WEBVTT 00:00:01.199 --> 00:00:08.720 This podcast is a ministry of Grand Parkway Baptist Church, helping people know, enjoy, and glorify God. 00:00:08.960 --> 00:00:13.919 For more information about Grand Parkway, visit GrandProkway.org. 00:00:16.719 --> 00:00:21.920 Father, thank you that you welcome us into your presence. 00:00:22.320 --> 00:00:25.839 Jesus, thanks for making that possible once again. 00:00:26.320 --> 00:00:29.280 And we're humbled to be here with you today, God. 00:00:29.839 --> 00:00:36.960 And we welcome you by your spirit to do in us that which we can never do on our own. 00:00:38.079 --> 00:00:39.039 Change us. 00:00:39.600 --> 00:00:41.600 Make us more like Jesus. 00:00:41.759 --> 00:00:44.880 Make us into the people you meant for us to be in the first place. 00:00:46.000 --> 00:00:51.200 We ask God today that your kingdom would come and your will would be done in and through us. 00:00:51.359 --> 00:01:12.560 I particularly think of our country today that is struggling because there are people that feel disenfranchised and not hurt, and people who feel empowered in ways that they probably shouldn't, and the clash that that brings emotionally and sometimes physically, we ask God for your kingdom to come and your will to be done in our country. 00:01:12.959 --> 00:01:26.159 We ask for the wisdom, God, as your people for how you can use us to be instruments of peace and blessing in our world. 00:01:27.120 --> 00:01:31.599 So we now, God, because we want to be your people, we submit ourselves to your word. 00:01:31.920 --> 00:01:34.879 And we ask that you give us eyes to see and ears to hear. 00:01:35.200 --> 00:01:38.879 That Holy Spirit, you would come and do the work you want to do in us. 00:01:39.120 --> 00:01:40.959 For your glory, we pray. 00:01:41.280 --> 00:01:41.920 Amen. 00:01:42.400 --> 00:01:43.040 Amen. 00:01:43.280 --> 00:01:44.959 You can have a seat. 00:01:46.640 --> 00:01:48.400 Well, welcome to Grand Parkway. 00:01:48.560 --> 00:01:49.280 I'm Rick. 00:01:49.359 --> 00:01:50.959 I'm one of the pastors here. 00:01:51.200 --> 00:01:57.040 And uh before I jump into the message this morning, I just want to give a quick shout out to one of our community groups. 00:01:57.120 --> 00:02:01.519 We have community groups that meet throughout the area a couple times a month. 00:02:01.599 --> 00:02:20.560 And one of the groups, uh, when there was a fifth Sunday, the Golfson groups, the group that Ryan and Christie lead, they took it upon themselves to go to one of the neighborhoods of the folks in their group and just throw a party and just let people know hey, um, it's all right to just have fun and love and love on each other, and this is free because God's love is free, and we want you to know that. 00:02:20.719 --> 00:02:23.199 So we did I just want to say well done to those guys. 00:02:23.280 --> 00:02:30.639 And the reason I want to point that out to all of you is really, we believe that we are to be Jesus' hands and feet wherever we are. 00:02:30.719 --> 00:02:31.360 That's what it means. 00:02:31.439 --> 00:02:34.080 We value being on mission and being a blessing. 00:02:34.240 --> 00:02:42.159 And while we as a church organize some of those things, our hope is that when we organize things, you get a taste and go, oh wow, I can do this. 00:02:42.319 --> 00:02:44.800 And we love it when people just kind of do it on their own. 00:02:44.879 --> 00:02:53.120 So we wanted to highlight that to you today and just encourage you to be thinking about how I can be a blessing to my world this week as we head into a holiday season. 00:02:53.199 --> 00:03:00.960 And as I just prayed, in our world, that's um some of you might be really happy, some of you might be not so happy with how things went down this week. 00:03:01.120 --> 00:03:08.719 Um, but regardless, um God's called us to be instruments of peace and shalom and to be a blessing to the world around us. 00:03:08.800 --> 00:03:10.080 So how can we do that? 00:03:10.240 --> 00:03:13.599 Well, um, I think is a good thing for us to be wrestling with. 00:03:13.759 --> 00:03:16.400 All right, well, we're we're almost done with Exodus. 00:03:16.560 --> 00:03:16.879 All right? 00:03:17.039 --> 00:03:17.919 You excited? 00:03:18.080 --> 00:03:22.400 I've only been here on staff for nine months, and you've we've been in Exodus longer than I've been here. 00:03:22.479 --> 00:03:23.599 When did it all start? 00:03:23.840 --> 00:03:25.680 Was it like last September? 00:03:27.039 --> 00:03:27.840 Seven years ago? 00:03:29.120 --> 00:03:30.159 It seems like it, right? 00:03:30.319 --> 00:03:34.639 So the natural question that comes to mind when we look at Exodus is, are we there yet? 00:03:34.719 --> 00:03:35.039 Right? 00:03:35.199 --> 00:03:40.479 I I think that's what they were asking actually in when Exodus was happening is aren't we there yet? 00:03:40.639 --> 00:03:46.479 It was this journey that was supposed to take, if you look on the map, 11 days to get from Egypt to the Promised Land? 00:03:46.800 --> 00:03:48.400 Should have taken eleven days? 00:03:48.719 --> 00:03:50.400 Took 40 years, right? 00:03:50.719 --> 00:03:51.520 Took 40 years. 