WEBVTT 00:00:11.200 --> 00:00:13.120 How are we all doing, church? 00:00:14.400 --> 00:00:26.399 Before we get to the word, it is a pleasure this morning to be able to just we're gonna be praying with uh oh we have a missions team this morning that's actually heading to Mexico in a couple weeks. 00:00:26.640 --> 00:00:35.920 And so I'm gonna invite Josh up to come and just share some of the things that are going on, what's happening outside with the Connect Group Sunday. 00:00:36.000 --> 00:00:39.759 We also have a Mercad oh boy Mercadito. 00:00:40.399 --> 00:00:44.240 And I was doing so good until I tried to say it in public. 00:00:44.560 --> 00:00:46.879 All was well until I tried to say it to you. 00:00:47.039 --> 00:00:52.560 But it is an opportunity for us to help into the missions by purchasing food, Mexican food. 00:00:52.640 --> 00:00:57.199 And I'm gonna let Josh tell a little bit more about what's going on this fine morning. 00:00:57.920 --> 00:00:59.519 Good morning, everyone. 00:01:00.560 --> 00:01:03.839 Yes, uh, I'll tell you, I'll start off with the food since he introduced it. 00:01:03.920 --> 00:01:06.320 Yesterday, uh Brian texted me and he's like, How are you doing? 00:01:06.400 --> 00:01:08.560 And I said, Well, I'm knee deep in mole. 00:01:09.359 --> 00:01:13.519 Mole is uh one of uh the mole we're doing today is a mole emario. 00:01:13.840 --> 00:01:20.799 It comes from Oaxaca, it's one of the eight moles of Oaxaca, and Oaxaca City, uh no, the state is actually known for its food. 00:01:20.959 --> 00:01:22.879 So, you know, I did my best to recreate it. 00:01:22.959 --> 00:01:27.679 It's not gonna be like somebody's grandma made it, but uh it's gonna be good nonetheless. 00:01:27.920 --> 00:01:32.480 Um, yeah, please uh come and uh you purchase that. 00:01:32.560 --> 00:01:35.840 Uh we've marked it down at a really good price, eight bucks. 00:01:36.000 --> 00:01:38.000 But that's the suggested donation. 00:01:38.239 --> 00:01:46.719 Anything above and beyond that's gonna go straight towards um the work that we're doing in Oaxaca, Puerto Escondido, and in particular San Pedro, where we're going. 00:01:46.879 --> 00:01:52.799 And I learned this week that we're going to either be plastering walls or we're gonna be digging a septic system. 00:01:53.039 --> 00:01:55.120 So there we go. 00:01:55.280 --> 00:01:57.039 That's uh that's part of it. 00:01:57.599 --> 00:02:06.959 Um before I uh say anything more, I just want to uh give you a few words um of encouragement from some few some things that have been happening in the field. 00:02:07.200 --> 00:02:11.920 And uh I want to first bring your attention to uh Steve Coleman and the Coleman family. 00:02:12.159 --> 00:02:14.800 Steve Coleman just got back this week. 00:02:14.960 --> 00:02:19.759 Uh he was in Rancho Abierto, uh picture of him here. 00:02:19.919 --> 00:02:26.319 Uh he actually got called, and this is where God kind of combines the need and the vision. 00:02:26.560 --> 00:02:32.400 And he got called to ask to be help set up this um off-grade electrical system that you're upgrading. 00:02:32.479 --> 00:02:44.560 And they upgraded it from like a four, I don't know, I don't know technical stuff, like 40% capacity to now it's like 100% capacity, uh, so they don't need to charge batteries as much and they don't need to run a diesel generator. 00:02:44.719 --> 00:03:04.479 But we sent him uh a small part of we sent a small contribution to him to help send him down there for him to not only do the work but also to kind of learn uh the systems and stuff like that, so that in the future we can look at opportunities to send him other places or some of our own uh ventures. 00:03:04.960 --> 00:03:07.359 Um and I and just miracles happened. 00:03:07.520 --> 00:03:17.520 Steve kind of shared with me this week that they had so much work to do, there was no way that they could get it done in the week that they had, and literally felt like God stopped time. 00:03:17.680 --> 00:03:25.840 And they, in addition to the one project that they had to do, they took on two additional projects and got them all done in a week, and it was literally like God stopped time. 00:03:26.000 --> 00:03:28.400 So that's fantastic. 00:03:28.639 --> 00:03:30.960 Um, I also, yeah, let's give them a hang. 00:03:33.759 --> 00:03:40.000 Um, I also wanted to draw your attention to Karen Barkman, who just returned from Liberia this week as well. 00:03:40.159 --> 00:03:46.800 Uh, if you know Karen, I asked her for a two-sentence update, and uh it doesn't really exist. 00:03:47.280 --> 00:03:49.280 So I'll try and summarize it. 00:03:49.520 --> 00:03:51.680 In two weeks, they visited Hope Homes. 00:03:51.759 --> 00:03:55.599 Um they have homes for children, um, orphan children. 00:03:55.759 --> 00:04:07.680 Uh they launched a ministry school hosted uh with 150 pastors, including the Archbishop of Liberia, um, who came to their conference and then invited them to her conference. 