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Foreign welcome to Project one eight. My name is Scott and I'm going to be your host today. Thank you so much for joining us. I thought I'd start out today with a quick update because we have some exciting news about our show. If you are tuning in right now on one of the popular podcast platforms like Spotify or Apple Podcasts, I need to let you know that we're also available now on YouTube. All you need to do to find us is to click through the link that's in the podcast description. But here's the thing. I mean, one of my least favorite things to do is to produce videos. But because this platform is all about you and you guys, I just, I'm really excited to develop this next phase. I can't wait actually, because we have some great conversations lined up with some truly fascinating people who have amazing stories to share. Like for example, you're going to hear from people who have heart wrenching stories about being born in different countries. You'll hear first hand accounts of how they survived war, what they experienced living through persecution, poverty, and even more, you'll hear them describe in their own words just what it was like to have have them live those times through their faith and what their faith means to them now. How they trusted God and they learned to depend on him in ways that we can hardly imagine. But two, we'll also be hearing from some people that grew up in very similar situations to how most of us did here in the US and just like us, they face daily fears and struggles. We'll have conversations with young people, for example, who are trusting God as they make huge decisions about careers, marriages, education, and what it looks like to navigate their futures. And we'll have conversations with others still who are battling really difficult things like cancer. They've lost their jobs, they've been fired from careers, they've experienced some really dark times in their lives. So I know that like me, you'll be able to identify with what they're going through because I guarantee they've dealt with as many of the same issues as we do and that we all face. And yet they're brave enough to be vulnerable here and be recorded and to let you know how that's going. So yeah, I'm really looking forward to the encouragement and the inspiration that they'll show us. But then also, in addition to those conversations, you'll be hearing from some of my other friends who will be co hosting on a number of different subjects. Those subjects will range from topics such as mental health care, addictions, loneliness, we're going to talk about racism and trauma, different world religions. We're going to figure out what's going on with some of the major beliefs in our world. We're even going to talk about the role of technology in matters of faith. I mean, like, I can't tell you the number of people that are great, solid people who are scared to death right now about the development of AI. It's a big topic now in the hearts of people, and so we'll dive into that too. We'll devote some time to talk about information saturation and the role of social media plays in my faith. We'll be looking at the blessings and the pitfalls of the influences of technology on discipleship. So, yeah, I'm excited. We have a lot lined up, so I'd love to have you connect with us in Internet, interact with us on YouTube for sure. Okay, so that's what's going on on the horizon. But for day I'll be wrapping up a discussion that we began in the last episod that pivoted around the subject of unfairness. And just by way of a quick recap, we talked about how all of us at times feel very wronged. That can range anywhere between inconsequential slights to full on trauma dealing with sudden loss. There are literally countless ways that we can be or perceive to be at least victimized. We looked into the Bible and discovered that pain, injustice, suffering, persecution, and even murder, which is the ultimate act of unfairness, have plagued humanity since the time of the Garden. And our generation is certainly no exception to that. I encouraged us at the end of that episode to read Hebrews chapter 11 where we can read a brief summary list of people who, even though they suffered through some extremely difficult situations, they forged on through the strength of the Lord. And having done so, they made a huge impact in the world. And not all of them even got to live either. For many of them, they never got to even see the fruit of their faithfulness. But still they remained loyal to the promises of God. So what I'd like to do today then is pick up there and start out in Hebrews chapter 11. This particular portion of the Book of Hebrews is known by folks in church circles as the hall of Faith. And I'm going to jump to the end of the hall of Faith section in Hebrews chapter 11 and read the summary verse that's found in verses 32 to 40. I mean, check this out. Here's what it says and what more can I say? Time is too short for me to tell you about Gideon, Barack, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets who by faith they conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, they shut the mouths of lions, they quenched the raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, they gained strength and weakness, became mighty men in battle, and put foreign armies to flight. Women received their dead, raised to life again. Other people were tortured. They did not accept release so that they might gain a better resurrection. Others experienced mockings and scourgings as as well as bonds and imprisonments. They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they died by the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins, in goat skins, destitute, afflicted and mistreated. The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and on mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground. All these were approved through their faith. But they