WEBVTT 00:00:00.239 --> 00:00:06.559 As we dive into this next passage in Ephesians 5, I want you for a moment to get very personal. 00:00:07.200 --> 00:00:13.039 I want you to think about the area of life today, right now, that you wish you had clarity on. 00:00:13.199 --> 00:00:16.879 Maybe it's relational, maybe it's financial, maybe it's vocational. 00:00:17.120 --> 00:00:29.359 I don't know what the area is, but if you will get that in mind, there are two directives we're going to look at in Ephesians 5 that literally will give clarity in a whole new way. 00:00:29.600 --> 00:00:36.000 And if I could describe it this way, one, um, I've been diagnosed with a condition called old. 00:00:36.159 --> 00:00:37.679 I'm getting old. 00:00:38.000 --> 00:00:40.159 And I feel it. 00:00:40.399 --> 00:00:41.600 I feel it every week. 00:00:41.759 --> 00:00:44.719 And I used to be where I could, man, my eyes were great. 00:00:44.799 --> 00:00:48.240 And then I had to get glasses, and then I had to get more glasses. 00:00:48.399 --> 00:00:53.119 Then I got these trifold things that just, okay, now, okay. 00:00:53.359 --> 00:00:55.520 And I used to be able to drive at night fine. 00:00:55.600 --> 00:00:56.640 Then it was like, you know what? 00:00:56.719 --> 00:01:00.159 If it's raining and it's really dark, I need my glasses to drive. 00:01:00.320 --> 00:01:02.159 Now I need clarity. 00:01:02.240 --> 00:01:06.959 If you see me driving without glasses, go the other way, okay, because it's not good. 00:01:07.120 --> 00:01:08.319 I need clarity. 00:01:08.719 --> 00:01:12.319 And that clarity is what God longs for us to have. 00:01:12.640 --> 00:01:14.959 God is not up there trying to keep from us. 00:01:15.120 --> 00:01:25.280 He's there to say, hey, I've got you not only the answers, but I've got an intimate, specific answer in that area, and I want to give you clarity in it, but we have to engage him. 00:01:25.439 --> 00:01:35.120 And these two directives he gives us in Ephesians 5 in the first part are the way we get that clarity, but we really have to look, we have to engage, and we have to really gaze. 00:01:35.200 --> 00:01:43.680 And what I mean by gaze is embrace God in the midst of where we are, and the best way I can describe the gaze happened to me this past week. 00:01:43.840 --> 00:01:46.400 I'm more of a sunset guy. 00:01:46.640 --> 00:01:48.640 I'm not really a sunrise guy. 00:01:48.799 --> 00:01:50.959 If you're a sunset guy, go like this. 00:01:51.120 --> 00:01:53.359 If you're a sunrise person, go like this. 00:01:53.599 --> 00:01:53.920 Okay. 00:01:54.400 --> 00:01:56.879 A lot of sunset guys and gals. 00:01:57.120 --> 00:01:57.519 I get that. 00:01:57.680 --> 00:01:59.120 Now, some of you are sunrise people. 00:01:59.200 --> 00:02:02.079 I'm not a really sunrise person until this last week. 00:02:02.319 --> 00:02:07.439 I had an event in Madison, Wisconsin, uh, on Thursday night. 00:02:07.599 --> 00:02:10.719 And then I had to get up at just an unbelievable hour in the morning. 00:02:10.800 --> 00:02:17.039 I had to get up at like 3 45 to catch the first flight out of Madison to get back to Atlanta to get to Dublin, Georgia for another event. 00:02:17.199 --> 00:02:24.879 For those of you who don't know, my full-time job is I actually do comedy for a living and speak uh corporately some, and I had to get to this corporate event. 00:02:24.960 --> 00:02:25.759 So I had to get there. 00:02:25.919 --> 00:02:28.800 I get to the airport, it's pitch black, and we take off. 00:02:29.039 --> 00:02:30.400 And I've got the window seat. 00:02:30.479 --> 00:02:32.000 I love the window seat. 00:02:32.159 --> 00:02:38.080 And I'm looking out the window, and there's these lights, and you can tell where the towns are because there's these clusters of lights. 00:02:38.159 --> 00:02:39.360 I'm like, that's really cool. 00:02:39.439 --> 00:02:42.000 And I'm looking at the sky and it's just this stars. 00:02:42.159 --> 00:02:44.560 You can see a lot of scars because you're away from light. 00:02:44.719 --> 00:02:46.400 I'm like, this is really cool. 00:02:46.639 --> 00:02:55.759 And then I just looked and the horizon started turning this orangish red, and I'm like, oh, that is so cool. 00:02:56.240 --> 00:03:05.520 And then for the next 15, 20 minutes, I had one of the coolest moments describing the sunset to God, just in my mind. 00:03:05.680 --> 00:03:13.439 Maybe it was out loud, I don't know, because I was just in my own little world, and I'm like, God, that is the coolest orange I have ever seen. 00:03:13.680 --> 00:03:29.599 I mean, it's like red, but it's not, it's orange, and it's then there's this thin layer of a hazy, barely visible, little white, and then it becomes just dark, and it's the darkest blue, and I don't I don't even know what to call that blue, and I'm like, Lord, that is so cool. 00:03:29.759 --> 00:03:35.439 And by the time I got up and I'm looking at the stars, going, Lord, that, and I can see so many stars, especially that one. 00:03:35.520 --> 00:03:37.120 That is so awesome. 