00:04:07.919 --> 00:04:14.000 Um they visited their organic agriculture trainers who have set up an amazing organic farm. 00:04:14.240 --> 00:04:27.440 And one of the encouraging things that Karen said is that it was so great because she went and it's been a while since she's been back, but that her team on the ground, the locals that she has as leaders, um, have just been doing a fantastic job. 00:04:27.520 --> 00:04:32.960 And and they have a network of something like 600 widows in their network that they uh care for as well. 00:04:33.280 --> 00:04:34.400 So just an amazing thing. 00:04:34.480 --> 00:04:41.120 Karen's part of our body here, and uh and just want to really uh give a shout out to her and and the things she's doing in Liberia. 00:04:45.840 --> 00:04:49.440 She's also my mother-in-law, so you know, plug there. 00:04:50.000 --> 00:04:52.720 Um and the third one is the Lowe family. 00:04:52.800 --> 00:04:55.920 Um, some of you will know the Lowe's that attend here at KCC. 00:04:56.080 --> 00:04:59.440 They're actually in Kona, Hawaii at a YWAM school. 00:04:59.600 --> 00:05:01.360 So they go for four months of the year. 00:05:01.440 --> 00:05:03.760 I think this is their third or fourth year that they're there. 00:05:03.920 --> 00:05:09.040 Uh the kids can do their online school and uh gymnastics and all the things there. 00:05:09.280 --> 00:05:14.400 And in addition, John is hosting this coming week, so this is something we can pray for. 00:05:14.560 --> 00:05:18.560 He's hosting an appropriate water technology training. 00:05:18.640 --> 00:05:27.840 Like I I don't know if you know, but John works here as an engineer with a firm, and he actually helps do the water systems for the First Nations all across northern BC. 00:05:28.240 --> 00:05:33.280 So, what a pleasure to have him here in our body, but also to go to YWAM serve there. 00:05:33.360 --> 00:05:44.720 And again, one of those opportunities for us to start to evaluate where it is that God's calling us to, what tools and what stones we have in our hand, and be able to apply those. 00:05:45.200 --> 00:05:46.640 So that's great. 00:05:48.880 --> 00:05:51.440 Isn't God doing some amazing things right here? 00:05:52.720 --> 00:06:00.720 Oh, sorry, I just wanted to say uh you you know Brian's gonna talk a little bit about this global engagement support visit that we're about to head out on. 00:06:00.800 --> 00:06:05.760 Um, but if you want to follow along, make sure to uh join the KCC missions group page. 00:06:05.920 --> 00:06:10.640 The it's a connect group, but it doesn't mean that you know you have to come weekly to a missions group. 00:06:10.800 --> 00:06:13.760 It just means that you'll start getting updates about what we're doing. 00:06:13.840 --> 00:06:25.120 Um, and as well in the back on the mission together poster, if you scan the QR code of the ECLS, we're gonna be posting updates and prayer things uh regularly as we're on our trip. 00:06:25.280 --> 00:06:28.880 And so it's a make it's a way for you to come alongside us in in spirit. 00:06:29.360 --> 00:06:30.080 Amazing. 00:06:30.320 --> 00:06:36.400 Uh we just want to I want to call forward the team right now that's all gonna be coming, going to Mexico. 00:06:36.480 --> 00:06:37.360 We're gonna pray them out. 00:06:37.440 --> 00:06:40.800 So if you want to all that are part of our Mexico trip, if you want to come forward. 00:06:40.960 --> 00:06:51.440 This team is gonna be going to Mexico, to Oaxaca, to Puerto Escondido, Zacatella, San Pedro, Acampala, some other names that I can't pronounce or say just yeah, just hang out right in the front here. 00:06:51.600 --> 00:06:56.320 We have the honor, you guys, of being able to have some partnering up with a couple other churches. 00:06:56.400 --> 00:07:01.520 Um, and so we just honor their pastors and their church and say thank you that we get to be able to do this with them. 00:07:01.680 --> 00:07:10.400 But we're excited that this is the first trip that we've actually had a team be able to go into Mexico as a team like this in the last few years. 00:07:10.480 --> 00:07:13.120 You know, all the the C word that shan't be named, COVID. 00:07:13.280 --> 00:07:15.600 I gotta say it, I can't, so then you know what I'm talking about. 00:07:15.760 --> 00:07:18.160 But we had to take a break for COVID and things like that. 00:07:18.240 --> 00:07:26.080 And so now that we're able to do this, I just want to say this team is uh committed funds and time and time off work to be able to go. 00:07:26.240 --> 00:07:32.320 And this is the the beauty of what we do as a church is we go in and we support the churches that are there. 00:07:32.560 --> 00:07:43.200 We're not going there just to change everything, we're coming in to bolster from the ground up to build septic systems and/or the other thing that they're gonna be doing and plastering, either one of those things. 00:07:43.360 --> 00:07:50.080 And so this is an opportunity for us to support them, not only in prayer, there's an opportunity financially to support them as well. 00:07:50.320 --> 00:07:55.120 But these are the people that are gonna go, and we want this team every year to grow and grow and grow. 00:07:55.200 --> 00:07:59.200 And so I just want to take the opportunity for you to just stand and just point out your hands. 