WEBVTT 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:02.399 Welcome to Gateway Churches Podcast. 00:00:02.560 --> 00:00:06.959 Wherever you're tuning in from, we hope you're encouraged by today's message. 00:00:08.800 --> 00:00:11.839 I'm excited to be able to share the message this weekend as well. 00:00:12.000 --> 00:00:28.879 We started a series last weekend entitled From Death to Life, where we're really leaning into this idea that because Jesus died and rose to life again, that we can experience new life in every single area of our lives. 00:00:29.120 --> 00:00:33.759 And this weekend in particular is Palm Sunday weekend. 00:00:33.920 --> 00:00:45.200 And so if you're not familiar with Palm Sunday, Palm Sunday commemorates the Sunday in which Jesus went into Jerusalem on the final week before he was crucified. 00:00:45.359 --> 00:00:52.000 And the people line the streets and wave palm branches, welcoming him and celebrating him as a long-awaited king. 00:00:52.079 --> 00:00:57.280 And so today I'm going to share a message out of 1 Peter chapter 5. 00:00:57.520 --> 00:01:03.600 We're going to look at verse 6, and you're going to see a correlation between that passage and Palm Sunday. 00:01:03.679 --> 00:01:09.680 And so if you want to turn in your Bibles there as you're making your way there, I want to begin with a quick story, though. 00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:12.000 So my wife and I have four kids. 00:01:12.159 --> 00:01:15.280 We have an 11-year-old daughter named Judah. 00:01:15.439 --> 00:01:17.920 We have a nine-year-old son named Jaden. 00:01:18.400 --> 00:01:20.799 We have a five-year-old daughter named Jordan. 00:01:21.040 --> 00:01:24.079 And then we have a three-year-old son named Justice. 00:01:24.400 --> 00:01:28.959 Well, our nine-year-old son, when he was five years old, he was playing soccer, okay? 00:01:29.040 --> 00:01:34.719 And he's actually a pretty good athlete, but in that season of his life, he just didn't care. 00:01:35.359 --> 00:01:43.840 And so therefore, you would watch him on the soccer field, and there was no aggression, there was no tenacity, there was no sense of urgency. 00:01:44.000 --> 00:02:08.960 In fact, my son, he's actually a really good athlete, but my son was the kid that when there was a rock pile, because they're five years old, so they're just fighting over the ball at that time, and then someone would break out of the rock pile, and if they were on the opposing team, my son would run fast enough to catch up with them, but instead of cutting them off or going after the ball, my son would escort them to the goal and encourage them to score. 00:02:10.080 --> 00:02:19.280 And this was this was very frustrating for my wife and I because we are has been athletes living vicariously through our children, which is healthy parenting. 00:02:20.479 --> 00:02:22.000 But he just didn't care. 00:02:22.240 --> 00:02:26.319 Like he just didn't care, except for this one Saturday. 00:02:26.560 --> 00:02:31.840 This one Saturday in the whole season, my son actually wants to talk about soccer. 00:02:32.000 --> 00:02:33.280 And I'll never forget it. 00:02:33.439 --> 00:02:38.560 The game is at one o'clock, and that morning he wants to talk to me about soccer. 00:02:38.719 --> 00:02:41.439 Well, I think that today is the day of breakthrough. 00:02:41.759 --> 00:02:43.759 I think that God has answered my prayers. 00:02:43.919 --> 00:02:48.240 My son is about to tell me, Dad, today I'm about to dominate. 00:02:49.199 --> 00:02:50.879 And so we start this conversation. 00:02:51.039 --> 00:02:52.960 He goes, Dad, I go, yes, son. 00:02:53.120 --> 00:02:54.879 He goes, Dad, I go, yes, son. 00:02:55.039 --> 00:02:56.240 He goes, Dad. 00:02:57.199 --> 00:03:03.599 And he looks at me intently in the eyes and he goes, I wonder who's bringing the snacks today. 00:03:05.439 --> 00:03:08.319 And church, I gotta be honest, something died in me that day. 00:03:08.400 --> 00:03:11.280 I just realized who I was dealing with. 00:03:11.599 --> 00:03:24.479 See, the reality is that my son had realized that his greatest concern, his greatest care was who's bringing the snacks. 00:03:24.879 --> 00:03:26.639 He's thinking about snacks. 00:03:26.879 --> 00:03:33.680 Now we laugh about the story, but the truth is most of us in here have snacks. 00:03:35.599 --> 00:03:42.719 Most of us in here have a thought that tries to occupy our attention. 00:03:43.039 --> 00:03:48.960 Most of us have a concern that consumes our lives. 00:03:49.199 --> 00:03:53.439 Most of us have a worry that weighs us down. 00:03:54.080 --> 00:03:59.199 And the question today is what do we do with the snacks? 00:04:00.080 --> 00:04:12.319 In 1 Peter chapter 5, Peter is writing to a group of people who have been dispersed across Asia Minor, and they are experiencing great persecution. 00:04:12.639 --> 00:04:24.879 And so Peter's writing to them, and he's encouraging them to remain faithful, and that there is a living hope, a future hope, a heavenly hope for them. 00:04:25.120 --> 00:04:26.560 Because they're suffering. 