00:03:37.360 --> 00:03:40.159 Then I look back down and it changed. 00:03:40.319 --> 00:03:53.919 And I'm like, look, well, now I can see that reddish orange, but then I see a clear orange, and then that white is now, it's not white, it's kind of an orangish white, and Lord, and now it's not just dark blue, it's this, it's I don't even know how to describe it. 00:03:54.000 --> 00:03:57.360 It's kind of a royal, but it's hard to see, and then it goes really dark. 00:03:57.520 --> 00:04:04.960 And I look up and I saw a few fewer stars, but there's this one that stuck out, and then I look back down, I'm like, okay, now it's getting crazy, Lord. 00:04:05.039 --> 00:04:05.919 This is so cool. 00:04:06.080 --> 00:04:12.080 That is every shade of orange all in one, right there. 00:04:12.319 --> 00:04:14.400 And oh, you gotta be kidding me. 00:04:14.479 --> 00:04:48.240 That white, it's it's a white, but it's not white, it's orange fading into, and I've never seen this before in my life, and I've seen several sunrises, but I had to gaze at it because as I looked at the white and I squinted, I'm like, that's green and yellow, but it's white, and now it's and now it's it's blue, but then that's purple, that's purple, and then it's oh man, and then it just kept going, and then there were clouds that were reflecting some of the red and the orange, and I'm just like, Lord, this this is amazing. 00:04:48.560 --> 00:05:00.639 And then it became light, and instead of just seeing specks of lights, where cities were, I could see patterns, and I could see roads, and I could see cars, and I saw everything clearly. 00:05:00.800 --> 00:05:11.519 I believe with all my heart what we're about to look like is that transformation in that area of your life that we just talked about, if you'll get it clearly in your mind, these two simple directives. 00:05:11.680 --> 00:05:15.279 And they're found, and they're found in Ephesians 5. 00:05:15.439 --> 00:05:18.319 If you want to follow along, it's Ephesians 5. 00:05:18.399 --> 00:05:21.439 Uh, if you want to watch the screens, we're gonna pull them up here. 00:05:21.680 --> 00:05:29.839 It simply says this, starting in verse 1 Therefore, imitate God like dearly loved children. 00:05:30.079 --> 00:05:38.959 Live your life with love, following the example of Christ, who loved us and gave himself for us. 00:05:39.279 --> 00:05:43.680 He was a sacrificial offering that smelled sweet to God. 00:05:44.000 --> 00:05:50.399 The first directive that God gives us through this simple, simple piece is imitate God. 00:05:51.519 --> 00:05:54.480 Imitate Jesus, be an imitator of Jesus. 00:05:54.720 --> 00:06:05.279 Now, how many of you, when you you were younger, let's say single-digit age, had someone in a sport or a movie or whatever that you looked up to and you thought, oh, that's my hero. 00:06:05.360 --> 00:06:06.399 I want to be like them. 00:06:06.639 --> 00:06:11.199 Yeah, the rest of you are lying, or you're just disconnected, and I feel bad for you. 00:06:11.360 --> 00:06:11.920 But we did. 00:06:12.000 --> 00:06:12.959 Mine was a pitcher. 00:06:13.040 --> 00:06:19.920 I loved baseball, and I was born in Los Angeles, and there was a pitcher, his name was Don Sutton, he's now the voice for the Braves. 00:06:20.000 --> 00:06:22.399 But Don Sutton was a pitcher, I was a pitcher. 00:06:22.560 --> 00:06:24.959 He was in Los Angeles, I was born in Los Angeles. 00:06:25.120 --> 00:06:34.560 He was a great pitcher, and I wanted to be a great pitcher, and he had curly hair, and I used to have curly hair, and I and so I wanted to be like Don Sutton, and so I'd mimic. 00:06:34.720 --> 00:06:36.240 I'd mimic the way he threw. 00:06:36.399 --> 00:06:39.600 In that same, he's saying, I want you to mimic Jesus. 00:06:39.759 --> 00:06:41.839 I want you to mimic, imitate Jesus. 00:06:42.000 --> 00:06:42.879 Well, what does that look like? 00:06:42.959 --> 00:06:45.120 Well, look at a couple of the words in verse 2. 00:06:45.199 --> 00:06:49.120 He says, Who loved us and gave himself? 00:06:49.920 --> 00:06:54.240 If we're gonna be imitators of God, we have to be givers, not getters. 00:06:54.480 --> 00:06:57.120 We have to live to give, not live to take. 00:06:57.360 --> 00:07:00.480 And that idea of giving, well, what does that look like? 00:07:01.040 --> 00:07:04.319 A friend of mine I spent a couple days with a couple weeks ago. 00:07:04.399 --> 00:07:14.160 We were on tour together, and he's going through a rough patch, and we just spent time on the road driving between a couple different shows, and and and we stopped at this one place. 00:07:14.240 --> 00:07:16.000 He's like, Man, I really gotta go to the bathroom. 