WEBVTT 00:00:01.430 --> 00:00:03.330 Amen. Church, you can go ahead and have a seat. 00:00:04.969 --> 00:00:09.990 As you're doing so, how are we? I mean, come 00:00:09.990 --> 00:00:12.490 on. How are we not good with that much cuteness 00:00:12.490 --> 00:00:14.890 on stage? You know what I'm saying? And then 00:00:14.890 --> 00:00:17.309 to get to worship, I mean, it's just pretty special. 00:00:18.030 --> 00:00:21.350 Welcome to those of you in Paulding today who 00:00:21.350 --> 00:00:23.829 got breakfast. I saw the breakfast spread. Well 00:00:23.829 --> 00:00:27.929 done. Well played. It's always fun to see and 00:00:27.929 --> 00:00:31.289 know how you are gathering as community and how 00:00:31.289 --> 00:00:35.390 you are slowing down to see each other and break 00:00:35.390 --> 00:00:37.509 bread together. It's beautiful. We have something 00:00:37.509 --> 00:00:40.490 special happening. So my life group today is 00:00:40.490 --> 00:00:44.450 actually in Baghdad. So welcome, Baghdad. You've 00:00:44.450 --> 00:00:45.829 been here the whole time, but welcome. We're 00:00:45.829 --> 00:00:48.890 glad you're there. And I hope you enjoy the life 00:00:48.890 --> 00:00:51.070 group fam there and some others from staff that 00:00:51.070 --> 00:00:54.179 made it out. We're excited to continue to build 00:00:54.179 --> 00:00:56.820 relationship, build community, to continue to 00:00:56.820 --> 00:01:01.340 build as a family and see God move there in Baghdad. 00:01:01.380 --> 00:01:03.679 We're excited for what the future is with Baghdad 00:01:03.679 --> 00:01:06.180 and what that looks like. Can you do me a favor? 00:01:06.239 --> 00:01:07.859 Because my wife is out there today. Can you just 00:01:07.859 --> 00:01:16.140 say hi to Baghdad this morning? And then to our 00:01:16.140 --> 00:01:18.120 online fam, welcome. We're glad you're with us. 00:01:18.140 --> 00:01:20.280 Glad we get to do this together. I love that 00:01:20.280 --> 00:01:22.319 we get to honor people. I love that part of our 00:01:22.319 --> 00:01:25.579 family values is just that we genuinely honor 00:01:25.579 --> 00:01:29.420 one another. We put one another first. And I 00:01:29.420 --> 00:01:33.480 love that this weekend is kind of set aside to 00:01:33.480 --> 00:01:36.560 specifically celebrate those that with their 00:01:36.560 --> 00:01:40.500 lives have chosen to sacrifice on behalf of other 00:01:40.500 --> 00:01:43.299 people. I have some people near and dear to me 00:01:43.299 --> 00:01:47.060 that have served within the military and some 00:01:47.060 --> 00:01:49.359 that are still serving within the military. And 00:01:49.359 --> 00:01:53.579 I love the gift that it is to everyone else. 00:01:54.120 --> 00:01:56.340 It's one of those, it's a really clear connection 00:01:56.340 --> 00:02:00.579 for me of you're willing to and you are laying 00:02:00.579 --> 00:02:03.040 down your life that we can sit here and do this. 00:02:04.049 --> 00:02:06.329 It's a moment where we just get to honor and 00:02:06.329 --> 00:02:09.090 just say thank you. And so I would love to do 00:02:09.090 --> 00:02:11.310 that if you'll allow me. I know you'll hate it, 00:02:11.349 --> 00:02:15.330 but if you are an active military, you're in 00:02:15.330 --> 00:02:18.569 active military service or you're someone who 00:02:18.569 --> 00:02:20.729 has been in military service, if you're a veteran, 00:02:20.810 --> 00:02:22.729 would you just stand so that we could honor you, 00:02:22.750 --> 00:02:37.669 please? Now, before you sit down, hang on, hang 00:02:37.669 --> 00:02:40.509 on. We know you got family that also sacrificed. 00:02:40.669 --> 00:02:43.509 If you are family of them, would you stand? And 00:02:43.509 --> 00:02:55.569 we just want to say thanks. We are very, very 00:02:55.569 --> 00:02:59.490 grateful for your sacrifice and the way that 00:02:59.490 --> 00:03:00.930 you have served. So thank you. You can go ahead 00:03:00.930 --> 00:03:05.759 and have a seat. Baghdad, I hope that you get 00:03:05.759 --> 00:03:08.020 to honor those that are there with you. Also, 00:03:08.120 --> 00:03:10.780 those of you online get to honor one another. 00:03:11.759 --> 00:03:15.099 So I want to take a moment just to celebrate 00:03:15.099 --> 00:03:18.259 with you, right? There's a certain person in 00:03:18.259 --> 00:03:21.719 my life who's pretty important to me, and that 00:03:21.719 --> 00:03:25.159 certain person happened to turn one yesterday. 00:03:25.259 --> 00:03:28.419 So here he is, just because you need to see him. 00:03:29.860 --> 00:03:33.759 Let's go. And not only did he turn one, but he 00:03:33.759 --> 00:03:36.599 got dedicated at Park Collective last night in 00:03:36.599 --> 00:03:43.520 Prescott Valley. Now, what's fun with this is 00:03:43.520 --> 00:03:47.460 people ask, you know, so his first Halloween, 00:03:47.580 --> 00:03:49.960 like, what happened? What did he trunk or treat? 00:03:50.080 --> 00:03:52.280 Did you go trick or treating? Like, what did 00:03:52.280 --> 00:03:55.020 he dress up as? Well, I mean, you can see what 00:03:55.020 --> 00:03:57.259 he dressed up as. Clearly, he's just a model, 00:03:57.360 --> 00:04:00.849 right? Like, that's just what he is. Here's what's 00:04:00.849 --> 00:04:04.270 interesting though, right? Like my role in his 00:04:04.270 --> 00:04:09.069 life is to let him know how valuable he is, how 00:04:09.069 --> 00:04:12.370 loved he is, how special he is, right? Like my 00:04:12.370 --> 00:04:14.849 job is to brag about him. This is what God created 00:04:14.849 --> 00:04:18.970 me to do is to brag about him, right? And here's 00:04:18.970 --> 00:04:22.509 what's interesting. Now, if I was to go to him 00:04:22.509 --> 00:04:25.769 as he grows up and I'm like, hey, Bex, okay, 00:04:25.889 --> 00:04:27.970 here we go. I'm gonna give you the way to live 00:04:27.970 --> 00:04:32.509 life. Be as stingy as you possibly can. Don't 00:04:32.509 --> 00:04:36.589 give anybody anything, ever. You'd be like, you're 00:04:36.589 --> 00:04:39.569 the worst grandparent ever. What if I double 00:04:39.569 --> 00:04:41.290 down and I go, actually, Bex, you know what? 00:04:41.350 --> 00:04:45.250 Just make life all about you. Okay, don't think 00:04:45.250 --> 00:04:47.050 about anybody else. Don't think about your parents. 