Christmastime provides an opportunity to reflect on what we believe about the most important questions. We are confronted with the person of Jesus Christ and the gospel message. Despite this reality, many do not take Jesus seriously or think He is relevant to their lives. The result is that the Christmas season becomes spiritually shallow.
In this episode, I discuss how both intellectual apathy and distraction function as spiritual barriers for many people. In addition, I explain how the gospel provides an antidote to these vices.
[00:00:05] Welcome to the Reasoned Hope Podcast. In this podcast, we explore the intellectual credibility of the Christian faith. We seek to show how the central hope found in Jesus Christ is not only rational, but that the Christian worldview makes sense of our experience, our deepest longings, and our intuitions about the world. Thanks for listening, and we hope today's episode is both encouraging and challenging to you, whether you are a believer or a skeptic.
[00:00:42] Welcome to today's episode of the Reasoned Hope Podcast. In this podcast, we explore the intellectual credibility of the Christian faith. Today, we're going to be focusing on the significance of Christmas, and we're really going to be looking at the idea of the confrontation of Christmas and what that means, so we'll get into that.
[00:01:02] But really, the main focus of today is going to be that in the person of Jesus, God took upon a human nature and stepped into our world so that we could understand our true spiritual condition and be reconciled to Him.
[00:01:18] Christmas time is thus an opportunity for us to consider important truths and questions that all of us face and find our ultimate hope in Jesus.
[00:01:29] Sadly, for many, this time of year can be one of distraction. It can be one of materialism, just a focus on getting more things and spending a lot of money.
[00:01:42] It can be one of the time of money. It can be one of the most important things that we're going to be doing in our lives.
[00:01:53] So, this episode today will aim to expose some of the spiritual dangers in this kind of an outlook and try to bring our focus on the great unshakable hope that is found in Jesus Christ,
[00:02:07] that is really the core and just the centrality of what Christmas is all about.
[00:02:14] So, let's first talk about this idea of the confrontation of Christmas. What does it mean to say that Christmas is a confrontation?
[00:02:22] That word is usually a negative word. We think of being confronted by a scenario or a person that we didn't expect at an inopportune time.
[00:02:33] Or we think about having to have a difficult conversation with someone, confronting a situation that maybe isn't good, and we're not looking forward to it.
[00:02:43] But really, a confrontation does not always have to be something negative.
[00:02:49] And in the case of the confrontation of Christmas, this is certainly not the case.
[00:02:55] Because part of what I mean when I say the confrontation of Christmas is that in Christmas, when we reflect upon what it means,
[00:03:03] we realize that we're confronted with God's love for us.
[00:03:09] Many people are familiar with John 3.16. It says,
[00:03:28] So when we think about what Christmas means, Christmas is about celebrating the fact that God himself, the one who created the universe,
[00:03:38] has taken upon a human nature, the Bible talks about the word becoming flesh,
[00:03:44] stepping into this world, and doing so out of love so that we could have a way to not perish but have eternal life.
[00:03:54] So when we think about that, the first thing, when you think about Christmas,
[00:03:57] you need to be thinking about the fact that you are confronted with God's love for you.
[00:04:03] Christmas is about God's love for us, and God demonstrated his love for us in this specific way.
[00:04:10] He gave his one and only Son so that everyone who entrusts themselves to him will not perish but have eternal life.
[00:04:21] So that means that this is not just about someone giving intellectual assent to the idea that Jesus lived or that the Bible is God's word.
[00:04:30] This means the word belief, the concept of belief in the Gospel of John is one of entrusting everything to Jesus.
[00:04:40] You're entrusting your entire existence to him.
[00:04:45] You are dying to yourself, and you are taking up your cross and following him.
[00:04:52] He is now your Lord. You are no longer your own master.
[00:04:56] That's the idea.
[00:04:57] People who do that, who recognize their need for Jesus and who entrust themselves to him,
[00:05:03] those are the people who will not perish but have eternal life.
[00:05:07] So we're confronted with the love of God for us in Christmas and the message of Christmas.
[00:05:12] We're also, in that, we're confronted with the Gospel,
[00:05:16] and the Gospel is that central core message that makes Christianity what it is.
[00:05:22] If you get the Gospel wrong, then you don't have Christianity.
[00:05:26] And the Gospel includes the ideas of our sin against God,
[00:05:30] that we are enemies of God on our own,
[00:05:33] that we have broken his commandments,
[00:05:35] we have sinned against him in thought, word, and deed.
[00:05:38] We are just, in our very spiritual nature,
[00:05:41] we are oriented in opposition to God.
[00:05:44] That's what it means to be in sin.
[00:05:48] It's not just the fact that we do things that are wrong.
[00:05:51] We do things that are wrong because we have a corrupt spiritual condition,
[00:05:56] and we have a great need for God to redeem us and cleanse us.
[00:06:01] So the Gospel includes our sin.
[00:06:04] When we're confronted with the Gospel, we're confronted with our sin.
[00:06:07] We're also confronted with God's mercy.
[00:06:10] We're confronted with God's justice.
[00:06:13] And we're confronted with the way of salvation that he himself has provided.
[00:06:19] This is not a way of salvation that we have come up with.
[00:06:23] And it's not a way of salvation that we can achieve on our own.
[00:06:28] We see the mercy of God.
[00:06:30] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
[00:06:35] but to save the world through him.
[00:06:38] John 3.17
[00:06:40] So Jesus did not come into the world the first time to condemn it.
[00:06:45] He came to save the world through his life, death, and resurrection.
[00:06:51] So we just read about how all those who entrust themselves to Jesus
[00:06:55] will not perish but have eternal life.
[00:06:58] So we see the love of God.
[00:06:59] We see the mercy of God.
[00:07:01] We also see the justice of God in the Gospel.
[00:07:06] John 3.18-21
[00:07:08] This comes right after the two verses that we just looked at
[00:07:12] that are maybe more familiar than this next set of verses.
[00:07:17] But this next set of verses really reveals just the stark nature,
[00:07:22] the clarity that the Bible gives us on God's opposition to that which is evil
[00:07:29] and how on our own we are evil before God.
[00:07:34] So listen to what this says.
[00:07:35] It says anyone who believes in him, that is anyone who has entrusted themselves to Jesus,
[00:07:42] is not condemned.
[00:07:44] But anyone who does not believe, that is anyone who has not entrusted themselves to Jesus
[00:07:51] and made him their Savior, their Lord, is already condemned.
[00:07:58] Because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.
[00:08:04] This is the judgment.
[00:08:05] The light has come into the world.
[00:08:08] And people loved darkness rather than the light.
[00:08:12] Because their deeds were evil.
[00:08:15] For everyone who does evil hates the light and avoids it, so that his deeds may not be exposed.
[00:08:22] But anyone who lives by the truth comes into the light,
[00:08:26] so that his works may be shown to be accomplished by God.
[00:08:31] John 3.18-21
[00:08:34] So here we see the justice of God.
[00:08:37] Those who trust in Jesus are not condemned.
[00:08:39] Those who refuse to trust in Jesus, who refuse to acknowledge their sins,
[00:08:45] and receive his forgiveness, and receive his cleansing,
[00:08:48] those people are already condemned.
[00:08:52] And the judgment is that Jesus has come into the world.
[00:08:56] He's the light of the world.
[00:08:58] But people didn't love him.
[00:09:00] People don't love him.
[00:09:02] They love the darkness.
[00:09:03] They love what is evil.
[00:09:05] And because of that, they do evil deeds.
[00:09:08] And because they love evil, they love the darkness, and they do evil deeds,
[00:09:13] they avoid the light.
[00:09:15] They avoid Jesus.
[00:09:16] They avoid the truth of the gospel.
[00:09:20] Why?
[00:09:21] So that their deeds may not be exposed.
[00:09:25] But those who live by the truth,
[00:09:27] those who do entrust themselves to Jesus and walk with him,
[00:09:30] they come into the light.
[00:09:31] Because he is the light.
[00:09:33] And their works are shown to be accomplished by God.
[00:09:36] God working through people who trust in him to spread his grace and his mercy and his love to others.
[00:09:44] But those who are evil,
[00:09:46] they avoid God.
[00:09:49] They avoid the truths of the gospel.
[00:09:51] Because it's an attempt to not have their deeds exposed.
[00:09:56] And this reveals the justice of God.
[00:09:59] That there is a condemnation,
[00:10:00] a very real condemnation and judgment
[00:10:03] for those who are outside of Jesus,
[00:10:06] who have not trusted in him.
[00:10:08] And that's because they're still in their sins.
[00:10:13] They don't have spiritual life.
[00:10:15] So when we think about Christmas,
[00:10:17] when we think about how we're confronted with God's love revealed in the gospel,
[00:10:22] when we start thinking about what the gospel means,
[00:10:26] how we must acknowledge and understand our sin,
[00:10:30] we must have a clear grasp of what it means for God to be merciful,
[00:10:34] and what it means for God to be just,
[00:10:37] and the way of salvation through Jesus that he's provided.
[00:10:40] When we understand all those things,
[00:10:42] then you begin to see the importance of Christmas,
[00:10:46] and understanding what Christmas really means for every single person.
[00:10:51] Jesus is not just some historical figure.
[00:10:56] He is not someone who is relevant to only some people and not others.
[00:11:02] He is relevant to everyone,
[00:11:04] because he is the one who owns everything.
[00:11:08] He's the creator of the universe.
[00:11:10] He's the one who sustains it.
[00:11:12] He's the holy God to whom all of us will give an account.
[00:11:16] And there is a way of salvation offered that's revealed in Christmas,
[00:11:20] but Christmas contains the truths of the gospel
[00:11:22] that also show that Jesus and what you do with him
[00:11:26] will determine your eternal destiny.
[00:11:29] And this gets to another aspect of the gospel,
[00:11:32] is that this is the way of salvation that God has provided.
[00:11:36] And it's an exclusive way.
[00:11:38] John 3.36 says,
[00:11:40] The one who believes in the Son has eternal life,
[00:11:44] but the one who rejects the Son will not see life.
[00:11:48] Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.