00:07:16.079 --> 00:07:16.720 And I'm like, Cool. 00:07:16.800 --> 00:07:17.680 So we pull over. 00:07:17.759 --> 00:07:21.839 It's just a little gas station convenience store, and I'm over by the waters thinking, you know, I'm a little thirsty. 00:07:21.920 --> 00:07:22.639 I'm gonna get something. 00:07:22.800 --> 00:07:23.920 He was towards the front of the store. 00:07:24.000 --> 00:07:25.759 I'm like, hey man, you need you need something to drink? 00:07:25.839 --> 00:07:27.360 And he's like, No, I got a water. 00:07:27.519 --> 00:07:29.439 He says, I got one, I got one for you too. 00:07:29.519 --> 00:07:32.319 And I'm like, I didn't ask for one, but thanks. 00:07:32.399 --> 00:07:34.639 You know, so we get in the car and I'm like, dude, thanks for the water. 00:07:34.720 --> 00:07:35.839 How'd you know I needed a water? 00:07:35.920 --> 00:07:39.040 And he goes, Well, he says, a buddy of mine just shared a concept. 00:07:39.199 --> 00:07:47.279 He says, back when he was in college, he was in Texas, and this very well-known pastor at a very large church kind of just engaged him. 00:07:47.360 --> 00:07:49.519 He says, Hey, you're a sharp young man. 00:07:49.680 --> 00:07:53.199 He says, If you don't mind, I'd love to just help you if I can. 00:07:53.439 --> 00:07:55.839 He says, Yeah, he said, Why don't you come over Saturday to my house? 00:07:55.920 --> 00:07:56.560 He's like, Really? 00:07:56.639 --> 00:08:00.480 And if I told you the name, you'd know who the pastor was if you're into those type things. 00:08:00.639 --> 00:08:07.199 But very well-known pastor, he says he gets there and he's got a donut to eat for breakfast, didn't get a chance to eat it, but he got there, and the guy just worked out. 00:08:07.279 --> 00:08:08.959 He goes, Hey, I'm gonna grab a quick shower. 00:08:09.120 --> 00:08:10.720 He says, I'll read you right out. 00:08:10.879 --> 00:08:21.519 He said, like five minutes later, he said he's just sitting there eating his donut, and he said, This this guy comes out kind of drying his hair in a t-shirt and a warm-up pants, and he goes, Wow, that looks awesome. 00:08:21.680 --> 00:08:23.279 And he goes, Oh, thanks. 00:08:23.519 --> 00:08:25.040 And he said, Where's mine? 00:08:25.199 --> 00:08:29.600 And he's like, Uh I I didn't know you wanted one. 00:08:29.759 --> 00:08:33.440 And he says, Well, he says, You know what I've started doing? 00:08:33.840 --> 00:08:37.200 And he said, I don't remember a whole lot of what we we learned biblically. 00:08:37.279 --> 00:08:39.039 He said, But I learned this lesson of giving. 00:08:39.200 --> 00:08:44.159 He said, I've started doing this anytime I want to meet with somebody, if I get something, I get two. 00:08:44.799 --> 00:08:46.960 And my buddy said, That's why I got the water. 00:08:47.039 --> 00:08:48.000 I love this concept. 00:08:48.080 --> 00:08:50.559 If I'm getting it, I'm with somebody, oh I'm gonna get you one too. 00:08:50.639 --> 00:08:54.240 If I like it, I want you to have it and see what I like, and I just know I'm thinking about you. 00:08:54.320 --> 00:08:56.559 I'm like, that's a kind of cool idea. 00:08:56.799 --> 00:08:59.519 And I just call it the where's mine idea. 00:08:59.679 --> 00:09:02.240 And he said, now listen, it doesn't work out perfectly. 00:09:02.320 --> 00:09:05.679 There's not every God ordained heaven angel singing moments. 00:09:05.759 --> 00:09:08.960 He said, I've gotten a lot of drinks, I end up with two of them. 00:09:09.120 --> 00:09:11.919 I bought a lot of sandwiches, I end up with two of them. 00:09:12.240 --> 00:09:17.360 He says, but I just I want to get in that habit of being a giver and thinking about others. 00:09:17.440 --> 00:09:26.240 And anything that I invest in that doesn't get passed on is far, far more worth it just for me to have that giving idea. 00:09:26.559 --> 00:09:30.799 It's my buddy out in Phoenix, I'll call him Steve, because that's his name. 00:09:31.039 --> 00:09:34.399 And Steve, Steve had shared with me this concept. 00:09:34.480 --> 00:09:37.840 He was doing something kind of big for a friend of his. 00:09:38.480 --> 00:09:40.879 I said, Man, that is just incredible. 00:09:41.120 --> 00:09:42.960 I said, What led you to do this? 00:09:43.039 --> 00:09:44.879 And he said, Man, here's the deal. 00:09:45.200 --> 00:09:46.240 And he asked the question. 00:09:46.320 --> 00:09:52.240 He says, How many times in life do you come across a friend that has a real need? 00:09:52.559 --> 00:09:59.200 I mean like a life-changing need for them, that you get to be a part of God meeting that need. 00:09:59.679 --> 00:10:02.080 And I'm like, uh, not very often. 00:10:02.240 --> 00:10:03.840 And he says, Exactly. 