WEBVTT 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:00.880 Quick question. 00:00:01.439 --> 00:00:05.679 Has anyone here ever experienced having too much of a good thing? 00:00:05.919 --> 00:00:07.200 You ever had that happen to you before? 00:00:07.360 --> 00:00:08.000 It's possible, right? 00:00:08.080 --> 00:00:10.160 There are all kinds of things where that can apply. 00:00:10.320 --> 00:00:11.519 Maybe it's it's food. 00:00:11.679 --> 00:00:14.000 You have really good food, you just have a little too much of it. 00:00:14.160 --> 00:00:18.559 And at a certain point, the goodness starts to fade away and bad things begin to happen. 00:00:18.719 --> 00:00:20.640 Maybe it's vacation time, right? 00:00:20.960 --> 00:00:31.839 You have some time off work, and at first it's awesome, and you're loving it, and you're resting, you're sleeping in, but but if it goes too long, maybe you start to get bored and you start to almost desire to have work to do. 00:00:32.159 --> 00:00:33.439 Too much of a good thing, it can happen. 00:00:33.600 --> 00:00:37.439 This last week, I experienced too much of a good thing. 00:00:37.679 --> 00:00:42.079 The thing that dominated my my Christmas time was this thing called Star Wars. 00:00:42.479 --> 00:00:47.600 So just out of curiosity, raise your hand if you saw Star Wars, the new Star Wars movie, okay? 00:00:48.079 --> 00:00:52.479 I'm guessing most of us had because it's already the highest-grossing film in Disney movie history. 00:00:52.560 --> 00:00:53.600 That's a big deal. 00:00:54.000 --> 00:00:58.079 And it's made over a billion dollars, so I'm sure many of us have contributed to that. 00:00:58.240 --> 00:01:01.439 I did my best this last week to contribute to that success. 00:01:01.600 --> 00:01:07.680 See, what happened was my son was really excited about it, mainly because I have been grooming him to be excited about it for a long time. 00:01:07.840 --> 00:01:09.120 We've been building to this moment. 00:01:09.200 --> 00:01:11.920 And I got a ticket for Monday morning at 9 a.m. 00:01:12.239 --> 00:01:17.519 Because I did not want to wake up and have Liam ask me like 500 times during the day, when are we going? 00:01:17.599 --> 00:01:18.079 When are we leaving? 00:01:18.159 --> 00:01:18.879 What time's the movie? 00:01:18.959 --> 00:01:20.079 I just wanted to wake up and go. 00:01:20.239 --> 00:01:20.799 And so we did that. 00:01:20.879 --> 00:01:23.840 We went, we saw the movie, he loved it, he was so excited. 00:01:24.000 --> 00:01:25.840 We got back home and he ran to Megan. 00:01:26.000 --> 00:01:27.280 He said, Mom, it was amazing. 00:01:27.359 --> 00:01:31.359 And he starts to tell her what happened, and she's like, No, no, no, don't spoil it for me. 00:01:31.519 --> 00:01:32.480 I want to see it too. 00:01:32.560 --> 00:01:34.239 I just I want to know what happens. 00:01:34.319 --> 00:01:36.640 I want to be able to experience it for the first time. 00:01:36.799 --> 00:01:48.319 And so I had this moment of realization that if my wife's ability to watch this movie without it being spoiled is dependent on my son's ability to not talk, we're in a lot of trouble. 00:01:48.719 --> 00:01:54.799 Because he is my son, and he is a verbal processor, and he was just it was like, oh mom, there was this one part, and she's like, No. 00:01:54.879 --> 00:01:57.040 And I said, honey, we gotta call a babysitter now. 00:01:57.120 --> 00:01:58.000 This is an emergency. 00:01:58.159 --> 00:02:00.560 We have to go see this movie again, right now. 00:02:00.799 --> 00:02:01.840 And so we did. 00:02:02.159 --> 00:02:02.799 We did. 00:02:03.200 --> 00:02:07.599 So I saw Star Wars twice, twice in one day, and I've never done that before. 00:02:07.840 --> 00:02:13.360 I mean, my daughter watches Frozen a lot, but I don't sit down and like watch it with her multiple times a day. 00:02:13.439 --> 00:02:20.159 It's the first time in my life I've ever gone to a movie theater twice in a 24-hour period of time. 00:02:20.319 --> 00:02:22.719 And I'll just say this, it's a strange experience. 00:02:22.879 --> 00:02:27.199 If you've never done that before, you know that that weird deja vu feeling you get from time to time? 00:02:27.439 --> 00:02:29.120 Just imagine that for two hours. 00:02:29.360 --> 00:02:31.039 Because it was strange. 00:02:31.199 --> 00:02:39.680 And then a few days later, a few days later, one of our friends was telling us about seeing it in 3D, and Liam was there with me, and they're saying, Oh, did you see it in 3D? 00:02:39.759 --> 00:02:40.639 And we said, No, we didn't. 00:02:40.719 --> 00:02:44.560 He doesn't even know what 3D is, but he picked up that apparently it's pretty awesome. 00:02:44.800 --> 00:02:47.919 And so he looks up to me and says, Dad, can we go see it in 3D? 00:02:48.000 --> 00:02:49.840 And I'm like, I yeah, I guess so. 00:02:50.080 --> 00:02:52.400 So we went and we saw it, we saw it three times. 