WEBVTT 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:00.640 Good morning. 00:00:00.800 --> 00:00:02.799 That song is called Love is War. 00:00:03.040 --> 00:00:16.079 And it's uh it's good to be reminded sometimes that the love we have from God was not simply given to us, it was fought for, and it was paid for by Jesus on the cross, and we have it, but He He's the one that fought it. 00:00:16.239 --> 00:00:18.879 And it's it's funny because sometimes we fight for God's love, right? 00:00:19.039 --> 00:00:22.480 But we don't have to, because he already fought for it, he already won it for us. 00:00:22.879 --> 00:00:24.719 And I love to be reminded of that. 00:00:24.960 --> 00:00:25.600 It's amazing. 00:00:25.679 --> 00:00:27.440 It's a great way to start our morning. 00:00:27.679 --> 00:00:29.839 Well, I hope you're doing well so far today. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:34.560 We started a new series last Sunday called You'd Do Well. 00:00:34.799 --> 00:00:35.600 You would do well. 00:00:35.759 --> 00:00:38.560 And we're borrowing that phrase from Acts chapter 15. 00:00:38.799 --> 00:00:46.159 James, the leader of the early church, tells all these new believers that, hey, if you would follow these simple instructions, you would do well. 00:00:46.640 --> 00:00:54.719 If you want to grow, if you want to get closer to God, you want to succeed in your relationship with God, just focus on these things and you'll do well. 00:00:54.799 --> 00:00:57.840 And he didn't give them this laundry list of rules and regulations. 00:00:57.920 --> 00:01:02.799 He gave them a very small, simple list of actions to take. 00:01:03.119 --> 00:01:14.959 And so we're taking the spirit of that statement, you would do well, and saying, hey, as a group of people that love Jesus, as a group of people that would like to succeed in our relationship with God, what are some things that will help us do well? 00:01:15.120 --> 00:01:20.719 What's some advice God has given to us in Scripture that we can apply to our lives? 00:01:21.280 --> 00:01:22.799 Because He's our dad. 00:01:23.040 --> 00:01:25.439 And He wants us to do well. 00:01:26.239 --> 00:01:28.959 Those of you with kids, root for your children, right? 00:01:29.439 --> 00:01:32.159 My daughter Lily is five months old. 00:01:32.319 --> 00:01:36.560 And this week, for the very first time, she got up on all hands and legs. 00:01:36.640 --> 00:01:38.799 Like she's not crawling yet, but she's close. 00:01:39.040 --> 00:01:40.879 And I'm sitting there cheering her on, right? 00:01:40.959 --> 00:01:43.680 I'm like, you can do this, you can do this, and she can't talk it. 00:01:43.760 --> 00:01:45.680 I don't think she knows what I'm saying to her. 00:01:46.480 --> 00:01:49.680 But at five months old, I know she understands the sentiment. 00:01:50.079 --> 00:01:57.680 That I am cheering for her, I am rooting her on, and all I want her to do is succeed, whether that is her crawling, whether that's her sleeping. 00:01:57.760 --> 00:01:59.359 I really want her to succeed in sleeping. 00:01:59.519 --> 00:02:03.120 Um very invested in that achievement. 00:02:04.400 --> 00:02:07.280 One day it's going to be a world of other things, but I'm cheering her on. 00:02:07.359 --> 00:02:10.159 I want her to succeed, and that is our God's heart for us. 00:02:10.319 --> 00:02:11.599 He is our dad. 00:02:12.400 --> 00:02:18.960 We may have never thought about it that way, that he actually roots for us, that as you're living your life, he is cheering you on. 00:02:19.680 --> 00:02:22.000 And whatever your endeavors are, he wants you to succeed. 00:02:22.080 --> 00:02:33.520 And if you're here this morning and you don't know where you stand with Jesus, you haven't made that decision yet, I hope that the one thing you get out of this morning is that God loves you as your father and he wants you to succeed. 00:02:34.960 --> 00:02:37.520 It's been said that first impressions are everything. 00:02:37.680 --> 00:02:40.479 I don't know who said that, and if it hasn't been said before, it's been said now. 00:02:40.560 --> 00:02:44.479 So it's been said that first impressions are everything, and I think there's a lot of truth to that. 00:02:44.639 --> 00:02:46.719 First impressions are really important. 00:02:47.280 --> 00:02:55.599 I am glad though that there are people who have the grace and the goodness to look past a bad first impression, because if not for those people, I wouldn't have very many friends. 00:02:55.759 --> 00:02:56.560 I just wouldn't. 00:02:56.800 --> 00:02:58.639 I'm really bad at first impressions. 