WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.940 Last week we started a brand new collection and 00:00:02.940 --> 00:00:05.879 the collection is step into the ring and the 00:00:05.879 --> 00:00:07.740 premise of the collection is this that right 00:00:07.740 --> 00:00:11.240 here right now You are in a fight for meaning 00:00:11.240 --> 00:00:14.599 That it's not waiting for you to get there. It's 00:00:14.599 --> 00:00:19.980 already here That you by being human were born 00:00:19.980 --> 00:00:22.719 into a space where you will fight for meaning 00:00:22.719 --> 00:00:26.219 every day of your life There will not be a day 00:00:26.219 --> 00:00:28.039 that goes by that you are not trying to fight 00:00:28.039 --> 00:00:31.539 for something And so we talked last week specifically, 00:00:31.640 --> 00:00:35.320 we use this imagery of there are rings on a tree. 00:00:35.579 --> 00:00:38.799 There are, just like they mark time on the tree, 00:00:38.899 --> 00:00:42.420 you are in a time and a place right here, right 00:00:42.420 --> 00:00:45.179 now. And this is where the fight is taking place. 00:00:45.380 --> 00:00:47.740 This isn't a future fight. This isn't something 00:00:47.740 --> 00:00:50.600 that was just in the past. It is today that you 00:00:50.600 --> 00:00:53.420 will fight for meaning in your life. And we said 00:00:53.420 --> 00:00:56.140 that just like... As you step into the time and 00:00:56.140 --> 00:00:59.359 place, there's a boxing ring around the tree 00:00:59.359 --> 00:01:02.119 stump. So you're in the time and place, the ring 00:01:02.119 --> 00:01:05.659 of time, and you are in a fight, just like a 00:01:05.659 --> 00:01:09.280 boxing match. You are in a fight, and there are 00:01:09.280 --> 00:01:12.439 rounds that will come your way just by being 00:01:12.439 --> 00:01:14.599 human. For example, one of those we talked about 00:01:14.599 --> 00:01:16.939 last week, that you will try and control what 00:01:16.939 --> 00:01:19.799 you cannot control. That you will spend your 00:01:19.799 --> 00:01:23.060 life trying to control and grasp at meaning. 00:01:23.359 --> 00:01:26.439 And we were told that when you grasp for meaning, 00:01:26.579 --> 00:01:31.260 guess what? It is meaningless, right? Like Ecclesiastes 00:01:31.260 --> 00:01:34.459 told us that the idea of meaningless is that 00:01:34.459 --> 00:01:36.579 you are grasping at smoke and you're trying to 00:01:36.579 --> 00:01:39.120 hold it tighter. And the tighter you hold it, 00:01:39.180 --> 00:01:41.579 the less you hold, right? Like you just, it's 00:01:41.579 --> 00:01:44.379 an activity you can't do. And so round one was 00:01:44.379 --> 00:01:46.620 this idea of control. Round two was satisfaction. 00:01:46.739 --> 00:01:49.400 And it's built on this. that inside of every 00:01:49.400 --> 00:01:52.079 single person there are desires, that you have 00:01:52.079 --> 00:01:55.379 desires that will never be satisfied, right? 00:01:55.439 --> 00:01:57.980 And so what we do is we pursue satisfaction. 00:01:58.579 --> 00:02:01.939 We spend all of our time trying to lean into 00:02:01.939 --> 00:02:04.519 our resources, our energy, this life, trying 00:02:04.519 --> 00:02:07.540 to gain some satisfaction that will provide meaning 00:02:07.540 --> 00:02:11.500 for our experience while we're here. And another 00:02:11.500 --> 00:02:15.020 round that we talked about was this idea that 00:02:15.020 --> 00:02:18.780 you will try and build legacy. Like you will 00:02:18.780 --> 00:02:21.960 try and have a legacy. Your name will be known. 00:02:22.039 --> 00:02:25.060 It will last. Another one was the idea of things 00:02:25.060 --> 00:02:27.439 that are new. Like we're going to invent something 00:02:27.439 --> 00:02:30.300 new. If we just invent that thing, then that 00:02:30.300 --> 00:02:34.139 thing will help us. And so the big idea was this, 00:02:34.180 --> 00:02:35.919 that you've got to step into the ring because 00:02:35.919 --> 00:02:37.979 whether you like it or not, you're in a fight. 00:02:39.439 --> 00:02:41.560 Whether you like it or not, these rounds are 00:02:41.560 --> 00:02:43.400 going to come your way. And so we were looking 00:02:43.400 --> 00:02:46.830 at the life of Solomon. Solomon, who is the richest, 00:02:47.030 --> 00:02:49.689 the wealthiest person. He's got the possessions. 00:02:50.030 --> 00:02:52.289 He's got the influence. He's got the people. 00:02:52.509 --> 00:02:54.629 He's got the relationships. He's got a thousand 00:02:54.629 --> 00:02:56.789 women in his life. He's got things, accomplishments 00:02:56.789 --> 00:02:59.849 he's done. He's got all these things so that 00:02:59.849 --> 00:03:02.770 you can't look at Solomon and go, you know what? 00:03:03.210 --> 00:03:05.789 He doesn't understand. He never had what I had. 00:03:06.509 --> 00:03:09.310 Pretty sure he's got the drip that Jesus is still 00:03:09.310 --> 00:03:12.250 talking about a thousand years later when Jesus 00:03:12.250 --> 00:03:15.240 shows up. That's how good his clothing was, right? 00:03:15.879 --> 00:03:17.900 So I think we can look at this guy and go, if 00:03:17.900 --> 00:03:20.500 his clothing is good enough that the Son of God 00:03:20.500 --> 00:03:22.840 is talking about it a thousand years later, I 00:03:22.840 --> 00:03:25.159 think we're okay. I think he knew some stuff, 00:03:25.300 --> 00:03:29.110 right? If his wealth is what's talked about all 00:03:29.110 --> 00:03:31.689 these years later, if his knowledge is, and so 00:03:31.689 --> 00:03:34.270 we look at that and we go, okay, inside of this, 00:03:34.469 --> 00:03:37.389 inside of this, this is the guy talking about 00:03:37.389 --> 00:03:39.789 the fight and he is the one going, hey, when 00:03:39.789 --> 00:03:42.449 you try and grab control, when you try and find 00:03:42.449 --> 00:03:44.710 satisfaction, something new, when you try and 00:03:44.710 --> 00:03:47.409 create a name for yourself, it's like grabbing 00:03:47.409 --> 00:03:49.289 smoke and you're trying to get meaning from that 00:03:49.289 --> 00:03:52.349 for life. It's like grabbing at smoke and you'll 00:03:52.349 --> 00:03:56.360 never be able to do it. All this makes me think 00:03:56.360 --> 00:03:59.500 about this, that I want to be where the people 00:03:59.500 --> 00:04:04.120 are. I want to see, want to see them dancing, 00:04:04.319 --> 00:04:08.560 walking around on those, what do you call them? 00:04:09.080 --> 00:04:13.120 Feet. Somebody said legs in the last service. 