00:02:52.639 --> 00:02:53.120 Three times. 00:02:53.199 --> 00:02:56.800 And then and then my friend Dusty sent me a text and said, Hey, I haven't seen Star Wars yet. 00:02:56.879 --> 00:02:57.520 You want to go? 00:02:57.680 --> 00:02:58.639 And I said, Yes. 00:02:58.800 --> 00:03:00.719 And then he didn't he didn't respond after that. 00:03:00.800 --> 00:03:02.080 And I know you're sitting in the back corner. 00:03:02.159 --> 00:03:02.879 I saw you earlier. 00:03:02.960 --> 00:03:04.400 I'm still ready to go, Dusty. 00:03:04.479 --> 00:03:05.439 I'll go a fourth time. 00:03:05.599 --> 00:03:06.479 I don't care. 00:03:06.879 --> 00:03:09.360 I had a lot of Star Wars this week. 00:03:09.520 --> 00:03:10.719 And it wasn't just the movie. 00:03:10.800 --> 00:03:13.759 Our our son's Christmas was just Star Wars. 00:03:13.840 --> 00:03:15.039 He got Star Wars toys. 00:03:15.199 --> 00:03:19.039 He got a gift card to Toys R Us, which he used to buy more Star Wars toys. 00:03:19.199 --> 00:03:22.319 He got Star Wars costumes, he got a Star Wars video game. 00:03:22.479 --> 00:03:25.280 In fact, I have one picture that sums up my Christmas. 00:03:25.599 --> 00:03:35.199 This is my so I I woke up one morning, went downstairs to the living room, and this is what I saw. 00:03:35.520 --> 00:03:43.520 This is this is my son Liam playing a Star Wars video game, dressed up in that outfit. 00:03:43.680 --> 00:03:48.159 And and I wish I had a video of it, because he just kind of looked at me and like nodded and then went right back. 00:03:48.319 --> 00:03:49.120 It was awesome. 00:03:49.360 --> 00:03:50.479 It was awesome. 00:03:50.800 --> 00:03:53.919 So I had a I had a really good time this week. 00:03:54.080 --> 00:03:56.400 It was it was just a lot of Star Wars. 00:03:56.479 --> 00:04:00.400 And we're we're definitely approaching that that too much of a good thing threshold. 00:04:00.479 --> 00:04:02.000 I'm really close to it. 00:04:02.240 --> 00:04:06.000 There are a lot of things in life that that we can have too much of. 00:04:06.240 --> 00:04:10.879 The too much of a good thing rule applies to much of our lives, but there are exceptions to that rule. 00:04:10.960 --> 00:04:14.240 There are things that are so good you can never have too much. 00:04:14.479 --> 00:04:18.959 Like I've never heard someone say, I've got way too much fulfillment in my life. 00:04:19.199 --> 00:04:20.879 Like my life has so much meaning. 00:04:21.040 --> 00:04:23.759 I wake up every day and I have purpose and I know what I'm supposed to do. 00:04:23.839 --> 00:04:25.279 I just need like pointlessness. 00:04:25.439 --> 00:04:26.560 I need confusion. 00:04:26.720 --> 00:04:27.600 That's what I need. 00:04:27.839 --> 00:04:28.959 We've got too much fulfillment. 00:04:29.040 --> 00:04:32.160 I've never heard someone say, I have hit the joy quota for my year. 00:04:32.560 --> 00:04:34.800 I'm tired of things happening that are good to me. 00:04:34.879 --> 00:04:36.399 I'm tired of enjoying life. 00:04:36.560 --> 00:04:38.079 I need something to bring me down. 00:04:38.160 --> 00:04:38.879 That's what I need. 00:04:39.040 --> 00:04:40.319 You don't hear that. 00:04:40.800 --> 00:04:48.000 Because there are some things that are so vital, that are so good for us, that we can never have too much. 00:04:48.399 --> 00:04:50.399 We always we always need more. 00:04:50.800 --> 00:04:54.639 And that's a very good thing because we have a God that is all about more. 00:04:55.360 --> 00:04:57.120 We have a God that's very uh abundant. 00:04:57.199 --> 00:04:59.040 Just look at creation, for example. 00:04:59.199 --> 00:05:04.879 There are billions and billions of planets, and so far we know of one that has life, it's ours. 00:05:05.199 --> 00:05:10.319 And if the universe is meant to be a home for us, God went a little overboard. 00:05:10.560 --> 00:05:11.600 It's kind of overkill. 00:05:11.680 --> 00:05:14.000 You might look at God and say, hey, beautiful universe. 00:05:14.319 --> 00:05:15.680 It's pretty big. 00:05:15.920 --> 00:05:20.639 And it seems like the people just need that one rock, not the billions of them. 00:05:20.720 --> 00:05:24.000 But see, God, his nature is to never do the minimum. 00:05:24.639 --> 00:05:27.519 He never, he never does less than we expect. 00:05:28.000 --> 00:05:30.240 He is a God that is all about more. 00:05:30.399 --> 00:05:32.399 Jesus shows us this time and time again. 00:05:32.560 --> 00:05:39.600 Matthew chapter 7, verse 9, Jesus says to parents, you parents, if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? 00:05:39.759 --> 00:05:41.920 Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? 