00:04:26.959 --> 00:04:32.319 In fact, the book of Peter talks about suffering more than any other book in the Bible. 00:04:32.480 --> 00:04:37.519 It's only five chapters long, but 21 times Peter talks about suffering. 00:04:37.600 --> 00:04:43.360 And so, as you can imagine, people who are suffering, they are tempted with snacks. 00:04:43.680 --> 00:04:49.040 They're tempted to be anxious and to be and to worry and to be overwhelmed. 00:04:49.279 --> 00:04:57.439 And it's in this context that Peter writes this in chapter 5, starting at verse 6. 00:04:57.680 --> 00:05:13.680 He says, Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon him, for he cares for you. 00:05:14.160 --> 00:05:19.680 The title of the message today is From Carrying to Casting. 00:05:20.079 --> 00:05:22.160 From carrying to casting. 00:05:22.240 --> 00:05:24.639 Why don't you turn to your neighbor at every single campus? 00:05:24.720 --> 00:05:29.120 Turn to your neighbor right now and just ask him, Did you, did you carry something in here today? 00:05:29.360 --> 00:05:30.480 Did you carry something? 00:05:30.639 --> 00:05:38.000 And then why don't you turn to your other neighbor who was your second choice that you don't like as much and just tell them, you look like you carried something today. 00:05:38.160 --> 00:05:40.160 You must have carried something in here. 00:05:40.480 --> 00:05:43.360 From carrying to casting. 00:05:43.439 --> 00:05:52.959 I want to give you today three simple observations from this text that I think help us move from carrying to casting. 00:05:53.199 --> 00:05:57.680 And the first one is this if you're taking notes, rely on God. 00:05:59.199 --> 00:06:02.079 Rely on God. 00:06:03.120 --> 00:06:09.680 Peter begins and he says, Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God. 00:06:10.800 --> 00:06:13.680 What is humility? 00:06:15.759 --> 00:06:27.759 About a little less than two and a half years ago, uh I was playing basketball, one-on-one basketball with my older cousin at a family reunion, and unfortunately, I popped my Achilles tendon. 00:06:28.000 --> 00:06:29.680 Yeah, it was rough. 00:06:29.920 --> 00:06:32.879 So some people know that story, but they don't know the backstory. 00:06:32.959 --> 00:06:34.800 Okay, so I'm gonna tell you the backstory. 00:06:34.959 --> 00:06:47.680 You see, what happened was we're at this family reunion, surrounded by our relatives, my older cousin and I, we are bantering back and forth, starting to talk noise to one another, and we decide right there it's time to play one-on-one basketball. 00:06:48.160 --> 00:06:54.399 And so we start playing one-on-one basketball, and I shoot my first shot, it's a three-pointer, and I make it. 00:06:54.639 --> 00:06:58.720 At this point, I think I'm Steph Curry with the Golden State Warriors, right? 00:06:59.519 --> 00:07:03.439 And then I take another shot, it's a turnaround fade-away jumper, and I make that too. 00:07:03.519 --> 00:07:05.439 At this point, you can't even talk to me. 00:07:05.680 --> 00:07:15.600 And in fact, my my wife and my uh cousin's uh fiance are holding up cameras filming, and so I walk over to the phones and I go, get this on film. 00:07:15.759 --> 00:07:17.920 You better get this on film. 00:07:18.800 --> 00:07:27.439 It was it was a great example to my lost cousins about humility and walking with Jesus by the pastor in the family. 00:07:29.120 --> 00:07:33.120 But but I remember the very next thing I did, and this is a true story. 00:07:33.199 --> 00:07:45.199 The very next thing I did after I yell into the cameras, I go to drive the lane with the basketball, and it felt like someone hit me with the bat in the back of my leg, and I collapsed over like Benny Hinn just waved over me. 00:07:45.439 --> 00:07:56.079 And and I can remember, I can remember later on, my 16-year-old niece, she just shook her head and she went, the pride, the pride. 00:07:58.879 --> 00:08:01.759 What I did was the opposite of humility. 00:08:01.920 --> 00:08:09.360 You see, when Peter talks about humility, he uses a Greek word that in essence means to make or to bring low. 00:08:09.680 --> 00:08:12.800 Low lying or low-mindedness. 00:08:13.040 --> 00:08:21.680 The dictionary talks about humility and it describes it this way: having or showing a modest or low estimate of one's own importance. 00:08:22.000 --> 00:08:30.720 Reminds me of Paul in Romans chapter 12, verse 3, where he says, Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought to, but with sober judgment. 00:08:30.959 --> 00:08:35.759 Now, this is not necessarily self-abasement because I love what one person said. 00:08:35.919 --> 00:08:41.679 They said, Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less. 00:08:44.320 --> 00:08:54.320 Biblically, when you look at humility, it also communicates the idea of dependence on the Lord as opposed to dependence on self. 00:08:55.200 --> 00:09:02.960 There's a sense that humble people have moved from self-reliance and self-centeredness to God reliance and God-centeredness. 