00:02:58.879 --> 00:03:02.319 I have this condition where my mouth moves faster than my brain. 00:03:03.120 --> 00:03:04.479 I've had it since I was young. 00:03:04.639 --> 00:03:05.759 There's still no cure. 00:03:06.000 --> 00:03:15.120 But that has led to me having several situations in life where if I could go back and change those first few moments when I met someone, I would change it completely. 00:03:15.280 --> 00:03:19.439 One of the worst that I've ever had is with a friend of mine named Sid, Sid Gerand. 00:03:19.599 --> 00:03:20.319 He's a great guy. 00:03:20.479 --> 00:03:21.680 A lot of you know Sid. 00:03:21.759 --> 00:03:29.039 If you don't and you have kids, you've seen Sid's amazing artistic ability on display in the lobby where we check in our kids and our nursery kids. 00:03:29.199 --> 00:03:31.199 He made that big tree that's in there. 00:03:31.360 --> 00:03:32.639 Yeah, it's amazing. 00:03:32.879 --> 00:03:34.080 Sid is an incredible guy. 00:03:34.159 --> 00:03:37.120 I met him when I was in my early 20s, so this was a long time ago. 00:03:37.360 --> 00:03:39.599 And uh somebody laughed. 00:03:39.680 --> 00:03:40.879 Why did you laugh? 00:03:42.159 --> 00:03:44.800 I'm about to be 31 years old, I'll have you know. 00:03:44.960 --> 00:03:45.599 I'm excited. 00:03:45.759 --> 00:03:46.159 This month. 00:03:46.319 --> 00:03:51.439 So um, so when I first met Sid, we were at Marietta Diner, which is a wonderful place. 00:03:51.680 --> 00:03:57.919 And a friend of mine who knew Sid brought me up to Sid and introduced me, and he said, Sid, this is my friend Justin. 00:03:58.319 --> 00:04:00.159 He likes video games. 00:04:01.120 --> 00:04:05.840 And I wasn't really thrilled about that introduction. 00:04:06.240 --> 00:04:08.159 It's not that it wasn't rooted in some truth. 00:04:08.240 --> 00:04:10.560 I mean, I'll just be honest, I was born in 1983. 00:04:10.719 --> 00:04:15.680 Go poll a bunch of guys born in 1983 and ask them if they like video games. 00:04:15.759 --> 00:04:17.360 We all have a fondness for Mario. 00:04:17.519 --> 00:04:19.920 We turn on our Xboxes from time to time. 00:04:20.160 --> 00:04:24.240 I do it now purely so I'm prepared to enjoy it with my son. 00:04:24.319 --> 00:04:26.639 It's just parenting at this point in life. 00:04:26.879 --> 00:04:27.360 You know. 00:04:27.600 --> 00:04:29.759 I turn 30, I put away all childish things. 00:04:29.839 --> 00:04:31.839 I just mow my lawn and pray and read the Bible. 00:04:31.920 --> 00:04:32.720 That's all I do. 00:04:32.959 --> 00:04:41.439 Um, but even though that statement was rooted in truth, I wasn't thrilled with it because this is Justin, he likes video games. 00:04:41.519 --> 00:04:45.519 I mean, he might as well have said, this is Justin, he's an 11-year-old boy. 00:04:46.800 --> 00:04:48.639 It's the same thing. 00:04:49.759 --> 00:04:52.399 And so I started to feel a little insecure. 00:04:52.639 --> 00:04:55.519 And I started to feel uncomfortable in my own skin. 00:04:55.759 --> 00:04:58.879 I started to worry about what this guy must be thinking about me. 00:04:59.040 --> 00:05:01.279 This is a terrible first impression. 00:05:01.920 --> 00:05:04.160 And this wasn't helped by Sid's stature. 00:05:04.240 --> 00:05:06.399 If you know Sid, he is a big guy. 00:05:06.639 --> 00:05:09.519 So look at me, and then just picture the opposite of me. 00:05:09.759 --> 00:05:12.160 Someone that's physically imposing, okay? 00:05:12.399 --> 00:05:14.000 Sid's like six foot four. 00:05:14.160 --> 00:05:16.399 He's built like a tank, he looks tough. 00:05:16.560 --> 00:05:20.800 I've only seen him wear black ever, and he has these giant tribal tattoos up his arms. 00:05:20.959 --> 00:05:22.160 He's a tough-looking guy. 00:05:22.319 --> 00:05:28.319 And here I am in front of this giant of a man, and I'm Justin, the guy who likes video games. 00:05:28.879 --> 00:05:30.240 Like, what is this? 00:05:31.360 --> 00:05:35.360 So I decide to to reset this first impression. 00:05:35.680 --> 00:05:38.560 I'm gonna clear the air and make sure he understands who I really am. 00:05:38.639 --> 00:05:46.319 So I say, Well, look, it's not like I'm one of those people that dresses up like video game characters and goes to conventions and stuff. 00:05:46.560 --> 00:05:46.879 Okay? 00:05:48.000 --> 00:05:51.199 To which Sid says, Oh, well, I'm one of those people. 00:05:54.399 --> 00:05:55.040 Yeah. 00:05:56.879 --> 00:05:57.920 Oh, but it gets better. 00:05:58.000 --> 00:06:05.920 Then my my friend, my great friend who introduced us, decides that this is the appropriate time in our introduction to go, oh, oh yeah, Sid does that all the time. 00:06:06.000 --> 00:06:14.879 In fact, he owns a business where he makes high-end replicas of video game costumes and armor, and people buy these to go to these shows. 