00:04:47.129 --> 00:04:48.649 Don't think about me. Don't think about anybody. 00:04:48.970 --> 00:04:51.829 Just think about you and make your whole life 00:04:51.829 --> 00:04:55.569 about you. Everybody in the room goes, that's 00:04:55.569 --> 00:05:00.959 a terrible idea. you'll end up what? Bitter, 00:05:01.100 --> 00:05:06.740 alone, hating life, trying to figure out what 00:05:06.740 --> 00:05:08.759 it's all about, probably have some kind of addictions 00:05:08.759 --> 00:05:11.779 because you can't keep up with trying to feed 00:05:11.779 --> 00:05:14.439 the monster that is you. Like we all know intuitively, 00:05:14.680 --> 00:05:17.199 right? Like this is not the best way. Don't tell 00:05:17.199 --> 00:05:21.339 Bex that. Why? Because it's going to ruin him. 00:05:22.980 --> 00:05:24.920 Isn't it interesting that we know it intuitively? 00:05:25.910 --> 00:05:27.889 Right? Like something inside us goes, that's 00:05:27.889 --> 00:05:29.810 not the best way to live. Don't tell your grandson 00:05:29.810 --> 00:05:33.410 that. That's not the best. And yet, how many 00:05:33.410 --> 00:05:38.209 of us are living for me? How many of us are living 00:05:38.209 --> 00:05:40.769 in a way that it's about what I amass and how 00:05:40.769 --> 00:05:44.069 I do it? How many of us are living, because if 00:05:44.069 --> 00:05:45.910 I tell him that, he's going to live a life much 00:05:45.910 --> 00:05:48.899 smaller than what he was created for. Like we 00:05:48.899 --> 00:05:51.259 just intuitively know that this life was meant 00:05:51.259 --> 00:05:54.139 to be larger than us. And the way it is larger 00:05:54.139 --> 00:05:56.240 than us is we actually give it away to other 00:05:56.240 --> 00:06:00.259 people. How many people that end up in addiction 00:06:00.259 --> 00:06:04.860 and there's just a train of people behind them 00:06:04.860 --> 00:06:07.339 that all suffered because of what? Their addiction. 00:06:08.810 --> 00:06:11.410 Because it was never meant to be about me and 00:06:11.410 --> 00:06:13.629 experiences and what I can get. It was about 00:06:13.629 --> 00:06:16.750 this idea that life is so much more. It's the 00:06:16.750 --> 00:06:20.269 abundant life that Jesus talked about. You know, 00:06:20.290 --> 00:06:22.509 it's interesting culturally what's around us. 00:06:23.069 --> 00:06:27.829 In 1860, Milton Bradley created a board game. 00:06:28.009 --> 00:06:29.730 So those of you that are board game enthusiasts, 00:06:30.170 --> 00:06:32.930 here you go. They created a board game and it 00:06:32.930 --> 00:06:37.819 was called the checkered game of life. And within 00:06:37.819 --> 00:06:40.579 that game, if you were to look at it, the original 00:06:40.579 --> 00:06:43.519 rules, the way that you win this game of life 00:06:43.519 --> 00:06:48.079 is you live to an old age, right? You get to 00:06:48.079 --> 00:06:51.180 a good old age and that's a full life. You lived 00:06:51.180 --> 00:06:54.560 a full life. And so what the game would do, excuse 00:06:54.560 --> 00:06:56.819 me, what the game would do is it would put you 00:06:56.819 --> 00:07:00.300 in situations where you had to make a choice, 00:07:00.459 --> 00:07:03.620 a moral choice of right and wrong, which way 00:07:03.620 --> 00:07:07.730 to go. And so it was built around virtue. It 00:07:07.730 --> 00:07:10.730 was built around this idea of you navigating 00:07:10.730 --> 00:07:13.730 through these tough moments so that you got to 00:07:13.730 --> 00:07:18.370 a point where you built this good old life. The 00:07:18.370 --> 00:07:20.129 way you would lose the game is you would end 00:07:20.129 --> 00:07:25.089 up in ruin or you would end up disgraced. It's 00:07:25.089 --> 00:07:28.449 interesting that in 1960, they revamped that 00:07:28.449 --> 00:07:31.209 game. And if you've played the game of life, 00:07:32.150 --> 00:07:33.889 If you've ever played the board game, the game 00:07:33.889 --> 00:07:36.610 of life, anybody? Okay, all right, just make 00:07:36.610 --> 00:07:40.790 sure I'm not alone here. If you played that game, 00:07:41.009 --> 00:07:47.430 how do you win? Thank you. Wasn't that hard for 00:07:47.430 --> 00:07:49.009 this many people that have played that game. 00:07:49.610 --> 00:07:51.649 Maybe you know why you lost now, just saying. 00:07:52.370 --> 00:07:55.129 Yeah, it's the one that ends up with the most 00:07:55.129 --> 00:07:58.949 money. The one with the most money wins the game 00:07:58.949 --> 00:08:03.170 of life. Isn't that fascinating that culturally, 00:08:03.410 --> 00:08:06.410 1860, which by the way, you know why you have 00:08:06.410 --> 00:08:08.050 a spinner in that game? If you've ever played 00:08:08.050 --> 00:08:09.310 that game, you got that little spinner thing. 00:08:09.490 --> 00:08:11.370 You know why they did a spinner and not dice? 00:08:11.629 --> 00:08:14.269 Because dice were considered gambling in 1860. 00:08:14.449 --> 00:08:17.370 So you have a spinner. Information that doesn't 00:08:17.370 --> 00:08:20.889 matter. You didn't need it. But here's what's 00:08:20.889 --> 00:08:23.970 fascinating. Culturally, there was a shift, and 00:08:23.970 --> 00:08:26.170 the shift was the way you win at the game of 00:08:26.170 --> 00:08:32.740 life is you amass the most money. You retire 00:08:32.740 --> 00:08:38.299 at the millionaire, right? You don't go to Shady 00:08:38.299 --> 00:08:44.340 Acres. As for losers, right? Isn't it interesting 00:08:44.340 --> 00:08:47.039 that culturally, if you took a shot of that, 00:08:47.159 --> 00:08:49.559 the culture you are born into, the culture you 00:08:49.559 --> 00:08:53.379 exist inside of, is how do you win at life? You 00:08:53.379 --> 00:08:55.279 are the one with the most at the end of this 00:08:55.279 --> 00:09:00.779 life that you've amassed for yourself. You know 00:09:00.779 --> 00:09:06.379 what's amazing? With Bex, there's a pressure 00:09:06.379 --> 00:09:12.259 on me to what? Provide for his future. Isn't 00:09:12.259 --> 00:09:15.039 that interesting that I can spend my whole life 00:09:15.039 --> 00:09:18.279 trying to amass stuff that at the end of my life, 00:09:18.360 --> 00:09:22.080 I'll leave behind? Like that's just such a weird. 