No Fear of Social Pressure

Barrett: Welcome back to the PS podcast. My name is Barrett Bingham. I'm one of the ministers here at McDermott road church of Christ joined as always by a voice and face that you've already seen and heard with the bumper video. Wes McAdams, our preaching minister. Wes, how are you today?

Wes McAdams: After a sermon is over, have you ever wanted to make a comment, ask a question, or listen to the preacher say more about a particular idea? If so, this podcast is for you. My name is Wes McAdams, and I'll be sitting down with one of my fellow McDermott Road ministers to discuss comments, questions, and thoughts that have come up after the sermon is over. Welcome to P.S., the Post-Sermon Podcast. Thanks so much for listening to P.S., the Post Sermon Podcast. To find out more about this podcast or about the Church of Christ on McDermott Road, you can visit our website at ccmcdermott.org slash P.S. If this has been an encouragement to you, we also hope you will rate and review the show wherever you're listening, as well as share it with a friend. Because we believe sermons are not just for Sunday, but for our whole week and our whole life. I'm great brother, how are you? Good.

Barrett: Great as well. We'll just keep it there, you know? ⁓ I love to start our conversations ⁓ recapping the sermon, going a little deeper, right? Those are the, that's where we're headed, but let's pull back the curtain. I like the behind the scenes stuff. ⁓ This week we're in between monthly series. And so we wrapped up our discussion about vision. and where are we headed and why do we exist and our mission and our vision and that sort of thing. And then we went back to our annual theme of fearless and faithful. Is that a tricky transition for you to make ⁓ kind of at the end of a month or does it just feel like, it's another sermon or walk me through some of your thoughts and prep for the.

Wes McAdams: I really enjoy the I call them ⁓ a standalone sermon or a one off sermon because they're not tied to a specific series, which I really enjoy doing. And I used to kind of leave room in my schedule. plan out my sermon schedule at the end of the year. So around October, November, I'm finishing up the plan for the the next year. And I used to leave these one-off sermons and then just do, you know, all kinds of different things. But the last couple of years, I have used those one-off sermons to go back and remind us of our annual theme. And so they're all sort of themed with that larger series in mind. So I want everything that we do to be part of the fearless and faithful idea and framework. And so sometimes I think it's helpful and necessary for all of us to kind of go back and say, yeah, our annual theme is this because we've been talking about called the more we've been talking about our vision and helping people become more like Jesus. We've been throwing around all kinds of sort of catch phrases and little ideas. And so it's really helpful, I think, to go back and say, OK, all of this is under the umbrella of fearless and faithful moving forward in faith, not falling back into fear. And that really comes from Romans chapter eight. So this was sort of a even though we're. three months into the year, even more than three months of the year, it really is sort of a capstone sort of sermon for the annual theme this year to say, what does it look like? What does it mean to keep ⁓ moving forward in faith and not fall back into this spirit of fear that so often plagues us?

Barrett: Well, I mentioned it in staff meeting this morning that I feel like with all of the, you know, like you said, catchphrases that we've used and themes that we've had, they've all coupled nicely with fearless and faithful. And we've come back to that really well. I think I definitely felt that on Sunday that this was a real headliner of a sermon for that mentality, that attitude, that approach, whatever you want to call it, that we want to have as a family, not just this year, but moving forward, right? ⁓ How did you feel like it went? I noticed in first service at one point you got emotional, which you did a few things that I just always appreciate when preachers, ⁓ you know, start with a confession and we'll talk about that here in a second, but you know, have some sort of confession aspect to it and I appreciate. when some emotion comes through, not just in an emphatic speaking way, but when there is kind of a, hold up, this is affecting, this should be affecting us all similarly, in my humble opinion, right? But when it kind of slips through, and you know, the speaking voice. So how did you feel about it on Sunday?