00:05:42.079 --> 00:05:42.879 Of course not. 00:05:43.040 --> 00:05:51.839 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly father give good gifts to those who ask him? 00:05:52.480 --> 00:05:53.600 How much more? 00:05:54.000 --> 00:05:57.199 That is actually a really appropriate phrase for God. 00:05:57.519 --> 00:06:01.360 He is a how much more God, because picture something you love, someone you love. 00:06:01.519 --> 00:06:05.040 God loves that person or that thing more than you do. 00:06:05.279 --> 00:06:06.959 What are you passionate about? 00:06:07.279 --> 00:06:12.560 God is more passionate than you are about whatever it is you're passionate about. 00:06:12.800 --> 00:06:14.079 What are you dedicated to? 00:06:14.240 --> 00:06:16.000 God is more dedicated. 00:06:17.199 --> 00:06:19.519 God is the how much more God. 00:06:19.680 --> 00:06:22.560 In John chapter 10, verse 10, Jesus says it this way. 00:06:23.120 --> 00:06:26.560 He's comparing his desire for us to the desire that Satan has for us. 00:06:26.639 --> 00:06:31.199 And he says this the thief talking about Satan comes only to steal and kill and destroy. 00:06:31.439 --> 00:06:34.480 I have come that they may have life and have it to the full. 00:06:34.639 --> 00:06:35.759 And I love this. 00:06:36.079 --> 00:06:40.480 Because Jesus could have stopped at life, and it would have been a beautiful statement. 00:06:40.800 --> 00:06:47.519 He could have said, The thief comes to steal and kill and destroy, but I have come that they may have life, and everyone would have said, Yes. 00:06:48.079 --> 00:06:49.759 That's that's amazing. 00:06:50.240 --> 00:06:52.399 But no, no, Jesus adds that other little part. 00:06:52.639 --> 00:06:57.439 I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full. 00:06:57.680 --> 00:07:06.319 The message version of this same verse puts it this way: He says, I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of. 00:07:06.639 --> 00:07:08.079 God is about more. 00:07:09.519 --> 00:07:12.319 He's not content to just give us enough. 00:07:13.199 --> 00:07:16.639 He wants us to have more life, he wants us to have an abundance. 00:07:16.720 --> 00:07:20.160 And here's the thing about us as people, we we sort of naturally desire more. 00:07:20.319 --> 00:07:24.480 I mean, how many of us want to get more out of life this year? 00:07:25.360 --> 00:07:38.480 We feel selfish sometimes for desiring more, even though we have we have so much compared to so many people, but there's something inside of us that desires more, and sometimes we think it's greed, and in some situations it might be if we desire the wrong things. 00:07:40.639 --> 00:07:46.160 But there are other things in life that it's never greed to desire more of. 00:07:46.480 --> 00:07:54.959 In fact, it's it's natural, it's good that we have this yearning, this desire for something more, because God, I believe, desires to give us more. 00:07:55.040 --> 00:08:04.720 And I believe he put that desire in us, that desire to get more out of life, he put that in us because he wants us to desire what he wants to give, and he wants to give us more. 00:08:06.399 --> 00:08:12.639 And so we're starting 2016, this year as a church, talking about the more that God wants for us. 00:08:12.800 --> 00:08:14.959 What does he want more of in our lives? 00:08:15.120 --> 00:08:16.319 What do we want more of? 00:08:16.480 --> 00:08:18.800 And the possibilities are pretty endless. 00:08:19.279 --> 00:08:21.120 I was really excited about kicking this off today. 00:08:21.199 --> 00:08:22.800 I knew exactly what I was gonna talk about. 00:08:23.040 --> 00:08:26.399 I was gonna talk about how we can have more breathing room. 00:08:27.040 --> 00:08:34.159 Wouldn't that be awesome this year if you had less stress, less worry, less anxiety, and more room to breathe, more rest. 00:08:34.480 --> 00:08:35.519 I want that this year. 00:08:35.679 --> 00:08:38.720 2015 was not a restful year for me at all. 00:08:39.279 --> 00:08:40.879 Breathing room, that's something practical. 00:08:40.960 --> 00:08:44.000 That's something we can we can wrap our heads around, that's something we can grab a hold of. 00:08:44.080 --> 00:08:46.320 So I was like, yes, let's talk about more breathing room. 00:08:46.399 --> 00:08:51.600 And as today got closer and closer, I just felt that that's not what we're supposed to talk about to start the year. 00:08:51.679 --> 00:08:52.720 We're gonna talk about that next week. 00:08:52.799 --> 00:08:55.600 So, spoiler alert, more breathing room next Sunday, be here. 00:08:55.679 --> 00:08:57.039 It's gonna be great. 00:08:57.440 --> 00:08:59.679 But I'm sitting there praying, okay, God, well, what do we talk about? 00:08:59.759 --> 00:09:00.559 How do we start the year? 00:09:00.639 --> 00:09:01.600 What do we need more of? 00:09:01.679 --> 00:09:04.000 And and the word I got was God. 00:09:05.120 --> 00:09:08.559 And I'm kind of like, well, yeah, we're gonna be in church. 