Memory and loss. And there are various degrees and types of amnesia that people can experience. Sometimes amnesia is trauma based or drug induced where your body, whether it responds to chemicals or even in protection mode, really forces you to forget something that happened. Now, there's other forms of amnesia as well. And so there is retrograde amnesia. That is where you lose existing and previously made memories. So you might see that through Alzheimer's disease or dementia or things there. I remember my late grandmother would uh she, she wouldn't remember who I was, but she was really amazing still at Scrabble. So like we would be playing a game and she'd be like, who are you again? Oh, by the way, that's not a word. And so she would beat me and she didn't know who I was and it was frustrating to lose that. But anyway, um so there's varying varying degrees to which you can lose memories. And so that's retrograde amnesia where you lose the memories that are behind you. Uh Then there's also anterograde amnesia and that is where it prevents you from making new memories. This is when people sometimes have some form of blackout or something where they do something and they can't remember what they're doing moving forward. Well, today I wanna talk to you about a very specific kind of amnesia. One that's not talked about a lot, but one that I think has become really an epidemic here in and across churches in our country. And, and that is one of spiritual amnesia. See spiritual amnesia happens or occurs when we live in a way that forgets the existence of God. It's the idea of, ok, we acknowledge God in our minds, maybe even we wanna believe in God in our hearts. But then we live in a way as if God doesn't exist. You know, it, it's very common for us to become forgetful of foundational truths. Busy often leads to forgetfulness and you know, this is to be true, like if you've ever entered a room in your house to grab something, but then you walk into that room and completely forget why you went into that room in the first place. Anybody like me in that way, right? Sometimes I find that as Christians, we try to fit God into our schedule or we try to search for God and, and he think we think he's somewhere out there that we think he's somewhere to be found. Uh for example, I was watching uh True Crime series, if you like those true stories, true detective type stories. I was watching this True Crime series, this movie, um, called Monsters Inc. Um, True Story about an overlooked worker in a factory. Mike Wasowski and James P. Sullivan. Ok. You haven't caught on, it's a, it's a cartoon. Um, and so I was watching with the kids and, and there's a scene if you've seen the movie, this cartoon, it's kind of fun. It will change your life. Ok. And, uh, and so go and, uh, they are chasing after someone who entered through this door and there's like, oh, there's the door, I recognize it. And so they go in and then in the back part of the factory. Now all of a sudden there's hundreds of doors moving. Do you remember the scene right through? And so there are hundreds of doors and like, where is it? Where is it? Sometimes we approach God in the same way where we think God is behind a certain door in a certain place or at a certain time. And, and we are searching for God and looking for God when in reality, God has been with us this whole time, you know, it's, it's we, we find ourselves almost playing hide and seek with God and he's standing right in front of us. You know, we forget things all the time. For example, my kids forget that it's five minutes before dinner like every evening, right? That's when kids want a snack, right? They go, you're like, you've slaved away and you created this great meal like once a year and, uh, and you go through and you're cooking all this stuff and it's healthy and it's great and there's all this great aroma and the kids running like I want Doritos. Right. I'm like, no, we're about to eat dinner and then like 30 seconds later you hear the little crinkle of the bag. Like, are you kidding me right now? And you take the bag and adults, you know, this is true as you're putting it back in the closet. What do you do? You put your hand in, you eat a little bit, we forget like they're like, no, you got this dinner coming and like literally two minutes before you're trying to fill it with something else. I think sometimes in the same way we do, we do this with God all the time. Like God wants something great for us. God wants something big for us. And then we, we're like, I believe it, God bless you assurance and like, it's awesome like Jesus, you're alone and then we go into Monday and we forget that he even exists. And so what I wanna do for the next couple of minutes is that I wanna take a look at one of the most foundational truths. Really. There are three foundational truths that I think we forget as a church and the true sort of this. God is big. Life is short and eternity is real. God is big. Life is short and eternity is real. Nothing. I said there probably shocks anybody for the most part. But how often do we forget those truths? How often do I forget these truths? So let's take a few minutes here in way of remembrance this morning together. First thing God is big trying to think through how to describe the bigness of our God. I think the easiest way to do that is to look at the bigness of his creation and, and don't tell your spouse or friend if they're not here that like we learned about the bigness of creation and I thought of you that wouldn't go over well, um but when you think about the universe as we know it and you think back to like fourth or fifth grade, elementary science, ok, as you're learning about the solar system, think of how much bigger the sun is than the earth. So they know that the sun's diameter is about 100 and nine times wider than the earth. But it's a much heavier too. It's, it's way more dense. And so the sun is about 333,000 times heavier than earth. And we have in here. But what's crazy is that when you count for the size and this