WEBVTT 00:00:03.069 --> 00:00:06.769 Morning, church. You are too kind. Okay, I got 00:00:06.769 --> 00:00:09.890 a serious question for you. You ready? Did anybody 00:00:09.890 --> 00:00:15.150 else hear the jingle, avocados from Mexico, shoeboxes 00:00:15.150 --> 00:00:18.519 from Mexico? Anybody get that? Just me. Okay. 00:00:19.559 --> 00:00:21.780 Welcome to those of you in Prescott Valley this 00:00:21.780 --> 00:00:24.239 morning. We're so glad that you're with us, part 00:00:24.239 --> 00:00:26.480 of the family. We get to do this together. It 00:00:26.480 --> 00:00:28.640 was amazing out there last night, and we're just 00:00:28.640 --> 00:00:31.320 trusting that God's going to do similar this 00:00:31.320 --> 00:00:34.240 morning for you. And so welcome. Glad you're 00:00:34.240 --> 00:00:37.119 here. Glad we're family. If you're new to either 00:00:37.119 --> 00:00:41.219 location, either space, just know that what John 00:00:41.219 --> 00:00:44.299 said up top about you being prayed for, it's 00:00:44.299 --> 00:00:47.659 not by chance that you are here. It's by design 00:00:47.659 --> 00:00:51.979 of God. And just there's this confident belief 00:00:51.979 --> 00:00:55.539 that God wants to have a conversation with you. 00:00:56.299 --> 00:00:59.500 I think one of the best parts of what happens 00:00:59.500 --> 00:01:02.640 here is when I get done speaking and I get off 00:01:02.640 --> 00:01:05.000 stage and somebody comes up and goes, hey, when 00:01:05.000 --> 00:01:07.700 you said and they'll like, tell me what I said. 00:01:07.760 --> 00:01:10.500 And I'm like, I don't think I said that. Right. 00:01:10.620 --> 00:01:13.359 And it's this moment. It's just this reminder 00:01:13.359 --> 00:01:15.640 that the Holy Spirit is the one that translates. 00:01:16.759 --> 00:01:19.340 That whatever is said, the Holy Spirit is going 00:01:19.340 --> 00:01:21.480 to have a conversation with you and with your 00:01:21.480 --> 00:01:26.019 soul. And so just for you, just know there's 00:01:26.019 --> 00:01:27.859 confidence that God wants to talk to you today 00:01:27.859 --> 00:01:29.420 and the Holy Spirit is going to talk to you the 00:01:29.420 --> 00:01:32.040 way you need to be talked to. That the expectancy 00:01:32.040 --> 00:01:35.500 that he is going to have a conversation with 00:01:35.500 --> 00:01:39.459 you, that's what we stand on. That's what we 00:01:39.459 --> 00:01:41.480 pray for. Because the only thing that will change 00:01:41.480 --> 00:01:43.799 your life is the living God meeting with you. 00:01:44.719 --> 00:01:46.519 Religion won't change it. Showing up to church 00:01:46.519 --> 00:01:50.180 won't change it. Doing this, it's helpful, but 00:01:50.180 --> 00:01:52.280 it's not gonna transform you. The only thing 00:01:52.280 --> 00:01:54.280 that will transform you is the person of Jesus 00:01:54.280 --> 00:01:57.379 Christ. And we just stand on that. We're confident 00:01:57.379 --> 00:02:02.019 on that. With that, with that, I got something 00:02:02.019 --> 00:02:04.599 to tell you. We don't normally do this, but like 00:02:04.599 --> 00:02:07.500 Christmas is coming. And I wanna give you like 00:02:07.500 --> 00:02:10.780 a teaser. You know, like if you go to, if you're 00:02:10.780 --> 00:02:12.500 a sports fan and you go somewhere, they're like. 00:02:12.960 --> 00:02:14.759 We're going to tell you a recap of something. 00:02:14.879 --> 00:02:16.699 It's going to ruin the game for you. Don't watch 00:02:16.699 --> 00:02:19.060 this video if you haven't seen the game. Well, 00:02:19.139 --> 00:02:21.199 this is Christmas teaser, and I'm going to ruin 00:02:21.199 --> 00:02:23.560 Christmas for you. You ready? Right? Like, here 00:02:23.560 --> 00:02:26.539 we go. Okay, so here's what's happening. We are 00:02:26.539 --> 00:02:31.740 going to set up a camera and a microphone in 00:02:31.740 --> 00:02:35.879 the park in Prescott Valley next weekend, and 00:02:35.879 --> 00:02:39.189 here in the lobby in Prescott. And what we are 00:02:39.189 --> 00:02:41.469 asking you, and we're giving you a week's notice 00:02:41.469 --> 00:02:44.150 so you can really like get ready for this, okay? 00:02:45.150 --> 00:02:49.889 We're asking that you would walk up to that microphone 00:02:49.889 --> 00:02:56.229 and you're gonna answer, I know Jesus is good 00:02:56.229 --> 00:03:00.250 news because. And then you are gonna fill in 00:03:00.250 --> 00:03:03.270 10 seconds, 30 seconds, no more than 30 seconds. 00:03:03.430 --> 00:03:05.610 We don't need you to preach, right? Like we got 00:03:05.610 --> 00:03:09.120 other people to do that. We just need 10 to 30 00:03:09.120 --> 00:03:12.699 seconds of why Jesus is good news to you. And 00:03:12.699 --> 00:03:14.219 then here's what we're going to do. We're going 00:03:14.219 --> 00:03:16.639 to take good news this Christmas, and we're going 00:03:16.639 --> 00:03:20.039 to spread it all over Prescott, all over Prescott 00:03:20.039 --> 00:03:23.400 Valley, all over the Quad Cities, right? We're 00:03:23.400 --> 00:03:26.539 going to intentionally get good news into people. 00:03:26.639 --> 00:03:28.680 Why? Because you ever watch people when they 00:03:28.680 --> 00:03:31.300 say, I saw the news, and everybody kind of goes, 00:03:31.379 --> 00:03:35.870 uh -oh. Or they groan, or it's like, what happened 00:03:35.870 --> 00:03:38.810 now? We're going to flip that and go, no, we 00:03:38.810 --> 00:03:41.110 got good news to share, and we're going to share 00:03:41.110 --> 00:03:43.650 good news, and we're inviting you to hear the 00:03:43.650 --> 00:03:47.030 good news. And so what we're going to do is we're 00:03:47.030 --> 00:03:50.009 going to put together all these little clips 00:03:50.009 --> 00:03:53.550 of people going, hey, I know, I know Jesus is 00:03:53.550 --> 00:03:56.620 good news because. And then it might be stories 00:03:56.620 --> 00:03:58.280 of all kinds of things. It could be stories of 00:03:58.280 --> 00:04:01.039 healing. It could be stories of you coming out 00:04:01.039 --> 00:04:03.259 of depression. It could be stories of you finding 00:04:03.259 --> 00:04:05.219 Jesus and him saving you. It can be stories of 00:04:05.219 --> 00:04:07.520 life transformation. It can be whatever your 00:04:07.520 --> 00:04:10.639 story is in 10 to 30 seconds. That's what you're 00:04:10.639 --> 00:04:12.560 going to give. And then we're going to see what 00:04:12.560 --> 00:04:13.879 God does with those. We're going to see what 00:04:13.879 --> 00:04:17.199 we can do with those. And that's as much as you're 00:04:17.199 --> 00:04:18.920 getting on Christmas because that's the lead 00:04:18.920 --> 00:04:22.970 up to Christmas. That's next weekend. So you 00:04:22.970 --> 00:04:26.269 have time to prepare, fam. You got time to get 00:04:26.269 --> 00:04:29.310 ready. Okay, today, we are still in the collection 00:04:29.310 --> 00:04:32.870 of the generous life. The generous life carries 00:04:32.870 --> 00:04:37.069 this belief to be true, that your life was created 00:04:37.069 --> 00:04:41.279 to be bigger than yourself. That your life was 00:04:41.279 --> 00:04:44.120 created, that there was an intentionality that 00:04:44.120 --> 00:04:47.220 from the beginning of time, God created humans 00:04:47.220 --> 00:04:50.120 with an intentionality that their life would 00:04:50.120 --> 00:04:53.920 be bigger than them. That their life would display 00:04:53.920 --> 00:04:58.800 a generous God in everything that they do. And 00:04:58.800 --> 00:05:01.740 obviously... You follow the narrative of scripture. 00:05:02.079 --> 00:05:04.920 Because of sin, what happens? We become disconnected 00:05:04.920 --> 00:05:08.839 from the generous life. We step outside of the 00:05:08.839 --> 00:05:10.779 generous life and it becomes very hard to live 00:05:10.779 --> 00:05:14.040 the generous life. The life that God intended. 00:05:14.160 --> 00:05:18.819 There is a life for you intended. When Jesus 00:05:18.819 --> 00:05:22.420 rescued you, he was rescuing the life he always 00:05:22.420 --> 00:05:26.480 intended for you that you would live the life 00:05:26.480 --> 00:05:28.500 you were created for in the person of Jesus. 00:05:29.360 --> 00:05:33.500 And that life at its core and in its nature is 00:05:33.500 --> 00:05:36.759 generous. And that's what we're exploring. That's 00:05:36.759 --> 00:05:38.240 what we're talking about. That's what we're leaning 00:05:38.240 --> 00:05:41.279 into is how, what did Jesus say about it? We've 00:05:41.279 --> 00:05:44.519 been in Luke chapter 10 through chapter 12, just 00:05:44.519 --> 00:05:47.000 looking at the words of Jesus and how he describes 00:05:47.000 --> 00:05:51.980 it. I came across something this week that kind 00:05:51.980 --> 00:05:55.639 of broke down that the American dream now costs 00:05:55.639 --> 00:06:00.819 $5 million. So if you are going to live the American 00:06:00.819 --> 00:06:04.180 dream, it's gonna cost you a cool five million. 00:06:05.480 --> 00:06:08.819 That's when you add up housing. That's when you 00:06:08.819 --> 00:06:12.579 add up cars. That's when you add up those things 00:06:12.579 --> 00:06:14.660 called children. You know, the gift that keeps 00:06:14.660 --> 00:06:16.879 on giving, you just keep giving to them, that 00:06:16.879 --> 00:06:22.519 whole thing, right? The idea that medical, there's 00:06:22.519 --> 00:06:25.220 all these expenses that keep, and when you add 00:06:25.220 --> 00:06:27.819 those up, this one thing that I saw said roughly. 00:06:28.599 --> 00:06:31.199 just over $5 million is what it's going to cost 00:06:31.199 --> 00:06:33.199 you. I don't know how you feel about that. That 00:06:33.199 --> 00:06:36.620 creates anxiety in me instantly. Like, oh my 00:06:36.620 --> 00:06:38.000 gosh, I'm never going to live the dream. What 00:06:38.000 --> 00:06:39.779 is the dream? Like, how do I live this dream? 00:06:40.819 --> 00:06:42.420 Another thing that's interesting with the American 00:06:42.420 --> 00:06:44.160 dream, you may go, I don't believe in the American 00:06:44.160 --> 00:06:47.920 dream. But it's amazing how many people that 00:06:47.920 --> 00:06:50.540 live in America feel that they are entitled to 00:06:50.540 --> 00:06:54.449 the American dream. Right? Like they just assumed 00:06:54.449 --> 00:06:56.410 that because I live in America, because I got 00:06:56.410 --> 00:06:58.470 a job, because I did what I was supposed to, 00:06:58.589 --> 00:07:01.389 I will naturally progress into the American dream. 00:07:02.250 --> 00:07:05.029 And then when you get whatever the American dream 00:07:05.029 --> 00:07:07.110 is, now you got to sustain the American dream. 00:07:07.569 --> 00:07:10.769 Right? Like God forbid that you have somebody 00:07:10.769 --> 00:07:14.810 in your family that has a long medical journey. 00:07:14.910 --> 00:07:18.629 And now that one sliver of that 5 million now 00:07:18.629 --> 00:07:24.920 becomes more like 10 million. Right? Or your 00:07:24.920 --> 00:07:29.160 kid wants to go to that college. And all of a 00:07:29.160 --> 00:07:32.079 sudden what happens is this real thing of anxiety 00:07:32.079 --> 00:07:36.379 and worry and concern. And we're just talking 00:07:36.379 --> 00:07:39.740 about the financial piece, right? Let alone when 00:07:39.740 --> 00:07:43.439 your baby actually goes to college. And you're 00:07:43.439 --> 00:07:45.720 like on find my phone all the time trying to 00:07:45.720 --> 00:07:47.420 make sure that your baby's where your baby's 00:07:47.420 --> 00:07:48.660 supposed to. You know what I mean? Because like 00:07:48.660 --> 00:07:50.680 you're just worried. Not that I ever did that. 00:07:53.649 --> 00:08:00.110 But isn't it interesting how easily we can get 00:08:00.110 --> 00:08:01.829 through? And all you guys are like, we came to 00:08:01.829 --> 00:08:03.569 church today and now all I'm doing is thinking 00:08:03.569 --> 00:08:07.589 about everything that I got to worry about. Jesus 00:08:07.589 --> 00:08:12.949 in John chapter 12, or not John, Luke chapter 00:08:12.949 --> 00:08:19.250 12. In verse 13, he says this, someone in the 00:08:19.250 --> 00:08:21.329 crowd said to him, teacher, tell my brother to 00:08:21.329 --> 00:08:24.439 divide the inheritance with me. Jesus replied, 00:08:24.620 --> 00:08:27.600 man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between 00:08:27.600 --> 00:08:30.899 you? Then he said to him, watch out, be on your 00:08:30.899 --> 00:08:33.360 guard against all kinds of greed. Life does