WEBVTT 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:02.319 Welcome to the Awakening Church podcast. 00:00:02.479 --> 00:00:07.040 We pray this message encourages you and provides the hope and light of Jesus Christ. 00:00:07.200 --> 00:00:08.640 Thanks for tuning in. 00:00:18.879 --> 00:00:22.399 Today, church, we are starting a brand new sermon series. 00:00:22.480 --> 00:00:30.559 As we continue our year of Jesus here at Awakening, we're going to be studying the first ever recorded sermon of Jesus. 00:00:30.719 --> 00:00:32.320 That is the Sermon on the Mount. 00:00:32.479 --> 00:00:39.679 So, in a way, all of us who are preaching this series, we are merely doing a commentary on an already really powerful sermon, right? 00:00:39.759 --> 00:00:43.039 To me, I'm like, it's kind of like inception, sermon within a sermon, right? 00:00:43.280 --> 00:00:48.399 So if you have your Bible, we're gonna be in Matthew chapter five, and it'll be on the screen as well. 00:00:48.560 --> 00:00:50.799 This is the first book in your New Testament. 00:00:51.119 --> 00:01:03.200 I think a common confusion point I hear from people, whether they're Christian or not, is this thought that the Old and the New Testament are completely disjointed, that they're not related, they're total two totally different books. 00:01:03.359 --> 00:01:15.680 And my hope is in today's sermon is not only to dive deeper into Jesus' teaching with us, but also to point you to the ways that so much of Jesus' teaching are a fulfillment of what we see in the Old Testament. 00:01:15.920 --> 00:01:21.519 And this book carries beautiful good news about the story and the way of Jesus Christ. 00:01:21.680 --> 00:01:22.159 Amen? 00:01:22.319 --> 00:01:23.359 That's good news for us today. 00:01:23.439 --> 00:01:24.159 Yeah, so let's pray. 00:01:24.319 --> 00:01:25.760 Will you bow your heads and pray with me? 00:01:26.000 --> 00:01:30.879 Lord Jesus, we thank you so much, God, for such an already powerful morning. 00:01:31.920 --> 00:01:37.680 Thank you that we had this opportunity just to sit and worship you and just bask in your goodness, your grace. 00:01:37.920 --> 00:01:40.640 Holy Spirit, I pray that this would just be a continuation of that. 00:01:40.799 --> 00:01:42.560 Would this be worship to you? 00:01:43.359 --> 00:01:51.840 And Lord, I pray that our ears would be open, our eyes would be open, our minds would be open, and our hearts would be open to hear what you have for each of us this morning. 00:01:52.079 --> 00:01:53.599 In your name, amen. 00:01:53.840 --> 00:01:54.480 Amen. 00:01:54.959 --> 00:01:57.359 Okay, so I want to set some context for us. 00:01:57.439 --> 00:02:03.040 I really want you to be able to imagine yourself as a member of the audience when Jesus was preaching this sermon. 00:02:03.599 --> 00:02:06.079 Let's think back to context, right? 00:02:06.239 --> 00:02:11.120 Jesus is not just this traveling preacher on tour, like a great speaker, right? 00:02:11.360 --> 00:02:14.240 He is the promised Messiah who has arrived. 00:02:14.479 --> 00:02:16.159 A pretty bold claim, right? 00:02:16.400 --> 00:02:22.879 He is supposed to be the fulfillment of hundreds of prophetic words in your Old Testament that have come true, right? 00:02:22.960 --> 00:02:23.759 It's a pretty bold claim. 00:02:23.840 --> 00:02:25.680 I'm the Messiah, I'm the Son of God. 00:02:25.919 --> 00:02:26.800 He has arrived. 00:02:26.960 --> 00:02:31.759 If you go back in your Old Testament read, there's hundreds of prophetic words spoken about Jesus' coming. 00:02:31.919 --> 00:02:34.159 And then there's 400 years of silence. 00:02:34.319 --> 00:02:39.439 If you ever wondered how many years take place between your Old and New Testament, it's 400 years of silence. 00:02:39.520 --> 00:02:40.479 And then he's arrived. 00:02:40.639 --> 00:02:41.039 He's here. 00:02:41.120 --> 00:02:42.319 So people are excited. 00:02:42.560 --> 00:02:52.080 Crowds are gathering, and this 33-year-old man, a great age, I might say, is grown up and he's giving his first sermon, right? 00:02:52.159 --> 00:02:53.919 In Israel near the Sea of Galilee. 00:02:54.080 --> 00:02:59.439 Crowds are gathered to hear him, and he is proclaiming good news about the kingdom of God. 00:03:00.159 --> 00:03:03.199 The first chunk in this sermon is called the Beatitudes. 00:03:03.280 --> 00:03:06.479 You notice that heading in your Bible, Beatitudes, Matthew chapter 5. 00:03:06.639 --> 00:03:13.280 I'm not sure about you guys, but for me, growing up as a kid in church, for some reason I thought that beatitudes was like a play on words. 00:03:13.360 --> 00:03:15.759 I thought it meant attitudes I should be. 00:03:15.919 --> 00:03:16.479 Anyone else? 00:03:16.560 --> 00:03:17.439 Or am I just crazy? 00:03:17.520 --> 00:03:17.599 Okay. 00:03:17.840 --> 00:03:19.039 So I was always like, what does this mean? 00:03:19.199 --> 00:03:20.479 Attitudes I should be, maybe? 00:03:20.560 --> 00:03:21.680 So I thought it might be helpful. 00:03:21.759 --> 00:03:23.039 I've never said that out loud till now. 00:03:23.199 --> 00:03:25.840 I thought it would be helpful to give us the actual meaning. 00:03:26.000 --> 00:03:29.759 This comes from a Latin word, beatus, which means blessing. 00:03:30.000 --> 00:03:30.879 Blessing. 00:03:31.120 --> 00:03:36.000 So in this part of the sermon, Jesus is giving us nine blessing statements. 00:03:36.240 --> 00:03:42.319 And spoiler alert for my sermon today and the ones you'll hear in the weeks to come, these are not what you think they'd be. 00:03:42.479 --> 00:03:45.680 These don't sound like what you'd think of typical blessing statements. 00:03:46.080 --> 00:03:51.759 Over this sermon series, you'll be hearing each of our teachers take you verse by verse through one of the Beatitudes. 00:03:51.840 --> 00:03:53.439 And I'll kick things off for us today. 00:03:53.599 --> 00:03:55.520 So I want to just kind of set the scene for us. 00:03:55.599 --> 00:04:00.719 I'm not gonna read the entirety, but I do want to read a little bit just so you can get familiar with Jesus' words, okay? 00:04:00.879 --> 00:04:04.240 So read along with me, Matthew chapter 5, verse 1. 00:04:04.479 --> 00:04:09.120 Now, when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. 