00:10:04.080 --> 00:10:10.320 And he says, anytime I see one of those, I'm like, Lord, will you let me be a part of this? 00:10:10.639 --> 00:10:13.600 I don't know if I can afford it, I don't know if I can do it, but I want to be a part. 00:10:13.840 --> 00:10:20.159 Sure enough, a few months later, I'm with a buddy of mine who's a musician and he does kind of what I do, and he's incredible now. 00:10:20.240 --> 00:10:27.120 I mean, he he's got over 300 million hits on YouTube now, but he was getting started, and I'd bring him with me on tour. 00:10:27.360 --> 00:10:32.559 And he's a musician, he's very talented, and and he came out on the road one time and he didn't bring his guitar. 00:10:32.639 --> 00:10:33.840 I'm like, dude, where's your guitar? 00:10:33.919 --> 00:10:37.440 And he goes, Man, long story, it got stolen out of my car. 00:10:37.679 --> 00:10:40.879 I'm like, your guitar got what what are you doing? 00:10:40.960 --> 00:10:43.679 He says, Well, I've got this old cheap one, but I'm just gonna do without. 00:10:43.840 --> 00:10:45.679 I'm just gonna do my show without it. 00:10:45.840 --> 00:10:48.960 I'm like, dude, but you're you're a musician, it's the guitar. 00:10:49.279 --> 00:10:50.879 And we're talking after the show that night. 00:10:50.960 --> 00:10:52.000 I'm like, tell me what happened. 00:10:52.080 --> 00:10:54.559 He tells me, I'm like, man, I'm so sorry, that's a bummer. 00:10:54.720 --> 00:10:56.080 I said, but here's the deal. 00:10:56.320 --> 00:10:57.840 Let me just ask you this. 00:10:58.080 --> 00:10:59.039 Because he's a musician. 00:10:59.120 --> 00:11:05.039 I said, if you could have any guitar, any guitar, and I just snap my fingers and be here, what would it be? 00:11:05.200 --> 00:11:14.159 He goes, Oh, now if you're around any musicians, if you are a musician, you know that that that's that's in the forefront of their mind at all times. 00:11:14.399 --> 00:11:19.759 They say, Oh, it'd be a Taylor 513 with a second back and ding ding blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. 00:11:20.240 --> 00:11:21.120 I'm like, what? 00:11:21.279 --> 00:11:24.559 And he tells me again, I'm like, okay, that's really cool. 00:11:24.879 --> 00:11:26.080 Now here's the cool part. 00:11:26.320 --> 00:11:29.360 God has to put these really simple for me sometimes. 00:11:29.600 --> 00:11:35.840 Now, my buddy Steve, who was in Phoenix, he actually worked because when he told me the brand, I'm like, no way. 00:11:36.240 --> 00:11:39.919 Because he works and he does all the high-end printing for Taylor guitars. 00:11:40.159 --> 00:11:44.960 And I'm like, so I call him, I said, Hey, I got a friend, guitar stolen. 00:11:45.120 --> 00:11:50.799 He said his dream guitar is a Taylor 513 with his black, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, cedar, blah, blah, blah, blah. 00:11:51.200 --> 00:11:52.720 And he's like, wow. 00:11:53.039 --> 00:11:58.159 And I said, I think I want to get him one because this would be that type of gift. 00:11:58.240 --> 00:12:00.240 And he goes, Well, they're they're not cheap. 00:12:00.399 --> 00:12:01.039 And I said, Okay. 00:12:01.200 --> 00:12:04.159 He said, but I can probably get you a little bit of a discount because they give me a discount. 00:12:04.240 --> 00:12:04.960 And I'm like, okay. 00:12:05.200 --> 00:12:08.879 Well, he came back and he said and he told me, he says, Well, I got the discount for you. 00:12:08.960 --> 00:12:09.759 I'm like, all right. 00:12:09.919 --> 00:12:12.799 He says, Yeah, with the discount, it's only about$2,100. 00:12:13.200 --> 00:12:24.000 I'm like, and I for just a half a second, I'm like, Lord, maybe you want to bless him through someone else, but I didn't do it. 00:12:24.639 --> 00:12:26.399 And I said, you know what? 00:12:26.799 --> 00:12:28.799 That that's that's the deal. 00:12:28.960 --> 00:12:30.480 I I want to do that. 00:12:30.720 --> 00:12:32.159 Will you put it on order for me? 00:12:32.240 --> 00:12:34.559 And I said, we're gonna be in this city next weekend. 00:12:34.799 --> 00:12:36.159 Will you have it shipped there? 00:12:36.240 --> 00:12:37.279 And he said, Absolutely. 00:12:37.360 --> 00:12:39.840 And we get there to the show, and I'm so excited. 00:12:40.080 --> 00:12:43.039 And somebody came out and said, Hey, your your box is here. 00:12:43.519 --> 00:12:46.240 And I said, Oh, the one for for me or for Tim? 00:12:46.320 --> 00:12:47.120 They're like, for Tim. 00:12:47.279 --> 00:12:49.519 And he's like, What box? 00:12:49.919 --> 00:12:51.840 And I said, I don't know, it's got your name on it. 00:12:51.919 --> 00:12:57.200 And he goes back there and he opens it up, and it's a guitar case, and he pulls it out and he opens it up. 00:12:57.679 --> 00:12:59.679 And I've never seen him speechless before. 00:13:00.000 --> 00:13:03.759 He was just like, Oh, he wouldn't touch it. 00:13:03.840 --> 00:13:05.360 He just started petting the strings. 00:13:05.600 --> 00:13:07.440 Ha, ha, ha. 00:13:08.799 --> 00:13:10.799 I'm like, dude, that is awesome. 00:13:10.879 --> 00:13:12.559 And he goes, This is it. 00:13:12.720 --> 00:13:17.360 And he and he literally, he just sat there and pet it for about five minutes. 