WEBVTT

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Thank you for listening to this message from

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Lifehouse Church. Well, good morning again. It

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is so good to see everyone. I feel like it has

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been so long since I was on maternity leave.

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And then last week, Ryan and I were on a little

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mini vacation. I feel like it's been a really

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long time since I've seen everyone. So I'm really

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excited to be back. So as I said, last weekend,

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Ryan and I took a trip up to Maine, actually,

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which was our first time in Maine. Beautiful.

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Beautiful state. But we flew out of Harrisburg.

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And yes, we took our two -month -old baby with

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us. So if you want to see the most adorable pictures

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of my sweet Oliver flying on for the first time,

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see me afterwards. But anyways, who here likes

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to fly? Okay. Personally, I love to fly. I think

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it is so efficient. I get to enjoy my travel,

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eat snacks while it's happening, and even sleep

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if I need to. I know, I'm married, so I can do

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that while Ryan drives anyways, but it's way

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more fun over the clouds. But I'm also learning

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that traveling with a baby requires a couple

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extra steps. It means I need to remember to pack

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way more than I ever thought. It's a longer process

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through TSA because they have to check my hands,

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they check his formula, they check the bottles

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and everything else. And then also holding my

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breath to make sure my baby does not scream on

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the plane. But honestly, everyone that I spoke

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to before we left said that this is the easiest

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time to travel. And honestly, Oliver flew so

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well that I believed them. It was beautiful.

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And so, like I said, on Thursday morning, we

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headed to Harrisburg, bound for our first flight.

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We got there about two hours early, as you do.

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So you hang out, and then you wait for your plane

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to be called. Around noon, we boarded with our

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sleeping baby. We got situated, and we waited

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to take off. The flight was super smooth. Oliver,

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like I said, he ate, he slept happily. And we

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landed, got to our next gate for our connection

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flight, which is in Philadelphia. And then we

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did the same thing. We boarded, we waited, smooth

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flight with a sleeping baby, landed in Portland,

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Maine. Simple enough, right? All went super smooth.

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Yeah, that is until we realized that we had gate

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checked our car seat in Philly. And we left it

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in Philly because we forgot to pick it up at

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the jet bridge. Yeah, you see those gas on your

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face? I had that too. And so. You see the dilemma,

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of course. And we stood there at baggage claim

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panicking because we're wondering, okay, well,

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what are we going to do without our car seat?

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We have to be able to get the baby to the Airbnb.

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So we ended up at the airline office. They gave

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us a loaner, thankfully. And so we were at least

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able to get back to the Airbnb. They told us

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that once they found it, it would be delivered

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same day. And we're like, oh, all right, what

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a relief. I got it. But long story short, we

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still don't have that car seat. And so that meant

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over the weekend, over the week, we had been

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thinking, okay, are there things that we should

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have done differently, could have done differently,

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would have done differently? And that's where

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this morning, ultimately, our trip became a lesson

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of which we choose where to dwell. Has anybody

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ever heard of the term dwell time? Dwell is a

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really weird word, and the more I say it, the

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more annoying it is. Dwell time is the amount

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of time someone or something spends in a particular

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place, state, or a phase. So, for instance, airplanes,

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they want a shorter dwell time at the gate. Companies

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tend to want a longer dwell time on their sites,

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their listings, and so on. And meanwhile, we

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as people also need to think about where we choose

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to dwell, because we all dwell somewhere. Often,

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dwelling has a bit of a negative connotation.

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You know, you think of you dwell on regret, you

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dwell on comparison, sometimes you dwell in worry.

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And so dwelling itself, though, isn't actually

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a bad thing, but it's when we dwell on the wrong

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things that'll keep us from where we're meant

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to be. And the Bible doesn't just tell us to

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stop dwelling on the wrong things, but it invites

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us to dwell in the right place. So today we're

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going to dive into Psalm 84. And while the world

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invites us to dwell in what should have been,

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could have been, and would have been, Psalm 84

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invites us to dwell where God's presence is.