00:09:22.669 --> 00:09:25.049 Prospect. I don't think God intended for you 00:09:25.049 --> 00:09:27.149 to live your life going, I'm going to do everything 00:09:27.149 --> 00:09:29.950 in this life to provide that so it's easier for 00:09:29.950 --> 00:09:32.370 them. Because here's the thing, you don't know 00:09:32.370 --> 00:09:35.950 what they're going to do with it. But there is 00:09:35.950 --> 00:09:38.750 an idea that Jesus plants within the scriptures 00:09:38.750 --> 00:09:42.149 that this life is a generous life. And what I 00:09:42.149 --> 00:09:44.370 mean by that, one that's supposed to be bigger 00:09:44.370 --> 00:09:46.049 than you, one that's supposed to be given away, 00:09:46.309 --> 00:09:48.730 one that's not supposed to be about how much 00:09:48.730 --> 00:09:51.470 you can amass and what you do. In Luke chapter... 00:09:51.929 --> 00:09:57.240 11, Luke chapter 11. We started last week walking 00:09:57.240 --> 00:09:59.659 through Luke chapter 10, 11, and 12. We'll kind 00:09:59.659 --> 00:10:02.039 of anchor in there for the next few weeks. And 00:10:02.039 --> 00:10:04.580 the whole idea was Jesus has this thread of a 00:10:04.580 --> 00:10:06.580 theme that he puts all the way through this idea 00:10:06.580 --> 00:10:08.879 of the generous life. If you were here last week, 00:10:08.899 --> 00:10:10.799 we talked about this idea of trusting God is 00:10:10.799 --> 00:10:13.340 the base of that, right? Like you have to trust 00:10:13.340 --> 00:10:15.740 God. You will never live a generous life if your 00:10:15.740 --> 00:10:18.460 trust is not solely in God. So if your trust 00:10:18.460 --> 00:10:21.639 is in God, then the words of Jesus and what he 00:10:21.639 --> 00:10:24.620 says, then that becomes our base of how we're 00:10:24.620 --> 00:10:26.259 going to live. It becomes how we navigate. Because 00:10:26.259 --> 00:10:29.279 if I trust God, then Jesus being God, what he 00:10:29.279 --> 00:10:32.879 says, then I live out. And so there's this conversation 00:10:32.879 --> 00:10:34.679 that's happening. In verse 33, we're going to 00:10:34.679 --> 00:10:36.419 jump in the middle of some teachings by Jesus. 00:10:36.559 --> 00:10:39.299 It says this. No one lights a lamp and puts it 00:10:39.299 --> 00:10:42.379 in a place where it will be hidden or under a 00:10:42.379 --> 00:10:46.139 bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand so that 00:10:46.139 --> 00:10:50.620 those who come in may see the light. Your eye 00:10:50.620 --> 00:10:53.649 is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are 00:10:53.649 --> 00:10:57.909 healthy, your whole body also is full of light. 00:10:58.370 --> 00:11:01.450 But when they are unhealthy, your body is also 00:11:01.450 --> 00:11:05.269 full of darkness. See to it then, be proactive 00:11:05.269 --> 00:11:08.769 then, that the light within you is not darkness. 00:11:08.889 --> 00:11:10.490 So there's something you can do about it, right? 00:11:10.570 --> 00:11:12.950 Therefore, if your whole body is full of light 00:11:12.950 --> 00:11:16.230 and no part of it dark, it will be just as full 00:11:16.230 --> 00:11:20.479 of light as when the lamp shines its light. No 00:11:20.479 --> 00:11:25.500 one, no one lights a lamp and puts it in a place 00:11:25.500 --> 00:11:28.320 that's hidden. Think about the concept of lighting 00:11:28.320 --> 00:11:30.259 a lamp. If you light a lamp, you're lighting 00:11:30.259 --> 00:11:34.019 it with intentionality. Your plan is that you 00:11:34.019 --> 00:11:36.100 need a source of light for something, therefore 00:11:36.100 --> 00:11:39.080 you light a lamp. Why? So that it provides what 00:11:39.080 --> 00:11:42.029 it's supposed to as a source. And so in this 00:11:42.029 --> 00:11:44.210 context, it specifically says no one does that. 00:11:44.250 --> 00:11:46.549 No one intentionally goes and lights a lamp and 00:11:46.549 --> 00:11:49.049 then takes it to a place that is hidden. Now 00:11:49.049 --> 00:11:51.529 that word hidden in the original has to do with 00:11:51.529 --> 00:11:55.490 like a cellar. That you don't light a lamp and 00:11:55.490 --> 00:11:58.549 then take it down into the cellar. The purpose 00:11:58.549 --> 00:12:02.049 in lighting the lamp is to put it on a stand. 00:12:02.850 --> 00:12:05.409 So there's intentionality. I light the lamp and 00:12:05.409 --> 00:12:08.600 I intentionally place the lamp. And when I place 00:12:08.600 --> 00:12:11.200 it on a stand, it says that what happens is that 00:12:11.200 --> 00:12:15.379 the house receives the light. Now, in that context, 00:12:15.500 --> 00:12:18.379 house, the term that's used there is actually 00:12:18.379 --> 00:12:21.360 household, the people. It's not the structure 00:12:21.360 --> 00:12:23.919 as we think of. It's the people of the house 00:12:23.919 --> 00:12:27.419 all receive a benefit from what? From the actions 00:12:27.419 --> 00:12:29.720 I have intentionally taken to put this light 00:12:29.720 --> 00:12:33.960 on a stand. It actually blesses everybody else. 00:12:34.920 --> 00:12:37.539 Everybody benefits from the light that was put 00:12:37.539 --> 00:12:41.600 on a stand. He then switches. Jesus then switches 00:12:41.600 --> 00:12:47.019 and he says in verse 34, your eye is the lamp 00:12:47.019 --> 00:12:52.460 of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your 00:12:52.460 --> 00:12:57.169 whole body is also full of light. So now he takes 00:12:57.169 --> 00:12:59.389 the comparison of a house and he goes, hey, your 00:12:59.389 --> 00:13:03.649 eye, your eye is essentially the lamp, the lamp 00:13:03.649 --> 00:13:06.389 providing light to your entire body. If your 00:13:06.389 --> 00:13:10.490 eye is healthy, then your whole body is going 00:13:10.490 --> 00:13:14.129 to have light. Now that word healthy in the original 00:13:14.129 --> 00:13:16.889 is really hard to translate and kind of for us 00:13:16.889 --> 00:13:20.809 to grasp. What's connected to it is this, that 00:13:20.809 --> 00:13:25.860 the idea of healthy is singular in focus. Okay, 00:13:25.899 --> 00:13:30.379 so if your eye is singular in focus, it's directed, 00:13:30.580 --> 00:13:34.100 then what's going to happen is your entire body 00:13:34.100 --> 00:13:37.039 is going to be healthy. So you can think of it 00:13:37.039 --> 00:13:39.899 this way. Double vision, that I see multiple 00:13:39.899 --> 00:13:44.500 things, is a divided perspective of what I'm 00:13:44.500 --> 