WEBVTT 00:00:00.479 --> 00:00:03.359 Hey, hey, I gotta get one on them every now and again. 00:00:03.520 --> 00:00:05.360 Uh, we're gonna be in Ephesians chapter one. 00:00:05.519 --> 00:00:06.719 Let's get into the Bible today. 00:00:06.879 --> 00:00:08.160 Ephesians chapter one. 00:00:08.480 --> 00:00:15.279 We are starting a brand new series entitled Revolution, The Power That Changes Everything. 00:00:15.359 --> 00:00:16.960 Well, we started a couple weeks ago. 00:00:17.120 --> 00:00:20.480 We are actually in uh week three of this series. 00:00:20.719 --> 00:00:29.120 And what we've seen so far is that the gospel, the death, the burial, the resurrection of Jesus Christ allows us to drop the mask. 00:00:29.359 --> 00:00:38.799 We've also seen that allows us to no longer have to strive to be righteous, but to stand in the righteousness that we already have. 00:00:39.280 --> 00:00:44.240 And if you've missed any of the messages, you can check it out on YouTube or the podcast. 00:00:44.399 --> 00:00:51.840 Or if you're up late at night and you can't fall asleep, this would really help you fall asleep to put the podcast in your ear. 00:00:52.000 --> 00:01:02.799 So, and today what we're gonna see is we are gonna see something else the gospel brings us, and that is spiritual sight. 00:01:04.159 --> 00:01:05.200 Spiritual sight. 00:01:05.439 --> 00:01:08.000 Now we all know the importance of physical sight. 00:01:08.719 --> 00:01:10.159 Like physical sight's important. 00:01:10.239 --> 00:01:13.359 If you lose your physical sight, you you know that's not a good thing. 00:01:13.439 --> 00:01:22.400 In fact, I was reminded of this a couple years ago, and I was actually reminded of it when I was standing right up here on stage and I was preaching. 00:01:23.519 --> 00:01:35.760 I I had noticed that the confidence monitor in the back of the room, it seemed like over a period of time the font had just gotten smaller and smaller and smaller. 00:01:36.000 --> 00:01:41.120 And I'm thinking, like, why are we making the font smaller on the confidence monitor? 00:01:41.439 --> 00:01:44.799 So I so I asked Pastor Cody, you know, at that time he's leading our media. 00:01:44.959 --> 00:01:48.319 I said, I said, hey man, I said, can you can you help me like understand? 00:01:48.400 --> 00:01:53.280 Like, what why are we making the the font smaller on the TV in the back? 00:01:55.200 --> 00:01:57.439 He said, We're not making the font smaller. 00:01:57.920 --> 00:02:02.000 I said, No, no, no, like Pastor Cody, like the font is getting smaller, man. 00:02:02.079 --> 00:02:04.400 Like, I got I I can't see it. 00:02:06.719 --> 00:02:08.719 He said, the font's not getting smaller. 00:02:08.879 --> 00:02:19.039 Now at this point, I'm like, there is no possible way that I'm losing my eyesight, that I'm gonna need some type of corrective lenses. 00:02:19.199 --> 00:02:22.319 It has to be a technology issue, right? 00:02:22.639 --> 00:02:24.159 Technology issue, sure, right? 00:02:24.400 --> 00:02:24.879 Yeah. 00:02:25.520 --> 00:02:29.360 So I'm like, Pastor Cody, you don't know what you're talking about. 00:02:29.840 --> 00:02:33.360 So we actually we had a contractor at that time, and he was working on some things in the building. 00:02:33.439 --> 00:02:37.599 So I brought him up here and we turned on this TV, and I was like, hey man, can you help me with something? 00:02:37.759 --> 00:02:41.039 Because I'm trying to prove to Pastor Cody that I was right and he was wrong. 00:02:41.280 --> 00:02:44.639 I said, Hey, can you read the words right there on the screen? 00:02:44.719 --> 00:02:46.560 And I'm like, there's no way he can read them. 00:02:46.639 --> 00:02:48.639 He's like 30 years older than me. 00:02:48.800 --> 00:02:54.800 Like he read every single line. 00:02:58.159 --> 00:03:03.120 And he looked at me and he said, When's the last time you went to the eye doctor? 00:03:04.960 --> 00:03:08.639 I looked at him and I said, I'm not asking for medical advice here. 00:03:09.039 --> 00:03:10.400 Who hired this bozo? 00:03:10.800 --> 00:03:11.439 Just kidding. 00:03:12.159 --> 00:03:12.800 Just kidding. 00:03:13.439 --> 00:03:14.560 And you know what? 00:03:15.840 --> 00:03:20.800 I needed corrective lenses, aka glasses. 00:03:21.039 --> 00:03:26.240 And the moment I put in some contacts in my eyes, guys, it was like a whole new world. 00:03:27.280 --> 00:03:29.599 I could actually read signs again. 