WEBVTT 00:00:04.719 --> 00:00:07.120 Welcome to the MetaCurch Podcast. 00:00:07.280 --> 00:00:08.240 My name's Clayton. 00:00:08.320 --> 00:00:10.400 I'm the pastor here at MetaCurch. 00:00:10.480 --> 00:00:18.079 And my hope is that today's podcast finds you at the perfect time in your life that God uses it to inspire and enlighten you. 00:00:18.239 --> 00:00:20.719 I hope that you enjoy today's message. 00:00:23.519 --> 00:00:25.839 Alright, MetaCurch, how you guys doing? 00:00:26.559 --> 00:00:30.000 Yeah, man, I'm so glad that you guys have joined us today. 00:00:30.079 --> 00:00:34.240 I want to welcome everyone in Holotus and online at the 151. 00:00:34.399 --> 00:00:38.079 And uh man, we have a great service planned for you. 00:00:38.159 --> 00:00:40.159 Um if you're new with us, my name is Clayton. 00:00:40.240 --> 00:00:45.920 I'm the lead pastor here, and uh we have a really simple mission here at MetaCurch. 00:00:46.079 --> 00:00:52.159 We say it this way we say, we do whatever it takes to get people to Jesus. 00:00:52.320 --> 00:00:54.159 That's how we say our mission statement. 00:00:54.320 --> 00:00:59.520 We believe it is the most important, most critical mission on earth. 00:00:59.759 --> 00:01:04.879 People are in desperate search for hope, and we have found that hope in Jesus. 00:01:05.040 --> 00:01:14.000 And not only do we have that hope, but we have created an environment, we've created a community where anyone can come in and find that hope. 00:01:14.239 --> 00:01:24.480 A place where people can belong, even before they believe, a safe place to wrestle with the biggest questions of life and faith and spirituality. 00:01:24.719 --> 00:01:30.560 Today we're circling in on a project that we've had going on for a little while now. 00:01:30.719 --> 00:01:38.560 Uh, we started MetaCurch in January of 2019, and we were at capacity virtually right when we started. 00:01:38.719 --> 00:01:41.519 We had moved to as many services as we could hold. 00:01:41.599 --> 00:01:45.040 We had opened up as much space as we could open up. 00:01:45.120 --> 00:01:50.640 And pre-pandemic, we had uh 1,200 people on average showing up. 00:01:50.799 --> 00:01:53.040 It was more people than we could hold. 00:01:53.120 --> 00:01:59.359 There were times people would come in and there'd be adults in our auditorium who were having to stand in the back. 00:01:59.439 --> 00:02:13.039 And uh consistently, like almost every week, we were having to close down age groups in Metakids because there's a certain ratio of kids to adults, and there's certain space specifications that we have to follow. 00:02:13.280 --> 00:02:14.400 Legally, we have to follow. 00:02:14.479 --> 00:02:22.000 And what that meant is that every week people were showing up and we didn't have room for their kids, and that's a big deal. 00:02:22.319 --> 00:02:28.800 It's a big deal for any churches, and in most churches, you have people who are showing up who are like church shopping, you know. 00:02:28.960 --> 00:02:35.039 They're like church people, and they're trying to find somewhere where they're comfortable that does things the way that they like things done. 00:02:35.199 --> 00:02:37.680 You guys know that metachurch is different. 00:02:38.000 --> 00:02:41.039 We reach primarily unchurched people. 00:02:41.439 --> 00:02:53.599 And so we have people who show up, maybe like you showed up at some point along the way, who have never been to church, they have no experience in it, and everything they've heard about it, everything to believe about it, is negative. 00:02:53.759 --> 00:02:57.759 You have people showing up to church for the first time in years or decades. 00:02:57.919 --> 00:03:08.800 You have people showing up for the first time since they got hurt by the church, and their first experience was us turning away their kids. 00:03:08.960 --> 00:03:14.319 We say it's a place you can belong, but we didn't have a place for their kids to belong. 