00:13:47.440 seeing. And so what he's saying is instead of 00:13:47.440 --> 00:13:52.049 having double vision, have singular vision. Another 00:13:52.049 --> 00:13:54.389 layer to this word healthy is in Matthew chapter 00:13:54.389 --> 00:13:57.350 26. Matthew's capturing the words of Jesus, and 00:13:57.350 --> 00:13:59.870 he connects with the same words that are here, 00:14:00.049 --> 00:14:03.289 that the idea of generosity, the idea of being 00:14:03.289 --> 00:14:06.429 generous to healthy, that the word healthy is 00:14:06.429 --> 00:14:09.129 translated generous. You could put it this way, 00:14:09.129 --> 00:14:13.450 that when I am singularly focused on this generous 00:14:13.450 --> 00:14:16.990 life that I was created for, my entire body will 00:14:16.990 --> 00:14:21.879 be healthy. Now, the picture he gives is what? 00:14:22.120 --> 00:14:24.360 That when I'm singularly focused and I'm on this 00:14:24.360 --> 00:14:27.480 generous life, it's like putting a lamp on a 00:14:27.480 --> 00:14:31.620 stand and the whole household benefits. When 00:14:31.620 --> 00:14:35.210 my life is singularly focused. on the generous 00:14:35.210 --> 00:14:37.450 life that God intended for me when I am living 00:14:37.450 --> 00:14:41.350 larger than myself. I'm living for what God calls 00:14:41.350 --> 00:14:43.950 me to. I'm building his kingdom, not mine. I'm 00:14:43.950 --> 00:14:46.429 focused on Jesus and his mission. I'm focused 00:14:46.429 --> 00:14:48.750 on Jesus who lived the most generous life. When 00:14:48.750 --> 00:14:51.330 I'm singularly focused on him, what happens is 00:14:51.330 --> 00:14:54.070 it's like putting my life on a stand and everyone 00:14:54.070 --> 00:14:57.090 else around me benefits because of the generosity 00:14:57.090 --> 00:15:01.830 and because of this generous life. But he says, 00:15:01.830 --> 00:15:05.389 when you have double vision, When you have divided 00:15:05.389 --> 00:15:11.590 attention, you become unhealthy. I don't know 00:15:11.590 --> 00:15:15.409 how you are, but true story from last week. I'm 00:15:15.409 --> 00:15:18.149 downtown Prescott, and I'm walking with a friend 00:15:18.149 --> 00:15:20.230 of mine, and we're walking along, and parked 00:15:20.230 --> 00:15:27.509 is this SUV Rolls Royce. And as we're going along, 00:15:27.690 --> 00:15:30.289 my friend goes, that's probably the most expensive 00:15:30.289 --> 00:15:35.019 car I've ever seen in Prescott. And for me, I 00:15:35.019 --> 00:15:36.600 did one of these. I'm going along, right? I'm 00:15:36.600 --> 00:15:41.039 focused. We've got a destination. And I start 00:15:41.039 --> 00:15:43.279 drooling all over the front of the car. So if 00:15:43.279 --> 00:15:47.820 it's your car, sorry for the drool stains. It's 00:15:47.820 --> 00:15:50.879 beautiful. You ever feel that way? Like, man, 00:15:50.940 --> 00:15:54.279 me and Jesus are good. I'm following Jesus. We're 00:15:54.279 --> 00:15:55.580 tight. And then all of a sudden, you're like, 00:15:55.620 --> 00:15:59.929 squirrel. Right? That's what he's talking about, 00:15:59.970 --> 00:16:02.690 this idea that we set out and we've got the generous 00:16:02.690 --> 00:16:04.809 life in front of us and we've got Jesus and he's 00:16:04.809 --> 00:16:09.230 our focus. And it's so easy to what? Become divided. 00:16:10.549 --> 00:16:13.070 So where now it's like, man, Jesus, I really, 00:16:13.129 --> 00:16:18.309 really love you, but it's a Rolls Royce. Jesus, 00:16:18.330 --> 00:16:20.750 I really, really love you, but man, this new 00:16:20.750 --> 00:16:23.710 job, I know it's not going to allow me to go 00:16:23.710 --> 00:16:25.750 to church anymore. I know it's not going to allow 00:16:25.750 --> 00:16:27.590 me to build community anymore. I know it's going 00:16:27.590 --> 00:16:29.169 to make me really distant from people. I know 00:16:29.169 --> 00:16:31.470 it's going to probably hurt my family. But man, 00:16:31.490 --> 00:16:35.549 did you see what they're offering? And all of 00:16:35.549 --> 00:16:37.490 a sudden, all of a sudden, this life that Jesus 00:16:37.490 --> 00:16:39.889 is building, all of a sudden I'm divided and 00:16:39.889 --> 00:16:45.269 I end up over here. And so Jesus, as this passage 00:16:45.269 --> 00:16:48.669 unpacks, Verse 37, he gets done with the part 00:16:48.669 --> 00:16:50.490 we just read. And it says, when Jesus had finished 00:16:50.490 --> 00:16:55.110 speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with 00:16:55.110 --> 00:16:58.450 him. So he went in and reclined at the table. 00:16:58.470 --> 00:16:59.970 If you were here last week, you know that when 00:16:59.970 --> 00:17:02.269 you recline at the table with somebody, you're 00:17:02.269 --> 00:17:04.049 building relationship, you're building community, 00:17:04.390 --> 00:17:06.730 you're building friendship, right? So Jesus is 00:17:06.730 --> 00:17:09.650 with this religious person, this Pharisee who 00:17:09.650 --> 00:17:14.410 was known for how religious he was. Jesus goes 00:17:14.410 --> 00:17:18.089 to have a meal with him. And it says, but the 00:17:18.089 --> 00:17:22.609 Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus 00:17:22.609 --> 00:17:27.970 did not first wash before the meal. Okay, so 00:17:27.970 --> 00:17:31.670 culturally, what would happen within the meal 00:17:31.670 --> 00:17:35.430 is you would ritually wash yourself so that you 00:17:35.430 --> 00:17:38.220 were clean before eating. So it wasn't about 00:17:38.220 --> 00:17:41.519 hygiene. It was about doing the right thing from 00:17:41.519 --> 00:17:45.140 a religious perspective, that you had to cleanse 00:17:45.140 --> 00:17:49.440 yourself before stepping into that moment and 00:17:49.440 --> 00:17:51.940 eating. So Jesus comes along, who is a rabbi, 00:17:51.940 --> 00:17:54.640 who is a teacher, who should know the right thing. 00:17:55.599 --> 00:17:59.500 And what does Jesus do? He bypasses the washing 00:17:59.500 --> 00:18:05.400 station to which the Pharisee who is driven by 00:18:05.400 --> 00:18:08.359 doing the right thing, is now upset with Jesus, 00:18:08.500 --> 00:18:12.240 is now angry with Jesus, is now frustrated with 00:18:12.240 --> 00:18:13.799 Jesus because Jesus isn't doing what he wanted 00:18:13.799 --> 00:18:16.500 to do. Maybe, maybe, just maybe, what Jesus is 00:18:16.500 --> 00:18:19.400 getting at here is that when you are trying to 00:18:19.400 --> 00:18:22.059 live the generous life, be careful that you are 00:18:22.059 --> 00:18:26.299 not using religion and calling yourself generous. 