WEBVTT 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:09.119 Alright, what if I told you that you have a choice and you can choose between being blessed or being cursed? 00:00:09.439 --> 00:00:10.880 Which would you choose? 00:00:12.240 --> 00:00:13.039 Good job. 00:00:13.119 --> 00:00:14.800 Like, thank you for giving feedback, right? 00:00:14.880 --> 00:00:20.800 I know that actually by itself, that's kind of a dumb question because of course we would all choose to be blessed. 00:00:21.039 --> 00:00:23.600 So let me let me reframe it this way. 00:00:24.399 --> 00:00:26.960 What if that question's not a hypothetical? 00:00:27.920 --> 00:00:33.119 Like, what if you do actually have a choice, but it's not a choice about being blessed or being cursed. 00:00:33.280 --> 00:00:36.079 Those two things are just the results of the real choice. 00:00:36.320 --> 00:00:38.399 And the real choice goes deeper. 00:00:38.719 --> 00:00:41.759 It's simple, but it gets overlooked. 00:00:42.000 --> 00:00:43.679 Now, let me back up for a second. 00:00:43.920 --> 00:00:49.520 When Jesus goes public with his ministry, there is a lot of momentum very quickly. 00:00:49.679 --> 00:00:53.280 I mean, he's healing people who really didn't have any hope of being healed. 00:00:53.520 --> 00:01:00.799 He's casting out demons, he's preaching mic drop sermons, he's investing in leaders that don't know that they're leaders yet. 00:01:00.960 --> 00:01:04.480 And word about Jesus is spreading quickly. 00:01:04.719 --> 00:01:17.359 There's no Instagram or TikTok, there's no YouTube or podcasts or group chats where you can just send information everywhere instantly, and yet word about Jesus is spreading like wildfire. 00:01:17.599 --> 00:01:20.799 The guy's becoming famous, and he's not even trying. 00:01:21.359 --> 00:01:34.799 There's all kinds of momentum, there's a lot of excitement, a lot of opportunities, there's a lot going in the right direction, and in the middle of all of that, there's this one flyover verse in Luke 5. 00:01:35.040 --> 00:01:37.920 It looks like it's completely irrelevant to the story. 00:01:38.000 --> 00:01:41.040 It almost looks like it should be a footnote and not an actual verse. 00:01:41.200 --> 00:01:45.760 It just says, Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer. 00:01:46.719 --> 00:01:47.840 That's it. 00:01:48.640 --> 00:02:05.040 But if you dive deep into this one obscure verse, not only are you going to find out something pretty incredible about Jesus, but also he's going to invite you to follow his lead, and more than anything, it actually gets to the answer about being blessed or cursed. 00:02:05.439 --> 00:02:07.120 But why would Jesus do this? 00:02:07.280 --> 00:02:09.520 I mean, Jesus, why why would Jesus walk away? 00:02:09.680 --> 00:02:12.400 Why would he get away when everything is going so well? 00:02:12.639 --> 00:02:14.639 Jesus, there's a lot going on right now. 00:02:14.800 --> 00:02:16.000 We got a lot of momentum. 00:02:16.080 --> 00:02:17.599 There are so many opportunities. 00:02:17.759 --> 00:02:19.599 We need to strike while the iron is hot. 00:02:20.000 --> 00:02:22.000 Why would you get away right now? 00:02:22.479 --> 00:02:23.840 Jesus is God. 00:02:24.159 --> 00:02:26.080 He's the second member of the Trinity. 00:02:26.240 --> 00:02:28.639 God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. 00:02:28.800 --> 00:02:30.319 One God, three persons. 00:02:30.479 --> 00:02:34.960 There's a cornucopia of theological truth in that one statement. 00:02:35.199 --> 00:02:41.680 But the question still remains like, if Jesus is God, why is he praying? 00:02:42.159 --> 00:02:43.919 And who's he praying to? 00:02:44.479 --> 00:02:46.240 Well, he's praying to the Father. 00:02:46.479 --> 00:02:48.000 And he does this often. 00:02:48.240 --> 00:02:53.840 And prayer is not just, it's it's not just conversation with God, it's also communion with God. 00:02:54.080 --> 00:02:57.199 Like Jesus would get away to go be with God often. 00:02:57.360 --> 00:02:58.000 He would do this. 00:02:58.319 --> 00:03:01.120 He goes away after an exhausting day of work. 00:03:01.360 --> 00:03:05.439 He's teaching all day, he's healing all kinds of people, he gets away to go be with the Father. 00:03:05.759 --> 00:03:10.080 He gets away when there are serious demands and needs for his time. 00:03:10.319 --> 00:03:12.080 And people are coming from all over the place. 00:03:12.240 --> 00:03:13.199 I need to see Jesus. 00:03:13.360 --> 00:03:14.400 I need some time with Jesus. 00:03:14.560 --> 00:03:16.159 Jesus, can I just get two minutes with you? 00:03:16.240 --> 00:03:19.360 And he says, Hey, that's great, but I got to get away to go be with my father. 