not 00:08:33.360 --> 00:08:36.139 consist in an abundance of possessions. So we 00:08:36.139 --> 00:08:37.940 talked about this. If you were here last week, 00:08:37.980 --> 00:08:39.659 we talked specifically about this passage. We 00:08:39.659 --> 00:08:42.480 talked about what stands out to me is all kinds 00:08:42.480 --> 00:08:45.259 of greed. That when we talk about things that 00:08:45.259 --> 00:08:47.879 can capture our heart, when we talk about things 00:08:47.879 --> 00:08:52.220 that we will give our life to pursue, and that 00:08:52.220 --> 00:08:54.500 word greed is this idea of this desire that is 00:08:54.500 --> 00:08:56.879 so strong that I'm going to do everything to 00:08:56.879 --> 00:09:00.840 pursue it and get it, that when we talk about 00:09:00.840 --> 00:09:03.820 that and we talk about greed, it's not just talking 00:09:03.820 --> 00:09:07.159 about financially. It's talking about all kinds 00:09:07.159 --> 00:09:09.779 of things that capture your heart, like control, 00:09:10.059 --> 00:09:15.570 like status. The idea that I would have some 00:09:15.570 --> 00:09:20.309 kind of success in life. It could also be possessions. 00:09:20.470 --> 00:09:22.450 It could also be wealth. And what Jesus says 00:09:22.450 --> 00:09:25.070 here at the end, he goes, life does not consist. 00:09:25.710 --> 00:09:30.450 So life can't be found in these things that are 00:09:30.450 --> 00:09:35.070 outside of God that you are amassing to try and 00:09:35.070 --> 00:09:38.110 make it feel like you are experiencing some kind 00:09:38.110 --> 00:09:40.070 of life. What Jesus is saying is they will always 00:09:40.070 --> 00:09:43.659 let you down. equal this thing called life, which 00:09:43.659 --> 00:09:46.340 was the word zoe in the original, which is a 00:09:46.340 --> 00:09:48.600 quality of life that God always intended for 00:09:48.600 --> 00:09:51.700 you. You know, one where worry isn't the thing 00:09:51.700 --> 00:09:54.059 on the table. It's actually peace that's on the 00:09:54.059 --> 00:09:56.899 table. It's one where you are free from the attachment 00:09:56.899 --> 00:10:00.820 of stuff, whatever it happens to be. And he says 00:10:00.820 --> 00:10:03.879 that's where life is found, or it can't be found 00:10:03.879 --> 00:10:05.519 as in the abundance of things. Then he goes on 00:10:05.519 --> 00:10:08.600 to say in verse 16, and he told them this parable. 00:10:09.419 --> 00:10:13.320 The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant 00:10:13.320 --> 00:10:18.259 harvest. So Jesus is now telling a story, a story 00:10:18.259 --> 00:10:21.240 to emphasize a point, if you like. And he begins 00:10:21.240 --> 00:10:25.440 with the ground, the ground of a certain rich 00:10:25.440 --> 00:10:29.840 man. What have we already learned about the context 00:10:29.840 --> 00:10:33.360 of the story? That this person who Jesus is talking 00:10:33.360 --> 00:10:38.460 about is already wealthy. There's not a lack 00:10:38.460 --> 00:10:45.259 in his life. He's not lacking for wealth. In 00:10:45.259 --> 00:10:47.960 fact, he is already abundantly rich, right? Like 00:10:47.960 --> 00:10:51.580 he's already got his needs met. And because he 00:10:51.580 --> 00:10:55.379 has his needs met, now what happens is the ground 00:10:56.429 --> 00:10:59.730 And what the emphasis is there is the ground 00:10:59.730 --> 00:11:03.309 has an abundant harvest. What Jesus is kind of 00:11:03.309 --> 00:11:06.549 emphasizing is someone who had no needs, God 00:11:06.549 --> 00:11:11.309 blessed them even more. God put more into their 00:11:11.309 --> 00:11:15.250 hand. This man did nothing to deserve it, and 00:11:15.250 --> 00:11:21.809 yet God abundantly gave a harvest. He thought 00:11:21.809 --> 00:11:23.870 to himself, verse 17, he thought to himself, 00:11:24.049 --> 00:11:28.759 what? shall I do? I have no place to store my 00:11:28.759 --> 00:11:31.159 crops. Then he said, this is what I'll do. I 00:11:31.159 --> 00:11:33.320 will tear down my barns and build bigger ones. 00:11:33.519 --> 00:11:37.220 And there I will store my surplus grain. And 00:11:37.220 --> 00:11:39.139 I'll say to myself, you have plenty of grain 00:11:39.139 --> 00:11:42.879 laid up for many years. Take life easy, eat, 00:11:43.039 --> 00:11:47.960 drink, and be merry. So it's interesting. The 00:11:47.960 --> 00:11:50.960 ground gives an abundant harvest. And what happens 00:11:50.960 --> 00:11:54.299 to this individual? is a conversation breaks 00:11:54.299 --> 00:11:59.279 out. And the conversation, listen to the words 00:11:59.279 --> 00:12:04.820 within this. He thought to himself, what shall 00:12:04.820 --> 00:12:12.039 I do? This is what I'll do. I will tear down 00:12:12.039 --> 00:12:16.820 my barns. I will store my surplus grain. And 00:12:16.820 --> 00:12:20.419 I'll say to myself. You have plenty of grain 00:12:20.419 --> 00:12:23.019 laid up. Take life easy. Drink and be merry. 00:12:23.759 --> 00:12:26.259 The emphasis as you walk through that is who? 00:12:27.320 --> 00:12:31.320 Him. Isn't it interesting that sometimes we think 00:12:31.320 --> 00:12:33.659 we're really wise, but all we've done is consulted 00:12:33.659 --> 00:12:36.820 ourselves? You ever notice that? Like, oh, that's 00:12:36.820 --> 00:12:39.559 a really good idea. And all you've done is like 00:12:39.559 --> 00:12:43.120 talk to yourself. I think here's one of the main 00:12:43.120 --> 00:12:46.360 kind of thoughts around the generous life. The 00:12:46.360 --> 00:12:50.649 generous life. you will never live the life God 00:12:50.649 --> 00:12:53.450 intended for you when your life is no bigger 00:12:53.450 --> 00:12:58.750 than you. What I mean by that is when I put myself 00:12:58.750 --> 00:13:03.909 at the center, when I'm having conversations 00:13:03.909 --> 00:13:07.879 with myself, and I'm kind of the captain of my 00:13:07.879 --> 00:13:10.159 own ship, what's going to happen is the generous 00:13:10.159 --> 00:13:12.740 life that you were created for, it can never 00:13:12.740 --> 00:13:17.759 actually take root and fly because what is hindering 00:13:17.759 --> 00:13:23.279 it is you. What's interesting is there's no reference 00:13:23.279 --> 00:13:26.799 here that this person has a conversation with 00:13:26.799 --> 00:13:30.429 the giver of the harvest. There's no conversation 00:13:30.429 --> 00:13:32.889 here going, wait a minute, I didn't do anything 00:13:32.889 --> 00:13:34.970 to get it, and now I have an abundant harvest. 