[00:11:55] So the one who believes in the Son has eternal life.
[00:11:59] The one who, again, entrusts themselves to the Son.
[00:12:04] You're no longer your own God or your own master.
[00:12:07] You're no longer trying to pretend as if you're not guilty before God
[00:12:12] and you haven't sinned.
[00:12:13] You're acknowledging that,
[00:12:14] and you're casting yourself upon the mercy of God found in Jesus Christ.
[00:12:19] And you are giving everything to him.
[00:12:22] And he is now your Lord.
[00:12:24] And you trust in him completely.
[00:12:25] That's what it means to believe in the Son.
[00:12:28] Those are the kind of people who Jesus says,
[00:12:31] have eternal life.
[00:12:33] But the one who rejects the Son will not see life.
[00:12:37] The one who refuses to acknowledge their sin.
[00:12:40] The one who wants nothing to do with Jesus.
[00:12:44] The one who wants to go their own way and live life on their own terms.
[00:12:48] These are people who will not see life.
[00:12:50] And even now, it says,
[00:12:53] the wrath of God remains on him or on such people.
[00:12:59] People in that spiritual condition,
[00:13:01] the wrath of God remains on them.
[00:13:05] So these are aspects of what it means to be confronted
[00:13:09] by the truths that are inherent in Christmas.
[00:13:15] Now, a lot of people might have some familiarity with those truths.
[00:13:19] But let's move on to talk about what are some barriers
[00:13:22] to understanding this message,
[00:13:25] especially around this time of year.
[00:13:28] Intellectual apathy and distraction are two barriers
[00:13:32] that can be present in people's lives
[00:13:35] to understanding the gospel message.
[00:13:39] So what is intellectual apathy?
[00:13:42] Doug Groteis, a Christian philosopher, gives a good example.
[00:13:45] And he says that apatheism rests on a benign indifference,
[00:13:51] refusing to become passionate about one's own beliefs
[00:13:54] or the beliefs of others.
[00:13:56] A person may have religious preferences,
[00:13:58] but they are not the engines of energetic commitment,
[00:14:03] or do they fuel controversy.
[00:14:06] So Groteis is saying basically that
[00:14:09] if you are intellectually apathetic
[00:14:12] about your religious beliefs,
[00:14:15] if you claim to be a Christian,
[00:14:18] if you are intellectually apathetic about that,
[00:14:20] that basically means that you don't take it that seriously.
[00:14:24] It's not really that driving of a force in your own life.
[00:14:29] It might be something that occasionally,
[00:14:31] if someone asks you what you believe in terms of religion,
[00:14:35] maybe you'll just say Christian,
[00:14:36] if you're filling out some form for school
[00:14:39] or something like that,
[00:14:41] and you have to identify with a particular religion,
[00:14:44] you might check the box Christian.
[00:14:47] There's all sorts of ways that intellectual apathy
[00:14:50] apathy can manifest itself in the life of someone
[00:14:53] who professes Christianity.
[00:14:55] But the core of it is that you're basically indifferent
[00:14:59] about what you claim to believe.
[00:15:01] You're not really passionate about it.
[00:15:03] It doesn't really affect your life that much.
[00:15:06] Maybe you show up at church a couple times a year.
[00:15:09] Maybe you attend church semi-regularly.
[00:15:12] But in the end,
[00:15:13] it's not really something you're engaged with on a deep level,
[00:15:16] and you're basically living your own life
[00:15:20] the way that you want to,
[00:15:21] and you're tacking Jesus onto it
[00:15:24] in some extraneous fashion.
[00:15:27] That's the idea here.
[00:15:29] And that's really a spiritually dangerous place to be,
[00:15:33] because what that ends up doing
[00:15:35] is that if that's your mindset,
[00:15:37] then you have not understood
[00:15:40] the truth of the gospel
[00:15:44] that's inherent in Christmas.
[00:15:45] You've not really come to a place
[00:15:47] where you understand how important it is
[00:15:50] to follow Jesus
[00:15:52] and the decision that you would make about that.
[00:15:57] But I think there's some reasons
[00:15:58] why people are captivated by intellectual apathy
[00:16:01] or why it's gotten a hole in their life.
[00:16:04] And I think at least a couple reasons we can say.
[00:16:07] One would be a lack of care about truth.
[00:16:10] So sometimes this manifests itself
[00:16:12] in the attitude that
[00:16:13] there is a doubt that truth can be known,
[00:16:16] especially in the area of religion.
[00:16:19] It's the idea that
[00:16:21] people just believe what they're going to believe,
[00:16:23] and no one is really right or wrong,
[00:16:26] as long as you just have some sort of faith
[00:16:28] or religious belief.
[00:16:30] That's the thing that matters.
[00:16:32] And everybody should just be able to believe
[00:16:34] what they want to believe,
[00:16:35] and no one is really right or wrong.
[00:16:37] This is more about just preferences.
[00:16:41] So if that's the attitude that you hold
[00:16:43] about religious belief,
[00:16:45] then of course when it comes to Christianity,
[00:16:49] if you profess Christianity,
[00:16:51] then you're going to think about
[00:16:53] your Christian faith that way.
[00:16:54] You're going to think
[00:16:55] it is just something that's private,
[00:16:57] that it doesn't really affect
[00:17:00] the rest of your life.
[00:17:01] It certainly is not something
[00:17:03] that you believe is true
[00:17:06] in the sense that
[00:17:07] if other people don't believe it,
[00:17:08] then they're mistaken
[00:17:10] about the most important things.
[00:17:12] And that kind of attitude
[00:17:13] really leads to the place
[00:17:14] where you aren't really concerned
[00:17:17] about something being true in religion.
[00:17:21] So a lack of care about truth
[00:17:24] can feed intellectual apathy,
[00:17:26] because if you believe truth can't be known
[00:17:28] in the area of religion,
[00:17:30] then your own religious beliefs
[00:17:32] that you adopt,
[00:17:33] you aren't going to have
[00:17:34] really a firm commitment
[00:17:35] that it's really true.
[00:17:36] It's going to be more of a cultural,
[00:17:38] social thing that you're involved in.
[00:17:41] And so when it comes to Christmastime,
[00:17:42] Christmastime is going to be tradition.
[00:17:44] It's going to be mirror tradition
[00:17:48] or attending church services
[00:17:50] and things like that.
[00:17:51] But it's not really something
[00:17:52] that you would say is true truth.
[00:17:55] It's not something
[00:17:56] that is going to grip your life
[00:17:59] in a deep way.
[00:17:59] It's going to be something
[00:18:01] private, traditional, cultural,
[00:18:03] and that's kind of all
[00:18:05] that it's going to amount to.
[00:18:07] Another part of this, I think,
[00:18:09] that feeds intellectual apathy
[00:18:10] is a lack of intellectual virtue.
[00:18:14] And this in turn can be fueled
[00:18:16] by distraction.
[00:18:19] Intellectual virtues are,
[00:18:21] they're like moral virtues.
[00:18:23] Moral virtues are things, of course,
[00:18:25] like honesty and integrity
[00:18:27] and faithfulness
[00:18:29] and selflessness
[00:18:31] and things like that.
[00:18:33] So moral virtues may be more familiar
[00:18:36] than intellectual virtues.
[00:18:38] Intellectual virtues are things like
[00:18:39] a care for the truth,
[00:18:42] studiousness,
[00:18:44] a desire to put effort
[00:18:46] into seeking what is true.
[00:18:50] And there's a lot of different
[00:18:51] intellectual virtues.
[00:18:53] But if you have a lack
[00:18:55] of intellectual virtue,
[00:18:57] then you're going to have
[00:18:59] a lack of care about truth.
[00:19:00] You are not going to think
[00:19:02] it's important to spend time
[00:19:03] going deeper
[00:19:05] in what you say you believe.
[00:19:07] It's going to stay very surfacy.
[00:19:09] And you're going to be a lot more prone
[00:19:11] to distraction
[00:19:12] from important questions.
[00:19:14] So a lack of intellectual virtue
[00:19:16] is also going to be
[00:19:18] a possible reason
[00:19:20] for a lack of care about truth.
[00:19:23] Another motivator,
[00:19:24] a possible motivator
[00:19:25] for intellectual apathy
[00:19:27] would be a desire
[00:19:28] to be tolerant of others.
[00:19:30] And this can sometimes manifest
[00:19:32] in a pluralistic attitude
[00:19:34] towards religion.
[00:19:35] So on this view,
[00:19:38] not caring about the truthfulness
[00:19:40] of religious beliefs
[00:19:41] is a way to avoid controversy.
[00:19:45] It's a way to avoid
[00:19:46] serious engagement
[00:19:48] with other people
[00:19:48] on the most important questions.
[00:19:50] So if you're going to be
[00:19:51] tolerant of other people
[00:19:53] on this perspective,
[00:19:54] it means that you're not really
[00:19:56] going to talk about
[00:19:57] religious beliefs.
[00:19:59] You're not going to talk about
[00:20:00] what is true
[00:20:02] or if a certain religion
[00:20:05] is true
[00:20:05] or if there can be
[00:20:07] such a thing
[00:20:08] as a true religion.
[00:20:10] You're not going to view
[00:20:12] Christmastime
[00:20:12] as a time when
[00:20:13] claims are being made
[00:20:15] about the most important questions
[00:20:18] like about God
[00:20:19] and about salvation
[00:20:22] and about human sin
[00:20:23] and the way that we can be
[00:20:26] made right with God
[00:20:27] and those sorts of questions.
[00:20:29] So if you have a desire
[00:20:31] to be tolerant
[00:20:32] towards other people,
[00:20:33] if you think being tolerant
[00:20:34] means accepting the idea
[00:20:37] that there cannot be
[00:20:40] a true way
[00:20:42] that the world is
[00:20:43] or a true religion,
[00:20:44] then that can fuel
[00:20:45] intellectual apathy
[00:20:48] because that basically means
[00:20:49] that you're going to look at
[00:20:50] all the beliefs
[00:20:51] that are out there
[00:20:53] in the different religions
[00:20:54] and even secular viewpoints
[00:20:56] and you're just going to think
[00:20:59] it's going to go back
[00:21:00] to that idea
[00:21:00] that well,
[00:21:02] in the realm of religion,
[00:21:03] we can't really know
[00:21:04] which one's true
[00:21:05] and religion is more
[00:21:06] of a private affair anyways.