00:04:09.759 --> 00:04:12.719 His disciples came to him and he began to teach them. 00:04:13.439 --> 00:04:19.439 He said, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 00:04:20.480 --> 00:04:24.000 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 00:04:25.199 --> 00:04:28.639 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 00:04:29.519 --> 00:04:34.879 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 00:04:35.680 --> 00:04:39.360 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 00:04:40.160 --> 00:04:43.600 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 00:04:44.800 --> 00:04:49.120 Okay, so at first glance, this doesn't really sound like what we'd expect, right? 00:04:49.439 --> 00:04:54.959 Why and how are people who mourn blessed or poor in spirit? 00:04:55.199 --> 00:04:57.439 And what is the kingdom of heaven? 00:04:57.680 --> 00:04:59.759 Today I'll be unpacking verse three for us. 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:01.600 Blessed are the poor in spirit. 00:05:01.759 --> 00:05:03.519 That is the first beatitude. 00:05:03.680 --> 00:05:12.399 And I believe that this is the posture that once we have this foundation set, we can begin to experience all the promises that are listed in the verses to come. 00:05:12.720 --> 00:05:20.639 And specifically in today's message, I really want to answer two questions for us that you might have swirling around, that I had swirling around as I read this verse. 00:05:20.879 --> 00:05:23.759 The first is Jesus gives us a guarantee. 00:05:24.000 --> 00:05:26.560 He says, Yours is the kingdom of heaven. 00:05:26.800 --> 00:05:28.800 I want us to unpack what is that? 00:05:28.959 --> 00:05:30.639 What is the kingdom of heaven? 00:05:30.800 --> 00:05:32.079 And why should you care? 00:05:32.319 --> 00:05:33.439 Why should we care today? 00:05:33.519 --> 00:05:34.800 What is the kingdom of heaven? 00:05:34.959 --> 00:05:37.519 The second thing is, okay, how do I get there? 00:05:37.680 --> 00:05:38.000 Right? 00:05:38.160 --> 00:05:40.319 Jesus says, be poor in spirit. 00:05:40.399 --> 00:05:43.839 And I want to unpack how abstract that term might feel, poor in spirit. 00:05:43.920 --> 00:05:45.519 Maybe it's the first time you're hearing that. 00:05:45.759 --> 00:05:47.199 What does that mean? 00:05:47.439 --> 00:06:10.399 And friends, for every single one of us in this room, those watching online or at any point in time, whether you follow Jesus for years or you don't know much about Jesus, whether you're in college, newly married, a young parent, or a grandparent, wherever you're at, this word of Jesus should cause us to pause and engage and deeply, deeply dive into what he's saying. 00:06:10.560 --> 00:06:11.279 Are we ready? 00:06:11.759 --> 00:06:11.920 Yeah? 00:06:12.079 --> 00:06:12.560 We here? 00:06:12.720 --> 00:06:13.360 Okay, good. 00:06:13.600 --> 00:06:17.040 So the first thing I want us to look at here is what does blessed actually mean? 00:06:17.199 --> 00:06:17.519 Right? 00:06:17.600 --> 00:06:20.480 We just read nine beautiful blessing statements. 00:06:20.800 --> 00:06:22.800 This is a promise of being blessed. 00:06:22.959 --> 00:06:28.079 Now, I personally think this is a word that pastors and teachers really need to be careful how they define it. 00:06:28.240 --> 00:06:31.519 We gotta go back to give an accurate definition of the word blessed. 00:06:31.600 --> 00:06:35.920 And I'm sure for many of you, you might have a different connotation of what you think blessed means, right? 00:06:36.240 --> 00:06:41.360 In this context, the original Greek word for blessed here is a word makarios. 00:06:41.439 --> 00:06:41.839 Say it with me. 00:06:42.079 --> 00:06:42.879 Makarios. 00:06:43.360 --> 00:06:51.680 This is a word that it's hard to give an exact literal translation to, but essentially it means happy or fortunate, flourishing. 00:06:52.079 --> 00:06:55.680 It's not the emotion of feeling happy based on a circumstance, right? 00:06:55.839 --> 00:06:58.720 We we go up and down, gosh, every hour with happy, right? 00:06:58.879 --> 00:06:59.920 Depending on our day. 00:07:00.079 --> 00:07:05.519 But it's an inner resolve or a state of being fortunate or flourishing. 00:07:05.759 --> 00:07:14.000 Popular teacher John Mark Comer, in his research on this on the Beatitudes, draws a parallel to blessed from blessed to the word congratulations. 00:07:14.160 --> 00:07:14.959 Isn't that interesting? 00:07:15.120 --> 00:07:15.920 Congratulations. 00:07:16.079 --> 00:07:21.600 So essentially, Jesus is telling us, congratulations to you when you are XYZ. 00:07:22.319 --> 00:07:27.759 I've mentioned before when I preached here, especially at Awakening My Persian Heritage and being a bilingual speaker. 00:07:28.079 --> 00:07:30.959 And side note, I love how much this group values that. 00:07:31.040 --> 00:07:31.600 So thank you. 00:07:31.759 --> 00:07:32.800 I feel very loved. 00:07:32.879 --> 00:07:33.600 It's cool. 00:07:34.000 --> 00:07:36.160 But so I sometimes think in Farsi. 00:07:36.399 --> 00:07:39.120 And if you speak a different language, maybe that's true for you as well. 00:07:39.279 --> 00:07:47.040 And as I was preparing for this sermon and deep diving into the word blessed, reading all these different definitions, a phrase in Farsi came to mind for me. 00:07:47.120 --> 00:07:48.240 And that's a phrase that says. 00:07:52.000 --> 00:07:52.560 It's a hard one. 00:07:54.480 --> 00:07:58.399 This literally means may your eyes be bright. 00:07:58.639 --> 00:08:03.040 Or more metaphorically, may the eyes of your soul be bright. 00:08:03.360 --> 00:08:09.279 This is beautiful because we only use this in Iran in one or in America when we speak farsi in one particular context. 00:08:09.360 --> 00:08:10.720 That's when somebody's visiting us. 00:08:10.879 --> 00:08:11.920 I'll give you an example. 00:08:12.079 --> 00:08:15.439 In a few weeks from now, some of my extended family is coming to stay with us. 00:08:15.600 --> 00:08:17.360 They haven't been here in a really long time. 00:08:17.519 --> 00:08:25.680 And it's customary in our culture for other members of our extended family to call us, to call my mom, my dad, myself, and to say Cheshmet Roshan. 00:08:26.000 --> 00:08:32.159 Essentially, what it means is fortunate must you be, bright may the eyes of your soul be that someone you love is coming to visit you. 00:08:32.240 --> 00:08:33.360 Isn't that beautiful? 