00:07:59.280 --> 00:08:01.440 I just want to come down and I'm gonna pray with them. 00:08:01.680 --> 00:08:05.920 Let's just lift up the name of Jesus right now and just say, let's just pray for them. 00:08:06.000 --> 00:08:07.200 Lord, you're so good. 00:08:07.360 --> 00:08:14.800 You see this team, you see the heart, you see the passion, the direction that they are wanting to go and serve our missions. 00:08:14.880 --> 00:08:23.120 Lord, so we just ask in by your name and your Holy Spirit, as they go forward into this mission field, Lord, that you point them in the right direction. 00:08:23.360 --> 00:08:35.919 That supernaturally you give them the right place they need to go, the right words they need to say, the right songs they need to sing, when they need to pray, the words that come out of their hearts will be things that make difference in the lives of people in that area. 00:08:36.080 --> 00:08:40.720 Lord, that the pastors that they're gonna be connecting with will be encouraged and built up, Lord. 00:08:40.799 --> 00:08:46.960 The places that they're gonna build physically, Lord, would just be places that your name is made great in those places that they have. 00:08:47.120 --> 00:08:49.200 Lord, so we just say, God, you are so good. 00:08:49.360 --> 00:08:50.320 You know what's happening. 00:08:50.480 --> 00:09:02.800 Lord, bless each member of this team as they go, Lord, that there's opportunity for their skills and abilities that you've built into them to be of use on this trip, Lord, that there would be supernatural meetings. 00:09:03.040 --> 00:09:04.639 There would be people healed, Lord. 00:09:04.720 --> 00:09:18.879 There would be an opportunity financially, Lord, opportunity in the spirit, Lord, for people to know you deeper and experience your presence through what we do from this church and KCC and churches that we're partnering with to go to Mexico and make a difference down, Lord, Lord. 00:09:18.960 --> 00:09:25.120 Whether where they go, Lord, their holy ground is, and things will happen that only you can orchestrate, Lord. 00:09:25.200 --> 00:09:30.800 So we give you all the praise and all the glory for the heart of this team that's gonna go down and serve our ministries, Lord. 00:09:30.879 --> 00:09:33.279 In Jesus' name, everyone said, Amen. 00:09:33.440 --> 00:09:34.639 Let's give this team a hand. 00:09:40.320 --> 00:09:43.040 I was hoping you'd clap longer so I could walk back. 00:09:49.680 --> 00:09:50.000 Yeah. 00:09:50.560 --> 00:09:54.320 What an uh uh amazing uh time this morning already. 00:09:54.480 --> 00:10:01.200 It's uh I fight the urge to just keep going and like Lord, what do you want us to do this morning? 00:10:01.440 --> 00:10:10.160 And I really felt that uh Pastor Brody, he really kicked us off last week with uh an amazing message on making room for God's grace. 00:10:10.399 --> 00:10:11.759 Wasn't it a good message? 00:10:13.440 --> 00:10:22.240 Which is an easy setup for me as we come into this and we're talking about missions and we're we're moving and we're expecting God to move and do great things. 00:10:22.480 --> 00:10:27.360 Then my message today is actually speaking about making room for God's goodness. 00:10:28.320 --> 00:10:29.920 Making room for God's goodness. 00:10:30.080 --> 00:10:34.560 This is uh an interesting message, it kind of went a little bit different than I, you know. 00:10:34.720 --> 00:10:41.040 The Lord gives you an idea and you start prepping it out, and then he starts talking to you a bit more, and things change, and you kind of go in a little bit of a different direction. 00:10:41.120 --> 00:10:43.200 But I feel like this is for us. 00:10:43.519 --> 00:10:45.759 So my idea today is I want to talk about this. 00:10:45.920 --> 00:10:48.240 God's goodness isn't scarce. 00:10:51.840 --> 00:10:55.360 God's goodness isn't scarce, right? 00:10:56.480 --> 00:10:58.879 But sometimes our hearts are crowded. 00:10:59.920 --> 00:11:02.720 God's goodness isn't scarce, but our hearts are crowded. 00:11:02.800 --> 00:11:04.720 God isn't holding out on us. 00:11:05.200 --> 00:11:08.399 We're just full, and sometimes we're full of the wrong things. 00:11:08.720 --> 00:11:10.320 Sometimes we're just full. 00:11:10.560 --> 00:11:15.680 And so this is the this is you can't receive what you refuse to make room for. 00:11:18.160 --> 00:11:21.680 And so oftentimes we say this in church God is good. 00:11:23.519 --> 00:11:26.080 You gotta uh just I love this church. 00:11:26.320 --> 00:11:28.639 That's not what I was expecting at all, but that was amazing. 00:11:28.720 --> 00:11:30.639 I should have known that's what would happen. 00:11:32.800 --> 00:11:37.600 I should have known I've said this before in prayer meetings, they're like all the time, and we just know what's going on. 00:11:38.080 --> 00:11:39.600 God is good all the time. 00:11:40.720 --> 00:11:42.080 Love you guys. 00:11:43.519 --> 00:11:48.879 But I think that in our heart we have to get past the fact that God is good all the time, I get it. 00:11:49.200 --> 00:11:53.840 But we don't use it as just a slogan that we say as a Christian buzzword. 