00:04:15.500 --> 00:04:19.180 Been a while since they've watched it. Up where 00:04:19.180 --> 00:04:24.209 they walk. Up where they run. Up where they stay 00:04:24.209 --> 00:04:29.750 all day in the sun. Wandering free. I long to 00:04:29.750 --> 00:04:34.910 be. Okay, some of you are too cool for yourselves, 00:04:35.189 --> 00:04:38.209 man. All right, give me a break. I got four daughters. 00:04:38.269 --> 00:04:39.889 You know how many times I've seen that movie? 00:04:40.470 --> 00:04:42.009 Like some of you are like, I don't know what 00:04:42.009 --> 00:04:44.730 he's talking about right now. Give me a break. 00:04:45.290 --> 00:04:49.810 God's sitting out here like you. Isn't it interesting, 00:04:49.990 --> 00:04:53.029 The Little Mermaid? The story of the Little Mermaid, 00:04:53.129 --> 00:04:55.050 right? Some of you are like, oh, that's that 00:04:55.050 --> 00:05:01.269 movie. Right? The Little Mermaid. One day pops 00:05:01.269 --> 00:05:07.610 up above the surface and goes, oh, I want to 00:05:07.610 --> 00:05:11.050 be where the people are. Right? She's been exploring 00:05:11.050 --> 00:05:14.589 the shipwreck and finds the whatchamacallit, 00:05:14.649 --> 00:05:21.280 right? The thingamabob. Right? The what? Dinglehopper. 00:05:21.280 --> 00:05:23.879 God bless you. I was reaching and I couldn't 00:05:23.879 --> 00:05:28.839 find it. Now I found it. Great job. And so she 00:05:28.839 --> 00:05:30.839 goes up to the seagull. The seagull's name is? 00:05:32.480 --> 00:05:34.879 Scuttle. Man, we had all kinds of names in the 00:05:34.879 --> 00:05:37.740 first one. Like that poor bird was named all 00:05:37.740 --> 00:05:40.980 kinds of stuff. Goes up to Scuttle and what is 00:05:40.980 --> 00:05:42.879 this? Well, it's for your hair. It's a comb. 00:05:42.959 --> 00:05:47.019 It's a fork. Right? But isn't it interesting 00:05:47.019 --> 00:05:50.379 that Ariel goes to the surface and sees something 00:05:50.379 --> 00:05:52.500 and all of a sudden has a lack in her world. 00:05:52.560 --> 00:05:55.560 Now remember, Ariel is the princess of a king 00:05:55.560 --> 00:06:00.639 under the water. Like she's not lacking in her 00:06:00.639 --> 00:06:03.620 world until she sees something else and goes, 00:06:03.699 --> 00:06:08.399 oh, I need that. And then she's willing to give 00:06:08.399 --> 00:06:11.420 everything she has to get that. I don't know 00:06:11.420 --> 00:06:13.579 about you, but all of a sudden I go, I can relate 00:06:13.579 --> 00:06:17.050 to her. I can relate to, I need a friend like 00:06:17.050 --> 00:06:19.209 Sebastian that keeps telling me how good life 00:06:19.209 --> 00:06:22.050 is where I have it. Remember that song, Under 00:06:22.050 --> 00:06:23.709 the Sea? We can sing the whole thing if you want 00:06:23.709 --> 00:06:26.029 to. Some of you are like, I'm missing worship 00:06:26.029 --> 00:06:28.189 up top, so we'll just sing Little Mermaid. It'll 00:06:28.189 --> 00:06:32.769 be great. But the reality is that she's missing 00:06:32.769 --> 00:06:35.790 something and she can't wait to get it. Which 00:06:35.790 --> 00:06:37.889 reminds me, if you were here last week, we're 00:06:37.889 --> 00:06:41.430 in Ecclesiastes. If you weren't, we're in Ecclesiastes 00:06:41.430 --> 00:06:44.949 chapter one. Right before this, he has said, 00:06:44.990 --> 00:06:47.110 meaningless, meaningless, says the teacher, utterly 00:06:47.110 --> 00:06:49.009 meaningless, everything is meaningless. Verse 00:06:49.009 --> 00:06:52.509 3, he says this, what do people gain from all 00:06:52.509 --> 00:06:54.930 their labors at which they toil under the sun? 00:06:55.310 --> 00:06:57.589 What do you gain from all your... This is an 00:06:57.589 --> 00:06:59.449 accounting term. We talked about this last week. 00:06:59.509 --> 00:07:02.129 The idea that you are trying to amass something 00:07:02.129 --> 00:07:04.949 from your energy and your effort and what you're 00:07:04.949 --> 00:07:07.670 trying to amass it in. It cannot hold what you 00:07:07.670 --> 00:07:09.910 want it to. It will be like grasping at smoke 00:07:09.910 --> 00:07:13.170 and it cannot fulfill what you are hoping it 00:07:13.170 --> 00:07:17.329 brings the meaning of this life. That idea of 00:07:17.329 --> 00:07:20.790 gain. You try and gain something when you assume 00:07:20.790 --> 00:07:23.720 that there is a lack. And then he rolls through 00:07:23.720 --> 00:07:26.079 the things that we talked about. He uses the 00:07:26.079 --> 00:07:28.879 example of trying to control this life and trying 00:07:28.879 --> 00:07:31.180 to get meaning out of the control that you hold 00:07:31.180 --> 00:07:34.579 is like watching the sun pursue itself every 00:07:34.579 --> 00:07:38.300 day, right? Like this idea that the wind blows 00:07:38.300 --> 00:07:41.079 and the wind is just chasing itself and it'll 00:07:41.079 --> 00:07:44.060 still be doing it when you're dead, right? Like 00:07:44.060 --> 00:07:46.079 he goes, that's how meaningless trying to control 00:07:46.079 --> 00:07:49.339 things are. He then moves into this idea of desire, 00:07:49.540 --> 00:07:51.019 right? And he goes, your eye is never gonna be 00:07:51.019 --> 00:07:54.300 satisfied. No matter how much you feed your eye, 00:07:54.420 --> 00:07:58.319 it will never be satisfied. And he kind of continues 00:07:58.319 --> 00:08:00.480 on through that. And he talks about there's nothing 00:08:00.480 --> 00:08:04.259 new under the sun. The things that you think 00:08:04.259 --> 00:08:06.579 are new have been done before, just in a different 00:08:06.579 --> 00:08:10.660 version. That we long for something different, 00:08:10.699 --> 00:08:13.839 something new. And then he talks about this idea 00:08:13.839 --> 00:08:16.160 that's sobering that your great grandkids will 00:08:16.160 --> 00:08:19.310 not even remember your name. He goes, what are 00:08:19.310 --> 00:08:21.470 we trying to gain from all these things where 00:08:21.470 --> 00:08:23.209 we try to make a name? We try to find something 00:08:23.209 --> 00:08:25.329 new. We try to satisfy. And then he says this 00:08:25.329 --> 00:08:27.930 in verse 12. I, the teacher, Solomon, who had 00:08:27.930 --> 00:08:30.850 everything, right? Like his resume is complete, 00:08:30.930 --> 00:08:34.769 was king over Israel in Jerusalem. I applied 00:08:34.769 --> 00:08:39.940 my mind to study. And to explore by wisdom all 00:08:39.940 --> 00:08:43.059 that is done. That word done is the same as the 00:08:43.059 --> 00:08:45.879 verse we just read with labor. Like all of the 00:08:45.879 --> 00:08:48.399 energy that humans are putting out for all of 00:08:48.399 --> 00:08:51.440 the stuff that they're doing. He goes, by wisdom, 00:08:51.480 --> 00:08:56.019 all that is done under the heavens. What a heavy 00:08:56.019 --> 00:09:01.889 burden God has laid on mankind. So Solomon, who 00:09:01.889 --> 00:09:04.649 is the wisest man that ever lives, he observes 00:09:04.649 --> 00:09:07.330 what is happening on planet Earth. He looks at 00:09:07.330 --> 00:09:10.269 humans and their toil and all of their effort 00:09:10.269 --> 00:09:12.789 to try and gain, to try and figure out meaning, 00:09:12.950 --> 00:09:15.350 to try and be in this fight for meaning. And 00:09:15.350 --> 00:09:18.070 he watches them, he observes them, and his conclusion 00:09:18.070 --> 00:09:22.250 is this. What a heavy burden has been laid on 00:09:22.250 --> 00:09:24.659 mankind. I mean, you think about it, right? Like 00:09:24.659 --> 00:09:28.100 you decide that you want to go to that restaurant 00:09:28.100 --> 00:09:30.120 because you were watching Netflix and you saw 00:09:30.120 --> 00:09:31.899 the food and you're like, man, I got to go there 00:09:31.899 --> 00:09:34.899 someday. That food looks amazing. So you decide 00:09:34.899 --> 00:09:37.220 to work hard and you decide you're going to take 00:09:37.220 --> 00:09:40.320 the people you love. So you work hard. You take 00:09:40.320 --> 00:09:42.220 the people you love. You get on a plane. You 00:09:42.220 --> 00:09:45.279 fly to that city. You rent an Airbnb. You go 00:09:45.279 --> 00:09:47.460 to that restaurant. You've got your reservations 00:09:47.460 --> 00:09:50.120 made. You sit down at that table, the one that's 00:09:50.120 --> 00:09:53.000 in the documentary. Or whatever it is. I don't 00:09:53.000 --> 00:09:54.320 even know what they're called. Right? Like in 00:09:54.320 --> 00:09:58.340 the series. You sit down. You can see the chef. 00:09:58.659 --> 00:10:03.179 The chef. You get your plate. You eat your food. 00:10:05.039 --> 00:10:07.919 That you've worked so hard to sit at this table. 00:10:08.000 --> 00:10:13.980 And the next morning, what do you have? Some 00:10:13.980 --> 00:10:15.539 of you are like cynical. You're like, you got 00:10:15.539 --> 00:10:24.620 food poisoning. No, you're hungry. And so you 00:10:24.620 --> 00:10:27.100 work hard. Why? So that you can eat again. And 00:10:27.100 --> 00:10:29.039 you work hard so that you can eat again. It doesn't 00:10:29.039 --> 00:10:30.879 matter if it's the best meal or it doesn't matter 00:10:30.879 --> 00:10:33.000 if it's cereal out of the box, which my wife 00:10:33.000 --> 00:10:35.799 would tell me is a better meal than some for 00:10:35.799 --> 00:10:39.500 all you cereal people out there. But you work 00:10:39.500 --> 00:10:44.220 hard and yet you're hungry. And you work hard 00:10:44.220 --> 00:10:46.879 and you eat and you're hungry. That's what he's 00:10:46.879 --> 00:10:49.659 getting at is that this life, there's a heavy, 00:10:49.720 --> 00:10:53.700 heavy toil on this life when we take this life 00:10:53.700 --> 00:10:55.899 and we don't recognize we're in a fight for meaning 00:10:55.899 --> 00:10:58.779 and we begin to use all the things that we have 00:10:58.779 --> 00:11:01.440 in our life to try and extract something that's 00:11:01.440 --> 00:11:04.600 not there. So much so that then he says in the 00:11:04.600 --> 00:11:07.000 next verse, verse 14, I have seen all the things 00:11:07.000 --> 00:11:08.500 that are done. There's that word done again, 00:11:08.559 --> 00:11:11.500 the idea of labor. All of the ways we pour out 00:11:11.500 --> 00:11:14.620 our effort and our time and try and gain under 00:11:14.620 --> 00:11:18.220 the sun. Under the sun, remember? This specific 00:11:18.220 --> 00:11:21.039 time, this specific place, this ring like on 00:11:21.039 --> 00:11:23.879 a tree. All of them are meaningless, a chasing 00:11:23.879 --> 00:11:27.159 after the wind. What's the summation? He goes, 00:11:27.240 --> 00:11:31.019 all of the toil, all of the heavy toil. It's 00:11:31.019 --> 00:11:34.379 like trying to grab smoke and it disappears every 00:11:34.379 --> 00:11:40.500 single time. Verse 15, what is crooked? So this 00:11:40.500 --> 00:11:42.440 is his conclusion, right? Like what is crooked 00:11:42.440 --> 00:11:44.820 cannot be straightened. What is lacking cannot 00:11:44.820 --> 00:11:48.620 be counted. What is crooked, that word crooked 00:11:48.620 --> 00:11:53.399 is distorted. So it's not just this thing isn't 00:11:53.399 --> 00:11:55.159 straight like a piece of metal and you're like, 00:11:55.220 --> 00:11:57.179 well, I can straighten that metal out. That's 00:11:57.179 --> 00:12:00.720 not what this is. The idea is that in its original 00:12:00.720 --> 00:12:03.279 form and it's an original design, there is a 00:12:03.279 --> 00:12:06.580 distortion that has taken place. This cannot 00:12:06.580 --> 00:12:11.139 be fixed. What has been distorted is distorted 00:12:11.139 --> 00:12:13.919 whether you like it or not. It's his conclusion 00:12:13.919 --> 00:12:17.860 that inherently it is not the way it was intended 00:12:17.860 --> 00:12:21.360 and created to be. Something has shifted and 00:12:21.360 --> 00:12:24.779 it's distorted. He then goes on. His second example 00:12:24.779 --> 00:12:28.059 is what is lacking cannot be counted. The word 00:12:28.059 --> 00:12:30.000 lacking is another accounting term which ties 00:12:30.000 --> 00:12:32.159 us back to the verse we read first, like what 00:12:32.159 --> 00:12:34.019 is the gain, right? Like what is the surplus? 00:12:34.750 --> 00:12:37.809 This counting term where it says lacking, it 00:12:37.809 --> 00:12:40.230 means that it is missing and can't be counted. 00:12:40.549 --> 00:12:42.809 So for example, because we're in church and church 00:12:42.809 --> 00:12:45.169 always uses sheep, so we'll just use sheep, okay? 00:12:46.090 --> 00:12:49.570 You're supposed to have 100 sheep, but you go 00:12:49.570 --> 00:12:52.090 to count those sheep, and when you count them, 00:12:52.269 --> 00:12:58.490 there's only 99. So what do you do? You count 00:12:58.490 --> 00:13:02.250 the sheep again, and there's 99. So what do you 00:13:02.250 --> 00:13:04.740 do? You count the sheep again. And there's 99. 00:13:05.000 --> 00:13:07.200 So what do you do? You count the sheep again 00:13:07.200 --> 00:13:09.840 and there's 99. So what do you do? You count 00:13:09.840 --> 00:13:12.059 the sheep again and there's 99. So what do you 00:13:12.059 --> 00:13:13.960 do? You count the sheep and there's what? How 00:13:13.960 --> 00:13:18.639 many? 99. Why? Because the point of that word 00:13:18.639 --> 00:13:21.759 is that by counting, you will never add what 00:13:21.759 --> 00:13:26.279 is missing. The activity of counting cannot add 00:13:26.279 --> 00:13:29.539 what is not there. And you're not the good shepherd. 