WEBVTT 00:00:09.839 --> 00:00:12.300 Thank you for listening to this message from 00:00:12.300 --> 00:00:41.299 Lifehouse Church. I am excited about today because 00:00:41.299 --> 00:00:44.219 today is Student Sunday. So you have seen some 00:00:44.219 --> 00:00:46.679 of our students maybe greeting, maybe running 00:00:46.679 --> 00:00:49.340 around from their greeting position, maybe in 00:00:49.340 --> 00:00:52.439 the cafe, maybe back in Kidstown. But regardless, 00:00:52.600 --> 00:00:55.920 we just love the opportunity to get to see them 00:00:55.920 --> 00:00:57.960 use their gifts. Of course, you guys got to see 00:00:57.960 --> 00:01:00.619 this morning as some of our younger ones started 00:01:00.619 --> 00:01:03.500 off with worship. and then some of our older 00:01:03.500 --> 00:01:05.700 ones leading in worship this morning. And it's 00:01:05.700 --> 00:01:08.480 just an incredible thing to be able to see what 00:01:08.480 --> 00:01:10.819 God has already placed inside them and then just 00:01:10.819 --> 00:01:14.680 let it continue to grow. Here at LifeHouse, if 00:01:14.680 --> 00:01:17.319 you serve with us at all, you've probably heard 00:01:17.319 --> 00:01:19.739 us say, like, we get to, which comes from Mark 00:01:19.739 --> 00:01:22.180 10, 45, and it specifically talks about the fact 00:01:22.180 --> 00:01:25.810 that for even the Son of Man came to... not to 00:01:25.810 --> 00:01:27.909 be served, but to serve and to give his life 00:01:27.909 --> 00:01:30.549 as a ransom. And so basically they then have 00:01:30.549 --> 00:01:32.950 an opportunity and you as anytime we serve, we 00:01:32.950 --> 00:01:36.969 have an opportunity to represent Christ. And 00:01:36.969 --> 00:01:41.150 it is an honor to watch them and I am blown away. 00:01:41.230 --> 00:01:44.189 They did an incredible job this morning. Another 00:01:44.189 --> 00:01:47.019 thing I wanted to mention is I... Totally understand 00:01:47.019 --> 00:01:49.719 if I hear your stomach grumbling this morning. 00:01:49.980 --> 00:01:52.700 I know we just wrapped up at the movies where 00:01:52.700 --> 00:01:56.500 we had our movie snacks and our media. I have 00:01:56.500 --> 00:01:58.519 neither of those things for you this morning. 00:01:58.780 --> 00:02:01.939 So thanks for being here. But you did get an 00:02:01.939 --> 00:02:03.900 hour of sleep, right? You got an extra hour. 00:02:04.019 --> 00:02:06.560 So you should be a little bit extra rested. I 00:02:06.560 --> 00:02:11.580 have to turn my lock screen on because it is 00:02:11.580 --> 00:02:16.759 going dark on me. One second. There we go. Cool. 00:02:17.639 --> 00:02:19.240 But yeah, so you do get an extra hour of sleep, 00:02:19.319 --> 00:02:21.000 which is great, except for the fact that it also 00:02:21.000 --> 00:02:23.060 means it puts you one hour closer to lunchtime. 00:02:23.159 --> 00:02:25.819 So your stomach, again, grumbling. I should have 00:02:25.819 --> 00:02:28.139 thought that one forward and been able to bring 00:02:28.139 --> 00:02:30.439 some type of snack. My apologies. Bear with me. 00:02:30.560 --> 00:02:34.539 Lunchtime is coming. And then, of course, you 00:02:34.539 --> 00:02:36.840 may notice that our front pew is rather empty 00:02:36.840 --> 00:02:38.439 this morning, other than my handsome husband. 00:02:42.000 --> 00:02:44.159 But Pastor Kip and Dixie and their incredible 00:02:44.159 --> 00:02:47.560 family are all on vacation this week. So they 00:02:47.560 --> 00:02:49.960 are surrounded by the hospitality of Mickey and 00:02:49.960 --> 00:02:52.500 friends. So they're in good hands. But I want 00:02:52.500 --> 00:02:54.599 to let you know that you guys are in good hands 00:02:54.599 --> 00:02:56.580 as well. That didn't work. It's still walking. 00:02:57.900 --> 00:02:59.939 You guys are in good hands as well. We are here 00:02:59.939 --> 00:03:02.659 for you. So if you need us in any way this week, 00:03:02.680 --> 00:03:04.219 if you need prayer, if you just need to reach 00:03:04.219 --> 00:03:07.080 out and talk to somebody, I am more than happy 00:03:07.080 --> 00:03:09.080 to talk. I'm a bit of a chatterbox when you get 00:03:09.080 --> 00:03:11.960 me one -on -one. So please reach out to me. I 00:03:11.960 --> 00:03:14.900 am here for you guys. Let me pray over this morning 00:03:14.900 --> 00:03:17.370 and then we'll get into the word. Heavenly Father, 00:03:17.449 --> 00:03:19.330 God, we thank you for this morning. God, I thank 00:03:19.330 --> 00:03:22.050 you for the opportunity to come here today to 00:03:22.050 --> 00:03:24.469 share what you have placed on my heart. Father, 00:03:24.569 --> 00:03:26.930 I pray that this morning that it's not just me, 00:03:27.009 --> 00:03:28.750 that it's not about the accolades or anybody 00:03:28.750 --> 00:03:30.430 telling me that, oh, that was a good message. 