00:03:51.599 --> 00:03:58.080 And I think what we'll see today, one of the reasons that it took 40 years is because God wanted them to get something that was much more important to get than the promised land. 00:03:58.479 --> 00:04:00.800 Um, so I think of that, are we there yet? 00:04:00.879 --> 00:04:05.120 When I was a student ministry pastor right out of college, I was a youth pastor, believe it or not. 00:04:05.360 --> 00:04:19.199 And um, and one of the things that every time we took a trip, whether it's a retreat or camp or some kind of conference or whatever, inevitably you get going just down the road and somebody starts asking, how much longer are we there yet? 00:04:19.360 --> 00:04:19.920 Right? 00:04:20.160 --> 00:04:22.319 So I got frustrated with that question really quick. 00:04:22.399 --> 00:04:26.319 So I had a standard answer that I said right away, I would just say, ten more minutes. 00:04:26.480 --> 00:04:31.199 It didn't matter if we had just pulled out of the church parking lot or we're just pulling into our final destination. 00:04:31.439 --> 00:04:33.759 My answer would always be ten more minutes. 00:04:33.920 --> 00:04:36.720 And the kids would pick up on it pretty quickly, especially the veterans. 00:04:36.800 --> 00:04:40.480 So a new kid would be on a trip and they'd say, How much longer are we there yet? 00:04:40.720 --> 00:04:44.879 And the entire van or bus would go, ten more minutes. 00:04:45.600 --> 00:04:47.199 And they go, What? 00:04:47.439 --> 00:04:57.600 No, it can't be ten minutes because their brains would kick in, and they can't be ten minutes, and they go, dude, I'm just telling you, doesn't matter how many times he asked, all he's going to say is ten more minutes. 00:04:57.759 --> 00:05:02.079 So just don't ask and don't worry about it, which is what I wanted. 00:05:02.319 --> 00:05:02.959 Right? 00:05:03.680 --> 00:05:09.920 Because the truth of the matter is, what I was trying to communicate to them, and I did this as a father with my own kids when we'd take trips, how much longer? 00:05:10.079 --> 00:05:11.040 Ten more minutes. 00:05:11.199 --> 00:05:21.279 Um the reason I would say that is like, listen, sometimes what happens with us, starting with me, is we get so fixated on the destination, we miss everything between here and there. 00:05:21.759 --> 00:05:22.399 Right? 00:05:22.800 --> 00:05:38.079 We miss what could happen in this car, in this van, in this bus, because the truth of about how God wired us is it's not really about the destination as much as it's about who you're with on the way to the destination. 00:05:38.319 --> 00:05:39.920 And that's what I wanted them to get. 00:05:40.079 --> 00:05:42.720 And I think that's what's happening in our text today. 00:05:42.800 --> 00:05:46.399 I was teasing Neil when he said, Hey, we're coming near the end. 00:05:46.480 --> 00:05:47.920 I'm gonna finish it up next week. 00:05:48.079 --> 00:05:49.600 You take these four chapters. 00:05:49.839 --> 00:05:52.959 He gave me four chapters in Exodus to talk about today. 00:05:53.120 --> 00:05:56.480 And you can thank me because I'm not gonna read any of it to you. 00:05:57.439 --> 00:05:58.079 All right? 00:05:58.639 --> 00:06:00.480 I'm not gonna read any of these four chapters. 00:06:00.560 --> 00:06:04.480 And the reason isn't because it's unimportant, it's because actually we've heard a lot of it before. 00:06:04.639 --> 00:06:13.759 Um, chapters 36 through 39 of Exodus chronicle the building of the tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant and all the furnishings. 00:06:13.920 --> 00:06:17.199 Um, earlier we saw God tell Moses, here's what I want you to build. 00:06:17.279 --> 00:06:23.519 I want you to build me a tabernacle, an ark of the covenant, and the furnishings for the tabernacle, and here's what all the dimensions and the materials need to be. 00:06:23.680 --> 00:06:31.839 This is actually, here's the dimensions, here's the material, and they built it, and then seven times it says, All it was all done just as the Lord commanded Moses. 00:06:32.079 --> 00:06:37.040 So, just in case you want to feel like you were in Exodus for a little bit, we brought pictures. 00:06:37.360 --> 00:06:58.560 So this is what they built, at least an artist's rendering of it, the tabernacle and the whole um altars and court and all that stuff, and this is what they filled the tabernacle with is these kinds of things, the Ark of the Covenant, which you might remember from Raiders of the Lost Ark toward the end, and um, you know, tables and of incense and bronze altars and all those kinds of things. 00:06:58.720 --> 00:07:06.800 And I I we could spend a lot of time kind of dissecting what all those things are, but we've already talked about those things, so we're not going to talk about that today. 00:07:06.959 --> 00:07:10.959 What I'd like for us to do is zoom out a little bit and ask why. 00:07:11.920 --> 00:07:17.680 Why did God go to the trouble of saying, build me a tabernacle? 00:07:18.160 --> 00:07:20.639 Why did he even bother doing that? 00:07:20.879 --> 00:07:22.639 I think the answer is pretty straightforward. 00:07:22.800 --> 00:07:29.759 God wanted his people to know that despite their sin and failure and their wandering, they hadn't scared him off. 00:07:30.639 --> 00:07:31.040 Right? 00:07:31.199 --> 00:07:33.839 He hadn't changed his mind about moving into the neighborhood. 00:07:34.000 --> 00:07:37.680 Yahweh literally had his people pitch a tent for him. 00:07:37.920 --> 00:07:39.920 A tabernacle was a tent, right? 