Wes McAdams: Every Sunday, I pray before I preach that the Lord will help me to speak with clarity. Like I want to be really clear what I'm saying. I don't want people to say, what was that all about? What was he even trying to say with conviction? I want to be convicted about what I'm saying, but also compassion. Like I want to feel the message and feel how it's landing for people. And I think every week, you know, it's it's a spectrum of how well I do at any one of those three clarity and conviction and compassion. But but some weeks I really I really think that the message connects with me. And sometimes it does when I'm sitting in my seat, I'm sitting here in my office and I'm preparing the message. And sometimes it'll bring me to tears. Often it'll bring me to tears as I'm preparing the lesson. And then sometimes it strikes me by surprise while I'm speaking and it just hits me right between the eyes and how weighty and heavy this is. Sometimes I get kind of overcome with emotion while I'm standing there. Often during the song before the sermon, I'll stand at the bottom of the steps and wait my turn to go up on the stage and I'll just look out at my brothers and sisters and I just kind of get overwhelmed by by everything that's going on in their life. And I'll look around and I'll see people that, wow, we just had a funeral for their loved one this week, or I know that their loved one is in the hospital, or they're really going through some marriage stuff right now, or this person had some great questions and thoughts this week, and we've really been talking about the Bible. I haven't seen that guy in about a month. And so it's great to see him. And ⁓ there's this family that's been visiting with us, and I really want to get to know them better. And I look out and I think about...

Barrett: good. Yeah.

Wes McAdams: Why do they need to hear this? And as we were talking on Sunday from Romans 8, just this idea that Paul is putting forward, do you really think that God would send his own son to die for us and then he would disqualify you or not give you everything he's promised you because you didn't live up to someone else's standard? For them, it might be one standard, but for us, it's a different standard that we We really sometimes we forget just how much God loves us. And so that really hits me personally. Like sometimes I forget how much God loves me. And I really want these people sitting there listening to the word of God to know how much he loves you. And don't forget that this week. And so sometimes, sometimes I'm sort of caught up in what I'm saying and how I'm saying it and what do I need to say next and don't forget to say this thing. And then other times, thankfully, The message is really right there on the tip of my brain and I'm really able to be present with what I'm saying and really allow the truth of that to sink into my own mind and my own heart and really try really hard to impress that upon other people.

Barrett: That's fantastic. I loved your three C's that you prayed for. That's really good. And you teed me up nicely. I had the ⁓ opportunity, the blessing to get to teach in the high school class for the first time in a long time ⁓ on Sunday. And I got to, we were talking about marriage and I just told them like. by any account, I should be disqualified. You know, any social account, any, any person's account, I shouldn't be qualified to teach you about marriage and you know, that sort of thing. But because of the gospel, because of Jesus, because of my own redemption through him, I get to preach weddings, I get to do pre-marital counseling, I get to come and speak to you high schoolers about what you should be preparing for in marriage. And it's so funny to think about how Jenna and I I would both share this often and have shared this often in counseling sessions with people like how rough and rocky the beginning of our marriage was and just how little we knew and how decisions we made should have disqualified us for all these things by any person's account. But thankfully. the gospel, right? And thank you for sharing that. That's great. You opened with a very personal note, a very personal confession. And I heard a little bit of feedback from my own family about that, just appreciating that. And you were sharing that, you you have had the fear of what people think about you. And ⁓ me and some people in my family agreed, like, we should be confessing the same thing, right? So when did you first start realizing that fear was shaped your decisions and not just how you felt about yourself.