00:03:30.550 --> 00:03:32.789 I don't care about that. I just care about the 00:03:32.789 --> 00:03:35.189 fact that it is a good message that you have 00:03:35.189 --> 00:03:37.860 planted, that you have... created father that 00:03:37.860 --> 00:03:41.020 you can edify my words so that even in the times 00:03:41.020 --> 00:03:43.439 that i have prepared over this message god that 00:03:43.439 --> 00:03:45.379 if there are things that i need to say that haven't 00:03:45.379 --> 00:03:48.120 said father that your words come out and father 00:03:48.120 --> 00:03:51.240 that as we listen to the words that are in your 00:03:51.240 --> 00:03:53.580 scripture this morning and as we think about 00:03:53.580 --> 00:03:55.560 the revelations that come from your divine holy 00:03:55.560 --> 00:03:58.180 spirit god that we just allow those things into 00:03:58.180 --> 00:04:00.180 our hearts and into our spirits this morning 00:04:00.180 --> 00:04:03.219 so that it's not just a message that is spoken 00:04:03.219 --> 00:04:05.870 and then immediately off our heads when we're 00:04:05.870 --> 00:04:07.889 on to lunch, but something that continues to 00:04:07.889 --> 00:04:10.370 sit with us and to grow in us. So, Father, we 00:04:10.370 --> 00:04:12.270 thank you for this morning, and we pray that 00:04:12.270 --> 00:04:14.270 you have your way. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 00:04:15.210 --> 00:04:17.550 All right. I really have to figure out why my 00:04:17.550 --> 00:04:20.430 screen is still locking. My apologies. Usually 00:04:20.430 --> 00:04:27.110 it does not do this. I have it set that it shouldn't. 00:04:31.790 --> 00:04:36.139 Anyways, I'll figure it out. Okay, so be honest 00:04:36.139 --> 00:04:38.579 with me this morning. Now, of course, it is church, 00:04:38.620 --> 00:04:41.680 and so you should be honest regardless, inside 00:04:41.680 --> 00:04:44.399 and outside of the church. But if you're honest 00:04:44.399 --> 00:04:46.279 with me this morning, how many of you have ever 00:04:46.279 --> 00:04:50.019 lost something important? Okay, so I don't even 00:04:50.019 --> 00:04:51.420 have to give you examples, but you probably have 00:04:51.420 --> 00:04:55.399 ever misplaced your keys or your wallet or maybe 00:04:55.399 --> 00:04:57.860 even your mind while searching for one of those 00:04:57.860 --> 00:05:01.839 things. Yeah, it happens. And then... If you 00:05:01.839 --> 00:05:03.899 find that item or when you finally find that 00:05:03.899 --> 00:05:06.779 item, sometimes you've possibly heard the phrase, 00:05:06.939 --> 00:05:09.939 well, it's always the last place you look. Have 00:05:09.939 --> 00:05:13.160 you heard that before? Yes. Which like makes 00:05:13.160 --> 00:05:16.240 sense, right? It's kind of a strange phrase because 00:05:16.240 --> 00:05:18.819 if it's the first, like if it's the last place 00:05:18.819 --> 00:05:20.839 you look, like you're done looking because why 00:05:20.839 --> 00:05:24.259 would you continue to look afterwards? That wouldn't 00:05:24.259 --> 00:05:27.759 make any sense. So then have you ever lost something 00:05:27.759 --> 00:05:31.519 that was literally right on you? So let's say 00:05:31.519 --> 00:05:34.680 it's like your sunglasses or your readers or 00:05:34.680 --> 00:05:36.879 maybe even your cell phone that's in your hand, 00:05:36.920 --> 00:05:38.939 but you're frantically searching everywhere for 00:05:38.939 --> 00:05:42.100 it. Happens to me all the time, unfortunately. 00:05:42.839 --> 00:05:45.160 And it's so funny because it's like, well, I've 00:05:45.160 --> 00:05:46.899 had it the whole time and I just didn't realize 00:05:46.899 --> 00:05:51.339 it. And so now I wonder how many of us live like 00:05:51.339 --> 00:05:54.480 that when it comes to the Lord? He's right here, 00:05:54.600 --> 00:05:56.959 but instead of being like, okay, there he is, 00:05:57.139 --> 00:05:58.819 it's, well, let me search over here and over 00:05:58.819 --> 00:06:00.220 here and over here and over here. I'm just going 00:06:00.220 --> 00:06:04.459 to search everywhere but where he is. When it 00:06:04.459 --> 00:06:07.439 comes to God, we have to let him be the first 00:06:07.439 --> 00:06:12.720 place we look. Everybody say first place. Right. 00:06:13.160 --> 00:06:16.000 First place we look, we cannot let him be the 00:06:16.000 --> 00:06:18.879 last place we look. Jesus said it this way in 00:06:18.879 --> 00:06:22.759 Matthew 6. 6 .33, it says, but seek first the 00:06:22.759 --> 00:06:26.259 kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all 00:06:26.259 --> 00:06:29.279 these things will be added to you. That verse 00:06:29.279 --> 00:06:31.779 sits right in the middle of the Sermon on the 00:06:31.779 --> 00:06:34.220 Mount. Basically, Jesus is teaching about all 00:06:34.220 --> 00:06:37.420 sorts of things. He's talking about worry, priorities, 00:06:37.779 --> 00:06:40.639 trust. He's reminding us that if we seek God 00:06:40.639 --> 00:06:44.160 first, everything else will find its proper place. 