00:09:08.639 --> 00:09:09.600 We're gonna talk about you, God. 00:09:09.759 --> 00:09:10.960 Like, I get it. 00:09:11.360 --> 00:09:17.840 But it was just really clear to me that today we need to start our focus on more, our journey to have more by talking about how to have more of God. 00:09:17.919 --> 00:09:21.519 But the problem with that, the frustration I had with that, is that that's not very practical. 00:09:21.679 --> 00:09:23.120 What does more of God mean? 00:09:23.279 --> 00:09:24.559 What does that look like? 00:09:24.799 --> 00:09:27.519 Does that mean you have to come to church every Sunday this year? 00:09:27.679 --> 00:09:29.440 It does not, but you know you can. 00:09:29.679 --> 00:09:32.720 So more of God. 00:09:33.279 --> 00:09:38.720 See, I wanted to start this with something practical because here's the thing practical's good, practical works. 00:09:38.960 --> 00:09:40.639 I like practical things. 00:09:42.000 --> 00:09:56.720 And I think in the last 20 years, one of the best things to happen in church culture in America is for churches to actually start caring about the practical issues that people face and to actually begin talking about and engaging the issues that we all deal with in the day-to-day. 00:09:57.120 --> 00:09:59.600 That was a great movement that happened about 20 years ago. 00:09:59.679 --> 00:10:05.039 It's still happening, and churches now are better than ever at talking about the practical. 00:10:06.000 --> 00:10:08.720 And this is this is just my personal opinion, I might be wrong. 00:10:09.600 --> 00:10:14.720 But in my experience, a lot of times when there's a shift, sometimes it's like a pendulum. 00:10:15.120 --> 00:10:18.240 And the shift happens, but but maybe it gets out of balance too. 00:10:18.960 --> 00:10:29.679 And one of the things that I notice sometimes in in Christian culture in America and church culture is that we get so focused on the practical that it becomes at the expense of the spiritual. 00:10:30.799 --> 00:10:35.279 And we we end up categorizing practical and spiritual as if they're different things. 00:10:35.600 --> 00:10:37.120 And it's very natural for us to do that. 00:10:37.279 --> 00:10:42.720 We have our spiritual life, it's our life with God, but that's different than our going-to-work life. 00:10:42.799 --> 00:10:45.679 That's different than our day-to-day life. 00:10:46.960 --> 00:10:49.200 We've got these practical issues that we face. 00:10:49.279 --> 00:10:55.039 It's our our bank accounts, it's it's our relationships with our spouses, with our kids, with our coworkers, it's our careers. 00:10:55.200 --> 00:10:57.039 These are practical things that we want to work on. 00:10:57.120 --> 00:11:00.799 And then there's the spiritual stuff, and we don't often see how much they go together. 00:11:00.879 --> 00:11:04.799 So we have practical, we have spiritual, we separate the two, but here's the the problem with that. 00:11:05.039 --> 00:11:08.159 There is nothing more practical than what is spiritual. 00:11:08.559 --> 00:11:11.759 There is nothing more practical in your life today than God. 00:11:12.799 --> 00:11:14.080 And here's the reason why. 00:11:14.159 --> 00:11:14.879 It's very simple. 00:11:15.039 --> 00:11:20.080 The reason that what is spiritual is completely practical to you is because you are spiritual. 00:11:20.320 --> 00:11:23.600 And I'm not talking about that in some new agey mystic way. 00:11:23.840 --> 00:11:26.639 You are spiritual because you have a spirit. 00:11:27.759 --> 00:11:30.240 In fact, you you are a spirit. 00:11:30.399 --> 00:11:32.559 You have a body, you live in a body, but you are a spirit. 00:11:32.639 --> 00:11:36.879 And one day your body will have run its course, but your spirit will just be getting started. 00:11:38.000 --> 00:11:43.120 And we have to remember that when Jesus came to this world 2,000 years ago, he talked about a lot of practical things. 00:11:43.279 --> 00:11:54.559 He talks about finances, he talks about rest, he talks about relationships, he talked about so much, but his primary focus, his priority was the spiritual. 00:11:56.000 --> 00:11:59.440 It was reconnecting us to God. 00:11:59.840 --> 00:12:01.759 It was waking our spirits up. 00:12:01.919 --> 00:12:03.279 That was his his focus. 00:12:03.360 --> 00:12:07.840 And and I think he understands our our pull to the practical at the expense of the spiritual. 00:12:07.919 --> 00:12:12.000 I think that's part of why he said this in Mark chapter 8, verse 36. 00:12:12.080 --> 00:12:16.799 He says, What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but you lose your soul? 00:12:18.559 --> 00:12:20.000 See, we could have a year this year. 00:12:20.080 --> 00:12:22.720 2016 could be the year that everything practical lines up. 00:12:22.879 --> 00:12:31.840 We have enough money, we've got, you know, a lot of peace in our relationships, our jobs going well, we hit all the green lights on the way, you know, to school. 