Wes McAdams: This is definitely been one of the things I think I've probably always been aware of it. I have been able to deal with it to lesser and greater degrees throughout my life, I think. But I think I've always probably realized that I'm a worrier and I'm fearful. And maybe especially high school and then after high school began to realize how much the thing I fear the most is other people's negative opinion of me. And if people criticize me or don't like me or reject me or hate me or whatever, how much that affects me and how I unintentionally and sometimes unknowingly do things to avoid their rejection, to avoid their criticism and how I've made so many decisions in my life based on trying to avoid the suffering that comes along with being disliked. And so, yeah, I think it's something I've been aware of for a long time. But there's been some things in my life that have really helped me deal with that better. But I think I still deal with this. I there have been times where I think about the era, the season of COVID and when we were all online and we weren't here in person and there was so much controversy going on in the world, how I was. plagued with what do people think about what I'm saying? Are they mad at me? Are they angry at me? Am I saying the right things? Am I saying the right things in the right way? Am I going to drive people off? Or when we come back in person, are we even going to have a church family anymore? Are they all going to leave because they didn't like what I had to say? And so all of those things plagued me throughout that season. And it's really a matter of Like you said, the gospel and preaching the gospel to myself and reminding myself of the things we talked about in the sermon, it's one reason why this sermon is so meaningful to me because I need to hear it more than anybody. And so I need to remind myself of all these things. And often when I get done with any sermon, I tell myself that I need to preach the gospel to me when I get back home and remind myself that if this is true, if this is how much God loves you, if this is what God has done for you, if this is who Jesus is and if Jesus is on the throne, like why do you care what this person had to say? If what you said was true and you said it with clarity and you said it with conviction and you said it with compassion and they're still upset, then that's on them, that's not on you. And Jesus is pleased with you, why are you worried about whether or not this person is pleased with you? And wow, I really have to remind myself of that constantly.

Barrett: Sure, and that's kind of where we're headed with this next one. You you said something very striking that sometimes the voice of our group, in quotes, you whatever group you want to put in here, right? There's, you know, family, your political groups, know, church subcultures and lots of other social groups, right? But ⁓ sometimes the voice of our group practically becomes the voice of God in our lives if we're not careful, right? And how does that happen without us even realizing it.

Wes McAdams: Yeah, we have this desire that's that's part of us. I heard somebody talk about it as this desire or this need maybe even need is a good way to put it of being around the campfire. Like as as old as time, like people need a spot around the campfire. You need the protection and the providence, the provision that comes with being around the campfire with a group of people. And so you will inherently unavoidably, sometimes unknowingly do whatever it takes to keep your spot or to gain a spot around the campfire so that you can have provision so that you can be provided for and protected. Because if you are not around the campfire, if you are outside the campfire, there is danger around every corner. And so you can't be out there in the darkness, you can't be out there away from the fire, you need a tribe, you need people that will provide for you and that will protect you. The gospel is that Jesus is our provider, that he is the one who gives provision, that King Jesus is the one who rules and reigns over us, and that his group and those who are truly following him, they are the ones who will love us and protect us and help us and encourage us. And so that is our campfire. But so often, whether we admit it or not, we have these other groups. And we really don't want to get kicked out. We really don't want to say something that is going to get them to reject us. And so I think that we just unknowingly, we, we elevate their opinions. We elevate the, the culture, we elevate the rules and regulations. Sometimes we don't even recognize them as rules, but they really are rules. Like This is how we operate. This is what we do. People like us do things like this. This is the way that you have to operate in our tribe, in our group. And if you don't do things like this, you're going to be rejected. And we just know that. We know it's unspoken, but we know it. And so we're doing everything we can. to avoid that. And really, when we do that, when they are our providers and they are our protectors, then they have become our saviors. They've become our God. And we are obeying their rules above the rules of God. So God says, this is the way you should live. This is what you should do. And we say, yeah, but if I do that, my group is going to reject me and I won't have a spot around the campfire. And God is saying, but don't you trust me? Don't you trust me to provide for you? Don't you? trust me to be the protector and the provider and we're like yeah yeah yeah that's great but I also need these people and and often when it comes down to the practicalities of life who is your real god it's the one you turn to and you trust for protection and provision

Barrett: Yeah, and you mentioned, you know, what does that make us, right? It makes us slaves to these groups and slaves to these people because they are dictating everything. And when you said, what does that make us? I almost said like idol worshipers, you know, and I think it could be either. Right. But I liked the language that you used, obviously, with Romans eight in particular. But I mean, it is truly idol worship and the idol takes shape of the tribe. Right. ⁓ I think we

Wes McAdams: Yeah, yeah.