00:13:35.230 --> 00:13:37.029 God, what are you telling me? What do you want 00:13:37.029 --> 00:13:41.230 to do with it? How should I use this? Instead, 00:13:41.370 --> 00:13:45.889 what does he assume? More for me. And at the 00:13:45.889 --> 00:13:49.169 end of it, he goes, in fact, take life easy, 00:13:49.330 --> 00:13:53.409 eat, drink, and be merry. I can only reference 00:13:53.409 --> 00:13:59.200 my own life. It's interesting watching. the trajectory 00:13:59.200 --> 00:14:05.279 of my life through the idea of wealth. And what 00:14:05.279 --> 00:14:08.419 I mean by that is my wife and I were missionaries 00:14:08.419 --> 00:14:11.059 for a number of years. And the way it worked 00:14:11.059 --> 00:14:12.799 as missionaries is we would go to a church like 00:14:12.799 --> 00:14:15.919 this and we'd do kind of our presentation, whatever. 00:14:16.100 --> 00:14:18.240 We'd stand in the lobby and we'd have our little 00:14:18.240 --> 00:14:19.860 flyers and people would come along and take our 00:14:19.860 --> 00:14:22.759 flyers. And there were some people that God stirred 00:14:22.759 --> 00:14:25.240 the hearts and those people would go, hey, we 00:14:25.240 --> 00:14:28.200 feel like we're supposed to support you. And 00:14:28.200 --> 00:14:30.320 out of the goodness of them trying to live the 00:14:30.320 --> 00:14:34.120 generous life, God provided for our family. Now, 00:14:34.159 --> 00:14:38.379 what was amazing was, it was kind of like a pledge, 00:14:38.399 --> 00:14:40.139 right? Like they were going, hey, we'll do this 00:14:40.139 --> 00:14:43.480 monthly. But you didn't know what you actually 00:14:43.480 --> 00:14:47.200 were getting that month until we got a voucher 00:14:47.200 --> 00:14:49.240 from the organization we were with because we 00:14:49.240 --> 00:14:51.440 were in a different country. The money went to 00:14:51.440 --> 00:14:53.840 Florida. Then we got a voucher going, hey, this 00:14:53.840 --> 00:14:56.740 is what's in your account. This is what's come 00:14:56.740 --> 00:15:00.460 in this month. And sometimes, sometimes what 00:15:00.460 --> 00:15:05.200 we received that month was half or maybe a third 00:15:05.200 --> 00:15:09.179 of what we thought was gonna come. I don't know 00:15:09.179 --> 00:15:11.500 how you feel about that. That creates a lot of 00:15:11.500 --> 00:15:15.240 anxiety, right? You know what was crazy? We didn't 00:15:15.240 --> 00:15:20.779 worry. Like there wasn't this like, oh no, what 00:15:20.779 --> 00:15:23.059 are we gonna do? We only got, there was just 00:15:23.059 --> 00:15:25.870 this like. God's going to provide. He put us 00:15:25.870 --> 00:15:30.009 here. He's going to provide. So much so that 00:15:30.009 --> 00:15:32.610 his provision sometimes, whether you like it 00:15:32.610 --> 00:15:34.389 or not, right? Like one time it came in the form 00:15:34.389 --> 00:15:37.850 of roadkill bear. Like literally, the bear was 00:15:37.850 --> 00:15:39.690 killed on the road and the state dropped it off. 00:15:40.470 --> 00:15:43.909 And they go, hey, if you will help process, you 00:15:43.909 --> 00:15:46.049 can have some of the meat, to which I went and 00:15:46.049 --> 00:15:49.250 learned how to process. Worst smell I've ever 00:15:49.250 --> 00:15:53.000 had been around in my life. You know what else 00:15:53.000 --> 00:15:57.080 I learned? Don't make steaks out of bear meat. 00:15:58.080 --> 00:16:04.799 Make stew, right? But God provided. But you know 00:16:04.799 --> 00:16:08.039 what's interesting? As time's gone on and roles 00:16:08.039 --> 00:16:11.600 have changed and the way we are paid changes, 00:16:11.799 --> 00:16:15.960 right? It's amazing how much I think about money 00:16:15.960 --> 00:16:20.240 now. It's amazing how much I am concerned of 00:16:20.240 --> 00:16:23.470 if we have enough. It's amazing how much you 00:16:23.470 --> 00:16:28.250 get caught up in the, are we able to? And so 00:16:28.250 --> 00:16:30.909 it's kind of fascinating that one of the things 00:16:30.909 --> 00:16:36.490 that happens is you can actually have more and 00:16:36.490 --> 00:16:41.610 be less at peace. You can have more and actually 00:16:41.610 --> 00:16:46.929 be not as connected to God, the provider. And 00:16:46.929 --> 00:16:48.950 so sometimes I think we look at our lives and 00:16:48.950 --> 00:16:50.509 go, well, I'm not where I want to be financially. 00:16:52.000 --> 00:16:54.559 You may want to slow down and go, that actually 00:16:54.559 --> 00:16:59.440 might be a gift from God in your world because 00:16:59.440 --> 00:17:05.960 you have less to worry and steward. What's happened 00:17:05.960 --> 00:17:08.180 to this individual is he's been given this whole 00:17:08.180 --> 00:17:11.480 new opportunity that he's now stepping into and 00:17:11.480 --> 00:17:13.279 his thoughts are not on God, they're on himself. 00:17:13.500 --> 00:17:15.440 And so because they're on himself, guess how 00:17:15.440 --> 00:17:18.920 big the dreams get? I just want to eat, drink, 00:17:19.000 --> 00:17:23.190 and be merry. That's it. Take life easy. Kick 00:17:23.190 --> 00:17:30.670 back. To which God goes. Verse 20. God said to 00:17:30.670 --> 00:17:34.589 him, you fool. This very night, your life will 00:17:34.589 --> 00:17:40.890 be demanded from you. Then who will get what 00:17:40.890 --> 00:17:47.259 you have prepared for yourself? That word demanded 00:17:47.259 --> 00:17:49.619 this week just like jumped off the page, and 00:17:49.619 --> 00:17:51.920 so I kind of started looking at it. The idea 00:17:51.920 --> 00:17:55.180 of demanded is this idea that there is a debt 00:17:55.180 --> 00:17:58.039 like a credit card debt, and you are going to 00:17:58.039 --> 00:18:02.970 pay your debt. And so demanded, what's demanded? 