number blew my mind and I didn't think it was real when I looked it up. And then I asked my fourth grader son and he knew at the top of his head. So good job school system and I just completely forgot this fact. But do you know how much bigger the sun is than the earth? Like how many earths you could fit into the sun? 1.3 million. I was today years old when I learned that. Ok, 1.3 million you can take 1.3 million earths. And I just flew, uh, yesterday afternoon from the middle of the country here and, and it's crazy to think about all that goes into all these people cramming into a little metal tube that doesn't seem safe. And then you go like all these feet in the air and it still takes hours to get to just one little part of the country and that's just our country and you expand it out and you expand it out and you think how big our world is and all of our world is, is 1.3 million times of that can fit into the sun. But what's crazy is that the sun is actually just an average star size and, and weight and, and height really is relative to the situation. Like, for example, being 65, I'm seen as a tall person, which people come up to me all the time. Like, do you know you're tall? I'm like no way and I'm shocking but like, and it might be tall just like walking down the street. But the reality is in, say college athletics, like I'm my average height So for college basketball, I'm average height and so it's kind of comparative to the field, a realm that you're in in the same way. The s the sun is 1.3 million times bigger than the earth, but it's just an average star. So the next question is then, well, how many stars are there? And what's crazy here is that in our little neighborhood in our little galactic Aviano community or Desert Ridge or Cave Creek or whatever community you, you live in here. Um Our Milky Way galaxy there is estimated 100 billion stars. It's 11 zeros, 100 billion stars just in the Milky Way galaxy. Well, then the next question is, well, how many Galaxies are there just based on the instruments that we have, the best guess, are estimates that we have in here is that in the known universe there's an estimated two trillion Galaxies, it's 12 zeros. So if the Milky Way has an average number of stars in one galaxy and there's two trillion Galaxies when you put those together, it just sounds like a made up number, but it's 200 billion trillion stars. It's 23 there. So 11 zeros and 12 zeros here. And so 23 zeros after that, I tend to go down these weird rabbit holes. And so I was like, well, how many grains of sand out on the, on the earth? And they've actually studied that and supposedly there are 75 to the 17th. Power grains of sand on earth. Well, there's 23 zeros, 17 zeros. That means there are more stars in the universe. Then there are grains of sand on the earth that if I had a little grain of sand on my finger right now, you could not see it, but that represents a star. And all, you're telling me, all of that came from nothing or came by accident, our God is big. And if you think about the galaxy and the purpose of the galaxy that if it's, if it's made for you and I, then it's clearly way too big. But if the universe was made to represent the power and glory of God, then it's just the right size that God created entire universes simply because he could and because he wanted to. But it's not just the big things, it's the small things that if you look into the human body and the complexity, every heartbeat, every breath, every blink of an eye, a chemical reaction that takes place within our body. When you break it down and you look into the cells and you look into DNA, you see that the DNA is that double helix thing? It looks like the twisting ladder, right? They're like, oh, there's, there's four nucleotides that create the bases for DNA. And, and we had the big accomplishment. They completed the human genome, which is, they were able to identify all the pairs that go within the human genome and there's 3 billion base pairs in a little, one little thing of DNA 3 billion. So what that tells me is that whether you look through a telescope or through a microscope, you will find evidence for God. Our God is big. And if our God is big, we can understand that he is powerful and isn't just found in creation. We see this proclaimed in his word, for example, in Psalm 19 verse 1 to 3, it says the heavens declare the glory of God. The sky proclaims his handiwork of 200 billion trillion. OK? It doesn't say that part, but that's what we know. Right. Day to day pours out speech and night to night reveals his knowledge. There is no speech nor are there words whose voice is not heard. The prophet Isaiah wrote in Isaiah 4026. He says, lift up your eyes on high and c who created these, who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name. I forget my own kids' names sometimes and he knows all 200 billion trillion by name and by greatness of his might. And because he is strong in power, not one is missing. The author of Psalm 1 47 4 says the same thing. He says, he determines the number of stars and he gives to them. Uh He gives to all of them their names. Paul in the New Testament writes to the church in Colossi, Colossians 115 to 17. He says he is the image of the invisible God referring to Jesus. He is the first born of all creation. For by him, all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether Thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things were created through him and for him that he is before all things and in him, all things hold together. Let us not forget that our God is big. But second, let's also remember that life is short. The reason I was traveling this weekend just because I went up to Minnesota for my grandfather's funeral. I actually have in here on the podium, the little program in and what's interesting in his case, it was, you know, he had been sick and he lived a good life. He was a believer. But when you attend a memorial, when you attend to attend a funeral, you're reminded that even a life well lived and a life lived long