[00:21:08] So we shouldn't really
[00:21:09] get into discussions
[00:21:10] about what's true
[00:21:11] and what isn't
[00:21:12] because we can't really
[00:21:13] know such a thing
[00:21:14] and that's really just
[00:21:16] being arrogant
[00:21:16] and it's not being
[00:21:17] very tolerant
[00:21:18] of other people.
[00:21:19] So that kind of perspective
[00:21:21] can also fuel
[00:21:23] intellectual apathy.
[00:21:25] So I want to also look
[00:21:27] at the idea
[00:21:28] of distraction.
[00:21:30] So we have
[00:21:31] intellectual apathy
[00:21:32] that can be one barrier
[00:21:33] to the gospel
[00:21:34] because you're not
[00:21:35] seeking what is true.
[00:21:37] You don't have
[00:21:38] a serious commitment
[00:21:39] to seeking what's true
[00:21:40] and living your life
[00:21:41] by it.
[00:21:42] You're just kind of
[00:21:42] going along
[00:21:43] with what
[00:21:44] maybe you're familiar
[00:21:45] with
[00:21:46] and not really
[00:21:46] engaging with it
[00:21:47] deeply.
[00:21:49] Distraction
[00:21:51] can go along
[00:21:52] with intellectual apathy.
[00:21:53] To unpack the idea
[00:21:55] of distraction
[00:21:55] in this way
[00:21:56] I want to look
[00:21:57] at a passage
[00:21:58] from one of
[00:21:59] C.S. Lewis' books
[00:22:00] called
[00:22:00] The Screwtape Letters
[00:22:01] and that is
[00:22:03] such a great book
[00:22:03] and the idea
[00:22:05] behind it
[00:22:06] is that you have
[00:22:07] an imaginative
[00:22:10] scenario
[00:22:11] that Lewis writes about
[00:22:12] where there is
[00:22:14] an older demon
[00:22:15] writing to
[00:22:16] a younger demon
[00:22:17] about
[00:22:17] how to
[00:22:19] tempt people
[00:22:20] and lead people
[00:22:21] astray from God
[00:22:23] to keep people
[00:22:24] away from
[00:22:26] understanding
[00:22:26] the truth of the gospel
[00:22:28] that we've been
[00:22:29] talking about
[00:22:30] and this passage
[00:22:32] that I'm going to read
[00:22:33] does a great job
[00:22:34] of
[00:22:35] showing
[00:22:36] how we can
[00:22:37] become distracted
[00:22:38] from the most
[00:22:39] important questions
[00:22:40] and issues
[00:22:41] because we're just
[00:22:42] so focused
[00:22:43] on what's right
[00:22:44] in front of
[00:22:45] us
[00:22:46] at the moment.
[00:22:47] We can become
[00:22:48] people who
[00:22:49] don't think
[00:22:50] beyond
[00:22:50] the immediate
[00:22:51] moment
[00:22:52] that we're in.
[00:22:54] We don't really
[00:22:55] think deeply
[00:22:56] about our lives
[00:22:57] and we don't
[00:22:58] think deeply
[00:22:59] about
[00:22:59] what we believe
[00:23:01] and this keeps
[00:23:02] us from
[00:23:03] reflecting
[00:23:04] seriously
[00:23:05] upon
[00:23:05] the truths
[00:23:07] that
[00:23:07] are to be
[00:23:09] found
[00:23:09] in the
[00:23:10] Christmas story
[00:23:12] as we read it
[00:23:12] in the Bible.
[00:23:14] Everything that we've
[00:23:14] mentioned up to
[00:23:15] this point.
[00:23:15] So I'm just going
[00:23:16] to read this passage
[00:23:17] from the Screwtape
[00:23:18] letters and then
[00:23:18] make a few
[00:23:19] comments about it.
[00:23:24] So in context here
[00:23:25] this is an older
[00:23:27] demon named
[00:23:27] Screwtape
[00:23:28] writing to a
[00:23:28] younger demon
[00:23:29] named Wormwood
[00:23:30] giving him
[00:23:30] advice on
[00:23:31] how to
[00:23:32] keep
[00:23:33] a man
[00:23:34] away
[00:23:35] from
[00:23:35] understanding
[00:23:36] the truths
[00:23:36] of the gospel.
[00:23:38] And when he
[00:23:39] uses the
[00:23:39] term
[00:23:40] the enemy
[00:23:40] here
[00:23:41] he's talking
[00:23:41] about
[00:23:42] God.
[00:23:44] So
[00:23:45] Lewis writes
[00:23:46] the trouble
[00:23:47] about
[00:23:47] argument
[00:23:48] is that
[00:23:48] it moves
[00:23:49] the whole
[00:23:49] struggle
[00:23:50] onto the
[00:23:50] enemy's
[00:23:51] own
[00:23:51] ground.
[00:23:52] He can
[00:23:52] argue
[00:23:53] too.
[00:23:54] Whereas
[00:23:54] in really
[00:23:55] practical
[00:23:55] propaganda
[00:23:56] of the
[00:23:57] kind
[00:23:57] I'm
[00:23:57] suggesting
[00:23:58] he has
[00:23:59] been shown
[00:23:59] for centuries
[00:24:00] to be
[00:24:00] greatly
[00:24:01] the
[00:24:01] inferior
[00:24:01] of our
[00:24:02] father
[00:24:03] below.
[00:24:04] By the
[00:24:05] very act
[00:24:06] of arguing
[00:24:06] you awake
[00:24:07] the patient's
[00:24:08] reason
[00:24:09] and once
[00:24:10] it is awake
[00:24:10] who can
[00:24:11] foresee
[00:24:11] the result?
[00:24:13] Even if
[00:24:14] a particular
[00:24:14] train of
[00:24:15] thought
[00:24:15] can be
[00:24:15] twisted
[00:24:16] so as
[00:24:17] to end
[00:24:17] in our
[00:24:17] favor
[00:24:18] you will
[00:24:19] find that
[00:24:19] you have
[00:24:19] been
[00:24:20] strengthening
[00:24:20] in your
[00:24:21] patient
[00:24:21] the fatal
[00:24:22] habit
[00:24:23] of attending
[00:24:24] to
[00:24:24] universal
[00:24:25] issues
[00:24:26] and
[00:24:27] withdrawing
[00:24:27] his
[00:24:27] attention
[00:24:28] from the
[00:24:29] stream
[00:24:29] of
[00:24:30] immediate
[00:24:30] sense
[00:24:31] experiences.
[00:24:32] Your
[00:24:33] business
[00:24:34] is to
[00:24:34] fix
[00:24:35] his
[00:24:36] attention
[00:24:36] on the
[00:24:37] stream.
[00:24:38] Teach
[00:24:39] him to
[00:24:39] call it
[00:24:40] real life
[00:24:41] and don't
[00:24:42] let him
[00:24:42] ask what
[00:24:43] he means
[00:24:43] by real.
[00:24:45] Remember,
[00:24:46] he is not
[00:24:46] like you
[00:24:47] a pure
[00:24:47] spirit.
[00:24:48] Never having
[00:24:49] been a
[00:24:49] human,
[00:24:50] oh that
[00:24:51] abominable
[00:24:52] advantage
[00:24:52] of the
[00:24:52] enemies,
[00:24:53] you don't
[00:24:54] realize how
[00:24:55] enslaved they
[00:24:55] are to
[00:24:56] the pressure
[00:24:56] of the
[00:24:57] ordinary.
[00:24:59] I once
[00:24:59] had a
[00:25:00] patient,
[00:25:00] a sound
[00:25:01] atheist,
[00:25:01] who used
[00:25:02] to read
[00:25:02] in the
[00:25:03] Metropolitan
[00:25:03] Library.
[00:25:05] One day
[00:25:05] as he
[00:25:06] sat
[00:25:06] reading,
[00:25:06] I saw
[00:25:07] a train
[00:25:07] of thought
[00:25:08] in his
[00:25:08] mind
[00:25:08] beginning
[00:25:09] to go
[00:25:09] the wrong
[00:25:10] way.
[00:25:11] The enemy,
[00:25:12] of course,
[00:25:12] was at his
[00:25:12] elbow in
[00:25:13] a moment.
[00:25:13] Before I
[00:25:14] knew where
[00:25:15] I was,
[00:25:15] I saw
[00:25:16] my 20
[00:25:16] years'
[00:25:17] work beginning
[00:25:18] to totter.
[00:25:19] If I had
[00:25:20] lost my
[00:25:21] head and
[00:25:21] begun to
[00:25:22] attempt a
[00:25:22] defense by
[00:25:23] argument,
[00:25:23] I should
[00:25:24] have been
[00:25:24] undone.
[00:25:26] But I
[00:25:26] was not
[00:25:26] such a
[00:25:27] fool.
[00:25:28] I struck
[00:25:28] instantly at
[00:25:29] the part
[00:25:30] of the
[00:25:30] man which
[00:25:30] I had
[00:25:31] best under
[00:25:32] my control
[00:25:32] and suggested
[00:25:33] that it
[00:25:34] was just
[00:25:34] about time
[00:25:35] he had
[00:25:35] some lunch.
[00:25:37] The enemy
[00:25:38] presumably
[00:25:38] made the
[00:25:39] counter-suggestion,
[00:25:40] you know
[00:25:41] how one
[00:25:41] can never
[00:25:41] quite
[00:25:42] overhear
[00:25:42] what he
[00:25:42] says to
[00:25:43] them,
[00:25:44] that this
[00:25:44] was more
[00:25:44] important
[00:25:45] than lunch.
[00:25:46] At least
[00:25:47] I think
[00:25:47] that must
[00:25:47] have been
[00:25:48] his line
[00:25:48] for when
[00:25:48] I said
[00:25:49] quite,
[00:25:50] in fact,
[00:25:50] much too
[00:25:51] important
[00:25:51] to tackle
[00:25:52] at the
[00:25:53] end of
[00:25:53] a morning.