00:18:03.089 --> 00:18:05.269 What's demanded from him is his life. Maybe the 00:18:05.269 --> 00:18:07.990 lesson for us is this, you guys. Everything you 00:18:07.990 --> 00:18:11.009 have, everything I have, everything we will ever 00:18:11.009 --> 00:18:14.490 have is on loan from God, including the very 00:18:14.490 --> 00:18:19.450 breath in your lungs. It's just on loan. You 00:18:19.450 --> 00:18:22.170 don't own it. You know why? Because he's the 00:18:22.170 --> 00:18:27.109 owner. He's the owner of your very breath. Well, 00:18:27.210 --> 00:18:32.589 that's not a very 2025 message, right? Like this 00:18:32.589 --> 00:18:34.410 one is not gonna get a lot of likes on TikTok 00:18:34.410 --> 00:18:40.509 or whatever. It's not, why? Because we don't 00:18:40.509 --> 00:18:44.789 like to think that we're not in control. And 00:18:44.789 --> 00:18:48.630 yet what we find is that this man's life is demanded 00:18:48.630 --> 00:18:51.309 by God. I think if we're ever gonna live a generous 00:18:51.309 --> 00:18:54.029 life, we have to understand that everything you 00:18:54.029 --> 00:18:59.259 have is a loan from God. It's been given by God, 00:18:59.380 --> 00:19:03.859 and you are just the one who is stewarding whatever 00:19:03.859 --> 00:19:06.039 is in your hand. And that's not just financial. 00:19:06.460 --> 00:19:08.400 That's your gifts. That's your talent. That's 00:19:08.400 --> 00:19:13.480 your time. That's your breath. Don't miss that 00:19:13.480 --> 00:19:18.279 today is a gift from a generous God who wants 00:19:18.279 --> 00:19:21.940 to look at you and go, hey, how are you generously 00:19:21.940 --> 00:19:25.279 going to live your life? Because I can take my 00:19:25.279 --> 00:19:29.059 breath and make it all about me. Or I can take 00:19:29.059 --> 00:19:32.519 my breath and go, it's on loan from God, and 00:19:32.519 --> 00:19:34.380 I'm going to use it to live the life he intended 00:19:34.380 --> 00:19:40.700 all along. And kind of as this part of the story 00:19:40.700 --> 00:19:42.599 wraps up, this is how it will be with whoever 00:19:42.599 --> 00:19:44.740 stores up things for themselves but is not rich 00:19:44.740 --> 00:19:49.240 towards God. Which, just a really simple way, 00:19:49.359 --> 00:19:52.859 is what are you investing into? Which we'll talk 00:19:52.859 --> 00:19:56.160 about next week. Notice this, verse 22. Then 00:19:56.160 --> 00:19:58.720 Jesus said, then Jesus said, I need everybody 00:19:58.720 --> 00:20:00.819 to catch this, right? So look at a screen, look 00:20:00.819 --> 00:20:03.039 at your Bible, whatever you gotta do. Then Jesus 00:20:03.039 --> 00:20:12.000 said to his, wait a minute. Who was he talking 00:20:12.000 --> 00:20:16.380 to before? Well, if you go back to the top of 00:20:16.380 --> 00:20:20.220 chapter 12, what you find is there was a crowd 00:20:20.220 --> 00:20:24.490 of thousands. Jesus is telling the story of the 00:20:24.490 --> 00:20:29.690 bigger barns to who? Anyone and everyone, right? 00:20:29.809 --> 00:20:31.730 Like I've always assumed that this was just a 00:20:31.730 --> 00:20:33.849 passage that flowed one into the other and there's 00:20:33.849 --> 00:20:36.490 no, there's a distinction made here and we need 00:20:36.490 --> 00:20:38.589 to be really clear on what the distinction is 00:20:38.589 --> 00:20:42.390 because the bigger barn story, that's for anybody 00:20:42.390 --> 00:20:45.930 in this room. That's whether you know Jesus, 00:20:45.990 --> 00:20:49.490 don't know Jesus. That's the masses Jesus is 00:20:49.490 --> 00:20:52.380 talking to and he says what? Your life's on loan. 00:20:53.500 --> 00:20:55.960 Everything you have is on loan. So steward it 00:20:55.960 --> 00:20:58.819 with the idea that you're not in control of it. 00:21:00.160 --> 00:21:02.019 Steward it in a way that's bigger than yourself. 00:21:02.079 --> 00:21:04.680 Why? Because he's calling them to live a generous 00:21:04.680 --> 00:21:09.799 life. But now he switches and he goes, then he 00:21:09.799 --> 00:21:12.619 said to his disciples, okay, who are his disciples? 00:21:13.460 --> 00:21:15.880 This is why context, this is why it's so important. 00:21:16.019 --> 00:21:19.730 If you go back three weeks, chapter 10. Who, 00:21:19.789 --> 00:21:21.690 what happened in chapter 10? You might remember 00:21:21.690 --> 00:21:24.049 it this way in this conversation. We need 144 00:21:24.049 --> 00:21:26.089 people that we're sending out. Do you remember 00:21:26.089 --> 00:21:29.509 that conversation? Right? He sent out 72. How 00:21:29.509 --> 00:21:32.150 did he send them out? Without a purse, without 00:21:32.150 --> 00:21:35.170 any kind of shoes, without any extra clothes. 00:21:35.289 --> 00:21:37.069 Don't take a bag, right? Like he had a whole 00:21:37.069 --> 00:21:40.750 thing for them. These are the ones who have already 00:21:40.750 --> 00:21:45.289 done what? Hey, I'm in. My life is not about 00:21:45.289 --> 00:21:48.650 me. It's about you. These are ones that have 00:21:48.650 --> 00:21:50.509 already gone, hey, I'm committed to the Jesus 00:21:50.509 --> 00:21:53.410 way. I'm following the Jesus way. Okay, with 00:21:53.410 --> 00:21:55.990 that in mind, these are followers of Jesus. So 00:21:55.990 --> 00:21:58.369 if you're in a room and you go, hey, I get the 00:21:58.369 --> 00:21:59.990 bigger barn thing. I kind of left that behind. 00:22:00.710 --> 00:22:04.930 Listen up. Then Jesus said this to his disciples. 00:22:05.029 --> 00:22:07.490 Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your 00:22:07.490 --> 00:22:10.690 life, what you will eat, or your body, about 00:22:10.690 --> 00:22:15.519 what you will wear, for life is more. than food 00:22:15.519 --> 00:22:19.240 in the body, more than clothes. Did you catch 00:22:19.240 --> 00:22:29.740 those first words? Do not. Huh. You know, we're 00:22:29.740 --> 00:22:34.480 the most anxious generation. Do you know that? 00:22:35.880 --> 00:22:40.480 Time of life, this is the most anxious. That's 00:22:40.480 --> 00:22:43.779 what that word worry means, to be anxious. What 00:22:43.779 --> 00:22:48.079 is anxiety? In scripture, anxiety is this idea 00:22:48.079 --> 00:22:51.500 that inside you are shattering and pulling apart. 00:22:53.000 --> 00:22:56.700 You are being separated from the inside. What 00:22:56.700 --> 00:23:04.920 does Jesus tell his followers? Don't worry. Specifically 00:23:04.920 --> 00:23:09.839 about what? What you're going to eat? What you're 00:23:09.839 --> 00:23:13.779 going to wear? What is he saying? Because life, 00:23:13.880 --> 00:23:15.799 he's carrying on the theme that he started before. 