00:09:03.200 --> 00:09:05.200 In fact, I like to say humility is this. 00:09:05.360 --> 00:09:12.799 Humility is a healthy inner lowliness that causes one to lift others up and lean fully on God. 00:09:13.759 --> 00:09:15.039 It's dependency on God. 00:09:15.200 --> 00:09:16.960 We see this in the life of Moses. 00:09:17.279 --> 00:09:20.720 Numbers chapter 12, verse 3 describes Moses this way. 00:09:20.799 --> 00:09:26.639 It says, Now Moses was very humble, more humble than any other person on the earth. 00:09:27.039 --> 00:09:28.320 I mean, think about that. 00:09:28.639 --> 00:09:37.919 Moses spends the latter part of his life and he is moving away from self-importance and he's serving others and he's seeking God. 00:09:38.159 --> 00:09:43.440 In fact, he's so dependent on God that he doesn't want to go anywhere without the presence of God. 00:09:43.600 --> 00:09:46.879 He actually says this in Exodus chapter 33, verse 15. 00:09:46.960 --> 00:09:53.919 It says, Then Moses said, If you don't personally go with us, don't make us leave this place. 00:09:54.159 --> 00:10:00.320 How will anyone know that you look favorably on me, on me and your people, if you don't go with us? 00:10:00.480 --> 00:10:08.000 For your presence among us sets your people and me apart from all the other people on the earth. 00:10:08.639 --> 00:10:12.960 Moses says, Listen, I don't want to go anywhere without God's presence. 00:10:13.120 --> 00:10:15.440 And I don't know about you, but I want that same heart. 00:10:15.600 --> 00:10:17.919 I don't want to go anywhere without the presence of God. 00:10:18.000 --> 00:10:21.039 I don't want to go to school unless your presence goes with me. 00:10:21.200 --> 00:10:23.600 I don't want to go home without your presence. 00:10:23.759 --> 00:10:27.279 I don't want to get in the car and drive on the interstate without your presence. 00:10:27.440 --> 00:10:29.759 I don't want to come to church without the presence of God. 00:10:29.919 --> 00:10:32.480 I don't want to be in a small group without the presence of God. 00:10:32.639 --> 00:10:36.000 I don't want to go anywhere without the presence of God. 00:10:36.240 --> 00:10:41.759 We need God's presence, and we see Moses desperately depending on the presence of God. 00:10:42.240 --> 00:10:46.799 We see Jesus also is described as being humble. 00:10:47.279 --> 00:10:51.200 Paul says this about Jesus in Philippians chapter 2, verse 5. 00:10:51.440 --> 00:10:55.440 He says, You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. 00:10:55.759 --> 00:11:01.279 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 00:11:01.519 --> 00:11:05.360 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges. 00:11:05.679 --> 00:11:14.159 He took the humble position of a slave, some versions say servant, and was born as a human being. 00:11:14.320 --> 00:11:18.879 And then it goes on to talk about because Jesus lowered himself, God lifted him up. 00:11:19.200 --> 00:11:24.080 It says that he took on the position of a slave or a servant. 00:11:24.879 --> 00:11:25.679 This is profound. 00:11:26.080 --> 00:11:28.799 This week I heard someone say something and I thought, this is incredible. 00:11:28.960 --> 00:11:34.879 Because we talk about this in Christianity all in Christianity all the time that we want to have a servant's servant's heart. 00:11:35.039 --> 00:11:37.440 How do you know if you have a servant's heart? 00:11:37.840 --> 00:11:40.799 I tell you one of the ways you know if you have a servant's heart. 00:11:41.039 --> 00:11:47.279 You know if you have a servant's heart by how you respond when people treat you that way. 00:11:48.480 --> 00:11:57.840 And I'm not saying that you need to be a doormat, but but let's just say that you serve someone and they don't celebrate you and they don't acknowledge you and they they don't sing your praises. 00:11:57.919 --> 00:11:58.320 Guess what? 00:11:58.399 --> 00:11:59.039 It doesn't matter. 00:11:59.120 --> 00:12:01.039 That's not why you're there, you're there to serve. 00:12:01.200 --> 00:12:01.679 Amen. 00:12:01.919 --> 00:12:07.679 And so Jesus comes to the earth and he says, I'm here to serve. 00:12:08.720 --> 00:12:11.840 I'm humble and I'm here to serve. 00:12:12.159 --> 00:12:19.919 This even takes us into Palm Sunday because we see the humility of Jesus by how he enters Jerusalem. 00:12:20.159 --> 00:12:27.759 In the book of Zechariah, chapter 9, verse 9, there's actually a messianic prophecy describing this event, and Jesus fulfills it. 00:12:27.840 --> 00:12:34.320 Here's what it says: it says, Rejoice, O people of Zion, shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem. 00:12:34.480 --> 00:12:37.360 Look at your look, your king is coming to you. 00:12:37.679 --> 00:12:43.440 He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble. 00:12:44.399 --> 00:12:48.799 Riding on a donkey, riding on a donkey's colt. 00:12:49.679 --> 00:12:55.759 Notice that Jesus doesn't show up on a horse with an army demanding surrender. 