00:03:19.599 --> 00:03:20.719 He gets away to pray. 00:03:20.879 --> 00:03:21.759 He gets away to fast. 00:03:21.840 --> 00:03:23.120 He gets away to rest. 00:03:23.360 --> 00:03:27.919 He gets away before big decisions, like picking the apostles. 00:03:28.159 --> 00:03:31.439 He gets away before big moments, like the Sermon on the Mount. 00:03:31.599 --> 00:03:33.520 He gets away after big wins. 00:03:33.919 --> 00:03:37.280 He gets away before he performs some pretty incredible miracles. 00:03:37.439 --> 00:03:39.840 He gets away even after he hears bad news. 00:03:40.080 --> 00:03:44.800 And when John the Baptist is killed, his cousin, he gets away, goes to be with the Father. 00:03:44.960 --> 00:03:49.199 He gets away when he himself is dealing with fear and anxiety. 00:03:49.360 --> 00:03:52.719 That's the Garden of Gethsemane, right before the crucifixion. 00:03:53.039 --> 00:03:56.000 Man, there's a pattern with what Jesus did. 00:03:56.240 --> 00:04:00.960 And what he gets out of this, he gets connection with the Father and spiritual disciplines. 00:04:01.120 --> 00:04:03.199 He gets filled up, he gets rest. 00:04:03.680 --> 00:04:06.000 He gets provision and direction. 00:04:06.240 --> 00:04:08.000 He gets wisdom and discernment. 00:04:08.080 --> 00:04:09.680 He gets power and humility. 00:04:09.919 --> 00:04:12.159 He gets celebration and delight. 00:04:13.759 --> 00:04:15.840 But what's the driver for all of that? 00:04:16.079 --> 00:04:20.079 I mean, that stuff's awesome, but what was driving him for that? 00:04:20.319 --> 00:04:22.160 Here's the point that I would make. 00:04:22.959 --> 00:04:29.839 The incarnated Jesus was the most dependent person in human history. 00:04:30.480 --> 00:04:34.879 There's never been anybody more dependent than Jesus. 00:04:35.519 --> 00:04:38.399 And at first that's that sounds a little bit ridiculous. 00:04:38.639 --> 00:04:39.759 Matt, what are you talking about? 00:04:39.920 --> 00:04:40.800 He's the son of God. 00:04:40.959 --> 00:04:43.120 I was the son of God dependent. 00:04:43.279 --> 00:04:48.480 I mean, if anybody could ever claim independence, man, it's Jesus. 00:04:48.959 --> 00:04:51.040 But he's the model for the opposite. 00:04:51.279 --> 00:04:54.079 He's the model for claiming dependence. 00:04:54.399 --> 00:04:57.839 Jesus was completely dependent on the Father. 00:04:58.000 --> 00:05:03.040 He even says in John 5, he says, hey, I tell you the truth, the Son of Man can do nothing. 00:05:03.759 --> 00:05:06.720 He can do nothing by himself. 00:05:07.040 --> 00:05:10.000 He only does what he sees the Father doing. 00:05:10.399 --> 00:05:15.759 Dependence on the Father was the starting point for everything with Jesus. 00:05:16.240 --> 00:05:21.680 So here's my point dependence on God is basic Christianity. 00:05:22.079 --> 00:05:23.680 Basic Christianity. 00:05:24.160 --> 00:05:30.319 Now there's nothing controversial about that statement, but that doesn't mean that it's not hard. 00:05:30.639 --> 00:05:35.439 And just because it might seem basic, doesn't mean that it's not important. 00:05:36.000 --> 00:05:37.439 I mean, think about this. 00:05:37.680 --> 00:05:39.120 Think about your iPhone. 00:05:39.519 --> 00:05:41.519 Most of us in here have one of these things. 00:05:41.759 --> 00:05:44.480 This is actually a pretty incredible piece of technology. 00:05:44.879 --> 00:05:48.160 And it's actually almost unexplainably powerful. 00:05:48.480 --> 00:05:49.360 Get this. 00:05:49.680 --> 00:06:01.040 The computer in your iPhone is more powerful and thousands of times faster than the computer that was in the Apollo 11 space shuttle. 00:06:01.600 --> 00:06:04.480 Okay, I was much more impressed by that than you clearly are. 00:06:04.639 --> 00:06:05.839 Like I thought that's pretty cool. 00:06:06.000 --> 00:06:07.759 Maybe you're just hard to impress. 00:06:08.079 --> 00:06:10.000 Like that actually gives you a lot more respect. 00:06:10.079 --> 00:06:12.879 Like Apollo 13, well, Houston, we really do have a problem. 00:06:12.959 --> 00:06:14.079 We don't even have an iPhone. 00:06:14.160 --> 00:06:16.560 Like that's pretty, that's kind of hard to wrap your mind around. 00:06:16.720 --> 00:06:25.120 Like, through this little screen, this little screen, you can have a face-to-face conversation with somebody on the other side of the planet right now. 00:06:25.600 --> 00:06:29.120 Just by, I don't want to say her name because I don't want her to start talking to me. 00:06:29.279 --> 00:06:38.480 But if you ask, Siri, if you ask her a question, immediately, you have information from the depths of the internet at your fingertips. 