00:03:29.919 --> 00:03:32.719 I thought those were just like green things on the side of the road. 00:03:32.800 --> 00:03:34.319 They had words on them. 00:03:35.439 --> 00:03:40.560 And I didn't realize that I couldn't see until I could. 00:03:41.680 --> 00:03:48.960 And we go to a place in Ephesians where Paul wants to help people to have spiritual sight. 00:03:50.639 --> 00:03:59.120 Because there were some things that they were missing and they didn't realize they were missing because they didn't have spiritual sight to see. 00:04:03.599 --> 00:04:10.240 And it's possible that we could be here today and we can struggle with spiritual sight. 00:04:11.039 --> 00:04:20.879 And it's possible, like me, that we don't realize how bad it actually is until we put on the right lenses. 00:04:21.519 --> 00:04:36.160 And Paul has a prayer that these people would have spiritual sight that the gospel brings them to not just know things in their head, but to experience things in their heart. 00:04:36.800 --> 00:04:42.319 This is why today's message is entitled this From the Head to the Heart. 00:04:44.639 --> 00:04:53.519 And what we're gonna see today is we're going to see what spiritual sight allows us to see. 00:04:55.360 --> 00:05:10.240 And could it be in the room that you're in a church building on Sunday morning, and maybe you know some things about God, maybe you heard some things, maybe you've been in church for a while, but you don't actually have spiritual sight to see what God wants you to see. 00:05:10.959 --> 00:05:15.040 And you know it in your head, but it hasn't gone down 18 inches into your heart. 00:05:15.360 --> 00:05:20.879 And today we're gonna see how that changes everything and how it's actually possible to have spiritual sight. 00:05:20.959 --> 00:05:22.720 We're gonna pick it up in Ephesians chapter 1. 00:05:22.800 --> 00:05:24.560 If you're ready for it, would you say amen? 00:05:25.120 --> 00:05:27.360 Ephesians 1, verse number 16. 00:05:27.519 --> 00:05:28.879 This is what scripture says. 00:05:29.120 --> 00:05:32.000 Scripture says, I never stop giving thanks for you. 00:05:32.240 --> 00:05:35.759 Paul writes this as I remember you in my prayers. 00:05:36.079 --> 00:05:49.519 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. 00:05:49.680 --> 00:05:52.240 So He first wants these people to have wisdom. 00:05:52.319 --> 00:05:53.439 Now, what's wisdom? 00:05:53.680 --> 00:06:03.199 Wisdom is a combination of knowledge, insight, and applying that God-given truth to your life. 00:06:04.240 --> 00:06:09.920 He says he wants them to have wisdom, he wants them to have a revelation of the knowledge of God. 00:06:10.079 --> 00:06:11.279 Now, what's a revelation? 00:06:11.439 --> 00:06:15.519 A revelation is knowing something that you didn't previously know. 00:06:16.000 --> 00:06:19.199 He says he wants them to have a revelation of the knowledge of God. 00:06:19.360 --> 00:06:23.199 Now, the word knowledge here, this doesn't just mean knowing facts. 00:06:24.720 --> 00:06:28.319 This word knowledge is so much more than knowing facts. 00:06:28.480 --> 00:06:32.399 In fact, the church at Ephesus here, they knew a lot about God. 00:06:33.120 --> 00:06:39.920 They had been through the foundations group at FCC, led by Miss Doris Williams, who's amazing. 00:06:40.800 --> 00:06:43.759 They they they could they could pass a Bible test. 00:06:44.079 --> 00:06:45.600 They knew things about Jesus. 00:06:45.759 --> 00:06:48.800 They knew on Easter Sunday Jesus resurrected. 00:06:49.600 --> 00:07:04.720 But he wants them to have this knowledge, he wants it to move from their head to their hearts, from it to go from just facts in their brain to experience in their heart. 00:07:04.800 --> 00:07:12.800 And I was thinking this week, look, man, how can I uh how can I communicate this, like this this uh knowledge, like this full, deep experiential knowledge? 00:07:12.879 --> 00:07:14.959 And this is the best I could come up with, okay? 00:07:15.199 --> 00:07:19.279 Um has anybody ever been to a Brazilian steakhouse before? 00:07:19.439 --> 00:07:21.920 Yes, if you've been to a Brazilian steakhouse, raise your hand. 00:07:22.000 --> 00:07:27.600 Okay, I okay, so all of you, you have you have experienced a small taste of heaven. 00:07:28.720 --> 00:07:30.240 Basically, yes, right. 00:07:30.560 --> 00:07:38.000 So, so for years, literally years, people told me, they say, Nate, you need to go to Brazilian Steakhouse. 00:07:38.399 --> 00:07:44.240 So they would tell me what how you get as many meats as you want, like unlimited meats. 