00:13:29.659 --> 00:13:32.990 You don't go looking for the one, right? You 00:13:32.990 --> 00:13:34.769 just have 99. You keep counting them. You keep 00:13:34.769 --> 00:13:36.370 counting them. You keep counting them. And there's 00:13:36.370 --> 00:13:38.649 99. Why? Because what is missing? What is missing? 00:13:39.250 --> 00:13:41.269 Inherently, it is missing and it cannot be added 00:13:41.269 --> 00:13:43.909 by the activity you are trying, which is to summarize 00:13:43.909 --> 00:13:46.210 everything he has just said about trying to get 00:13:46.210 --> 00:13:49.549 meaning in this fight by using control, satisfaction, 00:13:49.889 --> 00:13:52.610 by looking for the next new thing and building 00:13:52.610 --> 00:13:55.909 a name for yourself. You can't do it because 00:13:55.909 --> 00:14:00.809 those things aren't for that. Right? And so he 00:14:00.809 --> 00:14:05.080 goes, it's missing. It's missing. It reminds 00:14:05.080 --> 00:14:09.139 me. Last week, I showed you a picture. It was 00:14:09.139 --> 00:14:10.940 a picture of somebody very special in my life. 00:14:10.960 --> 00:14:12.639 For those of you who don't know, this is my grandson, 00:14:12.759 --> 00:14:17.460 Beckham. He is the best. I'm sure yours is great. 00:14:17.519 --> 00:14:22.720 Mine is better. Just being clear. But we talked 00:14:22.720 --> 00:14:24.820 last week specifically with this picture at the 00:14:24.820 --> 00:14:27.539 very end and we talked about this idea. So what's 00:14:27.539 --> 00:14:29.320 the antidote, right? Like what is Solomon? And 00:14:29.320 --> 00:14:31.539 we'll get to this in weeks to come. But the idea 00:14:31.539 --> 00:14:34.220 is that Solomon is saying right now is the gift. 00:14:34.419 --> 00:14:37.820 This moment is the gift, right? So be present 00:14:37.820 --> 00:14:41.700 in this moment. This is the gift. Have joy in 00:14:41.700 --> 00:14:43.639 this moment because you're here and you're present 00:14:43.639 --> 00:14:45.279 and you have everything you need right here, 00:14:45.299 --> 00:14:48.580 right now in this moment. Right? He goes, have 00:14:48.580 --> 00:14:50.639 joy. And in fact, because you're just present, 00:14:50.720 --> 00:14:54.019 just like chasing bubbles, I can let go of control 00:14:54.019 --> 00:14:56.019 and chase the bubbles where they go because I'm 00:14:56.019 --> 00:14:59.379 just present in the moment chasing bubbles. And 00:14:59.379 --> 00:15:06.299 then, and then, he can enjoy just being there. 00:15:07.159 --> 00:15:08.779 That's the antidote, right? Like that's where 00:15:08.779 --> 00:15:11.000 we landed last week. Now, I have another picture. 00:15:12.620 --> 00:15:15.970 The man likes to push his lawnmower. And the 00:15:15.970 --> 00:15:17.649 lawnmower, if you were here last week, creates 00:15:17.649 --> 00:15:20.450 bubbles. Now imagine, imagine the man goes, you 00:15:20.450 --> 00:15:23.830 know what? I bet I can get more out of this sucker. 00:15:25.070 --> 00:15:28.049 I bet if I take it apart and learn about it, 00:15:28.049 --> 00:15:32.769 and I learn about the mechanism, that I can take 00:15:32.769 --> 00:15:35.429 that mechanism and maybe expand the holes, and 00:15:35.429 --> 00:15:38.809 that will create larger bubbles. Or maybe I make 00:15:38.809 --> 00:15:40.549 the hole smaller and I get double the amount 00:15:40.549 --> 00:15:43.179 of bubbles out of it. And so he goes to work 00:15:43.179 --> 00:15:45.240 and he creates it just how he wants it, right? 00:15:45.419 --> 00:15:47.019 And then he looks at it and he goes, you know 00:15:47.019 --> 00:15:49.100 what? I'm not going to be the best kid in kindergarten 00:15:49.100 --> 00:15:51.740 unless I put some fat rims on this thing, right? 00:15:52.019 --> 00:15:54.500 And we're going to get some neon lights underneath 00:15:54.500 --> 00:15:56.720 it and it's going to glow as I push it, you know, 00:15:56.720 --> 00:15:58.440 and then it'll light up the bubbles as they come 00:15:58.440 --> 00:16:03.279 out, right? And so he's now maximizing the lawnmower. 00:16:03.879 --> 00:16:07.500 He gets the fuzzy dice and hangs them off the 00:16:07.500 --> 00:16:11.399 handle, you know, like he's really in it. And 00:16:11.399 --> 00:16:13.940 then he takes his mower that he's now souped 00:16:13.940 --> 00:16:16.720 up and he begins to push it in the same backyard. 00:16:16.860 --> 00:16:21.179 And a giant bubble comes out. And as the giant 00:16:21.179 --> 00:16:23.960 bubble comes out, guess what? He reaches over 00:16:23.960 --> 00:16:30.139 and touches it. And what happens? It pops. And 00:16:30.139 --> 00:16:33.139 that's what we do over and over. That's what 00:16:33.139 --> 00:16:36.240 Solomon's getting at. It's more like, man, I 00:16:36.240 --> 00:16:39.230 can get more out of this. I can get more meaning, 00:16:39.269 --> 00:16:43.730 more satisfaction, more control. And so we do 00:16:43.730 --> 00:16:45.509 what we need to do to try and get those things, 00:16:45.549 --> 00:16:47.669 only to realize that what I'm missing is being 00:16:47.669 --> 00:16:52.289 present in the moment. But that drive inside 00:16:52.289 --> 00:16:54.570 of us is what he's getting at, that what is crooked, 00:16:54.690 --> 00:16:56.210 what is crooked can't be straightened, what is 00:16:56.210 --> 00:17:00.730 lacking. It's interesting that when you notice 00:17:00.730 --> 00:17:03.710 something lacking in your life, when you notice 00:17:03.710 --> 00:17:06.730 something lacking, you have a natural human response. 00:17:07.339 --> 00:17:11.539 So do I. We inherited it. We have a natural human 00:17:11.539 --> 00:17:13.460 response that when you notice something lacking, 00:17:13.700 --> 00:17:17.319 all the way in Genesis chapter three, all the 00:17:17.319 --> 00:17:20.099 way in Genesis. If you're not familiar with the 00:17:20.099 --> 00:17:22.240 Bible, Genesis is the book of beginnings. It's 00:17:22.240 --> 00:17:25.119 the start. Right. And so it talks about creation 00:17:25.119 --> 00:17:27.700 that God created and he created a perfect environment 00:17:27.700 --> 00:17:30.119 and he put the first humans into that environment 00:17:30.119 --> 00:17:33.059 and everything was perfect and created the way 00:17:33.059 --> 00:17:36.069 he wanted it. And in the midst of that, when 00:17:36.069 --> 00:17:37.809 everything's going well, God's showing up daily. 00:17:37.970 --> 00:17:40.029 They're hanging out. They're growing in relationship. 