did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, so that they would not be made perfect without us. All right, that's the end of that chapter. So what's going on here? Okay, there's a couple of key points from the last sentence especially that really show us how these people dealt with unfair things in their life. I mean, think about it this way. Most of these people are mentioned by name in the Bible. Like God looked at their lives. He understood the sheer difficulty and the unfair situations that they're going through. And yet he felt that they handled it so well that he just included them in his book. The crap that they dealt with will always be an example for us and for future generations to read what a godly response looks like. So let's talk about a little bit. First of all, the author of Hebrews tells us that these people who endured such great testing, all of them, were proved through their faith. That means really quite simply that the way that they handled their situation pleased God. Like, I'm going to get right down to the nitty gritty here. For some of them, their situations never changed. There is no divine rescue. There is no bolts of lightning striking down their enemies. But even for the ones who were tortured and murdered, God honored their faith through it. Just exactly how he honors our faithfulness today. Another fascinating thing about this passage that we read here that helps us understand them and us today is the way that the author connects the dots of their faithful lives with the faithful life of Jesus. Did you pick up on that? So, Jesus, whom none of these amazing people ever knew, but we now know that Jesus is the one who perfected them. Think of it more along the lines of completed their faith. He did that by faithfully enduring even greater hardship than they did. And by his example, he invites us to endure being wronged in our life in the same way. Like we have as example, we have the benefits of his life, his death, his burial, his resurrection, and his ascension that all of those folks didn't have. And because of that, we, like them and like Jesus, should especially remain faithful because we have a more complete understanding of God. Let's go on a little bit farther and this will help us make more sense of it. Let's read the next chapter. Chapter 12, verses 1 to 3. Therefore, since we have such a great large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before Him. He endured the cross, despising the shame, and he sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Okay, sometimes there's a great application in a Bible passage just by understanding what it doesn't say. Also, like, notice here, for example, that these verses don't say some things. First of all, they don't say that we get to live a life free of pain, suffering, unjustness, or unfairness. And they don't say we have to like it when these things happen either. I mean, that would be ridiculous. Like we legitimately get wronged. And when that happens, we don't have to accept it with some pretentious smile. We shouldn't stuff it. And we are certainly not able to deny it. All of those unhealth are unhealthy responses that can derail us from faithful trusting of God to help us unpack what's going on and naming it is the first steps that help us to understand the eternal impact of what we're enduring. Did you notice what the author said about the perspective of Jesus? Let me read it again. This is really helpful. It says, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter or the completer of our faith for the joy that lay before Him. He endured the cross, despising the shame, and he sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Jesus never had joy in physical abuse. Like he wasn't delighted over being shamed. In fact, it was likely even more difficult because Jesus lived in shame and honor culture. It's easy for us not to get that because most of us were raised in a reward and punishment culture. But living at a time and In a place where honor was everything, enduring shame meant that you were losing. That was one of the main reasons, in fact, why the religious leaders of his day had him arrested and crucified. They were constantly losing face in the public arena because every time they confronted him, his wisdom silenced them and they hated him for it. When Jesus was crucified on the cross, that was the ultimate humility and shame that one human being could suffer at that time. Not to mention the most painful. Here's how it reads in the book of Isaiah. Isaiah is found in the first half of our Bibles, which is called the Old Testament. I'm going to go to chapter 50 and start in verse 6. I gave my back to those who beat me. This is about Jesus and my cheeks. To those who tore out my beard. I did not hide my face from scorn and spitting. See, my servant will be successful. He will be raised and lifted up and greatly exalted. Just as many were appalled at you, your appearance was so disfigured that he did not even look like a man and his form did not resemble a human being. Isaiah 53. He grew up before him like a young plant and like a root out of the dry ground, he didn't have an impressive form or majesty that we should look at him, no appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men. A man of suffering who knew what sickness was. He was like someone people turned away from. He was despised and we didn't value him. Yet he himself bore our sickness and he carried our pains. And we in turn regarded him stricken, struck down by God and afflicted. But he was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities. Punishment for our peace was on him and we were healed by his wounds. That's the description of Isaiah. Do you Jesus was fully human and yet without sin. He wasn't that blonde haired, blue eyed, sexy painting that you have seen. He was born in the Middle east to a teenage mother. He was laid in a feeding trough for animals. When he was born. He probably reached the height