00:11:54.240 --> 00:12:03.680 That it's actually something that's built in our heart that we believe with all of our heart and all of our soul and all of our mind and all of our strength that God is good. 00:12:05.680 --> 00:12:07.840 You're gonna be fun this morning, I tell you. 00:12:08.399 --> 00:12:11.759 Let's go to Psalms chapter 34, verses 8. 00:12:12.000 --> 00:12:16.720 And I want you to just hang on to the scripture in your Sky Bible if you're writing it down, because we're gonna get back to this. 00:12:16.879 --> 00:12:20.800 But it says, Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. 00:12:21.440 --> 00:12:24.000 Blessed is the man who seeks refuge in him. 00:12:24.879 --> 00:12:32.240 So we talk about making room for God's goodness, and there's some things that get often get in the way of us experiencing that. 00:12:32.480 --> 00:12:33.920 You'd you would agree with me? 00:12:34.560 --> 00:12:36.480 Just say yes, just say yes. 00:12:38.000 --> 00:12:48.960 And over the last 21 days, when we did the 21 days of prayer this last month, Nat and I came in with this uh this list of prayer requests, like, Lord, we got these things that we're believing for. 00:12:49.440 --> 00:13:03.519 Some of the prayers were answered, and some are still hanging out there, but the thing about it was is that we realized that our time that we had put in that our focus was on other things other than where God needed us to be. 00:13:04.639 --> 00:13:19.759 And so over the 21 days, we felt the Lord just reset us, reset our time, reset our space for the word, for the Lord, with an intentional understanding of God, you are so good, we want to know more of you. 00:13:19.840 --> 00:13:21.200 And we just felt there was a breakthrough. 00:13:21.279 --> 00:13:30.639 And the interesting thing is it was a breakthrough for us, but it was also breakthrough for many families around KCC, many people that experience the 21 days of prayer. 00:13:31.120 --> 00:13:38.639 So God's goodness isn't usually blocked, and we talk about this by him being absent, it's blocked by our lives being way too full. 00:13:39.680 --> 00:13:42.639 I have a shared calendar with Natalie. 00:13:42.879 --> 00:13:46.080 There's way too many colors on the shared calendar. 00:13:46.399 --> 00:13:54.560 There's colors for everything: days off, days on, days we're working, dentist appointments, kids' dentist appointments, things well, they're older now, so it's not as much. 00:13:54.639 --> 00:13:55.840 And so there's too many colors. 00:13:56.000 --> 00:13:59.120 But if I look at the calendar, I'd want to cry a little. 00:13:59.600 --> 00:14:04.320 There's just too many things on there between work and what's happening with the with family. 00:14:04.399 --> 00:14:06.399 There's just so much on that calendar. 00:14:06.720 --> 00:14:11.680 So the problem is that we're oftentimes we're not anti-God or anything like that, but our lives are full. 00:14:11.759 --> 00:14:14.320 Well, we're we're full of fear, maybe. 00:14:14.639 --> 00:14:19.120 We're full of control or full of cynicism or full of I got this. 00:14:19.200 --> 00:14:21.040 We got the I got this attitude, eh? 00:14:21.600 --> 00:14:23.040 Full of cynicism towards God. 00:14:23.360 --> 00:14:26.560 And I would say this: we're not anti-God, but we're just overcrowded. 00:14:26.639 --> 00:14:27.759 Our life is packed. 00:14:27.920 --> 00:14:29.279 Even the good things can't get in. 00:14:29.360 --> 00:14:33.920 Sometimes you remember when you're holding up a cup of coffee and someone else pours in and it flows over. 00:14:34.480 --> 00:14:38.480 It's not the coffee's fault, it's you who's holding the cup's fault. 00:14:40.320 --> 00:14:44.399 It's not the capacity of the cup, it's we were holding it and we just kept on going. 00:14:45.200 --> 00:14:48.240 I want to say this is when we see, taste, and see that the Lord is good. 00:14:48.399 --> 00:14:55.040 Psalms 34 in this scripture, it's not written with David sitting on a lazy boy just chilling back, watching TV. 00:14:55.200 --> 00:15:00.000 David, in this moment, when he's writing this, taste and see the Lord is good, he's being hunted. 00:15:01.600 --> 00:15:03.120 He's probably a little bit depressed. 00:15:03.200 --> 00:15:06.000 In the scripture, he's actually questioning his calling. 00:15:06.320 --> 00:15:08.000 He doesn't know what's going on. 00:15:08.320 --> 00:15:11.680 He's stressed out, he's on the run, he's probably a little bit depressed. 00:15:11.840 --> 00:15:16.800 And all of this we hear David say, taste, and see that the Lord is good. 00:15:17.920 --> 00:15:26.639 David, in that, what we don't see is he's saying that life is not being about perfect, it's about making room for God in our real life. 00:15:28.800 --> 00:15:32.080 So I want to define God's goodness so we don't get confused. 00:15:33.920 --> 00:15:41.120 So many times, the erroneous, trying to use a big word, I probably shouldn't. 00:15:42.000 --> 00:15:56.560 The error is that sometimes we hear people say, Oh, I'm a Christian now and God is good, assuming that life is gonna be easy. 00:15:57.920 --> 00:16:00.960 Assuming that I get what I want. 00:16:01.600 --> 00:16:04.960 Assuming that nothing will ever hurt again. 