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And as believers, our destination is heaven,

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but the goal isn't simply to get to heaven one

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day. It's to make God's presence our dwelling

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place today and then every day. So that brings

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me to my message title, which is Going Past the

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Gates. Before we get started, bow your heads

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with me as we pray. Heavenly Father, God, I thank

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you for this morning. I thank you for the opportunity

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to get up this morning for the air in my lungs.

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And I pray that today be a morning that it's

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not me, it's not my words, but God, you speaking

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through me. I pray that all ears and spirits

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be open to receive, to hear the word and to let

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it resonate with them, God. But let it not be

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just another good message, another, okay, I'll

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think about it today and then forget it tomorrow.

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But God, I just pray that today as we think about

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what it is to dwell in you, God, that we truly.

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Let that sink in and focus on our time with you.

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Be with us, guide us, lead my every word, and

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edify me as I speak. In Jesus' name, amen. All

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right, this is the part that most introverts

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hate. Go ahead and turn to your neighbor and

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say, go past the gates. To go past the gates

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means that we first have to pass by the gate

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of should have. We cannot dwell on our should

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have moments because they will lead to regret.

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When we got back from baggage claim and realized

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our mistake, we felt horrible. I mean, we started

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thinking, okay, well, we should have double -checked

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the luggage tag. We should have asked the airplane

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stewardess. We should have just waited at the

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gate bridge, jet bridge, and figured it out.

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But that's what regret does. Maybe those should

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-haves were true, but replaying them wouldn't

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change a single thing. Dwelling on the should

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-haves, A regret can make us miserable, they

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can drive us crazy, and they can even drive a

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wedge between us and other people as we live

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in the past. Dwelling on what we should have

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done could have easily driven a wedge between

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Ryan and I and ruined our entire trip. It may

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have built up resentment, anger, and frustration,

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which could have caused us to lash out. It easily

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could have been a much different weekend. And

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so now losing a car seat definitely felt like

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a crisis to us. But in number 16, we see a family

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that is literally facing a life -altering crisis.

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At this point in number 16, we have the Israelites,

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and they had just been freed from slavery in

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Egypt. They were told of this land flowing with

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milk and honey, the promised land, and yet they

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had found themselves wandering in the desert

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with no end in sight. And during this time, there

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was a man, his name was Korah. Korah was a first

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cousin of Moses and Aaron. Moses and Aaron were

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the ones leading the Israelite people at the

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time. And being from the exact same lineage,

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Korah had privileged duties related to the tabernacle

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as a Levite, and yet he still felt unsatisfied

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and jealous of Aaron's priesthood. He began to

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think, well, you know what? I should have been

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the one chosen instead. I should have more of

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a say. And so Korah, two other leaders, and then

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250 others rose up against God's leadership.

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And now this is where it gets dramatic. Moses

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basically says, listen, if I'm wrong and you're

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right and you should be the one in charge, then

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nothing's going to happen. But if I am correct,

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then, and the Lord does something that you have

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never seen before, like, oh, I don't know, opening

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up the ground, swallowing you up, and then you'll

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never be seen again, then you know it's not me.

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And just like that, I'm sure you probably heard

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a little ripple of laughter going through the

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people because that had never happened before.

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And who's to think that that would ever happen?

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Well, just as Moses said, the ground opened right

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up, swallowed them and gone they were. Just think

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about that. I mean, you're sitting in the pews.

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Imagine if the floor opened up right below us.

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We sunk down. And I'm not talking into the basement

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or 100 feet down. I mean like down and gone.

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Because the ground sealed up then as if it never

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happened. Nobody else other than the ones who

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were there to witness it would have ever known

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anything occurred. It's pretty wild stuff. And

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so that seems like a pretty... good ending to

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us. We as, you know, believers in Jesus are like,

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oh, you know, the bad guys lost. They were gone.

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They were defying God's leadership. And so we

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think, all right, well, that should have been

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the end of the story. But then in Numbers 26,

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buried under genealogy, there's a single scripture,

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and it just says, the sons of Korah did not die.