00:03:14.479 --> 00:03:19.520 We knew that we had to do something about this, and so we started praying for an opportunity to expand. 00:03:19.599 --> 00:03:28.479 And I'll be honest, this is a space issue, but it's also a significance issue because we happen to believe that God has put a potential inside of this movement. 00:03:28.639 --> 00:03:38.560 Remember, the movement isn't something you come to, you are this movement, and we believe it has a level of potential that we should seek to expand it to reach as many people as possible. 00:03:38.800 --> 00:03:50.080 And so eventually we found a spot and we prayed hard about it, and we felt like God was opening a door to an old Super Kmart over off of Fortin and Marbach. 00:03:50.240 --> 00:03:52.800 And we have secured about 40,000 square feet. 00:03:52.879 --> 00:03:55.520 That's a lot of square feet on the far right side of the building. 00:03:55.680 --> 00:04:01.360 It's gonna take three million dollars to not only build it out, but then to furnish it. 00:04:01.599 --> 00:04:05.360 We'll be able to reach exponentially more people. 00:04:05.840 --> 00:04:10.800 We'll have assurance that we always have room for as many kids as want to come with their parents. 00:04:10.879 --> 00:04:13.680 We'll have classrooms to help people get healthy during the week. 00:04:13.759 --> 00:04:46.480 We have Little Dove Learning Center that's gonna come Monday through Friday with a daycare and preschool and after-school care, and we have an auditorium that can hold a thousand seats, but even better than that, it's a multi-use space so the community can come in and people can have milestone events like weddings and quince and yettas, and and organizations can come in and they can have conferences, and we can love the community, and we can have something that we don't just lease on Sundays, but we have seven days a week, and we saw a big picture, and we had the audacity, maybe some would call it, we call it faith, to move forward in the middle of a pandemic. 00:04:46.639 --> 00:04:53.439 So we went public with this campaign, and because this is not really about building a building, it's about furthering the mission. 00:04:53.680 --> 00:04:58.480 We stole from our mission statement, we called this the whatever it takes campaign. 00:04:58.800 --> 00:05:04.240 Three million dollars to build out a permanent new home base for the operations of MetaCurch. 00:05:04.319 --> 00:05:08.079 And you guys have already given so generously to this. 00:05:08.240 --> 00:05:13.759 To let you know where we're at, um, we're asking everyone, and that's an important statement. 00:05:13.920 --> 00:05:18.399 Every person who's a part of this movement, we're asking to make a three-year pledge. 00:05:18.480 --> 00:05:23.759 And what that means is if you're part of the movement, you invest in what you believe in, so you give your offerings. 00:05:23.920 --> 00:05:29.439 And that's so important because that's how we operate, that's how we stay healthy, and so that's kind of the first step. 00:05:29.519 --> 00:05:33.439 And if you're giving your offerings, then you make a pledge above and beyond that. 00:05:33.680 --> 00:05:36.319 You give this sacrifice for three years. 00:05:36.480 --> 00:05:40.560 You give every month, you give what you can give, and only you know what you can give. 00:05:40.639 --> 00:05:43.439 And no one expects you to give more than you can give. 00:05:43.680 --> 00:05:52.160 But if every person will give everything they can give, if every person will do whatever it takes, we believe that God will do the rest. 00:05:52.399 --> 00:05:58.240 So far, in three-year pledges alone, we have just over a million dollars. 00:05:58.399 --> 00:06:03.040 Someone should say amen and clap their hands for a million dollars. 00:06:05.600 --> 00:06:07.199 That's a lot of money. 