[00:25:54] The patient
[00:25:55] had brightened
[00:25:55] up considerably
[00:25:56] and by
[00:25:56] the time
[00:25:57] I had
[00:25:57] added,
[00:25:58] much better
[00:25:58] to come
[00:25:59] back
[00:25:59] after lunch
[00:26:00] and go
[00:26:00] into it
[00:26:00] with a
[00:26:00] fresh mind.
[00:26:02] He was
[00:26:02] already
[00:26:03] halfway
[00:26:03] to the
[00:26:03] door.
[00:26:04] Once
[00:26:05] he was
[00:26:05] in the
[00:26:06] street,
[00:26:06] the battle
[00:26:07] was won.
[00:26:07] I showed
[00:26:08] him a
[00:26:09] newspaper
[00:26:09] boy
[00:26:09] shouting
[00:26:10] the
[00:26:10] midday
[00:26:10] paper
[00:26:11] and a
[00:26:11] number
[00:26:11] 73
[00:26:12] bus
[00:26:12] going
[00:26:13] past
[00:26:13] and
[00:26:14] before
[00:26:14] he
[00:26:14] reached
[00:26:14] the
[00:26:15] bottom
[00:26:29] of
[00:26:30] the
[00:26:37] life.
[00:26:39] So in
[00:26:39] that
[00:26:39] passage,
[00:26:40] you get
[00:26:40] the idea
[00:26:41] of this
[00:26:42] focus on
[00:26:43] the
[00:26:43] immediate
[00:26:44] stream
[00:26:44] of
[00:26:45] experience.
[00:26:46] It's
[00:26:47] the idea
[00:26:47] that you
[00:26:48] can think
[00:26:49] that the
[00:26:49] only important
[00:26:50] things,
[00:26:51] the only
[00:26:51] real
[00:26:52] things,
[00:26:52] the only
[00:26:53] things
[00:26:53] worth
[00:26:53] your
[00:26:54] focus
[00:26:55] and
[00:26:55] your
[00:26:55] time
[00:26:56] are
[00:26:57] the
[00:26:57] things
[00:26:58] that
[00:26:58] are
[00:26:58] immediately
[00:26:58] in front
[00:26:59] of you
[00:26:59] all your
[00:27:00] life.
[00:27:01] And you
[00:27:01] never take
[00:27:01] any time
[00:27:02] to think
[00:27:04] deeply
[00:27:04] and reflect
[00:27:05] upon
[00:27:05] ultimate
[00:27:06] issues
[00:27:07] like,
[00:27:08] who is
[00:27:08] God?
[00:27:09] And is
[00:27:09] there a
[00:27:09] God?
[00:27:10] And what
[00:27:10] is he
[00:27:10] like?
[00:27:11] And what
[00:27:12] do I
[00:27:13] do with
[00:27:13] my guilt?
[00:27:14] And what
[00:27:15] do I
[00:27:15] make of
[00:27:15] the Bible?
[00:27:16] And what
[00:27:17] do I
[00:27:17] make of
[00:27:17] Jesus
[00:27:17] in this
[00:27:19] account
[00:27:19] of his
[00:27:20] birth that
[00:27:21] we reflect
[00:27:21] upon or
[00:27:22] hear about
[00:27:23] at least
[00:27:23] to some
[00:27:23] degree
[00:27:24] during
[00:27:25] Christmas
[00:27:25] time?
[00:27:26] And
[00:27:26] Christmas
[00:27:27] time can
[00:27:27] be a
[00:27:28] time
[00:27:29] where
[00:27:29] instead
[00:27:30] of
[00:27:30] reflecting
[00:27:31] deeply
[00:27:31] on
[00:27:31] those
[00:27:32] things,
[00:27:32] you're
[00:27:32] so
[00:27:32] focused
[00:27:33] on
[00:27:33] the
[00:27:34] immediate
[00:27:34] stream
[00:27:34] of
[00:27:34] experience
[00:27:36] of
[00:27:36] all the
[00:27:37] activities
[00:27:37] that you're
[00:27:38] doing,
[00:27:38] of everything
[00:27:39] that's
[00:27:39] immediately
[00:27:40] in front
[00:27:40] of you
[00:27:40] that you
[00:27:41] never
[00:27:41] stop to
[00:27:41] slow down
[00:27:42] and deeply
[00:27:43] consider what
[00:27:44] you really
[00:27:45] believe and
[00:27:46] what's really
[00:27:46] true.
[00:27:47] And if you
[00:27:48] live your
[00:27:48] whole life
[00:27:49] that way,
[00:27:50] this is an
[00:27:51] illustration from
[00:27:52] Lewis just
[00:27:53] showing how if a
[00:27:54] person lives their
[00:27:55] whole life that
[00:27:56] way and they
[00:27:56] begin to think
[00:27:57] that the only
[00:27:58] things that are
[00:27:59] real or worth
[00:28:00] paying attention
[00:28:00] to are what's
[00:28:02] right in front
[00:28:02] of them all
[00:28:03] the time instead
[00:28:03] of thinking
[00:28:04] about ultimate
[00:28:06] issues and
[00:28:06] what's true,
[00:28:08] then that can
[00:28:09] be a significant
[00:28:10] barrier to
[00:28:11] someone understanding
[00:28:12] the truth of
[00:28:12] the gospel because
[00:28:13] they'll never give
[00:28:14] it serious
[00:28:15] thought and
[00:28:16] attention.
[00:28:17] So that is a
[00:28:19] way that you
[00:28:20] can be distracted
[00:28:20] during the
[00:28:21] Christmas season
[00:28:22] and really
[00:28:23] throughout your
[00:28:24] whole life.
[00:28:25] And that's not a
[00:28:26] good place to
[00:28:26] be.
[00:28:28] Now there's
[00:28:29] also another
[00:28:30] insight into this
[00:28:31] sort of thing
[00:28:32] from Blaise
[00:28:33] Pascal who
[00:28:34] was also a
[00:28:35] philosopher,
[00:28:37] he was a
[00:28:37] mathematician,
[00:28:38] he was a
[00:28:39] Christian,
[00:28:39] but he had a
[00:28:41] lot to say
[00:28:41] about diversion
[00:28:42] or distraction
[00:28:44] as an escape
[00:28:45] that we can
[00:28:46] use from the
[00:28:48] quest for
[00:28:48] truth.
[00:28:49] So Pascal
[00:28:51] had much to
[00:28:51] say about how
[00:28:52] people seek
[00:28:53] distraction to
[00:28:54] keep them from
[00:28:55] having to face
[00:28:56] ultimate matters
[00:28:56] of significance
[00:28:57] such as the
[00:28:58] meaning of
[00:28:58] life, the
[00:28:59] reality of death,
[00:29:00] and where true
[00:29:01] hope is to be
[00:29:02] found.
[00:29:02] And this is
[00:29:03] especially true
[00:29:04] in our day,
[00:29:05] in an age of
[00:29:06] social media,
[00:29:07] where people
[00:29:07] create their
[00:29:08] own online
[00:29:09] reality.
[00:29:10] And they have a
[00:29:11] constant stream
[00:29:12] of notifications,
[00:29:13] posts, and likes
[00:29:14] to review and
[00:29:16] manage, where
[00:29:17] there's endless
[00:29:17] sources of
[00:29:18] entertainment and
[00:29:19] media always at
[00:29:20] our fingertips.
[00:29:21] And you can
[00:29:22] just constantly
[00:29:23] fill your mind
[00:29:24] and your focus
[00:29:25] with those sorts
[00:29:26] of things and
[00:29:27] just live
[00:29:27] completely
[00:29:27] distracted,
[00:29:29] where you
[00:29:29] never slow
[00:29:30] down and
[00:29:32] think about
[00:29:33] matters of
[00:29:33] ultimate
[00:29:34] significance,
[00:29:36] like the
[00:29:36] meaning of
[00:29:37] life, the
[00:29:37] reality of
[00:29:38] death, and
[00:29:38] where true
[00:29:38] hope is to
[00:29:39] be found.
[00:29:41] Doug Groteis
[00:29:42] has another
[00:29:42] helpful reflection
[00:29:43] on this.
[00:29:44] And he says,
[00:29:46] Diversion serves
[00:29:47] to distract
[00:29:48] humans from
[00:29:49] a plight too
[00:29:50] terrible to
[00:29:51] encounter directly,
[00:29:52] namely our
[00:29:53] mortality, finitude,
[00:29:55] and failures.
[00:29:56] There is an
[00:29:57] inelectable
[00:29:57] tension between
[00:29:58] our aspirations
[00:29:59] and the reality
[00:30:00] of our lives.
[00:30:02] Pascal says,
[00:30:03] despite his
[00:30:03] afflictions,
[00:30:04] man wants to
[00:30:05] be happy,
[00:30:05] only wants to
[00:30:06] be happy,
[00:30:07] and cannot help
[00:30:08] wanting to
[00:30:09] be happy.
[00:30:10] But how shall
[00:30:11] he go about
[00:30:11] it?
[00:30:12] The best thing
[00:30:13] would be to
[00:30:14] make himself
[00:30:14] immortal, but
[00:30:15] as he cannot
[00:30:16] do that, he
[00:30:16] has decided to
[00:30:17] stop thinking
[00:30:18] about it.
[00:30:20] Pascal unmasks
[00:30:21] Diversion as
[00:30:22] an attempt to
[00:30:23] escape reality
[00:30:24] and an indication
[00:30:25] of something out
[00:30:26] of kilter in
[00:30:27] the human
[00:30:27] condition.
[00:30:28] An obsession
[00:30:29] with entertainment
[00:30:30] is more than
[00:30:31] silly or frivolous.
[00:30:33] It is, for
[00:30:34] Pascal, a
[00:30:35] revelatory of
[00:30:36] a moral and
[00:30:37] spiritual malaise.
[00:30:40] So what's the
[00:30:41] point of that?