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They were spared. We may think that the lineage

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should have died off because of arrogance or

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pride. We may think that even though they lived,

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well, that surely should have held them back.

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But rather than dwelling on the should have of

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their ancestors' pride, it became a testimony

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of their faith. Instead of rebellion, they chose

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worship. Some of Korah's great -grandsons, or

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they're called the sons of Korah, were attributed

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to 11 Psalms in the Bible. These Psalms express

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a great spirit of gratitude, of humility to an

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awesome and mighty God. They express a longing

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for God and a deep devotion. In Psalm 46, verse

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one to three, this was written by the sons of

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Korah. It says, God is our refuge and strength

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and ever present help in trouble. Therefore,

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we will not fear, though the earth gives way.

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and the mountains fall into the heart of the

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sea, and though its waters roar and foam and

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the mountains quake with their surging. This

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psalm very specifically references their past.

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The earth had split and swallowed up their ancestors,

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and yet they did not have to live in that state

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of fear because instead of living in a mindset

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of what should have happened to their lineage,

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they chose to see God's mercy. And then later,

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even the prophet Samuel himself was a great,

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great, great, great, great, great, great grandson

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of Korah. And these several other great grandsons

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of Korah also went on to do incredible things

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for God. Some of them worked with King David,

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and many of them in 1 Chronicles were told that

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they are doorkeepers, custodians, singers, and

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worshipers in the temple. Korah wanted a position,

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but his sons sought God's presence. Korah wanted

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recognition, but his sons wanted relationship.

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Korah wanted authority, but his sons just wanted

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to be near God. Had these sons of Korah stayed

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in the gate of should have, they'd have never

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made it to the gate of the temple and spent time

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in his presence. Likewise, we as parents, as

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graduates, as believers, we cannot get stuck

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in the thought process like, you know, I should

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have done more. I should have chosen differently.

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I should have, I should have, I should have.

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Because God is the same God yesterday, today,

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and forever. Meaning is we don't have to get

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stuck in yesterday, but we know that he's with

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us today. And so we have to remember that this

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gate still isn't our destination. Visit if you

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must, learn from it, repent, but don't unpack

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your bags there. Once you go past the gate of

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should have, we also then have to go past the

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gate of could have. When Ryan and I got to the

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airport in Portland, again realizing our mistake

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of leaving the car seat, we began to think of

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all the ways it could have been different. We

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finally moved past our should haves, but our

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minds then instantly began running scenarios.

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It wasn't regret anymore, but alternatives. We

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could have asked, we could have driven. We could

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have packed differently. We could have checked

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the bag in at the check -in and not at the jet

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bridge. But instead of replaying our mistakes,

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there was a shift then into imagining these alternative

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realities. But then here's the thing. The more

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we imagine different versions of our lives, the

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less present we become in the lives God actually

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gave us. In some cases, it's because we're comparing

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past decisions. In some cases, because we are

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comparing ourselves against others. But regardless,

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our gate of could have or the gate of comparison

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can steal our joy. Because dwelling on someone

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else's journey or wishing the journey could look

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differently can keep us from remembering God's

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faithfulness in it all. Korah and his men were

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stuck then in the gate of could have. They looked

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at Moses and Aaron and thought, well, we could

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have done a better job. We could have been the

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leaders. And while Korah and his followers died

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trying to force their way into positions that

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God did not assign for them, generations later,

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these sons of Korah weren't concerned with how

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things could have been different about their

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history or their role. If we go to Psalm 84.

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This is also written by the sons of Korah. So

00:13:30.600 --> 00:14:00.540
Psalm 84, verse 1 through 4. They write, The

00:14:00.540 --> 00:14:04.019
sons of Korah acknowledge that blessing is upon

00:14:04.019 --> 00:14:07.940
those who dwell with God. This form of dwelling

00:14:07.940 --> 00:14:10.580
is much different than dwelling on what could

00:14:10.580 --> 00:14:14.100
have been. They said, how lovely is your dwelling

00:14:14.100 --> 00:14:18.320
place. Why lovely? Because they experienced God's

00:14:18.320 --> 00:14:20.940
mercy and didn't want to take it for granted.

