrestling with I would recommend breaking free by Beth Moore to you and we'll also refer you back to celebrate recovery
1588.354625 1592.674625 Any kinds of hurts habits and hang ups can be healed through that program. So
1592.674625 1595.394625 yeah
1595.394625 1598.194625 But it is a good point there that it's not just
1598.194625 1603.394625 I mean, it's back to what I said earlier about we're not operating an isolation
1603.394625 1608.834625 People who have come before us impacts us both in positive and negative ways
1608.834625 1611.634625 what I'm doing right now in my life
1612.514625 1618.994625 impacts people in positive and negative ways and there are moments where I see it instantaneously. I see
1618.994625 1625.394625 Oh, that's as Paul says. It's not who I want to be is not who I am right the way the good I want to do
1625.394625 1628.754625 I'm not doing it evil is right there along beside me
1628.754625 1630.834625 and
1630.834625 1633.634625 This is life on this earth right and
1633.634625 1637.554625 I've heard a pastor put it this way that
1637.554625 1640.434625 His prayer is just that when he
1642.114625 1643.954625 gets to heaven
1643.954625 1645.954625 That people will at least be able
1645.954625 1651.954625 To recognize him not not physically, but that he will have been sanctified enough
1651.954625 1658.834625 That he won't be so far off from who God intended him to be for eternity that he will be recognizable. Oh my goodness
1658.834625 1664.274625 That's so funny. I love that. I love that. Yeah, but I was just thinking and
1664.274625 1667.554625 For myself, this has been a really
1668.274625 1675.954625 Sort of poignant lesson the speaking of legacies and how things are passed on from generations
1675.954625 1683.234625 Being that we're celebrating our 250th birthday of America this year. I love American history
1683.234625 1686.994625 But I have seen in my own life and family
1686.994625 1690.274625 the different legacies that have been passed down
1690.274625 1692.914625 Through history
1693.714625 1701.154625 I have the privilege of having ancestors that were some of the founding families of our country and it
1701.154625 1703.714625 is
1703.714625 1707.074625 Of strange legacy to have
1707.074625 1710.114625 people that
1710.114625 1713.794625 Have fit every sort of historical stereotype
1713.794625 1718.434625 Good bad and ugly in the history of our country
1718.434625 1721.154625 That are in your family tree
1721.154625 1726.114625 Yeah, you've been around long enough as a family you got skeletons and
1726.114625 1729.954625 How do you
1729.954625 1732.594625 Look at that. How do you reconcile that with
1732.594625 1740.434625 The good work that you also have the amazing things that that your family did, you know what I mean? It's um
1740.434625 1743.714625 It is truly a
1743.714625 1748.754625 Is an interesting thing. It's an interesting thing and one that I've had to wrestle with personally
1749.474625 1752.834625 Yeah, and I think about I can't remember where this is in scripture
1752.834625 1758.114625 But how God is the refiner and he will separate the wheat from the chaff and he is refining
1758.114625 1762.114625 us refining the things of the world and
1762.114625 1765.314625 That we're not ignoring
1765.314625 1767.314625 the sins of the past but that we
1767.314625 1770.434625 Are hopeful that
1770.434625 1775.074625 Through that refiner's fire right things will come through in a better way for eternity
1775.714625 1781.634625 Yeah, because of the blood of Jesus right exactly and I think it also it also gives a
1781.634625 1784.354625 depth of perspective on
1784.354625 1787.554625 How complicated
1787.554625 1790.834625 Life on this earth is when we look back at these stories
1790.834625 1793.394625 Just reading the story of Moses
1793.394625 1798.674625 That we did today or any of the stories about the history of Israel
1798.674625 1805.234625 Which is really our history as Christians since we are adopted into the the family of our children of Abraham
1806.434625 1813.474625 It tells us why things are so difficult. I mean just back to the very beginning Abraham
1813.474625 1816.194625 Ishmael Isaac
1816.194625 1819.794625 You know the nations like it just
1819.794625 1823.154625 And we see it still being played out in the world
1823.154625 1826.354625 Yeah, I often think
1826.354625 1833.554625 I'm glad my life story is not recorded in the bible for everybody to read a read about for generations
1834.274625 1839.154625 Oh, it's true. Uh, we are no better. We are no better. No, certainly not no
1839.154625 1842.834625 Thanks be to God
1842.834625 1847.234625 All right, Sarah, so what I'm taking away from this is
1847.234625 1854.674625 An encouragement to kind of keep on keeping on doing the work because it matters not
1854.674625 1861.234625 Not just in this earth it impacts the people around us who are also eternal
1861.234625 1863.954625 Created in the image of God
1864.114625 1865.954625 But the flip side of that too is
1865.954625 1869.874625 Be focused on
1869.874625 1875.954625 Becoming more like Christ because my sins just as much as my good work
1875.954625 1880.674625 Impacts those around me. Yeah impacts their experience
1880.674625 1883.554625 Potentially for eternity as well
1883.554625 1888.674625 And and I do want to just again say this is hard to hard to leave this on
1888.674625 1891.634625 Unsung so to speak
1892.514625 1895.154625 God turns ashes into beauty
1895.154625 1901.474625 God makes everything beautiful. It is there is so much redemption and there's so much hope and redemption
1901.474625 1904.274625 Yeah, but
1904.274625 1906.834625 It still
1906.834625 1912.914625 Remains that that sin that consequence of that sin will still be in your life
1912.914625 1916.834625 Can he use it for his glory and to
1916.834625 1920.034625 Give you fulfillment? Yes, he can
1920.914625 1925.474625 Um, we just had this amazing story, you know, a few months ago with Denise
1925.474625 1927.634625 sharing her
1927.634625 1930.674625 Recovery story and just the way that that's blessed the world
1930.674625 1938.354625 But that was still a very difficult while that's putting it mildly, but that is was still a very hard thing to have to live through
1938.354625 1940.674625 right
1940.674625 1942.674625 I think that's the hope though is
1942.674625 1945.954625 Even when things are awful
1945.954625 1952.994625 Hmm. All hope is not lost. God still can bring hope from those situations
1952.994625 1957.074625 It's not that we want people to go through the terrible things. It's just that
1957.074625 1960.914625 That's not a death sentence necessarily correct
1960.914625 1965.394625 And maybe along with what we do matters and
1965.394625 1972.034625 The work that we do in this world has a lasting impact both now, but also in the new heaven and new earth
1973.714625 1979.634625 And what we don't do or what we do wrong has an impact however
1979.634625 1983.634625 When we are in Christ
1983.634625 1985.474625 we can see that
1985.474625 1989.474625 God can work those things together for for our good in his glory
1989.474625 1991.634625 Amen
1991.634625 1997.554625 Well listeners, we appreciate you tuning in for today's episode
1997.554625 2002.434625 Get out there make a difference and just know
2003.474625 2005.474625 What you do matters
2005.474625 2014.114625 I'm Sarah and I'm Mary Beth and this is trustworthy