00:12:56.399 --> 00:13:02.240 He shows up on a donkey with no entourage, declaring, I'm a servant. 00:13:03.360 --> 00:13:04.799 I am a servant. 00:13:07.679 --> 00:13:09.120 Why does he do this? 00:13:10.320 --> 00:13:18.000 Because Jesus knows what happens if we take the opposite posture of humility, and that's pride. 00:13:18.320 --> 00:13:21.440 Peter actually talks about this just before the verse that we read. 00:13:21.600 --> 00:13:24.639 He said this in 1 Peter chapter 5, verse 5. 00:13:24.879 --> 00:13:29.440 And all of you dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another. 00:13:29.600 --> 00:13:32.399 And then he quotes Proverbs 3, 34. 00:13:32.480 --> 00:13:37.759 He says, God opposes, which means he literally sets himself up against. 00:13:38.000 --> 00:13:42.240 He opposes the proud, but he gives grace to the humble. 00:13:46.399 --> 00:13:47.600 Here's the point. 00:13:48.799 --> 00:13:57.440 If we walk high, filled with pride and self-reliance, we will experience the fighting hand of God that opposes us. 00:13:59.279 --> 00:14:07.360 But if we walk low in humility, relying upon God, we will experience the favored hand of God that graces us. 00:14:09.279 --> 00:14:15.519 Peter says, listen, you want to experience the favored hand of God. 00:14:15.759 --> 00:14:18.960 Walk in humility and rely on God. 00:14:28.480 --> 00:14:31.200 Remember he cares. 00:14:31.679 --> 00:14:39.840 He says, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, and in due season he will exalt you, casting all your cares on him, for he cares for you. 00:14:39.919 --> 00:14:48.799 Now, some of your versions will have a period right before casting, but the New King James Version doesn't have that because it's still connected to that thought. 00:14:48.879 --> 00:14:50.159 It's a continuation of the thought. 00:14:50.240 --> 00:14:53.039 And so he's basically saying, you want to know what humility looks like. 00:14:53.200 --> 00:14:56.320 It is casting your cares on him, for he cares for you. 00:14:56.559 --> 00:15:03.600 Now I want to focus in on that last part of the verse first, for he cares for you, because it gives us motivation. 00:15:06.639 --> 00:15:10.320 I remember when I was in college, back in college, believe it or not, I had hair. 00:15:10.480 --> 00:15:10.879 I know. 00:15:11.039 --> 00:15:17.440 Um I actually had an afro, a huge afro that I remember coming out of the pool and I would flip it back. 00:15:17.600 --> 00:15:23.679 I had a great flip back, and I could move my head like this, and it was like everything was in slow motion, like a movie. 00:15:23.840 --> 00:15:27.440 And I can remember showing my wife a picture of me with an afro. 00:15:27.519 --> 00:15:33.440 She had never seen me with hair, and I show her this picture of me with an afro, and she's um concerned. 00:15:34.559 --> 00:15:35.600 She didn't like it. 00:15:35.840 --> 00:15:39.120 In fact, she told me I looked like one of the veggie tail characters. 00:15:39.200 --> 00:15:41.039 Um, with that, no, she didn't say that part. 00:15:41.120 --> 00:15:44.480 She didn't say that part, but but she thought it, she did think it. 00:15:45.360 --> 00:15:51.600 But when I was in college, I was introduced to the work of this theologian by the name of A. 00:15:51.759 --> 00:15:51.919 W. 00:15:52.080 --> 00:15:52.799 Tozer. 00:15:53.360 --> 00:16:01.120 He's a prolific writer, incredible preacher, great theologian, gone on to be with the Lord, but but A. 00:16:01.279 --> 00:16:01.440 W. 00:16:01.600 --> 00:16:04.399 Tozer said something that rocked me. 00:16:05.919 --> 00:16:14.080 He said, What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. 00:16:15.120 --> 00:16:19.919 What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. 00:16:20.080 --> 00:16:27.840 In other words, whatever you think about and whatever think I think about when we think about God is the most important thing about us. 00:16:28.080 --> 00:16:29.200 And here's why. 00:16:29.440 --> 00:16:34.720 Because whatever you think about when you think about God determines how you respond to God. 00:16:36.240 --> 00:16:47.759 So, for example, in the first century Roman Empire, they were polytheists, which means they believed in many different gods and goddesses. 00:16:48.559 --> 00:16:59.120 And generally speaking, they saw them as distant and angry, and therefore they worked to appease them and gain their approval. 00:16:59.279 --> 00:17:08.079 And they really did this by trying to be accurate in the religious rites and rituals with the idols and the sacrifices and the prayers. 00:17:08.319 --> 00:17:13.200 They responded to a distant and an angry God that way. 00:17:13.440 --> 00:17:19.119 Well, Peter goes countercultural here and he says, Listen, your God is not distant and he's not angry. 00:17:19.279 --> 00:17:23.519 Your God is close and compassionate and he cares for you. 00:17:24.000 --> 00:17:26.799 And he actually uses this Greek word mellow. 