00:13:17.679 --> 00:13:20.080 And I said, You gotta, you gotta, you gotta put it on and play it. 00:13:20.159 --> 00:13:22.480 And he goes, I don't I don't want I don't want to hurt it. 00:13:22.559 --> 00:13:24.960 And I'm like, it's a guitar. 00:13:25.679 --> 00:13:40.399 But to leave that mark and and for God to know the desires of our hearts and to want to to meet that need, and he does, but to let us be apart, when we get there, we start imitating Jesus. 00:13:40.639 --> 00:13:48.720 And not only that, the next the next verse there, not only giving, but he says, and he was sacrificial offering that smelled sweet to God. 00:13:48.960 --> 00:13:53.759 Not only give, but to go ahead and give sacrificially is huge. 00:13:54.320 --> 00:14:00.720 And there's varying degrees of sacrifice, some are financial, some are time, and some are all. 00:14:00.879 --> 00:14:16.799 I don't know if you know this past summer, if you heard the story about the uh soccer team in Thailand that went on the the cave splunking tour and that they got deep into this cave, some two miles into the cave, and the and the name of the caves, I wrote it down here. 00:14:16.879 --> 00:14:21.200 Let me see if I oh, the Thom Luang Caves in Thailand. 00:14:21.440 --> 00:14:28.399 But the problem was is they got deep into the caves and a storm came and the waters rose and it trapped them two miles in this cave. 00:14:28.639 --> 00:14:33.519 And it was, if I'm not mistaken, it was hours or days before they discovered them missing. 00:14:33.759 --> 00:14:38.639 They ended up staying on this ledge in a far corner of the cave two miles in. 00:14:38.799 --> 00:14:42.639 They survived on just dripping water for eight days. 00:14:42.879 --> 00:14:48.000 And when they finally got to them, they realized, how are we gonna get out of here? 00:14:48.240 --> 00:14:49.600 How are we gonna get them out? 00:14:49.759 --> 00:14:54.240 Because it's submerged for extended hundreds of yards at a time. 00:14:54.480 --> 00:14:57.919 Several of these young men had never, they'd never learned to swim. 00:14:58.720 --> 00:15:09.360 And then thousands of people began to pray and plan and give and strategize and offer up their time, their abilities, their money to do whatever it takes to get them out. 00:15:10.720 --> 00:15:21.120 And many gave a lot, but one man, one man by the name of Suman Kunan, gave more than all. 00:15:21.519 --> 00:15:24.240 He was a former Thai Navy SEAL. 00:15:24.559 --> 00:15:26.240 He was 36 years old. 00:15:26.399 --> 00:15:30.720 And when they drew out the plans, they said there's so few people that can even pull this off. 00:15:31.039 --> 00:15:32.559 He volunteered, he stepped up. 00:15:32.720 --> 00:15:42.799 They had to move some 20 air tanks, small air tanks that would fit through the passages, some as little as 18 inches wide, to get to these young men. 00:15:43.039 --> 00:15:45.600 He volunteered and he would take them in. 00:15:45.840 --> 00:15:59.039 The only problem was that as he was taking them in, because that I don't think there was a regulator on some of these, his regulator either broke or got knocked off or whatever, and on his way back out, he did not make it. 00:15:59.360 --> 00:16:02.720 And he drowned in the process after delivering these. 00:16:03.279 --> 00:16:08.399 He literally gave his life so that 18 young men could live. 00:16:09.039 --> 00:16:21.600 And that level of sacrifice and giving, in John chapter 15, verse 13, it says, No greater love is this than a man would voluntarily give his life for his friends. 00:16:21.919 --> 00:16:27.039 And that level of giving is like, okay, Lord, teach me this. 00:16:27.279 --> 00:16:29.120 Help me get to this point. 00:16:29.840 --> 00:16:30.960 Because here's the deal. 00:16:31.120 --> 00:16:39.519 I love that when we when we start to give and we start to sacrifice a little bit, God starts to just show up within us. 00:16:39.840 --> 00:16:46.000 And that Christ within us starts to pour out and it becomes this sweet smell. 00:16:46.159 --> 00:16:49.759 Look what it says at the end there, offering that smells sweet to God. 00:16:49.919 --> 00:16:53.600 Not only does it smell sweet, it becomes Him within us. 00:16:53.759 --> 00:17:01.519 And people start recognizing that and they're drawn to it, as John chapter 12, verse 32 says, that if I be lifted up, I'll draw all men to me. 00:17:01.759 --> 00:17:12.240 Let me give you a couple examples of what that smell looks like because when we start acting out of giving and sacrifice and living that life and imitating Jesus, people are going to be drawn to that. 00:17:12.319 --> 00:17:17.279 When I was 17 years old, I worked at a little business in Cumberland Mall. 00:17:17.920 --> 00:17:19.599 Had a terrible location. 00:17:19.759 --> 00:17:23.440 It was next to a department store in the corner to the side. 00:17:23.519 --> 00:17:25.920 So if you were walking in and out, you wouldn't even see it. 00:17:26.079 --> 00:17:31.200 And if you came in the main entrance, it was an angle to where we were off the angle to where you'd never see it. 00:17:31.359 --> 00:17:34.000 It was the Great American Chocolate Chip Cookie Company. 