00:08:33.600 --> 00:08:34.320 I love that. 00:08:34.480 --> 00:08:38.799 And so as I was thinking about that, I thought about Jesus and this phrase. 00:08:38.960 --> 00:08:47.600 I feel like Jesus is saying, Blessed are you, bright may the eyes of your soul be when you're poor in spirit, when you're meek, when you're mourning, right? 00:08:47.679 --> 00:08:48.320 And so on. 00:08:48.480 --> 00:08:49.919 I hope that's helpful. 00:08:50.159 --> 00:08:53.759 This is not just a list of virtues or commands. 00:08:53.919 --> 00:08:57.840 This is not Jesus telling us, go be sad, go be mourning, go do this, go do that. 00:08:58.000 --> 00:08:58.320 No. 00:08:58.639 --> 00:09:00.799 He is providing us a guidebook. 00:09:01.039 --> 00:09:04.480 He is providing us a way back home to true home, right? 00:09:04.559 --> 00:09:05.759 To true north. 00:09:06.960 --> 00:09:12.000 His teaching is so radical because it's countercultural to what you and I might think. 00:09:12.159 --> 00:09:13.519 Blessed means, right? 00:09:14.480 --> 00:09:19.360 He is inviting you and I to an unexpected way of living with a kingdom mindset. 00:09:20.159 --> 00:09:22.080 Kingdom of Heaven, what does that mean? 00:09:22.320 --> 00:09:26.960 Many scholars talk about the good news of kingdom of God or kingdom of heaven as an upside-down kingdom. 00:09:27.120 --> 00:09:28.480 Will you raise your hand if you've heard that term before? 00:09:28.639 --> 00:09:29.679 Upside down kingdom, yeah. 00:09:29.759 --> 00:09:30.639 And if you haven't, good. 00:09:30.720 --> 00:09:32.080 I have good news to share with you. 00:09:32.320 --> 00:09:33.759 I want us to look at Dr. 00:09:33.919 --> 00:09:36.559 Preston Sprinkle, he's a Bible scholar and an author. 00:09:36.720 --> 00:09:41.360 He paints a beautiful picture in one of his books, giving us a snapshot of upside down kingdom. 00:09:41.440 --> 00:09:42.639 It's a little long, it's on the back. 00:09:42.720 --> 00:09:43.600 Read along with me. 00:09:43.840 --> 00:09:46.080 He says this enter Jesus. 00:09:46.399 --> 00:09:50.799 The Prince of Peace talked often about establishing God's kingdom. 00:09:51.120 --> 00:09:57.200 The Roman governor must have laughed to himself when Jesus talked about setting up a kingdom without fighting. 00:09:57.440 --> 00:10:03.200 Every kingdom ever established has always been set up by fighting, and of course, winning the fight. 00:10:03.759 --> 00:10:13.440 But it is through being defeated by earthly powers, being crucified and resurrected, right, that Jesus conquered the spiritual forces of evil and set up his kingdom. 00:10:13.600 --> 00:10:14.639 And listen to this part. 00:10:14.799 --> 00:10:23.600 It's an upside down kingdom where leaders are servants, neighbors and enemies are loved, humility is exalted, and the first will be last. 00:10:24.080 --> 00:10:27.360 He ends with this the way of Jesus is countercultural. 00:10:27.600 --> 00:10:29.600 It's upside down and inside out. 00:10:29.759 --> 00:10:34.879 It's a kingdom where weakness is power, power is weakness, and suffering leads to glory. 00:10:35.360 --> 00:10:35.919 Oof. 00:10:36.159 --> 00:10:36.720 Good, right? 00:10:36.879 --> 00:10:37.279 Good word. 00:10:37.519 --> 00:10:39.039 Snaps, depressed, and sprinkle. 00:10:39.360 --> 00:10:44.639 Jesus himself says in John 18, 36, he says, This, My kingdom is not of this world. 00:10:44.879 --> 00:10:50.799 If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. 00:10:51.039 --> 00:10:52.799 My kingdom is from another place. 00:10:53.120 --> 00:10:54.879 My kingdom is from another place. 00:10:55.039 --> 00:11:02.320 And friends, Jesus is inviting you and I today into a countercultural way of living, being a part of this upside-down kingdom. 00:11:02.559 --> 00:11:04.720 And on top of that, he promises flourishing. 00:11:04.799 --> 00:11:06.720 He says, Fortunate are you, right? 00:11:06.879 --> 00:11:15.919 He's warning us that maybe the ways that in this world, I want to especially call out the Bay Area, that we are so me and my success-oriented, let me get to the top, right? 00:11:16.080 --> 00:11:20.480 Power, money, fame, all those things, maybe that needs to be reassessed, right? 00:11:20.559 --> 00:11:23.679 Maybe what we're living for needs to be reassessed because that's not it. 00:11:24.399 --> 00:11:27.679 I was driving home one night a few months ago and I was listening to the radio. 00:11:27.919 --> 00:11:29.600 Yes, I still listen to the radio in my car. 00:11:29.679 --> 00:11:30.080 Anyone else? 00:11:30.240 --> 00:11:31.120 Do we remember what a radio is? 00:11:31.519 --> 00:11:31.919 Okay, good. 00:11:32.080 --> 00:11:32.240 Good? 00:11:32.399 --> 00:11:34.159 Okay, great, great. 00:11:34.480 --> 00:11:43.600 And I was really, really impressed and shocked at this interview that was happening on this radio station is a radio host and a really popular DJ. 00:11:43.759 --> 00:11:46.159 And the host was interviewing the DJ, was promoting a new song. 00:11:46.320 --> 00:11:53.360 He was like, You're selling out all these stadiums, you're at the peak of your popularity, at the height of it, and you must be living your best life, right? 00:11:53.519 --> 00:11:56.559 Like everyone is just obsessed with you, all this money, da-da-da-da-da. 00:11:56.960 --> 00:11:57.759 How does it feel? 00:11:57.919 --> 00:11:59.039 How does it feel? 00:11:59.279 --> 00:12:05.279 And he paused for a moment, and the DJ respond and just said, you know, it's hard. 00:12:05.519 --> 00:12:09.360 And I'm like driving home and immediately my ears perked up, like, oh, an honest answer. 00:12:09.519 --> 00:12:10.639 Okay, I'm engaged. 00:12:10.720 --> 00:12:11.600 What is he about to say? 00:12:11.679 --> 00:12:13.039 And I was like, okay, it's hard. 00:12:13.200 --> 00:12:14.159 He said this. 00:12:14.480 --> 00:12:19.679 I go from being the most loved person in the room for two to three hours during my set. 00:12:19.919 --> 00:12:23.840 People are screaming my name, they're fawning over me, I'm signing autographs. 00:12:24.000 --> 00:12:26.960 I feel like I'm the most important person in the world. 00:12:27.279 --> 00:12:36.480 I go from that, and an hour later, I'm the loneliest that I've ever felt as I'm sitting in a hotel room in some random city that I forgot at three in the morning by myself. 00:12:36.720 --> 00:12:38.879 So it's not all it's made out to be. 00:12:40.480 --> 00:12:46.879 And you know, this might not be the first time that many of us have heard a celebrity and artist kind of say something like that, that kind of sentiment. 