00:16:05.519 --> 00:16:09.600 Assuming that God is basically the cosmic Amazon prime. 00:16:12.960 --> 00:16:20.000 Because what we see in scripture is that we see that God's goodness is God's faithful character in action. 00:16:20.720 --> 00:16:31.519 It's his covenant love, it's his truth, it's his holiness, it's his mercy, it's his nearness, and sometimes it feels like comfort, and other times it feels like correction. 00:16:34.720 --> 00:16:37.360 But it's still good because it's still God. 00:16:38.560 --> 00:16:39.200 Amen. 00:16:40.240 --> 00:16:43.920 God's goodness is who he is, not what you get. 00:16:45.440 --> 00:16:49.440 Exodus 33, he says, Moses says to the Lord, please show me your glory. 00:16:49.680 --> 00:16:59.600 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you my name the Lord, and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy. 00:16:59.840 --> 00:17:06.399 This passage is interesting because in this time when he's saying, Show me your glory, Moses is up the side of a mountain. 00:17:06.720 --> 00:17:18.400 The people down that he was leading were getting a little bit panicked that he wasn't gonna come back, so they go to Aaron, Moses' second in command, and say, Hey, can you take all of the gold that we have and we're gonna make a calf out of gold? 00:17:19.680 --> 00:17:21.360 Seems a bit interesting. 00:17:21.600 --> 00:17:24.799 So they make the calf and then they start worshiping it. 00:17:25.360 --> 00:17:29.680 They start worshiping the calf like the calf is what brought them out of Egypt. 00:17:32.000 --> 00:17:37.120 They traded living, the living God, for something that they could control. 00:17:40.880 --> 00:17:44.640 This is the mess that Moses has to come down the mountain to. 00:17:45.200 --> 00:17:47.120 This nation was hanging by a thread. 00:17:47.360 --> 00:17:50.960 Moses isn't asking just like, show me your glory because he needed it. 00:17:51.120 --> 00:17:52.960 He's like, Lord, what do I do? 00:17:54.240 --> 00:17:56.240 He's asking for assurance. 00:17:57.680 --> 00:18:02.640 This is what it is, show me your glory, and God answers, I will make all my goodness pass before you. 00:18:03.519 --> 00:18:09.759 Meaning, God's glory is not only what he can do, it's who he is. 00:18:10.880 --> 00:18:12.079 You with me, church? 00:18:13.519 --> 00:18:16.319 When everything falls apart, God just doesn't flex. 00:18:16.480 --> 00:18:17.200 This is what I can do. 00:18:17.279 --> 00:18:18.480 He doesn't flex first. 00:18:18.799 --> 00:18:22.319 He actually reveals his character to us. 00:18:23.120 --> 00:18:25.200 God answers with goodness. 00:18:27.279 --> 00:18:30.240 And that answers a question that's really deep in this moment. 00:18:30.400 --> 00:18:35.360 God, God's glory is not about power, it's about his character on display. 00:18:35.680 --> 00:18:37.759 So I want to break this down even a little bit more. 00:18:37.920 --> 00:18:44.400 We can sometimes, oftentimes, we see this all the time in the church world, we chase the big glory moments. 00:18:44.880 --> 00:18:50.240 We chase the big feelings or the big breakthroughs or the big signs and the big miracles. 00:18:50.720 --> 00:18:54.960 But so often the opposite of that is where God's character actually is. 00:18:55.279 --> 00:19:02.079 Not that God's not doing big things, not that God's making, but where you're gonna see his character, it's in the quiet obedience that you give him. 00:19:04.559 --> 00:19:11.440 It's when we are feeling just nothing and we have nothing left to give, and we get small wins that just keep us on the right path. 00:19:11.759 --> 00:19:15.120 It's that steady walk when you're reading your scripture that he brings you through. 00:19:15.200 --> 00:19:16.160 It's the wisdom. 00:19:16.319 --> 00:19:18.640 These are all parts of his character. 00:19:20.079 --> 00:19:24.480 It's the daily provisions that don't make it to your daily Facebook post. 00:19:25.440 --> 00:19:29.839 But it's those daily provisions that God gives you that are the things that are keeping you alive. 00:19:32.160 --> 00:19:39.839 No, this is where we see God's amazing glory so often, is in those moments by revealing how good he really is. 00:19:41.120 --> 00:19:46.799 When we're at our end and we have nothing left to give, and we're at the we're we're just feeling like I can't do anything more. 00:19:46.960 --> 00:19:55.440 It's where we see his mercy, we see his grace, his name, and we see lives change because that's where God's goodness is at work. 00:19:55.839 --> 00:20:05.759 Few weeks ago we celebrated and we had baptisms in our church because people are giving their life to Jesus, and people are choosing Christ and being baptized. 00:20:05.839 --> 00:20:07.120 That's a miracle. 00:20:08.160 --> 00:20:17.120 We see people, I've heard testimonies of people that we prayed for at the prayer and worship night where their knee they used to be in 90% pain all the time, is down to like 10. 00:20:17.440 --> 00:20:18.240 And they can walk. 00:20:19.519 --> 00:20:20.160 Amen. 00:20:20.720 --> 00:20:22.799 That's God's goodness at work. 00:20:23.759 --> 00:20:27.519 That's what God does, that that's who he is, it's his character. 