Barrett: fall into those traps when we start just agreeing with stuff that we may feel convicted otherwise, but we're like, well, if the group believes this, I guess I'll hop on board. I'll start agreeing. And we agree to the point of comfort and we start realizing that we're really comfortable. And so I think those are some, some, you know, easy signs of, maybe we're not listening to the right voice, right? But, and you talked about some Romans eight language. says there is no condemnation and yet many believe believers still feel condemned. We talked about this some in the high school class this Sunday of like, man, it's easy, especially when we're talking about marriage and sex and all of these different things that, you know, when there is sin involved, we feel a lot of condemnation. Why is there often a gap between what God says and what we feel about ourselves?

Wes McAdams: Yeah, I don't know why there is, but I know that there is. Somebody said one time that the longest distance is the 18 inches or whatever it is from your head to your heart. And so often that's true. Like you can know something intellectually is true. You can read it and say, yeah, I believe that. I believe that's true and not. feel like it's true. And so it's one thing for us to know that if we are in Christ, there is no condemnation. If we're following Jesus, not flawlessly, but faithfully, then we're not condemned. We have been liberated from that condemnation and the fear of condemnation, but we don't necessarily feel like it. And so when other people make us feel condemned, make us feel judged and criticized, It's very easy to take their condemnation to heart because they're right in front of us. We see them. And so, we're constantly dealing with, think a lot of us are anyway, I know I am dealing with insecurity. And I think that's exactly what Paul is trying to do is to reinforce their security, their assurance, their confidence about who they are. It really struck me as I was studying this passage this week that we often read Romans 8, 1,

Barrett: Right.

Wes McAdams: especially, and read it as if Paul is making an invitation to non-Christians to become Christians because there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Whereas he's not really talking to non-Christians, he's talking to Christians and reassuring them that regardless of what anyone else says about you, you are not condemned because you are in Christ, whether you're Jew or you're a Gentile, wherever you come from, even if your group condemns you. because you're hanging out with the wrong people, you're doing the wrong things, you're not holding to their customs and their standards, you are not condemned, regardless of what they say about you, and especially coming from an honor shame culture like theirs is, that whatever the group says about you, that is what God says about you, because the group is speaking for God. We're less collective like that, we're more individualistic in our culture, but again, we are plagued by what do people think about me? Do they like me? And so when people look down on us and judge us and condemn us, that's what we take to heart. And so we need to be reminded of what is true, what is true because God says it's true. And we need to just marinate in the truth of the gospel that we are not condemned because God says we're not condemned.

Barrett: It's so easy to confuse social rejection with divine rejection, right? And I think that's something that, you know, he addresses of like, you need to be about the spiritual and not the physical and... ⁓ You talked about how we act like debtors to the flesh, still trying to live up to that cultural expectation of ⁓ success or status, image, that sort of thing. What are some examples where Christians are most tempted to live like we owe the world something today?