00:06:44.480 --> 00:06:47.180 But if we're honest, when we need something, 00:06:47.379 --> 00:06:51.500 prayer is not. oftentimes our first response 00:06:51.500 --> 00:06:54.839 it's usually like to google something and i'm 00:06:54.839 --> 00:06:56.860 not saying that when it comes to google that 00:06:56.860 --> 00:06:59.240 you need to throw your phone out the window especially 00:06:59.240 --> 00:07:00.980 these beautiful stained glass windows do not 00:07:00.980 --> 00:07:05.019 recommend but some of us tend to have more faith 00:07:05.019 --> 00:07:07.779 in google than we do in god or we'll talk to 00:07:07.779 --> 00:07:11.459 siri before we talk to the savior we'll check 00:07:11.459 --> 00:07:13.660 our own understanding like maybe we know something 00:07:13.660 --> 00:07:15.500 that he doesn't which of course is ridiculous 00:07:16.459 --> 00:07:18.620 We'll scroll through advice from influencers 00:07:18.620 --> 00:07:21.459 on social media, and maybe we'll even ask AI 00:07:21.459 --> 00:07:24.560 to solve our problems. But I'm not saying that 00:07:24.560 --> 00:07:27.360 those things are evil either. Google absolutely 00:07:27.360 --> 00:07:30.540 can be helpful. AI can be a useful tool. And 00:07:30.540 --> 00:07:33.480 social media can be a platform for good, despite 00:07:33.480 --> 00:07:36.259 what some people think. However, when we let 00:07:36.259 --> 00:07:39.660 those things be the very first place we look, 00:07:39.839 --> 00:07:43.949 that's the problem. It's the risk of then finding 00:07:43.949 --> 00:07:46.589 a shallow response or even an inherently wrong 00:07:46.589 --> 00:07:49.230 response. And then in the midst of all that, 00:07:49.290 --> 00:07:52.009 we let the chaos and the confusion and all sorts 00:07:52.009 --> 00:07:55.009 of questions begin to just pile up on top of 00:07:55.009 --> 00:07:58.990 each other. And then to some, Google, social 00:07:58.990 --> 00:08:03.009 media, AI, they can even become, to some people, 00:08:03.230 --> 00:08:06.790 an acceptable substitution to our Father, Son, 00:08:07.029 --> 00:08:09.850 and Holy Spirit. Now, before you look at me and 00:08:09.850 --> 00:08:11.990 say like, whoa, Pastor Alyssa, that is a bold 00:08:11.990 --> 00:08:17.110 claim. Okay, bear with me. People go to Google 00:08:17.110 --> 00:08:22.410 for what? Information. So they'll go for Google 00:08:22.410 --> 00:08:24.389 because they think it has all the knowledge and 00:08:24.389 --> 00:08:27.769 all of the wisdom. Instead of God, who we do 00:08:27.769 --> 00:08:31.310 believe is all -knowing. He does have all of 00:08:31.310 --> 00:08:33.370 the knowledge. They'll go to things like social 00:08:33.370 --> 00:08:35.809 media for connection. We reach out or we post 00:08:35.809 --> 00:08:38.250 things on social media because we want other 00:08:38.250 --> 00:08:40.409 people to like or to see what we're doing or 00:08:40.409 --> 00:08:44.629 to bond with us in some way. Or we'll try to 00:08:44.629 --> 00:08:47.070 get approval from there, which is what we're 00:08:47.070 --> 00:08:49.629 supposed to look for in Jesus Christ. Jesus came 00:08:49.629 --> 00:08:51.669 so that he could have relationship with these 00:08:51.669 --> 00:08:54.110 people. He would walk alongside them. He would 00:08:54.110 --> 00:08:55.789 be with them in the good times, the bad times, 00:08:55.830 --> 00:08:58.889 the hard times, and so on. And then whenever 00:08:58.889 --> 00:09:01.690 it comes to AI, okay, so we know that AI, it 00:09:01.690 --> 00:09:03.990 does a lot of great things. It can, you know, 00:09:03.990 --> 00:09:06.429 organize our thoughts. It can find us information 00:09:06.429 --> 00:09:09.539 and help to slim down our process. But where 00:09:09.539 --> 00:09:12.500 people fall into traps is that they'll fall into 00:09:12.500 --> 00:09:16.299 things of artificial inspiration instead of seeking 00:09:16.299 --> 00:09:20.360 out divine revelation. So they'll settle with 00:09:20.360 --> 00:09:23.720 going to these sources for guidance. They won't 00:09:23.720 --> 00:09:26.159 bother consulting with the word or they won't 00:09:26.159 --> 00:09:28.360 listen to those nudges of the Holy Spirit within 00:09:28.360 --> 00:09:31.139 them because they've been pacified by a worldly 00:09:31.139 --> 00:09:36.379 response that was good enough. But life isn't 00:09:36.379 --> 00:09:38.200 always like that. There are certain places in 00:09:38.200 --> 00:09:40.379 scripture that we have read about it or that 00:09:40.379 --> 00:09:44.779 we are well aware that we are supposed to go 00:09:44.779 --> 00:09:47.799 to God first. If you take Proverbs 3 verse 9, 00:09:47.940 --> 00:09:50.500 it says, honor the Lord with your wealth, with 00:09:50.500 --> 00:09:54.299 the first fruits of all your crops. And now we 00:09:54.299 --> 00:09:56.480 often hear that mostly referred to when we talk 00:09:56.480 --> 00:09:59.779 about tithing. And it's a reference to money, 00:09:59.840 --> 00:10:03.259 but it can't stop there. It applies to our searches 00:10:03.259 --> 00:10:06.919 too. God has to be the very first in our search, 00:10:06.960 --> 00:10:11.019 first in our seeking. When we seek him first, 00:10:11.120 --> 00:10:14.259 the clarity can begin to rise from the confusion 00:10:14.259 --> 00:10:17.740 and peace can begin to fill the chaos. Strength 00:10:17.740 --> 00:10:22.039 can show up where there once was weakness. But 00:10:22.039 --> 00:10:24.820 that's easier said than done. especially in a 00:10:24.820 --> 00:10:27.639 world where everyone is busy. When we all have 00:10:27.639 --> 00:10:29.259 different problems and different things going 00:10:29.259 --> 00:10:31.600 on, we think, well, certainly if I have all these 00:10:31.600 --> 00:10:33.299 things going on, then they probably have things 00:10:33.299 --> 00:10:35.159 going on and I don't want to bother them with 00:10:35.159 --> 00:10:36.840 my things because then their things will pile 00:10:36.840 --> 00:10:38.399 up with my things and it just gets all sorts 00:10:38.399 --> 00:10:41.539 of confusing. But where we go wrong is we think 00:10:41.539 --> 00:10:44.179 that that same principle then applies to God 00:10:44.179 --> 00:10:48.940 as well. We lump the Lord into that category 00:10:48.940 --> 00:10:52.409 when God is saying, I am right here. I have what 00:10:52.409 --> 00:10:54.909 you need, but I need you to ask me. I want you 00:10:54.909 --> 00:10:57.110 to ask me. I want to have that relationship, 00:10:57.230 --> 00:11:01.269 that communication with you. So before you ask 00:11:01.269 --> 00:11:04.990 God, or before you ask Google, ask God. Before 00:11:04.990 --> 00:11:08.370 you reach out, reach up, and let him be the first 00:11:08.370 --> 00:11:12.049 place you look. And I get that sometimes, though, 00:11:12.129 --> 00:11:15.720 when we do finally seek out to God, He speaks, 00:11:15.740 --> 00:11:18.840 but we do not understand. He gives us an answer 00:11:18.840 --> 00:11:20.919 that does not make sense in our current or present 00:11:20.919 --> 00:11:25.240 situation, but that's not the point either. Seeking 00:11:25.240 --> 00:11:28.639 God means trusting what we don't understand. 00:11:30.090 --> 00:11:33.350 So my mom is here today, and so this story applies 00:11:33.350 --> 00:11:37.090 to her, but it speaks about me growing up as 00:11:37.090 --> 00:11:39.909 a child and honestly still today. My mom is one 00:11:39.909 --> 00:11:42.350 of the most incredible organizers that I have 00:11:42.350 --> 00:11:45.029 ever met, to the point where she also helped 00:11:45.029 --> 00:11:47.710 pack Ryan and I up when we moved out of our house 00:11:47.710 --> 00:11:51.409 and pretty much fully unpacked us to get us all 00:11:51.409 --> 00:11:53.730 organized in our house. It was a huge blessing, 00:11:53.870 --> 00:11:55.750 but because of that, I still don't know where 00:11:55.750 --> 00:11:58.269 certain things are, and Ryan definitely doesn't 00:11:58.269 --> 00:12:02.259 know. But whenever I was growing up, and even 00:12:02.259 --> 00:12:04.539 still today if I go home, whenever I started 00:12:04.539 --> 00:12:07.659 getting interested in baking or cooking, I would 00:12:07.659 --> 00:12:10.500 go to ask her for an ingredient. And if I didn't 00:12:10.500 --> 00:12:11.879 know where it was, if I rummaged through the 00:12:11.879 --> 00:12:13.980 cabinets already and it wasn't there, I would 00:12:13.980 --> 00:12:17.220 go to her and say, all right, I need... condensed 00:12:17.220 --> 00:12:18.940 milk or something like that. I don't know, some 00:12:18.940 --> 00:12:20.940 ingredient. I need this ingredient. And she'd 00:12:20.940 --> 00:12:22.980 be like, okay, without even looking up, she could 00:12:22.980 --> 00:12:25.259 be like on her phone or reading her Kindle or 00:12:25.259 --> 00:12:27.139 something without even looking up. She'd be like, 00:12:27.179 --> 00:12:29.820 yeah, okay. So if you go downstairs, you, it's 00:12:29.820 --> 00:12:32.500 on the second row, second shelf, follow this 00:12:32.500 --> 00:12:34.820 way. It's up here, right between this and right 00:12:34.820 --> 00:12:37.059 below the green beans. And I'd be like, got it. 00:12:37.500 --> 00:12:40.360 Off I went. So I'll go search, following there. 00:12:40.419 --> 00:12:42.139 I'd be like, okay, it's on this row. Do this, 00:12:42.139 --> 00:12:45.139 go this way. It's on this shelf, green beans. 00:12:46.079 --> 00:12:48.179 Nope, nope, it's not there. So you look around. 00:12:48.259 --> 00:12:50.740 So you're like, okay, maybe it's like near the 00:12:50.740 --> 00:12:52.360 green beans. Maybe she's like slightly wrong. 00:12:53.519 --> 00:12:55.320 She's most of the time not wrong. So then I go 00:12:55.320 --> 00:12:57.399 back upstairs after not being able to find it. 00:12:57.960 --> 00:13:00.600 And I say, okay, well, I can't find it. She goes 00:13:00.600 --> 00:13:03.000 downstairs. And about 10 seconds later, she returns 00:13:03.000 --> 00:13:04.799 with the item exactly where she said it was. 00:13:05.299 --> 00:13:08.279 Has this ever happened to you? Where it feels 00:13:08.279 --> 00:13:09.919 like somebody just pulled something out of thin 00:13:09.919 --> 00:13:12.259 air and you're like, there is no way. There is, 00:13:12.259 --> 00:13:15.889 I just looked there. It was just not there. But 00:13:15.889 --> 00:13:18.909 obviously it was there. And regardless of how 00:13:18.909 --> 00:13:21.269 it got there or whether it was there the whole 00:13:21.269 --> 00:13:23.649 time or not, you were just thankful that somebody 00:13:23.649 --> 00:13:28.830 helped you find it. So that feeling of not being 00:13:28.830 --> 00:13:30.389 able to find something that they just gave you 00:13:30.389 --> 00:13:32.370 the instructions for, it's frustrating, right? 