00:14:21.399 --> 00:14:26.159
They said, my soul yearns, it faints. Why? Because

00:14:26.159 --> 00:14:28.740
they're not trying to earn their way into God's

00:14:28.740 --> 00:14:31.240
presence. They're amazed that they still have

00:14:31.240 --> 00:14:35.399
access. The sons of Korah easily could have gotten

00:14:35.399 --> 00:14:37.960
stuck in the thoughts of, I could have been born

00:14:37.960 --> 00:14:40.259
into a different family. I could have had another

00:14:40.259 --> 00:14:42.720
legacy. I could have been remembered for something

00:14:42.720 --> 00:14:46.340
else. I could have done something else. And instead,

00:14:46.539 --> 00:14:50.220
they wrote in verse 10 of Psalm 84, better is

00:14:50.220 --> 00:14:53.340
one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere.

00:14:53.929 --> 00:14:57.009
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of

00:14:57.009 --> 00:15:00.330
my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

00:15:01.169 --> 00:15:03.889
The sons of Korah were not writing from a place

00:15:03.889 --> 00:15:06.850
of entitlement. Even that mere acknowledgement

00:15:06.850 --> 00:15:09.730
of being from the lineage of Korah shows that

00:15:09.730 --> 00:15:12.909
they are well aware of their family lineage and

00:15:12.909 --> 00:15:16.090
how it could have been different. It could have

00:15:16.090 --> 00:15:19.570
impacted their future. But God's mercy and his

00:15:19.570 --> 00:15:21.990
grace spared their lives and brought them near.

00:15:22.590 --> 00:15:26.429
to dwell with him. Likewise, he also calls us

00:15:26.429 --> 00:15:29.230
to dwell with him despite our could have moments.

00:15:29.629 --> 00:15:32.169
In another Psalm, not written by the sons of

00:15:32.169 --> 00:15:34.330
Korah, it says in Psalm 91, verse nine through

00:15:34.330 --> 00:15:38.370
10, says, if you say the Lord is my refuge and

00:15:38.370 --> 00:15:40.889
you make the Lord, if you make the most high

00:15:40.889 --> 00:15:44.070
your dwelling, no harm will overtake you and

00:15:44.070 --> 00:15:47.840
no disaster will come near your tent. We have

00:15:47.840 --> 00:15:51.720
to remember to focus on who he is instead of

00:15:51.720 --> 00:15:55.379
what could have been. We're able to go past what's

00:15:55.379 --> 00:15:58.740
not for us and move toward where we're supposed

00:15:58.740 --> 00:16:02.659
to be, which is dwelling in his presence. He

00:16:02.659 --> 00:16:05.700
is our place of refuge. He's our safe place.

00:16:05.799 --> 00:16:09.019
He's our protector, our provider. He's the one

00:16:09.019 --> 00:16:14.139
to keep our tent, our family from harm. But still,

00:16:14.179 --> 00:16:16.500
in seeking his presence, the danger then is to

00:16:16.500 --> 00:16:20.059
stop too soon. In airports, especially with connecting

00:16:20.059 --> 00:16:22.820
flights, you go from one gate to another. And

00:16:22.820 --> 00:16:25.440
so we still have to go past the gate of would

00:16:25.440 --> 00:16:29.480
have. Despite not having our car seat and not

00:16:29.480 --> 00:16:31.639
hearing anything from the airlines as to its

00:16:31.639 --> 00:16:33.639
whereabouts, we had a great weekend. It was beautiful

00:16:33.639 --> 00:16:36.419
weather. And then we began our trip home. This

00:16:36.419 --> 00:16:39.220
time, different airlines, but with a similar

00:16:39.220 --> 00:16:41.460
layover. And so we thought, all right, it'll

00:16:41.460 --> 00:16:44.200
be. pretty smooth. So we landed in Washington

00:16:44.200 --> 00:16:47.120
Dulles instead of in Philly. We headed to our

00:16:47.120 --> 00:16:49.860
gate to wait and then they announced a delay.