Wes McAdams: Yeah, isn't it interesting? Like sometimes the debate about like what we're supposed to wear to worship like that still comes up and we still have all of these rules and regulations that we place on each other about, well, I think you should dress like this when you come to worship or I think you should dress like that when you come to worship. Who says, like who said that? Like where did the suit and tie come from? Like God didn't invent the suit and tie. He didn't pass that down in the gospel. Who? who told you that that's what you were supposed to do? Well, some suit manufacturer or some fashion police. So the fashion police are telling you that this is what it looks like to dress reverently or this is what it looks like to dress for someone or something important. And then you're going to obey them as if their rule really is important. Like you've got to stop and ask yourself the way Paul does. I think he's specifically talking about the law of Moses and sort of the Jewish customs and culture that they're dealing with and say, what do you owe them? What do you owe them? Like, what do I owe the suit manufacturers of the world? What do I owe the fashionistas of the world? What did they do for me that I'm going to obey what they say that I'm supposed to wear to worship? Like, I'm supposed to feel like I'm not pleasing my God. because I didn't obey your rules. Paul says, we are debtors, but not to the flesh. We owe the spirit. We don't owe the flesh. We don't owe these sort of surface level rules and regulations. And that comes to, that applies to all kinds of things in our life. Like, what do you owe Apple? Like, you feel like you have to have the latest iPhone. What do you owe them? Like, what have they ever done for you? You are going to make sacrifices to important things so that you have the latest phone because you feel like you have to have this or you have to have that. What do you owe the Ford Motor Company? What do you owe these companies or corporations or this culture that you feel like you have to do what they tell you to do? You have to obey the advertisement. You have to buy into the propaganda. I mean, for that matter, what does what does What do you owe the nation? What do you owe the culture? What do you owe the state? What do you owe whatever that you feel like you have to do what they tell you to do? They didn't rescue from the law of sin and death. They didn't liberate you. They didn't free you. The Lord did. So do what He tells you to do, even when that means going against the norms, going against the culture.

Barrett: I think it's great to keep in mind how those things just very quietly pressure us into, I'll say like a customary. version of reverence. I like that you use that word that we have allowed the world to define reverence and what that looks like and we've got it twisted I think in a lot of ways but ⁓ let me read a comment that was left by Miss Audrey Hare. She wrote in to the PS podcast, now's a great time to encourage everyone that's listening or watching any given Sunday. We would love to hear your questions and your comments. We'd love to bring them up on the podcast but Audrey said, I'm comforted in the fact that God is our Father and that we do not need to fear. Because of this, I also would like to say that God is in control and that He is sovereign over every earthly power. Easier said than done, but I often have to remind myself of His control. He is the anchor of our souls. And I thought that was a beautiful reminder of things that you mentioned, things in Scripture. You you emphasized how transformative, how freeing it is or how it should feel to truly believe that God is our Father. I really enjoyed the riff and you've done this before, maybe even this year, you know talking about how we used to brag on when we were younger or little, we would brag on, how big my dad is, my dad's stronger than your dad, my dad can do all these things, and I liked that riff again on Sunday, but why is the identity between God our Father and us as children of God so central to overcoming those fears that we're talking about, overcoming the social pressures we're talking about.

Wes McAdams: Yeah, I mean, Jesus does this as well when he talks about your Father in heaven knows that you need all of these things, all these things that you're worried about. What are we going to eat? What are we going to wear? You know, all of these questions that we pursue and things that that. just make us so anxious. He says, your father knows that you need them and thinking about God that way, like, do we really believe that? Do we believe that he is our dad and that he loves us the way a loving dad better, better, I should say, than the way a loving dad loves his child? What's more real to us is what is more real to us, the needs that we feel, the fears that we feel, the social pressure that we feel or the truth of the gospel that because of Jesus, the King is your big brother, the Spirit of God lives in you and God is your Abba. Like what is more real to you? And I think that needs to be our prayer. It needs to be our concern. Lord make these truths real to me. Make them real to me so that I live my life by them. And that's That's behind everything that we do. Hopefully, we've said that our mission here is helping people become more like Jesus. And the only way to live like Jesus is to believe that these things are true. We live it out by faith. We're trusting that these things are true. And the only way to be transformed by these truths is to constantly live in them and dwell in them. Paul says, let the word of God. dwell in you richly. And so this truth, these promises, this idea about God being our Father, it has to dwell in us richly. And so it's like air that's constantly leaking out of a tire, like you got to put it back in and put it back in and put it back in and put it back in. That's why we sing the songs that we sing. It's why we break the bread and we share the cup. It's why we pray the prayers. It's why we spend time together. It's why we talk about the story. the good news about Jesus over and over and over again. I've heard Christians talk about Bible study and talk about the gospel. Like, once you know it, what are you doing just talking about it all the time? It's like, I need to hear it. I need to hear it over and over and over again because I believe it intellectually, but there's so much of it that I don't believe on an emotional level, on a practical level, day by day. I might believe in God and believe in Jesus, but practically speaking, I mean, do we live as if these things are true? And if we did believe that these things are true on an emotional level, what difference would that make in our life? I mean, I think the interactions we have with people would be so much more bold, wouldn't they, to be There's so many times where I want to share the love of God with some stranger or with some person I don't know really well, but I'm embarrassed and I'm worried about what would they think? But it's more important to think, well, is it true? Like, is it true? God loves them. And if they don't know that right now, like you might be the only opportunity that they have to hear this. Like, why are you going to allow the possibility, the potential of social awkwardness keep you from sharing a potentially life-changing truth with that person. But I do. I let those moments pass me by because what is more real to me in that moment is the potential awkwardness over the truth of the gospel and that's what needs to change in me.