00:06:38.720 --> 00:06:46.959 You you can take pictures and video anytime you want with a quality that would have seemed impossible just 20 years ago. 00:06:47.120 --> 00:06:51.759 Only you would have to have like a crazy expensive camera you're hauling around around your neck. 00:06:51.920 --> 00:06:58.319 You have access to a satellite that can pinpoint where you're at on the planet and give you directions wherever you want to go. 00:06:58.560 --> 00:07:04.480 Basically, a supercomputer that NASA would have been jealous of and it's in your pocket. 00:07:04.720 --> 00:07:06.560 Like that's pretty incredible. 00:07:06.800 --> 00:07:12.959 Like it's it's think about trying to go back 200 years and explaining to people what an iPhone is. 00:07:13.279 --> 00:07:14.399 Couldn't do it. 00:07:14.639 --> 00:07:16.480 This incredible piece of technology. 00:07:16.560 --> 00:07:20.639 And and if you have an Android, I don't know what to tell you. 00:07:25.839 --> 00:07:28.000 Actually, here's what I would tell you. 00:07:28.319 --> 00:07:30.959 You're really good at ruining group chats and turning everything green. 00:07:31.040 --> 00:07:33.199 Like, that's all I can tell you about an Android. 00:07:33.439 --> 00:07:44.639 The iPhone's an incredible piece of technology that can do some really cool things, but without its charger, it's powerless. 00:07:46.399 --> 00:07:54.240 Like this cool piece of technology that can do so many wild things is completely dependent on a charger. 00:07:54.879 --> 00:08:00.000 Dependent on a charger to function and to do what it was meant to do. 00:08:00.240 --> 00:08:03.519 We could even say it this way: for it to be alive. 00:08:04.000 --> 00:08:05.439 You and I are the same way. 00:08:05.600 --> 00:08:07.279 You see where I'm going with this. 00:08:07.759 --> 00:08:21.199 You have strengths and gifts, you have abilities, you have capabilities, you have a calling, but without dependency on God, eventually you're gonna be spiritually drained and not able to function. 00:08:21.920 --> 00:08:31.839 Not function the way you were designed to, not do the things you were created to do, not live out the purpose God has put on you, eventually there will be no power whatsoever. 00:08:32.559 --> 00:08:35.120 Jesus understood this really, really well. 00:08:36.240 --> 00:08:42.000 Now, there's a question that all of us wrestle with, especially men, and we'll get into this more in a few weeks. 00:08:42.159 --> 00:08:46.320 But here's the question Am I enough? 00:08:50.000 --> 00:08:51.279 Can I do this? 00:08:52.960 --> 00:08:54.960 Do I have what it takes? 00:08:55.360 --> 00:08:56.639 Am I enough? 00:08:57.360 --> 00:09:00.799 Now, to be clear, that's not a biblical worldview. 00:09:01.039 --> 00:09:06.080 That's a question that Western culture asks, and it places the dependence on the individual. 00:09:06.320 --> 00:09:09.519 Instead, there's a much better question we should be asking. 00:09:09.679 --> 00:09:12.639 It's this is God enough? 00:09:13.919 --> 00:09:20.639 Is he like is he enough for you know whatever you're walking through right now? 00:09:20.960 --> 00:09:22.320 The good, the bad, and the ugly. 00:09:22.399 --> 00:09:24.639 And we have all of that in the room right now. 00:09:24.960 --> 00:09:26.960 Is he good enough even when things are great? 00:09:27.279 --> 00:09:28.799 Is he enough? 00:09:29.440 --> 00:09:35.120 However, you answer that question, it is going to determine the direction your life goes. 00:09:36.080 --> 00:09:45.600 But this can be hard because a gut reaction to dependence, a gut reaction for us, we might think that sounds like weakness. 00:09:46.080 --> 00:09:51.279 On top of that, it makes it even harder to swallow because of our love for independence. 00:09:52.080 --> 00:09:57.200 Man, as Americans, we we value autonomy and freedom of choice, individual freedom. 00:09:57.360 --> 00:09:59.279 We value that at a very high level. 00:09:59.519 --> 00:10:09.279 I was reading a study that was done at Brown University, and it said that the United States consistently ranks among the most individualistic cultures on the planet. 00:10:10.080 --> 00:10:18.240 Now, I don't have any idea how you quantify that data, but hearing that, we would all probably say, Yeah, that checks out, right? 00:10:18.879 --> 00:10:31.519 Man, part of the ethos of our country is a belief that people have the right to determine their destiny, that people have individual choice, the freedom to make individual choice, and there's an emphasis on personal responsibility. 