00:13:32.509 --> 00:13:34.350 Sometimes it's even a little bit humiliating 00:13:34.350 --> 00:13:36.269 because you're like, I should have been able 00:13:36.269 --> 00:13:42.600 to do that. I can follow instructions. Likewise, 00:13:42.759 --> 00:13:45.519 we live in an age now that we are obsessed with 00:13:45.519 --> 00:13:47.940 the answers and knowing exactly what the answer 00:13:47.940 --> 00:13:50.960 is. Like we ask questions, how do I fix this? 00:13:51.200 --> 00:13:54.879 Why did that happen? What's next? But here's 00:13:54.879 --> 00:13:58.379 the thing. If we are to seek the answers first, 00:13:58.580 --> 00:14:03.559 we will always end up with more questions. For 00:14:03.559 --> 00:14:06.580 instance, when I was younger, this is not related 00:14:06.580 --> 00:14:08.440 to that story. Similar story though, just because 00:14:08.440 --> 00:14:10.480 my mind goes all sorts of places to follow along. 00:14:11.879 --> 00:14:14.019 When I was younger, I would get curiosities about 00:14:14.019 --> 00:14:16.120 random things. Have you ever been in an underwater 00:14:16.120 --> 00:14:20.100 tunnel? Yeah. Is anybody ever curious about how 00:14:20.100 --> 00:14:24.360 that was built? Okay. I was, and I still am because 00:14:24.360 --> 00:14:26.200 I never really found the answer, and here's why. 00:14:26.639 --> 00:14:28.740 Because when I would go to look up the answer, 00:14:28.860 --> 00:14:30.759 it wouldn't be the short, like, well, this is 00:14:30.759 --> 00:14:33.700 how it's built that I wanted. It was like, okay, 00:14:33.879 --> 00:14:36.419 well, while I'm looking it up, it tried to give 00:14:36.419 --> 00:14:38.019 me an answer, but I didn't understand those answers, 00:14:38.059 --> 00:14:40.820 so let me think about it myself. What if, you 00:14:40.820 --> 00:14:43.710 know, it was built underground, and then they 00:14:43.710 --> 00:14:46.090 just sucked out all the water. Okay, well then 00:14:46.090 --> 00:14:48.370 if it was that way, then did the construction 00:14:48.370 --> 00:14:50.769 workers have to wear scuba gear? Were they scuba 00:14:50.769 --> 00:14:53.649 certified? So I would continue to go down through 00:14:53.649 --> 00:14:57.309 all of these questions, trying to figure out 00:14:57.309 --> 00:14:59.509 the answer. Still don't know. If you do know 00:14:59.509 --> 00:15:01.129 the answer and you want to give me a very short 00:15:01.129 --> 00:15:05.090 response, tell me later. But anyways, I know 00:15:05.090 --> 00:15:08.610 that those examples seem silly, but the concept 00:15:08.610 --> 00:15:12.759 is that every time we have a question, it's easy 00:15:12.759 --> 00:15:16.539 for us to have more and more and more questions 00:15:16.539 --> 00:15:19.000 when we're seeking out the answer. And so in 00:15:19.000 --> 00:15:21.320 a deeper, a more spiritual sense, getting away 00:15:21.320 --> 00:15:24.559 from those examples, we often start with why. 00:15:25.200 --> 00:15:28.539 Why am I suffering? Why is my relationship not 00:15:28.539 --> 00:15:33.139 working? Why is the world so unfair? And we assume 00:15:33.139 --> 00:15:35.879 then that understanding will lead us to peace. 00:15:36.490 --> 00:15:39.389 But peace doesn't come from understanding. It 00:15:39.389 --> 00:15:43.789 comes from encounter. Peace is a person. When 00:15:43.789 --> 00:15:47.509 we seek the answer, which is the Lord, you'll 00:15:47.509 --> 00:15:51.690 start to understand your questions. So if you 00:15:51.690 --> 00:15:54.230 think about some people in the Bible, so take 00:15:54.230 --> 00:15:56.970 Job, for instance. Job was a righteous man of 00:15:56.970 --> 00:16:00.440 God, as Scripture declares. Satan believed that 00:16:00.440 --> 00:16:02.220 God was basically just protecting him. And that 00:16:02.220 --> 00:16:04.419 was the only reason that he was following God. 00:16:04.580 --> 00:16:06.919 He was following all of these things. And that 00:16:06.919 --> 00:16:10.779 certainly if God allowed it, that he would curse 00:16:10.779 --> 00:16:12.960 God and just be like, okay, I'm done with this. 00:16:13.500 --> 00:16:15.860 And so the Lord allowed it. The Lord allowed 00:16:15.860 --> 00:16:19.740 Satan to go ahead and test him, to take away 00:16:19.740 --> 00:16:22.980 his property, to take away his wealth, to take 00:16:22.980 --> 00:16:25.899 away his family and even his own physical health. 00:16:26.960 --> 00:16:31.940 Job then asked why for 37 chapters. The book 00:16:31.940 --> 00:16:35.519 of Job is lengthy in nature, but for 37 chapters 00:16:35.519 --> 00:16:38.860 of those, he asked why. Why is this happening? 00:16:39.000 --> 00:16:41.059 And so on. And his friends tried to answer questions 00:16:41.059 --> 00:16:45.340 as well. But when God finally spoke to him, he 00:16:45.340 --> 00:16:48.480 did not answer a single one of Job's questions 00:16:48.480 --> 00:16:53.759 directly. He revealed himself instead. Job said 00:16:53.759 --> 00:16:58.600 in Job 42, verse 5, now my eyes have seen you. 00:16:58.840 --> 00:17:01.700 It wasn't about the specific answer to all of 00:17:01.700 --> 00:17:04.200 the problems, all of the whys, but my eyes have 00:17:04.200 --> 00:17:08.640 seen you, the Lord. Now we take Moses. Moses 00:17:08.640 --> 00:17:11.359 was the leader of the Israelite people, but he 00:17:11.359 --> 00:17:13.140 was worried about his own lack of confidence, 00:17:13.279 --> 00:17:16.099 his own stuttering, his own speaking abilities. 