00:12:32.399 --> 00:12:43.200 We have everything lining up in the practical, but if if there's not more God, if the spiritual is missing, what do we gain? 00:12:45.120 --> 00:12:48.639 What is spiritual is what's most practical. 00:12:48.720 --> 00:13:00.320 And if we're gonna have the best year of our lives, if we're gonna have the most important year of our lives, if 2016 is gonna be the year where we get more out of life, we have to begin by desiring more of God. 00:13:01.360 --> 00:13:06.320 We have to become people who refuse to settle for less of God than we can have. 00:13:06.879 --> 00:13:09.279 Because with God there's always more. 00:13:10.799 --> 00:13:15.679 Have you ever had regret, experienced regret in life because you settled for less than you could have had? 00:13:16.399 --> 00:13:21.919 Several years ago, I was at a job interview, and I was really excited about this job interview because number one, I wanted the job. 00:13:22.080 --> 00:13:24.960 Number two, the job interview was at a really nice steakhouse. 00:13:25.039 --> 00:13:29.120 And I was in my early 20s, and steak was not on the menu very often in my early 20s. 00:13:29.200 --> 00:13:34.320 I'm in my early 30s, it's still not on the menu very often, but in my early 20s, it was it was rare. 00:13:34.480 --> 00:13:39.679 And so we're going to this really nice steakhouse, and I open up the menu, and one thing, one item jumped off to me. 00:13:39.759 --> 00:13:41.519 It just grabbed my attention, it was the fillet. 00:13:41.600 --> 00:13:46.559 And if you're a steak person, you know that there is steak and then there is fillet, and they are different things. 00:13:47.360 --> 00:13:49.679 But here's the problem, though, the fillet, it's expensive. 00:13:49.759 --> 00:13:51.440 It's like the most expensive steak on the menu. 00:13:51.519 --> 00:13:56.000 And when you're at a job interview, do you order the most expensive thing on the menu? 00:13:56.159 --> 00:13:57.039 I don't I don't think so. 00:13:57.120 --> 00:13:58.720 I didn't think that was appropriate. 00:13:58.879 --> 00:14:10.080 So I actually ordered first, and I had two people that were interviewing me, and I ordered the bottom tier steak, like the lowest, cheapest steak they had, and then both the people interviewing me ordered the fillet. 00:14:10.879 --> 00:14:13.840 And one of them got the fillet with portobello mushrooms. 00:14:14.080 --> 00:14:15.919 They added on to the filet. 00:14:16.159 --> 00:14:20.399 And then when the waiter left, this person literally looked at me and said, You should have got the filet. 00:14:20.480 --> 00:14:21.440 It's amazing here. 00:14:21.600 --> 00:14:26.080 And I just had to nod my head and be like, Oh, yeah, I'll probably come back and use my own money, you know, to buy that. 00:14:26.320 --> 00:14:29.360 Um, I'm like, I'm a bottom-tier steak kind of guy. 00:14:29.440 --> 00:14:32.080 I like it tough and really gritty. 00:14:32.159 --> 00:14:33.679 That's how I like my steak. 00:14:34.000 --> 00:14:36.559 And so, you know, they brought the food, and my steak was good. 00:14:36.639 --> 00:14:44.559 Again, steak was not on the menu much, so I was happy to have steak, but but every bite, watching them with their fillet, it was like a little bit of torture. 00:14:44.720 --> 00:14:46.960 Just regret in every bite. 00:14:47.919 --> 00:14:52.240 See, I could have had fillet, but no, I settled for less. 00:14:52.480 --> 00:14:53.840 Even though my intentions were good. 00:14:53.919 --> 00:14:55.600 I think we do that so often with God. 00:14:56.720 --> 00:15:01.440 I think there's this constant pull and this constant temptation to settle for less of God than we can have. 00:15:01.519 --> 00:15:02.960 And we do that for several different reasons. 00:15:03.120 --> 00:15:06.000 Sometimes we don't think we are qualified to have more of God. 00:15:06.159 --> 00:15:12.879 We have a past, we have sin, we have issues, and we look at ourselves and we say, I cannot have any more of him in my life. 00:15:13.039 --> 00:15:17.519 Maybe those other people can have that, those people who are like really solid, really mature in their faith. 00:15:17.679 --> 00:15:19.440 I can't have more of him. 00:15:19.679 --> 00:15:20.879 I don't understand him. 00:15:21.360 --> 00:15:25.919 I don't know enough of the Bible, I don't know enough about God to have to have more of him. 00:15:27.279 --> 00:15:32.799 Maybe we've seen someone who seems to have this amazing connection to God. 00:15:33.440 --> 00:15:40.720 And at first we get encouraged, we're like, wow, they really know God, but then it becomes discouragement because we think to ourselves, I can never have that. 00:15:42.399 --> 00:15:44.159 I'm never gonna be that person. 