00:07:44.480 --> 00:07:47.439 I'm like, you have me at unlimited meats, like I want to go, right? 00:07:47.600 --> 00:07:49.839 Servers, I'm sorry, vegan folk in the room. 00:07:49.920 --> 00:07:50.480 I'm sorry. 00:07:50.639 --> 00:07:55.120 Um servers walk around, they'll just like you know, cut meat and all that. 00:07:55.279 --> 00:07:58.319 And and and so for years, like I knew about Brazilian steakhouses. 00:07:58.399 --> 00:08:00.319 In fact, I even did some research. 00:08:01.199 --> 00:08:03.680 I want experience this, like I want to know about this. 00:08:03.839 --> 00:08:13.680 Well, one day my dad came to me, and my dad said, Hey, I want to take you to a Brazilian steakhouse, and I want to do it on my dime. 00:08:13.839 --> 00:08:14.079 Oh, yeah. 00:08:14.240 --> 00:08:14.639 Oh, yeah. 00:08:15.360 --> 00:08:16.560 Say less, dad. 00:08:16.800 --> 00:08:18.000 When are we going? 00:08:18.319 --> 00:08:19.680 Yes, my dad loves me. 00:08:19.759 --> 00:08:21.839 In case you were wondering, you know now. 00:08:23.279 --> 00:08:25.360 I'm like, let's go. 00:08:27.439 --> 00:08:34.480 So let me just tell y'all, we went to the Brazilian steakhouse and I ate so much I was still full the next morning. 00:08:34.799 --> 00:08:38.320 Had a little bit of shame, but I was still full that next morning, man. 00:08:38.639 --> 00:08:42.080 It was a life-changing experience. 00:08:42.799 --> 00:08:47.200 Now, before I went, I knew about a Brazilian steakhouse. 00:08:49.039 --> 00:08:55.759 But once I experienced it, I really knew about a Brazilian steakhouse. 00:08:56.960 --> 00:09:08.159 And here's my concern for a lot of us is that many of us know truths about God in our head that have never reached our hearts. 00:09:12.080 --> 00:09:13.759 You know God loves you. 00:09:15.679 --> 00:09:20.000 But you still live an anxious life craving approval from other people. 00:09:21.840 --> 00:09:26.639 You know biblically that you are an adopted child of God. 00:09:26.799 --> 00:09:37.840 You are adopted, but your heart still has an orphan spirit trying to find worth and security and meaning from all these other places. 00:09:39.039 --> 00:09:51.840 You know that in the gospel you are forgiven by God, but you still functionally live your life carrying weight of shame and guilt and condemnation, and you just can't shake it. 00:09:54.399 --> 00:10:02.559 And what spiritual sight does is spiritual sight moves truth from head knowledge to heart reality. 00:10:04.559 --> 00:10:16.879 From head knowledge to heart reality, from just knowing the facts about God and knowing the facts about scripture to letting them come down to your heart and actually transforming your heart. 00:10:17.519 --> 00:10:22.080 Now, science and scripture actually agree on this. 00:10:23.200 --> 00:10:34.559 There's a part of your brain that understands facts, and there's another part of your brain that forms what you actually feel and what you actually believe. 00:10:36.320 --> 00:10:39.200 You're welcome for the science lesson this morning. 00:10:40.960 --> 00:10:47.120 Scripture tells us in James that the demons believe in God and they shudder. 00:10:47.919 --> 00:10:53.440 So demons believe, like they have the intellectual knowledge there is a God. 00:10:54.159 --> 00:10:59.759 But the psalmist says, taste and see that the Lord is good. 00:11:01.360 --> 00:11:06.399 One is knowledge, the other is experience. 00:11:06.960 --> 00:11:11.440 It's a full knowledge, it's an understanding at the heart level. 00:11:12.399 --> 00:11:19.039 And it's possible to believe something intellectually while your heart still lives as if it isn't true. 00:11:20.639 --> 00:11:21.679 It's like this. 00:11:21.840 --> 00:11:30.159 This is why you can get on an airplane and you can know that airplane, get on an airplane is one of the safest things you can do. 00:11:30.480 --> 00:11:32.159 Like it's super safe. 00:11:32.399 --> 00:11:43.279 But the moment you hit a little bit of turbulence on that airplane, uh-oh, it's like, oh, you're like, Lord, please help. 00:11:44.320 --> 00:11:48.159 You're like you're like re you're like confessing all of your sins in that moment. 00:11:48.320 --> 00:11:49.759 You're scared of death, right? 00:11:49.840 --> 00:11:51.840 You know in your head it's safe. 00:11:53.279 --> 00:12:04.480 The front part of your brain knows like it's gonna be okay, but the back of your brain where your actual beliefs happen, where the feelings happen, is freaking out. 00:12:08.080 --> 00:12:10.320 And this is what Paul is praying. 