00:17:34.160 --> 00:17:41.440 I made the big cookies and I made the cookies, and it was one of my first days there, and uh we'd we'd made a bunch of cookies. 00:17:41.680 --> 00:17:45.119 It was right after dinner we made a bunch, and there's nobody at the counter. 00:17:45.279 --> 00:17:50.640 And I'm questioning the manager's concept of why are we making all these cookies and there's nobody here. 00:17:50.880 --> 00:17:59.599 And then we put them out of the out of the oven onto these racks to cool, and he just said, Well, put them over here, and we rolled them up to the doorway, and he said, Watch this. 00:17:59.680 --> 00:18:03.839 And he just walked back and he pulled out a box fan and just turned it on. 00:18:04.799 --> 00:18:10.960 And then he walked up to the counter, and another girl came up to the counter and they stood there for about 90 seconds. 00:18:11.200 --> 00:18:13.519 And it was like cows to hay. 00:18:13.759 --> 00:18:15.440 Just people started showing up. 00:18:16.000 --> 00:18:19.440 I don't need a cookie, I don't need a cookie, I want to. 00:18:19.599 --> 00:18:23.680 I just that smell just wafted into the mall. 00:18:23.920 --> 00:18:25.119 And people just showed up. 00:18:25.279 --> 00:18:28.799 They just literally followed their noses to get there. 00:18:29.519 --> 00:18:33.680 And when we give and we sacrifice, that's the smell. 00:18:33.920 --> 00:18:36.799 Now here's the question I want you and I to ask. 00:18:37.119 --> 00:18:41.359 Is my life one of giving and sacrificing and imitating Jesus? 00:18:41.519 --> 00:18:44.400 Because if it is, you smell sweet. 00:18:44.640 --> 00:18:46.640 And people are gonna be drawn to that. 00:18:46.799 --> 00:18:48.000 And it's gonna be incredible. 00:18:48.559 --> 00:18:54.559 Can I give you the example of as I evaluate my life, what my life looks like too often? 00:18:54.880 --> 00:18:58.480 Because I have moments of good, but I want to be an imitator all the time. 00:18:58.799 --> 00:19:00.559 How many of you have ever been to New Orleans? 00:19:00.640 --> 00:19:02.160 Has anybody else been to New Orleans? 00:19:02.319 --> 00:19:04.000 They will vouch for me. 00:19:04.400 --> 00:19:08.480 Some of the most amazing restaurants in the world are in New Orleans. 00:19:08.640 --> 00:19:11.680 I've eaten beignets at the Cafe du Mont at midnight. 00:19:11.839 --> 00:19:12.799 It's amazing. 00:19:12.960 --> 00:19:15.359 The smell of that pastry, unbelievable. 00:19:15.599 --> 00:19:17.839 Emerald Legassi has a couple restaurants there. 00:19:17.920 --> 00:19:19.359 I ate at one of his restaurants. 00:19:19.519 --> 00:19:27.279 You walk by his restaurant and you're just like, I've never smelled that before. 00:19:27.440 --> 00:19:29.440 That combination, I don't know what it is. 00:19:29.519 --> 00:19:31.839 It's just, I have to have that. 00:19:32.319 --> 00:19:40.240 But New Orleans is such where you will be walking down the street and one of those aromas will just hit you, like, we have to come back here. 00:19:40.400 --> 00:19:41.839 We have to eat here. 00:19:42.319 --> 00:19:52.799 Five steps later, it smells like a horse took a dump and somebody set it on fire and somebody peed on it to put it out. 00:19:52.960 --> 00:19:56.079 It's the most disgusting smell ever. 00:19:56.240 --> 00:20:03.519 It's like walking past going, to going, oh, oh, oh, I gotta get away from here. 00:20:03.680 --> 00:20:05.519 Can I tell you I'm so ashamed? 00:20:05.599 --> 00:20:07.119 And I that's my life. 00:20:07.279 --> 00:20:16.559 I can do such great, have such a great mindset, and moments later be a complete jack wagon and just stink. 00:20:17.519 --> 00:20:19.680 And God is saying, okay, well, here's why. 00:20:19.839 --> 00:20:24.960 Yes, you're doing great at the imitating me, but here's the second directive he gives us. 00:20:25.119 --> 00:20:26.640 It's in the next few verses. 00:20:26.799 --> 00:20:30.640 Not only do we need to imitate Jesus, we need to eliminate sin. 00:20:31.680 --> 00:20:32.799 Eliminate it. 00:20:33.039 --> 00:20:34.559 And we can't do that on our own. 00:20:34.720 --> 00:20:35.920 We have to be reliant on him. 00:20:36.160 --> 00:20:44.559 Just as he gives us the motive and the clarity of what we do need to do, he shows us clearly what we need to let him eliminate in our lives. 00:20:44.799 --> 00:20:56.640 In verse 3 and on, it says, sexual immorality and any kind of impurity or greed shouldn't even be mentioned among you, which is right for holy persons. 00:20:56.880 --> 00:21:02.000 Obscene language, silly talk, or vulgar jokes aren't acceptable for believers. 00:21:02.160 --> 00:21:05.279 Instead, there should be thanksgiving. 