00:10:31.679 --> 00:10:34.879 And on the surface level, we would all say amen to that. 00:10:35.120 --> 00:10:36.879 Man, independence, yeah, let's go. 00:10:37.039 --> 00:10:38.240 Come on, absolutely. 00:10:38.559 --> 00:10:40.960 Personal responsibility, yes, please. 00:10:41.120 --> 00:10:45.120 In fact, in my opinion, I think we need more personal responsibility in our culture. 00:10:45.360 --> 00:10:48.399 Freedom of choice, that's a really good thing. 00:10:48.559 --> 00:10:50.720 But here's where the tension comes in. 00:10:51.440 --> 00:10:54.720 Sometimes good can be the enemy of great. 00:10:56.159 --> 00:11:04.960 And sometimes our love for the goodness of independence can actually block us from experiencing the greatness of dependence. 00:11:05.200 --> 00:11:10.720 Now, not dependence on other people just to give you things, not for handouts, not entitlement, absolutely not. 00:11:10.879 --> 00:11:13.039 In fact, those things are anti-biblical. 00:11:13.360 --> 00:11:16.320 But what Jesus is modeling is hard for us. 00:11:16.559 --> 00:11:19.279 Here's the truth that the Bible will lay out. 00:11:19.440 --> 00:11:23.279 In this life, dependency determines direction. 00:11:24.080 --> 00:11:26.879 Dependency will determine the direction you go. 00:11:27.519 --> 00:11:31.919 You are dependent on someone or something right now. 00:11:32.799 --> 00:11:34.639 Every single one of us is. 00:11:35.120 --> 00:11:38.080 And what you're dependent on, it might be yourself. 00:11:38.639 --> 00:11:46.960 So no matter what you're dependent on or who you're dependent on, that's going to take you in a direction, and there's really only two directions in life you can go. 00:11:47.279 --> 00:11:49.759 Jeremiah 17 lays out the two directions. 00:11:49.919 --> 00:11:53.759 Verse 5 and 6 say this: This is what the Lord says. 00:11:54.320 --> 00:12:01.200 Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the Lord. 00:12:01.360 --> 00:12:05.200 They're like stunted shrubs in the desert with no hope for the future. 00:12:05.360 --> 00:12:09.519 They will live in a barren wilderness in an uninhabited, salty land. 00:12:10.559 --> 00:12:10.879 Okay. 00:12:12.559 --> 00:12:13.919 That's one direction. 00:12:14.159 --> 00:12:16.080 Now here's the other, verse seven and eight. 00:12:16.399 --> 00:12:23.200 But blessed are those who trust in the Lord, and obey the Lord their hope and confidence. 00:12:23.360 --> 00:12:28.639 They're like trees planted along a riverbank with roots that run and reach deep down into the water. 00:12:28.879 --> 00:12:33.440 Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by the long months of drought. 00:12:33.600 --> 00:12:38.240 Their leaves stay green and they never stop producing fruit. 00:12:39.039 --> 00:12:41.759 Dependency is just another word for trust. 00:12:42.320 --> 00:12:50.240 So what God is saying is that your trust, your dependency, is going to be the answer to that question about being blessed or being cursed. 00:12:50.879 --> 00:12:58.559 The word cursed here is not maybe the best one for us to really wrap our minds around because when we hear cursed, I think we probably think something like Harry Potter. 00:12:58.720 --> 00:13:00.559 It's not casting spells on. 00:13:00.720 --> 00:13:05.279 The root word for curse right here is the same root word that's used for affliction. 00:13:05.519 --> 00:13:14.080 So really what God is saying is that hey, one direction is going to take you down a path you really don't want to go down, it's going to take you through some stuff you don't want to go. 00:13:15.200 --> 00:13:18.960 But the other one, that direction leads to being blessed. 00:13:19.200 --> 00:13:21.200 So let's just be clear on this. 00:13:21.600 --> 00:13:25.679 Direction number one is depending on human beings. 00:13:25.840 --> 00:13:27.600 It's relying on human strength. 00:13:27.919 --> 00:13:29.919 And that might mean yourself. 00:13:30.399 --> 00:13:32.159 You're relying on yourself. 00:13:32.399 --> 00:13:36.000 Now, there are some good forms of dependence that people have with each other. 00:13:36.240 --> 00:13:39.120 Example, my family is dependent on me. 00:13:39.679 --> 00:13:49.120 They're dependent on me to be a good husband and a good father to protect them, to provide for them, to be a good man who loves them and encourages them and serves them well. 00:13:49.360 --> 00:13:51.279 God has given me that responsibility. 00:13:51.440 --> 00:13:53.679 And that responsibility is a privilege. 00:13:53.919 --> 00:13:57.759 My family is dependent on me, so I better be dependent on him. 00:13:58.559 --> 00:14:07.759 God gave me that responsibility with the expectation that I would rely on him to fulfill those responsibilities and not depend on myself for it. 00:14:07.919 --> 00:14:12.879 Because whenever you depend on you and not the Lord, that's when problems start to happen. 