00:12:10.559 --> 00:12:17.279 Paul is praying they don't just know stuff about God, but that they experience the things that they know. 00:12:18.159 --> 00:12:25.120 Paul isn't praying they learn more about God, he's praying they finally see what's been true all along. 00:12:28.000 --> 00:12:36.480 This is when information sinks down into your heart and turns into transformation and turns into passion. 00:12:37.120 --> 00:12:46.399 Now, real quick, there's four practices, four practices that can help you have things go from your head to your heart. 00:12:46.720 --> 00:12:50.000 Here's the first one: meditate on truth. 00:12:50.320 --> 00:12:53.840 Meditate on truth, rehearse God's promises daily. 00:12:54.080 --> 00:13:01.600 Psalm one, psalm one says the blessed person meditates day and night on God's word. 00:13:02.879 --> 00:13:08.159 So this is what happens God's word, God's promises actually become a part of you. 00:13:10.080 --> 00:13:12.639 So I'm actually like thinking about this. 00:13:13.039 --> 00:13:17.840 All right, hey guys, football season's over, so we don't just have to think about football anymore. 00:13:18.000 --> 00:13:20.000 Okay, maybe I'm just talking to myself here. 00:13:20.399 --> 00:13:22.480 We can meditate on God's word. 00:13:23.279 --> 00:13:30.879 And here's the deal, guys like we should try to actually memorize promises of scripture, memorize who we are in Christ. 00:13:30.960 --> 00:13:36.399 I was talking to somebody in my growth group this week, and and we were talking about identity in Christ and what that means. 00:13:36.480 --> 00:13:42.080 And I sent them a screenshot of something I rehearsed for years of my life every day. 00:13:42.240 --> 00:13:47.840 Is I would walk through in the morning and meditate on who I am in Christ every single day. 00:13:48.080 --> 00:13:51.120 Not because I'm spiritual, but because I needed to hear it. 00:13:51.759 --> 00:13:55.120 Like it needed to become a part of me because I knew this stuff in my head. 00:13:55.279 --> 00:13:58.080 I could pass a Bible test, I went to Bible college. 00:13:58.480 --> 00:13:59.679 But was it here? 00:13:59.919 --> 00:14:00.399 Mm-mm. 00:14:01.600 --> 00:14:02.159 Mm-mm. 00:14:03.440 --> 00:14:05.840 And what we have to do, we have to meditate on truth. 00:14:06.000 --> 00:14:07.120 Here's an idea for you. 00:14:07.279 --> 00:14:14.240 If you're anything like me, a place you see a lot is the refrigerator every single day. 00:14:14.639 --> 00:14:21.679 You can put some of God's promises on your refrigerator door and say, I'm not opening up that door until I read two of God's promises. 00:14:22.879 --> 00:14:25.919 If you like me, you'll probably have a hundred of them said every day. 00:14:27.279 --> 00:14:28.639 Meditate on God's truth. 00:14:28.720 --> 00:14:31.600 Number two, remember stories of God's faithfulness to you. 00:14:32.399 --> 00:14:34.639 Write down answered prayers. 00:14:35.279 --> 00:14:40.480 Scientifically, the emotional part of your brain learns through patterns. 00:14:41.519 --> 00:14:44.399 The emotional part of your brain learns through patterns. 00:14:44.720 --> 00:14:56.480 So every time you see an answered prayer, every time God proves faithful, every time the spirit speaks to you, every time you see God working, write those things down. 00:14:56.960 --> 00:14:58.240 And this is what's gonna happen. 00:14:58.320 --> 00:15:02.159 You're gonna write it down here, and you're gonna write it down here, and you're gonna write down here, you're gonna write it down here. 00:15:02.320 --> 00:15:12.480 And your emotional brain, you are rewiring your brain to know that God is faithful and God is at work and God is doing great and mighty things, and God has done all these. 00:15:12.639 --> 00:15:20.559 So now when I go to a situation in my life that seems overwhelming and the circumstances is crazy, our brain is gonna say, Yes, things are bad. 00:15:20.720 --> 00:15:35.440 Our prefrontal cortex, like, yes, this is bad, but our emotional part of our brain, that where our beliefs actually come from, has been rewired, and we say, Yes, but God did this at that point, and God did this at that point, and God answered that prayer, and God was faithful then. 00:15:35.840 --> 00:15:44.720 This is why in the Old Testament, God told the children of Israel that they need to remember the works of the past, set up stones of remembrance. 