00:17:27.039 --> 00:17:35.759 And I love I love the word mellow because it conveys the idea of having care or concern for someone or something. 00:17:36.079 --> 00:17:38.880 It implies an active interest or attention. 00:17:39.039 --> 00:17:42.960 In other words, it communicates that God is paying attention to you. 00:17:43.200 --> 00:17:44.799 I don't know if you've ever thought about this. 00:17:45.039 --> 00:17:51.759 God, the King of the universe, the sovereign ruler of the galaxy, is actually paying attention to you. 00:17:52.240 --> 00:17:59.440 Jesus says that he's paying so close attention to you that he actually knows the number of hairs on your head. 00:17:59.599 --> 00:18:03.680 Now, I'm not overly impressed with that because he didn't have to do much work on me. 00:18:04.240 --> 00:18:16.079 But for some of you, there's over 8 billion people on this planet, and God has been so intentional to actually know the number of hairs on your head. 00:18:16.319 --> 00:18:21.599 In fact, I I just wrote some thoughts down as I was thinking about the care of God that I want to read to you. 00:18:21.839 --> 00:18:28.160 I realized that there has never been a tear that has been cried that he didn't know about. 00:18:28.400 --> 00:18:32.880 There has never been a breath that he didn't see the expansion of the lungs. 00:18:33.119 --> 00:18:36.000 There has never been a heartbeat that he didn't know the rhythm of. 00:18:36.160 --> 00:18:38.880 There has never been a fingerprint that he didn't architect. 00:18:39.039 --> 00:18:41.839 There has never been a shooting star that he didn't call by name. 00:18:42.000 --> 00:18:44.720 There has never been a sunrise that he didn't set in motion. 00:18:44.880 --> 00:18:47.519 There has never been a morning where his mercies weren't new. 00:18:47.599 --> 00:18:50.880 And there has never been a day where God wasn't paying attention to you. 00:18:51.039 --> 00:18:54.640 I don't know about you, but that's a great place to say thank you, Jesus. 00:18:55.519 --> 00:18:57.200 There's never been that. 00:18:57.759 --> 00:19:00.160 Because He He cares for you. 00:19:00.640 --> 00:19:18.079 I remember uh years ago we were doing some ministry uh as a team and just ministering to one another, and uh there was a girl on our team that I began to pray for, and as I prayed for her, I just uh got this picture in my mind. 00:19:18.400 --> 00:19:30.400 And the picture in my mind was this I saw her, and Jesus was standing next to her, and they were holding hands, and they were walking away from me in this picture. 00:19:30.720 --> 00:19:40.559 And what the impression that I felt was that she was walking away from something, but Jesus was with her, and he was holding her hand. 00:19:41.039 --> 00:19:46.319 And so I just shared that picture with her, and she just said thank you, and we didn't really talk about it. 00:19:46.400 --> 00:19:55.200 But then several months later, she comes to me and and she says, Do you remember what you shared with me months ago? 00:19:55.279 --> 00:19:56.559 And I said, Yeah, I do. 00:19:56.720 --> 00:20:07.839 And she said, What you didn't know was that I was going through something very difficult, and I had just told the Lord, Lord, the only way I'm going to get through this is if you hold my hand. 00:20:08.079 --> 00:20:12.079 And then you came and told me you saw Jesus holding my hand. 00:20:12.240 --> 00:20:14.480 And so I knew I was going to get through it. 00:20:14.559 --> 00:20:16.000 I need to encourage some of you today. 00:20:16.160 --> 00:20:26.079 That's not about me, that's about a God who cares about us so much that He will hold our hands, that He will pick us up and carry us, He will walk with us through the fire. 00:20:26.160 --> 00:20:39.680 In fact, Isaiah 41, verse 13 says, For I hold you by your right hand, I the Lord your God, and I say to you, don't be afraid, I am here to help. 00:20:40.079 --> 00:20:42.319 That's how God feels about you. 00:20:42.960 --> 00:20:45.759 So then, how does this fit into Palm Sunday? 00:20:46.079 --> 00:20:47.759 I want you to think about this. 00:20:48.079 --> 00:20:54.960 Palm Sunday again is when Jesus enters into Jerusalem to ultimately end up on a cross. 00:20:55.920 --> 00:21:00.720 And what you have to understand is that the cross always communicates. 00:21:01.440 --> 00:21:03.119 The cross always communicates. 00:21:03.200 --> 00:21:04.640 Here's what the cross says to us. 00:21:04.720 --> 00:21:06.960 This is Romans chapter 5, verse 8. 00:21:07.119 --> 00:21:14.480 But God shows his love for us in this that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 00:21:14.799 --> 00:21:18.640 1 John chapter 4, verse 10 says, this is real love. 00:21:18.880 --> 00:21:25.839 Not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. 00:21:26.559 --> 00:21:35.920 If you ever question whether God cares about you or not, all you have to do is take a moment and remember the cross. 00:21:49.200 --> 00:21:53.440 What do you think about when you think about God? 00:21:54.559 --> 00:21:59.599 Peter's wanting to make it very clear that our God cares about. 