00:12:47.120 --> 00:12:56.960 There was something so chilling though for me just hearing that as I was driving home, the way that he even communicated that juxtaposition, the crash from most loved to most lonely, right? 00:12:57.279 --> 00:13:06.480 And I think for many of us, when our eyes are open spiritually, we realize that flourishing in this world, it doesn't always follow the formula we think, right? 00:13:06.639 --> 00:13:12.639 The power, the money, the fame, the relationships, it doesn't always fill the way that we think it should fill, right? 00:13:12.799 --> 00:13:17.440 Put another way, having it all isn't really having it all, is it? 00:13:17.840 --> 00:13:21.519 And I think what it comes down to is realizing our need for Jesus. 00:13:21.759 --> 00:13:25.440 That He is the only one who can fill that emptiness. 00:13:25.840 --> 00:13:36.159 And I I want to pause right there, and I kind of want to break the fourth wall, as they say, for a moment and just talk at you and say, I realize with that statement I just made that he's the only one to fill our emptiness. 00:13:36.320 --> 00:13:40.320 For some people in this room, that might sound really basic at best. 00:13:40.480 --> 00:13:43.600 Maybe at worst it sounds like, gosh, yeah, that's the right Christian answer, right? 00:13:43.679 --> 00:13:44.639 I've heard that all the time. 00:13:44.799 --> 00:13:46.799 It kind of can sound Christianese, if you will. 00:13:46.960 --> 00:13:48.720 Let God fill the emptiness, right? 00:13:48.960 --> 00:13:57.120 I wanted to be really honest and raw that as I was preparing this sermon, I had that moment in my own pride where I thought, God, everyone knows this still. 00:13:57.279 --> 00:13:58.159 They all know this. 00:13:58.240 --> 00:14:00.799 It's not this like profound new teaching. 00:14:01.039 --> 00:14:05.440 And in the last few days, the Holy Spirit convicted me so hard. 00:14:05.600 --> 00:14:13.440 One of my pride, and two, I really felt like God just directly telling me, Naseem, it's one thing for you or anyone to know this, it's another thing to live it. 00:14:13.600 --> 00:14:15.279 And Nase, are you living it? 00:14:15.519 --> 00:14:16.960 It's like, ouch, thank you, Jesus. 00:14:17.039 --> 00:14:17.840 Yeah, I needed that. 00:14:18.080 --> 00:14:23.039 Needed that, which brings me to poor in spirit, which brings me to poor in spirit, friends. 00:14:23.200 --> 00:14:25.200 This sounds really abstract, doesn't it? 00:14:25.360 --> 00:14:26.960 I want us to break this down. 00:14:27.039 --> 00:14:31.360 This does not mean economically poor, like being in poverty, poor in spirit. 00:14:31.679 --> 00:14:38.000 This means for you and I being able to acknowledge with humility our utter dependence on God. 00:14:38.960 --> 00:14:43.120 Able to acknowledge with humility our utter dependence on God. 00:14:43.360 --> 00:14:46.399 It's confessing that without God, we can do nothing. 00:14:46.639 --> 00:14:47.519 We can do nothing. 00:14:47.679 --> 00:14:51.440 The New Living Translation of the Bible says to realize your need for Him. 00:14:51.600 --> 00:14:52.399 Isn't that beautiful? 00:14:52.559 --> 00:14:54.559 Just to realize your need for Him. 00:14:54.799 --> 00:14:58.639 Some pastors have used the term spiritual bankruptcy before God. 00:14:58.879 --> 00:14:59.679 I love that too. 00:14:59.840 --> 00:15:01.600 Spiritual bankruptcy before God. 00:15:01.759 --> 00:15:06.480 And I want you to think about how wild this was for the time that Jesus is preaching it in, right? 00:15:06.639 --> 00:15:14.960 He is talking to crowds that are filled with tax collectors, criminals, prostitutes, rebels, and runaways, misfits. 00:15:15.120 --> 00:15:22.559 He's talking to them and he's saying, Hey, you that thinks you have nothing to offer, when you realize your need for me, you can come to me and you're blessed. 00:15:22.720 --> 00:15:24.320 I promise flourishing for you. 00:15:24.399 --> 00:15:25.440 There's hope for you. 00:15:25.679 --> 00:15:28.080 And church, you and I today, we are no different. 00:15:28.240 --> 00:15:29.360 We are that same crowd. 00:15:29.519 --> 00:15:30.559 I really believe that. 00:15:30.720 --> 00:15:34.559 And I want you to think hard, maybe take a peek in your own heart for a moment. 00:15:34.799 --> 00:15:37.279 Is there an area of lacking in your life right now? 00:15:37.519 --> 00:15:39.759 Is there an area of absence? 00:15:40.000 --> 00:15:41.519 Is there a longing? 00:15:42.320 --> 00:15:48.799 Is there a thing that just feels like hard news to digest or to walk away from, not knowing what to do? 00:15:49.279 --> 00:15:52.320 This feeling of like, I have nothing left in me. 00:15:52.480 --> 00:15:54.399 God, I'm just done, right? 00:15:55.360 --> 00:15:56.639 But we don't want to go there. 00:15:56.879 --> 00:15:57.759 We don't want to go there. 00:15:57.840 --> 00:15:59.120 We don't want to expose ourselves. 00:15:59.279 --> 00:16:03.440 I'm sure as even I, as I kind of invited you to think about that, maybe something crept up for you. 00:16:03.600 --> 00:16:06.240 And how many of you were quick to just stuff it back down, right? 00:16:06.320 --> 00:16:07.279 We don't want to go there. 00:16:07.519 --> 00:16:08.720 We don't want to go there. 00:16:08.879 --> 00:16:12.960 Um and I think it's just because we want to have it all together, right? 00:16:13.039 --> 00:16:14.799 We just we want to have it all together. 00:16:15.039 --> 00:16:19.039 But Jesus says, congratulations to you who can go there, right? 00:16:19.200 --> 00:16:22.000 Go there, who confesses poverty of spirit. 00:16:22.080 --> 00:16:23.440 He says, You're fortunate. 00:16:23.679 --> 00:16:27.279 It's because when we get to the end of ourselves, we get to the beginning of God. 00:16:27.519 --> 00:16:27.919 Amen. 00:16:28.000 --> 00:16:29.200 We get to the beginning of God. 00:16:29.440 --> 00:16:35.840 Eugene Peterson's message translation of the Bible translates pour in spirit to being at the end of your rope. 00:16:36.799 --> 00:16:37.279 So good. 00:16:37.440 --> 00:16:40.240 Blessed are you when you're at the end of your rope. 00:16:41.919 --> 00:16:42.480 I love that. 00:16:42.559 --> 00:16:44.559 I think that's so real and so relatable to me. 00:16:44.639 --> 00:16:47.600 And it's so hard to believe that the word blessed would come on top of that, right? 