00:21:05.599 --> 00:21:18.480 Because you know for sure that persons who are sexually immoral, impure, or greedy, which happens when things become God's, those people won't inherit the kingdom of Christ and God. 00:21:18.720 --> 00:21:21.680 Nobody should deceive you with stupid ideas. 00:21:22.000 --> 00:21:27.920 God's anger comes down on those who are disobedient because of this kind of things. 00:21:28.240 --> 00:21:31.279 So you shouldn't have anything to do with them. 00:21:31.599 --> 00:21:32.960 Nothing to do with them. 00:21:33.200 --> 00:21:36.960 Well, Lord help me, because what does it mean to eliminate sin? 00:21:37.119 --> 00:21:40.400 The first one I see is there, which is you shouldn't even mention these. 00:21:40.640 --> 00:21:43.519 In other words, they shouldn't even be a thought in your head. 00:21:43.759 --> 00:21:44.880 What am I thinking? 00:21:45.119 --> 00:21:46.799 What am I dwelling on? 00:21:47.440 --> 00:21:49.039 Well, it's very natural. 00:21:49.200 --> 00:21:58.240 Last week I shared the idea of just saying, you know what, Lord, it says in 1 John 2 16, do not love the world or anything in the world. 00:21:58.319 --> 00:21:59.759 And these are the examples of that. 00:22:00.640 --> 00:22:10.960 He says, those who are the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, the cravings of the flesh, and the boasting of what he has and does, he's like, that's not what I made you for. 00:22:11.039 --> 00:22:13.039 And you're not going to find fulfillment in that. 00:22:13.279 --> 00:22:16.799 Instead, what you think needs to be different. 00:22:17.039 --> 00:22:19.680 And this is becoming one of my favorite verses. 00:22:19.759 --> 00:22:22.319 It's in, and you get, and we're not going to put it up there, but you can write it down. 00:22:22.400 --> 00:22:24.240 I encourage you, write it in the margins if not. 00:22:24.400 --> 00:22:26.559 It's 2 Corinthians 10, 5. 00:22:26.799 --> 00:22:41.519 And it says this, and we dissolve, we destroy, we demolish arguments and every pretense that sets itself against the knowledge of God. 00:22:41.680 --> 00:22:46.480 And we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 00:22:46.799 --> 00:22:51.599 I find myself saying, you know what, if I'm going to eliminate sin, I've got to hold every thought captive. 00:22:51.759 --> 00:22:55.519 Jesus, I need you to make every thought captive. 00:22:55.759 --> 00:23:04.799 In the middle of that passage in Ephesians where it says, sexuality, impurity, and greed, which happen when things become gods. 00:23:05.039 --> 00:23:06.400 It's the same terminology. 00:23:06.799 --> 00:23:12.960 It's referring back to the Big Ten, Exodus 20, where Moses gets the Big Ten Commandments. 00:23:13.200 --> 00:23:16.240 Number two, do not have any idols. 00:23:16.480 --> 00:23:17.920 And it's using that same deal. 00:23:18.000 --> 00:23:22.319 And I always used to think, well, Lord, I don't have any like little wooden idols that I pray to and do. 00:23:22.799 --> 00:23:23.759 That's not what it's talking about. 00:23:23.920 --> 00:23:29.359 Here he's clarifying that, going, hey, here's what idols are: sexual immorality, impurity, and greed. 00:23:29.599 --> 00:23:34.799 And it's not the item, it's how we approach and what we do with those items. 00:23:34.880 --> 00:23:38.160 And I'll give you a beautiful example that I saw with my own eyes. 00:23:38.319 --> 00:23:44.240 It was down at Amelia Island, beautiful resort, the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island. 00:23:44.400 --> 00:23:45.440 The beach is amazing. 00:23:45.519 --> 00:23:48.640 The pools are it's an unbelievable resort. 00:23:49.440 --> 00:23:54.400 As I walked in, there was this Ferrari part right on the curb. 00:23:54.880 --> 00:23:58.000 And I looked, I'm like, that's a cool car. 00:23:58.720 --> 00:24:09.039 And the the valet who was standing there going, yeah, and uh, and we walked under the little awning where you get to get out there, and he was like, Yeah, uh, it's his. 00:24:09.680 --> 00:24:22.000 There was a guy about three stories up who had a balcony view not of the ocean, not of the beautiful pools, not of the grounds. 00:24:22.079 --> 00:24:27.279 He had a uh a balcony view of the parking lot by demand. 00:24:27.839 --> 00:24:35.680 And he sat on that balcony every time I came in and out, day or night, he was on that balcony watching his car. 00:24:37.200 --> 00:24:43.599 And I'm like, what a waste! That's idolatry. 00:24:43.920 --> 00:24:47.119 Now go to the other end of that extreme, my buddy Terry. 00:24:47.440 --> 00:24:49.440 Terry lived in the neighborhood that I lived in. 00:24:49.519 --> 00:24:53.200 We just moved uh several years ago, but we were we're still friends to this day. 00:24:53.359 --> 00:24:55.759 And I was out walking one day and I walked by Terry's house. 