feels short, isn't it? Whether it's a short amount of time or a long amount of time that like whenever you, it's your time to go, it's summed up in a moment, right? In a paragraph, a few words, it was fun to see cousins and family members and to hear stories, it also forces you to examine your own mortality. It was cool. We were at the church, the same church when my parents were married, the same church. I think we had the same carpet as when they were married. You know, this whatever you think of midwestern Lutheran church. It was that right? And uh I got to see they still have photos of my mom's confirmation as a teen. And then they even had pho photos of my grandfather's confirmation. They had photos going back to like 1900. And then it was actually his great grandfather, Arnie Boym who actually started the church as this whole clan immigrated to the United States from Norway. And it's kind of crazy, right? Like to see this, this bubble historical landmark. But then to hear this, this legacy and these stories happen in the seemingly middle of nowhere. And I found myself thinking, well, what is my legacy? You know, what, what, what am I gonna leave to future generations? What am I gonna, what stories would be told about me? What is and, and, and it forces you to think about bigger things. You know, it's a little over 20 years ago that on this day, we reflect on the tragic events of 911. And if you are old enough to remember, I would guess if we had time to go around the room, every single one of us could tell, you could tell exactly where we were when we heard the news. Why? Because those big moments force us to think about bigger things. It forces you to think about the brevity of life. You know, for one moment, it wasn't Democrat or Republican, right? Whatever division you want to choose. For one moment, we were just humans grieving for what was lost, asking questions of why seeking God humbling ourselves. See, those tragedies have a way of bringing people together. And it's interesting too that when you go to memorial funeral things, they're like, everyone has that same kind of thought, right? Like man, is it, it, it's, you know, who would have loved this gathering of family and discussion? My grandfather, like we're talking, the guy who was county commissioner would literally go door to door when he was running for office for in the little town of a couple of 100 people ate every meal at the little town cafe called Birdie's where you would gather with the local farmers, right? It was, it was, it would spread faster than any social media today. You know what I mean? Like small town things, right? But yet it's in these gatherings, we come together and it's like, wow, yeah, life is short. Why does it take something so extreme for us to remember that? You know, you know, I, I go home and, uh, last night tucking the kids in it and when you experience something and you come back, you tend to like hug your kids a little tighter. You know what I'm talking about and family members, right? And so I'm having this moment, I'm tucking Chloe in last night. And uh and I remember I was like, hey, sweet daddy loves you and, and, and I, and I'm rubbing her and she looks, she grabs my face, you know, while I was gone, I kept hearing from him. She kept saying I miss you dad and she grabbed my face. She looked at him like, oh wow, this is gonna be such a cool little moment and she looks into my eyes and she says, daddy sometimes worms hide under rocks and then she turns and falls asleep. That was it. That was my moment. I was like, yeah, they do. And I was waiting for that extra and then an extra here and she fell asleep. And what's funny is like here's the thing, even as silly and as random as that moment was I'm holding my child and I just think like I love her, right? Even when you mess up and you say something completely random to God and it's completely out of the box and it's and it's just out there doesn't seem connected, doesn't seem to recognize the moment. I want you to know even in your craziness, weirdness, randomness. I want you to know that God loves you. This morning's message is called life is crazy because it is, there's never been a time where on one hand, there's more opportunity. But on the other hand, there is more to worry about than ever before. We are being bombarded constantly with the ways and temptations of the world. But you wanna know something crazier is that with everything going on. God sees you. He knows you and he loves you. The same God that created this universe with 200 billion trillion stars. He says, you know what this universe needs is you. And it's tragic moments and special moments and other moments that remind us of that. And the writers of scripture also recognize this James half brother Jesus writes this in James 414 and says, yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What for what is your life for? You are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes at the end of the day, your life is a mist. Everything you work for all your schooling, all your bank account, everything, all the relationships, all the networking and working at the end. Gone Peter, one of the apostles, it's right into a church that's facing persecution. And he says this in first Peter 124 and 25. He says for all flesh is like grass in all its glory, like the flower of grass, the grass withers and the flower falls. But the word of the Lord remains forever. And this word is the good news that is preached to you. The fact that we have a God who is big, the fact that we understand in big moments as we reflect on tragic moments, the fact that we know that life is short, should lead us to remember this final truth. Eternity is real. Eternity is real. I want to give you permission to be skeptical to ask questions, to worry, to disagree with me. I want this to be a safe place for you to explore that. But in your skepticism, in your doubts, I want you to just ask the question. What if it's true? What of the fact that this universe in all its complexities as creation