00:15:44.879 --> 00:15:45.200 Why? 00:15:45.360 --> 00:15:47.039 Because they were forgetful people. 00:15:47.679 --> 00:15:49.360 You know how to forgetful people? 00:15:49.519 --> 00:15:49.840 We are. 00:15:50.080 --> 00:15:51.440 That's right, we are. 00:15:52.159 --> 00:16:01.519 I'm a forgetful person, and we need to remember what God has done in the past, remember stories of his faithfulness. 00:16:02.080 --> 00:16:04.480 Number three, how does it go from the head of the heart? 00:16:04.639 --> 00:16:06.240 By singing truth. 00:16:07.039 --> 00:16:11.279 Worship music connects belief and emotion. 00:16:12.240 --> 00:16:20.960 Worship music is like a bridge that connects truth and what you know to feeling that truth in your heart. 00:16:21.279 --> 00:16:27.840 You know, when we have a time of our service, we open our service, about half our service in worship music. 00:16:28.000 --> 00:16:34.960 That's not because, well, we got some really good musicians here, which we do, and we're just gonna hear them sing. 00:16:35.279 --> 00:16:44.639 No, it's for participants, it's for participation, it's for it's for us to do this together and us to worship the Lord together. 00:16:44.879 --> 00:16:55.759 What singing does is singing engages memory, emotion, cognition, and it allows truth to connect to our hearts. 00:16:56.320 --> 00:17:08.480 And for some of us, literally, I'm not exaggerating, for some of us, if you would learn to engage in worship music, that one activity would allow truth to go from your head to your heart. 00:17:09.440 --> 00:17:26.720 If on your way to work or school every day, instead of listening to the podcast, if you said nope, I'm gonna have a praise party in my car and I'm gonna blare that music like I'm 17 years old and I just don't care, and I'm gonna roll the windows down and I'm just gonna sing loud. 00:17:26.880 --> 00:17:27.839 You know what's gonna happen? 00:17:27.920 --> 00:17:29.759 You're gonna start feeling some of this stuff. 00:17:30.000 --> 00:17:32.960 Honestly, uh, some of you guys, you don't know how to feel. 00:17:33.039 --> 00:17:34.480 It's okay to feel. 00:17:34.799 --> 00:17:46.240 Like feelings aren't your enemies, especially when you're feeling how loved you are by God, especially when you're feeling the power of God in your life, especially when you're feeling that God is with you when everybody's abandoned you. 00:17:47.920 --> 00:17:52.240 And what worship music does is it connects belief to emotion. 00:17:52.400 --> 00:17:55.119 And I'll just say one more thing just for fun on this one. 00:17:56.160 --> 00:18:06.400 Some of us during the worship time in the service, we're so scared to sing or to engage because we're worried about what other people think about us. 00:18:09.839 --> 00:18:12.319 I just tell you, we know Deborah don't care. 00:18:12.400 --> 00:18:13.039 Come on, man. 00:18:13.119 --> 00:18:14.960 We need some more Deborah's in the room, right? 00:18:15.119 --> 00:18:17.359 Deborah's gonna preach a sermon about that, right? 00:18:18.000 --> 00:18:19.759 Here's what some of y'all need to know. 00:18:20.559 --> 00:18:26.880 Other people aren't worried about you because half the other people in the room are worried about what you think about them. 00:18:30.319 --> 00:18:34.079 So if you will say, Wow, this truth is amazing. 00:18:34.240 --> 00:18:36.079 Like we just sang the song about the promises. 00:18:36.400 --> 00:18:37.279 Oh my gosh. 00:18:37.680 --> 00:18:42.480 It's like, I ain't worried about what no, I ain't worried about what P thinks, even though P's a really cool guy. 00:18:42.640 --> 00:18:45.680 Uh his promises have God's promises have changed my life. 00:18:45.759 --> 00:18:47.279 I'm gonna worship and sing that. 00:18:47.440 --> 00:18:53.200 So now I'm gonna walk out of this room this week, knowing the promises of God when truth is going from my head to my heart. 00:18:53.279 --> 00:18:56.799 Number four is to be committed to Christian community. 00:18:56.960 --> 00:19:02.079 Yes, this actually rewires the brain. 00:19:02.319 --> 00:19:15.759 Connecting with people, psychologists would call it attachment, rewires the brain and the actual belief systems which happen in the back part of our brain and our limbic system. 00:19:16.720 --> 00:19:29.920 So when Jesus followers are in community in a place where they're actually experiencing real love, where you're actually experiencing a community of people that care more about how you're doing than what you're doing. 