00:18:27.740 --> 00:18:33.380 Make sure that when you're following Jesus, that 00:18:33.380 --> 00:18:36.299 what you are doing in the name of religion isn't 00:18:36.299 --> 00:18:39.579 substituting for your generosity that you should 00:18:39.579 --> 00:18:43.680 have within your soul. And so he's using religion 00:18:43.680 --> 00:18:47.299 so much so that Jesus says this then. Then the 00:18:47.299 --> 00:18:50.819 Lord said to him, now then you Pharisees, you 00:18:50.819 --> 00:18:54.039 religious people, clean the outside of the cup 00:18:54.039 --> 00:18:58.359 and dish, but inside you are full of greed and 00:18:58.359 --> 00:19:02.789 wickedness. You foolish people did not the one 00:19:02.789 --> 00:19:07.029 who made the outside make the inside also. But 00:19:07.029 --> 00:19:12.329 now as for what is inside you, be generous to 00:19:12.329 --> 00:19:17.509 the poor and everything will be clean for you. 00:19:19.109 --> 00:19:23.069 So here's the Pharisee. And the Pharisee is, 00:19:23.150 --> 00:19:25.910 I wash my hands because this is the right thing. 00:19:26.480 --> 00:19:29.440 Right. Like I do this next because it is the 00:19:29.440 --> 00:19:32.140 right thing. I do this and this and this and 00:19:32.140 --> 00:19:35.259 this. And what the Pharisee is doing is amassing 00:19:35.259 --> 00:19:39.119 all of his right is amassing for him this power 00:19:39.119 --> 00:19:43.180 and this prestige. Right. He's becoming more 00:19:43.180 --> 00:19:47.140 and more like built up within the religious system, 00:19:47.240 --> 00:19:53.200 so to speak. And Jesus goes, hey, it's not about 00:19:53.200 --> 00:19:57.279 what you do on the outside. that I'm interested 00:19:57.279 --> 00:20:01.440 in. I'm actually interested on what's on the 00:20:01.440 --> 00:20:05.799 inside. Why? Because he's using religion to attempt 00:20:05.799 --> 00:20:12.220 to get a life, right? Isn't it interesting that 00:20:12.220 --> 00:20:17.960 we can come to church and we feel like we're 00:20:17.960 --> 00:20:21.440 doing God a favor? Isn't it interesting that 00:20:21.440 --> 00:20:23.140 you can come to church and you feel like, oh, 00:20:23.160 --> 00:20:28.180 I did the right thing. And you gain a little 00:20:28.180 --> 00:20:30.019 higher status because you meet somebody in your 00:20:30.019 --> 00:20:31.680 week and they didn't go to church and you're 00:20:31.680 --> 00:20:37.940 like, sinner, I went to church. Oh, you may not 00:20:37.940 --> 00:20:43.099 say that. Oh, you went to life group, but that 00:20:43.099 --> 00:20:44.960 person hasn't been there for like three weeks. 00:20:46.480 --> 00:20:50.960 Oh, you don't know what giving is? Oh, I've been 00:20:50.960 --> 00:20:56.710 giving since 1960. Isn't it interesting that 00:20:56.710 --> 00:20:59.210 if we're not careful, what we do is the religious 00:20:59.210 --> 00:21:02.430 things, the things we do in God's name, can all 00:21:02.430 --> 00:21:04.930 of a sudden become a substitute for what's actually 00:21:04.930 --> 00:21:07.390 happening on the inside. You know you can give 00:21:07.390 --> 00:21:09.190 every single week and not be generous, right? 00:21:10.230 --> 00:21:12.930 Your generosity isn't geared by what you do from 00:21:12.930 --> 00:21:15.609 a religious standpoint. Your generosity is you 00:21:15.609 --> 00:21:18.809 can be here, you can give faithfully every single 00:21:18.809 --> 00:21:21.009 week, and you should. As your pastor, you should. 00:21:21.430 --> 00:21:26.490 Okay? But you can do that and still miss the 00:21:26.490 --> 00:21:28.609 person in need that you pass every single day. 00:21:30.529 --> 00:21:33.450 This is where we substitute religion, right? 00:21:33.569 --> 00:21:37.029 We put religion in the place, and instead of 00:21:37.029 --> 00:21:39.390 it changing the inside, why? Because God is interested 00:21:39.390 --> 00:21:42.740 on the inside of you. And what we do when we 00:21:42.740 --> 00:21:46.180 get divided with religion, we put all these things 00:21:46.180 --> 00:21:49.279 that we should do that a good Christian would 00:21:49.279 --> 00:21:50.779 do, which by the way, good Christian doesn't 00:21:50.779 --> 00:21:52.339 exist in the Bible. There are only Christians 00:21:52.339 --> 00:21:53.779 and there are not Christians, right? Like this 00:21:53.779 --> 00:21:58.059 elder is. And you can substitute all these things 00:21:58.059 --> 00:22:02.400 that are good and miss that what leads you to 00:22:02.400 --> 00:22:05.380 a generous life is I'm actually singularly focused 00:22:05.380 --> 00:22:10.299 on the person of Jesus Christ. You can come in 00:22:10.299 --> 00:22:13.700 here and you can worship. You can come in here 00:22:13.700 --> 00:22:15.859 and you can sing the songs. You can even raise 00:22:15.859 --> 00:22:18.599 your hands. It does not mean that your heart 00:22:18.599 --> 00:22:23.400 is in love with Jesus. And notice what's happening 00:22:23.400 --> 00:22:27.359 here. The context is not financial. The context 00:22:27.359 --> 00:22:29.420 here is not financial, even though it uses the 00:22:29.420 --> 00:22:31.640 word greed. Guess what the word greed here in 00:22:31.640 --> 00:22:34.440 the original English is? It's to take aggressively 00:22:34.440 --> 00:22:38.390 by force. So what were the Pharisees taking aggressively 00:22:38.390 --> 00:22:43.890 by force? Prestige, status, position. The more 00:22:43.890 --> 00:22:46.109 religious they were, the more people looked up 00:22:46.109 --> 00:22:48.470 to them, the better they felt. They were essentially 00:22:48.470 --> 00:22:51.089 creating a platform for themselves to stand on 00:22:51.089 --> 00:22:55.069 so that they were higher than other people. And 00:22:55.069 --> 00:22:57.369 in the midst of that, Jesus goes, be careful, 00:22:57.549 --> 00:23:00.710 you're full of greed. Oh, you got all these actions 00:23:00.710 --> 00:23:03.480 on the outside, but inside? You're aggressively 00:23:03.480 --> 00:23:06.859 taking power. You're aggressively taking position, 00:23:07.079 --> 00:23:11.380 status for your own gain. That's what greed is, 00:23:11.460 --> 00:23:16.200 right? When I take it for my own gain. Notice 00:23:16.200 --> 00:23:19.759 what he says the solution is. Verse 41. But now, 00:23:19.759 --> 00:23:23.400 as for what is inside you, be generous to the 00:23:23.400 --> 00:23:27.319 poor. And we're like, oh, there it is. Give your 00:23:27.319 --> 00:23:34.460 money away. Money is not in this passage. He's 00:23:34.460 --> 00:23:36.980 talking about a greed that has to do with what? 00:23:37.599 --> 00:23:43.400 Position and status and posturing and prestige. 