00:07:40.079 --> 00:07:41.040 Notice it's a tent. 00:07:41.120 --> 00:07:43.199 It's not a castle with a moat. 00:07:43.839 --> 00:07:54.000 He had them pitch a tent for him right in the middle of their camp because God wanted them to know he was not going back on his promise to be with them. 00:07:54.160 --> 00:08:05.519 And while the promised land was clearly this strategic piece of dirt at the crossroads of the ancient world, I mean, it was the prime property to have in the ancient world. 00:08:05.680 --> 00:08:08.240 The crossroads of the world went through Palestine. 00:08:09.120 --> 00:08:13.920 God's like, even as awesome as that is, that's not what this is all about. 00:08:14.240 --> 00:08:19.439 It's not about who holds that land, it's about who inhabits that land and how you inhabit it. 00:08:19.680 --> 00:08:34.080 Because if you'll inhabit that land with me, God says, not only will you have the best property, you will actually be a city on a hill from which you can fulfill the mission I've given you to be a blessing to the rest of the world. 00:08:34.639 --> 00:08:45.200 See, what God wanted them to get, and I think what he wants us to get loud and clear through the building of the tabernacle, is that with God is our ultimate destination. 00:08:45.679 --> 00:08:49.200 Life with God is our ultimate destination. 00:08:49.440 --> 00:08:51.679 And that might be news for you. 00:08:51.840 --> 00:08:56.799 When you look at Scripture, a lot of times people think the main promise of Scripture is something like forgiveness. 00:08:56.879 --> 00:08:59.120 That's there, but that's not the main promise of Scripture. 00:08:59.279 --> 00:09:01.759 Or they think it's this promise of life after death. 00:09:01.840 --> 00:09:04.799 That's a great perk, but that's not the primary promise of Scripture. 00:09:04.960 --> 00:09:15.840 When you read from Genesis to Revelation, the primary promise of Scripture is God saying, time after time after time, in a thousand different ways, I will be with you. 00:09:16.320 --> 00:09:18.799 I'm with you, I'm with you, I'm with you. 00:09:19.039 --> 00:09:20.559 This happened in the garden. 00:09:20.960 --> 00:09:30.159 Before Adam and Eve sinned, Genesis 1 and 2, by the way, those of you who really are into depravity, which is true, the Bible starts in Genesis 1, not Genesis 3. 00:09:31.360 --> 00:09:40.399 In Genesis 1, it talks about how God created the heavens and the earth and men and women to be in it and to be like him, and they walk with him in the cool of the day. 00:09:40.559 --> 00:09:45.600 We see all throughout the Old Testament a guy named Enoch, who actually, we the Bible says didn't die. 00:09:45.759 --> 00:09:48.000 He just kind of walked with God into the sunset. 00:09:48.240 --> 00:09:59.039 God promises to be with Noah and Abraham and Sarah and Jacob and Joseph and Moses and David and Amos and Mary and Paul and so many others. 00:09:59.279 --> 00:10:05.840 Throughout Exodus, what we've seen is that God gives Israel manna and water from rocks, right? 00:10:05.919 --> 00:10:13.279 And a pillar of cloud and another of fire and a tent of meeting, and now the tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant and all of its furnishings. 00:10:13.360 --> 00:10:13.600 Why? 00:10:13.759 --> 00:10:17.919 Because he's giving them post-it notes to remind them that he's with them. 00:10:18.559 --> 00:10:19.440 He's with them. 00:10:23.679 --> 00:10:27.200 And eventually God comes to us in person, in Jesus, doesn't he? 00:10:27.519 --> 00:10:35.279 We're about ready to enter the Advent season where we we build the anticipation of God coming to be with us, Emmanuel, God with us. 00:10:35.440 --> 00:10:43.039 And then Jesus, when he ascends back to the Father, he sends his spirit to not only be with us, but to be in us. 00:10:43.120 --> 00:10:45.039 That's as close as with gets, right? 00:10:45.200 --> 00:10:45.840 To be in us. 00:10:46.000 --> 00:10:49.039 Jesus said this, I'm with you always, even to the end of the age. 00:10:49.120 --> 00:10:51.039 And then he sends his spirit ten days later. 00:10:51.200 --> 00:11:01.600 And then at the end of time, when when sin is a distant and defeated memory, and the need for hope and the need for forgiveness is as obsolete as eight track tapes. 00:11:02.960 --> 00:11:08.879 We will sing forever, along with all the people God created who dwell with him. 00:11:09.039 --> 00:11:17.039 God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 00:11:18.000 --> 00:11:27.679 See, God pitched a tent among his people because as our creator, he knows how we function best, and we function best with him. 00:11:28.240 --> 00:11:32.000 In fact, we flourished when we do life with him. 00:11:32.320 --> 00:11:34.480 This is the story of Scripture from the beginning. 00:11:34.720 --> 00:11:40.320 God in Genesis 1.26 says, Let us make human beings in our image to be like us. 00:11:40.480 --> 00:11:42.399 So we're made in God's image. 00:11:42.559 --> 00:11:46.320 We're made to reflect the triune God to the rest of creation. 00:11:46.480 --> 00:11:53.360 And if you think about the mechanics of that, that's only possible when when A, we're with God, so we can reflect Him. 00:11:53.440 --> 00:11:59.120 You can't reflect someone you're with, and B, we're with others so that we can reflect God to somebody. 