00:14:13.519 --> 00:14:16.960 That's the road that leads to being cursed and affliction. 00:14:17.759 --> 00:14:21.120 And yet, man, I'll just speak for me. 00:14:22.399 --> 00:14:28.879 The number one place where I see my dependency drifting towards, it's me, it's to myself. 00:14:29.679 --> 00:14:33.679 Now, again, there's some good things with self-reliance and autonomy. 00:14:33.919 --> 00:14:36.000 Personal responsibility is a good thing. 00:14:36.240 --> 00:14:38.480 Individual freedom of choice, that's great. 00:14:38.720 --> 00:14:43.759 The uniqueness you have as an individual, the agency you have, those are great things. 00:14:43.919 --> 00:14:50.320 But if you're not careful, self-reliance can turn into self-sovereignty. 00:14:51.200 --> 00:14:54.720 And instead of asking, is God enough? 00:14:56.080 --> 00:15:00.960 Self-reliance starts to believe that any form of dependency is weakness. 00:15:01.519 --> 00:15:10.399 Our culture views dependency as weakness, and inadvertently we we tend to lump dependency on God into that same category, and that's the problem. 00:15:11.519 --> 00:15:17.120 And there's two factors, two common factors right now that I see that just kind of reinforce this view. 00:15:17.279 --> 00:15:21.759 The first is strength and success, which are great things. 00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:26.240 I mean, I mean, I want I want to be strong in every aspect of my life. 00:15:26.399 --> 00:15:31.360 I want to be strong physically, I want to be strong spiritually, relationally, intellectually, mentally. 00:15:31.440 --> 00:15:32.720 I mean, I want to be strong. 00:15:32.879 --> 00:15:35.759 I want to have success in things that I do, and so do you. 00:15:35.919 --> 00:15:39.039 So why would strength and success be bad things? 00:15:39.600 --> 00:15:41.919 Well, they're not in and of themselves. 00:15:43.279 --> 00:15:45.519 But what can happen if you don't watch yourself? 00:15:45.679 --> 00:15:54.080 What can happen is strength and success can lead you away from dependence and into the wrong, toxic, cursed form of independence. 00:15:54.399 --> 00:16:02.240 Like you can see an example of this over and over and over again in 1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles. 00:16:02.960 --> 00:16:05.440 Right in the middle of your Old Testament, there's a pattern. 00:16:05.600 --> 00:16:09.360 Like what ends up happening is there are different leaders who set themselves up. 00:16:09.519 --> 00:16:11.919 They set themselves out, hey, I'm gonna seek the Lord. 00:16:12.080 --> 00:16:16.720 They humble themselves before God, they depend on God, they ask God for help. 00:16:16.960 --> 00:16:20.399 And not only does God help them, God takes it to another level. 00:16:20.720 --> 00:16:29.039 He makes them strong and prosperous, he gives them all kinds of success because blessed are those who trust, blessed are those who depend on the Lord. 00:16:29.360 --> 00:16:31.519 But they didn't watch themselves. 00:16:32.159 --> 00:16:35.200 And the same thing happens to so many of them. 00:16:35.519 --> 00:16:39.840 Over time, they got prideful and independent. 00:16:40.159 --> 00:16:44.559 Some of them even just turned away from the Lord, just like Jeremiah 17 says. 00:16:45.600 --> 00:16:54.639 Like instead of thanking God, they allowed the strength and success that God gave them to cause them to forget God. 00:16:55.840 --> 00:17:04.799 Because sometimes strength and success can create this type of self-reliance that will cause you to question the source of said strength and success. 00:17:05.200 --> 00:17:11.519 You'll start to believe that you are the source for your own strength, your own success, which inevitably will grow pride. 00:17:11.599 --> 00:17:13.759 And Proverbs 16, 18 is very clear. 00:17:14.000 --> 00:17:16.160 Pride comes before what's the word? 00:17:16.559 --> 00:17:19.119 A fall or destruction. 00:17:20.400 --> 00:17:23.440 It's the path that leads to being cursed, being afflicted. 00:17:23.839 --> 00:17:25.920 That's the progression that can happen. 00:17:26.559 --> 00:17:37.680 So when you are strong, when you experience success, let that be a signal to you to remember who the source really is and that it's not you. 00:17:38.799 --> 00:17:42.000 And let it be a signal for you to check your own dependence. 00:17:42.880 --> 00:17:43.200 Amen. 00:17:44.240 --> 00:17:47.599 Am I depending on me or am I depending on the Lord? 00:17:48.799 --> 00:17:51.039 The second common factor is fear. 00:17:53.359 --> 00:17:56.720 Dependency is based on what's known and what's experienced. 