A New Year, A New Interpretation

0:02 Looking at our world from a theological perspective. This is the Theology Central podcast making Theology Central. Good morning everyone. It is Monday, January sixth, twenty twenty five. It is currently ten forty six am Central Time, and I am coming to you live from the Theology Central studio located right here in Abilene, Texas. Well, it's a brand new year, and you know what that means, right? You know what that what? I guess it could actually mean a number of things, right, I guess the options there are really unlimited. It can mean millions of different things.

0:44 But when it comes to Christianity, when it comes to the church, you know what a new year means, right. We get those new year sermons. Right, Hey, it's a new year. Let's do this. Let's do this, Let's do this, Let's do this. You need to make a goal for this, and you need to do this. And you need a Bible reading plan, and you need a devotional plan, and you need to this, and you need to join a small group, and you need to go to church, and you need to do this, and you need to give and you need to do this, and you need to do this and this and this and this and this and this and this and this and this and this and this, and at the beginning of the year, there's a little bit of excitement. Oh yeah, I'm gonna read my Bible, I'm going to do a devotional, and everybody gets excited until what, I don't know, January the fifteenth, January the twentieth, and then everyone kind of forgets all of that. I mean, maybe the church will keep trying to get people excited, but everyone kind of moves on by February and it's the end. It's kind of the same thing happens in the world, right Oh, it's January.

1:37 I'm going to join Planet Fitness, So I'm going to join a gym. And then everyone goes and the gyms are packed and everyone's in there, and oh, there's excitement in the air. Everyone's got their fitness goals. And then by February, you know, sixty percent of those people are long gone. I saw the same thing in martial arts. At the beginning of the year. People would join, Oh, I'm going to join martial arts, and then you know, within a month or two, they they basically are no longer to be found. I mean that happens in every because a new year gives us a sense of oh, something new, a new beginning, a new opportunity. But we always tend to revert back to who we are, I mean who we are. We can get into a lengthy discussion and how much do we actually change now? I know, within Christianity we love to teach the idea that when we became a Christian, you know, we were a new anyone in christ is a new creature. Old things are passed away, all things have become new. We try to preach that as if that's a practical reality. Anyone's been a Christian for I know, no longer than ten minutes.

2:38 Go wait a minute, Clearly not everything is new. Clearly I'm not a new creature because I still sin I still have the same sinful desires that I had ten minutes ago. So we know that that's a positional reality, not a practical reality. But yet Christianity persist in teaching that concept. But when we get to a new year, everything just cranks up and it's like new do it. But and Christianity it's always turns into do this, do this, do this, do this, do this, do this? And I understand because you it's it is a time to think about what where you have been, where you are going. Maybe this year I've just I'm not in that frame of I don't have that mindset. I don't have that framework really over me this year. I don't know why this year it's completely different. A lot of times I've fallen into the same mindset, right, that same framework, because especially being a Christian and going to church for all the years that I have, I've I've relived that cycle so many times, and I always have you know, in many cases really good you know ideas, really good you know, desires and and and and maybe you know, some really good things I want to accomplish. Maybe my motivation is right, but in many cases I kind of see what it turns into. So this year, and typically I've done it a lot with the podcast, right, even with the church.

4:07 I used to be like, Okay, in this new year, we're going to do this, and we're going to do this, and we're going to do this, and there was always that excitement at the beginning. But then I noticed, I don't know how many years I went through that as a pastor, and finally I'm like, you know what, this is a waste of time. We spend all of this money getting people Bible study guides or devotional books or this book, and nobody who ultimately uses it. Three four months in, we're wasting money, We're wasting time. I used to do the same thing with the podcasts. Hey let's get everyone excited. Everyone's excited. Three four months in, you look at the numbers. You've lost half of your audience. They're no longer participating, they're no longer contacting you, And you're like, what am I doing? Why? So maybe maybe it's just pure cynicism. Maybe I'm jaded. But now my approaches, and I mentioned this briefly yesterday, my approach really is I have in front of me, well, I have a pencil in my hand, and right here, I have a notebook that's completely empty. There is completely empty. There's nothing written, and in this sense, this notebook represents twenty twenty five.

5:19 It's empty. I'm not going to put any goals, any any desire, anything like that. It's just going to leave it and I'm just going to kind of let the year right itself. Maybe that's a crazy approach, I don't know, but that's that's what I'm going to do. Now, we did I did say, I guess if we've set any kind of if we set a course, if we've really kind of decide what we're going to do, any resolutions and anything like that, we are going to do a lot of talking about artificial intelligence in twenty twenty five. We do have that series, which will be kind of a kind of artificial intelligence is really going to touch every single thing we will be doing in twenty twenty five, and I'm just going to try to be very open with when AI is what when AI has contributed to a situation and what we're about to do AI has contributed to the situation, and we'll talk about that. So it will be connected. Everything's going to be connected to that series in some way, shape or form. All right, But we're going to continue doing many of the things we have been doing. Right, I'm going to continue to listen to sermons, and as I listen to sermons, I'll be reviewing sermons. I'm going to be challenging you to be listening to sermons on the sermons two point oh app just like I did in twenty twenty four. And the reason I'm going to do that is because this is an amazing resource. So just because it's a new year.

6:41 Do we just throw that resource away and try to go find another one? I mean, we're getting we have an app right there in our mobile devices that where thousands upon thousands of sermons are being added every week. They're all right there for you, free of charge. Why why would we waste that resource? So I'm definitely going to continue doing that, and we'll just see where things take us. I know that's kind of a. Well. It's like we have no map, no GPS. We were getting in a car. We're going on a road trip. Where are we going? I don't know what direction are we going? I don't know. I'm just going to go, Oh, that road looks good and I'm just going to take it. Well, why are you turning? I don't know. I feel like turning. Where does it go? I don't know where are we going to end up? I don't know how are we going to get there? I don't know. I'm like, just hop in the car, let's just drive where we go.

7:31 I don't have a clue how are we going to get I don't know. I have no plans, I have nothing mapped out, I have no GPS, I have nothing. I have no destination in mind. So that's where we're how we're going to do twenty twenty five. So for today, because it is January the sixth, and I've already noticing on the sermon's two point Oh app I've been noticing now for over a week. New Year's sermon after New Year's sermon, after New Year's sermon, And well, I saw one about a well new year, a new year, new year dedication, a new Year reset, and I was like, okay, let's grab it. I saw it was thirty nine minutes. I'm like, okay, that looks good. I believe the audio was loud enough. I should have probably done more checking of it. But the main thing that caught my attention was that the sermon was utilizing Romans Chapter twelve versus one through two as its text. Romans twelve one through two. Oh, come on, how many sermons have you heard in your Christian life on Romans twelve one through two? Are you ready?