00:06:07.439 --> 00:06:10.720 That's like hard for me to even think about, you know. 00:06:10.959 --> 00:06:12.720 It's like, you know, a one-dollar bill? 00:06:12.800 --> 00:06:14.480 It's like a million of those, you know? 00:06:14.639 --> 00:06:15.680 It's incredible. 00:06:16.000 --> 00:06:24.800 And then over the years we've scrimped and we've saved and we've had some some really significant upfront contributions, and so in uh in cash, we have like 600,000. 00:06:24.879 --> 00:06:30.720 So we're at like 1.6, and unless they've really changed math, that's like more than halfway to our goal. 00:06:30.959 --> 00:06:34.720 And so we're in a good position, and and we're going through a lot. 00:06:34.800 --> 00:06:42.800 You know, we're still in a pandemic, and thank God it seems like numbers are really going down, like drastically going down. 00:06:43.360 --> 00:06:49.519 If you only listen to the news that tries to sell ads by telling you bad news, you should know that like cases are going way down. 00:06:49.680 --> 00:06:54.639 And that's that's good, but we're still in it, and we're still navigating it, taking precautions. 00:06:54.720 --> 00:07:05.439 And and then it's like, you know, we had the most contentious election of our lifetimes, and then there's all kinds of like division and and frustrations, and and then it's like we have a polar vortex in the middle of Texas. 00:07:05.519 --> 00:07:07.120 Like, what in the world is going on here? 00:07:07.199 --> 00:07:10.560 And we're navigating all of these things. 00:07:10.800 --> 00:07:14.639 And in a very real sense, we are weathering the storm, right? 00:07:15.279 --> 00:07:20.000 It's like we are solidifying ourselves and preparing to survive. 00:07:20.160 --> 00:07:21.279 And that's what we're doing. 00:07:21.439 --> 00:07:22.560 Like, it's hard, you know. 00:07:22.720 --> 00:07:38.399 You're you're trying to keep your job or keep your business open and you're worried about your parents, and maybe you're having to be more involved in schooling your kids, or maybe your kids are doing school from home now and the stock markets are crazy and mental health is deteriorating and addictions are on the rise. 00:07:38.480 --> 00:07:44.879 It's like we're weathering the storm, but at the same time, we feel called to fight for our future. 00:07:45.199 --> 00:07:51.839 We're weathering the storm to survive, but we're fighting for our future so that we can thrive on the other side of the storm. 00:07:52.160 --> 00:07:57.680 It's a difficult task, but it's a task that we believe this movement is up to. 00:07:58.319 --> 00:08:06.639 And so today we want to talk about where we're at and how we continue to move forward and how we continue to try to make this dream a reality. 00:08:06.800 --> 00:08:21.920 And we want to tell you about some of the exciting things that are going on and the way that God has been moving in these unbelievable ways because people have been faithful to pursue this and to do whatever it takes and what it would look like if all of us began to live in that same way. 00:08:22.000 --> 00:08:25.519 And I'm really excited about today's message, but I do want to be honest with you. 00:08:25.600 --> 00:08:30.319 You're kind of like in double trouble today because I have not one but two sermon titles. 00:08:30.399 --> 00:08:36.320 I'm gonna try to do them in the length of one sermon, but I have two titles, and here's the titles of my sermon. 00:08:36.480 --> 00:08:38.960 Number one is Shoot Your Shot. 00:08:39.679 --> 00:08:41.679 Title number one is Shoot Your Shot. 00:08:41.840 --> 00:08:43.919 Number two, strike the ground. 00:08:44.159 --> 00:08:44.960 Strike the ground. 00:08:45.200 --> 00:08:46.879 Shoot your shot, strike the ground. 00:08:47.200 --> 00:08:48.559 Would you pray with me? 00:08:49.600 --> 00:08:58.559 Father, we love you, and we're just unbelievably thankful for what you have done, God, in our past. 00:09:00.639 --> 00:09:11.360 We thank you for just the vision to start Metachurch to create an environment that really is just trying to prioritize what you made your church to be. 00:09:12.399 --> 00:09:15.120 I thank you for every person that is a part of this movement. 