00:23:16.099 --> 00:23:21.079 Life isn't found in those things. He goes, hey, 00:23:21.140 --> 00:23:24.079 you can get all worked up, right, about these 00:23:24.079 --> 00:23:31.779 things you need. It's fascinating. When you get 00:23:31.779 --> 00:23:33.960 a chance and you get to glimpse at some of church 00:23:33.960 --> 00:23:38.319 history, one of the early church fathers, Augustine, 00:23:39.440 --> 00:23:44.359 in the fourth century, he writes on this idea 00:23:44.359 --> 00:23:47.920 of disordered love. And it's specifically connected 00:23:47.920 --> 00:23:50.799 to some of the thought process that Jesus is 00:23:50.799 --> 00:23:55.039 laying out over these chapters. And the idea 00:23:55.039 --> 00:23:58.640 of disordered love in the fourth century was 00:23:58.640 --> 00:24:01.660 that there is a correct order to a human's love 00:24:01.660 --> 00:24:06.160 structure. And what Augustine was saying is that 00:24:06.160 --> 00:24:10.279 God has to be the person, and the thing that 00:24:10.279 --> 00:24:14.539 you love the most. And the minute that you disorder 00:24:14.539 --> 00:24:17.000 love, if God is not the one that you love the 00:24:17.000 --> 00:24:20.599 most, and you disorder that, whatever you put 00:24:20.599 --> 00:24:25.759 it into, whatever you choose to love more, what 00:24:25.759 --> 00:24:29.240 is going to happen is that you are going to be 00:24:29.240 --> 00:24:33.160 standing on something that is unstable, and that 00:24:33.160 --> 00:24:38.559 is where anxiety comes from. That when I choose 00:24:38.559 --> 00:24:49.079 to put my passion, my desire, my affection towards 00:24:49.079 --> 00:24:54.200 something that cannot sustain me, it is not stable 00:24:54.200 --> 00:24:57.420 enough, it is not strong enough, it will create 00:24:57.420 --> 00:25:01.359 worry and anxiety in my life. Could there be 00:25:01.359 --> 00:25:06.130 anything more clear? Then people who pursue money 00:25:06.130 --> 00:25:08.890 and they are going to go to the stock market 00:25:08.890 --> 00:25:11.490 or go to the housing market or go to whatever 00:25:11.490 --> 00:25:15.150 market. And what happens? Inevitably there is 00:25:15.150 --> 00:25:19.769 a, because it was never stable enough to what? 00:25:20.589 --> 00:25:26.190 Hold, hold what only God can hold. You guys, 00:25:26.210 --> 00:25:28.450 that's a conversation that was happening in the 00:25:28.450 --> 00:25:33.000 fourth century with the church. You're worried 00:25:33.000 --> 00:25:37.819 about all these things. Isn't it stunning that 00:25:37.819 --> 00:25:41.299 humans are just humans wherever you find them, 00:25:41.400 --> 00:25:44.460 and the struggles are still the struggles, which 00:25:44.460 --> 00:25:46.299 is why the Bible is so relevant. When people 00:25:46.299 --> 00:25:47.640 are like, the Bible's not relevant, I'm like, 00:25:47.680 --> 00:25:50.539 you read it? Because every time I read it, it 00:25:50.539 --> 00:25:55.740 reads me. The idea that he's getting at here 00:25:55.740 --> 00:25:59.720 is this idea of how I order my love really matters. 00:26:02.119 --> 00:26:05.380 And your worry is directly connected to your 00:26:05.380 --> 00:26:09.359 disordered love. That if you have God out of 00:26:09.359 --> 00:26:11.599 order, and think about it in this context, because 00:26:11.599 --> 00:26:15.299 we're like, okay, John, it's church, I should 00:26:15.299 --> 00:26:17.660 love my wife. Yeah, you should love your wife. 00:26:17.799 --> 00:26:20.359 But you ever seen somebody who has shifted their 00:26:20.359 --> 00:26:24.819 wife in place of God? And then they wonder why 00:26:24.819 --> 00:26:26.779 their marriage, they're always concerned, like, 00:26:26.839 --> 00:26:29.079 is my marriage okay? Are we falling apart? They're 00:26:29.079 --> 00:26:32.660 so concerned about their marriage. Why? Because 00:26:32.660 --> 00:26:34.619 their marriage was never meant to be the stability 00:26:34.619 --> 00:26:37.220 that holds their life. The marriage was never 00:26:37.220 --> 00:26:39.480 meant to be a place where they find life. Let's 00:26:39.480 --> 00:26:41.579 just be real, right? Like, I think most of us 00:26:41.579 --> 00:26:43.319 are grownups. If you're not, put your fingers 00:26:43.319 --> 00:26:49.000 in your ears for a second. Sex in our culture 00:26:49.000 --> 00:26:53.640 is ridiculous. People are pursuing sex like what? 00:26:54.140 --> 00:26:57.619 Like, I will find some kind of life. But it cannot 00:26:57.619 --> 00:27:01.079 provide the stability that is needed. It can't. 00:27:02.750 --> 00:27:05.569 Right? That's why you have people with addictions 00:27:05.569 --> 00:27:08.930 that get into their addiction and go, it's not 00:27:08.930 --> 00:27:12.130 working. Well, it can't. You've replaced your 00:27:12.130 --> 00:27:13.990 substance. You've replaced whatever your fix 00:27:13.990 --> 00:27:18.009 is for what? For the person of God. And don't 00:27:18.009 --> 00:27:19.430 think it's just those people because it can be 00:27:19.430 --> 00:27:22.569 really easy. Remember, he's talking to who? Followers 00:27:22.569 --> 00:27:26.319 of Jesus. He's not talking to the crowd no more. 00:27:26.400 --> 00:27:28.220 He's talking to followers of Jesus who go, hey, 00:27:28.279 --> 00:27:30.460 you have a problem. And your problem is it's 00:27:30.460 --> 00:27:32.880 going to be really easy for you to disorder things 00:27:32.880 --> 00:27:35.279 and make them matter more than they should. So 00:27:35.279 --> 00:27:38.200 be careful. Be careful what you think about where 00:27:38.200 --> 00:27:40.059 your food comes from. Be careful what you think 00:27:40.059 --> 00:27:44.220 about the clothes you will wear. And then he 00:27:44.220 --> 00:27:49.619 says this. Consider the ravens. I don't like 00:27:49.619 --> 00:27:51.839 the ravens. I'm a Steelers fan. We don't like 00:27:51.839 --> 00:27:56.910 ravens. We don't like them. They do not sow or 00:27:56.910 --> 00:28:01.750 reap. They have no storeroom or barn. Yet God 00:28:01.750 --> 00:28:08.170 feeds them. And how much more valuable you are 00:28:08.170 --> 00:28:18.069 than birds. So