00:15:44.240 --> 00:15:49.519 I'm never gonna have that kind of relationship with God, but I want to, but I just don't, I don't have what they have. 00:15:50.879 --> 00:16:01.759 There is this constant temptation to settle for less of God than we can have, but but we need to understand something to start this year and to start it right. 00:16:02.000 --> 00:16:05.360 Our capacity for God in our lives. 00:16:06.799 --> 00:16:14.399 The room that God has has built into us for Himself, it is so much greater than we ever imagined. 00:16:16.080 --> 00:16:24.159 You have the capacity to experience more of God than maybe you've ever dreamed of before. 00:16:24.559 --> 00:16:25.519 You really do. 00:16:27.200 --> 00:16:32.639 In the Old Testament of the Bible, there's a story of a couple guys that have a really interesting interaction. 00:16:32.720 --> 00:16:37.360 And it's a story of one person that's settling and another person that desires more. 00:16:38.399 --> 00:16:41.039 The main character in the story is a man named Elisha. 00:16:41.200 --> 00:16:42.879 He was a prophet, he was a great prophet. 00:16:43.039 --> 00:16:45.600 We we read this story in 2 Kings chapter 13. 00:16:45.679 --> 00:16:47.039 I'm gonna start in verse 14. 00:16:47.360 --> 00:16:48.799 This is Elisha at the end of his life. 00:16:48.960 --> 00:16:53.919 When Elisha was in his last illness, King Jehoash of Israel visited him and wept over him. 00:16:54.159 --> 00:16:57.840 My father, my father, I see the chariots and the charioteers of Israel. 00:16:58.000 --> 00:16:59.919 Now, I'm gonna give you some context for that. 00:17:00.240 --> 00:17:03.039 At this time, Israel was at war with a nation called Aram. 00:17:04.160 --> 00:17:09.680 And basically what we we see happen here is that Jehoash is saying, Every time I close my eyes, all I can see is war. 00:17:10.079 --> 00:17:13.039 I can't stop thinking about the army that I'm leading. 00:17:13.200 --> 00:17:15.039 I can't stop thinking about the battles that are coming. 00:17:15.119 --> 00:17:21.359 I'm nervous, I'm scared, I'm fearful, I'm I'm just I'm obsessed and I'm stressed about this war. 00:17:21.519 --> 00:17:25.200 Every time I close my eyes, all I see are my chariots and my soldiers. 00:17:26.160 --> 00:17:29.039 Elisha told him, Get a bow and some arrows. 00:17:29.200 --> 00:17:30.960 And the king did as he was told. 00:17:31.200 --> 00:17:35.119 Elisha told him, Put your hand on the bow, and Elisha laid his hands on the king's hands. 00:17:35.279 --> 00:17:37.359 This is actually a really beautiful moment. 00:17:37.440 --> 00:17:40.319 There's a passing of the torch that's happening here. 00:17:41.039 --> 00:17:45.200 Then he continued, Open this eastern window, and he opened it, and then he said, Shoot. 00:17:45.359 --> 00:17:53.440 So he shot an arrow, and Elisha proclaimed, This is the Lord's arrow, an arrow of victory over Aram, for you will completely conquer the Arameans at Aphak. 00:17:53.839 --> 00:17:56.799 And then he said, Now pick up the other arrows and strike them against the ground. 00:17:56.880 --> 00:18:00.559 So the king picked them up and he struck the ground three times with a man of God, Elisha. 00:18:00.640 --> 00:18:01.440 He was angry with him. 00:18:01.599 --> 00:18:04.240 You should have struck the ground five or six times, he exclaimed. 00:18:04.400 --> 00:18:07.359 Then you would have beaten Aram until it was entirely destroyed. 00:18:07.519 --> 00:18:09.279 Now you will be victorious only three times. 00:18:09.440 --> 00:18:11.119 And then Elisha died and was buried. 00:18:11.200 --> 00:18:12.720 And that's a weird way to go. 00:18:13.039 --> 00:18:13.359 Okay? 00:18:13.759 --> 00:18:16.400 It's a strange last day. 00:18:17.440 --> 00:18:20.319 You know, at first this seems kind of perplexing to us because what's going on? 00:18:20.400 --> 00:18:22.799 I mean, the king comes to Elisha. 00:18:23.039 --> 00:18:24.559 Seems like it's going pretty well at first. 00:18:24.720 --> 00:18:33.599 Elisha recognizes that something's happened in this king's heart, that he's open to God, and so he's he's kind of passing the favor and the blessing that he has in his life from God, because he had a lot of it. 00:18:33.759 --> 00:18:35.519 He's basically saying, Hey, I want you to have this. 00:18:35.599 --> 00:18:42.240 I want you to have the faith and the confidence that God's gonna be with you like he's been with me, he's gonna protect you, he's gonna give you victory. 00:18:42.400 --> 00:18:47.680 So shoot this arrow, and they shoot the arrow, and I really hope no one was out that eastern window walking around, but I don't think there were. 00:18:48.000 --> 00:18:48.880 Everything was safe. 00:18:49.039 --> 00:18:52.960 And then he says, take these arrows and strike the ground three times. 00:18:53.119 --> 00:18:54.960 And I don't know if that was a custom. 