00:16:50.259 --> 00:16:52.580
Our original layover was only about an hour.

00:16:53.960 --> 00:16:58.259
And then another delay with a gate change. This

00:16:58.259 --> 00:17:03.100
one hour delay turned into four. Originally we

00:17:03.100 --> 00:17:05.200
were supposed to get home around 6 45. Now we

00:17:05.200 --> 00:17:06.640
weren't supposed to get home until around like

00:17:06.640 --> 00:17:11.130
10 30. So, of course, thoughts of an overtired

00:17:11.130 --> 00:17:13.509
baby were running through my head. And as we

00:17:13.509 --> 00:17:16.670
sat there, we wound up looking at rental cars.

00:17:16.769 --> 00:17:18.029
And we thought, you know what? We're only two

00:17:18.029 --> 00:17:20.009
and a half hours from home. What if we just drove?

00:17:20.349 --> 00:17:24.829
So we did. We got a rental car. We slowly canceled

00:17:24.829 --> 00:17:27.029
our airline plane. In case you didn't know, they

00:17:27.029 --> 00:17:29.960
don't like that you do that. And then we got

00:17:29.960 --> 00:17:32.339
to the rental car office, which if you've ever

00:17:32.339 --> 00:17:34.759
seen the movie Zootopia, it felt like that, where

00:17:34.759 --> 00:17:36.240
Officer Judy Hopps is trying to get something

00:17:36.240 --> 00:17:42.039
done, and she is being serviced by sloths. Yes.

00:17:42.640 --> 00:17:47.500
So we finally got on the road, and we arrived

00:17:47.500 --> 00:17:49.460
at the Harrisburg airport to pick up our car

00:17:49.460 --> 00:17:53.339
around 10 .20 p .m. So if you just heard me mention

00:17:53.339 --> 00:17:54.640
what time we were supposed to get back with the

00:17:54.640 --> 00:17:57.819
plane, it was about the same time our plane would

00:17:57.819 --> 00:18:01.480
have landed. But you know what? We made it. We

00:18:01.480 --> 00:18:04.039
were on the last leg of our trip home, and we

00:18:04.039 --> 00:18:06.039
just began to think, you know, if we'd known

00:18:06.039 --> 00:18:07.539
that this would have happened, we would have

00:18:07.539 --> 00:18:10.019
just driven the whole way. We would have been

00:18:10.019 --> 00:18:14.539
fine if dot, dot, dot, as you can imagine. Have

00:18:14.539 --> 00:18:18.859
you ever noticed just how much we delay joy until

00:18:18.859 --> 00:18:23.269
life fully cooperates? When we get stuck at this

00:18:23.269 --> 00:18:25.710
gate of would have or the gate of conditions,

00:18:25.890 --> 00:18:29.269
we dwell on moments of our life so much that

00:18:29.269 --> 00:18:31.849
it can impact what happens in our future. It

00:18:31.849 --> 00:18:34.490
often starts with things like, well, I would

00:18:34.490 --> 00:18:38.009
have if, and then it turns to a future statement

00:18:38.009 --> 00:18:41.890
like, well, I would serve if, I would have peace

00:18:41.890 --> 00:18:46.750
if, I would worship God if, and so on. When we

00:18:46.750 --> 00:18:51.819
add these conditions, we delay blessings. In

00:18:51.819 --> 00:18:54.380
the grand scheme of things, our inconveniences

00:18:54.380 --> 00:18:58.740
are often pretty minor, but we have an opportunity

00:18:58.740 --> 00:19:02.920
to find Christ in it. It was a super long day

00:19:02.920 --> 00:19:05.240
of travel, and we could have spent our entire

00:19:05.240 --> 00:19:08.619
trip dwelling in our minds, but Christ invites

00:19:08.619 --> 00:19:12.059
us instead to dwell in the one who has already

00:19:12.059 --> 00:19:17.019
done everything necessary to bring us near. When

00:19:17.019 --> 00:19:20.250
the sons of Korah were writing in Psalm 84, They

00:19:20.250 --> 00:19:22.230
weren't writing about their duties. They were

00:19:22.230 --> 00:19:24.950
writing about their delight or their extreme

00:19:24.950 --> 00:19:29.130
joy. They never celebrated what they do for God.