00:12:00.720 --> 00:12:06.879 I mean, to kind of sum up why we were made as image bearers means we were made to be like God with God. 00:12:07.360 --> 00:12:09.120 To be like God with God. 00:12:09.279 --> 00:12:15.919 The problem came when our ancestors Adam and Eve decided we'd like to try to be like God without God. 00:12:17.279 --> 00:12:20.000 I mean, that's essentially what the temptation was. 00:12:20.240 --> 00:12:28.320 The temptation was, God doesn't want you to be like him, is what the serpent said, but you can be like him if you eat of this tree, and you can do it without him. 00:12:28.480 --> 00:12:29.679 You're not gonna die. 00:12:30.320 --> 00:12:32.639 He's just afraid you're gonna be like him and pass him. 00:12:33.840 --> 00:12:39.679 So they embarked on this journey of, hey, we like being like God, but we'd like to do it without God. 00:12:39.759 --> 00:12:42.399 So let's be like God without God, or at least try. 00:12:42.720 --> 00:12:44.559 And we followed suit. 00:12:44.879 --> 00:12:46.799 And God gave them what they wanted. 00:12:47.679 --> 00:12:52.639 I think that would be the definition of hell is God giving us exactly what we wanted. 00:12:53.600 --> 00:13:02.399 He gave them what they wanted, and because of their choice to try to make life work without him, they could no longer stay in the garden because that's where God hung out. 00:13:02.799 --> 00:13:05.679 You don't want to hang out with me, then you have to relocate. 00:13:05.919 --> 00:13:07.039 And that's what happened. 00:13:07.200 --> 00:13:11.200 They were banished from the garden because the garden is where people flourish with God. 00:13:11.360 --> 00:13:14.399 And if you want to do life without God, you have to live someplace else. 00:13:14.559 --> 00:13:27.840 And the Old Testament story is a story of God's people vacillating from being empowered agents of blessing who do life deeply with God to people who flounder and make messes and end up in ditches when they try to do life without God. 00:13:28.159 --> 00:13:30.159 That's the cycle, the entire Old Testament. 00:13:30.240 --> 00:13:31.840 That's the history of the human race. 00:13:31.919 --> 00:13:33.679 When we do life with God, we flourish. 00:13:33.840 --> 00:13:35.759 When we do life without God, we flounder. 00:13:36.000 --> 00:13:39.360 Flourish, flounder with, without. 00:13:40.480 --> 00:13:53.360 And when you read the story of Scripture, by the time of the exile, when the people of Israel were carried back to Babylon as prisoners, it becomes clear that outside intervention is needed if they're ever going to experience this life with God they were meant to live. 00:13:53.600 --> 00:13:55.919 And that's where the good news of Jesus comes in. 00:13:56.240 --> 00:13:56.639 Right? 00:13:56.879 --> 00:14:00.080 This is where Jesus comes in because Jesus did two things for us. 00:14:00.240 --> 00:14:04.159 First of all, he came to show us this is what life with God actually looks like. 00:14:04.320 --> 00:14:10.480 Scripture describes Jesus as the perfect image of the perfect image of God. 00:14:11.120 --> 00:14:12.559 He's the perfect image bearer. 00:14:12.639 --> 00:14:13.759 He's also the second Adam. 00:14:13.840 --> 00:14:15.600 He's the one who actually gets it right. 00:14:15.919 --> 00:14:18.960 So Jesus comes to show us, this is the kind of life you were made to live. 00:14:19.120 --> 00:14:19.919 Look at my life. 00:14:20.080 --> 00:14:21.600 Live the kind of life I live. 00:14:21.759 --> 00:14:26.000 But not only does he say, dangle this in front of us, but also I'll make this possible. 00:14:26.240 --> 00:14:38.559 He shows us what it looks like and he makes it possible by bearing our sin and guilt and shame on the cross, by paying for our covenant breaking, Jesus makes it possible for us to have this life with God once again. 00:14:38.799 --> 00:14:45.279 And the hope of the gospel is that when Jesus returns, he will make everything new, starting with us. 00:14:46.000 --> 00:14:48.879 He comes to make all things new, not all new things. 00:14:49.440 --> 00:15:00.000 And we'll live together in this incredibly restored new heavens and new earth with God and with one another, finally experiencing the fullness of life we were created to live. 00:15:01.360 --> 00:15:07.200 The refrain of Scripture is that with God is our ultimate destination. 00:15:09.120 --> 00:15:14.720 We flourish when we do life with God, and when we don't, we flounder. 00:15:16.720 --> 00:15:18.080 So here's our challenge. 00:15:18.720 --> 00:15:21.279 Because we don't want to be people who flounder, right? 00:15:21.679 --> 00:15:22.879 We want to flourish. 00:15:23.519 --> 00:15:31.120 Our challenge, and I'm speaking primarily to those of us who find ourselves in churches on Sundays more often than not, who would call ourselves Christians. 00:15:31.360 --> 00:15:39.440 Our challenge is this: when we don't embrace life with God as our ultimate destination, what we often settle for is a life for God. 00:15:40.720 --> 00:15:44.879 There's a big difference between life with God and a life for God. 00:15:45.039 --> 00:15:59.279 Now, life for God on the surface sounds very noble and very spiritual, but believe me when I say if for God is the driving force in your life, it very quickly can become the opposite of good news. 00:16:01.039 --> 00:16:08.720 Sure, there are these four chapters at the end of Exodus chronicle what God's people do to prepare this place for God, but let's be honest. 00:16:08.879 --> 00:16:11.519 God created the heavens and the earth in six days, right? 00:16:12.080 --> 00:16:19.360 You think he could have pulled off a tent and a golden ark and a few furnishings in like a couple minutes without breaking a sweat? 