[00:30:42] The point is
[00:30:42] that if you
[00:30:43] live your life
[00:30:44] just soaked
[00:30:45] in entertainment,
[00:30:46] media, and
[00:30:47] all sorts of
[00:30:47] distraction, and
[00:30:50] you never give
[00:30:50] serious thought to
[00:30:51] what you believe,
[00:30:52] you never give
[00:30:53] serious thought to
[00:30:53] things like your
[00:30:55] mortality, your
[00:30:56] desire for
[00:30:57] lasting hope
[00:30:58] and meaning,
[00:31:01] the guilt that
[00:31:02] you feel, the
[00:31:03] moral guilt that
[00:31:03] you feel, the
[00:31:04] person of
[00:31:05] Jesus Christ
[00:31:06] and the
[00:31:06] offer of
[00:31:07] forgiveness
[00:31:07] that is
[00:31:08] through him,
[00:31:09] the truth
[00:31:10] about religion,
[00:31:12] the truth
[00:31:12] about the
[00:31:13] Bible, just
[00:31:13] all these
[00:31:14] important
[00:31:14] questions that
[00:31:16] are raised to
[00:31:17] the surface by
[00:31:18] Christmas and
[00:31:20] what Christmas
[00:31:20] means.
[00:31:21] You can spend
[00:31:22] your whole life
[00:31:23] distracted from
[00:31:24] that.
[00:31:25] And Pascal
[00:31:26] had this insight
[00:31:27] that the reason
[00:31:28] people seek
[00:31:29] distraction from
[00:31:30] those questions
[00:31:30] is because
[00:31:31] they don't
[00:31:31] want to face
[00:31:32] them.
[00:31:34] And so
[00:31:35] he unmasked
[00:31:36] diversion or
[00:31:38] distraction as
[00:31:39] a way that
[00:31:40] people try to
[00:31:41] escape reality.
[00:31:42] And this
[00:31:43] type of
[00:31:45] behavior for
[00:31:46] Pascal showed
[00:31:47] that there was
[00:31:48] something wrong
[00:31:49] with us.
[00:31:51] There was
[00:31:51] something that
[00:31:52] wasn't right.
[00:31:53] It reveals that
[00:31:54] we have a
[00:31:55] moral and
[00:31:55] spiritual malaise,
[00:31:57] that we're not
[00:31:58] okay.
[00:31:58] because if we
[00:31:59] were okay,
[00:32:00] we wouldn't be
[00:32:01] trying to live
[00:32:02] lives of
[00:32:02] distraction.
[00:32:03] We would be
[00:32:04] perfectly content
[00:32:05] to pursue the
[00:32:07] truth of these
[00:32:08] questions instead
[00:32:10] of avoiding them.
[00:32:12] Now, certainly,
[00:32:13] this doesn't
[00:32:14] describe every
[00:32:15] single person,
[00:32:16] but there is a
[00:32:17] tendency in
[00:32:19] modern culture to
[00:32:20] live this way.
[00:32:20] And many people
[00:32:21] do live this
[00:32:22] way.
[00:32:23] They're constantly
[00:32:24] plugged in to
[00:32:24] entertainment, to
[00:32:26] social media.
[00:32:27] There's always
[00:32:28] something going,
[00:32:28] and they never
[00:32:29] have any moments
[00:32:30] where they think
[00:32:31] deeply about
[00:32:31] anything.
[00:32:32] And so, that
[00:32:33] life of
[00:32:34] distraction can
[00:32:36] be a significant
[00:32:37] barrier to
[00:32:38] understanding the
[00:32:39] truths of the
[00:32:40] gospel.
[00:32:41] So, we have
[00:32:41] intellectual apathy,
[00:32:43] which is harmful
[00:32:44] to us spiritually
[00:32:45] because it
[00:32:46] reflects a lack
[00:32:47] of care about
[00:32:48] the truth.
[00:32:49] It reflects a
[00:32:50] lack of
[00:32:50] intellectual
[00:32:51] virtue.
[00:32:51] It reflects
[00:32:53] just an
[00:32:55] indifference to
[00:32:55] the most important
[00:32:56] questions.
[00:32:57] And Christmas
[00:32:58] raises the
[00:32:59] most important
[00:33:00] questions.
[00:33:01] The account
[00:33:01] about Jesus
[00:33:02] and his life
[00:33:03] and his birth
[00:33:04] and why he
[00:33:04] came, that
[00:33:05] all raises
[00:33:06] the most
[00:33:07] important questions
[00:33:08] that all of
[00:33:09] us face,
[00:33:10] which is,
[00:33:11] who is God?
[00:33:12] Is there a
[00:33:13] God?
[00:33:13] Does God
[00:33:14] care about
[00:33:15] us?
[00:33:15] Is there
[00:33:15] ultimate hope?
[00:33:16] What do we
[00:33:17] do with our
[00:33:17] guilt?
[00:33:18] Who is
[00:33:19] Jesus Christ?
[00:33:20] Is there
[00:33:21] life after
[00:33:22] death?
[00:33:22] death?
[00:33:23] The gospel
[00:33:24] answers all
[00:33:25] of those
[00:33:25] things.
[00:33:26] So, if
[00:33:27] you're apathetic
[00:33:28] about seeking
[00:33:29] answers to
[00:33:29] those things,
[00:33:30] then you're not
[00:33:30] going to take
[00:33:31] the gospel
[00:33:31] seriously and
[00:33:32] you're not
[00:33:32] going to
[00:33:32] understand it.
[00:33:34] Likewise, if
[00:33:35] you're living a
[00:33:35] life of
[00:33:35] distraction,
[00:33:37] focused on
[00:33:37] the immediate
[00:33:38] stream of
[00:33:39] experience,
[00:33:40] like we saw
[00:33:40] from Lewis or
[00:33:42] like we saw
[00:33:42] from Pascal,
[00:33:44] living a life
[00:33:44] of diversion as
[00:33:45] an escape from
[00:33:46] the quest for
[00:33:47] truth,
[00:33:48] neither of those
[00:33:48] places are where
[00:33:49] you want to
[00:33:50] be.
[00:33:52] But the
[00:33:52] gospel, a
[00:33:54] proper understanding
[00:33:55] of it, provides
[00:33:56] an antidote to
[00:33:58] intellectual apathy,
[00:33:59] and it provides
[00:34:00] an antidote to
[00:34:01] distraction.
[00:34:02] So, how does
[00:34:03] that work?
[00:34:04] Well, first
[00:34:05] all, life with
[00:34:06] Jesus engages
[00:34:07] both the mind
[00:34:08] and the heart.
[00:34:09] Because you
[00:34:10] can't be
[00:34:11] intellectually
[00:34:11] apathetic and
[00:34:12] at the same
[00:34:13] time be
[00:34:14] growing as
[00:34:15] a Christian.
[00:34:16] If you're
[00:34:17] someone who
[00:34:18] says that
[00:34:18] you're a
[00:34:18] Christian,
[00:34:19] and that
[00:34:20] you're
[00:34:20] seeking after
[00:34:21] God,
[00:34:21] you cannot
[00:34:22] be
[00:34:22] intellectually
[00:34:24] apathetic.
[00:34:25] You can
[00:34:26] be someone
[00:34:26] who gives
[00:34:27] lip service
[00:34:28] to the idea
[00:34:28] of being
[00:34:29] a Christian,
[00:34:29] but you
[00:34:30] can't
[00:34:30] really be
[00:34:31] a follower
[00:34:31] of Jesus
[00:34:32] and be
[00:34:32] intellectually
[00:34:33] apathetic.
[00:34:35] And the
[00:34:36] reason is
[00:34:36] because God
[00:34:38] has revealed
[00:34:38] himself both
[00:34:39] in the world
[00:34:40] that he's
[00:34:40] made and
[00:34:41] in his
[00:34:41] word,
[00:34:42] and Christians
[00:34:42] are people
[00:34:43] who seek
[00:34:44] to know
[00:34:44] God.
[00:34:45] They're
[00:34:45] people who
[00:34:46] seek to
[00:34:46] engage with
[00:34:47] God
[00:34:48] personally.
[00:34:49] and that
[00:34:50] involves
[00:34:50] both your
[00:34:51] mind and
[00:34:52] your heart.
[00:34:52] He's revealed
[00:34:53] himself in
[00:34:54] a book,
[00:34:55] in the
[00:34:55] Bible.
[00:34:55] You have
[00:34:56] to read
[00:34:56] the Bible
[00:34:57] and engage
[00:34:57] with the
[00:34:58] things the
[00:34:59] Bible says.
[00:35:00] Seek to
[00:35:00] understand it.
[00:35:01] Seek to
[00:35:01] learn about it.
[00:35:02] And then seek
[00:35:02] to understand
[00:35:02] how those
[00:35:03] truths connect
[00:35:04] with your
[00:35:05] daily life.
[00:35:06] You can't
[00:35:07] be intellectually
[00:35:07] apathetic and
[00:35:09] do that at the
[00:35:09] same time.
[00:35:11] in Romans 12
[00:35:12] 2,
[00:35:13] we're called
[00:35:14] to be
[00:35:14] transformed
[00:35:15] by the
[00:35:15] renewing
[00:35:16] of our
[00:35:16] minds.
[00:35:17] That means
[00:35:18] that you're
[00:35:19] not thinking
[00:35:20] like you
[00:35:21] were before
[00:35:22] you knew
[00:35:23] Jesus,
[00:35:23] before you
[00:35:24] were a
[00:35:24] Christian.
[00:35:25] If you
[00:35:25] say that
[00:35:25] you're a
[00:35:26] Christian and
[00:35:27] that you
[00:35:27] follow Jesus
[00:35:28] and you've
[00:35:28] entrusted
[00:35:29] yourself to
[00:35:29] him,
[00:35:30] then you
[00:35:30] think
[00:35:31] differently
[00:35:33] from
[00:35:34] people who
[00:35:35] don't
[00:35:36] follow him.
[00:35:37] that's why
[00:35:38] those who
[00:35:39] follow Jesus
[00:35:39] are called
[00:35:40] disciples.