00:19:29.190 --> 00:19:31.269
They celebrated that they get to be near him.

00:19:31.470 --> 00:19:35.369
In Psalm 84, verse three, it said, even the sparrow

00:19:35.369 --> 00:19:38.809
has found a home, even the swallow a nest for

00:19:38.809 --> 00:19:41.750
herself where she may lay her young, even your

00:19:41.750 --> 00:19:45.369
altars, a Lord of hosts, my King and my God.

00:19:46.319 --> 00:19:48.940
You see, swallows and sparrows are these tiny

00:19:48.940 --> 00:19:52.500
little birds that freely built their altars along

00:19:52.500 --> 00:19:55.259
the perimeter of the temple, and they were then

00:19:55.259 --> 00:19:58.019
protected by the temple itself. No one could

00:19:58.019 --> 00:20:00.559
bother them, could scare them away, or pursue

00:20:00.559 --> 00:20:02.680
them, or of course take away or destroy their

00:20:02.680 --> 00:20:06.079
nests. This protection offered by this holy place

00:20:06.079 --> 00:20:08.539
was a continuous refuge which protected their

00:20:08.539 --> 00:20:11.960
lives. They enjoyed shelter, an abundant supply

00:20:11.960 --> 00:20:16.140
of food, and a good place to live. For the sons

00:20:16.140 --> 00:20:18.539
of Korah, dwelling near God was not something

00:20:18.539 --> 00:20:22.420
to be taken for granted, but instead they referenced

00:20:22.420 --> 00:20:25.859
how the swallows were continuously close to the

00:20:25.859 --> 00:20:28.720
altar. And we as believers, that's where we should

00:20:28.720 --> 00:20:33.299
want to be too. It's easy to just let your life

00:20:33.299 --> 00:20:36.099
become so focused on other things that you forget

00:20:36.099 --> 00:20:40.619
to spend time with God. Worship team, if I could

00:20:40.619 --> 00:20:44.539
get you to get ready. But see, the heart of dwelling

00:20:44.539 --> 00:20:48.259
is not measured by what was accomplished in your

00:20:48.259 --> 00:20:52.059
day, but whether you remained in his presence.

00:20:52.539 --> 00:20:56.039
Our human nature is so tempted to live however

00:20:56.039 --> 00:20:59.460
we want and ask for forgiveness later or even

00:20:59.460 --> 00:21:02.619
to give our lives to Christ later. But sometimes

00:21:02.619 --> 00:21:05.859
later ends up being too late. If we continue

00:21:05.859 --> 00:21:09.519
to stay at the gate of would have, then blessing

00:21:09.519 --> 00:21:13.640
is perpetually one step ahead. When Psalm 84

00:21:13.640 --> 00:21:17.200
so clearly and so beautifully teaches us that

00:21:17.200 --> 00:21:20.700
blessedness is available now to those who dwell

00:21:20.700 --> 00:21:25.599
in him. And so, like I said, as of today, we

00:21:25.599 --> 00:21:28.700
still do not have our car seat. But isn't it

00:21:28.700 --> 00:21:31.680
amazing how one missing car seat almost became

00:21:31.680 --> 00:21:34.420
the only thing that we remembered about an otherwise

00:21:34.420 --> 00:21:38.119
incredible weekend? That's what dwelling does.

00:21:38.440 --> 00:21:42.569
It takes one. minor inconvenience to overshadow

00:21:42.569 --> 00:21:46.230
every blessing. And listen, we're not expecting

00:21:46.230 --> 00:21:48.670
to ever see that car seat ever again. We have

00:21:48.670 --> 00:21:50.869
already ordered a new one, already got a reimbursement.