Barrett: Two thoughts on that, there's a comedian that talks about being an atheist and he has a very Christian friend and ⁓ his friend never brought up gospel around him and he said, I don't think he's a Christian as much as he's a heaven hog and that he's trying to hog heaven all to himself, you know, and it has this great take on that. I think that's true of what people will think of us if we're not bold and willing to share, if we think it's life-changing. Why would we not stop talking about it? And that's kind of back up a point and a half here, but you know, our culture, I think it was John Orberg that says some version of this that depending on where you are in the world, you'll see, you know, what people value by how they describe God and that sort of thing. And he says, you know, in the U S we love a good leader. We love a boss. We all want to be the boss. That's kind of, I'm trying to work my way up the ladder to be a boss. And so we relate to God being a good boss or a good king. And so we kind of put him in that category of being a king and a leader and that sort of thing. And so it makes it more difficult for us to relate to him as a brother and a father and have this familial, you know, aura to him. And so I think that's something that we need to do a good job of balancing because obviously there is reverence for our king father. And also he calls himself father and he says, I'm going to be imitators of me like children of God. and I think there's something that we need to kind of have a rebalancing often. ⁓ You were very honest about the fact that following Jesus ⁓ may lead to criticism and rejection and suffering and ⁓ you know I'm of the opinion I think we should expect those things and if we're not experiencing them then you know are we doing what we're supposed to be doing right? ⁓ But how does understanding our identity in Christ give us that courage to face those consequences?

Wes McAdams: Yeah, yeah, it's almost like by comparison and that's how we measure everything is by comparison, isn't it? We say is this good or bad compared to what? that's you almost have to have a comparison and when Paul weighs the suffering that he went through. Like he went through more suffering than I probably, hopefully, will ever go through in my life. Paul was shipwrecked and he was beaten and he was imprisoned and eventually he was killed. I he was rejected by everybody including not just his Jewish friends that rejected the gospel also rejected him, but even Christian friends abandoned Paul. And so he went through so much suffering, but yet he said when you weigh the glory that is coming,

Barrett: Sure.