[00:35:41] They're
[00:35:41] learners.
[00:35:42] They seek
[00:35:43] to pattern
[00:35:44] their lives
[00:35:44] and their
[00:35:45] thinking
[00:35:45] after what
[00:35:46] Jesus said
[00:35:47] was true.
[00:35:48] And they
[00:35:48] take that
[00:35:49] seriously.
[00:35:49] So,
[00:35:50] you're
[00:35:50] transformed
[00:35:51] by the
[00:35:51] renewing
[00:35:52] of your
[00:35:52] mind.
[00:35:53] As your
[00:35:53] thinking
[00:35:55] is renewed,
[00:35:56] then you
[00:35:57] learn to
[00:35:57] discern
[00:35:58] what is
[00:35:59] the good,
[00:35:59] pleasing,
[00:35:59] and perfect
[00:36:00] will of
[00:36:01] God.
[00:36:01] That's
[00:36:01] the end
[00:36:02] part of
[00:36:02] that verse
[00:36:03] in Romans
[00:36:04] 12,
[00:36:04] 2.
[00:36:05] So,
[00:36:06] you
[00:36:07] can't
[00:36:07] be
[00:36:07] intellectually
[00:36:08] apathetic
[00:36:08] and be
[00:36:09] growing
[00:36:09] as a
[00:36:09] Christian.
[00:36:11] And you
[00:36:11] can't
[00:36:11] be
[00:36:12] someone
[00:36:12] who
[00:36:12] fails
[00:36:12] to
[00:36:12] care
[00:36:13] about
[00:36:13] truth
[00:36:14] and
[00:36:14] yet
[00:36:14] be
[00:36:15] growing
[00:36:15] as
[00:36:15] a
[00:36:15] Christian.
[00:36:16] Jesus
[00:36:17] said,
[00:36:17] I am
[00:36:17] the way
[00:36:18] the truth
[00:36:18] and the
[00:36:18] life,
[00:36:19] and no
[00:36:19] one
[00:36:19] comes
[00:36:19] to
[00:36:20] the
[00:36:20] Father
[00:36:20] except
[00:36:20] through
[00:36:21] me.
[00:36:21] Jesus
[00:36:22] is
[00:36:22] the
[00:36:22] truth.
[00:36:23] And if
[00:36:23] you're
[00:36:23] a
[00:36:23] person
[00:36:24] who
[00:36:24] has
[00:36:24] devoted
[00:36:24] your
[00:36:24] life
[00:36:25] to
[00:36:25] him
[00:36:25] and
[00:36:25] you're
[00:36:26] seeking
[00:36:26] him,
[00:36:27] then you
[00:36:28] will
[00:36:28] naturally
[00:36:28] be a
[00:36:29] truth
[00:36:29] seeker.
[00:36:30] So,
[00:36:31] life with
[00:36:31] Jesus
[00:36:32] engages
[00:36:32] the
[00:36:33] mind
[00:36:33] and
[00:36:33] the
[00:36:33] heart.
[00:36:34] That's
[00:36:35] one way
[00:36:35] in which
[00:36:35] the gospel
[00:36:36] is an
[00:36:37] antidote
[00:36:37] to
[00:36:37] intellectual
[00:36:38] apathy
[00:36:38] and
[00:36:39] distraction.
[00:36:40] Another
[00:36:41] way is
[00:36:42] that
[00:36:42] life
[00:36:42] with
[00:36:42] Jesus
[00:36:42] focuses
[00:36:43] the
[00:36:43] Christian
[00:36:44] on
[00:36:44] what
[00:36:44] matters
[00:36:45] most.
[00:36:46] So,
[00:36:46] that's
[00:36:47] another
[00:36:47] part
[00:36:47] of
[00:36:49] combating
[00:36:50] this
[00:36:50] life
[00:36:51] of
[00:36:51] distraction
[00:36:52] because
[00:36:53] a
[00:36:53] life
[00:36:53] of
[00:36:53] distraction
[00:36:56] presupposes
[00:36:56] that you're
[00:36:57] distracted
[00:36:57] from
[00:36:58] something.
[00:36:59] You can't
[00:37:00] be
[00:37:00] distracted
[00:37:01] unless
[00:37:01] you're
[00:37:01] distracted
[00:37:02] from
[00:37:02] something.
[00:37:03] So,
[00:37:04] if you
[00:37:04] are
[00:37:04] living
[00:37:05] a
[00:37:05] life
[00:37:05] of
[00:37:05] spiritual
[00:37:06] distraction,
[00:37:06] you are
[00:37:07] spiritually
[00:37:08] distracted
[00:37:08] from
[00:37:09] the
[00:37:09] most
[00:37:09] important
[00:37:09] things.
[00:37:10] Things
[00:37:11] that
[00:37:11] you
[00:37:11] should
[00:37:11] be
[00:37:11] focusing
[00:37:12] on
[00:37:12] and
[00:37:13] basing
[00:37:13] your
[00:37:14] life
[00:37:14] on.
[00:37:15] And
[00:37:15] life
[00:37:16] with
[00:37:16] Jesus,
[00:37:16] life
[00:37:16] as a
[00:37:17] Christian,
[00:37:17] focuses
[00:37:18] you
[00:37:18] on
[00:37:19] what
[00:37:19] matters
[00:37:19] most.
[00:37:20] It
[00:37:21] gives
[00:37:21] you
[00:37:21] an
[00:37:21] eternal
[00:37:22] perspective.
[00:37:22] Jesus
[00:37:23] said,
[00:37:24] what
[00:37:24] will it
[00:37:24] benefit
[00:37:24] someone
[00:37:25] if
[00:37:26] he
[00:37:26] gains
[00:37:27] the
[00:37:27] whole
[00:37:27] world
[00:37:30] and
[00:37:30] yet
[00:37:31] loses
[00:37:31] his
[00:37:32] life?
[00:37:33] Matthew
[00:37:33] 16
[00:37:34] 26.
[00:37:35] What
[00:37:36] will it
[00:37:36] benefit
[00:37:36] someone
[00:37:37] if
[00:37:37] he
[00:37:37] gains
[00:37:38] the
[00:37:38] entire
[00:37:38] world
[00:37:39] yet
[00:37:40] loses
[00:37:41] his
[00:37:42] life?
[00:37:43] And
[00:37:44] the
[00:37:44] answer
[00:37:44] is that
[00:37:45] ultimately
[00:37:45] that
[00:37:46] won't
[00:37:46] benefit
[00:37:46] you
[00:37:47] at
[00:37:47] all
[00:37:47] in
[00:37:48] the
[00:37:48] long
[00:37:48] run
[00:37:49] because
[00:37:49] the
[00:37:50] stuff
[00:37:50] of
[00:37:50] this
[00:37:50] life
[00:37:51] is
[00:37:51] temporary.
[00:37:51] So
[00:37:52] if
[00:37:52] you
[00:37:52] gain
[00:37:53] everything
[00:37:54] that
[00:37:54] this
[00:37:54] life
[00:37:54] can
[00:37:55] offer
[00:37:55] and
[00:37:55] yet
[00:37:56] you
[00:37:56] lose
[00:37:56] out
[00:37:56] on
[00:37:57] what's
[00:37:57] most
[00:37:57] important
[00:37:58] which
[00:37:58] is
[00:37:58] eternal
[00:37:59] life,
[00:38:00] knowing
[00:38:01] God,
[00:38:01] then
[00:38:02] you
[00:38:02] really
[00:38:02] haven't
[00:38:02] gained
[00:38:03] anything.
[00:38:04] You
[00:38:04] had
[00:38:04] something
[00:38:04] for a
[00:38:05] little
[00:38:05] while
[00:38:05] and
[00:38:05] then
[00:38:06] it
[00:38:06] was
[00:38:06] gone
[00:38:06] but
[00:38:06] you
[00:38:06] missed
[00:38:07] out
[00:38:07] on
[00:38:07] what
[00:38:07] was
[00:38:07] most
[00:38:07] important.
[00:38:08] That's
[00:38:09] what
[00:38:09] Jesus
[00:38:09] means.
[00:38:11] And
[00:38:11] that
[00:38:11] was
[00:38:11] in the
[00:38:11] context
[00:38:12] of
[00:38:12] Jesus'
[00:38:13] call
[00:38:13] for
[00:38:13] his
[00:38:14] disciples,
[00:38:14] those
[00:38:14] who
[00:38:15] follow
[00:38:15] him,
[00:38:16] to
[00:38:16] deny
[00:38:16] themselves,
[00:38:17] take
[00:38:18] up
[00:38:18] their
[00:38:18] cross
[00:38:19] and
[00:38:20] follow
[00:38:20] him.
[00:38:21] Following
[00:38:22] Jesus
[00:38:22] is a
[00:38:23] life
[00:38:23] of
[00:38:23] self-denial.
[00:38:24] It
[00:38:25] is laying
[00:38:25] down
[00:38:25] your own
[00:38:26] life
[00:38:26] and
[00:38:27] choosing
[00:38:27] him
[00:38:32] and
[00:38:32] when
[00:38:33] that
[00:38:33] is
[00:38:33] your
[00:38:33] focus
[00:38:33] you
[00:38:34] have
[00:38:34] an
[00:38:34] eternal
[00:38:34] perspective
[00:38:35] so
[00:38:35] you
[00:38:36] are
[00:38:36] focused
[00:38:36] on
[00:38:36] what
[00:38:37] matters
[00:38:37] most.
[00:38:38] You're
[00:38:38] not
[00:38:38] sidetracked
[00:38:39] by what
[00:38:40] is
[00:38:40] temporary
[00:38:40] and
[00:38:41] what
[00:38:41] doesn't
[00:38:41] last.