8:36 Let's read it. I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice wholly acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service, And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Present yourself as a living sacrifice in twenty twenty five. You need to make yourself a living sacrifice. And that's typically presented in one way. Oh, you need to be a living You need to sacrifice your mind, your speech, your heart, your desires, your feelings, your actions, all to God. You must be a complete living sacrifice to God. And that's not a one time thing. You have to wake up each day saying, today I present to you Lord, all of me is a living sacrifice.

9:28 And those sermons have been preached and been preached and been preached and been preached and been preached, and they're preached and sermons where everybody's like, amen, I'm gonna be a living sacrifice. And then what happens The church people are bickering, fighting, gossiping, slandering, sinning, and the church splits and you're like, well, so much for being a living sacrifice. It's almost like the living sacrifice is this, you know, It's like Mount Everest. We're all at the bottom of it, looking up, going we want to go to the top of that, and nobody, nobody's gonna get there. But yet the sermons on Romans twelve one through two persist. So it looks like this is a new year sermon on Romans twelve one through two. Is it going to go that direction? I don't know. You can hear that. I think it's gonna go that direction. I could be very wrong.

10:18 But the main thing, we're gonna use this to get into a discussion about Romans twelve one through two, because I believe that just maybe all the sermons on Romans twelve one through two, I think maybe they've all been wrong. I think maybe we need a new interpretation of Romans twelve went through two. And guess what I've been doing off and on this morning while I was doing other things, I've been working on a new interpretation of Romans twelve one through two. So just maybe we'll get to it. Maybe we will not, because this year twenty twenty five, we're in a We're in a car with no GPS, no direction, we have no goals, we have no destination.

11:04 We're just going to see where we go. So we're gonna just see where this goes. Are you ready? Here we go? Hop in the car. You always have to bring a Bible, a notebook, and a pencil, right, you always have to have those, and we're just gonna drive. I don't know what's about to happen. We're gonna find out. So here we go. Okay, let's take our bibles. Please, Let's go to Romans twelve and we'll look at verse one and two. We're continuing our lesson on dedication Romans twelve, Verses one and two.

11:45 Verse one. I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service, And be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Let's pray, Father, thank you for this opportunity to teach your word. Encourage us now as we look into the passages concerning dedication. Please help me as I speak. I pray that you would help us to reset our minds as we come into this new year, and as we consider the different challenges we may have in life, the different relationships and Lord, I pray that you would help us as we seek to encourage one another today as well.

12:38 Jesus name, I pray Amen. So if you have your notebooks or if you're taking notes today, dedication Dedication is the same word as consecrated, or it's similar as consecrated. Consecrated means it's made sacred by ceremonies or solemn rites, separated from a common to a sacred use, devoted or dedicated to the service and worship of God. And we know our verse in James one and verse number eight very specifically talks about the spirit of dedication, the mind, the attitude, the heart that we need to have in being dedicated to God. James one and verse number eight says, a double minded man is unstable in all his ways, or it means a man or a person of divided allegiance. Okay, So according to Romans twelve, what would the two things be that we could have a divided allegiance to what would be the two things? Well, it says in in chapter Romans twelve and verse one it says, beseech you therefore by the mercies of God. Okay, So the first the first party would be we can be either dedicated to God or he says in verse number two, and be not conformed to this world. Listen, some people's lives

14:08 are dedicated to being conformed to this world. Their whole life is dedicated to it. Okay, this is interesting. He connected James one eight to Romans twelve one to two, taking the two things. All right, I've beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God. He kind of skipped mercies and he just went to so you can be dedicated to God. Or then he goes down to verse two and do not be conformed to this world, or you can be dedicated to the world. And then he uses James one eight to try to connect that. That is an odd that's a weird cross referencing thing. I again this year we're gonna be utilizing AI, just to show you how quick AI is. So I asked AI about this approach to James one eight. AI said, James one eight. This verse about about being double minded.

15:04 And the context of this sermon, the way it is being applied, is being applied broadly to dedication versus worldliness, but the original context focuses on instability and faith due to doubt. Although you may want to argue it's somewhat applicable. A deeper explanation of the context could prevent a misapplication. So he's taking James one eight making it about being double minded. You can be caught between God and worldliness, but James one eight is really about being instability that comes from it's being caught between faith and doubt. So I don't know is it applicable? Is that because look at James one, if you look at five, if any one of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will give, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith with no doubt. For he who doubts is like a wave of the seed, driven and tossed by the win. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. He is a double minded man, unstable in all his ways.

16:13 So that the context there is about faith and doubt, not about God and worldliness. Now, I guess you could take the concept of being double minded and apply it to Romans twelve one through two. But as Romans twelve went, I oh, that's I'm a little I'm a little hesitant to go there. But that's okay, that's okay. Well, we'll see how he's going to use Romans twelve. I just immediately AI picked up like, wait, well, we'll wait. That's not the context of James. So you're taking a verse that's about faith and doubt, ripping it out of its context to apply it to the context of Romans twelve one through two and say that we can be double minded between God and the world. But the Romans twelve is not a distinction between God and the world. It's about I beseech you therefore by the mercies of God.

17:03 It's about the mercies of God and Romans twelve ones. I oh, okay, I don't know. I'm not gonna say. I'm not gonna offer really any meaningful critique there. I'm just gonna point out there's some at least a little bit of concern. But let's see where they go with Romans twelve. Here we go. We just came back from a trip to New York City, which was a wonderful, wonderful thing. Occasionally, and of course you can see the same thing here. You can see it in almost any town in the world, essentially, but occasionally you want to see somebody walk down the street and you're just thinking, I'm not sure what they're wearing, but the way they walk and the attitude they walk with is like, that's gotta be high fashion. But you look at it and you think it doesn't really make a whole lot of practical sense in what they're wearing. Right, that doesn't look very warm, for example, or the shoes look way too big to be comfortable, or way too thin or whatever it is. So you just.

18:13 It's none of your business what anybody else wears. Okay, I'm not a fan of this. Okay, I'm not a fan of this illustration. You know, I Why are you looking at what anybody wears? What difference does it make? How about you let them wear what they want to wear, You wear what you want to wear, and you just keep Why do you have to look and judge? Why? Why? I'm I'm I guess I'm always sensitive if I ever hear someone pointing out someone else's clothes, I'm always like, whoa, whoa, whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa. Let them wear what they Let them be them, and you be you and just keep your opinion to yourself. They didn't wake up this morning, worried about what some preacher may think about what they're wearing. It's not I mean, like, I don't. I'm not a fan of that. I'm not.