00:21:51.130 --> 00:21:53.329
But if we would have just continued to dwell

00:21:53.329 --> 00:21:56.450
in that should have, could have, or would have,

00:21:56.670 --> 00:22:01.150
we'd have left the trip bitter, empty, resentful.

00:22:02.289 --> 00:22:04.190
And so maybe that's where you are this morning.

00:22:04.670 --> 00:22:07.950
Maybe some of you are dwelling in a gate of should

00:22:07.950 --> 00:22:12.910
have, could have, Or the gate of would have when

00:22:12.910 --> 00:22:15.569
you should be dwelling in God's presence instead.

00:22:16.190 --> 00:22:18.529
That's the difference between dwelling in the

00:22:18.529 --> 00:22:22.109
world and dwelling in God. To dwell in the world

00:22:22.109 --> 00:22:27.250
means we would regret the past, compare our present,

00:22:27.369 --> 00:22:30.250
and even crave a different future. But to dwell

00:22:30.250 --> 00:22:34.009
in God's presence is to anchor ourselves in grace

00:22:34.009 --> 00:22:37.710
for the past, peace for the present, and hope

00:22:37.710 --> 00:22:41.319
for the future. This morning, I just want us

00:22:41.319 --> 00:22:44.559
to spend some time in the presence of God. I

00:22:44.559 --> 00:22:48.559
love when the worship team sings. And I believe

00:22:48.559 --> 00:22:51.160
heavily in sometimes that those words are exactly

00:22:51.160 --> 00:22:53.140
what you need. But I also believe that there

00:22:53.140 --> 00:22:56.019
is something so beautiful about just the raw

00:22:56.019 --> 00:22:58.339
heart of whatever is going on between us and

00:22:58.339 --> 00:23:00.900
the Lord that is coming from us, that is our

00:23:00.900 --> 00:23:04.400
words to him. It's not about having the perfect

00:23:04.400 --> 00:23:06.539
prayer. It's not about having your life all put

00:23:06.539 --> 00:23:09.960
together. In most cases, we don't anyways. But

00:23:09.960 --> 00:23:11.740
it's about having the desire to just be with

00:23:11.740 --> 00:23:14.759
him. Because the sons of Korah could have spent

00:23:14.759 --> 00:23:17.420
generations telling people about this giant hole

00:23:17.420 --> 00:23:19.599
in the ground that swallowed up their ancestors.

00:23:20.380 --> 00:23:24.059
But instead, they spent generations singing about

00:23:24.059 --> 00:23:28.400
the house of God. That is redemption. They stopped

00:23:28.400 --> 00:23:31.519
dwelling on where their family had fallen and

00:23:31.519 --> 00:23:34.119
started dwelling on where God had invited them

00:23:34.119 --> 00:23:37.660
to be. And that's God's invitation for all of

00:23:37.660 --> 00:23:41.380
us this morning. To stop living at the gate of

00:23:41.380 --> 00:23:44.039
should have. To stop living at the gate of could

00:23:44.039 --> 00:23:47.259
have. To stop living at the gate of would have.

00:23:48.220 --> 00:23:51.240
Because there's a better dwelling place. Psalm

00:23:51.240 --> 00:23:55.319
84 reminds us, blessed are those who dwell in

00:23:55.319 --> 00:23:58.539
your house. So I don't know where my car seat

00:23:58.539 --> 00:24:03.119
is, but I know where my dwelling place is. Eventually,

00:24:03.220 --> 00:24:05.900
then for you guys, every flight is going to get

00:24:05.900 --> 00:24:08.400
called. So which gate have you been waiting at

00:24:08.400 --> 00:24:11.619
for too long that's keeping you from where you

00:24:11.619 --> 00:24:15.579
should be? If you've been at those gates and

00:24:15.579 --> 00:24:17.759
never realized that there were any other options,

00:24:18.180 --> 00:24:23.339
but there is the presence of God himself. If

00:24:23.339 --> 00:24:30.839
you would, go ahead and stand. In a moment, the

00:24:30.839 --> 00:24:33.380
worship team is going to come out and do a song.