00:09:15.200 --> 00:09:17.679 And God, I pray that's more than words. 00:09:17.759 --> 00:09:21.759 I pray they feel that, that church isn't something they come to, that they are the church. 00:09:22.000 --> 00:09:24.559 They are your people who are building your kingdom. 00:09:24.720 --> 00:09:36.000 And I pray today that you continue to take this purpose you've given us and build our passion for it and move us forward, God, into the future you have for us. 00:09:36.080 --> 00:09:36.559 We love you. 00:09:36.720 --> 00:09:38.799 And we pray these things in Jesus' name. 00:09:38.879 --> 00:09:41.279 And everyone said, Amen. 00:09:41.519 --> 00:09:45.200 Shoot your shot and strike the ground. 00:09:45.840 --> 00:09:53.200 These two phrases are gonna help us understand what is a great mystery about how our lives operate. 00:09:53.360 --> 00:09:58.879 Now, it's a mystery in the sense that the inner workings of it we can't understand. 00:09:59.039 --> 00:10:00.559 It is supernatural. 00:10:00.799 --> 00:10:07.440 That means above and beyond what is natural, what we can look at and examine and really understand. 00:10:07.600 --> 00:10:15.120 So it's a mystery in that sense, but it's not a mystery in the sense of us not being able to apply it to our lives. 00:10:15.279 --> 00:10:17.679 This is something that we can actually live out. 00:10:17.840 --> 00:10:21.679 And I'm calling it the destiny dynamic. 00:10:21.919 --> 00:10:25.200 All of us have a destiny, and we all have an eternal destiny. 00:10:25.360 --> 00:10:34.480 Those who've put their faith in Jesus, your eternal destiny is God's kingdom someday in perfection, but you also have a sense of destiny during your time on earth. 00:10:34.799 --> 00:10:55.600 I don't know exactly what that is for you, but I know that we're all called to do whatever it takes to get people to Jesus, that we all have a God-given purpose that we should be figuring out and pursuing and prioritizing, that God has given us his word and instructed us how to live and how to operate in every aspect of our lives. 00:10:56.159 --> 00:11:01.679 A life where we're achieving our destiny is a life of great fulfillment and great purpose. 00:11:01.919 --> 00:11:04.720 It's a life that impacts the people around us. 00:11:04.799 --> 00:11:09.120 And there's a dynamic that I think is largely misunderstood. 00:11:09.440 --> 00:11:10.559 We need to understand it. 00:11:10.799 --> 00:11:12.399 There's two sides to the dynamic. 00:11:12.480 --> 00:11:16.080 There is on one side, God's omnipotence. 00:11:16.480 --> 00:11:22.639 That's a like big churchy word, and omnipotence means that God has all of the power. 00:11:23.039 --> 00:11:28.799 It is from the word potent, you know, like powerful and omni, all of it, all powerful. 00:11:28.960 --> 00:11:36.399 This means that God's plans always come to pass, that God's promises never ever fail us. 00:11:36.639 --> 00:11:40.720 God always gets what God decrees. 00:11:41.360 --> 00:11:45.759 And that's a beautiful thing because it means we can anchor our hope in it. 00:11:45.840 --> 00:11:53.919 And it means that if we have the courage to put our faith in what God is doing, that it will grow our faith because God always comes through. 00:11:54.080 --> 00:11:55.600 That's one side of the dynamic. 00:11:55.679 --> 00:11:57.200 It's God's omnipotence. 00:11:57.360 --> 00:12:00.960 On the other side, it is our obedience. 00:12:01.360 --> 00:12:09.440 See, God always gets what God decrees, but God doesn't always get what God desires. 00:12:10.480 --> 00:12:12.799 That might be surprising for you to hear. 00:12:13.039 --> 00:12:16.639 That God desires some things that he doesn't get. 00:12:17.600 --> 00:12:25.440 Now he certainly could if he wanted to, but God has set the world up in a way where our actions actually matter. 