00:17:40.329 --> 00:17:43.430 They're fulfilling what God did. There's nothing 00:17:43.430 --> 00:17:47.710 lacking. The enemy shows up and the enemy goes, 00:17:47.990 --> 00:17:52.950 hey, what if you ate of that tree? Why aren't 00:17:52.950 --> 00:17:56.490 you guys having that fruit? To which then there's 00:17:56.490 --> 00:17:58.549 some conversation where the words of God are 00:17:58.549 --> 00:18:00.450 slightly tweaked and the idea of death comes 00:18:00.450 --> 00:18:02.670 along. And so then in verse four, it says this. 00:18:03.180 --> 00:18:05.859 You will not certainly die, the serpent said, 00:18:05.940 --> 00:18:08.900 the enemy of God said to the woman, for God knows 00:18:08.900 --> 00:18:12.900 that when you eat from it, your eyes will be 00:18:12.900 --> 00:18:17.059 opened and you will be like God, knowing good 00:18:17.059 --> 00:18:20.339 and evil. What has the enemy just done? In a 00:18:20.339 --> 00:18:22.519 perfect environment where there was nothing lacking, 00:18:22.720 --> 00:18:26.059 in the midst of that environment, what does the 00:18:26.059 --> 00:18:28.700 enemy put into that? There's a perceived lack 00:18:28.700 --> 00:18:32.160 on behalf of the humans. Something's missing. 00:18:33.200 --> 00:18:36.119 In fact, if you knew a little more about evil, 00:18:36.220 --> 00:18:40.019 you would be able to sit as a judge. Isn't that 00:18:40.019 --> 00:18:43.220 interesting? The amount of information that comes 00:18:43.220 --> 00:18:45.799 your way, the enemy's still trying the same trick. 00:18:45.920 --> 00:18:47.799 You know why we all get as much information as 00:18:47.799 --> 00:18:49.740 we do? You know why we're on information overload? 00:18:50.039 --> 00:18:52.319 It's because then you sit in the seat of God 00:18:52.319 --> 00:18:55.740 as the judge of that information. And what causes 00:18:55.740 --> 00:18:58.079 division with you and your best friend? You judge 00:18:58.079 --> 00:18:59.960 the situation differently. You have a different 00:18:59.960 --> 00:19:02.000 opinion on something that you just heard about. 00:19:02.500 --> 00:19:04.339 You weren't there. It's not your news. It's not 00:19:04.339 --> 00:19:06.180 your information. You just happened to hear it 00:19:06.180 --> 00:19:09.019 and you judged it, right? Like we all do it. 00:19:09.079 --> 00:19:11.240 And it goes all the way back to this moment in 00:19:11.240 --> 00:19:13.779 a perfect environment when what is on offer is, 00:19:13.880 --> 00:19:16.920 hey, you're lacking something. And notice the 00:19:16.920 --> 00:19:20.940 human response. Verse six, when the woman saw 00:19:20.940 --> 00:19:23.259 that the fruit of the tree was good for food 00:19:23.259 --> 00:19:26.119 and pleasing to the eye and also desirable for 00:19:26.119 --> 00:19:30.119 gaining wisdom, also desirable for gaining wisdom. 00:19:31.299 --> 00:19:34.140 She took some and ate it. She also gave some 00:19:34.140 --> 00:19:36.559 to her husband who was there with her and he 00:19:36.559 --> 00:19:39.519 ate it. So he's right or wrong shotgun with her 00:19:39.519 --> 00:19:41.720 the whole time, right? Like this is them together. 00:19:42.440 --> 00:19:44.839 But notice the human response when there is a 00:19:44.839 --> 00:19:47.599 lack in my life, right? Like when I'm trying 00:19:47.599 --> 00:19:49.859 to gain something, the natural response is I 00:19:49.859 --> 00:19:54.339 take it, I eat it, and I give it to who's with 00:19:54.339 --> 00:19:57.940 me. I take it, I eat it, I consume it, and I 00:19:57.940 --> 00:19:59.559 give it to who's with me, right? Like there's 00:19:59.559 --> 00:20:02.740 this natural human response to noticing there 00:20:02.740 --> 00:20:09.279 is a lack in your life that you take that I will 00:20:09.279 --> 00:20:12.359 fulfill, right? So I'm in this fight for meaning 00:20:12.359 --> 00:20:15.519 and I have a natural understanding that I'm not 00:20:15.519 --> 00:20:17.700 gaining the meaning that I thought I would out 00:20:17.700 --> 00:20:20.200 of this relationship. So what do I do? I take 00:20:20.200 --> 00:20:25.039 the next relationship. Right? If it happens to 00:20:25.039 --> 00:20:28.140 be that I think I can get more time on this planet 00:20:28.140 --> 00:20:30.579 and control my time on the planet, then I'll 00:20:30.579 --> 00:20:32.960 start to do weird things, take weird injections 00:20:32.960 --> 00:20:35.319 to try and gain more time. Why? Because I'm trying 00:20:35.319 --> 00:20:38.019 to take it. And the natural human response is 00:20:38.019 --> 00:20:40.700 you take it, you eat it, and you give it to who 00:20:40.700 --> 00:20:44.400 is with you. Back to Solomon, he's no different. 00:20:45.180 --> 00:20:47.279 Notice what he does. So he notices that there's 00:20:47.279 --> 00:20:49.599 something inherently wrong with us, with this 00:20:49.599 --> 00:20:53.039 whole situation. Verse 16, I said to myself, 00:20:53.319 --> 00:20:57.059 Ecclesiastes 1 .16, Solomon says to myself, look, 00:20:57.160 --> 00:21:01.160 I have increased in wisdom more than anyone who 00:21:01.160 --> 00:21:04.640 has ruled over Jerusalem before me. I have experienced 00:21:04.640 --> 00:21:08.400 much of wisdom and knowledge. Then I applied 00:21:08.400 --> 00:21:12.799 myself to the understanding of wisdom and also 00:21:12.799 --> 00:21:15.299 of madness and folly. But I learned this too 00:21:15.299 --> 00:21:18.980 is a chasing. after the wind. What does he say 00:21:18.980 --> 00:21:22.079 he does? He notices a problem and he does what 00:21:22.079 --> 00:21:24.920 all of us do. We grab at something to try and 00:21:24.920 --> 00:21:28.019 solve that problem, right? Like we're naturally, 00:21:28.220 --> 00:21:31.420 if there is a problem, I'm going to spend my 00:21:31.420 --> 00:21:34.740 time to understand the problem. What does Solomon 00:21:34.740 --> 00:21:36.640 do? He turns to knowledge. What do we do? We 00:21:36.640 --> 00:21:38.680 turn to knowledge. How do we know that? Look 00:21:38.680 --> 00:21:43.839 at our culture. If you go to Google and you type 00:21:43.839 --> 00:21:45.690 into Google, anybody ever been to Google? Good, 00:21:45.789 --> 00:21:47.869 I think all of us, right? You go to Google, you 00:21:47.869 --> 00:21:50.450 type in what you're looking for. What's the first 00:21:50.450 --> 00:21:55.410 thing that pops up now? An AI summary. So AI 00:21:55.410 --> 00:21:58.789 has scoured the information and brought you everything 00:21:58.789 --> 00:22:03.589 you need to that moment, right? All of the wisdom, 00:22:03.630 --> 00:22:05.869 all of the knowledge comes to that moment to 00:22:05.869 --> 00:22:08.410 solve what you need to solve in that moment. 