00:06:14.959 --> 00:06:16.879 That's like his whole world. 00:06:20.959 --> 00:06:36.399 And so, and so in this one moment, I've not only insulted Sid as a human being, I've insulted his entire client base, I've insulted his entire career, and I just had to walk away and wish that I could die. 00:06:36.480 --> 00:06:42.959 And and Sid's a good guy, he's still part of his hands, I don't know how, but uh but he is, and and I love him, and I'm glad he could look past that. 00:06:43.199 --> 00:06:47.920 But in that situation, it would have done me a lot of good to know who I was talking to. 00:06:48.319 --> 00:06:48.959 Right? 00:06:49.920 --> 00:06:55.199 We can get into a lot of trouble when we don't realize who we're talking to. 00:06:55.759 --> 00:07:01.040 And if you read the Gospel of John, if you haven't before read it, it is this incredible picture of Jesus. 00:07:01.360 --> 00:07:03.519 John was Jesus' best friend. 00:07:03.680 --> 00:07:08.079 And so he's able to give us some insight into who Jesus is that we just don't get anywhere else. 00:07:08.240 --> 00:07:15.439 He was privy to all kinds of conversations, and we see the intensity of Jesus, the passion of Jesus in the Gospel of John. 00:07:17.120 --> 00:07:26.240 And when you read John, you don't have to go very far to realize that most people who meet Jesus and talk to him for the first time have no clue who they're talking to. 00:07:26.560 --> 00:07:28.800 You want to talk about bad first impressions? 00:07:29.040 --> 00:07:33.360 Like me and Sid, we've got nothing on Jesus and a lot of the people that he met. 00:07:34.000 --> 00:07:36.800 They just have no clue who it is they're talking to. 00:07:36.959 --> 00:07:45.680 The fact that this is God in flesh completely escapes them because if they had known that, they would have said a lot of very different things. 00:07:47.040 --> 00:07:51.199 Early on in his ministry, people said Jesus wasn't qualified to talk about God. 00:07:52.800 --> 00:07:55.839 It reminded him that he hadn't been properly trained. 00:07:56.079 --> 00:07:58.399 So God was not qualified to talk about God. 00:07:58.480 --> 00:08:00.240 That's an interesting concept. 00:08:01.040 --> 00:08:05.279 A little bit later, some people said, You're demon-possessed. 00:08:05.759 --> 00:08:11.279 And in those moments, you just want to clinch your jaw and say, Oh no, this is bad. 00:08:11.360 --> 00:08:13.439 You don't realize who you just said that to. 00:08:13.759 --> 00:08:15.199 This is Jesus. 00:08:16.240 --> 00:08:21.759 People call Jesus a liar, a fraud, a heretic. 00:08:23.600 --> 00:08:29.279 There's this one situation, this is the best, where Jesus has claimed that he is greater than Abraham. 00:08:29.759 --> 00:08:32.879 And Abraham is the founding father of the Jewish nation. 00:08:32.960 --> 00:08:34.720 And so we've got the founding fathers. 00:08:34.879 --> 00:08:40.960 It'd be like someone saying, you know what, I'm a lot better than you put George Washington, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson combined, you don't even touch me. 00:08:41.200 --> 00:08:50.080 Alright, if someone said that, you know, Fox News would have a heyday, and that's what Jesus says when he says, Look, I'm greater than even Abraham himself. 00:08:50.799 --> 00:08:54.080 And this this does not go over very well in the people's eyes. 00:08:54.240 --> 00:08:59.519 And so in John chapter 8, verse 52, the people said, Now we know you're possessed by a demon. 00:08:59.759 --> 00:09:01.840 They just suspected it before. 00:09:02.080 --> 00:09:03.120 Now they know. 00:09:03.759 --> 00:09:08.720 Even Abraham and the prophets died, but you say, anyone who obeys my teaching will never die. 00:09:08.960 --> 00:09:10.960 Are you greater than our father Abraham? 00:09:11.120 --> 00:09:12.960 He died, and so did the prophets. 00:09:13.279 --> 00:09:15.679 Who do you think you are? 00:09:17.279 --> 00:09:18.000 Think about this. 00:09:18.159 --> 00:09:19.200 This is Jesus. 00:09:19.519 --> 00:09:23.519 And hear these people saying, Who do you think you are? 00:09:24.879 --> 00:09:25.840 Who are you? 00:09:26.000 --> 00:09:27.679 That's a loaded question. 00:09:28.320 --> 00:09:28.960 Right? 00:09:30.000 --> 00:09:32.080 Anytime someone says, Who do you think you are? 00:09:32.320 --> 00:09:32.879 Who are you? 00:09:33.039 --> 00:09:35.440 That's that's rarely a positive circumstance. 