00:12:25.840 --> 00:12:27.759 We have responsibility. 00:12:28.080 --> 00:12:35.679 And God's omnipotence and our obedience, when those two things intersect, you live a very powerful life. 00:12:35.840 --> 00:12:40.480 It's like God's promises and then our process of following God. 00:12:40.720 --> 00:12:43.759 It's God's answers and our actions. 00:12:44.480 --> 00:12:53.919 The destiny dynamic is where we find the intersection of God's roles and our roles and how we live our life. 00:12:54.159 --> 00:12:57.200 And a lot of people live with one and not the other. 00:12:57.519 --> 00:13:03.600 People who live as if there is no God only have the human side of the equation. 00:13:03.679 --> 00:13:09.840 And this could be people who are consider themselves atheist or agnostic, or can also be people who believe in God. 00:13:09.919 --> 00:13:12.879 They just live their lives as if God doesn't exist. 00:13:13.200 --> 00:13:17.120 And so without God, you are the one who's determining your life's purpose. 00:13:17.279 --> 00:13:22.159 You are the person who's responsible for defining what success, success actually means. 00:13:22.320 --> 00:13:26.480 It is your ideas and your success or your failures. 00:13:26.720 --> 00:13:35.039 And only having the human side of the equation leads to a very frustrating experience of life. 00:13:35.440 --> 00:13:43.440 In a very real sense, even if you are a believer in Jesus, if you're living like there's no God, you won't end up in hell eternally, but you will end up in hell on earth. 00:13:43.679 --> 00:13:45.519 And that can look like a lot of things. 00:13:46.000 --> 00:13:47.600 Some of them are like obvious, you know? 00:13:47.759 --> 00:13:57.440 Like someone who just makes all of the wrong decisions and they ruin all their relationships and they throw away their careers and they give into all of their addictions and they just spiral into chaos. 00:13:57.600 --> 00:13:58.960 It's like hell on earth. 00:13:59.120 --> 00:14:00.559 But it doesn't always look that way. 00:14:00.720 --> 00:14:02.240 You can go to the other extreme. 00:14:02.559 --> 00:14:17.600 Some people build skill sets, and it's like success after success after success after success, and they climb to the top of whatever ladder they define as success, only to find that when they get there, they are even emptier inside than when they started. 00:14:18.399 --> 00:14:21.600 And that's another form of hell on earth. 00:14:22.080 --> 00:14:31.440 And so people who live without God, or at least live like there is no God, they only have half of the equation, and some people fall to the other side. 00:14:31.840 --> 00:14:40.080 They believe in God and they express their faith in Him, but in doing so, they actually abdicate their own responsibility to take action in the world. 00:14:40.320 --> 00:14:58.159 I grew up in religious environments where people were praying and crying out to God, like God, save all of those people outside of the church without ever actually leaving their church and engaging with the people they want God to save. 00:14:58.799 --> 00:15:12.720 There's an old anecdote, an old story I've heard many times in church, and maybe you've heard it as well, but it kind of demonstrates this idea of like, I'm going to verbally express my faith and not do anything about it, and it's going to be fine, right? 00:15:12.799 --> 00:15:21.519 It's like there's a guy in a flood, and so he's trapped on his roof, and the water is rising and rising, and he's crying out to God, and he's like, God, I really believe in you and I believe that you're going to save me. 00:15:21.600 --> 00:15:23.279 And about that time, a rowboat comes up, right? 00:15:23.360 --> 00:15:24.879 And they're like, get in, we'll bring you to safety. 