00:23:44.940 --> 00:23:47.700 And he says, give it to the poor. Who are poor? 00:23:47.880 --> 00:23:51.480 Those that don't have what? Position and status. 00:23:52.440 --> 00:23:55.599 What is he saying? Give away what I've given 00:23:55.599 --> 00:23:57.900 you. If you have any status in the kingdom of 00:23:57.900 --> 00:24:00.339 God, it is because Jesus has given it to you. 00:24:00.400 --> 00:24:03.900 So give it away to somebody else. What you've 00:24:03.900 --> 00:24:06.839 been given in the person of Jesus, your job is 00:24:06.839 --> 00:24:12.220 to create a platform for them. Your job is to 00:24:12.220 --> 00:24:15.980 become less, not more. How do you become less? 00:24:16.099 --> 00:24:19.339 Because you're giving it all away. You're not 00:24:19.339 --> 00:24:24.259 trying to amass. You're not trying to gain. Instead, 00:24:24.519 --> 00:24:26.420 what you're doing is you're going, the generous 00:24:26.420 --> 00:24:29.259 life is about what I take that I've been given 00:24:29.259 --> 00:24:31.619 by God in this context for the Pharisees. It's 00:24:31.619 --> 00:24:34.599 whatever power, whatever position, whatever prestige, 00:24:34.819 --> 00:24:37.259 whatever posture, whatever you have been given, 00:24:37.299 --> 00:24:44.500 give it away. Give it away. Give it away. Give 00:24:44.500 --> 00:24:50.140 it away now. Okay. Chapter 12, verse 13. Jesus 00:24:50.140 --> 00:24:52.940 gives another example of this divided perspective. 00:24:53.680 --> 00:24:55.740 Someone in the crowd said to him, teacher, tell 00:24:55.740 --> 00:24:58.779 my brother to divide the inheritance with me. 00:24:59.779 --> 00:25:02.220 Jesus replied, man, who appointed me a judge 00:25:02.220 --> 00:25:05.920 or an arbiter between you? Then he said to them, 00:25:05.980 --> 00:25:10.440 watch out, watch out. Be on your guard against 00:25:10.440 --> 00:25:17.920 all kinds of greed. Life does not consist in 00:25:17.920 --> 00:25:24.079 an abundance of possessions. Guy comes to Jesus, 00:25:24.240 --> 00:25:28.099 and he's like, hey, Jesus, you're a rabbi. That 00:25:28.099 --> 00:25:30.200 means you have some power, you have some prestige, 00:25:30.299 --> 00:25:33.579 you have some authority. I heard you're kind 00:25:33.579 --> 00:25:35.519 of like the Yoda of rabbis, too, like you're 00:25:35.519 --> 00:25:38.539 not just a normal rabbi. So, Jesus, here's what 00:25:38.539 --> 00:25:42.720 I want you to do. Jesus, I want you to tell my 00:25:42.720 --> 00:25:47.200 brother to give me my inheritance. Give me what's 00:25:47.200 --> 00:25:52.309 mine. Isn't it fascinating the first people using 00:25:52.309 --> 00:25:56.190 religion? This person's using Jesus to get what 00:25:56.190 --> 00:26:00.369 he wants. He's coming and going, Jesus, Jesus, 00:26:00.450 --> 00:26:03.130 you gotta give me. You gotta do this for me. 00:26:04.369 --> 00:26:07.430 Jesus, I'm here asking, I understand. I'm giving 00:26:07.430 --> 00:26:09.250 you the honor of being rabbi because I called 00:26:09.250 --> 00:26:11.210 you teacher, but what I really want you to do 00:26:11.210 --> 00:26:13.089 is I want you to do this over here for me. I'm 00:26:13.089 --> 00:26:15.230 not actually interested in you, Jesus. I'm just 00:26:15.230 --> 00:26:19.670 interested in the stuff. I don't know how you 00:26:19.670 --> 00:26:24.670 feel. I feel like it's pretty easy. It's pretty 00:26:24.670 --> 00:26:29.289 easy to miss Jesus for the stuff. You know what 00:26:29.289 --> 00:26:34.589 I mean? Oh, Jesus, I just really want this person 00:26:34.589 --> 00:26:43.690 to be healed. So Jesus, I came to church. Jesus, 00:26:43.829 --> 00:26:46.950 I just really, really, really, really need this 00:26:46.950 --> 00:26:52.039 job. And so Jesus, I'm here and I'm worshiping 00:26:52.039 --> 00:26:55.140 you. No, you're not. You're worshiping the job. 00:26:55.279 --> 00:26:56.759 You're just using him as a means to get what 00:26:56.759 --> 00:26:58.740 you want. That's what this guy is doing. Like 00:26:58.740 --> 00:27:01.619 using Jesus to get his inheritance. And notice 00:27:01.619 --> 00:27:06.460 what Jesus says. Watch out. Watch out. It's proactive, 00:27:06.700 --> 00:27:11.480 church. What do I know about your life? That 00:27:11.480 --> 00:27:14.079 if you do not stand guard, this idea is the next 00:27:14.079 --> 00:27:16.160 word he says is be on your guard, right? Like 00:27:16.160 --> 00:27:18.519 if you don't watch out, if you are not proactive, 00:27:18.799 --> 00:27:22.980 if you are not in the fight, so to speak, and 00:27:22.980 --> 00:27:25.579 you are not on guard like a soldier who stands 00:27:25.579 --> 00:27:30.220 at watch waiting for the enemy to show up, that's 00:27:30.220 --> 00:27:32.039 the language that Jesus gives here. What are 00:27:32.039 --> 00:27:33.720 you supposed to be on guard for? Because it's 00:27:33.720 --> 00:27:35.559 coming, right? Like the enemy is coming and you 00:27:35.559 --> 00:27:37.839 might as well like prepare for it is what he's 00:27:37.839 --> 00:27:42.069 saying. He goes, be on guard. Your guard against 00:27:42.069 --> 00:27:47.829 all kinds of greed. I read that and I went, wait 00:27:47.829 --> 00:27:51.329 a minute. All kinds of greed? What does that 00:27:51.329 --> 00:27:54.970 mean? I thought there was just one kind of greed. 00:27:56.769 --> 00:27:58.710 I thought it was just about possessions and wealth, 00:27:58.869 --> 00:28:00.210 right? Like I just thought it was about what 00:28:00.210 --> 00:28:05.690 I amassed in this life. He says, be on your guard. 