00:22:08.490 --> 00:22:13.230 We turn to knowledge. We were in our teaching 00:22:13.230 --> 00:22:17.119 prep this weekend. Super fascinating. Noah Johnson, 00:22:17.319 --> 00:22:21.099 who actually is part of our PV youth team, he's 00:22:21.099 --> 00:22:23.000 sitting in there and he's listening to where 00:22:23.000 --> 00:22:24.319 we're heading this week. And he goes, you know, 00:22:24.380 --> 00:22:27.480 it's interesting that as humans, we created an 00:22:27.480 --> 00:22:31.500 all -knowing machine, right? And we go to the 00:22:31.500 --> 00:22:33.359 all -knowing machine, but we don't go to the 00:22:33.359 --> 00:22:39.960 all -knowing God. Isn't that interesting? That 00:22:39.960 --> 00:22:43.460 somehow more information means I can fix what's 00:22:43.460 --> 00:22:45.559 broken. That's what Solomon does here. He turns 00:22:45.559 --> 00:22:48.079 to information and he goes, if I can just understand 00:22:48.079 --> 00:22:52.599 it, then maybe I can fix it. And we're no different. 00:22:52.900 --> 00:22:55.599 We see a lack in our life and we're turning to 00:22:55.599 --> 00:22:59.079 information to try and solve what's happening. 00:23:01.429 --> 00:23:04.349 It's fascinating right now, and I don't mean 00:23:04.349 --> 00:23:06.809 this, students. By the way, can we give a hand 00:23:06.809 --> 00:23:13.450 to the students who are in the four rows? Well 00:23:13.450 --> 00:23:16.509 done. 9 .30 on a Sunday morning, being in church. 00:23:16.589 --> 00:23:18.849 Good job. And your Bible's open, and you're taking 00:23:18.849 --> 00:23:23.809 notes. Well done. I don't mean this as any shade, 00:23:23.930 --> 00:23:25.690 okay? I'm going to give some stats. It's not 00:23:25.690 --> 00:23:28.089 shade on you guys. It's a projection of where 00:23:28.089 --> 00:23:30.460 the world is heading. Because you are the early 00:23:30.460 --> 00:23:35.880 adopters. There was a survey done. 72 % of teenagers 00:23:35.880 --> 00:23:43.660 said that they have used an AI chat companion. 00:23:45.259 --> 00:23:49.440 Within that, half of them, half of the 72, use 00:23:49.440 --> 00:23:53.220 it on a regular basis. Okay, so regularly they 00:23:53.220 --> 00:23:57.819 are talking to. Now, one in three of them. said 00:23:57.819 --> 00:24:01.579 that they have told something to AI that they 00:24:01.579 --> 00:24:06.279 have never told to another human being. I play 00:24:06.279 --> 00:24:08.460 that projection out for a minute, that my 15 00:24:08.460 --> 00:24:10.660 -year -old would be more comfortable talking 00:24:10.660 --> 00:24:13.960 to a machine. And I don't know how your conversations 00:24:13.960 --> 00:24:17.160 go, but they are becoming more human, right? 00:24:17.220 --> 00:24:20.640 Like they're trying to humanize themselves, right? 00:24:20.740 --> 00:24:23.000 Like I'm in my kitchen and I set a timer for 00:24:23.000 --> 00:24:25.500 sourdough bread. And Alexa goes, what kind of 00:24:25.500 --> 00:24:29.490 sourdough bread are you cooking? So I decided 00:24:29.490 --> 00:24:32.630 I was just going to engage. Well, actually, I'm 00:24:32.630 --> 00:24:36.210 cooking 10 % wheat and 90 % bread flour. Oh, 00:24:36.269 --> 00:24:38.190 that's a good mixture. I really like that mixture. 00:24:38.390 --> 00:24:40.769 How long do you normally let it bulk rise for? 00:24:41.809 --> 00:24:44.289 Well, I normally do this. Oh, that's a really 00:24:44.289 --> 00:24:47.789 good way to do that. And I'm not feeling good 00:24:47.789 --> 00:24:49.309 about myself. I'm like, man, I'm good at this 00:24:49.309 --> 00:24:53.670 bread game. We're going on so long, my kid from 00:24:53.670 --> 00:24:55.089 the other side of the room is looking at me like, 00:24:55.150 --> 00:24:58.579 what are you doing? And finally, I have to end 00:24:58.579 --> 00:25:00.500 the conversation with Alexa by going, Alexa, 00:25:00.559 --> 00:25:04.519 I'm going to go watch TV now. Okay, have a good 00:25:04.519 --> 00:25:10.759 rest of your day. 33 % of those teenagers said 00:25:10.759 --> 00:25:15.579 they are more comfortable, more comfortable talking 00:25:15.579 --> 00:25:20.539 to a machine than they are talking to a human 00:25:20.539 --> 00:25:28.240 being. 37 % of Gen Z, interviewed, said that 00:25:28.240 --> 00:25:33.839 they have used, 37 % have used Chatbot, whatever 00:25:33.839 --> 00:25:37.660 you want to call it, for an app for companionship. 00:25:38.480 --> 00:25:40.940 So just play it out from Solomon's perspective. 00:25:41.240 --> 00:25:44.599 We want companionship. We were created for it. 00:25:44.599 --> 00:25:46.339 We were created for relationships. You know who 00:25:46.339 --> 00:25:48.839 has the best relationships or should on the entire 00:25:48.839 --> 00:25:53.440 planet? The church. And yet what's happening? 00:25:55.309 --> 00:25:58.670 As we're turning, we created something that we 00:25:58.670 --> 00:26:05.890 think knows. Out of those 37%, half of them, 00:26:06.049 --> 00:26:10.369 so 37 % say they're more comfortable in companionship 00:26:10.369 --> 00:26:13.509 with a machine than a human. Half of that 37 00:26:13.509 --> 00:26:18.650 % said that they are romantically engaged with 00:26:18.650 --> 00:26:23.349 their AI companion. The projections, you guys, 00:26:24.419 --> 00:26:29.759 70 % is the projection. That 70 % of teenagers 00:26:29.759 --> 00:26:32.500 will have their first sexual encounter with an 00:26:32.500 --> 00:26:38.720 AI bot. I mean, play it out for a second. Because 00:26:38.720 --> 00:26:40.579 some of you, you got looks on your face like, 00:26:40.660 --> 00:26:49.839 huh? Well, you can put an avatar on AI. It can 00:26:49.839 --> 00:26:54.970 look exactly as you want it to look. Right? Always 00:26:54.970 --> 00:27:00.670 available. Never has a bad mood. Never tells 00:27:00.670 --> 00:27:03.890 you that's enough. You need to stop this conversation. 00:27:05.130 --> 00:27:07.349 Never tells you, remembers everything you've 00:27:07.349 --> 00:27:08.809 ever told it. I don't know about you, but I am 00:27:08.809 --> 00:27:11.009 human and I forget. And sometimes people come 00:27:11.009 --> 00:27:12.509 to me and they're hurt because I forgot what 00:27:12.509 --> 00:27:15.049 we talked about. That never happens with AI. 00:27:16.289 --> 00:27:18.089 And it's just a projection, right? It's just 00:27:18.089 --> 00:27:20.460 a projection. That we've taken an all -knowing 00:27:20.460 --> 00:27:22.380 machine and it's fulfilling something to try 00:27:22.380 --> 00:27:24.339 and give meaning to something that ultimately, 00:27:24.579 --> 00:27:27.240 the harder you grasp it, the more it's going 00:27:27.240 --> 00:27:30.920 to be like smoke. The stat that got me in comparison 00:27:30.920 --> 00:27:36.380 to Ecclesiastes was this, that in 2024, this, 00:27:36.480 --> 00:27:38.980 what I'm about to tell you, was not inside of 00:27:38.980 --> 00:27:43.819 the top 100. One year later, 2025, it is in the 00:27:43.819 --> 00:27:50.450 top three reasons people use AI. And the question 00:27:50.450 --> 00:27:56.549 is this, what is my purpose? Where is my meaning? 