00:18:55.279 --> 00:18:56.960 At that time, it very well could have been. 00:18:57.200 --> 00:19:04.480 A lot of times we'll read the Old Testament or even the New Testament, because that was 2,000 years ago, and we read people doing things that seem really strange to us. 00:19:04.640 --> 00:19:10.079 And that can actually sort of become a holdup, something that trips us up in our understanding of God. 00:19:10.240 --> 00:19:12.160 But we should never get tripped up. 00:19:12.400 --> 00:19:22.559 Because if we were to go back several thousand years and explain to people then some of the ceremonies and the rituals that we have now, those would make no more sense to them as theirs make to us. 00:19:22.799 --> 00:19:25.440 Like, take, for example, uh a ribbon cutting ceremony. 00:19:25.680 --> 00:19:27.839 Some of you may have had these, you may have started a business. 00:19:28.000 --> 00:19:30.559 And if you open up a business, you can have a ribbon cutting ceremony. 00:19:30.640 --> 00:19:40.400 It's a grand opening, you invite your friends, your family, you invite the community, you put out marketing about it, the mayor might show up, city council shows up, you're opening a new business, and here's the way it works. 00:19:40.480 --> 00:19:41.440 You would explain, okay. 00:19:41.599 --> 00:19:44.960 When you open a business, first thing you do is you get a ribbon. 00:19:45.200 --> 00:19:45.519 Okay? 00:19:45.759 --> 00:19:53.440 And then you put that ribbon in front of your business, and then you pretend like that ribbon is keeping you from going in, even though it's just a ribbon, right? 00:19:54.240 --> 00:19:57.759 And everyone goes to your business and they stand there and they they all do the same. 00:19:57.839 --> 00:20:05.039 They go, Oh man, we can't go in because there is a ribbon in our way, and there is no possible way for us to go over or under or surmount or just pull it apart. 00:20:05.119 --> 00:20:06.160 It's a it's a ribbon. 00:20:06.400 --> 00:20:10.640 So we need some scissors, some strangely oversized scissors. 00:20:11.119 --> 00:20:15.839 And there's got to be one company out there that has the market cornered on giant scissors. 00:20:15.920 --> 00:20:21.759 And you buy these scissors and then you cut this ribbon, and when you cut the ribbon, everyone goes yay, and they know they can come inside because the ribbon is gone. 00:20:21.920 --> 00:20:24.319 Thank goodness the ribbon is gone, right? 00:20:24.559 --> 00:20:26.480 That's a weird ceremony. 00:20:27.200 --> 00:20:30.480 And ceremonies in and of themselves, they don't really matter. 00:20:31.200 --> 00:20:35.200 Having a ribbon cutting ceremony does not guarantee a business to be successful. 00:20:35.519 --> 00:20:39.200 But the way we engage ceremonies, they it does matter. 00:20:39.599 --> 00:20:52.480 Like imagine you're the person that's opening the business, you're the one that gets to cut the ribbon, and everyone's there, everyone's watching you, and you sort of nonchalantly sort of shrug your shoulders, grab the scissors, and go, alright guys, you can go in. 00:20:53.279 --> 00:20:54.160 We're open. 00:20:54.960 --> 00:20:56.240 Does that matter? 00:20:56.799 --> 00:20:57.440 Yes. 00:20:58.000 --> 00:21:01.920 Yes, it matters because that is a moment that dictates some enthusiasm. 00:21:02.079 --> 00:21:04.400 That is a moment that begs for some passion. 00:21:04.559 --> 00:21:07.119 You're supposed to show people that you're excited about this opening. 00:21:07.279 --> 00:21:13.920 You believe this is gonna be successful, you want them to be excited too, so you have to, you gotta muster some excitement. 00:21:14.079 --> 00:21:15.759 What about a wedding ceremony? 00:21:16.559 --> 00:21:21.599 What if you're the person that's standing there and the officiant says to you, do you take this person to be your husband? 00:21:21.839 --> 00:21:26.160 Or your wife, and you just look at them and go, Yeah, I guess. 00:21:28.160 --> 00:21:38.319 I mean, you're doing what you're supposed to do, it would be better for you to say that than to go, you know what, now that you put it that way, I don't know if this is something I want to go through with. 00:21:38.480 --> 00:21:42.400 That that would be worse, but if you just looked at the person and sort of said, Yeah, sure. 00:21:42.880 --> 00:21:44.720 I like this person, yeah, why not? 00:21:45.119 --> 00:21:47.119 That does not bode well for your future. 00:21:47.440 --> 00:21:51.279 Because again, that is a moment that dictates some passion, some sentiment. 00:21:52.400 --> 00:21:59.279 And when we see people not not engaging with something that's really important in a way that shows a reverence. 00:22:01.039 --> 00:22:06.559 In a way that shows that they grasp the gravity of what's going on, it's upsetting. 00:22:06.720 --> 00:22:10.400 And that's what's happening here for Elijah with Jehoash. 00:22:11.920 --> 00:22:24.880 This is a ritual that he's creating so that Jehoash can understand that God is going to favor him, God is going to bless him, God is going to give him his spirit. 