of about 5 foot 2. As he grew, that was the average height of men in this day. And he lived a physically demanding life where he walked for miles in the heat of the desert, he got hungry, he lost friends, his earthly father died. He knew the physical, emotional and human stresses that we all know. And then because of his unimaginable love for you and for me and for every other human that we we know and we meet, and even those that we don't even the ones that were torturing and killing him. He. He allowed himself to endure that shame that led him to hanging naked on a cross in full view of a crowded city full of men, women and children. He took on torture so phenomenal that, like I said last episode, a new word was created to describe it. The word excruciating comes from the Latin verb excruciar, which means from crucifixion or from the cross. He didn't delight in that pain. He did, however, understand that the peace for the joy set before him, the joy of knowing that his sacrifice on our behalf would save us from our rebellion. He had an eternal perspective that framed his temporal pain. Listen, we don't have to be happy about things that we deem unfair in our lives, but we are encouraged to view them in light of eternity. There's nothing easy about truly being wronged. I mean, truly victimized. But we were never meant to stay there either. Guys, it's the old adage, if you want something to grow, give attention to it, right? Like pain and trauma are complex issues that at times require complex treatment. I get that that's where we need to seek counsel, community, and even medical treatment sometimes. But there is also a spiritual component that we need to filter suffering through. Part of the healing process happens when we recognize that the very same God who created us also endured unfairness at a level that we never will know. He did that knowing that the promise of future restoration was at hand. And like him, we have that same promise. Let me leave us today, then, with one more final thought from the Book of Hebrews. This time I'm going to go to chapter 10 and verses 19 to 24. Here we read therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus, he has inaugurated for us a new and living way through the curtain, that is, through his flesh. And since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith. With our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water, let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, since he who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works. Folks, things are going to happen to us. We are going to be wronged. There is no escape to it. But when life seems unfair and it feels like you've been dealt the wrong hand and you're going down like a path of isolation, thinking that nobody cares, or maybe even God has abandoned you. The reminder of Isaiah 53 will always be our promise. Here it says, let the Lord understand that he was pleased to crush him severely. When you make him a guilt offering, he will see see his seed. He will prolong his days, and by his hand the Lord's pleasure will be accomplished. After his anguish, he will see the light and be satisfied by his knowledge. My righteous servant will justify many and he will carry their iniquities. Therefore I will give him the many as a portion and he will receive the mightiest spoil. Because he willingly submitted to death. He was counted among the rebels. Yet he bore the sin of many and interceded for the rebels. I know that life doesn't seem like it's fair sometimes. And when we're starting to feel that isolation, when we're starting to feel that loneliness, thinking that nobody cares, nobody endures what we're going through, nobody gets it. I want you to remember that we have a Savior who experienced not only the same anguish and types of loss that you and I experience, but he also went through so very much more. And because of that, he was faithful to God. He died on a cross for us. And that death resurrection allows us to approach him right now with ease. We are given direct access to the throne room. And when we do that, he loves to hear from us. He delights to hear from us. We get to approach him in ways like a child approaches a good father. And he's ready to help us with grace and mercy in just the time of need. Being wronged and experiencing unfair things is a really complex issue. Like we're saying for some of us, we just need to consider what it really is to suffer, what it really is to be wronged. Maybe if we're in a spot where every little thing tease us off, we might want to consider like really getting a good perspective on that. Like understanding the blessings and the great things that we have been given to us. The things that we have on our table are awesome. And maybe just get over some of those little things and understand that life isn't about us, it's about God. But for those things that are deep and traumatic and life changing, we do have a spiritual out to that to go to the Lord to understand who he is and what he's done for us as well. I appreciate you all tuning in. Like I said before, if you're really up against it right now and you're going through things that you don't know where to turn, you don't even begin to know who to talk to, about that. We would love to have you reach out to us and talk to us. I can connect you with some people who are very qualified in deep counseling, and they would love to talk to you and to start a conversation about what we can do to come alongside of you and help you with the things that you've experienced in your own life. The next episode that we're going to do, we're going to get back into some of the supernatural content. We're going to talk specifically about the Watcher rebellion of Genesis 6. We're going to get into the Nephilim and the origin of demons, what happened and what that's all about and how that impacts us today, today. But for today, thank you so much for tuning in. God bless you and take good care, folks.