00:19:31.200 --> 00:19:58.319 When you're actually experiencing acceptance without judgment, when you're actually experiencing grace and mercy, even in your flaws and in your foibles that we all have, what happens is your brain starts to be rewired, and you start to think, wow, if these people are accepting and I can be vulnerable and they still love me, it rewires your brain to say, Oh wow, like what God is saying about who he is is actually true because I'm experiencing this from other people. 00:19:59.200 --> 00:20:05.680 This is why church is not just an event that we attend on Sunday morning, it's a family you belong to. 00:20:06.400 --> 00:20:10.240 Like where we are in community with other people. 00:20:11.279 --> 00:20:19.599 And what happens when we have these practices in our life is they allow truth to go from our head to our heart. 00:20:19.839 --> 00:20:24.160 It allows us to have spiritual sight to see. 00:20:25.200 --> 00:20:31.359 And the spiritual sight that we're gonna see is what Paul prays they would have in verses 18 and 19. 00:20:31.599 --> 00:20:53.119 He says, I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and verse 19, what is the immeasurable greatness of his power towards us who believe according to the mighty working of his strength? 00:20:53.440 --> 00:21:00.240 See, when you have spiritual eyes to see, you are going to see and realize some things that are going to change you. 00:21:00.400 --> 00:21:06.000 You are going to see that you have a hope, verse 18, that can't be shaken. 00:21:06.400 --> 00:21:10.160 And verse 18 here it says, We have a hope of his calling. 00:21:10.240 --> 00:21:13.119 What is the hope of being called into the family of God? 00:21:13.680 --> 00:21:18.160 Now, the meaning of biblical hope is a lot different than how we use the word hope today. 00:21:18.400 --> 00:21:19.759 See, this is what biblical hope is. 00:21:19.920 --> 00:21:22.799 Biblical hope is a confident expectation. 00:21:23.440 --> 00:21:25.279 It's not wishful thinking. 00:21:26.000 --> 00:21:29.039 It's not wishful thinking, it's a confident expectation, right? 00:21:29.279 --> 00:21:31.039 We use the word hope like this. 00:21:31.359 --> 00:21:35.279 On my way home, I hope there's not any traffic today. 00:21:36.559 --> 00:21:38.000 That's that's like a wish. 00:21:38.559 --> 00:21:44.559 Or we think, man, I hope this person won't be in one of those moods again. 00:21:44.960 --> 00:21:46.319 Oh, that was a little too sensitive. 00:21:46.400 --> 00:21:48.799 I'm sorry, I didn't mean to like all of them your business there, right? 00:21:49.119 --> 00:21:51.759 It's it's like it's like wishful thinking. 00:21:52.240 --> 00:21:54.640 Biblical hope is confident expectation. 00:21:54.720 --> 00:21:58.960 It's like this you have confidence you're going to get paid on that day. 00:21:59.359 --> 00:21:59.680 Confident. 00:22:00.400 --> 00:22:00.960 Expectation. 00:22:01.119 --> 00:22:05.039 It's like this: you order something on Amazon, it says it's gonna be there by Saturday. 00:22:05.200 --> 00:22:07.599 You're like, I know it's gonna be there by Saturday. 00:22:08.079 --> 00:22:10.720 It's a confident expectation. 00:22:11.359 --> 00:22:21.599 And when we have spiritual eyes to see, we will know that we can have a confident expectation no matter our circumstances in life. 00:22:21.839 --> 00:22:24.319 Confidence that God's promises are true. 00:22:24.559 --> 00:22:28.799 Confidence that God is working all things for our good and his glory. 00:22:29.039 --> 00:22:37.279 Confidence that we are God's chat children, no matter how we feel, we will understand that we have a hope that cannot be shaken. 00:22:37.519 --> 00:22:42.799 And you will be in circumstances where life is crazy and you're like, I don't even know what's going on. 00:22:43.039 --> 00:22:52.079 But if you have spiritual sight, you will see you have a hope that can't be shaken because you have a savior that is risen from the grave. 00:22:52.880 --> 00:23:04.480 Paul says, Paul says, hey, hey, hey, I want y'all to have a knowledge, a revelation of knowing that you have this hope that can't be shaken, so the circumstances of life don't overwhelm you. 00:23:05.759 --> 00:23:06.960 Sight brings us something else. 00:23:07.039 --> 00:23:10.480 Number two, it gives us a worth that cannot be lost. 00:23:14.079 --> 00:23:14.960 Don't miss this. 00:23:15.039 --> 00:23:19.279 This text at the end of verse 18, it says, What is the wealth of his? 00:23:19.599 --> 00:23:22.720 This is God's glorious inheritance in the saints. 