18:53 I know that. I know he's trying to use it as an illustration, but just my that's just one of my own. That's kind of one of my little pet peeves is when people critique what other people are wearing. It's none of your business. Let them wear what they want. When they bought it, it's in their closet, and they if they feel good about it and they're wearing it because they want to wear it, then it's none of my business. Right, They should not worry about what other people think. Okay. I was so bothered by that, even in high school, when I would watch that happen, I would always purposely do things to just try to blow up that entire template.

19:36 If people like you shouldn't wear theirs, I would go wear exactly what they said you shouldn't wear, and I would do crazy things, like some days I would show up to school and a full suit, and then some days I would show up and I showed up to school at a bathroom. Okay, because I would I would try to destroy all of those societal expectations because I didn't like I didn't like that. Well, oh today, and if the school today we're wearing this, I would wear the opposite just because I was Yeah, maybe it's my anti conformity, maybe it's my rebellious spirit, but I don't like that. So yeah, I mean, okay, great, you get to walk around and you look at people and you get to determine that the shoes are too big or this, or it's no practical value. Why are you sitting? It just seems like you're wasting a lot of time judging what people are wearing. It's my own personal feeling. But I know he's simply saying all of that foreign illustration.

20:26 So I guess what we need to do. What I'm doing wrong here is I need to figure out what the illustration is pointing to. Not you see, I'm missing the point, right? You see what I just did. I allowed my own personal feeling to allow me to miss the point. People do the same thing with me. They'll I'll say something and then their email will be all about them, like you miss the entire point. I'm missing the entire points. So see how easy it is to fall into that trap because I just did. It, look at it and just think that doesn't seem like what everyone else typically would wear. But maybe they spent their money and they got that, or they're of the they're of the mindset of whatever the latest absolutely cutting edge fashion is, That's what I'm gonna wear, right. Whatever.

21:12 The thing is is that when we talk about being dedicated, we're talking about being dedicated to God. Okay, we're dedicated to a. Person, Okay, So I think the point of the illustration is those people are dedicated to fashion. We're supposed to be dedicated to God. Now what I would rather do is okay, So you're using an illustration to show that these people because he's pointing to people that would be radically different than the people he's preaching to. Right, So he's gonna use an illustration where he, in a sense, can say, see how those people are dedicated to fashion, but we are dedicated to God. Wouldn't make more sense to use an illustration about how we claim to be dedicated to God, but we tend to be dedicated to other things. Maybe we aren't dedicated to fashion, but we are dedicated to a lot of other things. Maybe make an illustration that would hit closer to home. But it's easier to use an illustration about people walking in New York City. I don't know where this church is located when you're not in New York City, and then you can say they were all dedicated to fashion, but we are dedicated to God. I know that that's very common in preaching because then you don't offend anybody you're preaching to, because I doubt there's anyone sitting in that church that's dedicated to high fashion, so you're not going to offend them.

22:39 But if you used a different illustration may hit closer to home. All right, But okay, let's see where this goes. We're dedicated to Jesus Christ. We need to understand that most people are dedicated to the world. Now they may not necessarily be dedicated to fashion. But when we're talking about the world, what are we talking about? When we look at this word world, be not conformed to this world? What does that mean? Anything goes? When we talk about the word world, how would we define that? What it mean? The globe? Like terra firma, the way of thinking, the way of doing things? Anybody else? When we're talking about being not conformed to this world? What are we talking about earthly desires, mister deep beliefs, the way that people believe.

23:33 That's right. Yeah, so we can see here that we're talking about two two totally different systems. Right. We're talking about God and the Kingdom of God and the way he thinks and the way he does things, and then we're talking about the way that the unsaved world thinks and does things. They're two totally separate systems, right, So we're talking about a system of thinking, a system of belief. We're talking about the way that the way that the world does things. And that's why it says be not conformed to this world, to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. So we're really talking about a way of thinking here. Okay, so we're talking about a way of thinking. Now.

24:17 I know churches love to put all of them or over there, but we are over here as if we are somehow better and we're somehow more godly and we're somehow more spiritual. But I think the reason even Paul would have to tell believers, you know, do not be conformed to this world, is because our natural inclination, our natural way of thinking. Our natural desires, our natural feelings are just as worldly as the world. I know. We like to make ourselves like them. They but us, we are dedicated to God. It's not that way. We we have the same sinful desires, and we have the same sinful nature as they. We are not and we say we're dedicated to God. Yeah, I have problems with this.

25:06 Let's see if he fleshes it out a little more. I do like the fact that he's identified that the world is more of a way of thinking. It's not necessarily action, it's thinking. But I think the Church is just as worldly and it's thinking as the world is, and it manifests itself countless ways. But okay, let's see what happens. We're talking about dedication. We need to say I am willing for God to make me think differently about everything in my life. Now.

25:47 I do like the way he said that as a Christian, I need to say, I am willing for God to change all of my thinking about every area of life. Now. I like that that is something good, that all I am willing for God to change my thinking about everything. I like to say, I am willing for the truth of God's word to change my thinking about everything I need. My mind should always be willing. I should always be willing to change my mind about literally anything and everything, not holding on to preconceived ideas, unwilling to have my thinking challenge, unwilling to have my thoughts challenge. I should be willing to be challenged. I should be willing to change my thinking. I do like that approach. I do like that that's really good, and that's an awesome thing to just write down to the beginning of a new year.

26:43 This year, I am willing to have my mind change about literally everything because I want to continue to grow. I want to continue to learn, and I want to continue to pursue truth at all costs. I want truth more than I want friends. I want truth more than I want popularity. I want truth more than anything else that I do like that mindset. I do like that. I'm willing for God to teach me and change me so that whatever it is that is happening in my life, I want it to be acceptable to him. That's why it says in verse number one, a living sacrifice polly acceptable unto God. My friends, if we're gonna be dedicated, we have to realize, first of all, we have to be dedicated to him, what is pleasing to him. Most people don't think that way. That is not the world's system.