00:16:47.759 --> 00:16:48.559 Blessed are you? 00:16:49.120 --> 00:16:51.519 And this is not necessarily new teaching, friends. 00:16:51.679 --> 00:16:54.080 I want to draw us back to the Old Testament for a moment. 00:16:54.320 --> 00:16:59.120 Jesus is fulfilling words that we see spoken about God's character way back in your Old Testament. 00:16:59.279 --> 00:17:02.480 I want to point us to a verse in Psalms 40, verse 17. 00:17:02.639 --> 00:17:06.559 The psalmist says this As for me, I am poor and needy. 00:17:07.119 --> 00:17:08.319 May the Lord think of me. 00:17:09.279 --> 00:17:11.599 You are my help and my deliverer. 00:17:12.559 --> 00:17:14.720 You are my God and do not delay. 00:17:15.759 --> 00:17:19.519 And then in Isaiah 57, God, the Holy One, says this. 00:17:19.759 --> 00:17:25.839 He says, I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. 00:17:26.400 --> 00:17:33.279 I restore the crushed spirit of the humble, and I revive the courage of those with repentant hearts. 00:17:33.519 --> 00:17:35.119 Who needs restoring today, friends? 00:17:35.200 --> 00:17:36.240 Who needs reviving, right? 00:17:36.319 --> 00:17:44.720 This is the same God that just five chapters before in the book of Isaiah, this is the same prophetic book that Jesus is being prophesied as a suffering servant to come. 00:17:44.799 --> 00:17:47.359 That he is our restorer, that he is our reviver, right? 00:17:47.519 --> 00:17:50.160 This is all being fulfilled in one grand narrative. 00:17:50.400 --> 00:18:00.000 So when we find ourselves at the end of our rope, when we're at rock bottom, we have the restorative spirit living inside of us thanks to the fulfillment of Jesus Christ. 00:18:00.160 --> 00:18:00.720 Amen? 00:18:00.880 --> 00:18:06.160 And I want us to remember that this is this posture, poor in spirit, this is the first beatitude. 00:18:06.400 --> 00:18:06.960 Why? 00:18:07.359 --> 00:18:12.720 I think, just my educated guesses, I don't think that we can even begin to do the others without God's help. 00:18:12.960 --> 00:18:25.759 I don't think that we can be poor and I don't think we can be mourning well or meek or hungering and thirsting for righteousness in the way that God really wants for us if we haven't set that foundation, that poorn of spirit, that spiritual bankruptcy. 00:18:25.839 --> 00:18:29.680 It's kind of like the worship song we just sang right now, building my life. 00:18:29.839 --> 00:18:30.799 That's the foundation. 00:18:30.960 --> 00:18:36.480 Jesus says, build your life on this foundation of needing me, of being poor in spirit. 00:18:36.799 --> 00:18:40.880 This is how we begin to step into the kingdom of heaven. 00:18:41.200 --> 00:18:46.720 As I was thinking about poor in spirit, I kept thinking about so many different examples I could share with you. 00:18:46.799 --> 00:18:48.480 It's actually one of my favorite parts of sermon prep. 00:18:48.559 --> 00:18:50.480 It's kind of like tying in the real stories. 00:18:50.640 --> 00:18:53.279 And it's one thing to give you intended meaning, right? 00:18:53.440 --> 00:18:58.640 Original language and whatnot, people in the Bible I could definitely refer to, different characters. 00:18:58.880 --> 00:19:01.759 It's another thing to give you a real life example, right? 00:19:02.160 --> 00:19:04.720 And it's more relatable, it's more personable. 00:19:04.960 --> 00:19:11.599 And as I was preparing for this sermon, one friend of mine in particular kept coming to mind when thinking about being poor in spirit. 00:19:11.759 --> 00:19:14.880 And that is one of my closest friends in the world, my friend Maz. 00:19:15.359 --> 00:19:19.200 Maz and I have been best friends for close to 20 years, two decades. 00:19:19.279 --> 00:19:21.519 We met in church youth group, shout out to youth group. 00:19:21.920 --> 00:19:25.039 And our parents are still very close to this day as well. 00:19:25.279 --> 00:19:28.240 And she is that friend who knows me to my core. 00:19:28.640 --> 00:19:35.759 Growing up in our teenage years, we used to call each other twinny, Maz and Nass, Nass and Maz, because we just got each other always on the same wavelength. 00:19:35.920 --> 00:19:40.480 And I thought just a fun way to just kind of nerdy and expose myself and by proxy her too. 00:19:40.559 --> 00:19:41.680 I'm sorry, Maz, not sorry. 00:19:41.839 --> 00:19:52.160 But something that we bond over so much that really just kind of makes us feel like we get each other to our core is we nerd out on overanalyzing and just obsessing over particular TV shows. 00:19:52.240 --> 00:19:54.960 And I know Ryan mentioned like the 90s, but it goes beyond that. 00:19:55.119 --> 00:20:04.160 If anyone remembers the reality show Laguna Beach or the Hills or the movie Titanic, I could keep going, but we obsess over, I mean, if you ask us, we've seen these things close to a hundred times actually. 00:20:04.400 --> 00:20:11.119 We know every song, every dialogue, every every single exchange, and to this day we still talk about what do you think he meant by that look? 00:20:11.279 --> 00:20:12.160 Or this or that. 00:20:12.400 --> 00:20:15.759 And the reason I share that with you is maybe a friend comes to mind for you. 00:20:15.920 --> 00:20:18.640 I think it's really cool when you obsess over something niche. 00:20:18.799 --> 00:20:19.680 There's that connection, right? 00:20:19.759 --> 00:20:22.319 That gelling that happens that draws you even closer. 00:20:23.119 --> 00:20:29.279 And I'll stop there, but um I did want to share that just to kind of give you maybe a bird's eye view into our friendship. 00:20:29.440 --> 00:20:35.119 And now that you kind of know her on a surfacey level, let's dive deeper, let's dive a layer deeper into her story. 00:20:35.200 --> 00:20:39.519 And I'm I'm feeling so grateful that she is allowing me to share this part of her story with you. 00:20:39.759 --> 00:20:47.759 Um for her, this coming to the end of myself moment that Eugene Peterson talks about, this is not something dramatic or hitting rock bottom. 00:20:47.839 --> 00:20:49.839 It's not just like a one-time moment thing. 00:20:50.000 --> 00:20:51.920 It's actually the journey she's been on. 00:20:52.079 --> 00:20:58.319 That's the precise reason I wanted to share her story today, is I think for many of us, it's not just the one-time moment, right? 