00:17:56.960 --> 00:18:00.000 You can depend on someone or something that you know for sure. 00:18:00.240 --> 00:18:00.960 For sure. 00:18:01.279 --> 00:18:04.880 But the unknown gets a little sketchy. 00:18:05.200 --> 00:18:10.240 That feels kind of scary, it seems maybe a little reckless, it maybe even seems foolish. 00:18:10.720 --> 00:18:22.000 So what fear will tell you to do is to depend on only what you can see and what you can understand, which will leave very little room for God if you don't know him well. 00:18:22.240 --> 00:18:24.240 That's why we like to depend on ourselves. 00:18:24.480 --> 00:18:29.359 Man, that just feels, if I can just depend on me, that just feels safer. 00:18:30.400 --> 00:18:31.440 It feels smart. 00:18:31.519 --> 00:18:32.480 I'm in control. 00:18:33.920 --> 00:18:39.920 But that feeling of safety is going to have an adverse effect when it comes to control. 00:18:40.559 --> 00:18:41.680 Hear me on this. 00:18:42.079 --> 00:18:49.839 The more control that you try to hold on to in life, the more overwhelmed and out of control you're going to become. 00:18:51.440 --> 00:18:54.240 That's what happened to those leaders in the Old Testament. 00:18:54.880 --> 00:18:57.039 So, as your pastor, this is what I would tell you. 00:18:57.200 --> 00:18:58.960 This is what I tell myself. 00:19:00.000 --> 00:19:07.359 Trust the Bible more than you trust your feelings in everything. 00:19:07.920 --> 00:19:12.319 Whatever subject, whatever topic, trust the Bible more than your feelings. 00:19:12.480 --> 00:19:15.119 Trust the Bible more than your experiences. 00:19:15.759 --> 00:19:16.880 Fear is a feeling. 00:19:17.200 --> 00:19:19.519 It's a feeling that we all experience. 00:19:19.759 --> 00:19:23.200 It's also a feeling that will conquer you if you let it. 00:19:23.599 --> 00:19:29.359 Fear will lie to you, it will try to lead you away from the Lord if you trust that feeling more than you trust the word. 00:19:29.920 --> 00:19:42.400 But if you know God, not just know stuff about him, not you can regurgitate information, but if you really know him, not only do you know that you can depend on him, but also you can run to him when there's fear. 00:19:42.480 --> 00:19:43.680 Because that's what he wants. 00:19:43.839 --> 00:19:46.799 Like when you're experiencing fear, he wants you to come to him. 00:19:47.119 --> 00:19:51.440 2 Timothy 1 says, God has not given us a spirit of fear or timidity. 00:19:51.599 --> 00:19:55.519 No, he's given us a spirit of power and love and self-discipline. 00:19:55.680 --> 00:19:58.880 We're meant to depend on him for those things, not ourselves. 00:19:59.200 --> 00:20:06.720 But if you don't, the unseen effects that you're going to experience, they're going to play out on your relationships. 00:20:07.599 --> 00:20:14.480 If you depend on you, then you're never going to fully open yourself up to anybody else. 00:20:14.960 --> 00:20:17.599 I mean, maybe a little bit for sure, but never fully. 00:20:17.759 --> 00:20:23.359 Which means now you have set a limit on the amount of loyalty and intimacy you can experience in relationships. 00:20:23.519 --> 00:20:24.640 That's not good. 00:20:25.200 --> 00:20:26.160 Or growth. 00:20:26.319 --> 00:20:28.480 You're not going to be able to grow either. 00:20:28.799 --> 00:20:43.039 If you're depending on you, then maybe without even knowing it, you're going to start to avoid certain situations and opportunities because you don't believe you can be faithful or you don't believe you can be successful in them. 00:20:43.680 --> 00:20:46.319 Man, this is man, if it's on me, this is just a little bit too risky. 00:20:46.400 --> 00:20:47.839 I don't know if I'm going to be successful here. 00:20:47.920 --> 00:20:50.559 I don't know that I can risk this because it's on me. 00:20:51.119 --> 00:20:58.480 But sometimes God will put you in situations that do feel like they're over your head because he knows that's one of the best ways to grow you. 00:20:58.799 --> 00:21:02.160 And because he knows that will deepen your dependency on him. 00:21:02.640 --> 00:21:08.559 You and I are meant to be completely dependent on the Lord because that's where growth comes from. 00:21:09.119 --> 00:21:11.680 I'm the vine, you're the branches. 00:21:12.000 --> 00:21:13.119 That was last week. 00:21:13.599 --> 00:21:19.759 I mean, those are just two unseen effects that happen when you're depending on yourself. 00:21:20.319 --> 00:21:24.720 But direction number two, that's depending on Jesus. 00:21:25.440 --> 00:21:27.759 That's the model that he set up for us. 00:21:28.319 --> 00:21:29.359 He set the example. 