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:02.799 Us here's number three. 00:22:04.160 --> 00:22:06.960 Release your cares. 00:22:07.680 --> 00:22:08.960 Release your cares. 00:22:09.119 --> 00:22:10.960 So we rely on God. 00:22:11.920 --> 00:22:13.839 We remember He cares. 00:22:14.319 --> 00:22:18.079 And then thirdly, Peter says, release your cares. 00:22:18.799 --> 00:22:23.039 He focuses in on casting all your care on him. 00:22:24.559 --> 00:22:30.319 About 15 years ago, I had the privilege of going to Africa and went on a safari. 00:22:30.400 --> 00:22:35.519 I went to uh the Masai Mara, which is a wildlife conservation and wilderness. 00:22:35.759 --> 00:22:45.200 And um there, I'll never forget the day we're at camp and we're eating lunch at a table, and on the table was a basket full of bread. 00:22:45.359 --> 00:22:57.519 And out of nowhere, as we're eating, I noticed this little black hand come up out of nowhere, reach into the bread basket really quickly, grab a piece of bread, disappear under the table, and then shoot up a tree. 00:22:57.680 --> 00:23:00.960 And I realized I had been robbed by a monkey, y'all. 00:23:02.160 --> 00:23:08.880 And so recently I've been researching how to catch a monkey because I have nothing else to do with my life. 00:23:09.759 --> 00:23:20.240 But it's interesting as you start to research this, uh, I found in two different places, specifically in Asia and Africa, there's a way, or one of the ways they catch monkeys, and uh because it's on the internet, you know it's true, right? 00:23:20.400 --> 00:23:36.319 So um so here's what I found out that in order to catch monkeys, what they'll do is they'll take a jar and they will put that jar at the base of a tree and lodge it there, or they'll or they'll take that jar and they'll bury it into the ground. 00:23:36.480 --> 00:23:40.640 And then they'll put in the jar treats that a monkey would enjoy. 00:23:40.960 --> 00:23:53.359 And they make the opening of the jar large enough for the monkey to put its hand in the jar, but once it grabs the treat, the opening is not large enough for it to get its hand out. 00:23:54.079 --> 00:23:57.519 So the monkey is now faced with a dilemma. 00:23:58.079 --> 00:24:05.599 Do I hold on and be held captive, or do I let go and live free? 00:24:06.319 --> 00:24:18.880 Maybe for our purposes today, we could say, do I cling and carry this, or do I cast and release this? 00:24:19.519 --> 00:24:24.160 Because if you choose to cast and release it, you can live free. 00:24:24.640 --> 00:24:25.920 This is what Peter says. 00:24:26.240 --> 00:24:28.720 He says, casting all your cares. 00:24:30.559 --> 00:24:35.039 This word care here is actually different than the other Greek word. 00:24:35.119 --> 00:24:38.079 This is not mellow, this is marimna. 00:24:38.720 --> 00:24:43.200 This is the word that we often translate worry or anxiety. 00:24:43.920 --> 00:24:49.599 It is used to describe concerns in life that distract us or divide our attention. 00:24:49.839 --> 00:24:52.480 It's the care that consumes us. 00:24:53.440 --> 00:24:59.920 It's the concern that keeps us up at night. 00:25:00.400 --> 00:25:02.160 It's the snack. 00:25:03.519 --> 00:25:13.440 What's interesting about the word worry is that if you dive into it and look at the etymology of the word, it's an old English word that actually means to choke or to strangle. 00:25:14.000 --> 00:25:22.160 And it paints the word picture of a dog or a wolf grabbing its prey by the neck and shaking it and strangling it. 00:25:22.480 --> 00:25:28.319 And the truth is, if you've wrestled with worry before, you know how it can feel suffocating. 00:25:28.799 --> 00:25:30.480 Because worry is a thief. 00:25:30.559 --> 00:25:34.400 It wants to steal breath, it wants to steal strength, and it wants to steal energy. 00:25:34.720 --> 00:25:42.880 In fact, the Bible says it this way: this is Luke chapter 8, verse 14, talking about the sense of choking. 00:25:43.759 --> 00:26:00.480 Jesus, in the parable of the sower, it says, And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way, they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. 00:26:01.119 --> 00:26:03.519 The cares actually choke the life out of them. 00:26:03.839 --> 00:26:11.839 Proverbs chapter 12, verse 25 says, Worry weighs a person down, and an encouraging word cheers a person up. 00:26:12.960 --> 00:26:21.279 Corey Tin Boone said this worry doesn't empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength. 00:26:22.480 --> 00:26:27.440 So here's the question: what do you do with worry? 00:26:28.319 --> 00:26:35.440 Well, I am one that absolutely believes that sometimes there are medical issues, and we believe in going to see a medical doctor. 00:26:35.920 --> 00:26:43.839 I believe that sometimes our issues with worry that we actually need to go to a counselor, and that God uses counseling. 