27:44 A matter of fact, you could take every phrase in verses one and two and kind of just give the reverse and say, well, this is the way God's kingdom works, and the opposite of that would be this is what the way the world thinks. Right, So in God's kingdom, first of all, what's acceptable to God. In the world system, it's what is acceptable to everybody else. Does the world care if it's acceptable to God? They don't care. They would rather God not even be a part of the situation. Rather, God not even be a part of their mindset. They would rather. I just have such a hard time with this. They they they they they they they they they they, because the implication is they are all messed up, but we and it's not that way. Two thousand years of church history shows that the Bible shows that God. The Bible is filled with stories of God's people, God's chosen people, God's the characters that are supposedly faithful to God. Over and over and over. They care about what they want.

28:52 They're selfish, self seeking, sinful, ungodly people, because that is what we are. I know, we want to say they are that way and we aren't. I'm not a fan of the US versus them mentality. It's uh. We love to paint ourselves as we are the heroes of every narrative, but we are the sinners and every narrative. Brother not even have God in their mind to push past. We were standing in line in New York City. We were trying to do one of those ice skating things.

29:33 We ice skate all the time here for free, but when you go to New York City, you have to ice skate with the beautiful views. You can have an amazing picture. Right, We're all waiting in line and you have to book online. And actually skating was free, which was pretty cool. The skate rental was not. And there is this guy that was just like pushing past everybody. Excuse me, excuse me, excuse me, excuse me? WHOA? And I put my arm down. What's going on? Oh pastor you shouldn't do that. It's like, hey, whoa, is there a system here? Is there not a system? Yeah? Uh?

30:16 In Nepal they would call it a queue, which on another you know, many other cultures and languages call it a que as well a line, and then you would say chas and yes or no, like hello, cute cha China. That's what you would say, is this a line? Yes or no? Are we doing the que? Are we doing the line system? That essentially what I asked this guy, right, it's like, hey, he's like, oh, that girl said, I'm like one girl. Look, if you're gonna go to New York City, you got to get in at least one fight. I mean that's on every tourist bucket list, right. And then so I got it stamped that for sure. I got it. I got it done. No, he wasn't going to meet the girl in the front. He was skipping past everybody because he said, oh, this employee, this girl over here said we can skip ahead. I'm like, which one show me? Right? We have to understand that as believers, if we're going to grow and we're gonna be dedicated, we are living according to a very different system. Now, if the employee would have said, yeah, sure, no, that guy can come ahead, It's fine. I don't care, Like who am I I'm just another customer. But if you're just making up the rules, I can make up rules, you go to the back. I mean, we can all make up rules.

31:39 So is the point of the story that the world makes up their own rules but we don't. Christians have been making up their own rules for two thousand stinking years. Okay, I mean come on now, I mean. Like. I okay, it's just we're all all the negative is pointed towards them, but he's now no criticism or critique or judgment is pointed towards us. The judgment begins with us. Right, let's see where this goes. I want to get more. I was hoping he was going to do more work in Romans twelve. He's not really doing any actual exogetical work in Romans twelve one through two. I think you're kind of getting the idea, right, I mean, he's playing loose and fast with Romans twelve one through two, just kind of taking phrases. I was hoping for a more exegetical work on it. Well, I'll let it go a little further and then I'm going to kind of put forth my own I kind of challenge how Romans twelve one through two is typically handled.

32:41 The problem with Christian growth is when they try to be equally dedicated to both, equally dedicated to both. You guys, ever seen those people on TV that do the eating contests. I could not do that. They raise each other with whatever it is, hot dogs, pies. I'm sure Tim Hortons has probably got an amaze. I don't know, but they just but you know what, they're also not Olympic athletes, are they? You're not gonna win a hot dog getting contest and then also win one hundred meters friend, And you know, you gotta pick your dedication. And the problem is that there's so many believers who they never really grow, They never really come into maturity, strength, power, faith, helping others, truth fulfillment, a really solid relationship between them and Christ because there is a tug on their heart.

33:55 Okay, now we're getting somewhere. Okay, many Christians, like you, are dedicated to two separate and opposite things, and you cannot grow as a Christian. So they never truly grow because there's a tug on their heart. Okay, let me make this very clear. Okay, this is so weird when I listen to Christians talk about things, because it just seems sometimes that they speak about things and theology just kind of gets I mean, this is why it's called theology central, right, the philological approach is just abandoned. And I don't know what this is. Okay, let me help you. The reason Christians struggle in all the areas you just outlined, it's not because there's a tug on their heart from an external source, is because they are a center. The issue is inside of them, not outside of them. The issue is coming I know, I say it all the time.

34:52 The call is coming from inside the house. All right, you are a center. You have a sinful nature. Your conflict, the disconnect, the being dedicated to multiple things, all of it is arising because inside of yourself is a sinful nature that says, serve self, worship self, do what self wants, get your own way, do things your own way, do this, want this, feel this, think this. Because you have a sinful nature that is sending out conflicting messages and contradictory messages to the way of God, and that those calls as messages, those that input is coming from inside your You are messed up from the inside.

35:52 First John fir John two. We know these verses, many of us can quote them. First John two, and look at verse number fifteen, Verse John two and verse fifteen, Love not the world. The world is the Greek word is according to my study Bible, which knows all things, it's the Greek word of cosmos, that is the organized system headed by Satan that leaves God out and has a rival to him.

36:57 Okay, okay, wait a minute, Wait a minute, Wait a minute. When you claim the cosmos exclusively refers to an organized system headed by Satan, that is a massive, massive oversimplification of the Greek word. I mean, that is a massive oversimplification. And Greek cosmos can refer to the physical world, right, it can refer to the physical world. I believe, you know. Let me look here. I believe I'm going from memory here. Let me look. I believe in John one he was in the world and the world was made through him, and the world did not know him. I believe the word world there is cosmos, and that refers to the physical.

37:50 World for God, So love the world John three point sixteen is cosmos, all right? Or it can or it can refer to a system opposed to God in one John two fifteen through seventeen. So a more nuanced explanation would avoid implying that all aspects of the world are evil. When you say, hey, the cosmos refers to a an organized system headed by Satan, that is not accurate. That is an oversimplification. That is oh, that's an that leaves people with a misunderstanding of that Greek word. You can't say that Greek word just means that you have to look at where and what did he use? He just used a note in his study Bible. He didn't bother, He didn't even bother to look up an into linear.