00:17:16.339 --> 00:17:20.509 He didn't think he could do it. thinking that 00:17:20.509 --> 00:17:23.210 surely others could be better for the job. He 00:17:23.210 --> 00:17:25.130 asked for explanations. He asked, okay, well, 00:17:25.210 --> 00:17:28.309 who am I or how am I going to lead? And God did 00:17:28.309 --> 00:17:31.009 not answer those questions immediately, but he 00:17:31.009 --> 00:17:35.009 said in Exodus 3 verse 12, I will be with you. 00:17:35.630 --> 00:17:38.069 Again, it wasn't the answer to those specific 00:17:38.069 --> 00:17:40.789 questions, but it was that God's presence would 00:17:40.789 --> 00:17:44.059 be with him. And then Paul. Paul was once on 00:17:44.059 --> 00:17:46.440 the other side of faith, who persecuted Christians. 00:17:46.839 --> 00:17:49.079 And later he was converted into the faith, and 00:17:49.079 --> 00:17:51.579 now we know him more as the influential apostle. 00:17:51.680 --> 00:17:53.720 We know him as a missionary, or we know him as 00:17:53.720 --> 00:17:56.839 the author of many, many books of our New Testament. 00:17:58.039 --> 00:18:01.039 And so he asked for the thorn in his flesh to 00:18:01.039 --> 00:18:03.440 be removed. He pled with God three separate times 00:18:03.440 --> 00:18:05.420 to say, God, remove this from my life so that 00:18:05.420 --> 00:18:07.759 I don't have to deal with it anymore. But God 00:18:07.759 --> 00:18:10.559 responded. He didn't explain it away, but he 00:18:10.559 --> 00:18:15.359 said, in 2 Corinthians chapter 12, verse 9, my 00:18:15.359 --> 00:18:19.299 grace is sufficient for you. He did not explain 00:18:19.299 --> 00:18:21.440 all of the answers or all the questions that 00:18:21.440 --> 00:18:23.660 he had, but he said that my grace is going to 00:18:23.660 --> 00:18:26.880 cover it all. In each case, God did not give 00:18:26.880 --> 00:18:28.859 them those direct answers, but he gave himself. 00:18:31.400 --> 00:18:33.900 And sometimes that's the case. When we truly 00:18:33.900 --> 00:18:37.759 want the answer, our questions will make sense 00:18:37.759 --> 00:18:41.759 in his presence instead. And when we think we 00:18:41.759 --> 00:18:44.759 want the answers, we have to be okay knowing 00:18:44.759 --> 00:18:47.599 that we can trust the very one who has them, 00:18:47.720 --> 00:18:51.420 even if we don't understand them. I think about 00:18:51.420 --> 00:18:54.359 when Jesus spoke to his disciples on the night 00:18:54.359 --> 00:18:56.400 of his betrayal. He was surrounded by all of 00:18:56.400 --> 00:18:58.660 these people that he trusted and people that 00:18:58.660 --> 00:19:00.440 he'd walked through and been through, but still 00:19:00.440 --> 00:19:03.420 when he knelt down to wash their feet, he said, 00:19:03.480 --> 00:19:06.160 you do not understand now what I am doing, but 00:19:06.160 --> 00:19:09.470 later you will understand. It wasn't about the 00:19:09.470 --> 00:19:12.029 specific moment he knew what was going on. They 00:19:12.029 --> 00:19:14.130 didn't, but he promised them that they would. 00:19:14.549 --> 00:19:18.049 And so when we can't see the reason, we have 00:19:18.049 --> 00:19:21.210 to trust the relationship. And when we can't 00:19:21.210 --> 00:19:24.549 trace his hand in it all, we still have to trust 00:19:24.549 --> 00:19:29.369 his heart. Because seeking a life or a life seeking 00:19:29.369 --> 00:19:33.589 Jesus changes everything. We must persistently 00:19:33.589 --> 00:19:36.869 seek him to change the atmosphere around us. 00:19:37.519 --> 00:19:40.640 And that's what we are as believers. As persistent 00:19:40.640 --> 00:19:45.619 seekers, we can change the atmosphere. Jesus 00:19:45.619 --> 00:19:48.779 told a story about the parable of the lost coin. 00:19:48.940 --> 00:19:53.119 This is in Luke chapter 15, verse eight. It says, 00:19:53.220 --> 00:19:56.339 suppose a woman has 10 silver coins and loses 00:19:56.339 --> 00:19:59.759 one. Doesn't she light a lamp, sweep the house 00:19:59.759 --> 00:20:03.089 and search carefully until she finds it? And 00:20:03.089 --> 00:20:05.490 when she finds it, she calls her friends and 00:20:05.490 --> 00:20:07.769 neighbors together and says, rejoice with me, 00:20:07.829 --> 00:20:11.650 I have found my lost coin. In the same way, I 00:20:11.650 --> 00:20:14.230 tell you, there is more rejoicing, or there is 00:20:14.230 --> 00:20:16.450 rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God 00:20:16.450 --> 00:20:22.670 over one sinner who repents. So I have a question, 00:20:22.769 --> 00:20:24.309 another question, I'll keep you engaged here. 00:20:24.490 --> 00:20:26.589 Does anybody have a favorite piece of clothing? 00:20:27.430 --> 00:20:29.549 Sweatshirt, sweatpants, something that you consistently 00:20:29.549 --> 00:20:32.859 go back to? I'm going to tell on my husband. 