00:26:44.079 --> 00:26:49.920 And then in this particular text, God is very clear that not only does he use counseling, he uses casting. 00:26:50.400 --> 00:26:54.240 That we are supposed to cast all our cares. 00:26:54.400 --> 00:26:54.640 All. 00:26:54.799 --> 00:26:56.000 Everybody say all with me. 00:26:56.079 --> 00:26:57.279 Every campus, all. 00:26:57.920 --> 00:27:04.799 There's a story of a little girl having a conversation with her grandmother, and they were talking about prayer. 00:27:05.359 --> 00:27:11.519 And the little girl says to her grandmother, she says, Grammy, do I? 00:27:12.319 --> 00:27:18.480 Does God just want me to bring the big problems to him, or does he want me to bring the little ones too? 00:27:18.799 --> 00:27:24.240 And her grandmother smiles at her and says, Baby, God has never had a big problem. 00:27:25.279 --> 00:27:27.359 He's never seen a big problem. 00:27:27.599 --> 00:27:31.279 All the problems you have are little problems to God, so bring them all. 00:27:31.519 --> 00:27:39.359 I just want to encourage you today, whether you think you have a big problem, a mediocre problem, a small problem, God invites you to bring them all. 00:27:39.599 --> 00:27:40.000 Amen. 00:27:40.160 --> 00:27:42.880 He says, Bring all of your cares to him. 00:27:43.440 --> 00:27:44.079 All of them. 00:27:44.160 --> 00:27:45.200 And he says, cast them. 00:27:45.359 --> 00:27:49.279 The word cast means to throw. 00:27:49.759 --> 00:28:00.160 It carries with it this idea of the transfer of a burden from someone or something to someone or something else. 00:28:01.039 --> 00:28:06.480 And so Peter says there's supposed to be a transfer that you throw this. 00:28:09.119 --> 00:28:14.079 Reminds me of the book of Psalm, chapter 55, verse 22. 00:28:14.160 --> 00:28:18.480 It says, Cast your burden on the Lord and He will sustain you. 00:28:18.799 --> 00:28:21.920 He will never permit the righteous to be moved. 00:28:22.480 --> 00:28:23.920 Can we be honest for a moment? 00:28:24.079 --> 00:28:29.759 You see, most of the things that we worry about, they are revealing. 00:28:30.160 --> 00:28:35.119 Because what we worry about the most often reveals where we trust God the least. 00:28:35.920 --> 00:28:43.359 And so when we decide we're going to cast our cares, we're essentially saying, God, I'm going to trust you with this. 00:28:44.799 --> 00:28:50.640 And this takes us back to Palm Sunday. 00:28:51.359 --> 00:28:57.440 Because the Greek word that's translated cast there is only found one other place in Scripture. 00:28:57.680 --> 00:28:59.200 And you know where it is? 00:29:00.319 --> 00:29:02.559 It's in the story of Palm Sunday. 00:29:03.359 --> 00:29:08.960 It's just before Jesus gets on the donkey that we've been talking about. 00:29:09.119 --> 00:29:11.920 This is Luke 19, verse 35. 00:29:12.079 --> 00:29:19.440 It says, So they brought the cult to Jesus and threw their garments over it for him to ride on. 00:29:19.920 --> 00:29:23.839 That word through there is the word that's translated cast. 00:29:25.279 --> 00:29:27.920 And it's a great picture of what God wants us to do. 00:29:28.079 --> 00:29:29.200 So think about this. 00:29:29.359 --> 00:29:30.880 Here are the disciples. 00:29:31.119 --> 00:29:33.200 They have an outer garment, okay? 00:29:33.279 --> 00:29:36.799 They have uh it's it's like a robe, it's a it's a garment of wool. 00:29:36.960 --> 00:29:43.359 And what they do is before Jesus gets on the donkey, they take off what they've been wearing. 00:29:43.759 --> 00:29:48.240 Or another way to look at it is they take off what's been weighing them down. 00:29:48.640 --> 00:29:59.200 And they take that and they throw it on a donkey, which is a beast of burden, and they take that and they throw it on the donkey for the king to sit on. 00:30:02.079 --> 00:30:09.039 If we go a little further with this, this is profound because we talked about Jesus and his humility. 00:30:09.519 --> 00:30:14.160 When Jesus enters into Jerusalem, there's something we need to understand. 00:30:14.240 --> 00:30:20.880 When kings would come in on horses, it was actually a declaration of war or a statement of war. 00:30:21.039 --> 00:30:22.079 This was wartime. 00:30:22.240 --> 00:30:30.480 But but when kings would come in and they were riding a donkey, it was an extension of peace. 00:30:32.000 --> 00:30:38.720 So Jesus comes in riding a donkey, extending peace. 00:30:39.599 --> 00:30:46.000 He's riding a donkey that has been saddled by the weight of his disciples. 00:30:46.319 --> 00:30:47.279 So get this. 00:30:47.440 --> 00:30:57.200 This is why Paul says in Philippians chapter 4, verse 6 don't worry about anything, pray about everything, and thank God. 00:30:57.440 --> 00:31:04.319 And then he says, and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus. 00:31:04.400 --> 00:31:19.039 So here's what God wants: God wants us to take what we've been carrying, what we've been wearing, the weight that's holding us down, and through prayer, God says, I want you to cast it. 00:31:19.759 --> 00:31:26.720 Cast it on me, and let the king, the prince of peace, sit on it, and he will give you peace. 