00:09:35.840 --> 00:09:38.639 It's always, who are you to judge me? 00:09:39.120 --> 00:09:41.279 Who are you to tell me what to do? 00:09:41.519 --> 00:09:43.360 Who do you think you are? 00:09:44.080 --> 00:09:46.559 And I've had a few people ask me questions like that over the years. 00:09:46.720 --> 00:09:48.639 Usually those are not pleasant conversations. 00:09:49.120 --> 00:09:54.720 One time, though, was what I would consider the strangest interaction I've ever had with a human being in my entire life. 00:09:54.960 --> 00:09:59.440 I was flying on an airplane from Kansas City, Missouri to Atlanta to visit Megan. 00:09:59.600 --> 00:10:01.039 I was 19 years old at the time. 00:10:01.200 --> 00:10:03.759 We were in a long-distance relationship. 00:10:04.000 --> 00:10:05.679 And I'm on the plane flying by myself. 00:10:05.759 --> 00:10:07.600 That doesn't bother me though, because I had a magazine. 00:10:07.679 --> 00:10:11.279 I was gonna read, I was gonna just enjoy myself and get through this flight. 00:10:11.440 --> 00:10:19.679 I sit down in my seat, and this guy sits next to me, probably about my age now, about 10 years older than I was, and he starts talking to me. 00:10:19.919 --> 00:10:23.679 Now I've given him no indication that I would like to talk at all. 00:10:24.080 --> 00:10:25.200 Verbal, nonverbal. 00:10:25.279 --> 00:10:30.480 In fact, I'm reading my magazine, I'm turning the pages, which is a really good indication that I'd like to keep doing this. 00:10:30.720 --> 00:10:32.639 But he decides we're gonna have a conversation. 00:10:32.720 --> 00:10:35.200 And when you're on an airplane, you can't escape it. 00:10:35.360 --> 00:10:36.799 You can't go anywhere. 00:10:37.039 --> 00:10:39.759 So I just say, okay, I guess, I guess we're doing this. 00:10:39.919 --> 00:10:40.879 And we start talking. 00:10:41.039 --> 00:10:44.559 And he begins to ask me these incredibly personal questions. 00:10:44.720 --> 00:10:46.799 Questions you do not ask someone you just met. 00:10:46.879 --> 00:10:50.960 These are not what do you do for a living, why are you going to Atlanta type questions? 00:10:51.120 --> 00:10:55.840 Right away, he looks at me and says, So who are you? 00:10:57.440 --> 00:11:06.559 And I was like, okay, well, uh, I'm I'm Justin, and uh, and he cuts me off. 00:11:06.879 --> 00:11:10.799 He cuts me off and he says, no, no, no, that's your name. 00:11:11.360 --> 00:11:13.120 I want to know who you are. 00:11:17.120 --> 00:11:20.320 And I I I mean, I remember this like it was yesterday. 00:11:20.480 --> 00:11:28.000 I was so confused, and so I said, Okay, I I well, I'm a college student and I'm studying, and he cuts me off again. 00:11:28.399 --> 00:11:31.279 And he says, No, no, that's what you do. 00:11:32.320 --> 00:11:34.320 I want to know who you are. 00:11:35.360 --> 00:11:38.720 And that is exactly how the conversation went for the next hour. 00:11:38.799 --> 00:11:43.440 It's this guy asking me who I am, and every time I answer, he says, You're wrong. 00:11:44.720 --> 00:11:45.840 Every single time. 00:11:46.159 --> 00:11:47.360 It was so bizarre. 00:11:47.519 --> 00:11:50.080 I was so frustrated at the end of this flight. 00:11:50.399 --> 00:11:55.440 Megan picked me up from the airport and asked me how my flight was, and I said it was good, but I don't know who I am. 00:11:59.360 --> 00:12:00.960 I need your help. 00:12:02.240 --> 00:12:10.080 And to this day, to this day, I don't know if the guy was crazy, weird, brilliant, deep, an angel sent by God. 00:12:10.240 --> 00:12:12.080 I have no idea who this guy was. 00:12:12.399 --> 00:12:15.039 None of those answers would surprise me. 00:12:16.240 --> 00:12:20.320 But but that question, who are you, that that took me back. 00:12:21.679 --> 00:12:23.279 I couldn't answer it. 00:12:23.600 --> 00:12:24.639 Who do you think you are? 00:12:24.799 --> 00:12:26.960 I walked away going, that's a really tough question. 00:12:27.039 --> 00:12:30.159 But see, Jesus, it's different. 00:12:30.559 --> 00:12:32.399 This same question, who do you think you are? 00:12:32.480 --> 00:12:34.080 Oh, it doesn't phase Jesus. 00:12:34.320 --> 00:12:35.679 Not for a second. 00:12:35.919 --> 00:12:38.080 Because Jesus knew exactly who he was. 00:12:38.240 --> 00:12:44.639 And so when they said, Who do you think you are in John 8, 54, Jesus answered, hey, if I want glory for myself, it doesn't count. 00:12:44.799 --> 00:12:48.639 He recognizes that they think he's bragging instead of stating a fact. 00:12:48.960 --> 00:12:51.519 But it is my father who will glorify me. 00:12:51.759 --> 00:12:54.399 You say he is our God, but you don't even know him. 00:12:54.720 --> 00:12:55.360 I know him. 00:12:55.519 --> 00:13:01.120 If I said otherwise, I would be as great a liar as you, but I do know him and obey him. 00:13:01.279 --> 00:13:02.639 So they say, Who do you think you are? 00:13:02.799 --> 00:13:04.240 And he says, I know who I am. 00:13:04.480 --> 00:13:05.279 I know my father. 