00:16:20.000 --> 00:16:22.559 God did not need them to do that for him. 00:16:23.519 --> 00:16:29.759 I picture one, I'm my kids were little and they want to help me do the lawn or clean up the garage, right? 00:16:30.000 --> 00:16:32.159 It takes a lot longer that way. 00:16:32.960 --> 00:16:33.360 Right? 00:16:33.600 --> 00:16:38.639 Or when my daughter wanted to help my wife in the kitchen, when she's little, now it's the opposite these days. 00:16:38.720 --> 00:16:46.240 But but the idea is sure it takes longer and it's a lot messier, but the what happens with them is just it's priceless. 00:16:46.559 --> 00:16:48.559 I think that's what our our father's doing. 00:16:48.639 --> 00:16:50.879 It's like, let me help you be a part of this. 00:16:51.120 --> 00:16:52.320 Here, build this for me. 00:16:52.399 --> 00:16:53.440 Here's what it needs to look like. 00:16:53.600 --> 00:16:54.639 Build this for me. 00:16:54.960 --> 00:17:00.159 And that builds anticipation and it increases their ownership, and they're like, wow, God's gonna live with us. 00:17:00.320 --> 00:17:03.440 God's gonna live with us because that's what he wanted them to get. 00:17:06.640 --> 00:17:18.799 See, the danger of allowing for God to push a life with God to the back burner is that it can rob us of the abundant life for which we were created to live with God here and now. 00:17:19.359 --> 00:17:34.400 Because a for God mentality ends up that story about Jesus encountered Mary and Martha, you know, his friends Mary and Martha, he just pops in on one day, and Mary sits at Jesus' feet, and Martha's running around like a crazy person and gets all resentful at Mary for not helping. 00:17:34.559 --> 00:17:35.440 And what does Jesus say? 00:17:35.519 --> 00:17:37.039 He's like, Martha, relax. 00:17:37.440 --> 00:17:40.640 I didn't come because I needed you to prepare me a meal. 00:17:40.720 --> 00:17:42.160 I came because I just wanted to be with you. 00:17:42.319 --> 00:17:43.759 And Mary gets that. 00:17:44.400 --> 00:17:47.279 And Martha was missing out on what Jesus had. 00:17:47.440 --> 00:17:50.960 We can miss out on the life that God has for us, but it gets even worse than that. 00:17:51.119 --> 00:18:00.799 It can actually be harmful to those we're trying to help, or we think we're blessing along the way if we think we are here to do things for you in Jesus' name. 00:18:04.160 --> 00:18:12.480 See, in for God mode, it's easy to begin to see myself as a savior, and I often miss being with those I'm actually trying to help. 00:18:12.720 --> 00:18:18.799 And in doing so, I can inadvertently rob them of their dignity as fellow image bearers. 00:18:18.960 --> 00:18:23.200 I have a friend who works in developing countries with a relief organization. 00:18:23.359 --> 00:18:26.960 They wouldn't be called a relief organization, he works for Living Water International. 00:18:27.200 --> 00:18:28.400 And he calls it this. 00:18:28.480 --> 00:18:33.839 He says, We've got to be careful when we go to these other parts of the world to not be whites in shining armor. 00:18:38.480 --> 00:18:49.119 See, when we exclusively do things for people, because in our mind we say we're doing this for God, what we can do inadvertently is treat them like they're projects instead of people. 00:18:50.319 --> 00:18:56.720 And we can lose sight that they're equally cherished by God, even though they aren't blessed in the same ways that you and I are blessed. 00:18:57.119 --> 00:19:00.720 And we stopped and stopped noticing them and listening to them as we should. 00:19:00.880 --> 00:19:13.119 I remember um a few years ago I spent two weeks in Africa in a country where I spoke at about 20 different schools over that period of time, and so um these big assemblies and all these kinds of crazy things. 00:19:13.279 --> 00:19:25.920 And I would at each school I'd meet with the administrators and the teachers, and I would always begin with, what are your greatest concerns for your school and your community, and and how do you how can we help? 00:19:26.799 --> 00:19:32.960 And then without exception, and I'm not exaggerating, there was dead silence every time I asked that question the first time I met with people. 00:19:33.279 --> 00:19:40.559 Then I would nudge the people that I was with that worked for Scripture Union in Uganda, and they're like, I'm like, what did I miss? 00:19:40.720 --> 00:19:43.519 And they're like, oh, they're waiting for you to answer your question. 00:19:45.200 --> 00:19:46.079 And I went, What? 00:19:46.480 --> 00:19:56.799 Like, no, usually when white Americans come here, when they ask questions, they also answer them because they're that's their way of telling us what they think we need to do. 00:19:57.759 --> 00:20:09.279 And it broke my heart because that's what we inadvertently do sometimes, and it kind of we kind of treat people lesser than just because we don't know their world and we make all these kinds of assumptions. 00:20:10.319 --> 00:20:14.880 I noticed this a few years ago at the church where I was pastor before we moved here. 00:20:15.839 --> 00:20:21.200 At this time of year, we were gearing up um for an Angel Tree program party. 00:20:21.279 --> 00:20:22.240 I don't know if you've heard of that. 00:20:22.480 --> 00:20:24.079 It's in conjunction with prison fellowship. 