00:24:55.839 --> 00:25:00.559 I said, Hey, his garage door was up, and I looked in there, I'm like, dude, nice car. 00:25:01.279 --> 00:25:03.359 And he came out and he's wiping the grease off. 00:25:03.440 --> 00:25:05.519 He goes, Yeah, I'm just tinkering with it a little bit. 00:25:05.680 --> 00:25:09.039 It was a 65 Pontiac GTO convertible. 00:25:09.359 --> 00:25:11.759 Okay, all the car guys, yeah, there we go. 00:25:12.160 --> 00:25:13.759 Like, dude, that is so awesome. 00:25:13.920 --> 00:25:18.400 And we talked cars, and he's like, Yeah, uh, you gotta well come see, come see him. 00:25:18.559 --> 00:25:19.599 And I'm like, what do you mean, him? 00:25:19.759 --> 00:25:21.200 And he's like, This is Gus. 00:25:21.519 --> 00:25:22.960 And he named the car. 00:25:23.119 --> 00:25:24.880 He said, I got Gus in a junkyard. 00:25:24.960 --> 00:25:31.039 My brother and I used to, when we were growing up, my dad would buy a car and we'd fix it up and he'd sell it, and that's how we had vacation money. 00:25:31.119 --> 00:25:34.319 And he says, I grew up just redoing cars. 00:25:34.400 --> 00:25:38.079 He says, I got Gus in a junkyard, and I've restored him. 00:25:38.160 --> 00:25:42.559 He says, I've done every piece, literally every inch of that car I have touched and restored. 00:25:42.640 --> 00:25:46.319 He says, the seats I have hand stitched back to manufacturer's standards. 00:25:46.480 --> 00:25:54.319 The engine I have bored out and I have calibrated them to where they are better than factory standards when it came off the line and it looked like it had just come off the line. 00:25:54.559 --> 00:25:58.799 He said, I painted it the original color, and I'm just like, this is unbelievable. 00:25:58.960 --> 00:26:02.799 He says, You know, next time you and Heather go out, you should take Gus. 00:26:03.519 --> 00:26:06.400 I said, dude, there is no way I'm getting in that car. 00:26:06.720 --> 00:26:08.000 And he goes, You don't like it? 00:26:08.079 --> 00:26:10.000 I'm like, dude, I love that car. 00:26:10.400 --> 00:26:12.799 But I mean, what what if something happened? 00:26:12.960 --> 00:26:14.880 What if I'm driving it and somebody hits it? 00:26:14.960 --> 00:26:16.960 Well, I don't know what I'd do. 00:26:17.039 --> 00:26:18.160 And he started laughing. 00:26:18.319 --> 00:26:19.759 And he's like, seriously? 00:26:19.920 --> 00:26:22.079 I'm like, yeah, seriously. 00:26:22.400 --> 00:26:27.839 He says, if you if if it if you get it wrecked, I'll fix it again. 00:26:29.519 --> 00:26:30.559 Like, are you serious? 00:26:30.720 --> 00:26:31.920 And he goes, Yeah. 00:26:32.240 --> 00:26:34.799 He said, What good is it if you don't get to enjoy it? 00:26:34.960 --> 00:26:44.559 I'm like, so Heather and I took it out for a date night down to Buckhead, and I'm telling you, cars, six-figure cars are stopping at lights and staring at us. 00:26:44.960 --> 00:26:50.240 Heather is not a car person, and I she's like, Why do people keep looking at me? 00:26:52.000 --> 00:26:56.559 They're uh, they might not be looking at you or me. 00:26:56.720 --> 00:26:57.759 It may be the car. 00:26:57.920 --> 00:27:00.880 She goes, it's old, and I'm like, exactly. 00:27:01.680 --> 00:27:04.319 I said, you can buy those cars if you have enough money. 00:27:04.480 --> 00:27:05.920 You can't buy this one. 00:27:06.160 --> 00:27:07.920 And see, that's the difference. 00:27:08.079 --> 00:27:12.000 That's the difference of not the item, but it's who what I do with that item. 00:27:12.079 --> 00:27:13.200 It's having that giving. 00:27:13.359 --> 00:27:16.000 It's what I think, it's also about what I say. 00:27:16.559 --> 00:27:22.000 It says simply that obscene language, silly talk, and vulgar jokes. 00:27:22.160 --> 00:27:25.759 Apparently, there were dirty jokes since the beginning. 00:27:26.480 --> 00:27:30.960 Apparently, people used horrible language in the beginning. 00:27:31.200 --> 00:27:32.880 And it's just passed down. 00:27:33.119 --> 00:27:35.839 I believe with all my heart God's saying, you know what? 00:27:36.160 --> 00:27:41.440 And and I look at that and say, okay, obscenity, foolishness, and coarse joking, what's the opposite? 00:27:41.599 --> 00:27:47.119 Well, being real and being wise and being edifying, I want to focus on that. 00:27:47.359 --> 00:27:58.160 And I gotta tell you, as I've started to do this, and and even this last step of that of acts of disobedience, I started to become a very rapid confessor. 00:27:58.799 --> 00:28:01.359 And 1 John 1:9, I shared this one last week as well. 00:28:01.519 --> 00:28:09.599 Just that Jesus said, if you confess your sins, then I will forgive them and I will cleanse you from all unrighteousness. 00:28:09.920 --> 00:28:14.240 I will have a thought that is not right, and I'm like, God, how do I get rid of that? 00:28:14.480 --> 00:28:15.680 Forgive me for that. 00:28:15.920 --> 00:28:21.359 I make a statement that I know is wrong, I stop and I'm like, God, that was that was stupid. 00:28:21.599 --> 00:28:23.039 Why do I do that? 00:28:23.359 --> 00:28:25.599