00:20:29.680 --> 00:20:42.319 The problem is if we define goodness too light or too fluffy or too easy, or where it depends on how we're feeling in the moment, you will miss good God's goodness in those hard seasons. 00:20:42.640 --> 00:20:44.480 If it's all about your feelings. 00:20:44.720 --> 00:20:54.160 Then, if God's goodness is God's character, like we're talking about, then the biggest battle that we face isn't out there, it's in here. 00:20:54.400 --> 00:20:58.400 Because whatever owns your heart will decide what you have room for. 00:21:01.839 --> 00:21:14.079 This is what God said in James 1:17: every good and perfect gift comes from the Lord, comes from above, coming from the Father of lights, with whom there's no variation or shadow due to change. 00:21:14.559 --> 00:21:16.079 He doesn't change. 00:21:17.680 --> 00:21:21.920 God is the source of every good and perfect gift. 00:21:23.360 --> 00:21:24.480 He doesn't change. 00:21:24.640 --> 00:21:32.960 My life will change, my job will change, my feelings change, my circumstances change, the relationships change, things around me will change. 00:21:33.279 --> 00:21:35.519 God's goodness stays steady. 00:21:36.480 --> 00:21:43.839 If goodness depends on how weak your how good your week is going, you don't believe in God's goodness, you just believe in good weeks. 00:21:55.519 --> 00:22:03.839 So if God's goodness is not scarce, like we said right at the very beginning, and God's character is steady, then why don't we experience it more often? 00:22:05.680 --> 00:22:07.440 So here's the hard answer. 00:22:08.720 --> 00:22:10.319 It's not, because God. 00:22:10.880 --> 00:22:14.160 Is absent, it's because our hearts are filled with rival trusts. 00:22:14.960 --> 00:22:17.279 Things that we're putting trust in instead of God. 00:22:17.519 --> 00:22:20.960 The reality is that He hasn't withdrawn. 00:22:21.120 --> 00:22:23.120 Our heart has just made room for other things. 00:22:23.279 --> 00:22:27.440 We rely on security or value or significance or control or comfort. 00:22:27.680 --> 00:22:44.240 When our lives are filled with competing processes, with competing loves, with competing trust, the loyalties or the success or how much money I'm making, possessions, or all of those things, it becomes much harder to see what God is doing in your life because those things take up space. 00:22:52.000 --> 00:22:55.440 Remember when I told you about my family and how loud they are on Sundays? 00:22:55.680 --> 00:22:56.799 It's absolutely amazing. 00:22:56.880 --> 00:22:59.920 I can't whisper anything in that house. 00:23:00.000 --> 00:23:01.600 They're not going to hear anything. 00:23:01.920 --> 00:23:03.519 I have to yell louder. 00:23:04.480 --> 00:23:07.440 His presence hasn't changed, but our attention has. 00:23:23.920 --> 00:23:25.839 Important as he needs to be to us. 00:23:26.000 --> 00:23:28.799 So whatever feels heaviest wins space in our heart. 00:23:29.920 --> 00:23:36.319 The question becomes how do you put the weight back onto God in a world that makes him feel optional? 00:23:39.680 --> 00:23:41.519 I want to talk just a minute about the fear of God. 00:23:41.600 --> 00:23:45.680 And I don't mean the fear of God where God scares you so much just because you did something. 00:23:45.839 --> 00:23:47.600 I'm talking about awe. 00:23:48.880 --> 00:23:51.839 We experienced awe this morning in worship. 00:23:51.920 --> 00:23:54.799 We experienced his mercy this morning in worship. 00:23:54.960 --> 00:24:00.799 There was a weight that God just laid on us ahead, a good holy weight that we experienced this morning. 00:24:00.960 --> 00:24:02.720 That's the awe that I'm talking about. 00:24:03.279 --> 00:24:07.680 Not the awe where I'm just afraid that he's gonna wipe me off the face of the earth because I sinned this week. 00:24:07.839 --> 00:24:12.160 I'm talking about the awe that makes you want to obey him even more than you did before. 00:24:13.039 --> 00:24:20.960 Where you experience that in him so much that you just love him deeper, love him more, want to be more obedient and do more of what he's called you to. 00:24:21.039 --> 00:24:22.799 That's the awe that I'm speaking about. 00:24:24.559 --> 00:24:29.920 An awe that I will be honest in my own life has been missing many times. 00:24:30.240 --> 00:24:38.640 Where I've had to come back to the first love of who Christ was, to come back into his presence differently than I was before. 00:24:41.519 --> 00:24:53.519 Because idols that are in our life, the things that are bigger, the trusts that we have, will not survive where God is big, where God is in awe, where God is presence first. 00:24:53.920 --> 00:24:59.440 Idols grow when God gets when God gets small, when he feels optional. 00:25:00.880 --> 00:25:03.279 Everything else starts to feel necessary. 00:25:03.519 --> 00:25:05.360 This is what it says in Proverbs 9:10. 00:25:05.440 --> 00:25:08.000 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. 00:25:08.319 --> 00:25:10.480 And knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. 