00:22:26.000 --> 00:22:31.920 And so he says, Hey, take these arrows, strike them on the ground, and Johash goes like this. 00:22:32.000 --> 00:22:33.920 He just goes like this three times. 00:22:34.720 --> 00:22:36.720 And Elisha goes, What are you doing? 00:22:36.960 --> 00:22:39.680 What, you should have struck five, six times, a hundred times. 00:22:39.759 --> 00:22:40.960 You should have gone crazy. 00:22:41.200 --> 00:22:42.079 Why would you do that? 00:22:42.240 --> 00:22:43.680 Why would you just do the minimum? 00:22:44.240 --> 00:22:45.119 Why wouldn't you go for it? 00:22:45.200 --> 00:22:48.799 Because see, if you understand Elisha's backstory, this does not compute for him. 00:22:48.880 --> 00:22:50.720 That's not how he was wired. 00:22:51.119 --> 00:22:54.480 Years ago, Elisha had been in the same exact position. 00:22:54.799 --> 00:22:58.000 He was the young guy, he was the one that the torch was being passed to. 00:22:58.160 --> 00:23:00.400 We read the story in 2 Kings chapter 2. 00:23:00.559 --> 00:23:03.680 It's a really funny story, if you see it in the right light, I think. 00:23:04.000 --> 00:23:10.000 And the Lord was about to take Elisha, not Elisha, Elisha, Elisha passed the torch to Elisha. 00:23:10.240 --> 00:23:14.400 And that must have been really convenient for like business cards, because they just had to like change a letter or something like that. 00:23:14.640 --> 00:23:16.640 Super God's efficient sometimes. 00:23:16.880 --> 00:23:18.640 So he's about to go away. 00:23:18.799 --> 00:23:25.920 Elisha and Elisha were traveling from Gilgal, and Elijah said to Elisha, Stay here, for the Lord has told me to go to Bethel. 00:23:26.000 --> 00:23:30.960 But Elisha replied, As surely as the Lord lives and you yourself live, I will never leave you. 00:23:31.119 --> 00:23:32.640 So they went down together to Bethel. 00:23:32.720 --> 00:23:39.519 The group of prophets from Bethel came to Elisha and asked him, Did you know that the Lord is going to take your master away from you today? 00:23:41.200 --> 00:23:42.559 He's going to leave you. 00:23:42.799 --> 00:23:45.279 And this is what Elisha says, Of course I know. 00:23:45.759 --> 00:23:46.799 But be quiet about it. 00:23:46.960 --> 00:23:47.920 Stop talking. 00:23:48.160 --> 00:23:51.440 And then Elisha said to Elisha, Stay here, for the Lord has told me to go to Jericho. 00:23:51.519 --> 00:23:55.599 But Elisha replied again, As surely as the Lord lives and you yourself live, I will never leave you. 00:23:55.839 --> 00:23:57.359 So they went on together to Jericho. 00:23:57.440 --> 00:24:03.279 And then the group of prophets from Jericho came to Elisha and asked him, Did you know that the Lord is going to take your master away from you today? 00:24:03.519 --> 00:24:04.400 Of course I know. 00:24:04.640 --> 00:24:07.200 Elijah answered, but be quiet about it. 00:24:07.519 --> 00:24:11.359 Then Elijah said to Elisha, Stay here, for the Lord has told me to go to the Jordan River. 00:24:11.440 --> 00:24:16.880 And shockingly, Elisha responds, As surely as the Lord lives and you yourself live, I will never leave you. 00:24:16.960 --> 00:24:19.599 It's like he's saying, How many times do I have to repeat myself? 00:24:19.759 --> 00:24:22.559 Everyone needs to shut up and let me go with Elijah. 00:24:23.759 --> 00:24:25.680 So they went on together. 00:24:26.000 --> 00:24:32.000 Fifty men from the group of prophets also went, and they watched from a distance as Elijah and Elisha stopped beside the Jordan River. 00:24:32.079 --> 00:24:36.079 And then Elijah folded his cloak together and struck the water with it. 00:24:36.480 --> 00:24:40.000 The river divided, and the two of them went across on dry ground. 00:24:40.160 --> 00:24:46.720 When they came to the other side, Elijah said to Elisha, Tell me what I can do for you before I'm being taken away. 00:24:46.960 --> 00:24:55.680 And Elisha replied, Please, let me inherit a double share of your spirit and become your successor. 00:24:56.319 --> 00:25:00.480 Now, that's a big thing to ask. 00:25:01.039 --> 00:25:12.240 Because if you know the story of Elijah, he wasn't exactly someone that had a minimum amount of God's spirit and God's power in his life. 00:25:12.559 --> 00:25:15.680 He wasn't some minor guy that did some cool stuff for God. 00:25:15.759 --> 00:25:16.960 No, no, he's an icon. 00:25:17.039 --> 00:25:17.920 He's a legend. 00:25:18.160 --> 00:25:23.200 He is someone that at that time had more of God in him than anyone thought they could ever have. 00:25:23.359 --> 00:25:27.599 He did amazing miracles, he did incredible things through the power of God in his life. 00:25:27.759 --> 00:25:33.359 He was someone that everyone would have looked at and said, Never before has there been a person with that much of God in their life. 00:25:33.759 --> 00:25:41.200