00:20:58.480 --> 00:20:59.680 It's the journey that we're on. 00:20:59.759 --> 00:21:00.720 It's her trajectory. 00:21:00.880 --> 00:21:03.839 For many of us, that happens multiple times in our lives, right? 00:21:04.079 --> 00:21:07.920 And so for her, this happened at the height of the COVID pandemic. 00:21:08.160 --> 00:21:11.759 For her, ironically, she was thriving, living her best life. 00:21:11.839 --> 00:21:15.359 Um, she was living in San Francisco, pursuing an amazing career. 00:21:15.599 --> 00:21:19.039 IP counsel for Facebook's legal team, doing great. 00:21:19.200 --> 00:21:21.039 And she told me this direct quote. 00:21:21.279 --> 00:21:26.640 She said, I started to realize I had everything in my life, and I equally felt nothing. 00:21:27.599 --> 00:21:34.880 And she was telling me how over the course of her life, her relationship with God was more just like, God, I really, you know, I pray to you when I need something. 00:21:35.039 --> 00:21:36.559 God bless my endeavors. 00:21:36.720 --> 00:21:38.720 You know, just pray to God when you need something. 00:21:38.799 --> 00:21:41.200 She called it maybe more transactional than relational. 00:21:42.319 --> 00:21:47.039 And I want to read a little bit to you of what she told me when we spoke last week because in her own words, it's so profound. 00:21:47.119 --> 00:21:52.480 She said this I came to the point where I thought life means nothing without something. 00:21:52.799 --> 00:21:54.240 But what is that something? 00:21:54.640 --> 00:21:58.960 And she said, For me, I look to God and I said, Okay, God, I need to get to know you. 00:21:59.119 --> 00:22:05.599 And so as she Read through the words of Jesus and how he lived, she said, I just wanted to start doing what Jesus did. 00:22:05.839 --> 00:22:09.599 I realized that what he did was he lived his life outside of himself. 00:22:09.839 --> 00:22:10.960 He put others first. 00:22:11.119 --> 00:22:15.119 And as I began to embody the way of Jesus, this fully began to change me. 00:22:15.359 --> 00:22:21.839 For her, this included things like offering forgiveness to people more, serving her family more, living in righteousness. 00:22:22.000 --> 00:22:23.440 I think we often overlook that, right? 00:22:23.519 --> 00:22:24.960 God calls us to live a righteous life. 00:22:25.119 --> 00:22:26.880 She said, for me, that was a major kicker. 00:22:27.039 --> 00:22:30.000 And living in the grace, the grace that Jesus offers. 00:22:30.240 --> 00:22:34.319 She said, all of this broke me and it made me all at the same time. 00:22:34.559 --> 00:22:38.160 And this was the kicker, the last thing she told me where I was like, oof, this is it. 00:22:38.319 --> 00:22:42.400 She said, once I forgot myself, I found myself even more. 00:22:42.559 --> 00:22:43.839 That's it for us, friends. 00:22:44.000 --> 00:22:46.559 Once I forgot myself, I found myself even more. 00:22:46.720 --> 00:22:50.400 This is what Tim Keller calls the freedom of self-forgetfulness. 00:22:50.640 --> 00:22:52.640 The freedom of self-forgetfulness. 00:22:52.799 --> 00:22:54.559 It's when Jesus becomes your life. 00:22:54.720 --> 00:22:55.680 That's what we're called to. 00:22:55.759 --> 00:22:59.039 If you know and follow Jesus today, may he become your life. 00:22:59.279 --> 00:23:02.720 It's I no longer who live, right, but Christ who lives in me. 00:23:04.160 --> 00:23:08.079 This is the poorness of spirit that Jesus invites you and I into, friends. 00:23:08.240 --> 00:23:10.160 He says, this is what flourishing is. 00:23:10.319 --> 00:23:16.000 This is an understanding that in my own flesh, I'm so rich in sin and I'm poor in righteousness. 00:23:16.160 --> 00:23:18.880 But he comes in and he transforms that, right? 00:23:19.119 --> 00:23:20.960 I think about John the Baptist. 00:23:21.039 --> 00:23:22.079 He said this about Jesus. 00:23:22.160 --> 00:23:25.920 He said, He must increase and I must become less, right? 00:23:26.160 --> 00:23:28.880 He must increase and I must become less. 00:23:29.200 --> 00:23:32.559 This is so much more than the once-in-a-lifetime moment of getting saved. 00:23:32.880 --> 00:23:34.559 For some of us, maybe it's multiple times, right? 00:23:34.720 --> 00:23:37.599 But that getting saved moment, it goes so far past that. 00:23:38.079 --> 00:23:41.279 I really think that being poor in spirit is this daily rhythm. 00:23:41.440 --> 00:23:42.480 It's a daily rhythm. 00:23:42.559 --> 00:23:46.559 You start and end your day with this humility that marks you. 00:23:46.640 --> 00:23:47.680 It becomes an attitude. 00:23:47.839 --> 00:23:50.960 It becomes a posture that we live into that we need Him. 00:23:51.440 --> 00:23:55.119 And I wonder, maybe thus far in this sermon, you might be skeptical. 00:23:55.279 --> 00:23:56.400 Why would I want this? 00:23:56.559 --> 00:23:56.799 Right? 00:23:56.880 --> 00:24:01.440 This sounds a little hard, maybe cringe, maybe not my default setting, maybe. 00:24:01.599 --> 00:24:03.519 And friends, it is not our default setting. 00:24:03.680 --> 00:24:05.039 It is not our default setting. 00:24:05.200 --> 00:24:10.559 But remember, Jesus says the kingdom of heaven belongs to the poor in spirit. 00:24:10.799 --> 00:24:13.759 The kingdom of heaven belongs to the poor in spirit. 00:24:14.000 --> 00:24:18.319 And this doesn't just mean great, I have a ticket to heaven for when I die. 00:24:18.480 --> 00:24:21.119 No, your life really matters here and now. 00:24:21.359 --> 00:24:22.720 Your life matters here and now. 00:24:22.799 --> 00:24:24.640 You exist to show off God's glory. 00:24:24.799 --> 00:24:26.480 I don't know if somebody here's got to hear that today. 00:24:26.559 --> 00:24:28.160 Maybe everyone, we gotta hear that today. 00:24:28.400 --> 00:24:35.279 God's mission is to bring bits and pieces of heaven down to earth, using our lives, transformed and empowered by the Holy Spirit. 00:24:35.440 --> 00:24:35.839 Amen? 00:24:36.000 --> 00:24:36.880 That's his mission. 00:24:37.119 --> 00:24:38.240 We get to partner with him. 00:24:38.480 --> 00:24:41.519 I want you to notice all the blessings and the beatitudes to come. 00:24:41.599 --> 00:24:49.039 If you keep reading Matthew 5, being comforted, seeing God, all the above, those are glimpses of heaven, right? 