00:20:35.539 --> 00:20:38.160 A couple years ago, for Ryan's birthday, I got 00:20:38.160 --> 00:20:40.759 him a sweatshirt. Royal blue sweatshirt, and 00:20:40.759 --> 00:20:42.319 he loves it. In fact, actually, it's in the car. 00:20:42.359 --> 00:20:43.720 He didn't wear it this morning. That was kind 00:20:43.720 --> 00:20:49.519 of disappointing. But anyways, if this sweatshirt, 00:20:49.559 --> 00:20:51.160 he's not a sweatshirt person. I'll put it out 00:20:51.160 --> 00:20:53.500 that way. Like, if he doesn't have to wear a 00:20:53.500 --> 00:20:56.119 sweatshirt or even pants, he won't. He'll wear 00:20:56.119 --> 00:21:01.109 jeans, but, you know, sparingly. Anyways. This 00:21:01.109 --> 00:21:03.190 sweatshirt, I got him a couple years ago for 00:21:03.190 --> 00:21:06.069 his birthday. And because of that sweatshirt, 00:21:06.150 --> 00:21:07.769 because of the connection to it or whatever, 00:21:07.970 --> 00:21:09.410 maybe it's the comfort, I don't know. I like 00:21:09.410 --> 00:21:11.250 to think it's because it's custom. But anyways, 00:21:11.509 --> 00:21:15.349 he will search and seek for it specifically. 00:21:15.569 --> 00:21:19.150 He has maybe 10, 15 other sweatshirts. But if 00:21:19.150 --> 00:21:21.529 that sweatshirt is available, he's putting it 00:21:21.529 --> 00:21:25.109 on. If it's in the laundry, he might consider 00:21:25.109 --> 00:21:29.039 grabbing it out of the laundry. But either way, 00:21:29.039 --> 00:21:31.680 he's specifically seeking that specific one. 00:21:31.819 --> 00:21:33.700 And so if he can't find it, if it's not in the 00:21:33.700 --> 00:21:35.539 laundry, he'll go look in the car and see if 00:21:35.539 --> 00:21:36.980 it's there. He'll look and see if he left it 00:21:36.980 --> 00:21:38.880 on the couch. He'll look and see it if he left 00:21:38.880 --> 00:21:41.779 it on the porch or something different. But he'll 00:21:41.779 --> 00:21:44.259 find out, he'll turn over the house and he'll 00:21:44.259 --> 00:21:46.240 figure out where this sweatshirt is so that he 00:21:46.240 --> 00:21:52.180 can wear it. So just like the woman in the parable, 00:21:52.240 --> 00:21:54.299 if this has ever been you, maybe your favorite 00:21:54.299 --> 00:21:56.200 item, and you're specifically seeking out one 00:21:56.200 --> 00:21:59.140 specific thing, and you need to find it for whatever 00:21:59.140 --> 00:22:03.519 reason, you are willing to change things that 00:22:03.519 --> 00:22:06.839 are around. Or even if you do find it, you might 00:22:06.839 --> 00:22:09.000 throw it on right away, like I said, or you might 00:22:09.000 --> 00:22:11.440 happily yell across the house to whoever was 00:22:11.440 --> 00:22:12.779 around when you were looking for it, and you're 00:22:12.779 --> 00:22:15.549 like, I found it! And then maybe they'll ask 00:22:15.549 --> 00:22:17.089 you a question and they'll say, well, where did 00:22:17.089 --> 00:22:19.009 you find it? How did you find it? And you are 00:22:19.009 --> 00:22:20.849 more than happy to tell them because it's bringing 00:22:20.849 --> 00:22:23.509 them into your story. You're excited about this 00:22:23.509 --> 00:22:25.549 thing that you have now found that you were once 00:22:25.549 --> 00:22:28.710 separated from. And in the parable, the woman 00:22:28.710 --> 00:22:31.569 did not just stumble across this coin by accident. 00:22:31.750 --> 00:22:35.809 So she had 10, lost one, and she searched, she 00:22:35.809 --> 00:22:39.400 worked, she paid attention. But she didn't just 00:22:39.400 --> 00:22:41.900 hope that the coin would roll back into her hand. 00:22:42.079 --> 00:22:44.960 She didn't wait for time to fix it. She searched 00:22:44.960 --> 00:22:48.680 carefully until she found it. That phrase until 00:22:48.680 --> 00:22:51.240 she found it means she didn't stop halfway. She 00:22:51.240 --> 00:22:54.000 didn't let distractions, she didn't let discouragement 00:22:54.000 --> 00:22:57.339 or any delay stop her search or pull her away. 00:22:58.339 --> 00:23:00.940 She knew that something of value was missing 00:23:00.940 --> 00:23:04.140 and so she was not going to rest until it was 00:23:04.140 --> 00:23:07.849 restored. If I could get the worship team to 00:23:07.849 --> 00:23:10.990 start to get back ready. That's what seeking 00:23:10.990 --> 00:23:15.109 God should look like for us. It's not half -hearted. 00:23:15.210 --> 00:23:17.970 It's not convenient. It's not casual, but it's 00:23:17.970 --> 00:23:21.450 intentional. It is persistent and wholehearted 00:23:21.450 --> 00:23:26.630 pursuit. We won't find this deep peace by chance. 00:23:26.769 --> 00:23:29.710 We're not going to find real joy without intention 00:23:29.710 --> 00:23:32.809 because the moment we start seeking God with 00:23:32.809 --> 00:23:36.410 our whole heart, he promises to be found by us. 00:23:36.769 --> 00:23:40.250 Once we realize that, our whole approach to life 00:23:40.250 --> 00:23:44.210 can begin to change. Seeking God doesn't just 00:23:44.210 --> 00:23:46.549 bring clarity, but it brings transformation. 