00:23:23.119 --> 00:23:30.079 Now, saints are anybody that's believed in Jesus Christ, that's put their faith and trust in Christ as their Lord and Savior. 00:23:30.319 --> 00:23:36.960 All of God's children that have trusted him to be Lord, his their Lord and Savior, they are saints biblically. 00:23:38.160 --> 00:23:45.039 And this text says that God's inheritance is in the saints. 00:23:45.200 --> 00:23:46.400 So think about this. 00:23:47.200 --> 00:23:50.240 An inheritance is incredibly valuable. 00:23:51.759 --> 00:23:54.880 An inheritance has a lot of worth. 00:23:55.359 --> 00:24:03.200 And when God looks at everything that He's created, He doesn't say, My inheritance is that beautiful sunset over there, because it's amazing. 00:24:06.880 --> 00:24:07.599 No, no. 00:24:10.079 --> 00:24:12.720 My inheritance is my children. 00:24:14.799 --> 00:24:16.720 That's how much worth you have. 00:24:17.359 --> 00:24:21.680 And you realize you have a worth that cannot be lost. 00:24:23.440 --> 00:24:26.160 There's a guy named William Randolph Hearst. 00:24:26.400 --> 00:24:28.160 I don't know if any of you guys have heard of this guy. 00:24:30.400 --> 00:24:34.079 He was one of the richest guys in the world, and he had like this crazy art collection. 00:24:34.160 --> 00:24:44.240 I don't know if any of you guys are art people, but this dude had tons of stuff, and he found he found out about this very valuable piece of art, and he had to add this valuable piece of art to his collection. 00:24:44.400 --> 00:24:46.880 So he sent his agent out and they searched the world. 00:24:46.960 --> 00:24:49.920 And William Randolph Hearst was he was one of the richest guys. 00:24:50.000 --> 00:24:54.400 He said, spare no expense, just bring the piece of artwork back to me. 00:24:54.960 --> 00:25:01.200 But in the process of the search, they discovered something that was crazy. 00:25:02.960 --> 00:25:15.519 William Randolph Hearst actually already owned the piece of heart, art, and it was in one of his warehouses where he kept all of his stuff. 00:25:17.440 --> 00:25:21.039 He was looking for something that he already had. 00:25:22.240 --> 00:25:30.240 And some of us here today, we are looking for personal worth and self-worth in all these different ways. 00:25:30.480 --> 00:25:34.079 But what we need to realize is that we already have worth in Christ. 00:25:35.359 --> 00:25:39.359 Like we try to find worth by how successful we are. 00:25:39.519 --> 00:25:46.000 We try to find personal worth and how good of a parent we are and what we look like and how many likes we can get on that post. 00:25:46.880 --> 00:25:47.759 Just why? 00:25:47.839 --> 00:25:49.119 Because we want to feel like we matter. 00:25:49.200 --> 00:25:51.279 We want to feel like we have value. 00:25:51.440 --> 00:25:56.720 Friend, can I just say that you have value because of who God says that you are? 00:25:56.960 --> 00:25:59.200 You have a worth that cannot be lost. 00:25:59.279 --> 00:26:01.119 It doesn't matter what's happened to you. 00:26:01.279 --> 00:26:09.119 You can lose your job, you can lose your finances, you can lose relationships, but you have a worth that cannot be lost in Christ. 00:26:09.440 --> 00:26:10.799 That is who you are. 00:26:11.039 --> 00:26:12.880 And Paul says, listen, listen, listen, listen. 00:26:13.279 --> 00:26:14.960 I don't care if you know a lot about God. 00:26:15.119 --> 00:26:28.240 If you are living in your heart as an orphan child, if you're living in your heart as somebody that's trying to find worth in everything else, he says, My prayer, church at Ephesus, is that you would see that you are the inheritance. 00:26:28.480 --> 00:26:30.240 God's inheritance is in you. 00:26:30.400 --> 00:26:32.319 That's how much worth that you have. 00:26:32.799 --> 00:26:34.480 Friends, do you feel that? 00:26:34.720 --> 00:26:36.319 You have a worth that can't be lost. 00:26:36.480 --> 00:26:39.920 And number three, you have a power that cannot be measured. 00:26:41.039 --> 00:26:46.400 Friends, when you have spiritual sight, when you have spiritual sight, you're gonna understand. 00:26:46.720 --> 00:26:52.799 You have a hope that can't be shaken, a worth that can't be lost, and a power that can't be measured. 00:26:52.960 --> 00:26:59.839 In this verse, verse 19, it says, What is the immeasurable greatness of his power towards us who believe? 