00:24:49.200 --> 00:24:55.680 And we don't get to see those unfold till Jesus comes back again, but we get to see bits and pieces of them here and now as we partner with him. 00:24:56.160 --> 00:24:57.279 It's exciting. 00:24:57.519 --> 00:25:00.640 And so maybe the big question now is, okay, that sounds beautiful. 00:25:00.880 --> 00:25:01.359 How? 00:25:01.599 --> 00:25:01.920 Right? 00:25:02.079 --> 00:25:03.680 How can I be poor in spirit? 00:25:03.839 --> 00:25:05.440 I'm hoping by now you're wondering that. 00:25:05.599 --> 00:25:10.079 And so as I slowly kind of want to bring our, maybe we were here riding our plane, like a really high view. 00:25:10.160 --> 00:25:12.640 I want to bring us back down to really like tangibles. 00:25:13.119 --> 00:25:14.799 I want to leave you with a challenge. 00:25:14.960 --> 00:25:16.960 This is not a typical three-point sermon. 00:25:17.039 --> 00:25:20.559 I don't have three magic things that are gonna work, but I am confident of this. 00:25:20.799 --> 00:25:27.200 I'm confident that we grow in a posture of being poor in spirit by staying hungry and staying consistent. 00:25:27.440 --> 00:25:28.720 Let me unpack that for us. 00:25:28.880 --> 00:25:30.000 Staying hungry. 00:25:30.240 --> 00:25:31.599 I challenge you, friends. 00:25:31.839 --> 00:25:33.680 Stay hungry for Jesus. 00:25:33.920 --> 00:25:35.519 Stay hungry for Jesus. 00:25:35.759 --> 00:25:41.119 Poverty of spirit should be our daily attitude because we need him, right? 00:25:41.279 --> 00:25:41.839 We need him. 00:25:42.000 --> 00:25:43.440 It's realizing your need for him. 00:25:43.680 --> 00:25:46.240 So we can't get to a place where we think we're all good and done. 00:25:46.400 --> 00:25:49.440 And honestly, sometimes when life is going really well, I think we go there. 00:25:49.519 --> 00:25:49.759 You know? 00:25:49.839 --> 00:25:50.799 Like, okay, things are good. 00:25:50.880 --> 00:25:51.920 God answered my prayers. 00:25:52.079 --> 00:25:54.880 No, in every single moment we need him. 00:25:55.200 --> 00:25:56.960 Every single hour of every single day. 00:25:57.119 --> 00:26:00.240 I want to encourage you, do not stop abiding in the words of Jesus. 00:26:00.400 --> 00:26:02.480 Remain in them, let them be your anchor. 00:26:02.720 --> 00:26:06.880 When that's your anchor, you cannot be shaken, no matter what life throws at you, right? 00:26:07.359 --> 00:26:10.880 As you remain in Jesus and his words, you can't get enough. 00:26:11.039 --> 00:26:12.319 You're hungry for more. 00:26:12.559 --> 00:26:18.000 As you embody his ways, you begin to see major fruit being produced in your life. 00:26:18.319 --> 00:26:19.680 So stay hungry. 00:26:19.920 --> 00:26:22.000 And with that, stay consistent. 00:26:22.480 --> 00:26:22.799 Right? 00:26:22.880 --> 00:26:25.200 Remember, fruit takes time to produce, right? 00:26:25.440 --> 00:26:27.440 I'm not a gardener or anything, but I know that. 00:26:27.519 --> 00:26:32.559 And maybe any of you have a better example, but it takes time for the full fruit to grow, right? 00:26:32.640 --> 00:26:33.440 For a plant to grow. 00:26:33.519 --> 00:26:34.480 You get my example. 00:26:34.640 --> 00:26:37.599 It's with time and with discipline that we get to see our lives. 00:26:37.759 --> 00:26:40.480 We begin to see our lives fundamentally change. 00:26:40.880 --> 00:26:45.119 In a the last sermon I did about a month ago at Awakening, I spoke about spiritual disciplines. 00:26:45.200 --> 00:26:47.359 I want to bring us back to that definition really quick. 00:26:47.599 --> 00:26:52.079 I defined it as creating space for God to speak and how that takes effort. 00:26:52.160 --> 00:26:55.599 And I just want to like bring us back to that point really quick with staying consistent. 00:26:55.759 --> 00:27:00.799 It takes effort to stay consistent, to begin to see that fruit being produced, right? 00:27:01.039 --> 00:27:02.079 Don't give up. 00:27:02.240 --> 00:27:03.039 Don't give up. 00:27:03.279 --> 00:27:04.880 I want to go back to my friend Maz. 00:27:04.960 --> 00:27:05.680 She reminded me of this. 00:27:05.759 --> 00:27:12.400 We were on the phone talking and we were laughing because she's like, being in the word sounds like the cliche answer, but it is the answer. 00:27:12.480 --> 00:27:14.240 And we're both laughing, be like, yeah, it is. 00:27:14.400 --> 00:27:14.640 It is. 00:27:14.720 --> 00:27:18.799 So, and I think any sermon or teaching we hear, friends, should always bring you back. 00:27:18.960 --> 00:27:20.480 Let the word be your anchor. 00:27:20.640 --> 00:27:22.240 Stay consistent in God's word. 00:27:22.559 --> 00:27:24.079 Let that be your North Star. 00:27:24.400 --> 00:27:25.759 And if you're already there, good. 00:27:25.920 --> 00:27:26.400 Keep going. 00:27:26.559 --> 00:27:27.119 Well done. 00:27:27.200 --> 00:27:27.680 Keep going. 00:27:27.839 --> 00:27:29.759 Encourage those around you to keep going. 00:27:30.000 --> 00:27:32.640 So stay hungry and stay consistent. 00:27:32.799 --> 00:27:40.160 And the good news for us, church is the big C church, is these beatitudes, this poorness of spirit, this is not just to bless you and I. 00:27:40.319 --> 00:27:46.720 Yes, I just talked at you for a while about like the flourishing that comes to our lives, but actually, this is to bless the world. 00:27:46.880 --> 00:27:49.599 This is to bless the community around you as well. 00:27:50.240 --> 00:27:55.920 The Apostle Paul, in his second letter to the Corinthians, which is my favorite book of the Bible, he encourages them. 00:27:56.079 --> 00:28:00.640 He says, You are the aroma of Jesus to a perishing world. 00:28:00.880 --> 00:28:02.640 You are the aroma of Jesus. 00:28:02.799 --> 00:28:05.039 You carry his fragrance with you. 00:28:05.279 --> 00:28:07.279 How beautiful of an illustration is that? 00:28:07.519 --> 00:28:10.319 Do you know anyone that you just they smell like Jesus, right? 00:28:10.480 --> 00:28:14.160 When you're around them, when you see their face, they just shine Holy Spirit, right? 00:28:14.240 --> 00:28:16.480 They just have Jesus in them. 00:28:16.720 --> 00:28:18.720 You friends are the aroma of Jesus. 00:28:18.960 --> 00:28:21.279 And Paul continues in 2 Corinthians 5. 00:28:21.359 --> 00:28:23.359 I'm gonna read you the message translation of this verse. 00:28:23.440 --> 00:28:24.240 It's beautiful. 00:28:24.400 --> 00:28:30.079 He says, the Spirit of God wets our appetite by giving us a taste of what's ahead. 