00:31:28.960 --> 00:31:30.480 I'm learning this. 00:31:31.119 --> 00:31:37.920 See, about nine years ago, I went through a very difficult season. 00:31:38.240 --> 00:31:47.759 I had assumed some new responsibilities in campus leadership, and my wife and I just had our second child. 00:31:48.640 --> 00:31:56.480 And so there was pressure on the professional front and the personal front, and the truth is I was overwhelmed. 00:31:56.720 --> 00:31:59.359 And it actually started to affect me physically. 00:31:59.680 --> 00:32:05.599 I remember breaking out in hives, and I started having stomach pain. 00:32:06.799 --> 00:32:14.000 And I had stomach pain for weeks until finally I woke up one morning about one o'clock, and my wife said, That's it, you're going to the ER. 00:32:14.799 --> 00:32:22.880 And so I go to the ER, and of course, they hooked me up with all kinds of tests, and they're trying to find out what's wrong, and I don't know what's wrong. 00:32:23.359 --> 00:32:39.039 But here's the truth: the reason why I was there was not because someone had hit me in the stomach, it was not because of something I had eaten, but I was there because of what was eating me. 00:32:39.759 --> 00:32:49.039 See, the truth is I had worried and worked myself sick, and that became a turning point for me. 00:32:49.680 --> 00:32:58.960 And God, in his goodness, began to take me on a journey, and he began to show me that there were some things that I was carrying, and I was actually carrying them because of pride. 00:33:00.000 --> 00:33:03.359 It was self-reliance, I can take care of this. 00:33:03.599 --> 00:33:18.400 And then there were other things that I was carrying because I didn't understand how much he actually cared for me, and I needed new perspective, and God began to show me those areas and deal with my heart and begin to teach me how to cast my cares through prayer. 00:33:18.799 --> 00:33:40.720 And church, I'm gonna tell you, I'm not saying that I've never worried since, I'm not saying that I've never had challenges or struggles, but here's what I'll tell you: I haven't had hives or stomach pain in over eight years because God in his goodness began to teach me how to cast my cares and stop carrying my cares. 00:33:44.720 --> 00:33:46.400 So, where are you today? 00:33:49.039 --> 00:34:10.639 Jesus, who rides in on a donkey, ultimately to give his life, is here to give you new life in every area of your life, and he wants you to rely on him to remember he cares and to release your cares. 00:34:10.880 --> 00:34:13.119 I want you to bow your heads and close your eyes. 00:34:16.239 --> 00:34:22.159 Let me just ask you today, what is God speaking to you? 00:34:22.719 --> 00:34:26.559 For some of us, maybe he's pointed out a place of pride and we just need to repent today. 00:34:26.719 --> 00:34:32.800 You've been self-reliant or self-dependent or self-focused, and God said, I want to touch that. 00:34:33.039 --> 00:34:38.320 Maybe you're here today and you just need to see God differently. 00:34:38.480 --> 00:34:41.199 You you want to know that caring God. 00:34:41.840 --> 00:34:45.760 Or maybe you're here today and you're carrying something you should be casting. 00:34:46.159 --> 00:34:52.320 In a moment, I'm gonna pray and release the campuses for the campus pastors to lead in a ministry response. 00:34:52.400 --> 00:34:53.280 But here's what I want to do. 00:34:53.360 --> 00:35:01.039 I want to ask at all the campuses, if you're here and you would say, Jelani, I've been carrying something that I need to cast. 00:35:01.199 --> 00:35:02.880 And today I want to cast that. 00:35:03.039 --> 00:35:04.639 I want to give that to the Lord. 00:35:04.800 --> 00:35:07.840 Would you just, you don't need to be embarrassed, but at every campus, I want to pray for you. 00:35:08.000 --> 00:35:09.360 Would you just slip up your hand right now? 00:35:09.519 --> 00:35:11.840 I'm carrying something I need to cast. 00:35:12.880 --> 00:35:13.440 Amen. 00:35:13.679 --> 00:35:16.239 Every campus, I'm carrying something I need to cast. 00:35:16.480 --> 00:35:20.800 By you lifting your hand, it's simply a statement to say, I'm releasing this. 00:35:21.199 --> 00:35:45.599 Father, you see the hands that are up all over this place, and at every single campus, and I pray right now that they would experience the truth of 1 Peter 5, 6, and 7, that as they humble themselves before you, that you would lift them up, and as they cast their cares, they would be released from the weight and the burden of worry. 00:35:45.760 --> 00:35:47.119 In Jesus' name. 00:35:47.440 --> 00:35:48.000 Amen. 00:35:48.159 --> 00:35:48.559 Amen. 00:35:48.639 --> 00:35:50.719 Come on, can we give God some praise here? 00:35:52.320 --> 00:35:53.920 Thanks for joining us today. 00:35:54.000 --> 00:35:59.440 If you'd like to connect with us, text Connect to 71010 or visit gatewaypeople.com. 00:35:59.599 --> 00:36:01.599 We hope you have a great week.