00:13:05.440 --> 00:13:10.480 You don't know my father, you think you know my father, I really know my father, I know who I am. 00:13:12.240 --> 00:13:17.600 Jesus is insulted so many times in Scripture, and it doesn't really bother him. 00:13:17.840 --> 00:13:19.120 It's very strange. 00:13:19.279 --> 00:13:26.399 He gets accusations thrown at him that would cause most of us a lot of reflection and insecurity, and they just roll off Jesus. 00:13:26.639 --> 00:13:33.759 So when someone says you're demon-possessed, he doesn't go up to the disciples and go, hey, hey guys, you don't think I'm demon-possessed, do you? 00:13:34.080 --> 00:13:38.159 Like, I don't give off a demon-possessed kind of vibe, right? 00:13:38.240 --> 00:13:40.720 Because that's not what I want to do. 00:13:42.000 --> 00:13:43.200 Jesus never does that. 00:13:43.360 --> 00:13:45.039 He doesn't, he doesn't even get defensive. 00:13:45.120 --> 00:13:48.320 He just says, No, no, I'm not demon-possessed. 00:13:48.559 --> 00:13:49.600 That doesn't make any sense. 00:13:49.759 --> 00:13:50.879 I just cast out a demon. 00:13:50.960 --> 00:13:51.919 How would that work? 00:13:52.960 --> 00:13:56.399 Jesus knew exactly who he was. 00:13:56.559 --> 00:13:58.399 He knew that he was God's son. 00:13:58.879 --> 00:14:01.360 He knew that he was the beloved son of the living God. 00:14:01.519 --> 00:14:03.759 He knew he was God's pride and joy. 00:14:04.320 --> 00:14:08.559 See, when Jesus was baptized, God bragged about him like we all love to brag about our kids. 00:14:09.440 --> 00:14:10.879 And God said, This is my son. 00:14:11.120 --> 00:14:14.159 I love him, I'm proud of him, he brings me so much joy. 00:14:14.320 --> 00:14:16.240 And Jesus never forgot that. 00:14:16.799 --> 00:14:18.240 He lived his whole life knowing that. 00:14:18.320 --> 00:14:25.120 And so anytime someone said he was less than that, he would just go, No, no, I know who I am. 00:14:28.000 --> 00:14:32.399 Insecurity is something that uh that all of us deal with. 00:14:33.440 --> 00:14:40.799 And it's probably one of the most, if not the most, powerful tool that Satan has in his arsenal. 00:14:41.919 --> 00:14:49.360 A big part of this series is is dealing with practical issues in our lives, having practical solutions that are given to us by God. 00:14:49.519 --> 00:14:52.399 But you want to talk about a practical issue, insecurity? 00:14:53.679 --> 00:14:59.919 If you solve insecurity, you solve the root cause of a ton of big problems in your life. 00:15:00.639 --> 00:15:13.039 Because insecurity is at the root of almost all of it, and insecurity comes, no matter what the insecurity is, it comes from not really knowing who we are, from not really understanding who we are. 00:15:14.399 --> 00:15:16.559 I mean, insecurity is dangerous. 00:15:16.879 --> 00:15:24.240 I have a friend and mentor that was coaching me a few years ago, and he recognized that I was dealing with a lot of insecurity, and he let me know you've got to deal with this now. 00:15:24.480 --> 00:15:25.440 Because this is serious. 00:15:25.600 --> 00:15:32.159 Insecurity has to be compensated for, and most of the time it chooses some really poor ways to compensate. 00:15:33.039 --> 00:15:36.960 If we're insecure, we we will avoid friends that hold us accountable. 00:15:37.279 --> 00:15:39.759 We will look to people to flatter us and puff us up. 00:15:39.840 --> 00:15:45.039 And in Proverbs 29:5, the Bible says to flatter friends is to lay a trap for their feet. 00:15:45.840 --> 00:15:49.039 Insecurity makes us susceptible to flattery. 00:15:49.679 --> 00:15:54.960 Insecurity makes us put expectations on people that are unrealistic. 00:15:55.200 --> 00:15:58.080 It puts a strain on relationships that relationships can't handle. 00:15:58.159 --> 00:16:04.879 I'll never forget when I was in college, our pastor at the church we were at in Kansas City, his name was Roy Moran, a very wise man. 00:16:05.039 --> 00:16:11.440 And he was working with me and a bunch of other young guys who were young and married, and he said, Look, I had this guy come into my office the other day. 00:16:11.679 --> 00:16:15.279 He said he and his wife are really struggling, and his wife doesn't make him happy anymore. 