[00:38:43] Elsewhere
[00:38:43] Jesus
[00:38:43] talked
[00:38:44] about
[00:38:44] storing
[00:38:44] up
[00:38:45] treasures
[00:38:45] in
[00:38:45] heaven
[00:38:45] and
[00:38:46] everything
[00:38:47] of
[00:38:48] earth
[00:38:48] is
[00:38:49] vulnerable
[00:38:49] to
[00:38:50] destruction
[00:38:50] and
[00:38:51] corruption
[00:38:52] and
[00:38:52] it's
[00:38:53] temporary
[00:38:54] and
[00:38:54] it
[00:38:54] has
[00:38:55] its
[00:38:55] place
[00:38:55] but
[00:38:55] it's
[00:38:56] not
[00:38:56] what
[00:38:56] you're
[00:38:57] living
[00:38:57] for.
[00:38:57] Life
[00:38:57] is
[00:38:57] more
[00:38:58] than
[00:38:58] food
[00:38:58] and
[00:38:59] the
[00:38:59] body
[00:38:59] is
[00:38:59] more
[00:38:59] than
[00:38:59] clothing
[00:39:00] he
[00:39:00] says
[00:39:00] elsewhere
[00:39:01] illustrating
[00:39:02] the
[00:39:02] same
[00:39:02] type
[00:39:03] of
[00:39:03] point.
[00:39:04] So
[00:39:04] an
[00:39:04] eternal
[00:39:04] perspective
[00:39:05] life
[00:39:06] with
[00:39:06] Jesus
[00:39:07] gives
[00:39:07] you
[00:39:07] an
[00:39:07] eternal
[00:39:07] perspective
[00:39:08] and
[00:39:09] helps
[00:39:09] you
[00:39:09] cultivate
[00:39:10] an
[00:39:10] eternal
[00:39:10] perspective
[00:39:12] and
[00:39:12] just
[00:39:13] to
[00:39:13] bring out
[00:39:13] that
[00:39:13] other
[00:39:14] point
[00:39:14] more
[00:39:15] a
[00:39:15] recognition
[00:39:16] that
[00:39:16] the
[00:39:16] stuff
[00:39:16] of
[00:39:16] this
[00:39:17] world
[00:39:17] is
[00:39:17] temporary
[00:39:17] and
[00:39:18] that
[00:39:18] living
[00:39:19] for
[00:39:19] the
[00:39:19] mere
[00:39:19] pleasures
[00:39:19] of
[00:39:20] earth
[00:39:20] is
[00:39:20] a
[00:39:20] dead
[00:39:21] end
[00:39:21] that's
[00:39:21] also
[00:39:22] something
[00:39:22] that
[00:39:23] when
[00:39:23] you
[00:39:23] come
[00:39:23] to
[00:39:23] know
[00:39:24] Jesus
[00:39:25] you
[00:39:25] see
[00:39:25] that
[00:39:25] that's
[00:39:26] true
[00:39:26] everything
[00:39:27] in
[00:39:27] this
[00:39:27] life
[00:39:27] is
[00:39:27] temporary
[00:39:29] doesn't
[00:39:29] mean
[00:39:29] that
[00:39:29] stuff
[00:39:30] in
[00:39:30] this
[00:39:30] life
[00:39:30] is
[00:39:30] bad
[00:39:32] it
[00:39:32] just
[00:39:32] means
[00:39:33] that
[00:39:33] everything
[00:39:34] in
[00:39:34] this
[00:39:34] life
[00:39:35] is
[00:39:35] temporary
[00:39:35] and
[00:39:35] that
[00:39:36] if
[00:39:36] you're
[00:39:36] basing
[00:39:36] your
[00:39:37] life
[00:39:37] on
[00:39:37] what
[00:39:37] is
[00:39:37] temporary
[00:39:38] you've
[00:39:38] missed
[00:39:38] on
[00:39:39] what
[00:39:39] is
[00:39:40] lasting
[00:39:40] and
[00:39:40] most
[00:39:40] important
[00:39:41] and
[00:39:42] if
[00:39:42] you're
[00:39:42] someone
[00:39:42] who
[00:39:43] is
[00:39:43] just
[00:39:43] living
[00:39:43] for
[00:39:43] the
[00:39:44] mere
[00:39:44] pleasures
[00:39:44] of
[00:39:45] earth
[00:39:45] well
[00:39:45] that's
[00:39:45] eventually
[00:39:46] going
[00:39:46] to
[00:39:46] be
[00:39:46] a
[00:39:46] dead
[00:39:46] end
[00:39:47] if
[00:39:48] that's
[00:39:48] all
[00:39:48] you're
[00:39:48] basing
[00:39:49] your
[00:39:49] life
[00:39:49] on
[00:39:49] then
[00:39:50] it's
[00:39:50] really
[00:39:51] nothing
[00:39:51] in
[00:39:51] the
[00:39:52] end
[00:39:53] in
[00:39:53] 1st
[00:39:54] John
[00:39:54] 2
[00:39:54] 15
[00:39:55] through
[00:39:55] 17
[00:39:56] it
[00:39:57] says
[00:39:57] do not
[00:39:58] love
[00:39:58] the
[00:39:58] world
[00:39:58] or
[00:39:58] the
[00:39:59] things
[00:39:59] in
[00:39:59] the
[00:40:06] the
[00:40:11] world
[00:40:15] with
[00:40:16] its
[00:40:16] lust
[00:40:17] is
[00:40:17] passing
[00:40:17] away
[00:40:18] but
[00:40:19] the
[00:40:19] one
[00:40:19] who
[00:40:20] does
[00:40:20] the
[00:40:20] will
[00:40:20] of
[00:40:20] God
[00:40:21] remains
[00:40:21] forever
[00:40:24] that's
[00:40:25] such a
[00:40:25] great
[00:40:25] passage
[00:40:25] because
[00:40:26] it
[00:40:26] really
[00:40:26] puts
[00:40:27] that
[00:40:27] in
[00:40:27] stark
[00:40:27] clear
[00:40:28] terms
[00:40:28] Christians
[00:40:29] are
[00:40:30] not
[00:40:30] to
[00:40:30] be
[00:40:31] people
[00:40:31] who
[00:40:31] love
[00:40:32] the
[00:40:33] things
[00:40:33] of
[00:40:33] the
[00:40:33] world
[00:40:34] who
[00:40:34] love
[00:40:35] the
[00:40:35] lusts
[00:40:36] and
[00:40:36] the
[00:40:37] sins
[00:40:37] of
[00:40:38] this
[00:40:38] world
[00:40:38] and
[00:40:39] this
[00:40:39] life
[00:40:39] that's
[00:40:39] not
[00:40:40] what
[00:40:40] we're
[00:40:40] living
[00:40:40] for
[00:40:41] that's
[00:40:41] what
[00:40:42] we
[00:40:42] were
[00:40:42] living
[00:40:42] for
[00:40:42] before
[00:40:43] we
[00:40:44] knew
[00:40:44] Jesus
[00:40:45] but
[00:40:45] we're
[00:40:45] not
[00:40:45] to
[00:40:46] love
[00:40:46] those
[00:40:46] things
[00:40:47] anymore
[00:40:47] that
[00:40:48] doesn't
[00:40:48] mean
[00:40:49] don't
[00:40:49] love
[00:40:49] people
[00:40:49] in
[00:40:50] the
[00:40:50] world
[00:40:50] or
[00:40:51] don't
[00:40:51] care
[00:40:51] about
[00:40:51] the
[00:40:52] world
[00:40:52] that's
[00:40:52] not
[00:40:52] what
[00:40:52] this
[00:40:53] is
[00:40:53] talking
[00:40:53] about
[00:40:53] this
[00:40:54] is
[00:40:54] talking
[00:40:54] about
[00:40:54] living
[00:40:56] the
[00:40:56] way
[00:40:56] you
[00:40:56] used
[00:40:56] to
[00:40:56] live
[00:40:57] before
[00:40:57] you
[00:40:57] knew
[00:40:57] Jesus
[00:40:58] where
[00:40:58] you're
[00:40:59] just
[00:40:59] going
[00:41:00] along
[00:41:00] with
[00:41:00] the
[00:41:01] same
[00:41:01] way
[00:41:01] of
[00:41:01] living
[00:41:02] that
[00:41:02] everyone
[00:41:02] else
[00:41:02] has
[00:41:03] you're
[00:41:04] just
[00:41:04] following
[00:41:04] the
[00:41:05] lusts
[00:41:05] and
[00:41:05] the
[00:41:05] desires
[00:41:06] of
[00:41:06] your
[00:41:06] flesh
[00:41:07] the
[00:41:08] sinful
[00:41:08] tendencies
[00:41:09] that
[00:41:09] we all
[00:41:09] have
[00:41:10] a
[00:41:10] Christian
[00:41:10] just
[00:41:11] doesn't
[00:41:11] go
[00:41:11] along
[00:41:12] with
[00:41:12] that
[00:41:12] anymore
[00:41:13] that's
[00:41:13] not
[00:41:14] something
[00:41:14] they're
[00:41:14] okay
[00:41:14] with
[00:41:15] and
[00:41:15] a
[00:41:16] Christian
[00:41:16] is
[00:41:16] not
[00:41:16] someone
[00:41:16] who
[00:41:17] lives
[00:41:17] for
[00:41:17] material
[00:41:18] possessions
[00:41:19] and
[00:41:19] builds
[00:41:20] up
[00:41:20] pride
[00:41:20] and
[00:41:20] stuff
[00:41:21] that
[00:41:21] they
[00:41:21] have
[00:41:22] and
[00:41:22] makes
[00:41:22] that
[00:41:23] the
[00:41:23] central
[00:41:23] focus
[00:41:24] of
[00:41:24] their
[00:41:24] life
[00:41:24] that's
[00:41:25] not
[00:41:25] the
[00:41:25] way
[00:41:25] a
[00:41:25] Christian
[00:41:26] lives
[00:41:26] either
[00:41:26] those
[00:41:27] things
[00:41:27] are
[00:41:46] the
[00:41:46] one
[00:41:46] who
[00:41:46] does
[00:41:46] the
[00:41:47] will
[00:41:47] of
[00:41:47] God
[00:41:47] remains
[00:41:48] forever
[00:41:49] it's
[00:41:50] those
[00:41:50] people
[00:41:51] who
[00:41:51] have
[00:41:52] recognized
[00:41:53] their
[00:41:54] sin
[00:41:55] against
[00:41:55] God
[00:41:55] recognized
[00:41:57] that
[00:41:57] they need
[00:41:58] God's
[00:41:59] mercy
[00:41:59] and
[00:41:59] forgiveness
[00:42:00] they
[00:42:01] have
[00:42:01] entrusted