00:20:24.160 --> 00:20:33.599 So with Angel Tree, we would throw this big party for families who had a parent who was incarcerated, or they just didn't have enough resources to provide a Christmas for their kids. 00:20:33.759 --> 00:20:40.640 And a lot of these families were a part of a food pantry that we ran that we fed about a thousand families a month out of. 00:20:40.799 --> 00:20:52.319 So it was a big deal, and so we bought these presents and we threw this party and we patted ourselves on the back and we thought this was awesome, and everybody gave lots of money and presents, and the church was excited. 00:20:52.480 --> 00:21:00.240 But then we noticed a couple of years in at the party, in particular, the dads. 00:21:01.119 --> 00:21:16.720 The dads in this case either didn't come at all, and it wasn't because they couldn't, they just didn't, or when they did, they would stand on the sidelines like a junior high dance, or they'd wait outside by the car. 00:21:18.960 --> 00:21:21.359 And we started getting to ask why. 00:21:22.079 --> 00:21:31.920 And the more we peel back the layers of that, what we recognize is us buying presents and giving it to them, their kids for them, threw in their face they were unable to do that for their kids. 00:21:32.480 --> 00:21:34.400 And as a dad, I went, ooh. 00:21:36.160 --> 00:21:36.640 Ooh. 00:21:38.559 --> 00:21:39.119 Right? 00:21:39.440 --> 00:21:41.519 Is that what we're trying to accomplish here? 00:21:42.400 --> 00:21:49.759 So we went back to the drawing board and we invited the people that we were actually throwing the party for, a few of them to come help us figure this out. 00:21:50.079 --> 00:21:52.319 And we prayerfully said, God, how do how do we do this? 00:21:52.400 --> 00:21:55.759 Well, how do we pay attention better to the people we're wanting to bless? 00:21:56.000 --> 00:21:57.920 How do we are we more sensitive to them? 00:21:58.000 --> 00:21:59.519 And how are we more sensitive to you? 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:06.559 Feels like God, we had this idea and we just did it and said, God bless it, instead of God, what are you doing and how do we join you in it? 00:22:07.680 --> 00:22:09.599 So we began to retool the thing. 00:22:09.680 --> 00:22:13.680 And so the next year, we've had a party, but it was a lot better than before. 00:22:13.759 --> 00:22:30.559 And the reason was, along with the folks that we were throwing the party for, we came up with this idea of let's put a system together year-round where people can serve in our storehouse, that was our food pantry, and earn some credits or tokens along the way so that they can buy the gifts themselves. 00:22:30.640 --> 00:22:32.319 They pick them out and they give them to their kids. 00:22:32.559 --> 00:22:36.640 And then we'll just have this party together and they can give it and they're a part of the whole thing. 00:22:36.799 --> 00:22:38.880 And it was actually a party then. 00:22:39.200 --> 00:22:40.559 Everyone participated. 00:22:40.640 --> 00:22:45.759 And it ended up we retooled our storehouse that way because we thought, wait, we're just giving people stuff. 00:22:45.839 --> 00:22:49.440 We're just doing for them instead of doing with them. 00:22:49.920 --> 00:23:00.240 And so they began to, those who we considered our clients or our guests, now we're a part of the storehouse family, and they began to serve alongside of us and stocking shelves and praying with people and all those kinds of things. 00:23:00.400 --> 00:23:05.279 And you could just see their countenance change and the dignity come back to their face, right? 00:23:05.440 --> 00:23:07.359 It was unbelievably powerful. 00:23:07.519 --> 00:23:20.960 And then that kind of culminates in this upcoming week, uh, we'll be back there, and we we may very well be a part of the Thanksgiving lunch that we threw every year, and it wasn't just for the storehouse guests, it was with the storehouse guests. 00:23:21.039 --> 00:23:23.200 So we're like, everybody in the storehouse family come. 00:23:23.279 --> 00:23:26.079 We decked out the whole gym, 500 people showed up. 00:23:26.319 --> 00:23:29.039 We're like, everybody's got to bring something. 00:23:29.920 --> 00:23:34.319 You know, I don't care if you're here every other week getting your groceries, bring some of that. 00:23:34.480 --> 00:23:37.599 You know, it's just a can of little cranberry sauce, it doesn't matter to us. 00:23:37.680 --> 00:23:38.960 Everybody's got to bring something. 00:23:39.119 --> 00:23:45.519 And we all set up and we all tear down and we all serve each other, and it is so full of life. 00:23:46.960 --> 00:23:54.720 The reason I tell you that is because we learned that that's what being an image bearer looked like in our context. 00:23:54.960 --> 00:24:01.039 As conduits of grace, we can actually become what we could not become on our own. 00:24:01.200 --> 00:24:09.519 And we helped them, and they helped us because we decided we want to do life with God, not just do things for God. 00:24:09.759 --> 00:24:12.640 Now that's not to suggest that we don't do things for people. 00:24:12.799 --> 00:24:14.240 I hope you got that along the way. 00:24:14.480 --> 00:24:15.519 The scripture's really clear. 00:24:15.680 --> 00:24:20.880 Paul tells us in Ephesians, we are his workmanship created for good works in Christ. 00:24:21.039 --> 00:24:22.880 We're created to do good things. 00:24:23.039 --> 00:24:28.240 But the key is in Christ, which is another way of saying with Christ. 00:24:28.480 --> 00:24:30.319 We get in on what God is doing. 