Wes McAdams: what I will inherit with what I'm going through right now, it's beyond comparison. It doesn't even begin to compare. And so I often think about if I knew for a fact that in a year, 12 months from now, I'm going to inherit one billion dollars with a B billion dollars, I'm going to inherit a billion dollars. Then whatever I go through between now and then, if I believe that that's true, if I get a ⁓ ticket for parking in the wrong place and I have to pay a hundred bucks. Who cares? I'm a billionaire. I haven't realized it yet, but I'm a billionaire. If my car breaks down, if my air conditioner goes out, who cares? I'm a billionaire. Now, if that inheritance is not coming, what changes the weight of what I'm going through in the moment. And so if we really believe that we are children of God and we are Poe heirs with Christ, meaning that everything that belongs to Jesus by nature and merit, because of who he is and what he's done, belongs to us by grace as a gift. Meaning God will give us all things. That means the whole new heavens and new earth belongs as much to us as it does anyone. Like the world is ours. Jesus said that Meek will inherit the earth. Like if we believe that's true, that everything belongs to us. Like, what are we afraid of losing? Like, whatever it is that we're afraid that we're going to lose, I'm going to lose this friendship. I'm going to lose this opportunity. I'm going lose this money. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You might lose that money, but you have an inheritance that makes it look silly to be concerned about this. And that's the thing is like, if you were a billionaire, it would be silly for you to get so worked up about 25 cents, like Don't worry about it. You're a billionaire. You are a child of God. You are a co-heir with the Messiah. The Spirit of God lives in you. Whatever it is that you go through, it doesn't mean it's not bad. It just means by comparison, it's not worth losing your cool over. And I have to remind myself of that so often that whether it is social rejection or the loss of money or the loss of opportunity or the loss of whatever. Yes, it's bad and sometimes, yes, it's worth lamenting. It's worth weeping over. Absolutely. But we have to keep it in perspective. We grieve, but we don't grieve as those who have no hope. We have hope. We know that something better is coming and something better already exists. Jesus is already ruling and reigning and there's a sense in which I already reign with him. I'm already God's child. And if that's true, then that should put in perspective the suffering that I go through now.

Barrett: some incredible spiritual perspective. Thank you. And I think it's a good time to remind everyone this is not a financial planning podcast and the opinions of the personalities are our own right now. ⁓ So don't ⁓ base your rent on what we're talking about. But ⁓ if someone is listening today and realizes. You know, I'm living in fear and I know we had some people talk about that yesterday at church where they think is great and just, you know, getting that out there of confessing. Yes, I've been, my life has been dictated by fear. If you're listening, watching, and you feel like you're in that category, what's a practical step that someone can take this week to start living more fearlessly and less or more fearlessly and faithfully? There we go. Yeah, yeah. We got them.

Wes McAdams: Yeah. Well, I think a lot of it is exactly what we're doing right now. It is speaking the truth to the lies, because some of the things that we're afraid of are not true. They're lies. Like we're afraid of things that aren't even true. And then the other things that we're afraid of are true. They're just too small for us to be worried about. And so either way, it's very helpful to drag them out into the spotlight and examine them and to examine them for what they are in perspective. in light of the truth of the gospel. It's the same way with any fear. Like if we're afraid of flying, like drag it out, admit it, say, I'm afraid of flying. Now let's talk about that. Like what's the chances of this plane going down? Very, very small. Is it, is there a real chance? Yeah, yeah, it's real. It's just really small. It's not worth worrying about. So bring it out into the light. Say it out loud. I'm scared. I'm scared people aren't going to like me. Okay, let's deal with that. Let's talk about that. Who does like you? Well, God likes you. He likes you so much. He sent his son to die for you. Like that, that should put it in perspective. And so we, we speak the truth to the lies and we speak the truth to the, the things that we're afraid of. So admit it. And it's so healthy and it's so good. It's why I started the sermon the way I did to say, yeah, I live in constant fear that you guys aren't going to like me, but guess what? What's more important to me is that God likes me. And if he's pleased with me, then I don't want you to be displeased with me. I don't want you to dislike me. I don't want you to reject me. I'm going to do everything I can to live at peace with all people. But if I have to choose between being loved and liked and accepted by God and being accepted by you, I choose him. You know, and that's the thing is just being able to to say those kind of things out loud and reminding ourselves of those things over and over again. So that's really practical. Like when you're afraid of something, say it out loud or write it down and then say something bigger, like reveal a bigger truth to your lie to say, yeah, here's what I'm scared of. And that's about a two, you know, on the scary level. And here's about a 12 on the overwhelming that fear level. And that is who God is and what God has done. I mean, the same God who was with David. when he killed the giant that we've been talking about for thousands of years, that same God who brought that giant down is the God that goes with you to work. He's the God who goes with you to school. And really, you're scared about that situation or that person or that person's opinion when the God who brought down Goliath, the God who brought down the walls of Jericho, the God who... separated that's not the word i'm looking for divided the sea you know when that god is with you you're scared of this stuff like your god is so much bigger yes there's a storm but your god is so much bigger than the storm