00:24:36.240 --> 00:24:38.500
But during this time, as they sing, like I said,

00:24:38.559 --> 00:24:40.519
I want you to just spend time in the presence

00:24:40.519 --> 00:24:43.720
of God. There are beautiful songwriters out there

00:24:43.720 --> 00:24:45.359
and they've created incredible worship music

00:24:45.359 --> 00:24:47.960
that we have an opportunity to use. But there

00:24:47.960 --> 00:24:52.019
is something very special about your direct connection

00:24:52.019 --> 00:24:54.579
and relationship with the Lord. So this morning,

00:24:54.599 --> 00:24:56.380
that is my prayer for you, that you just spend

00:24:56.380 --> 00:24:59.180
time in the presence of God today. Bow your heads

00:24:59.180 --> 00:25:02.099
with me. Heavenly Father, God, we thank you.

00:25:02.140 --> 00:25:04.740
We thank you for who you are. We thank you that

00:25:04.740 --> 00:25:07.460
you are a God who sees us through every should

00:25:07.460 --> 00:25:09.880
have, every could have, every would have, every

00:25:09.880 --> 00:25:13.599
regret, every comparison, every bit of things

00:25:13.599 --> 00:25:15.720
that are trying to steal our joy. God, I pray

00:25:15.720 --> 00:25:17.859
that this morning, as people spend their time

00:25:17.859 --> 00:25:20.599
with you, as they reflect on who you are, on

00:25:20.599 --> 00:25:22.019
the things that you have brought them through,

00:25:22.119 --> 00:25:24.299
even sometimes the things they are still going

00:25:24.299 --> 00:25:27.220
through, or the worries that they have over their

00:25:27.220 --> 00:25:29.920
future. God, we just pray that this morning they

00:25:29.920 --> 00:25:33.240
give it to you, that this morning they remember

00:25:33.240 --> 00:25:35.539
that there's a better place to dwell. They don't

00:25:35.539 --> 00:25:37.259
have to stop at those gates. They don't have

00:25:37.259 --> 00:25:40.119
to get stuck in those places, God, but that you

00:25:40.119 --> 00:25:42.720
are the one who walks with them, guides them,

00:25:42.819 --> 00:25:45.440
leads them, shows them that you're with them,

00:25:45.519 --> 00:25:47.700
that you love them, that you care about them,

00:25:47.759 --> 00:25:50.000
that you don't want them to carry those things

00:25:50.000 --> 00:25:53.420
onto themselves, but God, that you... Ask us

00:25:53.420 --> 00:25:56.180
to give our burdens to you. You say that you

00:25:56.180 --> 00:26:01.079
are the one in which we have our peace. Heavenly

00:26:01.079 --> 00:26:03.440
Father, this morning, we just pray that we give

00:26:03.440 --> 00:26:06.019
those things to you and allow us to just spend

00:26:06.019 --> 00:26:08.599
time in your presence, God, for the scriptures

00:26:08.599 --> 00:26:11.420
say that it's better as one day in your courts

00:26:11.420 --> 00:26:14.240
than thousands elsewhere. And I pray that as

00:26:14.240 --> 00:26:16.539
our true prayer this morning, that as we spend

00:26:16.539 --> 00:26:18.099
time in your presence, that we're not rushing,

00:26:18.220 --> 00:26:20.079
that we're not concerned about what our lunch

00:26:20.079 --> 00:26:21.940
plans are, what we're gonna do this afternoon,

00:26:22.740 --> 00:26:25.660
but God, we're just focused on you, being with

00:26:25.660 --> 00:26:28.960
you, being in your presence, dwelling with you.

00:26:29.839 --> 00:26:33.000
God, we worship you. We give you all glory and

00:26:33.000 --> 00:26:36.839
all praise. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Worship

00:26:36.839 --> 00:26:56.700
with us this morning. personally affected by

00:26:56.700 --> 00:26:58.980
our ministry and you would like to partner with

00:26:58.980 --> 00:27:00.380
us as we love God,