00:24:30.480 --> 00:24:34.240 We see ourselves as Jesus' hands and feet, right? 00:24:34.400 --> 00:24:38.400 And we're not amputated hands and feet, kind of on our own. 00:24:38.559 --> 00:24:40.960 We have to be connected to actually be helpful. 00:24:41.119 --> 00:24:43.039 That's the whole idea here. 00:24:44.000 --> 00:24:49.599 We can't just do things without Jesus or assume that God's in it because we've asked him to bless it. 00:24:50.000 --> 00:24:54.880 When we do that, we lose the plot and we fail to be the blessing we are created to be. 00:24:55.680 --> 00:25:00.880 I mean, every time Israel got in trouble is because they went off thinking, well, this is what God wants us to do. 00:25:01.359 --> 00:25:03.680 And God was like, nah, I don't think so. 00:25:04.240 --> 00:25:06.720 And it cost them dearly a lot of times. 00:25:07.200 --> 00:25:11.039 See, being locked in a for God mindset can be really harmful to people. 00:25:12.079 --> 00:25:15.039 But it's not just harmful to people, it can also crush us. 00:25:15.440 --> 00:25:16.799 It can crush us. 00:25:18.000 --> 00:25:30.799 Um when we're locked into this for God mindset, what I found is this subtle you owe me, a form of works righteousness can easily creep into my heart. 00:25:31.920 --> 00:25:37.039 And I start to think, come on, God, I pray, I serve, I tithe. 00:25:37.119 --> 00:25:38.400 Actually, I give more than 10%. 00:25:39.359 --> 00:25:42.960 I go to church, I'd go even if I didn't get paid. 00:25:43.359 --> 00:25:43.759 Right? 00:25:44.079 --> 00:25:46.160 I raise my kids in the way they should go. 00:25:46.319 --> 00:25:49.119 I don't drink, I don't chew, I don't go with girls who do. 00:25:50.720 --> 00:25:51.279 Right? 00:25:51.519 --> 00:25:53.759 So, God, you should bless me. 00:25:54.799 --> 00:25:56.160 You should bless me. 00:25:56.480 --> 00:25:58.960 I read a book about 15 years ago by Larry Crabbe. 00:25:59.039 --> 00:26:01.119 It was one of the most formational books in my journey. 00:26:01.519 --> 00:26:03.599 The book is called The Pressure's Off. 00:26:04.400 --> 00:26:09.200 And he describes this for the language I'm using for and with God as this. 00:26:09.359 --> 00:26:17.200 He says, it's the difference between living a better for a better life of blessing rather than a better hope of intimacy with the Father. 00:26:18.000 --> 00:26:23.200 Living for a better life of blessing versus a better hope of intimacy with the Father. 00:26:23.680 --> 00:26:36.720 And what I've discovered over the these years is, wow, when I'm living for God, I'm very close, if not over the line, of using God to get or enjoy something else. 00:26:37.200 --> 00:26:40.000 I'm just using God to get or enjoy something else. 00:26:40.480 --> 00:26:43.359 And if you think about that, that's a lot of pressure. 00:26:43.680 --> 00:26:46.079 Because that means I better perform. 00:26:46.880 --> 00:26:48.319 I better obey. 00:26:48.640 --> 00:26:53.200 I better get it right if I'm gonna get from God what I want to get from God. 00:26:53.440 --> 00:26:55.519 That's the equation there, right? 00:26:56.160 --> 00:27:11.839 And this for God life can lead to a performance-based relationship with God, and where I obey in order to earn favor from God rather than my obedience flowing from embracing my core identity as a beloved son or daughter of God. 00:27:12.720 --> 00:27:18.079 Light years difference in terms of how we live and the pressure that kind of builds on us. 00:27:18.799 --> 00:27:20.559 See, I know you all know this. 00:27:20.880 --> 00:27:24.799 We all know God's not an ATM, God's not a vending machine, don't treat him like that. 00:27:24.960 --> 00:27:28.240 But I would say, look at how you pray. 00:27:28.960 --> 00:27:34.960 I think our prayers betray what we really think about how this relationship with God works. 00:27:35.440 --> 00:27:43.279 Because way often, I think more often than we would care to admit, when we pray, petition takes precedence over surrender. 00:27:44.480 --> 00:27:51.200 And requests nudge aside worship, and our gratitude depends on blessing. 00:27:52.720 --> 00:27:54.960 Our prayers often take some form of God. 00:27:55.119 --> 00:28:02.319 Will you change this or change him or change her or bless this or do this so that I can be fulfilled and satisfied? 00:28:04.400 --> 00:28:07.359 I don't know, some of us might be wondering, are those prayers wrong? 00:28:08.559 --> 00:28:09.759 Well, I would say this. 00:28:09.920 --> 00:28:16.559 When those prayers are expressed as the deepest passion of my heart, yeah, that's the wrong way to pray. 00:28:17.440 --> 00:28:27.519 And too often when we put in our performance or obedience and we don't get the blessing, or we don't get the answer we thought we earned, what happens? 00:28:27.759 --> 00:28:29.200 We get ticked. 00:28:29.839 --> 00:28:31.119 We get ticked. 00:28:31.759 --> 00:28:32.880 Often at God. 00:28:33.039 --> 00:28:43.119 I've lost count of the number of people I've known in my 30 years serving in the local church, and even my family, who prayed a certain way, it didn't go the way they thought it should go, and they're out. 00:28:43.920 --> 00:28:45.839 I tried God, that doesn't work. 00:28:46.079 --> 00:28:48.240 He didn't give me what I wanted. 