Barrett: Yeah. ⁓ you That's so good. And I'll give you my two cents on my own question that I asked you. I think some exposure therapy is one of the things that comes to mind. Just a small act of obedience. So I think that's great. Talking about it, writing it down, here's my fear, I'm going to name this truth. Well now acting on that, right? And a small act of obedience despite the discomfort, despite that fear of let me take a step into boldness. so highlighting three What are three, you know, and writing them down I think is great, acknowledging them. What are three awkward, you know, in quotes, conversations I could have or where do I start in living fearlessly? Am I going to stand up for what I believe in in this place, in this scenario, in this situation with this person? But identifying those and then acting on that this week I think goes a long, long way. So.

Wes McAdams: Well, to kind of play on that for just a second, you and I both like listening to some podcasts with comedians and hear them talk about their process. And one of the things that really struck me with some comedians is the fact that they want to bomb with some of their material. Like they want to take their material and bomb with it first so they know here's what it feels like. and it's okay, and here's how I get out of it, and here's how I move on when this happens, here's how I move on. And so it's not a bad thing. Like go have an awkward situation. Go have that kind of situation. I love what you said about exposure therapy. Like go, go try it. And what's the worst thing that can happen? And really, if the worst thing happens, it's probably gonna be a good thing because now you know the worst thing can happen. It can absolutely come true. And guess what? God is still God. Jesus is still on the throne. The Spirit of God is still within you. We still win and it's okay. And it can be a really good thing to be afraid. ⁓ I'm really scared. I'm really nervous about what this situation might hold. And then do it anyway. And then when that really bad thing happens, you realize, ⁓ that really bad thing wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

Barrett: that's great. I bombed at an open mic last night and had that same thought of like this while it was happening. It's like, this is what I feared. It's okay. I'm going to get in my truck and go home and go to bed. And it does not matter on Monday morning. And so I agree. I think there's a lot of that that we need to take the leap. Go ahead and jump into the fearlessness and faithfulness. Thank you, Wes, for your time. And thank you all for listening and for watching. If you didn't catch the sermon, definitely go back and listen to it. It was fantastic. And so great job, Wes. Where are we going next month now with the next theme and next week's sermon.

Wes McAdams: Yeah, so next Sunday is Easter Sunday, so we're talking about the resurrection, but I wanted to use that Sunday as a kickoff for a new series. And so we're going to be talking about the afterlife. Like, where do we go when we die? And why are we not scared of where we go when we die? The Bible really doesn't say a whole lot, actually. It might surprise people. Here's kind of a spoiler for the series that the Bible doesn't say a whole lot about the afterlife, about where we go immediately when we die. But it does say the way scholar N.T. Wright likes to put it is it doesn't say much about life after death, but it says a lot life after life after death. And so it's not so much about where do we go immediately after we die. It's about what happens after that in the resurrection when Jesus comes again, ⁓ that we will experience the same thing that experienced, that what God did for Jesus in raising him from the dead and making him immortal, God will do exactly the same thing for each and every one of his people that we will be given immortality. Now, if that's true, again, will we have to die? Will we have to go to the place of death? Yes, we will, but it's okay because I know what's on the other side of that. On the other side of death is resurrection. And I have lots of questions still about what happens when I die and where do I go when I die? But I don't have to be afraid of that because Jesus has already conquered death.

Barrett: Fantastic. Cannot wait for that series. Can't wait to get into it. Happy Easter to you and to everybody ⁓ listening. Hope it's a great week and we'll see you next time.