38:39 I mean like nothing, he oh my note in my study Bible. Well, your study Bible is simply referring to how cosmos is being used in first John two, not how cosmos. You can't say cosmos always means that that's a completely Oh man, Oh that drives me crazy. Okay, all right, all right, that's okay. I look, it's all right, it's listen. Not all I am by no means that's well versed and that educated in the original languages. Yes, I had to take Latin, Yes, I took Greek. Yes I took Hebrew and different schools that I attended. Right, By no, I mean I am not I'm not even I wouldn't even say that I know anything about Latin, Greek or Hebrew, but I had to take it. But here's the thing. Any pastor without any schooling, anyone sitting in the pew, without any schooling, you have the tools available to you on your phone. You can download the Blue Letter Bible app, you can download lots of other apps where you can look up the Greek word. It'll show you every place that it's used. You can read all of those passages to see how it's being used, and you can figure out for yourself. Cosmos doesn't simply refer to that one thing. That's a misunderstanding of the Greek word. And you don't need no Greek, Hebrew or Latin or any other language. You could all you need to well, you need to be able to read. You could just simply be able to read, and you can figure it out so that it's it's not about criticizing

40:14 someone's education. It's just about well dedicate. I mean the sermons about dedication. Dedicate yourself to knowing what a Greek word means and how a Greek word used. It's perfectly okay to say in that particular passage, that's okay, but just saying cosmos in general means that that's an oversimplification, and it leads to people in the pews to whenever they if they ever hear the word cosmos, they will just meet like, oh, that's a system, I think he said, And I'm trying to quote an organized system headed by Satan. Well, it doesn't always refer to that, doesn't always refer to that. Now we could argue and those other places Cosmos is used, does Satan? Is it under the control? Is it headed by Satan? We could get it. Now we could maybe challenge the interpretation of Cosmos and those other passages and say, wait, do they refer to that? So we could possibly go there, But that all that would require a lengthy discussion to try to figure it out. And I know in sermons when you're that's not your point, you can't always go and make it all clear. So I don't know is it even should I even point that out? I don't know.

41:26 You can draw your own conclusion. Okay, Love, not the world, neither the things that are in the world. Is God against the world in general? Course? Not? Is God against things as in believers owning things. He's not God is against us. Loving these things. When we talk about dedication, we're primarily talking about our love. Your love defines who you are. Love, not the world, neither of the things that are in the world. God knows if you love the system and you want to listen, there are people out there who basically say when they get to the teenagers, they get to be of a certain age, or they get to they finally get out of the house, and they're just like I just I wanted to get everything out of this life and everything this world has to offer. I'm not letting anybody stop me.

42:28 I'm not letting anything hold me back. I am getting mine. You guys, ever heard things like that before? I'm getting mine. Again this sermon just will not leave this this approach them them then? Have you heard them them them them them them them them them? How about us? You think Christians just love God? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard in my life. Christians love the world. Christians have want to get as much out of this life as possible. Christians want this and we want to enjoy this, and we desire this, and we want to come on, can we not talk about ourselves even for a second.

43:12 Here are they saying, I am gonna love this world with every fiber of my being because they actually have a firm belief that the world will love them back if I sacrifice and give it all it will give me. Do people in the world believe the world is gonna love them back? I don't think I've ever heard anyone say I'm gonna love the world because the world is gonna love me back. I don't think I've ever heard anyone say that. Is that a common approach? Hey, I'm gonna go find some lost people. You love the world because you think the world's gonna love you back. They probably say, get out of my face, you idiot, What are you talking about. I don't know. I don't know if that is a common approach. I don't I don't know if that's a I mean, you're making a major assumption about a whole lot of people.

44:11 But my friends, is that not a lie? But the opposite is true. And we say I'm gonna love God when we love him because He first loved us. The world has not loved us first. The world is looking to take from us. It will listen, It will take all that we will give, and it will give us nothing. It will leave us hollow empty. What does it profit a man if he gained the whole world and lose his own soul? What will a man give in exchange?

44:53 And Yet, when we come to God and we say, I'm gonna be dedicated to you, I'm going to love the Lord by God with all that heart, with all they mind, all they will, and so on and so forth. No one in your church is ever going to love God with all their heart, mind, body and soul. And neither are you. Nobody is going to accomplish that. We can't do that. That is law that shows us our inability to love God the way we are supposed to. So we, by faith put our faith in Jesus Christ, who does love the Father the exact way he's supposed to, And his obedience is imputed to me. And now his love for God is now given to me as my love for God in an imputed way, as accredited to my account. So positionally I stand before God as if I love Him with all my heart, my body, and soul.

45:49 But practically I love myself more than I love God because I have a sinful nature. That's the reality. I don't care how many times the church wants to deny. I don't care how many times Christians want to create some fake story of life. You can live in your fantasy world. The reality is we love ourselves. You see that. You see you see the competition between God and the world. It's a competition for what for your love? For your heart. So we're talking about dedication.

46:32 We're not saying, how can I how can I find a balance between my dedication between everything that's promised out there and everything that's promised with God. It doesn't work. A double minded man's unstable all his ways, all his ways. The world will not let you live a double life. The world will make it so that, oh, you're trying to be dedicated to Christ and dedicated to the world. They don't put up with that. You know what, God doesn't either. The most frustrated person is a cardinal Christian trying to live in both worldsmen trying to.

47:26 See. When you hear all those amens, it's almost as if, yeah, you're right, Cardinal Christians are never going to be that way. It's all I know. In some ways, the amen just simply says this is true, But it comes across as you're right. Those people were not the cardinal ones. But those cardinal ones get it all wrong. I, oh, can we not? Ever? I don't like this. It comes across as like we've got it all good, We've got it all together, but they don't. Maybe I'm just maybe I'm hearing that more than I should, But it comes across that way. They they, they, they, How about the carnality within the people who are listening to that live. I guarantee you it's there. I guarantee you it's there. It manifested itself countless ways. It probably will manage I bet you.

48:18 Carnality and selfishness and love for self manifested itself by the time many of those people got in their car, and before they even made it back to their house, and arguing or fighting or issues going on even in the car, even within the family before they got home. And stop pretending that's not the case. We sometimes feel like Christians strugger and we got a little halo above all of our heads and we're all little angels. That's not the way it works. We know that if you've been around Christians for any length of time. I live in both worlds. I want all I want, I want all the promises of the world and all of the promises of God, my friend, the Kingdom of God.