I have a daughter who is obsessed 00:28:18.069 --> 00:28:22.970 with birds. She loves them. She tells me facts 00:28:22.970 --> 00:28:25.289 about birds I could care less about, but she 00:28:25.289 --> 00:28:28.769 knows them all. And it's amazing. God has just 00:28:28.769 --> 00:28:30.670 given her an absolute love for birds. So now 00:28:30.670 --> 00:28:34.109 guess what's involved in my life? Birds. So we 00:28:34.109 --> 00:28:36.349 got to take a trip a couple of years ago. I think 00:28:36.349 --> 00:28:39.769 we have a picture of her. We walked down the 00:28:39.769 --> 00:28:43.069 street and it's your classic like vendor type 00:28:43.069 --> 00:28:48.609 moment, right? But she's like, I got to do it. 00:28:48.630 --> 00:28:51.450 Can I please do it? And so we get this picture, 00:28:51.509 --> 00:28:56.849 right? San Juan, Puerto Rico. Right up the street 00:28:56.849 --> 00:28:59.710 from this to the right of this picture, right? 00:28:59.829 --> 00:29:01.450 Like if you're looking at it, it's to the right 00:29:01.450 --> 00:29:06.349 behind that red bird. There was a park. And you 00:29:06.349 --> 00:29:09.910 guys, there was probably like at least, I mean, 00:29:09.930 --> 00:29:12.529 I'm bad with numbers, but let's just say 200 00:29:12.529 --> 00:29:17.940 to 300 pigeons. And it's known as Pigeon Park. 00:29:18.039 --> 00:29:22.779 You can look it up online. Isn't it amazing that 00:29:22.779 --> 00:29:29.039 those birds on her have not woke up one day going, 00:29:29.140 --> 00:29:32.019 what are we going to eat today? I wonder if we're 00:29:32.019 --> 00:29:35.880 going to get food today. Isn't it amazing that 00:29:35.880 --> 00:29:41.319 God has provided in Puerto Rico with those birds 00:29:41.319 --> 00:29:42.839 that are on her? But no, no, it gets better. 00:29:44.159 --> 00:29:45.619 Like, I don't know how you feel about pigeons. 00:29:45.759 --> 00:29:50.660 Some people call them the rat birds. But that 00:29:50.660 --> 00:29:55.259 God is providing a meal today, in San Juan today, 00:29:55.420 --> 00:30:00.720 for every one of those rat birds. Oh, it gets 00:30:00.720 --> 00:30:04.500 better. Because you see, in my house, there's 00:30:04.500 --> 00:30:09.880 a cockatiel. I, God, has used me to feed that 00:30:09.880 --> 00:30:16.819 one. You know what else is in my neighborhood? 00:30:17.460 --> 00:30:23.900 Big old crows. And God feeds them. I mean, think 00:30:23.900 --> 00:30:28.039 about it, you guys. All over the planet in jungles, 00:30:28.039 --> 00:30:32.640 you will never go. There are birds that will 00:30:32.640 --> 00:30:37.359 eat today because God provided for them. I mean, 00:30:37.359 --> 00:30:42.170 think about it. The crow in my house. I don't 00:30:42.170 --> 00:30:44.430 think he wakes up going, man, I really hope that 00:30:44.430 --> 00:30:48.589 John puts his trash out today, God, so I can 00:30:48.589 --> 00:30:50.930 go down and tear it apart. I don't think that's 00:30:50.930 --> 00:30:54.950 happening. But God knows what they need, and 00:30:54.950 --> 00:30:57.170 he provides for them. They eat every single day. 00:30:59.470 --> 00:31:01.410 Sometimes it's through people like me feeding 00:31:01.410 --> 00:31:09.589 them in my house. Sometimes, sometimes. It's 00:31:09.589 --> 00:31:11.970 by these crazy things, all tourists that go across 00:31:11.970 --> 00:31:16.730 the country or the world to another country and 00:31:16.730 --> 00:31:20.150 buy food to feed these birds. And God must just 00:31:20.150 --> 00:31:23.470 laugh like, I got them. They're not going to 00:31:23.470 --> 00:31:33.329 go hungry today. And how much more valuable you 00:31:33.329 --> 00:31:38.180 are than birds. You know what that means? Hey, 00:31:38.180 --> 00:31:43.059 disciples of Jesus, give it away. You don't gotta 00:31:43.059 --> 00:31:45.000 store it. You don't gotta hold it. You don't 00:31:45.000 --> 00:31:49.400 gotta worry about it. Give it away. Stop living 00:31:49.400 --> 00:31:52.980 tight and anxious. Instead, live free and go, 00:31:53.099 --> 00:31:55.700 you know what? It doesn't matter because he's 00:31:55.700 --> 00:31:58.539 gonna provide tomorrow because he provided today. 00:31:59.099 --> 00:32:01.759 You know how I know? Because you're more valuable 00:32:01.759 --> 00:32:04.160 than the birds and that bird in my house is still 00:32:04.160 --> 00:32:07.960 alive. Told me when I got it, it's like a mortgage, 00:32:08.079 --> 00:32:14.099 30 years on that sucker. Don't miss it. You're 00:32:14.099 --> 00:32:22.000 more valuable than the birds. Don't miss how 00:32:22.000 --> 00:32:25.420 much you mean to the creator of the universe. 00:32:27.350 --> 00:32:30.470 Don't get caught up because what is at stake 00:32:30.470 --> 00:32:33.029 is the life that he intended for you in the person 00:32:33.029 --> 00:32:36.289 of Jesus Christ to live this generous life, to 00:32:36.289 --> 00:32:39.369 give away everything in your hand, to live with 00:32:39.369 --> 00:32:42.369 no bounds of like, I'm just gonna live like it's 00:32:42.369 --> 00:32:48.029 coming back tomorrow. Why? Because it was on 00:32:48.029 --> 00:32:54.309 loan to you today. And when we begin to go, well, 00:32:54.349 --> 00:32:56.549 actually, I got to worry about my 401k and I 00:32:56.549 --> 00:33:00.029 got to worry about, what happens is it eliminates 00:33:00.029 --> 00:33:03.910 us. It's a danger to us living the generous life. 00:33:04.670 --> 00:33:12.150 I love, consider the wildflowers. Verse 27. Sorry, 00:33:12.289 --> 00:33:14.269 I got to read the next two verses because they're 00:33:14.269 --> 00:33:18.509 just so good. Who of you by worrying? So who 00:33:18.509 --> 00:33:21.230 of you by stressing? can add a single hour to 00:33:21.230 --> 00:33:23.670 your life since you cannot do this very little 00:33:23.670 --> 00:33:30.230 thing. Isn't that crazy? You living another day 00:33:30.230 --> 00:33:33.930 is little to God. Meanwhile, you're down here 00:33:33.930 --> 00:33:35.970 putting all kinds of cream on your face to try 00:33:35.970 --> 00:33:48.569 and hold it up. Oh, man. Sometimes I say stuff 00:33:48.569 --> 00:33:50.819 and I just... I don't even have to look at my 00:33:50.819 --> 00:33:54.299 wife. I know the response. She's