00:16:15.600 --> 00:16:19.120 And Roy looked at the guy and said, What makes you think that's her job? 00:16:20.159 --> 00:16:28.399 And he challenged all of us young guys to search the scriptures and find where it says that our wives are supposed to make us feel good. 00:16:30.240 --> 00:16:31.840 I'll never forget that. 00:16:32.960 --> 00:16:38.799 Insecurity makes us expect other people to make us feel better than we feel about ourselves. 00:16:39.440 --> 00:16:40.960 Insecurity can ruin marriages. 00:16:41.039 --> 00:16:43.600 There was a recent study done about why people have affairs. 00:16:44.240 --> 00:16:58.720 And this very famous marriage counselor wrote this book, and in his study, he said that 92%, I want you to think about this, 92% of the people he interviewed that talked about having an affair, the men he interviewed, said that it was not physical attraction that led to the affair. 00:16:59.440 --> 00:17:05.039 It was that they felt underappreciated by their spouse, and this other person made them feel better. 00:17:05.279 --> 00:17:09.680 In other words, it's insecurity compensating in an unhealthy way. 00:17:10.319 --> 00:17:11.839 Insecurity can ruin jobs. 00:17:11.920 --> 00:17:14.400 A lot of us in this area are familiar with the name George O'Leary. 00:17:15.039 --> 00:17:18.640 He was Georgia Tech's football coach back in the day, and he was very successful. 00:17:18.799 --> 00:17:21.920 So much so that he was hired by Notre Dame in 2001. 00:17:22.079 --> 00:17:25.279 That is the holy grail of college coaching jobs. 00:17:26.319 --> 00:17:33.039 And he was fired five days later because it was discovered he lied on his resume to puff himself up. 00:17:33.599 --> 00:17:35.920 And his lie was completely insignificant. 00:17:36.160 --> 00:17:39.599 He lied about what kind of a football player he had been back in the day. 00:17:39.680 --> 00:17:42.240 He said he was a letterman at a school that didn't even exist. 00:17:42.960 --> 00:17:47.839 And he got fired, and he was the college coach for Notre Dame. 00:17:48.079 --> 00:17:50.880 They didn't hire him because he lettered in football. 00:17:51.119 --> 00:17:53.200 They hired him because he was a proven commodity. 00:17:53.279 --> 00:17:55.359 He proved that he could succeed at a high level. 00:17:55.519 --> 00:17:56.400 That's not easy to do. 00:17:56.480 --> 00:17:57.440 That's why they hired him. 00:17:57.519 --> 00:18:02.720 But yet his insecurity led him to lose everything in that situation. 00:18:03.440 --> 00:18:06.319 Insecurity is, it's dangerous. 00:18:06.559 --> 00:18:08.319 It is so dangerous. 00:18:10.079 --> 00:18:17.920 And if we have the ability to deal with insecurity and to overcome it, we solve a lot of problems in life. 00:18:18.480 --> 00:18:21.920 Because so much of it really does boil down to insecurity. 00:18:22.079 --> 00:18:35.039 Insecurity comes from not knowing who we are, whether we're insecure about the way we look, how much money we make, how much money people think we make, how athletic we are, how athletic we used to be, how athletic our kids are, how athletic our kids will be. 00:18:35.279 --> 00:18:41.920 No matter what we're insecure about, the root cause is that we don't realize who we are. 00:18:42.160 --> 00:18:43.440 But Jesus did. 00:18:44.480 --> 00:18:47.039 And so insecurity never had a leg up on Jesus. 00:18:47.119 --> 00:18:48.960 He knew exactly who he was. 00:18:49.119 --> 00:18:51.680 And I could see where we could say, oh yeah, but he's Jesus, right? 00:18:51.759 --> 00:18:54.559 Like if I was Jesus, I'd be pretty secure too. 00:18:55.759 --> 00:19:00.160 I could say, hey guys, did you not see me walk on water? 00:19:00.559 --> 00:19:02.960 Let's just be honest, that's cool. 00:19:05.599 --> 00:19:11.680 When Jesus turned water into wine, by the way, it was 900 bottles worth of wine, that's the equivalent it was. 00:19:11.759 --> 00:19:15.440 How many wedding invitations do you think Jesus got per week after that miracle? 00:19:15.680 --> 00:19:16.000 Okay. 00:19:18.240 --> 00:19:21.200 Jesus could have said, Did you not hear me just teach? 00:19:22.240 --> 00:19:25.279 You not see the spiritual bombs that I'm dropping everywhere? 00:19:25.440 --> 00:19:27.599 No one's ever taught like I've taught. 00:19:27.839 --> 00:19:29.680 No one knows the stuff that I know. 00:19:29.839 --> 00:19:34.720 Have you not seen how many thousands of people follow me everywhere I go? 00:19:34.880 --> 00:19:37.200 I'm Jesus, I'm secure. 00:19:38.160 --> 00:19:40.319 See, Jesus didn't point to any of that. 00:19:41.599 --> 00:19:49.279 Jesus never pointed to what he did, he never pointed to what he said, he never pointed to the miracles that he performed. 