[00:42:02] their
[00:42:02] lives
[00:42:03] to
[00:42:03] Jesus
[00:42:03] Christ
[00:42:04] trusted
[00:42:05] that
[00:42:05] he
[00:42:05] is
[00:42:05] their
[00:42:05] righteousness
[00:42:06] and
[00:42:07] that
[00:42:07] his
[00:42:07] life
[00:42:08] his
[00:42:08] death
[00:42:08] and
[00:42:09] his
[00:42:09] resurrection
[00:42:10] are
[00:42:11] sufficient
[00:42:11] to
[00:42:12] atone
[00:42:12] for
[00:42:12] their
[00:42:12] sins
[00:42:13] and
[00:42:13] give
[00:42:13] them
[00:42:13] eternal
[00:42:13] life
[00:42:15] and
[00:42:15] then
[00:42:16] they
[00:42:16] follow
[00:42:17] him
[00:42:17] in
[00:42:18] obedience
[00:42:18] and
[00:42:19] they
[00:42:19] seek
[00:42:19] him
[00:42:19] those
[00:42:21] are
[00:42:21] the
[00:42:21] people
[00:42:21] who
[00:42:22] do
[00:42:22] the
[00:42:22] will
[00:42:22] of
[00:42:22] God
[00:42:23] and
[00:42:23] who
[00:42:23] will
[00:42:23] remain
[00:42:24] forever
[00:42:24] those
[00:42:25] are
[00:42:25] the
[00:42:25] people
[00:42:26] who
[00:42:26] have
[00:42:26] eternal
[00:42:26] life
[00:42:28] so
[00:42:29] in
[00:42:30] both
[00:42:30] those
[00:42:30] ways
[00:42:31] the
[00:42:31] gospel
[00:42:32] is
[00:42:32] an
[00:42:32] antidote
[00:42:33] to
[00:42:33] intellectual
[00:42:34] apathy
[00:42:34] and
[00:42:35] distraction
[00:42:36] and
[00:42:37] really
[00:42:37] the
[00:42:37] whole
[00:42:37] point
[00:42:38] of
[00:42:38] this
[00:42:38] episode
[00:42:38] is
[00:42:38] just
[00:42:39] to
[00:42:39] be
[00:42:39] an
[00:42:40] encouragement
[00:42:40] to
[00:42:41] not
[00:42:41] let
[00:42:41] Christmas
[00:42:42] time
[00:42:42] this
[00:42:42] year
[00:42:43] be a
[00:42:44] time
[00:42:44] where
[00:42:44] you
[00:42:45] are
[00:42:45] intellectually
[00:42:45] apathetic
[00:42:47] or
[00:42:48] you're
[00:42:48] distracted
[00:42:48] from
[00:42:49] the
[00:42:49] most
[00:42:49] important
[00:42:49] things
[00:42:50] whether
[00:42:50] you're
[00:42:51] a
[00:42:51] Christian
[00:42:51] or
[00:42:51] not
[00:42:53] Christmas
[00:42:53] is a
[00:42:54] time
[00:42:54] when
[00:42:54] we
[00:42:55] are
[00:42:55] confronted
[00:42:57] in a
[00:42:58] way
[00:42:58] maybe
[00:42:58] unlike
[00:42:59] we are
[00:42:59] all year
[00:43:00] long
[00:43:02] with
[00:43:02] the
[00:43:02] person
[00:43:03] of
[00:43:03] Jesus
[00:43:03] Christ
[00:43:03] and
[00:43:04] the
[00:43:04] significance
[00:43:05] of
[00:43:05] his
[00:43:05] birth
[00:43:06] and
[00:43:06] all
[00:43:06] that
[00:43:07] that
[00:43:07] means
[00:43:08] we
[00:43:08] celebrate
[00:43:09] the
[00:43:09] birth
[00:43:09] of
[00:43:10] Jesus
[00:43:10] because
[00:43:11] of
[00:43:11] all
[00:43:11] that
[00:43:11] it
[00:43:12] means
[00:43:12] and
[00:43:12] because
[00:43:12] of who
[00:43:13] he is
[00:43:13] and how
[00:43:14] the birth
[00:43:15] of Jesus
[00:43:15] is a
[00:43:16] fulfillment
[00:43:16] of all
[00:43:17] the promises
[00:43:18] that God
[00:43:18] made
[00:43:19] from the
[00:43:19] book of
[00:43:19] Genesis
[00:43:20] all the way
[00:43:21] leading up to
[00:43:22] when we begin
[00:43:23] to read the
[00:43:24] gospel accounts
[00:43:24] and read about
[00:43:25] the coming of
[00:43:26] Jesus Christ
[00:43:27] the Messiah
[00:43:28] into our world
[00:43:29] so that we
[00:43:30] might
[00:43:30] understand our
[00:43:31] true spiritual
[00:43:32] condition
[00:43:32] and have
[00:43:34] the opportunity
[00:43:34] to be
[00:43:35] reconciled
[00:43:36] to him
[00:43:38] and
[00:43:38] that's
[00:43:39] what
[00:43:39] Christmas
[00:43:39] is
[00:43:40] about
[00:43:41] so
[00:43:42] I pray
[00:43:43] that
[00:43:43] this
[00:43:43] year
[00:43:43] the
[00:43:44] confrontation
[00:43:44] of
[00:43:44] Christmas
[00:43:45] would be
[00:43:45] a time
[00:43:46] when you
[00:43:47] are confronted
[00:43:47] with the
[00:43:48] love of
[00:43:48] God
[00:43:48] for you
[00:43:49] when you're
[00:43:49] confronted
[00:43:50] with the
[00:43:50] realities
[00:43:51] of the
[00:43:51] gospel
[00:43:51] including
[00:43:52] your sin
[00:43:54] God's
[00:43:54] mercy
[00:43:55] his
[00:43:55] justice
[00:43:55] and the
[00:43:56] way of
[00:43:56] salvation
[00:43:56] that he
[00:43:57] has
[00:43:58] provided
[00:43:59] and that
[00:44:00] you would
[00:44:00] not be
[00:44:00] someone
[00:44:01] who is
[00:44:01] living a
[00:44:03] life of
[00:44:03] intellectual
[00:44:03] apathy
[00:44:04] and
[00:44:05] distraction
[00:44:05] and really
[00:44:06] the focus
[00:44:07] of this
[00:44:08] podcast
[00:44:08] is to
[00:44:09] explore
[00:44:10] the
[00:44:11] Christian
[00:44:11] faith
[00:44:11] to explore
[00:44:12] the
[00:44:13] intellectual
[00:44:13] credibility
[00:44:14] of the
[00:44:14] Christian
[00:44:14] faith
[00:44:15] to spend
[00:44:16] time
[00:44:16] thinking
[00:44:17] about
[00:44:17] these
[00:44:17] important
[00:44:18] questions
[00:44:19] and
[00:44:20] Christmas
[00:44:20] time
[00:44:21] is a
[00:44:22] time
[00:44:22] when
[00:44:22] these
[00:44:23] things
[00:44:23] come
[00:44:24] to the
[00:44:24] surface
[00:44:25] and we
[00:44:25] have an
[00:44:25] opportunity
[00:44:26] to go
[00:44:26] deeper
[00:44:27] and to
[00:44:28] reflect
[00:44:28] upon
[00:44:29] what we
[00:44:29] really
[00:44:30] believe
[00:44:30] and so
[00:44:31] I hope
[00:44:32] this episode
[00:44:32] has been
[00:44:33] helpful
[00:44:33] for you
[00:44:34] whether
[00:44:35] you're a
[00:44:35] Christian
[00:44:35] or not
[00:44:36] I pray
[00:44:37] that it's
[00:44:37] given you
[00:44:37] some things
[00:44:38] to think
[00:44:38] about
[00:44:38] and if
[00:44:39] this
[00:44:39] podcast
[00:44:39] is something
[00:44:40] that you
[00:44:41] find
[00:44:42] interesting
[00:44:42] and you
[00:44:43] think other
[00:44:43] people
[00:44:43] might be
[00:44:44] interested
[00:44:44] in it
[00:44:44] as well
[00:44:45] please
[00:44:45] feel free
[00:44:45] to share
[00:44:46] it
[00:44:46] feel free
[00:44:47] to give
[00:44:48] us a
[00:44:48] positive
[00:44:49] review
[00:44:49] wherever you
[00:44:50] listen to
[00:44:51] the podcast
[00:44:51] at
[00:44:52] we have an
[00:44:53] email address
[00:44:54] reasonhopepodcast
[00:44:54] at gmail.com
[00:44:55] where you can
[00:44:56] send in questions
[00:44:57] and comments
[00:44:58] and thank you
[00:44:59] for listening
[00:44:59] today
[00:45:00] and remember
[00:45:01] that there is
[00:45:02] a reason
[00:45:02] for hope
[00:45:03] in Jesus
[00:45:03] Christ
[00:45:04] Christ
Related Episodes
RH:53 The Plausibility of Christianity in the Face of Hypocrisy
A popular objection to Christianity is that there are hypocrites in the church. What is involved in this objection to Christianity? Is it a good one? I argue that, contrary to what many perceive, the moral presuppositions of this objection are consistent with Christianity.
RH:51 Why Social Justice is Not the Gospel
Was Jesus a social justice warrior? Is the Kingdom of God advanced through social and political activism? Many voices tell us this is the right way to think about Jesus and the Kingdom of God. But is this accurate to the teaching of the Bible? In this episode, I distinguish between the social jus...
RH:50 Some Thoughts on the Resurrection of Jesus
In this episode, I consider the centrality of Jesus' resurrection to Christianity and discuss what makes belief in it plausible and implausible. I also present and critique a popular line of argument against the resurrection.