49:02 You have to put your hand to the plow and not look back in order to get all that God has for you. You can't have both. You can't number one, understand the importance of dedication to God. Understand the importance of dedication to God. All right, so I can't. I'm not quite completely following his outline there, but that's okay. I did yesterday. If you tried to follow my outline, it was a total disaster. So we won't get into the outline part. But I am gonna I'm gonna spend the last what ten minutes here, I'm trying to I'm trying to end at the top of the hour about Romans twelve, right, because I just believe I've heard sermon after sermon on Romans twelve one through two, and it all basically turns into, hey, present yourself as a living sacrifice, sacrifice your mind dedicated completely to God. You're tongue. I mean, I've heard sermon you're your desires, and these sermons just turn into do this, do this, do this, do this, do this, do this, And it's always preached as if it's achievable, like you can actually be a living sacrifice where all of yourself is dedicated to God. You can actually love God with all your heart, mind, body, and soul. That is the operating perspective by most churches and Christians is that we can accomplish this, and I will argue we cannot. We can't, and so I want to challenge this. So one of

50:33 the things about artificial intelligence that I have loved from a hermeneutical, exegetical, and theological perspective is I can create on hypotheses. I can create a concept, a theory of thesis, and then me and AI can go back and forth. I can go back and forth with artificial intelligence, with it challenging my hypotheses, challenging me you're philologically, textually, logically, and then I can kind of don't work and work and work and work to try to formulate a interpretation or a concept that AI says, okay, that will work within this framework or it will not work. I love that part of artificial intelligence. I will just go back and forth and back and forth and back and forth.

51:21 Where with people it typically they get defensive or they want to begin to argue for their perspective, or you feel like you have to now defense that you don't have any of the emotions. It's just artificial intelligence saying okay, well what about this? What about this? And you don't feel like they're attacking you. They don't feel AI doesn't feel like I'm attacking it. So all the emotions are out of way, and it's just a pure joy to engage it when trying to formulate it. So I so when I was considering Romans twelve one through two and just well, it's a new year, everyone's going to be preaching these sermons. Is there a different way to approach it? So I offered Ai a counter an alternative interpretation of Romans twelve one through two, because the way it gave me the basic Christian interpretation of Romans twelve one through two.

52:12 And I was like, I don't know if I agree with the basic interpretation of Romans twelve one through two. So I gave AI my counter proposal, and AI said, you've raised an important philological and hermoneutical question that has been discussed throughout church history. WHOA, that's wow, that's the one thing I do think I do well. I do raise lots of questions and hermoneutical questions. Typically my questions tick everyone else off, but that's okay. Ai goes on to say the idea of offering ourselves as a living sacrifice from Romans twelve one through one through two has often been viewed as the Christian's total surrender to God. However, when considering the reality of the sinful nature, it's essential to exp or whether this is even attainable or a just an aspirational command. Let's break this down. And I was like, okay, good that I wanted to challenge. Is this even attainable? Is it just an aspiration? Is it just a goal something we want? Can we ever even get?

53:18 It's great to tell everyone love God with all your heart, mind, body, and soul. It's not going to happen, ladies and gentlemen. It's never going to happen because you have a sinful nature, all right. So, and even if you say you love God, many cases you only love God because of what God can give you. Therefore, your love is not even true love. It's very selfish in its nature. It's a very fleshly kind of love. So Ai gave me the contextual understanding of Rome's twelve one to two two, because it was going to challenge me on or at least not challenge me, at least test my interpretation that I gave that maybe this is not actually maybe we've misunderstood this based within its context. So first it quotes Romans twelve one through two from the ESV. I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice wholly and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that by that, by testing, you may discern what is the will of God, which is good and acceptable and perfect. Paul's exhortation follows Romans one through eleven, which establishes the theological foundation of salvation by grace through faith. I cannot stress that enough.

54:33 Romans one through eleven is all about that we are justified by faith apart from works. That's what it's all about. Just keep that in mind, because that is so key to my interpretation, right. So it establishes the thiological foundation that we're saved by grace alone through faith alone. Chapters one through Life Chapters one through eleven described humanities, sinfulness, God's mercy, and christ atonement. Romans twelve one transitions from theology to ethics. Paul is calling for a life shaped by the Gospel. All right, So I do agree Romans twelve one is a transition. It goes from the philological to the practical. I got no problems with that, but I think it has to be the practical here has to be somehow related to the fact that we are justified by faith. We are justified by an imputed righteousness, not an infused righteousness. That's all Romans one through eleven has been about. So then this raises the question based on the fact that Romans one through eleven has clearly identified the fact that we are sinners by nature, that we have all fallen short, that we are sinner center sinners, and that even Paul, the things I want to do I don't do, and the things I don't want to do I do. Even Paul acknowledges even as a saved person, we are still struggling with sin. Well, then this racis the question. Is total surrender possible given our sinful nature?

56:09 Romans seven fifteen through twenty five Paul himself acknowledges the tension between the desire to obey God and the reality of sin. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. The internal struggle shows that even the apostle Paul experienced the pull of the flesh. Given this, it is unlikely that Paul is commanding something I can to sinless perfection or an absolute ability to surrender in every aspect of life perfectly. I agree if Paul and Roman seven is like, Hey, the things I want to do I don't do, and the things I don't want to do I do, then you don't turn around in Roman twelve and say, all right, everyone, perfectly surrender. Make yourself a living sacrifice. Because if I can be a living sacrifice and totally surrender to God, well then ladies and gentlemen, if it's not sinless perfection, it's pretty close.

56:54 So there's just no way that makes any sense. The phrase living sacrifice implies an ongoing daily process rather than a one time perfect surrender. I do agree with that. Unlike Old Testament sacrifices, which were dead and final, a living sacrifice continues in a dynamic state. Of devotion, acknowledging the struggle against sin but striving to live in obedience. I am to be a living sacrifice. I'm alive, So it's got to be something that's ongoing. Okay, but even that can how how do you even quantify it? If I have a sinful nature and I'm still going to sin, but yet at the beginning of the year, like, all right, everyone, let's be denegrated to God. Let's offer ourselves a living sacrifice.

57:45 How are you going to quantify well, how you're doing? Because you may well, I've offered myself a living sacrifice in this area, but you've sinned in this area and this ayrea in this area, and if you've broken one point of the law, you're guilty of all the law. So how can you measure if you're a living sacrifice when you're still sinning? So how should we handle this? So how should we handle that? Is it even possible? And well, I'm going to call into question if it's even possible. So AI at least acknowledged there's some problems there seeing it as even possible. Considering Paul himself said he obviously if he could just make himself a living sacrifice.