points to creator? What if the story of Jesus that has resonated for thousands of years where everyone attempts to get to God, Chris, the Christian story and message is God coming down to man where, where we see cultures, religious and non-religious seeking and abusing power. We see a God who loves us that came down and washed feet, served people and gave up his life for you. What if that was true? What would that mean for me? The last verse I read to you, Peter said, what stands forever is the word of the Lord? And that word is the good news that is preached to you. And what is that good news? Paul tells us this. He's writing a letter to the church in Rome and in Romans 10 verse 8 to 15, it's we read. But what does it say? The word is near you in your mouth and in your heart that we, that, that is the word of faith that we proclaim? He's actually quoting Moses from the Old Testament. And he's about to attach what Moses said in the Old Testament to what Jesus did in the New Testament. And he's gonna connect these two. And so in verse nine, it says, because if you confess with your mouth, that Jesus is Lord and you believe in your heart, that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved for with the heart. One believes and is justified and with the mouth, one confesses and is saved for the scripture says, everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame for. There is no distinction between Jew and Greek for the same. Lord is Lord of all bestowing his riches on all who call on him for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. I wanna pause here for just a moment. The way to Jesus, the way to God is exclusive. He doesn't shy away from that. Jesus himself actually says in John 14 6, I am the way the truth and the life. There's not a lot of different ways, it's not believe whatever you want. It's just, it's not be a nice person. It's, it's no, it's me. But while the way that Jesus is exclusive, I want you to understand that the people who can come to Him is the most exclusive invitation in the entire world in the universe that it says all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved. It doesn't say you have to belong to a political party. It doesn't say you have to do certain actions live this certain way, do these certain things that at the core, what it is is belief in Jesus. That's why the thief on the cross that was next to Jesus still got in. He didn't do anything correct. He didn't have the resume that he would get hired. But what he did was he acknowledged his own humanity and jesus' own deity and said, you are who you say you are. And now is enough for Jesus to turn to the thief on the cross next to him and say today you will be with me in paradise and church. I want us to know that as we start this series crazy love. It is crazy that God, the God of the universe, the God who spoke 200 billion trillion stars and knows them all by name would send his son Jesus to die on the cross for your sins and for mine. And that it's not about a religion of just checklist of do this, do that, do this, do that. But about a relationship and dependence upon Jesus as Lord and a savior that you confess with your mouth, that you believe in your heart, that threw his death on a cross, that was a payment for your sins and for mine. And that when he rose again on the third day that and that alone is what brings us eternal freedom and forgiveness and meaning. Life is crazy and busy often leads to forgetfulness. And it's commonplace for all of us myself included to experience spiritual amnesia that we say we acknowledge God, we wanna believe it. But then our life doesn't reflect that. And so it's my prayer for you and for me that we would start off this fall season that we would start off this series, understanding and remembering and reflecting on the sacrifice of Jesus, that God is big, that life is short and eternity is real. And so the first challenge for you tonight is to or this morning is to receive that message. Do you believe it? You don't have to have 100% confidence even so bring all your worries, all your questions, all your doubts in that, that, that bring all those to him and say, I don't know, but I believe you, but he doesn't stop there. He says, if you believe in Jesus, it continues on if we can pull up verse 14 and 15 here because he goes on. He says, how then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him, of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent as it is written? How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news that if you truly have received this message that if you truly believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, let us remember all that he has done and all that he is so that we can go and share this good news with others. This is too good not to tell other people about it. How beautiful the feet of those bring the good news. So receive this message today. Believe this in your heart. Then let us go out and share that both in word and deed with those around us this week because that my friends is the definition of crazy love. If you bow your heads and close your eyes for a moment, I want to give those in the room who've never received him a chance to do that today. Will you pray with me, dear God? I, I'm struggling. II I know I can't get to heaven on my own. I'm tired, I'm tired of trying to live this life in my own strength. So God, I, I confess that you are Lord and I believe in my heart that you raised from the dead on the third day. And that as you, my Lord and Savior, you are the only way to have it. I commit my life to you. Thank you for saving me and for those who already call on you as Lord and Savior, God. May we remember your sacrifice? May we remember that you are big. That life is short, that eternity is real, that we would go and share this good news with us. We commit this day in our lives to you. Thank you for loving us. Thank you for saving us. May our life be a response to what you have already done. We love you. God. It's in your son's name. We pray amen.