00:27:57.069 --> 00:28:02.210 What is the meaning of life? It has shifted from 00:28:02.210 --> 00:28:05.509 informational to answering the question that 00:28:05.509 --> 00:28:09.650 Solomon has written about. That we're all in 00:28:09.650 --> 00:28:13.359 a fight for meaning. We're all going rounds. 00:28:13.480 --> 00:28:17.039 And unfortunately, the trend is if I just like 00:28:17.039 --> 00:28:19.740 Solomon get more information, then more information 00:28:19.740 --> 00:28:22.380 will allow me to answer the thing that I think 00:28:22.380 --> 00:28:26.220 I'm lacking. And he says this about information. 00:28:26.900 --> 00:28:31.440 Verse 18. For with much wisdom comes much sorrow. 00:28:31.480 --> 00:28:37.700 With more knowledge, the more grief. I don't 00:28:37.700 --> 00:28:41.429 know how you feel, but my notifications. News 00:28:41.429 --> 00:28:43.630 notifications of what's happening in the Middle 00:28:43.630 --> 00:28:46.650 East. News notifications of an earthquake that 00:28:46.650 --> 00:28:48.410 happens in a country that I don't even know where 00:28:48.410 --> 00:28:52.049 it is, if I'm honest. News notifications about 00:28:52.049 --> 00:28:55.089 people last weekend in the Grand Canyon that 00:28:55.089 --> 00:28:58.269 were caught in a flash flood. I don't know if 00:28:58.269 --> 00:29:01.309 this makes me bad pastorally. I can't handle 00:29:01.309 --> 00:29:04.950 it. I was not built for it. I was not made for 00:29:04.950 --> 00:29:07.509 it. I am not God. I cannot carry the weight of 00:29:07.509 --> 00:29:12.730 the world. Neither can you. And what you have 00:29:12.730 --> 00:29:15.750 constantly in front of you is information, information, 00:29:16.210 --> 00:29:18.910 information, information that you're not meant 00:29:18.910 --> 00:29:23.490 to carry. And here's how it's affecting us. I 00:29:23.490 --> 00:29:26.589 gain information and it diminishes the view of 00:29:26.589 --> 00:29:30.380 God. Right? Like, think about it. Your financial 00:29:30.380 --> 00:29:32.519 situation, you walk into a financial expert. 00:29:32.619 --> 00:29:35.799 He pulls up the data. He's got the latest algorithm. 00:29:36.140 --> 00:29:37.900 He's got all the information you need. You put 00:29:37.900 --> 00:29:39.839 this much in, it will equal this much, right? 00:29:40.500 --> 00:29:42.960 So you go, oh, I'll put my money in there. And 00:29:42.960 --> 00:29:44.380 you don't even think about it. You walk away 00:29:44.380 --> 00:29:46.180 because the market's good. And then the market 00:29:46.180 --> 00:29:48.599 turns bad. And what happens? All of a sudden, 00:29:48.619 --> 00:29:51.079 you decide it's time to pray. But you haven't 00:29:51.079 --> 00:29:53.200 prayed at all the whole time when the math be 00:29:53.200 --> 00:29:55.279 math. And because the financial expert told you 00:29:55.279 --> 00:29:58.700 so. That's how this works. We start to trust 00:29:58.700 --> 00:30:02.759 information instead of trusting God. But the 00:30:02.759 --> 00:30:04.799 more information you get, the more sorrow you 00:30:04.799 --> 00:30:09.140 will have is what the wisest man who ever lived 00:30:09.140 --> 00:30:12.259 says. And I'm not saying he's the wisest man. 00:30:12.319 --> 00:30:16.740 God calls him that in the book. So what's the 00:30:16.740 --> 00:30:23.059 answer, you guys? How do we be present? How do 00:30:23.059 --> 00:30:27.119 we not continue to do the natural? The natural 00:30:27.119 --> 00:30:33.200 instinct of humanity, the natural solution. Well, 00:30:33.240 --> 00:30:38.359 there's a table. It's in Matthew 26. Jesus is 00:30:38.359 --> 00:30:40.140 sitting at the table and he's with his disciples. 00:30:41.579 --> 00:30:49.799 And I want you to hear God's solution. While 00:30:49.799 --> 00:30:54.299 they were eating, Jesus took bread. And when 00:30:54.299 --> 00:30:57.140 he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it 00:30:57.140 --> 00:31:00.039 to his disciples, saying, Take, eat, this is 00:31:00.039 --> 00:31:05.740 my body. You notice the language? He, Jesus, 00:31:05.980 --> 00:31:09.460 takes. What's our natural response? We take. 00:31:13.839 --> 00:31:15.759 And the reality of you being present in this 00:31:15.759 --> 00:31:17.519 moment, the reality of you being able to have 00:31:17.519 --> 00:31:19.640 joy in this moment, the reality of you not worried 00:31:19.640 --> 00:31:21.839 about all the meaning and extracting everything 00:31:21.839 --> 00:31:23.940 you can from this moment and trying to figure 00:31:23.940 --> 00:31:27.799 out how to control it and all of that, there's 00:31:27.799 --> 00:31:30.160 a table. And what you're invited to is a table 00:31:30.160 --> 00:31:34.960 to be present. And it says that the God of the 00:31:34.960 --> 00:31:41.039 universe in the form of Jesus, the human form 00:31:41.039 --> 00:31:51.079 of Jesus, He, he takes bread. And he gives thanks. 00:31:52.740 --> 00:31:55.000 What is he doing? He's reminding you that in 00:31:55.000 --> 00:31:57.240 this moment where your life even comes from. 00:31:58.839 --> 00:32:00.900 He's reminding you in this moment that all those 00:32:00.900 --> 00:32:02.619 things that you carried into you think are so 00:32:02.619 --> 00:32:04.359 significant that you're fighting for meaning 00:32:04.359 --> 00:32:05.880 in that you're trying to control that you're 00:32:05.880 --> 00:32:10.890 all of those things. He's reminding you that 00:32:10.890 --> 00:32:12.789 it's God that puts things in your hands, not 00:32:12.789 --> 00:32:17.210 you. And then he ascribes meaning because he 00:32:17.210 --> 00:32:19.369 takes bread, he gives thanks, he breaks it, he 00:32:19.369 --> 00:32:22.930 breaks it. It's him, it's him that is moving 00:32:22.930 --> 00:32:27.589 it outward. And he says, this is my body given 00:32:27.589 --> 00:32:34.029 for you. That's God saying, this is my solution 00:32:34.029 --> 00:32:38.130 for your constant ache and search for what you 00:32:38.130 --> 00:32:42.319 think you're lacking. This is my solution for 00:32:42.319 --> 00:32:45.299 the meaning that you're looking for. That it's 00:32:45.299 --> 00:32:48.960 in me. That all the ways you're chasing it, all 00:32:48.960 --> 00:32:52.099 the experiences, all the things of life, all 00:32:52.099 --> 00:33:00.720 the people, all the meals. He took bread and 00:33:00.720 --> 00:33:02.779 he goes, this is my body and it's given. Notice 00:33:02.779 --> 00:33:08.680 the posture of the people at the table. They're 00:33:08.680 --> 00:33:11.089 just there. They're not in control of anything. 