00:25:10.640 --> 00:25:19.360 Wisdom, when God has weight and awe and holiness in your life again, when you begin to tremble at who he is in a good way. 00:25:19.519 --> 00:25:22.799 I'm not, I'm talking, we had people on their knees before God this morning. 00:25:22.960 --> 00:25:26.079 When you have your hands up and you're just saying, God, I submit. 00:25:26.640 --> 00:25:31.600 When you tremble, that kind of tremble, you stop choosing other cheap substitutes. 00:25:31.920 --> 00:25:34.319 Because his grace is mer is amazing. 00:25:35.279 --> 00:25:36.559 What happens? 00:25:37.839 --> 00:25:40.880 What happens when the fear of God shows up in our life? 00:25:41.519 --> 00:25:43.120 It breaks something in us. 00:25:43.839 --> 00:25:48.480 Something that was holding on to us, something that was holding us back, something that we had chains on. 00:25:48.559 --> 00:25:49.519 That's what happens. 00:25:50.000 --> 00:25:52.960 Fear of man will lose power when God is first. 00:25:54.240 --> 00:25:58.720 Control starts to loosen, approval starts, it stops running our life. 00:26:00.559 --> 00:26:06.720 Because you can't bow to the things of the world while you're standing in awe and bending a knee to the King of Kings. 00:26:08.079 --> 00:26:08.880 You can't. 00:26:11.600 --> 00:26:16.319 So sometimes we wonder why certain idols keep living rent-free in our heart. 00:26:16.640 --> 00:26:18.559 It might not be just a willpower thing. 00:26:18.640 --> 00:26:21.920 You gotta work through some stuff, but it could be a worship thing as well. 00:26:23.279 --> 00:26:24.559 What are you worshiping? 00:26:26.640 --> 00:26:36.880 When we understand the awe of God and we live in His the life of repentance and forgiveness before Him, we have more awe, not more hustle. 00:26:37.839 --> 00:26:39.600 More of God, not more work. 00:26:40.079 --> 00:26:43.200 More presence, not more just striving for something. 00:26:44.640 --> 00:26:50.880 And this is what happens once when God has weight again, you can finally name what's been filling that room that you have. 00:26:51.200 --> 00:26:54.319 Sometimes our lives are full because our hearts are worshiping something else. 00:26:54.480 --> 00:26:55.519 We've been talking about this. 00:26:55.759 --> 00:27:05.440 And oftentimes when a pastor says idolatry, we just think like, oh, statues and ancient temples and things that you see on national treasure and weird, you know, Indiana Jones and movies like that. 00:27:05.519 --> 00:27:06.480 That's what you think of. 00:27:06.720 --> 00:27:12.880 Biblical idolatry is this it's trusting something created to give you what only God can give. 00:27:14.799 --> 00:27:19.680 A good thing becomes a God thing, but the little G God, not God God. 00:27:20.319 --> 00:27:21.519 It becomes your God. 00:27:21.600 --> 00:27:22.720 So here's the test. 00:27:23.200 --> 00:27:24.480 You can ask yourself this question. 00:27:24.559 --> 00:27:26.880 No need for hands, no, this is not an interactive moment. 00:27:31.440 --> 00:27:35.440 Where do you go when you're stressed? 00:27:36.079 --> 00:27:37.600 What do you fear losing? 00:27:37.759 --> 00:27:39.680 What do you obey without question? 00:27:46.480 --> 00:27:49.360 Idolatry can look like it's a normal life. 00:27:50.559 --> 00:27:52.480 This is what it says in Colossians. 00:27:52.720 --> 00:27:55.519 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you. 00:28:00.240 --> 00:28:03.279 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you. 00:28:04.000 --> 00:28:08.079 Things that we manufacture, things that the world tells us are okay. 00:28:08.720 --> 00:28:16.799 Put to death what is therefore what is earthly in you, sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, covetousness with this which is idolatry. 00:28:17.039 --> 00:28:19.200 Idolatry can look like normal life. 00:28:22.000 --> 00:28:27.600 Always needing more, always wanting more, always comparing, never being satisfied. 00:28:28.319 --> 00:28:33.680 Because what fills the room, I say it again, fills will be the what fills your heart. 00:28:34.079 --> 00:28:36.559 Fear can become idolatry of safety. 00:28:37.920 --> 00:28:43.039 Those of us that struggle with fear, those of us that struggle with control can be the idol of self-trust. 00:28:43.360 --> 00:28:45.839 Distraction becomes an idol of comfort. 00:28:47.680 --> 00:28:52.240 Idols and sin always over-promises and under-delivers. 00:28:53.200 --> 00:28:57.839 Always, always without fail, but why do I like it sometimes? 00:29:01.920 --> 00:29:03.680 You'll never be satisfied. 00:29:05.120 --> 00:29:06.640 This is what we're talking about, church. 00:29:06.720 --> 00:29:12.000 We're talking about moving our life into a place where we're living a life of repentance before God. 00:29:14.880 --> 00:29:18.559 When you ask that question, what is that that where does your attention go? 00:29:18.880 --> 00:29:20.720 Lord, is it anything but you? 00:29:23.519 --> 00:29:28.240 We're reordering, we're reordering love in our heart, priorities that God has called. 00:29:28.720 --> 00:29:33.279 This is why we see that Psalms 34:8 is not just a cute phrase. 00:29:36.640 --> 00:29:38.240 It's something that can make a difference. 00:29:38.480 --> 00:29:39.680 I just want to break it down. 00:29:40.000 --> 00:29:42.480 God's goodness must be experienced. 