00:15:25.039 --> 00:15:27.360 And he's like, Oh, I could never do that because I have too much faith. 00:15:27.440 --> 00:15:28.720 You know, I know that God's gonna save me. 00:15:28.799 --> 00:15:36.159 And they try to talk him into it and they leave, and then, you know, like a power boat comes along, you know, and now it's like kind of like this is this the water's like really coming up, man. 00:15:36.320 --> 00:15:37.039 You gotta get in. 00:15:37.120 --> 00:15:38.559 You're going to die if you don't get in the boat. 00:15:38.639 --> 00:15:39.840 And he's like, Don't worry about it. 00:15:39.919 --> 00:15:40.559 God is gonna save me. 00:15:40.639 --> 00:15:43.840 I'll put my faith in God, and finally they can't wait any longer and they go on. 00:15:43.919 --> 00:15:46.960 And now the water is actually beginning to move up his body. 00:15:47.120 --> 00:15:56.399 He is a minute away from being all the way underwater, and a helicopter comes in and they lower their ladder and they scream down to him, climb the ladder, grab on, we'll bring you to safety. 00:15:56.480 --> 00:16:01.759 And he says, There's no way because I've prayed to God and I know he's gonna save me, and the water consumes when he dies. 00:16:03.440 --> 00:16:06.799 And he gets to heaven and he's like, God, what the heck, man? 00:16:06.879 --> 00:16:07.519 You know? 00:16:08.320 --> 00:16:12.320 Like, I had faith in you, and you didn't save me. 00:16:12.639 --> 00:16:15.919 And God's like, bro, I brought a rowboat that wasn't good enough. 00:16:16.000 --> 00:16:18.559 Powerboat, I brought you a helicopter. 00:16:19.279 --> 00:16:22.480 Like, there is a dynamic that we must understand. 00:16:23.600 --> 00:16:29.360 God has created a world where our actions matter. 00:16:30.639 --> 00:16:42.879 And we can fall so easily onto one side or the other, and in religion, we have often fallen on the side of just calling out to God, and it's like, God, would you just please clothe all the homeless and adopt all the orphans and crush all the addictions and heal all the marriages? 00:16:42.960 --> 00:16:48.240 And you know, even in our own lives, we're like, God, you know, my marriage really sucks, and I'm just counting on you, and I know that you're gonna save me. 00:16:48.320 --> 00:16:51.600 And in the meantime, it's like we refuse to read one book about how to be a better spouse. 00:16:51.679 --> 00:16:56.000 We're not gonna take them out on a date, we're gonna keep being passive aggressive, we're gonna belittle them in front of our friends. 00:16:56.080 --> 00:16:58.320 It's like you've got to act, man. 00:16:59.279 --> 00:17:05.839 You've got to have a faith that you live out in some way in order to see real change on this side of life. 00:17:06.000 --> 00:17:10.160 And so we're gonna look in what we call the Old Testament in the church. 00:17:10.240 --> 00:17:12.960 It's it's really the Jewish scriptures, you know. 00:17:13.279 --> 00:17:23.519 And Israel, the Jewish people, were God's chosen people, and it's the it's like the the backstory to the main story, you know, it's all building to the birth of Jesus, who was born as a Jewish man. 00:17:23.599 --> 00:17:29.440 And and so we're in one of the historical books today called 2 Kings chapter 13, verse 14. 00:17:29.519 --> 00:17:33.119 And these two phrases, shoot your shot, strike the ground. 00:17:33.279 --> 00:17:38.880 They're gonna help us understand the destiny dynamic, and if we can understand it, you can live a better life. 00:17:39.039 --> 00:17:44.240 And if we can understand it as a movement, we can move towards our destiny. 00:17:44.799 --> 00:17:58.559 2 Kings 13, verse 14 says this When Elisha became sick with the illness from which he died, King Jehoash of Israel went down and wept over him, and he said, My father, my father, the chariots and horsemen of Israel. 00:17:59.119 --> 00:18:03.119 So we have two characters, and this is pretty much the only two characters we're gonna look at today. 