like, what are 00:33:54.299 --> 00:33:58.559 you doing, man? Verse 27, consider, consider 00:33:58.559 --> 00:34:05.400 how the wildflowers grow. They do not labor or 00:34:05.400 --> 00:34:09.039 spin, yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all 00:34:09.039 --> 00:34:14.059 his splendor was dressed like one of these. If 00:34:14.059 --> 00:34:16.539 that is how God clothes the grass of the field, 00:34:16.599 --> 00:34:19.559 which is here today. and tomorrow is thrown into 00:34:19.559 --> 00:34:23.199 the fire, how much more will he clothe you, you 00:34:23.199 --> 00:34:28.380 of little faith? I don't know about you. I want 00:34:28.380 --> 00:34:32.019 to test God on that one. What does audacious 00:34:32.019 --> 00:34:37.019 faith look like? I don't want to get done with 00:34:37.019 --> 00:34:41.420 this race, you guys, and show up, and God go, 00:34:41.500 --> 00:34:46.880 man, why'd you live such little faith? Why didn't 00:34:46.880 --> 00:34:52.599 you take a chance? Why'd you worry about the 00:34:52.599 --> 00:34:56.980 things of this world? He says, consider the flowers. 00:34:58.659 --> 00:35:01.599 And what's crazy about the flowers? Nobody planted 00:35:01.599 --> 00:35:05.500 them. And they're all over the hillside. And 00:35:05.500 --> 00:35:07.460 they're temporary. They don't last long and they're 00:35:07.460 --> 00:35:11.039 gone. And then you know what happens? They're 00:35:11.039 --> 00:35:15.530 taken and they're used. They're used. For heat. 00:35:15.610 --> 00:35:19.409 They're burned for heat. So they're providing. 00:35:19.510 --> 00:35:22.929 They did nothing to get it. They just receive, 00:35:23.230 --> 00:35:25.369 right? And so if you're living there, you're 00:35:25.369 --> 00:35:27.570 just receiving the beauty and the generosity 00:35:27.570 --> 00:35:29.670 of God because you're just going along one day 00:35:29.670 --> 00:35:32.570 and you're like, whoa, look at the flowers. And 00:35:32.570 --> 00:35:35.730 it's just the beauty and generosity of God on 00:35:35.730 --> 00:35:39.869 display. And then what? What do you do? You just 00:35:39.869 --> 00:35:44.210 receive it. There's nothing you can do. And then 00:35:44.210 --> 00:35:46.449 you take it and it provides heat. That's the 00:35:46.449 --> 00:35:50.590 life. That's the life of the disciple. You did 00:35:50.590 --> 00:35:54.849 nothing. You did nothing to receive it. God has 00:35:54.849 --> 00:36:01.389 just put it in your hand. You get to admire and 00:36:01.389 --> 00:36:04.070 receive the generosity of God. And then guess 00:36:04.070 --> 00:36:07.050 what? It's supposed to. It's supposed to, church. 00:36:07.289 --> 00:36:09.670 We are supposed to be the heat providers for 00:36:09.670 --> 00:36:14.000 our world. God wants to use you to provide the 00:36:14.000 --> 00:36:21.659 heat for the world. And here's how. Verse 29. 00:36:22.179 --> 00:36:27.119 And do not set, do not set your heart. That's 00:36:27.119 --> 00:36:29.800 back to that reordering of love, right? Do not 00:36:29.800 --> 00:36:31.739 set your heart on what you will eat or drink. 00:36:32.119 --> 00:36:36.619 Do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs 00:36:36.619 --> 00:36:41.309 after all such things. And your father. Your 00:36:41.309 --> 00:36:47.369 father, not God abstract, that big whatever that's 00:36:47.369 --> 00:36:50.429 out there. No, no, no, no. Your heavenly father 00:36:50.429 --> 00:36:54.570 who is perfect in nature. He knows what you need. 00:36:54.650 --> 00:36:59.070 He sees you. He hasn't lost you. He's got you. 00:36:59.150 --> 00:37:06.590 You're more valuable to him. But seek his kingdom 00:37:06.590 --> 00:37:09.610 and these things will be given to you as well. 00:37:10.139 --> 00:37:14.019 How do we live the generous life? I reorder my 00:37:14.019 --> 00:37:17.039 life to seek his kingdom. I reorder my life to 00:37:17.039 --> 00:37:21.780 put him first. I'd be curious. Maybe it's a little 00:37:21.780 --> 00:37:25.360 test project, church. If we took Jesus at his 00:37:25.360 --> 00:37:28.920 word here, I wonder if we could be a pocket of 00:37:28.920 --> 00:37:35.059 people, both here, Prescott Valley, that are 00:37:35.059 --> 00:37:37.239 known. Yeah, those people don't have anxiety. 00:37:39.400 --> 00:37:43.500 How cool would that be? All because we go, he 00:37:43.500 --> 00:37:45.659 knows how valuable I am and he'll give me what 00:37:45.659 --> 00:37:48.000 I need today so I can give everything else away. 00:37:49.900 --> 00:37:52.860 He actually knows my needs of tomorrow too. So 00:37:52.860 --> 00:37:56.300 I can rest in that. Because the generous life, 00:37:56.380 --> 00:38:01.699 the generous life has to be centered on. Remember 00:38:01.699 --> 00:38:04.820 we started with trust? The God that I trust, 00:38:05.019 --> 00:38:10.579 I love. Why? Because he loved me first. He loved 00:38:10.579 --> 00:38:14.820 me, therefore, what? I trust and now I love. 00:38:15.840 --> 00:38:17.579 That's how it's supposed to work. Would you pray 00:38:17.579 --> 00:38:21.099 with me? God, we're so grateful for your goodness. 00:38:26.199 --> 00:38:31.940 God, your goodness, that's abundant today. As 00:38:31.940 --> 00:38:35.519 the psalmist wrote, your goodness has chased 00:38:35.519 --> 00:38:43.119 me down all the days of my life. God, would you 00:38:43.119 --> 00:38:54.460 remind us, would you let us sit inside of? That 00:38:54.460 --> 00:38:58.960 God, when we put you where you should be, when 00:38:58.960 --> 00:39:02.659 we reorder the love in our life and prioritize, 00:39:02.800 --> 00:39:09.199 when we seek your kingdom first, the rest, the 00:39:09.199 --> 00:39:13.960 rest becomes loose. We're not holding on tightly. 00:39:18.739 --> 00:39:26.920 God, in these moments as we just sit, Holy Spirit, 00:39:27.019 --> 00:39:32.480 would you speak? Would you remind us of the goodness 00:39:32.480 --> 00:39:39.880 of God? Would you help us let go? For those of 00:39:39.880 --> 00:39:41.920 us that need to, would we restructure and put 00:39:41.920 --> 00:39:49.579 you first today? Thank you for loving us first. 00:39:51.880 --> 00:39:58.420 Help us to give this life away generously. We 00:39:58.420 --> 00:40:00.840 love you and everybody said, amen.