00:19:49.519 --> 00:19:59.759 Jesus pointed to one thing and one thing only, when he was showing people how secure he was in who he was, and it was only the love of the Father. 00:20:01.119 --> 00:20:10.720 Jesus' entire understanding of who he was was completely enmeshed in his understanding that Father God loved him. 00:20:11.519 --> 00:20:13.359 And we see that all through the Gospel of John. 00:20:13.440 --> 00:20:24.720 In John 5, 41 and 42, Jesus says, Your approval means nothing to me, because I know you don't have God's love within you, for I have come to you in my Father's name, and you've rejected me. 00:20:24.960 --> 00:20:30.000 John 3.35, the Father loves his son and has put everything into his hands. 00:20:30.240 --> 00:20:35.279 John 5.19, Jesus explained, I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. 00:20:35.599 --> 00:20:38.400 He does only what he sees the Father doing. 00:20:38.640 --> 00:20:44.079 Whatever the Father does, the Son also does, for the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he's doing. 00:20:44.240 --> 00:20:48.400 In fact, the Father will show him how to do even greater works than healing this man. 00:20:48.799 --> 00:20:50.640 Then you'll truly be astonished. 00:20:50.880 --> 00:20:56.400 For just as the Father gives life to those he raises from the dead, so the Son gives life to anyone he wants. 00:20:56.559 --> 00:20:58.880 In addition, the Father judges no one. 00:20:59.279 --> 00:21:06.079 Instead, he has given the Son absolute authority to judge, so that everyone will honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. 00:21:06.319 --> 00:21:10.240 Anyone who does not honor the Son is certainly not honoring the Father who sent him. 00:21:10.960 --> 00:21:13.599 John 5 26, the Father has life in himself. 00:21:13.759 --> 00:21:16.079 He has granted that same life-giving power to his son. 00:21:16.319 --> 00:21:19.279 John 8 16, the Father who sent me is with me. 00:21:19.440 --> 00:21:23.759 Your own law says that if two people agree about something, their witness is accepted as fact. 00:21:23.920 --> 00:21:27.279 Well, I'm one witness, and my father who sent me is the other. 00:21:28.640 --> 00:21:31.359 Even after all this, I love this. 00:21:31.839 --> 00:21:36.079 John 8 27, they still didn't understand that he was talking about his father. 00:21:37.279 --> 00:21:40.160 And so Jesus goes on in the very next verse. 00:21:40.799 --> 00:21:45.279 Jesus said, When you have lifted up the Son of Man on the cross, then you will understand that I am he. 00:21:45.440 --> 00:21:50.240 I do nothing on my own, but say only what the Father has taught me. 00:21:50.559 --> 00:21:54.880 It's the Father this, the Father that, the Father, the Father, the Father. 00:21:55.039 --> 00:21:59.759 The Father loves me, the Father's equipped me, the Father teaches me, the Father talks to me. 00:22:00.319 --> 00:22:06.960 Jesus' entire understanding of who he was, his value, his identity was focused on one thing and one thing only. 00:22:07.200 --> 00:22:09.039 I am the son of God. 00:22:10.240 --> 00:22:11.759 That is why I'm secure. 00:22:11.920 --> 00:22:13.440 That is my identity. 00:22:14.799 --> 00:22:19.680 And because of that knowledge, insecurity had nothing on Jesus. 00:22:20.720 --> 00:22:34.559 The very first temptation in the desert when Satan tempts Jesus, he says, Hey, if you're really the Son of God, like he's trying to get Jesus to question whether or not he really is God's son, but Jesus doesn't take it. 00:22:35.279 --> 00:22:36.720 He knew who he was. 00:22:38.160 --> 00:22:43.920 And this morning's you do well statement is that we do well to know who we are. 00:22:45.039 --> 00:22:52.240 We would all do very well if we were like Jesus and we understood who we are. 00:22:53.599 --> 00:22:54.880 So who are we? 00:22:56.400 --> 00:22:57.920 Who do you think you are? 00:22:59.599 --> 00:23:03.599 1 John 3.1 says, see how very much our Father loves us? 00:23:03.920 --> 00:23:08.319 For he calls us his children, and that is what we are. 00:23:09.279 --> 00:23:13.119 But the people who belong to this world don't recognize that we're God's children because they don't know him. 00:23:13.440 --> 00:23:14.720 Sounds familiar, right? 00:23:14.960 --> 00:23:16.640 Jesus just said the same thing. 00:23:16.960 --> 00:23:22.079 Galatians 3.26, for you are all children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. 00:23:23.359 --> 00:23:27.920 And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. 00:23:28.079 --> 00:23:32.240 There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. 00:23:32.480 --> 00:23:35.839 In other words, you're not defined by those things anymore. 