00:18:03.279 --> 00:18:07.519 And the first is Elisha, who's one of the greatest prophets in all of scripture. 00:18:07.680 --> 00:18:08.319 He's amazing. 00:18:08.400 --> 00:18:10.960 Like the miracles that he does, it's just mind-blowing. 00:18:11.039 --> 00:18:14.240 You can read about him in 1 Kings and 2nd Kings in the Old Testament. 00:18:14.480 --> 00:18:17.839 And he's a prophet, which means he speaks for God. 00:18:18.240 --> 00:18:22.799 Like God speaks through him to the people of Israel. 00:18:23.039 --> 00:18:25.519 And it's interesting how prophets speak. 00:18:25.680 --> 00:18:31.519 When they communicate for God, a lot of times they will act and then they'll explain. 00:18:31.680 --> 00:18:36.400 So they'll do like this big symbolic action, and it requires faith, right? 00:18:36.480 --> 00:18:38.000 Because following God requires faith. 00:18:38.160 --> 00:18:45.680 You maybe don't fully understand this big symbolic act, but if you have faith and you can hang in there, they'll explain it on the other side of it. 00:18:45.759 --> 00:18:51.519 And so Elisha is this unbelievable prophet, and then there's King Jehoash, and he's the king of Israel and Israel. 00:18:51.599 --> 00:18:54.880 They're God's chosen people, and he's a bad king. 00:18:55.119 --> 00:19:00.160 As a matter of fact, it says that King Jehoash did evil in the sight of the Lord. 00:19:00.720 --> 00:19:04.720 His main source of evil was that he worshipped false gods. 00:19:04.960 --> 00:19:10.400 He worshiped the fake gods of the other evil nations all around him, he worshipped idols. 00:19:10.640 --> 00:19:18.640 He traded in worship of the one true God for worshiping these little trinkets of wood and metal and stone and stubble and hay, you know. 00:19:18.720 --> 00:19:21.359 And it's like number one on the top ten, right? 00:19:21.440 --> 00:19:23.599 Like thou shalt have no other gods before me. 00:19:23.680 --> 00:19:25.440 It's a really big deal. 00:19:25.839 --> 00:19:28.559 And Israel had this pattern that they would get in. 00:19:29.039 --> 00:19:32.720 They'd be enticed by the false gods of the world. 00:19:32.799 --> 00:19:35.039 And we fall into that too. 00:19:35.119 --> 00:19:46.400 Like we're enticed to give our worship, our attention to other things, to the things around us, things made by human hands, and they would begin to worship these idols, and things would go very badly for them. 00:19:46.559 --> 00:19:56.960 Like the nations around them would come in and they would attack and and they'd be taken over, and then all of a sudden they'd be in real trouble, and so Israel would, you know, kind of be like, oh crap, you know, like and then they'll repent, you know. 00:19:57.200 --> 00:19:59.680 God, we're sorry, and please, you know, help us and get us out of this. 00:19:59.759 --> 00:20:02.880 And God loved them, and they were his people, and he would come in and he'd rescue them. 00:20:02.960 --> 00:20:14.400 And the cycle repeated over and over again, and they haven't quite got to the bottom where they're ready to repent yet, but Jehoash is in trouble because the Arameans have come in and they've attacked, and they're winning. 00:20:14.640 --> 00:20:17.200 Like Israel's getting its tail handed to it, you know. 00:20:17.599 --> 00:20:21.519 And they've actually lost a disputed land called Aphak. 00:20:21.680 --> 00:20:24.000 They've already lost a big part of the battle. 00:20:24.240 --> 00:20:26.559 And now Elisha is dying. 00:20:27.599 --> 00:20:34.079 And the key to understanding the king's remorse is revealed by what he says. 00:20:34.400 --> 00:20:39.440 My father, my father, all the horsemen and chariots of Israel. 00:20:39.599 --> 00:20:40.480 What's he saying? 00:20:41.359 --> 00:21:01.759 The king is acknowledging that the word of God through Elisha, giving them the strategic opportunity and the strategic path towards victory in battle, that Elisha is actually more valuable on a military level than all the horsemen, all the chariots, all the swords, and all the soldiers of Israel. 