00:28:30.319 --> 00:28:34.319 He puts a little bit of heaven in our hearts so that we'll never settle for less. 00:28:34.559 --> 00:28:35.920 Look at the word wet. 00:28:36.079 --> 00:28:38.400 A friend of mine asked me earlier this week, is that a typo? 00:28:38.480 --> 00:28:39.680 No, W-H-E-T. 00:28:39.839 --> 00:28:40.960 It's not wet what we think. 00:28:41.200 --> 00:28:42.400 Wets our appetite. 00:28:42.640 --> 00:28:46.640 This word used to be used back in the day for sharpening a tool. 00:28:46.880 --> 00:28:48.319 So for isn't that beautiful? 00:28:48.480 --> 00:28:49.599 Sharpening a tool. 00:28:49.759 --> 00:28:53.440 And for us today, it means to stimulate, to excite. 00:28:53.759 --> 00:28:55.279 This should get us excited. 00:28:55.440 --> 00:28:58.559 We carry the scent of Jesus to a perishing world, right? 00:28:58.880 --> 00:29:04.559 And as this is my last sermon at Awakening Church for now, for a while, I'll be back probably. 00:29:04.720 --> 00:29:11.119 I could not be more emphatic about this, about telling you this as one of your pastors to give you any teaching or any encouragement. 00:29:11.359 --> 00:29:13.279 Walk in the purpose for which you were created. 00:29:13.440 --> 00:29:20.160 You were created with intrinsic purpose, so much value, and you're called to bring the aroma of Jesus to a perishing world. 00:29:20.559 --> 00:29:25.119 Jesus wants you to experience a flourishing, blessed life. 00:29:25.359 --> 00:29:32.799 Remember, church, that when we're poor in spirit, dependent only on Jesus, your life begins to reflect God's glory. 00:29:32.960 --> 00:29:34.960 The kingdom glory, right? 00:29:35.519 --> 00:29:41.359 And as I close, I want to take us back to one final throwback to your Old Testament. 00:29:41.759 --> 00:29:43.279 God's kingdom glory. 00:29:43.759 --> 00:29:47.759 It is a kingdom that promises to endure forever. 00:29:48.000 --> 00:29:50.240 A kingdom that promises to endure forever. 00:29:50.480 --> 00:29:55.680 And there's a prophecy in the book of Daniel, which is in your Old Testament, and it's also in the book of Revelation as well. 00:29:55.839 --> 00:30:00.400 So again, this prophetic word about Jesus is sandwiched in your Bible all throughout the narrative. 00:30:00.640 --> 00:30:12.160 Daniel 244 says this the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. 00:30:13.200 --> 00:30:16.559 It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end. 00:30:16.960 --> 00:30:19.599 But it will itself endure forever. 00:30:19.839 --> 00:30:20.480 Amen. 00:30:21.039 --> 00:30:23.759 This is the good news that we can hope for, friends. 00:30:23.920 --> 00:30:43.680 This is the good news for us to know that all the whackness that life is gonna throw our way, the death, the sickness, the bad news, the obstacles, the hardship, all of it, all of that in Jesus, that gets to be washed away when he returns because we are the recipient of an eternal and enduring kingdom, right? 00:30:43.920 --> 00:30:45.039 That is not forever. 00:30:45.119 --> 00:30:46.400 That is just temporary. 00:30:46.559 --> 00:30:51.839 And this is the moment where I tell you, friends, may the eyes of your soul be bright because of that good news, right? 00:30:51.920 --> 00:30:54.319 This is the Cheshmid Roshan moment that I want to tell you. 00:30:54.480 --> 00:30:58.240 May the eyes of your soul be bright that this is the God that we have. 00:30:58.480 --> 00:31:02.640 That Jesus is your friend that visited, that never left, that he's your constant. 00:31:02.799 --> 00:31:05.440 He's not going anywhere, he's got you. 00:31:05.680 --> 00:31:06.160 Amen. 00:31:06.319 --> 00:31:10.000 That should give us so much cause for praise to him. 00:31:10.960 --> 00:31:16.240 So will you bow your heads and will you close um pray with me as I close, Lord? 00:31:16.559 --> 00:31:20.559 Jesus, we thank you so much that you are the friend that has never left. 00:31:20.720 --> 00:31:22.000 You are our constant. 00:31:23.920 --> 00:31:28.480 Lord, I thank you so much that your kingdom endures forever. 00:31:29.599 --> 00:31:39.119 God, my prayer for my church, my beloved church family right now is that may we begin to posture ourselves in a way that is poor of spirit. 00:31:40.480 --> 00:31:45.519 Lord, I pray that we would not adjust your words to fit our desires. 00:31:45.759 --> 00:31:48.160 Let's not be cherry pickers with your word, God. 00:31:48.319 --> 00:31:54.960 I pray that you would help us to even maybe flip ourselves upside down to experience your upside down kingdom. 00:31:55.200 --> 00:32:13.920 I pray that you'd flip over, um, even just I'm coming to my heart right now, God, is even people who maybe have just um uh a bad taste in their mouth from past church experience or wrong teaching, or people who've been hurt by the church, God, I just pray right now in this moment, Jesus, would you meet every single one of your sons and daughters? 00:32:14.240 --> 00:32:23.839 And I pray that the truth of who you are, Jesus, as the suffering servant who comes to give us new life, would you just breathe new life into our church this morning? 00:32:24.079 --> 00:32:29.599 As we sing this song, Living Hope, God, I just pray that we would sing it like we believe it, God. 00:32:30.160 --> 00:32:32.319 Because you offer us living hope. 00:32:32.559 --> 00:32:33.519 That is who you are. 00:32:33.599 --> 00:32:38.799 You you breathe fresh air back into our lungs and our hearts, and you've never left. 00:32:39.839 --> 00:32:43.759 So, God, we look to you now and we confess we need you. 00:32:44.240 --> 00:32:47.599 I pray for anyone, God, who feels like they're at the end of their rope. 00:32:48.160 --> 00:32:49.599 Would we reach out to you? 00:32:49.839 --> 00:32:54.079 And I pray that you would meet us in that because you say, Fortunate are you. 00:32:54.319 --> 00:32:55.599 Blessed are you. 00:32:56.240 --> 00:33:01.119 So, God, we look to you now and ask Holy Spirit, would you speak as we worship? 00:33:01.440 --> 00:33:02.079 Amen. 00:33:02.720 --> 00:33:04.960 We hope you are blessed by this message. 00:33:05.119 --> 00:33:09.599 Please subscribe to our podcast for access to every episode as they're uploaded. 00:33:09.759 --> 00:33:11.839 And hey, we'd love to connect with you. 00:33:12.000 --> 00:33:17.920 Take a next step by filling out our virtual connection card at awakeningchurch.com slash card.