58:32 Then the things he want to do he would do, and the things he didn't want to do he wouldn't do. Right, you see that even within the framework of the book, there's some problems. So Ai said this to me. The key idea and your proposal is that the living sacrifice is not about personal achievement and holiness but a shift and identity. And I was like, yes, that's exactly what I meant. Ai. Right, I did frame that pretty good. So are you ready? Here we go, dying to law based performance and resting fully in Christ's imputed righteousness. I believe when I offer myself as a living sacrifice, I am dying to a law based performance and I am resting fully on christ imputed righteousness. That's what it means to be a living sacrifice. Because of God's mercy, I now sacrifice. I die to the law based mentality, to a performance based mentality, and I rest completely in Christ's imputed righteousness. So Ai said, your interpretation fits with N.

59:42 Paul's theology in several ways. So Ai is at least acknowledging my approach has plausibility. It's plausible, it's it may be possible. Now you can tell me if you agree. So. It first quotes Roman's three twenty, for we hold that one is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. Romans six ' eleven. Consider yourselves dead, descin and alive to God and Christ Jesus. Well, I can consider myself dead descind, How can I consider myself dead descin? Positionally? I am dead desin. I can't consider myself dead dessin practically because I still sin. So there is a positional practical framework being articulated throughout the book of Romans Galatians two twenty. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ, who lives in me, and the life I now live in the flesh. I live by faith in the son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am crucified. I am dead positionally. Practically, I'm living a life, and I've got to rely on my positional standing as I live this life. In this view, being a living sacrifice is an acknowledgment that we no longer live under the burden of self righteous striving, but in a complete dependence on Christ's completed work. That's what I think being a living sacrifice is present yourself as a living sacrifice that I am no longer living under the burden of self righteous striving, but I'm living a life now in complete dependence on Christ's completed work. So does this interpretation work? Well, let's

1:01:22 look here. Living sacrifice. Traditional interpretation, this means devoting every aspect of one's life to practical holiness and service. Alternative interpretation, this could mean presenting yourself, presenting ourselves as a live in Christ, abandoning self reliance and trusting in Christ's righteousness. Instead of offering works of righteousness as the Jews under the law, we offer our dependence on His imputed righteousness. So most people will say, a living sacrifice, you're dedicating yourself to God. You're surrendering everything. And I say that this would mean that we present ourselves to God as alive in Christ. I'm in Christ, I'm alive. I'm a living sacrifice, but I have been crucified with Him. I am a living sacrifice. I'm alive in Christ, but I have been crucified with Him. So I am a sacrifice that has been given up to Christ because of what Christ has done for me. So I'm abandoning any self reliance.

1:02:27 I'm trusting our christ righteousness. I am not offering up works of righteousness. I am I am. I'm showing my dependence on His imputed righteousness by the mercies of God. The basis of offering ourselves is God's mercy, not human effort. Paul's just been eleven chapters explaining the Gospel of Grace that righteousness is not earned, but received through Christ. Therefore, the sacrifice can be understood as a rejection of self righteous works. I am a living sacrifice. I am sacrificing eh myself, surrendering myself to Christ and his imputed righteousness. And I am not focusing on works of righteousness and trying to do good because it would never be enough anyway, being conformed to this world. Instead of seeing this as avoiding worldly behaviors, it would be seen as avoiding worldly law based thinking, performance based mindset. The world's way may include striving for self glorification, lawkeeping for approval, and a transactional relationship with God. So I'm not to be conformed to that way of thinking. That's how the world sees everything, in a transactional way. I think that's a fair assumption right, we are no longer conformed to that way of thinking.

1:03:41 We're not about performance based or a transaction. I am now a sacrifice, laying myself down, trusting fully in the imputed righteousness of Christ. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. This renewal could be understood as replacing a mindset of do to be righteous. The mindset of Christ has done it all. This mind is renewed as we remember that our righteousness is fully secure in Christ, not in our ability to perform for God. Now is there any biblical and theological support for my interpretation? Well, Romans ten, for being ignorant of the righteousness of God and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to Christ righteousness for Christ as the end of the law for righteousness, of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. That's Romans ten three through four. Well Paul criticizes Israel in that passage for pursuing a righteousness through the law. A living sacrifice could be understood as the opposite of this surrendering to the righteousness that comes through faith in Christ alone.

1:04:40 Hebrews four nine through ten. So then there remains a sabbath rest for the people of God. For whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from His works. From his works, as God did from his offering. Ourself as a living sacrifice can be seen as entering into the rest of christ finished work. We're striving for personal holiness no longer defines our relationship with God Romans Philippians three eight through nine. I count everything as lost because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes to faith in Christ. Paul's view of sacrifice here is not about achieving more holiness through effort, but about abandoning every attempt at self righteousness to rest in Christ's righteousness. This perspective that I have offered a lion aligns well with some important theological streams in church history.

1:05:37 Oh are you ready for this? Are you ready? Martin Luther's Law and Gospel distinction? Isn't it amazing that I always go back to law and Gospel and every passage of Scripture I look at? Luther emphasized that Christian life begins and continues with resting in the imputed righteousness of Christ, rather than trying to achieve holiness by works. Now there's some other places in church history, but we'll just go with that one for now. Now, what would be the implications of this, Well, my interpretation would free a believer from the burden of feeling as though they must constantly strive to maintain their standing before God through good works and making themselves a living sacrifice. In fact, it would reinforce the idea that christ righteousness is sufficient. It would give us humility and rest. Rather than approaching the Christian life with anxiety over one's performance, this approach calls for resting in Christ's grace and humbling, acknowledging it is finished not because of me, but because of Him. And then guess what should flow from this? True worship becomes an because we would have an outpouring of gratitude for what Christ has done. It wouldn't be about, oh, it's a new year, let me work to be a living sacrifice so that I can be approved by God. No, it's by being a living sacrifice, resting in Christ. Because the only way to be approved by God is to be found in Christ and be found with His righteousness imputed to my account, So AI's conclusion was it is possible

1:07:16 to interpret living sacrifice in Romans twelve one through two is dying to a law based thinking and resting fooling in christ righteousness. Instead of viewing this passage primarily as a call to practical holiness through human effort, it can be understood as an invitation to live out the finished work of Christ. This interpretation focuses on worshiping God through trust and faith rather than performance and striving. So then AI wants to continues to ask me questions to see if we can flush this out and make it better. But I'll stop right there because we're at sixty seven minutes. So as we start a new year, you're going to hear sermon after sermon after sermon on Romans twelve one through two. It's going to be like, in twenty twenty five, you need to make yourself a living sacrifice, you need to dedicate. I will argue you're never gonna pull that off.