00:28:05.769 --> 00:28:13.160 Be like a soldier standing watch. What are you 00:28:13.160 --> 00:28:18.079 protecting from? All kinds of greed. Let me give 00:28:18.079 --> 00:28:20.859 you a couple of quick examples. You got somebody 00:28:20.859 --> 00:28:24.000 in your life that when it comes to the dishwasher, 00:28:24.380 --> 00:28:32.039 they know how to do the dishwasher? Somebody 00:28:32.039 --> 00:28:37.259 got it. By the elbows going, some other people 00:28:37.259 --> 00:28:40.079 got it. That's one of those moments like, she's 00:28:40.079 --> 00:28:44.460 talking about you. You know what I mean, right? 00:28:44.579 --> 00:28:47.220 Like your dish only makes it as far as the kitchen 00:28:47.220 --> 00:28:50.940 sink because if you were to load that dishwasher, 00:28:51.059 --> 00:28:53.480 you're clearly going to do it wrong. There is 00:28:53.480 --> 00:28:56.319 a right way to load the dishwasher and you don't 00:28:56.319 --> 00:28:59.799 know it. So what you are allowed to do is get 00:28:59.799 --> 00:29:04.559 it as far as the sink and then it'll make it 00:29:04.559 --> 00:29:10.009 into the rest. I am happy to tell you. that after 00:29:10.009 --> 00:29:12.390 many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, 00:29:12.390 --> 00:29:15.130 many years of marriage, I have been trained apparently 00:29:15.130 --> 00:29:18.130 to load the dishwasher. So things are looking 00:29:18.130 --> 00:29:21.890 up in my world. Yeah. Small victories, people. 00:29:21.990 --> 00:29:26.329 Small marital victories. No, but isn't it interesting 00:29:26.329 --> 00:29:33.430 that that's a microcosm of the idea of we love 00:29:33.430 --> 00:29:38.819 control. You ever notice that? And when he says 00:29:38.819 --> 00:29:41.259 all kinds of greed, guess what a form of greed 00:29:41.259 --> 00:29:46.140 is? That you are amassing control. That you continue 00:29:46.140 --> 00:29:50.720 to try and gain and gain and gain more control. 00:29:50.940 --> 00:29:54.099 I got news for you. You're not in control. He's 00:29:54.099 --> 00:30:01.900 in control. Right? So then what happens is some 00:30:01.900 --> 00:30:05.440 of you. You are spending your entire life to 00:30:05.440 --> 00:30:08.200 try and continue to work to make it to a platform 00:30:08.200 --> 00:30:10.519 because when you get to that platform, nobody 00:30:10.519 --> 00:30:13.339 can tell you what to do. When you get to that 00:30:13.339 --> 00:30:15.619 point, you're your own boss. When you get to 00:30:15.619 --> 00:30:19.019 that point, you have power. And we continue to 00:30:19.019 --> 00:30:20.660 amass power. The only problem is, guess what? 00:30:20.720 --> 00:30:22.759 When you make it to the boss, you're not satisfied. 00:30:22.880 --> 00:30:25.359 Why? Because what's happened is you haven't stayed 00:30:25.359 --> 00:30:29.119 watch and now you are amassing more and more 00:30:29.119 --> 00:30:35.539 and more power. Over people. It's amazing, right? 00:30:36.000 --> 00:30:38.619 Think about it with relationships. You ever watch 00:30:38.619 --> 00:30:41.579 somebody who is greedy with relationships? And 00:30:41.579 --> 00:30:43.700 they just, like, don't talk to them. They're 00:30:43.700 --> 00:30:49.640 mine. Really? And then they keep getting another 00:30:49.640 --> 00:30:51.380 one. And they're in their little circle, right? 00:30:51.500 --> 00:30:53.640 Like, they're just amassing relationships in 00:30:53.640 --> 00:30:56.599 their little circle. Where they're kind of the 00:30:56.599 --> 00:31:04.630 leader of their little clan. You ever notice 00:31:04.630 --> 00:31:13.309 that when you buy something, it's never enough? 00:31:14.349 --> 00:31:18.390 You ever notice that? Oh, if I just had, just 00:31:18.390 --> 00:31:21.289 had those shoes, I'd never need another pair 00:31:21.289 --> 00:31:25.569 of shoes in my life. Until the new ones drop 00:31:25.569 --> 00:31:32.359 tomorrow. He says, be on your guard. Why? Against 00:31:32.359 --> 00:31:35.980 all kinds of greed. Be on your guard against 00:31:35.980 --> 00:31:41.799 all kinds of greed. Why? Life, life, and that 00:31:41.799 --> 00:31:45.799 word life is zoe in the original. And zoe has 00:31:45.799 --> 00:31:47.779 to do with the quality of life that you were 00:31:47.779 --> 00:31:51.680 created for and I was created for. It's the quality 00:31:51.680 --> 00:31:55.079 of life that inside of it, you have everything 00:31:55.079 --> 00:31:58.839 you will ever need. That you're completely at 00:31:58.839 --> 00:32:02.319 peace. and at rest. He says, wait a minute, that 00:32:02.319 --> 00:32:06.680 kind of life does not consist. Tell him I said 00:32:06.680 --> 00:32:12.460 hi, whoever it is. Does not as consist in an 00:32:12.460 --> 00:32:14.920 abundance. Okay, I'm awake because, and I don't 00:32:14.920 --> 00:32:16.579 mean to be mean, whoever's phone it was. This 00:32:16.579 --> 00:32:18.720 is this important, you guys. This is the whole 00:32:18.720 --> 00:32:24.920 point of the whole message. Ready? Life, the 00:32:24.920 --> 00:32:30.259 abundant life that Jesus promised, does not consist, 00:32:30.539 --> 00:32:35.759 meaning it cannot be found. It can't be found 00:32:35.759 --> 00:32:41.180 in an abundance of possessions. We know possessions 00:32:41.180 --> 00:32:46.500 is not just the things that are physical. It's 00:32:46.500 --> 00:32:49.839 all kinds of greed. And he goes, life, life cannot 00:32:49.839 --> 00:32:53.059 be found. So what I wanted to do this weekend 00:32:53.059 --> 00:32:57.650 is have a tombstone up here, a gravestone. And 00:32:57.650 --> 00:32:59.970 what I wanted to write on it was your name. And 00:32:59.970 --> 00:33:03.549 it's harder to do than you would think. That 00:33:03.549 --> 00:33:10.150 your life is dead. When? When I am consumed with 00:33:10.150 --> 00:33:13.329 amassing more. That word abundance is to have 00:33:13.329 --> 00:33:19.609 an excessive. To have more than I need. So anything 00:33:19.609 --> 00:33:21.730 in your life that you are trying to amass, that 00:33:21.730 --> 00:33:26.170 you're trying to get, when you try to get more, 00:33:26.799 --> 00:33:30.839 When you become closed hand with it, it says 00:33:30.839 --> 00:33:32.539 that life can't be found there. You'll never 00:33:32.539 --> 00:33:37.559 find peace and joy. You'll never find hope. You'll 00:33:37.559 --> 00:33:43.180 never find love. Oh, I know you think he or she 00:33:43.180 --> 00:33:47.599 is really cute. You will not find. You will not 00:33:47.599 --> 00:33:50.400 find by claiming and taking a