00:28:50.400 --> 00:28:50.799 Dr. 00:28:50.880 --> 00:28:52.720 Krab suggests there's a better way. 00:28:52.880 --> 00:29:01.920 And honestly, this is a way that the children of Israel learned earlier when we talked about the tent of meeting, when God told them, hey, you can have the promised land, but I'm not going with you. 00:29:02.319 --> 00:29:03.920 And they went, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. 00:29:04.079 --> 00:29:05.279 We don't want the promised land. 00:29:05.359 --> 00:29:07.759 We don't want those blessings if we don't get you. 00:29:08.559 --> 00:29:09.359 This is what Dr. 00:29:09.519 --> 00:29:10.559 Krab is getting at. 00:29:10.720 --> 00:29:16.480 He says there's a way of being with God that's not about doing, it's not about getting, it's about being. 00:29:17.119 --> 00:29:20.240 Where I simply say, Lord, I come to you just as I am. 00:29:20.559 --> 00:29:24.079 The only thing I ask is just let me see your beauty, right? 00:29:24.400 --> 00:29:28.720 And in seeing your beauty, let me love and live like you love and live. 00:29:29.200 --> 00:29:31.279 Now, that doesn't mean we don't make petitions. 00:29:31.440 --> 00:29:37.119 Petitions can often follow because God still is really into healing and restoring and delivering. 00:29:37.279 --> 00:29:40.160 But those prayer requests are not the priority. 00:29:40.400 --> 00:29:47.200 The priority is not the destination of blessing because we recognize the ultimate destination is being with God. 00:29:49.039 --> 00:29:58.799 God, let me draw near to you, whether through blessing or trial, let me draw near to you as an instrument of your shalom, which is your wholeness and peace and grace and love in my world. 00:29:58.880 --> 00:30:04.480 And my requests of God are subordinate to my greater passion just for God Himself. 00:30:06.000 --> 00:30:14.079 What I want more than anything is for his glory to be, to shine through me as I treasure him more than I treasure anything in this world. 00:30:14.799 --> 00:30:15.200 Dr. 00:30:15.279 --> 00:30:17.759 Crab calls this the papa prayer. 00:30:18.000 --> 00:30:21.839 And I want to share this with you because it might help frame how you talk to God sometimes. 00:30:22.000 --> 00:30:34.000 Because I don't know about you, if I don't think about this, sometimes I just start right in with God with, okay, God, I need this and I need this, and I need this, and I want this and I want this, and I'm like, man, if my kids talk to me that way, I go, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. 00:30:34.400 --> 00:30:34.960 Hello? 00:30:35.519 --> 00:30:36.400 Is that in here? 00:30:36.559 --> 00:30:37.519 Good to see you, Dad. 00:30:37.599 --> 00:30:38.559 Nothing like that, you know? 00:30:38.720 --> 00:30:40.079 And that's sometimes what we do. 00:30:40.240 --> 00:30:42.160 But he says, think about praying this way. 00:30:42.319 --> 00:30:44.880 First of all, present myself to God just as I am. 00:30:45.119 --> 00:30:46.079 Be honest about it. 00:30:46.160 --> 00:30:49.039 You don't have to get the words right, you don't have to be pretentious in any way. 00:30:49.279 --> 00:30:51.039 Say, God, here I am, good, bad, and ugly. 00:30:51.200 --> 00:30:51.599 Blah. 00:30:52.079 --> 00:30:53.920 Actually, that's what two-thirds of the Psalms are. 00:30:54.000 --> 00:30:54.960 They're laments. 00:30:55.119 --> 00:30:59.119 And they're essentially God, people saying to God, God, this sucks. 00:31:01.440 --> 00:31:03.279 And God's really okay with that. 00:31:03.599 --> 00:31:04.960 He's not threatened by that. 00:31:05.200 --> 00:31:08.400 And then attend to where I notice God's presence or absence. 00:31:08.480 --> 00:31:09.359 God, where am I noticing? 00:31:09.519 --> 00:31:10.559 Where am I not noticing you? 00:31:10.640 --> 00:31:12.480 And then that leads me to go, why is that? 00:31:12.640 --> 00:31:19.279 And then I need to purge myself of whatever at the moment might be keeping me from noticing and experiencing more of God. 00:31:19.440 --> 00:31:20.960 Is it some sin on my part? 00:31:21.119 --> 00:31:22.240 Is it some stubbornness? 00:31:22.400 --> 00:31:26.079 Is it that I think it should go this way and I'm not submitting? 00:31:26.880 --> 00:31:37.599 And then approach God with abandon and confidence, waiting to just, wanting to just be with him so that I can know and enjoy him, not just to use him to make my life better. 00:31:38.480 --> 00:31:45.920 Now, the irony in this, and I'm going to say this clearly, I've said this when we, our soulmates class I teach, we talk about marriage a lot. 00:31:46.160 --> 00:31:53.680 And I've said many times, borrowing from a friend of mine, Gary Thomas, who says, marriage isn't to make you happy, it's to make you holy. 00:31:54.640 --> 00:31:59.599 And then the rest of that is because the holier we are, the happier we are. 00:32:00.000 --> 00:32:10.160 And what I found is if I can lean into the Father, and this is not why you do it, but I just lean into intimacy with the Father, I'm much more content with my life. 00:32:10.400 --> 00:32:11.519 Life is just better. 00:32:11.680 --> 00:32:12.079 Why? 00:32:12.240 --> 00:32:15.200 Because that's what I was made, how I was made to live in the first place. 00:32:15.599 --> 00:32:24.160 See, being an image bearer means that my identity, my joy, and my purpose are completely wrapped up in this relationship with God. 00:32:24.319 --> 00:32:26.720 Not the blessings of God, but God. 00:32:28.160 --> 00:32:36.480 This is what Augustine meant when he so famously penned, our souls cannot rest until they find their rest in thee. 00:32:36.880 --> 00:32:41.440