00:27:01.359 --> 00:27:17.759 The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is the same power that is working towards you and within you, and his power is working through you, and that power is immeasurable if you are a believer in Jesus Christ. 00:27:18.079 --> 00:27:21.920 So here's the question: How do we experience this power? 00:27:22.160 --> 00:27:25.440 Like if it's working towards us, how do we experience this? 00:27:25.759 --> 00:27:27.039 This is what we do. 00:27:28.000 --> 00:27:29.279 This is hard. 00:27:30.160 --> 00:27:44.559 We live our lives in surrender to Him, and we live our lives outside of our comfort zone in a place that's uncomfortable, because in a place that's uncomfortable is the place where we're forced to rely on Him and rely on His power. 00:27:46.559 --> 00:27:54.960 So some of us, some of us, we never experience God's power in our life because we have a little circle called our comfort zone. 00:27:55.359 --> 00:27:57.039 It's super comfortable. 00:27:57.359 --> 00:27:58.319 We love it. 00:27:58.720 --> 00:28:04.400 And in our comfort zone, we never have to do anything that takes faith or takes risk spiritually. 00:28:04.559 --> 00:28:07.359 Everything is safe, everything is controlled. 00:28:07.680 --> 00:28:14.720 And when we go outside of our comfort zone and say, Lord, I'm at this place where I literally can't do it. 00:28:16.079 --> 00:28:18.799 I don't have the answers, I can't lead people. 00:28:18.880 --> 00:28:20.160 I don't know how to do this. 00:28:20.319 --> 00:28:25.359 But when we're at this place, that's when the power of God can rest on you. 00:28:26.000 --> 00:28:32.960 When you come to the end of yourself and you say, God, I can't, that's when he steps in and he says, I can. 00:28:34.240 --> 00:28:45.200 For some of us, here's what that means that means grabbing an Easter 5 list and inviting your Easter 5 people to come to Easter services. 00:28:45.359 --> 00:28:48.240 Some of y'all are like, that scares me to death, Pastor Nate. 00:28:48.720 --> 00:28:49.759 I hate rejection. 00:28:49.839 --> 00:28:50.880 Listen, listen, listen. 00:28:50.960 --> 00:28:52.640 Get out of the comfort zone. 00:28:53.839 --> 00:28:55.440 Rest in God's power. 00:28:55.519 --> 00:28:56.640 He can use you. 00:28:57.359 --> 00:29:02.319 For some of us, that means serving on a serve team, jumping on a serve team and saying, Man, I'm gonna serve. 00:29:02.400 --> 00:29:11.440 For some of us, we serve on a serve team, and it means taking a scary step for some of us and becoming a ministry coordinator on a serve team. 00:29:12.720 --> 00:29:13.440 It's like ministry. 00:29:13.839 --> 00:29:14.640 I don't know if I can do that. 00:29:14.720 --> 00:29:15.440 Yes, you can. 00:29:15.839 --> 00:29:18.319 Yeah, God's power can rest on you. 00:29:18.559 --> 00:29:19.839 You can do this. 00:29:21.440 --> 00:29:27.839 And God's power is experienced when we are in a place where we realize that we can't do it on our own. 00:29:28.960 --> 00:29:33.359 And friends, this morning, here's what we need to realize. 00:29:33.599 --> 00:29:39.200 We need to realize with our spiritual eyes that we have a hope this morning that can't be shaken. 00:29:43.039 --> 00:29:49.359 If you are if you are not living your life with a confident expectation, you need a revelation of knowledge. 00:29:49.599 --> 00:29:59.039 You need an understanding to see that you have a hope that can't be shaken, you have a worth that can't be lost, and you have a power that cannot be measured. 00:29:59.359 --> 00:30:00.400 Here's what we need to do. 00:30:00.480 --> 00:30:01.680 We need to see this. 00:30:02.079 --> 00:30:04.319 We need our eyes to be opened. 00:30:04.799 --> 00:30:12.640 And we're gonna end our service today a little bit different, singing a song entitled Open the Eyes of My Heart. 00:30:13.279 --> 00:30:15.200 Here's what I want this to be. 00:30:15.599 --> 00:30:18.799 I want this to be a prayer to God. 00:30:20.160 --> 00:30:21.920 God, open the eyes of my heart. 00:30:22.079 --> 00:30:24.559 Help me to see that I have a hope that can't be shaken. 00:30:24.720 --> 00:30:26.880 Help me to see I have a worth that can't be lost. 00:30:27.039 --> 00:30:30.640 Help me to see I have a power that can't be measured. 00:30:31.039 --> 00:30:32.960 So we're gonna sing this song. 00:30:33.680 --> 00:30:35.519 And would this be our prayer? 00:30:36.000 --> 00:30:39.920 Lord, open the eyes of our heart. 00:30:40.079 --> 00:30:42.000 Let's all stand together and let's sing a verse.