relationship. You're 00:33:50.400 --> 00:33:54.440 not going to find life. It's not there. I know 00:33:54.440 --> 00:33:56.599 that vacation you think is going to set everything 00:33:56.599 --> 00:33:59.400 right and put you back and you're going to come 00:33:59.400 --> 00:34:03.319 back all zen. It's not going to do what you think 00:34:03.319 --> 00:34:05.359 it's going to do because it can't be found in 00:34:05.359 --> 00:34:07.519 those things. It can only be found in the singular 00:34:07.519 --> 00:34:09.780 focus in the person of Jesus who lived the most 00:34:09.780 --> 00:34:12.840 generous life that anybody has ever lived. It 00:34:12.840 --> 00:34:15.099 can only be found in Jesus, right? And so the 00:34:15.099 --> 00:34:18.619 idea is that I have to be on guard. Why? Because 00:34:18.619 --> 00:34:20.980 all the culture around me is what? Trying to 00:34:20.980 --> 00:34:23.840 pull me to a mass. And I have to go, no, I am 00:34:23.840 --> 00:34:26.179 going to be singularly focused on the person 00:34:26.179 --> 00:34:30.320 of Jesus. And when I do that, when I do that, 00:34:30.340 --> 00:34:33.980 this is the promise. When you do that, you will 00:34:33.980 --> 00:34:40.539 find life. There's a whole thing on generations 00:34:40.539 --> 00:34:44.119 right now. on how this generation's doing this 00:34:44.119 --> 00:34:45.739 and this generation's doing that. Can I just, 00:34:45.760 --> 00:34:49.420 I'll just speak for my own. My generation completely 00:34:49.420 --> 00:34:53.639 missed it because my generation was all about 00:34:53.639 --> 00:34:56.440 experiences. My generation was all about stability. 00:34:56.719 --> 00:34:58.840 My generation was all about pushing forward. 00:34:58.980 --> 00:35:04.039 And here's the thing, it is empty. And there 00:35:04.039 --> 00:35:06.639 are families that are proof that it was empty. 00:35:09.860 --> 00:35:15.949 Don't. miss, don't miss the opportunity to have 00:35:15.949 --> 00:35:21.369 the abundant life that Jesus promised by just 00:35:21.369 --> 00:35:26.750 simply fixing your eyes on him. Because where 00:35:26.750 --> 00:35:29.389 he'll lead you, he'll lead you to see others. 00:35:29.510 --> 00:35:31.150 He'll lead you to be generous towards others. 00:35:31.289 --> 00:35:34.929 He'll, he'll will point you outward away from 00:35:34.929 --> 00:35:37.730 yourself. Remember the I, and I'm done with this. 00:35:38.539 --> 00:35:41.900 Your life is supposed to be like a lamp. And 00:35:41.900 --> 00:35:43.440 what do you do with the lamp? You put it on a 00:35:43.440 --> 00:35:47.300 stand. And when it's healthy, when it's singularly 00:35:47.300 --> 00:35:50.420 focused, when your life is focused on Jesus, 00:35:50.500 --> 00:35:54.880 what happens? It blesses everyone where? Everyone 00:35:54.880 --> 00:35:59.519 in the room. Your life is designed to be a blessing. 00:36:02.340 --> 00:36:07.519 Do you see Jesus today? I don't know about you. 00:36:07.559 --> 00:36:09.360 I've done this three times now this weekend. 00:36:11.599 --> 00:36:14.039 And I just feel a strong sense of like, we just 00:36:14.039 --> 00:36:17.980 need to confess, you guys. Like, we just need 00:36:17.980 --> 00:36:23.860 to. I got it wrong. It was a Rolls Royce or whatever 00:36:23.860 --> 00:36:26.139 you fill in the blank with. I got it wrong. It's. 00:36:26.510 --> 00:36:28.130 I was possessive of my time. I got it wrong. 00:36:28.230 --> 00:36:29.849 I was possessive of relationship. I got whatever 00:36:29.849 --> 00:36:32.389 it happens to be, whatever has distracted you. 00:36:32.409 --> 00:36:34.730 Today's the day to go. No, no, no. I choose today 00:36:34.730 --> 00:36:41.630 to fix my eyes on Jesus. Because I don't know 00:36:41.630 --> 00:36:46.829 about you, like my grandson. I don't want him 00:36:46.829 --> 00:36:50.469 to live for something less than God intended. 00:36:53.469 --> 00:36:56.130 And the generous life is what you were created 00:36:56.130 --> 00:36:59.510 for in the person of Jesus. Would you pray with 00:36:59.510 --> 00:37:02.769 me? God, we just thank you today. Thank you for 00:37:02.769 --> 00:37:11.409 being our superhero today. God, thank you for 00:37:11.409 --> 00:37:14.010 being the hero that went to a cross and that 00:37:14.010 --> 00:37:18.929 sacrificed your life that we may find life. God, 00:37:18.969 --> 00:37:25.559 would you help us to not be... distracted, to 00:37:25.559 --> 00:37:29.480 not be divided in our perception. God, would 00:37:29.480 --> 00:37:33.119 you show us areas where the life you intended 00:37:33.119 --> 00:37:36.159 for us, we're not living it because we are lost 00:37:36.159 --> 00:37:43.260 by all the things around us that we're trying 00:37:43.260 --> 00:37:48.360 to amass to find life in. And so God, we just... 00:37:51.210 --> 00:37:58.769 Take a moment to confess. God, we're sorry for 00:37:58.769 --> 00:38:04.250 the times when wealth has a bigger grip on our 00:38:04.250 --> 00:38:10.610 heart than it should. We're sorry for the times 00:38:10.610 --> 00:38:17.710 where just amassing and collecting in excess 00:38:17.710 --> 00:38:26.260 of things. God, we're sorry for the times when 00:38:26.260 --> 00:38:35.619 we take power and use it in a way that is more 00:38:35.619 --> 00:38:46.760 about us than serving. God, we confess the relationships 00:38:46.760 --> 00:38:52.880 that we use for our gain. God, we confess when 00:38:52.880 --> 00:38:56.440 we become selfish with our time. We confess the 00:38:56.440 --> 00:39:00.739 people that we pass by that are in need that 00:39:00.739 --> 00:39:05.139 we don't see. God, we confess when we don't have 00:39:05.139 --> 00:39:08.400 our eyes fixed on you. And so God, in these next 00:39:08.400 --> 00:39:11.940 moments, would there be a turning as we worship? 00:39:11.980 --> 00:39:15.780 Would you turn us? Would you remind us that the 00:39:15.780 --> 00:39:18.800 goal of this life is that Christ would be magnified 00:39:18.800 --> 00:39:26.010 in us? That our lives can shine light to everyone 00:39:26.010 --> 00:39:32.869 around us. Would you set and fix our eyes on 00:39:32.869 --> 00:39:42.429 you? The God who has saved us, who has rescued 00:39:42.429 --> 00:39:46.630 us, who has died in our place. We just say thank 00:39:46.630 --> 00:39:48.389 you. And it's in your name we pray.