00:29:54.720 --> 00:29:57.200 It doesn't say stop, analyze, and debate about it. 00:29:58.960 --> 00:30:00.400 Some of us are wont to do. 00:30:02.400 --> 00:30:03.759 It says taste and see. 00:30:03.839 --> 00:30:05.360 It's an action, it's a response. 00:30:05.600 --> 00:30:06.640 Taste is personal. 00:30:07.039 --> 00:30:08.799 I can't taste for someone else. 00:30:09.360 --> 00:30:11.120 How many of you like black licorice? 00:30:11.200 --> 00:30:12.160 Put your hand up. 00:30:13.039 --> 00:30:14.960 We're praying for you after the service. 00:30:15.120 --> 00:30:15.839 I'm just saying. 00:30:16.000 --> 00:30:23.360 Like, if I could have anything in my mouth that was worse than that, I'm not sure what it is. 00:30:27.200 --> 00:30:31.759 Wow, like I actually thought that was gonna be way smaller of a group of people. 00:30:34.160 --> 00:30:36.880 I'm not sure what I stepped into this morning. 00:30:38.000 --> 00:30:38.960 I repent. 00:30:39.680 --> 00:30:40.960 I am so sorry. 00:30:41.360 --> 00:30:44.720 I offended three-quarters of the room in one thing. 00:30:48.880 --> 00:30:49.920 I'm just gonna move on. 00:30:50.000 --> 00:30:50.400 How's that? 00:30:52.400 --> 00:31:02.880 That's where you stick your foot in your mouth and but this is the thing, is you can't taste God's goodness unless you actively choose to respond to God. 00:31:04.000 --> 00:31:05.039 Taste is intentional. 00:31:05.120 --> 00:31:07.759 You just can't accidentally taste, even black licorice. 00:31:08.559 --> 00:31:10.640 As soon as you now I gotta stop. 00:31:12.160 --> 00:31:20.480 You can come close to him on purpose, but taste requires space, and you can't taste it if your mouth is already full with something else. 00:31:21.759 --> 00:31:23.759 Taste and see that the Lord is good. 00:31:23.839 --> 00:31:25.039 It is an action. 00:31:26.799 --> 00:31:38.720 So full so many of us, me included, are so full of noise and so full of calendars and so full of schedules and so full of kids that when I sit down and I hear silence, I feel like it's threatening. 00:31:42.000 --> 00:31:45.920 Because in that silence, I might hear from God. 00:31:47.519 --> 00:31:51.839 And he might challenge me on something that I don't want it to be challenged by. 00:31:54.160 --> 00:31:57.519 Then we drown out God's voice, but that's not what we're going for here. 00:31:59.519 --> 00:32:01.920 Silence feels threatening, and then what do I do? 00:32:02.079 --> 00:32:06.240 I go right back to scrolling, right back to this doom scrolling, doing all what we gotta do. 00:32:06.319 --> 00:32:08.400 I'm working, I'm trying to numb him out. 00:32:08.720 --> 00:32:10.880 Then we say, Well, I don't feel God. 00:32:12.880 --> 00:32:13.200 No? 00:32:13.360 --> 00:32:13.839 Just me? 00:32:14.319 --> 00:32:14.880 Cool. 00:32:15.600 --> 00:32:18.640 How many of you have ever said that God, I just don't feel your presence right now? 00:32:19.200 --> 00:32:21.759 Where have you made time to feel his presence? 00:32:26.720 --> 00:32:28.240 Taste and see that the Lord is good. 00:32:28.319 --> 00:32:31.039 It comes back to action, response with blessing. 00:32:31.200 --> 00:32:35.920 This links God to blessing because if so, taking, oh wow. 00:32:37.440 --> 00:32:41.759 God's goodness goodness isn't something you can just claim, it's something you have to experience. 00:32:42.559 --> 00:32:43.680 And you have to choose it. 00:32:43.759 --> 00:32:46.079 God's goodness follows, but you have to dwell. 00:32:46.240 --> 00:32:48.559 This is what I love about I'm wrapping up here. 00:32:48.640 --> 00:32:57.440 In Psalms 23, surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord. 00:32:59.120 --> 00:32:59.759 Amen. 00:33:00.880 --> 00:33:03.839 That is God's covenant love right there. 00:33:04.160 --> 00:33:05.360 But what do we have to do? 00:33:05.519 --> 00:33:08.079 We have to dwell in the house of God. 00:33:08.240 --> 00:33:09.839 Do you know what dwelling means? 00:33:10.240 --> 00:33:15.600 Sitting still, sitting quietly, being in, being present, not moving forward, not thinking of the future. 00:33:15.759 --> 00:33:17.759 Man, I'm talking to myself this morning. 00:33:18.799 --> 00:33:19.839 Anyone else? 00:33:20.720 --> 00:33:22.400 I want more of God's goodness. 00:33:22.559 --> 00:33:28.480 I want more of what he has for me, but I can't sit still for longer than three minutes to hear what he's trying to say to me. 00:33:30.319 --> 00:33:37.200 And this is why I'm looking at that my schedule and my calendar differently this year. 00:33:37.360 --> 00:33:40.079 Like it needs to work for me, not against me. 00:33:41.759 --> 00:33:42.960 I dwell. 00:33:43.200 --> 00:33:46.960 I not just to visit, but to be present. 00:33:50.000 --> 00:33:53.279 We don't crash at the Lord's house when things get tough. 00:33:54.559 --> 00:33:55.759 Okay, Lord, I got into trouble. 00:33:56.000 --> 00:33:57.200 I'm gonna come in your presence. 00:33:57.680 --> 00:33:59.680 Cool, thanks for helping me out, and then you're out. 00:34:00.480 --> 00:34:02.559 He's asking us here to experience Him. 00:34:02.640 --> 00:34:04.400