00:33:12.930 --> 00:33:18.369 They're just present. They're able to have joy. 00:33:18.529 --> 00:33:20.269 Why? Because what is he giving you? It's the 00:33:20.269 --> 00:33:24.730 solution for the biggest ache in your soul. And 00:33:24.730 --> 00:33:28.230 what's their posture? Their hands are open. They're 00:33:28.230 --> 00:33:31.509 not holding on to anything. And when the hands 00:33:31.509 --> 00:33:33.369 are open, what does he do? He takes bread and 00:33:33.369 --> 00:33:38.680 he gives it to them. He fills their hands. It's 00:33:38.680 --> 00:33:40.539 not them filling their hands. It's not them grabbing 00:33:40.539 --> 00:33:42.980 and eating and giving. It's them having their 00:33:42.980 --> 00:33:45.700 hands filled by God going, here's what you need. 00:33:45.940 --> 00:33:51.559 Let me put it in your hands today. And it allows 00:33:51.559 --> 00:33:56.839 us in this moment to be present. It allows us 00:33:56.839 --> 00:34:00.380 to not worry about trying to collect more information, 00:34:00.539 --> 00:34:02.720 try and collect more control, try and collect 00:34:02.720 --> 00:34:06.099 whatever. but to just be present and go, man, 00:34:06.160 --> 00:34:08.059 I'm at the table. My hands are open. God, give 00:34:08.059 --> 00:34:11.559 me what I need right here, right now. And I don't 00:34:11.559 --> 00:34:13.480 know about you, but when I hear about a God who 00:34:13.480 --> 00:34:16.019 is willing to die, give his life, when I hear 00:34:16.019 --> 00:34:18.539 about a God who, what he says next in this verse 00:34:18.539 --> 00:34:21.280 about forgiveness, it says, this is my blood. 00:34:21.679 --> 00:34:23.679 Speaking of the cup, right? He took the cup and 00:34:23.679 --> 00:34:25.039 when he had given thanks, he gave it to them 00:34:25.039 --> 00:34:27.260 saying, drink from it, all of you. This is my 00:34:27.260 --> 00:34:29.340 blood of the covenant, which is poured out for 00:34:29.340 --> 00:34:32.969 many for the forgiveness of sins. That when he's 00:34:32.969 --> 00:34:35.070 about to put in their hands, he goes, this is 00:34:35.070 --> 00:34:39.110 my blood. That your things, that some of you 00:34:39.110 --> 00:34:41.349 have had thoughts in this room as we've sat here, 00:34:41.550 --> 00:34:46.409 if not all of us. That God forgave him already. 00:34:48.090 --> 00:34:54.010 Because he knows what you need right now. He's 00:34:54.010 --> 00:34:56.090 not talking about what you did back there. He's 00:34:56.090 --> 00:34:57.510 talking about here and now. And he's going, hey, 00:34:57.670 --> 00:35:00.219 I... I'm providing forgiveness for all that. 00:35:00.280 --> 00:35:02.380 So what does that allow me to be present? And 00:35:02.380 --> 00:35:04.699 I don't know about you, but I am so thankful, 00:35:04.800 --> 00:35:07.539 which brings joy to me to know that God has forgiven 00:35:07.539 --> 00:35:11.179 me. That for all of eternity, I'm right with 00:35:11.179 --> 00:35:16.519 him. I get to just sit open -handed. I don't 00:35:16.519 --> 00:35:21.139 got to control a thing because he's got it, which 00:35:21.139 --> 00:35:24.699 allows me to just enjoy a meal and be present. 00:35:25.500 --> 00:35:27.420 So how do you need to be present with God today? 00:35:28.920 --> 00:35:31.019 How do you need to open your hands to the posture 00:35:31.019 --> 00:35:34.179 of being present with joy? So the next moments 00:35:34.179 --> 00:35:35.559 are yours and then we'll take it all together. 00:36:56.039 --> 00:37:02.900 Jesus took bread. He broke it. And he puts it 00:37:02.900 --> 00:37:10.820 in their hands. Where they're just present. Where 00:37:10.820 --> 00:37:15.739 he reminds them, it's my body. God Almighty's 00:37:15.739 --> 00:37:20.340 body given for you. Do this in remembrance of 00:37:20.340 --> 00:37:32.760 me. Takes a cup of wine. He said that it's in 00:37:32.760 --> 00:37:34.260 his blood that there's forgiveness. You just 00:37:34.260 --> 00:37:37.420 need to know today you're forgiven. You're forgiven. 00:37:38.659 --> 00:37:42.940 Every single sin. There's nothing outside of 00:37:42.940 --> 00:37:46.199 the scope of the blood of Jesus. And because 00:37:46.199 --> 00:37:48.880 you're forgiven, your identity is changed. And 00:37:48.880 --> 00:37:53.500 you just receive. All we do is go thank you and 00:37:53.500 --> 00:37:57.139 just receive what is given. And so he took a 00:37:57.139 --> 00:37:59.650 cup. He gave thanks. And he handed it to them. 00:37:59.670 --> 00:38:01.389 He said, take, drink, do this in remembrance 00:38:01.389 --> 00:38:09.349 of me. Would you stand where you are? I just 00:38:09.349 --> 00:38:17.730 want to pray over you before we worship. And 00:38:17.730 --> 00:38:19.190 my prayer is this, that you would be able to 00:38:19.190 --> 00:38:21.110 be present, that you would be able to have joy, 00:38:21.329 --> 00:38:23.769 that you would be able to celebrate a God who 00:38:23.769 --> 00:38:27.630 has given you everything you need today. That 00:38:27.630 --> 00:38:30.130 there's nothing else. There's nothing else. That 00:38:30.130 --> 00:38:32.809 all the meaning you need was handed to you in 00:38:32.809 --> 00:38:35.769 bread and wine because he's that good. And so 00:38:35.769 --> 00:38:37.449 God, we come before you and we're just grateful. 00:38:37.550 --> 00:38:39.730 Thank you for loving us. Thank you for what you 00:38:39.730 --> 00:38:42.570 do. Thank you for what you have done. Thank you 00:38:42.570 --> 00:38:44.570 that in this life, God, we can be present to 00:38:44.570 --> 00:38:47.489 this moment right here, right now. And that is 00:38:47.489 --> 00:38:51.269 the most way to be human. God, that we don't 00:38:51.269 --> 00:38:53.920 need to make this moment more than it is. That 00:38:53.920 --> 00:38:56.920 this moment is just us taking our voice and with 00:38:56.920 --> 00:39:00.719 joy saying thank you. Thank you for filling our 00:39:00.719 --> 00:39:07.340 hands today with meaning for this life. And so 00:39:07.340 --> 00:39:12.059 God, we say thank you for the gift. God, we say 00:39:12.059 --> 00:39:14.179 thank you that we get to take the instrument 00:39:14.179 --> 00:39:17.519 that we are and declare who else, God, who else 00:39:17.519 --> 00:39:22.349 is worthy? It's only you. It's only you. And 00:39:22.349 --> 00:39:23.989 so thank you for the gift. And everybody said, 00:39:24.170 --> 00:39:24.710 amen.