00:23:37.119 --> 00:23:45.599 For you are all one in Christ Jesus, and now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham, you are his heirs, and God's promise to Abraham belongs to you. 00:23:45.759 --> 00:23:52.559 Romans 8, 16 through 18, for his spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children. 00:23:53.680 --> 00:23:55.759 And since we're his children, we're his heirs. 00:23:55.920 --> 00:23:59.039 In fact, together with Christ, we are heirs of God's glory. 00:23:59.200 --> 00:24:02.640 Other translations of that verse say that we are co-heirs with Jesus. 00:24:02.799 --> 00:24:03.680 Think about that. 00:24:03.920 --> 00:24:06.559 We are co-with Jesus. 00:24:10.000 --> 00:24:16.480 Ephesians 1:5, God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. 00:24:16.640 --> 00:24:19.200 This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 00:24:19.279 --> 00:24:22.480 Through faith in Jesus, this is who you are. 00:24:23.279 --> 00:24:27.039 You are the son or the daughter of the living God. 00:24:27.200 --> 00:24:29.200 You are God's pride and joy. 00:24:29.359 --> 00:24:32.000 When he looks at you, he sees Jesus. 00:24:32.240 --> 00:24:38.559 He sees the same love, the same excitement, the same passion. 00:24:38.720 --> 00:24:41.359 He sees everything that he saw when he looked at Jesus. 00:24:41.519 --> 00:24:42.799 He loves you just as much. 00:24:42.960 --> 00:24:44.400 That is who you are. 00:24:44.960 --> 00:24:47.359 We are the children of God. 00:24:48.400 --> 00:24:56.480 And if we got our complete sense of identity and security from that, insecurity wouldn't stand a chance. 00:24:57.359 --> 00:24:59.359 See, we can get our security from a lot of things. 00:24:59.440 --> 00:25:01.680 And a lot of those are good things, right? 00:25:03.119 --> 00:25:05.119 So maybe we're attractive. 00:25:05.519 --> 00:25:07.680 And if that's you, you know who you are. 00:25:08.480 --> 00:25:12.880 And if we're attractive, we might say, Oh, I'm attractive, I'm a good-looking person. 00:25:13.039 --> 00:25:14.720 But what happens when we get old? 00:25:14.960 --> 00:25:19.359 Or we gain weight and turn 30 and our metabolism like bye. 00:25:20.240 --> 00:25:21.359 It's been a lot of fun. 00:25:21.519 --> 00:25:23.359 Enjoy dieting and yoga. 00:25:27.119 --> 00:25:34.960 You know, if our security is wrapped up in the fact that we are successful, that's a good identity. 00:25:35.039 --> 00:25:37.759 If other people identify us as successful, that's great. 00:25:37.920 --> 00:25:41.039 We might take that as our identity and say, yes, I'm a successful person. 00:25:41.200 --> 00:25:43.039 What happens when we fail? 00:25:44.160 --> 00:25:46.000 Where does that security go? 00:25:47.920 --> 00:25:53.839 If my security is wrapped up in the fact that I'm a good dad, there's a lot of days I'm not. 00:25:55.599 --> 00:26:05.039 If our security is wrapped up in anything other than the fact that we are the sons and daughters of God, insecurity wins. 00:26:06.079 --> 00:26:13.440 But if we live our lives knowing what Jesus knew, that we are the children of God. 00:26:13.599 --> 00:26:14.640 Scripture is clear on that. 00:26:14.720 --> 00:26:17.759 In fact, when asked how to pray, Jesus said, okay, pray like this. 00:26:18.000 --> 00:26:20.880 Our Father in heaven, not my Father in heaven. 00:26:20.960 --> 00:26:22.000 He said, Our Father. 00:26:22.160 --> 00:26:23.279 He included us in that. 00:26:23.440 --> 00:26:24.880 That is who you are. 00:26:26.319 --> 00:26:28.559 The question is, do we live like that? 00:26:30.160 --> 00:26:36.480 Do we enjoy the privileges that come along with being the sons and daughters of God? 00:26:37.279 --> 00:26:40.720 Because this world's going to make us try to accept lesser identities. 00:26:41.680 --> 00:26:44.799 Even religion tries to make us accept lesser identities, right? 00:26:44.960 --> 00:26:50.240 I've spent most of my life believing I was a follower of God, a servant of God, a worker for God. 00:26:50.319 --> 00:26:50.799 And you know what? 00:26:50.880 --> 00:26:52.000 We are all workers. 00:26:52.319 --> 00:26:56.079 Jesus said the harvest is great, but the workers are few, but it's a family business. 00:26:56.319 --> 00:26:57.920 So we work for our dad. 00:26:58.160 --> 00:26:59.920 And there are perks that come along with that. 00:27:00.079 --> 00:27:01.839 Do we take advantage of the access? 00:27:02.000 --> 00:27:05.839 Do we take advantage of the love that we have from that? 00:27:05.920 --> 00:27:09.279 If you're the son or daughter of someone important, there are perks. 00:27:10.480 --> 00:27:20.240