00:21:29.519 --> 00:21:38.480 In fact, Luke 2 says that Jesus continued to grow in wisdom and in stature and in favor with both God and man because he was dependent on the Father. 00:21:40.079 --> 00:21:48.000 Your level of dependency is going to be directly tied to your level of growth and strength and effectiveness. 00:21:48.319 --> 00:21:51.119 I mean, it's also going to be tied to your peace and your joy. 00:21:51.440 --> 00:21:54.960 I'm just some of the blessings that come from depending on God. 00:21:55.200 --> 00:21:57.599 Man, you max out your joy and peace. 00:21:58.880 --> 00:21:59.759 You can experience real. 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:04.799 Peace and real joy, even in the middle of a storm, when you're dependent on Jesus. 00:22:04.960 --> 00:22:05.839 Also, growth. 00:22:06.000 --> 00:22:07.039 Go back to Jeremiah. 00:22:07.119 --> 00:22:12.880 He says, But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and their confidence. 00:22:13.039 --> 00:22:17.920 They're like trees planted along a riverbank with roots that reach deep into the water. 00:22:18.079 --> 00:22:20.640 Such trees are not bothered by the heat. 00:22:20.799 --> 00:22:23.759 I'm tired of the heat that we've been experiencing. 00:22:25.039 --> 00:22:27.599 Like I thought we lived in Colorado, not Arizona. 00:22:27.920 --> 00:22:29.519 It's just getting over whatever. 00:22:29.680 --> 00:22:31.359 Sorry, I just need to ramp for a second. 00:22:31.519 --> 00:22:36.559 Such trees are not bothered by the heat means you're not going to be bothered when you face heat in life. 00:22:38.319 --> 00:22:39.759 And your marriage. 00:22:40.559 --> 00:22:45.359 With your kids, friends, stuff going on at school. 00:22:45.839 --> 00:22:47.920 Some shady stuff in the office. 00:22:48.880 --> 00:22:50.720 All of us face heat in life. 00:22:50.880 --> 00:22:52.160 And we will more. 00:22:52.799 --> 00:22:56.480 But those who trust in the Lord, they're not bothered by the heat. 00:22:56.559 --> 00:22:58.319 This doesn't mean you like it, but you're not bothered by it. 00:22:58.480 --> 00:23:00.240 They don't worry about the long months of drought. 00:23:00.319 --> 00:23:04.079 Their leaves stay green and they never stop producing fruit. 00:23:04.240 --> 00:23:09.359 Another blessing: if you're dependent on the Lord, you know what's going to happen to your courage and your confidence? 00:23:09.599 --> 00:23:11.119 It's going to skyrocket. 00:23:11.519 --> 00:23:14.400 Not because of you, but because of who's with you. 00:23:15.359 --> 00:23:17.440 Like if God is for us, who can be against us? 00:23:17.599 --> 00:23:18.559 Romans 8. 00:23:18.720 --> 00:23:22.880 That's an overused verse, in my opinion, in some places, but that's exactly what it means right here. 00:23:23.119 --> 00:23:25.519 Man, who cares who's against us or what you're facing? 00:23:25.599 --> 00:23:29.839 If God is with you, if you're depending on him, of course you can be courageous in this situation. 00:23:30.079 --> 00:23:35.839 Of course you should have confidence with that obstacle, not because of you, but because of who's with you. 00:23:36.400 --> 00:23:41.200 Also, if you're dependent on the Lord, you are going to be shaped in strength. 00:23:41.599 --> 00:23:43.200 Shaped in strength. 00:23:43.519 --> 00:23:51.039 Jesus, the most dependent person in human history, happens to also be the strongest person in human history. 00:23:51.200 --> 00:23:52.880 That's not a coincidence. 00:23:53.519 --> 00:23:57.119 The more you're dependent on the Lord, the stronger you're gonna get. 00:23:57.279 --> 00:24:01.519 Stronger spiritually, emotionally, intellectually, relationally. 00:24:01.920 --> 00:24:04.480 Man, I want to be strong in all those areas. 00:24:04.880 --> 00:24:09.039 There are people around you in your life that need you to be strong. 00:24:09.279 --> 00:24:14.640 Like that's a privilege and a responsibility that you get to steward to be strong for other people around you. 00:24:14.799 --> 00:24:15.519 That's a gift. 00:24:15.680 --> 00:24:20.000 Also, if you're dependent on him, man, your roots are gonna grow deep in the Lord. 00:24:20.400 --> 00:24:22.079 Deep in the Lord. 00:24:22.319 --> 00:24:25.119 Which means you have a deepened relationship with the Lord. 00:24:25.359 --> 00:24:27.920 Man, I want to know what it's like to really have a relationship with Jesus. 00:24:28.000 --> 00:24:28.559 I want to grow. 00:24:28.640 --> 00:24:29.599 I want to know him more. 00:24:29.759 --> 00:24:30.240 Cool. 00:24:30.400 --> 00:24:31.200 Depend on him. 00:24:31.519 --> 00:24:32.880 That's what's gonna happen. 