00:23:47.269 --> 00:23:50.430 The woman didn't just find what she lost, but 00:23:50.430 --> 00:23:55.140 her whole house changed. The light came on. She 00:23:55.140 --> 00:23:58.259 lit the lamp. The dust was cleared. She swept 00:23:58.259 --> 00:24:01.339 the floors. And joy broke out when she invited 00:24:01.339 --> 00:24:04.960 people in. When we start seeking, our atmosphere 00:24:04.960 --> 00:24:09.140 begins to shift. Light can break into dark places. 00:24:09.299 --> 00:24:12.619 Joy can replace apathy. And purpose replaces 00:24:12.619 --> 00:24:16.599 all sorts of confusion. But that kind of transformation 00:24:16.599 --> 00:24:20.519 only happens when seeking God is our first response. 00:24:21.160 --> 00:24:25.680 and not our last resort. That's what it means 00:24:25.680 --> 00:24:28.140 to me, God, that first place we look, as I mentioned 00:24:28.140 --> 00:24:31.579 before. When something is missing, we go to him 00:24:31.579 --> 00:24:34.819 first. When something feels off, we seek him 00:24:34.819 --> 00:24:37.500 first. And when something is broken, we call 00:24:37.500 --> 00:24:43.779 on him first. When we start seeking him, We do 00:24:43.779 --> 00:24:46.019 start to have a little bit more questions, but 00:24:46.019 --> 00:24:48.759 when we desire to know things like, who is God 00:24:48.759 --> 00:24:51.539 or why did he make me? We shouldn't be afraid 00:24:51.539 --> 00:24:54.039 of the deeper questions when it comes to him. 00:24:54.799 --> 00:24:58.579 We should continue to be persistent in the things 00:24:58.579 --> 00:25:00.839 that we ask. So whenever it comes to the Lord, 00:25:00.900 --> 00:25:03.019 it's then shifting to things like, how does that 00:25:03.019 --> 00:25:05.579 mean? What does that mean for how I'm supposed 00:25:05.579 --> 00:25:09.299 to live? How can I know him better? And what 00:25:09.299 --> 00:25:13.500 is he teaching me through this? This morning, 00:25:13.559 --> 00:25:15.559 I'm going to ask if everyone would stand with 00:25:15.559 --> 00:25:18.140 me. And if you're able, I'd actually love for 00:25:18.140 --> 00:25:20.160 you to join me up front, if you're comfortable. 00:25:20.359 --> 00:25:24.420 If you're new here, that's fine. But while I 00:25:24.420 --> 00:25:26.579 was preparing for this message, Jane, come down 00:25:26.579 --> 00:25:29.039 if you want to hang out with me. Just be a little 00:25:29.039 --> 00:25:31.720 closer. While I was preparing for this message, 00:25:31.819 --> 00:25:34.500 I was reminded of Luke chapter 19, verse 10. 00:25:34.890 --> 00:25:37.329 It says, for the Son of Man came to seek and 00:25:37.329 --> 00:25:40.589 save the lost. He came, and therefore I speak 00:25:40.589 --> 00:25:43.490 this morning to serve as a reminder that even 00:25:43.490 --> 00:25:46.670 when we struggle in our search, God has not stopped 00:25:46.670 --> 00:25:50.130 pursuing us. He's been seeking us out, and he 00:25:50.130 --> 00:25:53.150 never gets tired of that pursuit. But we do. 00:25:53.269 --> 00:25:55.890 We get tired. We get bored. We get impatient. 00:25:56.690 --> 00:25:59.309 And so think about it this morning. Think about 00:25:59.309 --> 00:26:02.210 what the Holy Spirit could be speaking to you 00:26:02.210 --> 00:26:06.230 and asking you this morning. What is it that 00:26:06.230 --> 00:26:10.349 you have stopped searching for? What have you 00:26:10.349 --> 00:26:12.910 left lost because the search started to feel 00:26:12.910 --> 00:26:16.670 too difficult? Where have you settled for nine 00:26:16.670 --> 00:26:19.269 coins when God has called you to search for all 00:26:19.269 --> 00:26:23.450 10? Maybe the reason you haven't find the answer 00:26:23.450 --> 00:26:25.730 that you're looking for is because you're looking 00:26:25.730 --> 00:26:29.049 for all of these answers instead of seeking out 00:26:29.049 --> 00:26:34.759 the answer. Maybe you've been seeking help. Instead 00:26:34.759 --> 00:26:37.759 of seeking his presence, you've been looking 00:26:37.759 --> 00:26:41.200 everywhere else first, and he's just been waiting 00:26:41.200 --> 00:26:45.680 for you to look up. It's time to light the lamp 00:26:45.680 --> 00:26:49.160 again. It's time to sweep the floor again. It's 00:26:49.160 --> 00:26:52.680 time to seek again with passion, with prayer, 00:26:52.880 --> 00:26:59.779 and with persistence. Matthew 7 says, on asking 00:26:59.779 --> 00:27:03.160 and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on 00:27:03.160 --> 00:27:07.420 seeking and you will find. Keep on knocking and 00:27:07.420 --> 00:27:10.279 the door will be open to you for everyone who 00:27:10.279 --> 00:27:15.599 asks receives and everyone who seeks finds. And 00:27:15.599 --> 00:27:19.240 to everyone who knocks, the door will be open. 00:27:30.089 --> 00:27:33.609 to this message from Lifehouse Church. We pray 00:27:33.609 --> 00:27:36.170 that you were impacted powerfully by this message. 00:27:36.490 --> 00:27:39.509 If you have been personally affected by our ministry 00:27:39.509 --> 00:27:42.289 and you would like to partner with us as we love 00:27:42.289 --> 00:27:45.410 God, love people every day, visit our website 00:27:45.410 --> 00:27:45.869 at