1:08:06 So at the end of twenty twenty five, you're going to be just as discouraged and desponded and frustrated and depressed as you were going into twenty twenty five, or has twenty twenty four ended, Because if you look back over twenty twenty four, how did you really do spiritually? Did you love God with all your heart, mind, body, and soul. Did you love your neighbor as yourself? Did you do all things without complaining and grumbling? Where you self less, where you humble, where you not filled with any bitterness, wrath and unforgiveness. Come on, how did you do? You know what you're going to find out by the end of twenty twenty four. If you haven't looked yet, look back. You were a center throughout the whole year. You know what you can start twenty twenty five say I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna make I'm gonna love God. I'm gonna be a living sacrifice. You know where you're gonna end up at the end of twenty twenty five, still a center, still falling short, because that is what you are, your hope. If you want to, if you want to do this, look at God's mercy, Look at his mercy, because because of that mercy, present yourself to God a living sacrifice, saying God, I die to law based thinking, I die to self righteousness, I die to try, and I rest in what you have given me, which is Christ Jesus, his perfect work, his finished work, his imputed righteousness, and that is wholly acceptable to God, because when God looks upon his son, it is wholly acceptable to him. And this is my spiritual act of worship,

1:09:38 my reasonable service. My spiritual act of worship is saying, God, I have been crucified in Christ. I am a living sacrifice. I am dying to all of this law based works, works, works, works worse, and I'm resting in the finished work of your son. And that is an act of worship because I'm declaring Christ as worthy. I'm showing that his righteousness is what matters. And then I'm gonna be I'm no longer gonna be conformed to this worldly law, base, fleshy way of thinking. I'm gonna be transformed so that I can look at things from a gospel minded position. There you have it. Now we did not finish the sermon that that sermon is actually called. Let me see if I can pull it up, so if you want to go listen to the rest of it. And I know that's a completely yeah, you know, nobody's going to agree with my interpretation there, but that's okay. That sermon that we were just listening to. I don't know if I can even find it. Let me see here. Yeah, that's not gonna work. Let me see here. I got fifty windows open here. I don't think here. No, that's not it. Yeah, I can't currently find it. But it's a it's a brand new sermons. It shows up as new Year reset, but it's not called a new year reset. It's something

1:11:09 about new Year dedication, something along that line. Corey mctag. Yeah, tag, Maybe it's how you would say it, Corey mc t a g u E. I guess, tag, I guess how you would pronounce it. You can look up his sermon, or look up him Corey McTague. You can find the rest of it. We reviewed about half. I was hoping for more of an exegetical work on Romans twelve where I could then weave in my counter interpretation. But it really wasn't looking at Romans. I mean, it was just using phrases from Romans twelve one through two to basically say, hey, guys, dedicate yourself, do better, be more committed, do this, do this, do this, do this, do this, And I just think that that doesn't work philologically, so I've offered a counter interpretation.

1:12:00 So we're off a new year offering new interpretations, which is what I constantly do. But once again I demonstrated the use of AI. There. AI helped me flesh that out. We went back and forth for probably an hour trying to work it out, and so AI was able to confirm that scripturally, my interpretation seems to be plausible. Historically it fits right in with Luther. That's good to know, all right. So textually, historically, philologically it's at least plausible. I'm not saying it's right. I'm not saying it's right, but I've heard I'm not even trying to exaggerate. I probably have heard a thousand sermons on Romans twelve one through two in my Christian life do this, do this, do this, do this, do this, and I've yet to see it ever work in any reasonable way. I've been in church with all these people who heard those sermons, and then they still don't demonstrate well, sinfulness, selfishness, on and on and on and see seeing many of this cases, seeing churches completely split and fall apart. All right, I'll stop there, Thank you very much for listening. Oh let's see if we have an update. Hang on, let me look here, let me look at my email. Did we get an update about our Oh wait wait wait here we go. Okay, so I just received an email.

1:13:27 Thank you for your email, and I'm sorry for any any inconvenience. Our programmers has looked into this and figured out what happened when you signed up for the Church Specific Bible. One of the payments has been refunded. Please allow a few days for the refund to go through. Your Church Specific Study Bible should be active as well. Now, please let me know if you have any questions. Oh that's awesome. Hang on, let's look here is it? Oh wait, wait wait wait, hang on. Theology ladies and gentlemen, it is there. The Theology Central Study Bible is live and active. Go check it out now. Okay, hang on, let me go here. All right, go if everyone everyone do this right now. Stop what you're doing. Tell everyone you have to.

1:14:09 I don't care. If you're at work, tell everyone stop stop. If you're driving your car, pull over, everyone grab their phones. Go to Bible Arc b I, B L E A R C, Bible Arc dot com forward slash church forward slash Theology Central and tell me what you see. You should see the Theology Central Study Bible, the Theology Central Study Bible, Bible, Arc dot Com b I, B L E A r C dot Com, Forward slash Church, Forward slash Theology Central. There it is, Ladies and gentlemen. You can add that. You can make it an app and put it on your mobile device. It's live, it's there.

1:14:55 It's awesome. Now I'm not going to say he's gonna spend all the time going back through all everything it does. We did a product broadcast on it, but the problem has been fixed. We have been refunded. That's good. So I think we were able to do this. Now up to one hundred people can access it right now. If we go over one hundred, then I'll have to ask. I will have to ask for some money to be able to upgrade. But we paid. It was going to cost us one hundred dollars, but they did a big special this the other day, so we were able to do it for twenty five dollars, so that you know that I can afford twenty five. So that's great. Now. Of course, anybody wants to offer any wants to give anything to help cover any of the cost that for all the things we try to offer then buy me.

1:15:37 I'm not going to turn it down. But yeah, we could not do one hundred. We couldn't do one hundred. So I'm grateful that they gave us this discount. I'm grateful they refunded the money because we got charged twice. And so I think it's good to go. So please access it, use it, Let me know what you think. Everyone, have a great, wonderful beginning of twenty twenty five. We're just going to be driving around in twenty twenty five in a car, not knowing where we're going. That's going to be the illustration. I'm going to drive into the ground. We're just gonna all of twenty twenty five, we're just gonna be driving around. So we drove around for seventy six minutes. We didn't end up anywhere. We're now pulled over the side of the road having an argument about how to actually interpret Romans twelve one through two. So now you can just stay there at the rest stop and maybe we'll go find a restaurant and sit there and eat and talk about Romans twelve one through two.

1:16:22 I think that's a good place to a good thing to have a mill over all right, sounds good, all right, great everyone, have a great day. God bless