00:24:33.119 --> 00:24:39.039 And the more you depend on Jesus, the more your life will become an open channel between heaven and earth. 00:24:39.359 --> 00:24:45.200 The Great Commission, what we are called to do as Christians and as a church is bring the kingdom of heaven to earth. 00:24:45.440 --> 00:24:48.640 The more you depend on the Lord, the more that happens through you. 00:24:48.960 --> 00:24:50.799 Man, I want that to be true of me. 00:24:50.960 --> 00:24:52.559 And I want that to be true of you. 00:24:52.720 --> 00:24:54.880 Just imagine, just for a second, imagine. 00:24:55.200 --> 00:25:00.960 What would happen if you were dependent on the Lord like Jesus was? 00:25:02.559 --> 00:25:04.319 What would happen to your family? 00:25:05.920 --> 00:25:07.759 What would happen to your friends? 00:25:09.519 --> 00:25:11.440 What would happen in your school? 00:25:12.880 --> 00:25:14.960 What would happen in our church? 00:25:15.839 --> 00:25:18.000 What would happen in northern Colorado? 00:25:19.920 --> 00:25:21.599 Two things I'm learning with this. 00:25:21.839 --> 00:25:29.200 Number one, I am not completely dependent on the Lord, far more than I would like to admit. 00:25:31.279 --> 00:25:34.480 And maybe that's step one is actually recognizing that. 00:25:35.519 --> 00:25:40.240 By default, we will drift towards independence. 00:25:40.960 --> 00:25:42.079 That's Genesis 3. 00:25:42.160 --> 00:25:42.880 That comes from the fall. 00:25:42.960 --> 00:25:44.720 You can be like God, you can be your own God. 00:25:44.960 --> 00:25:48.799 Nobody, none of us, will accidentally drift towards depending on the Lord. 00:25:48.960 --> 00:25:52.480 That means we have to learn the discipline of dependency. 00:25:52.640 --> 00:25:54.160 This is the second thing that I'm learning. 00:25:54.319 --> 00:25:55.759 We have to train for it. 00:25:56.079 --> 00:25:59.200 Years ago, I did a tough mutter with some friends. 00:25:59.680 --> 00:26:04.880 This is a team race that's 13 miles long and there's 22 different obstacles along the way. 00:26:05.039 --> 00:26:13.119 Some of the obstacles are like climbing somewhat high walls or swimming through a shipping container that was filled with ice water. 00:26:13.279 --> 00:26:18.480 However, there's barbed wire all over the top, so it forces you to swim underwater through the whole thing. 00:26:18.880 --> 00:26:23.200 Swinging ring to ring for 40 yards, 12 feet off the ground over a pit of mud. 00:26:23.359 --> 00:26:29.519 And then some of my favorites, multiple obstacles that involved electrocution. 00:26:30.799 --> 00:26:37.440 I got absolutely lit up in one of those where it knocked me off my feet into a pool, but that's a different story for another time. 00:26:37.599 --> 00:26:44.240 I mean, the race is pretty intense, and you know it's good when they have EMTs posted up all over the course. 00:26:44.559 --> 00:26:49.599 And some of you, I can tell by your laugh right now, like you're like Matt, that sounds awful. 00:26:50.240 --> 00:26:52.799 Or it sounds awesome, depending on your perspective. 00:26:52.960 --> 00:26:55.039 And I would think you know my personality by now. 00:26:55.200 --> 00:26:56.160 That sounds awesome. 00:26:56.400 --> 00:27:04.720 Now, it's it's you're not really racing against other people because one team might get a start time at 10 in the morning, and you might get a start time at 2 in the afternoon. 00:27:04.880 --> 00:27:08.799 The whole point is to be able to finish the race as a team and do it at your best time. 00:27:08.960 --> 00:27:12.480 I I finished the entire race without stopping, and so did my entire team. 00:27:12.640 --> 00:27:13.920 That was our goal. 00:27:14.160 --> 00:27:18.079 But we never would have accomplished that goal unless we trained for it. 00:27:18.640 --> 00:27:20.720 The same thing is true for us. 00:27:21.680 --> 00:27:25.279 Because electrocution is coming in life. 00:27:26.240 --> 00:27:31.839 So the only way we can be completely dependent on the Lord is if we daily train for it. 00:27:32.559 --> 00:27:33.440 Easy ways. 00:27:33.599 --> 00:27:34.480 Ways to train for it. 00:27:34.640 --> 00:27:35.839 Dig those roots deep. 00:27:36.079 --> 00:27:41.279 Just like Jeremiah said, the deeper your spiritual roots are, the deeper your dependency on God will be. 00:27:41.440 --> 00:27:44.319 And this is what Jesus was doing when he would go away. 00:27:44.640 --> 00:27:50.240 He would go away for prayer, he would go away in obedience, like obedience will dig your roots deep. 00:27:50.400 --> 00:27:55.359 It's relying on the whole the power of the Holy Spirit, not on human power that digs those roots deep. 00:27:55.519 --> 00:27:58.240