00:21:02.000 --> 00:21:12.400 The Arameans are already there, they're already gaining victory, and now Elisha, the one person who can speak the wisdom of God to the king, is on his deathbed. 00:21:12.720 --> 00:21:24.319 The king's in a terrible position, and he comes to Elisha, and Elisha is going to teach him a lesson in what we're calling today the destiny dynamic. 00:21:24.640 --> 00:21:29.279 In verse 15, Elisha responded, get a bow and arrows. 00:21:29.440 --> 00:21:31.440 And so he got a bow and arrows. 00:21:31.680 --> 00:21:36.319 And then Elisha said to the king of Israel, Grasp the bow. 00:21:36.559 --> 00:21:39.119 And so the king grasped it. 00:21:39.440 --> 00:21:45.440 And Elisha put his hands on the hands of the king. 00:21:45.680 --> 00:21:47.759 He said, Go get a bow and arrow. 00:21:47.920 --> 00:21:54.079 Now, this was like one of the most common weapons back then, if not the most common weapon to a soldier in Israel. 00:21:54.160 --> 00:21:59.839 And kings were men of war, which means Jehoash knew exactly what to do with one of the. 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:04.000 These, which is the exact opposite of me. 00:22:05.920 --> 00:22:07.599 I've never shot a bow and arrow. 00:22:07.759 --> 00:22:12.480 As a matter of fact, when I brought up this creative idea to the team, they were like 20 steps ahead of me. 00:22:12.640 --> 00:22:19.680 Pastor Tony has made a rule that today I can touch the bow and I can touch the arrows, but not at the same time. 00:22:20.000 --> 00:22:24.880 Something about liability insurance, and I shot one person during practice, whatever, they're fine. 00:22:26.720 --> 00:22:29.359 And so he said, grab the bow. 00:22:30.000 --> 00:22:34.960 And for all the like bow hunters out there, um, just let me save you time. 00:22:35.039 --> 00:22:37.519 I don't need pointers on my technique after service. 00:22:37.680 --> 00:22:39.200 Okay, I don't know what I'm doing. 00:22:39.440 --> 00:22:43.279 But he said, grasp the bow, and then something really significant happened. 00:22:43.519 --> 00:22:44.720 Elisha came. 00:22:44.880 --> 00:22:46.799 He got off of his deathbed. 00:22:47.359 --> 00:22:48.480 Significant. 00:22:48.799 --> 00:22:54.480 And he came to the king and he put his hands over the king's hands. 00:22:56.319 --> 00:22:59.279 Elisha is the representative of God in this scenario. 00:23:00.400 --> 00:23:07.599 And by putting his hands on the king's hands, he's showing him that whatever happens next, you remember how prophets communicate? 00:23:07.759 --> 00:23:09.599 They act and then they speak. 00:23:09.839 --> 00:23:15.279 Whatever the symbolic act is going to be, it is sealed by God. 00:23:16.480 --> 00:23:17.839 It's a promise. 00:23:18.880 --> 00:23:32.720 God's promise, our process, we're moving into God's side of the destiny dynamic by Elisha placing his hands on the king's hands. 00:23:33.599 --> 00:23:37.680 And then in verse 17, Elisha said, Open the east window. 00:23:37.839 --> 00:23:38.960 And so he opened it. 00:23:39.119 --> 00:23:41.440 And Elisha said, Shoot. 00:23:41.759 --> 00:23:42.640 So he shot. 00:23:42.799 --> 00:23:46.000 And then Elisha said, The Lord's arrow of victory. 00:23:46.160 --> 00:23:49.920 Yes, the arrow of victory over Aram. 00:23:50.960 --> 00:23:57.839 And so Elisha with his hands over the king's hands has him draw back the bow, open up the east window. 00:23:58.000 --> 00:24:02.720 Now it's interesting because the east faced Aphak. 00:24:02.960 --> 00:24:06.000 Aphak is where they've already lost the battle. 00:24:06.240 --> 00:24:08.720 Aram has already defeated them there. 00:24:08.799 --> 00:24:13.519 And so God is pointing the king directly at his problem. 00:24:14.880 --> 00:24:26.640 This is really important because if we're living over here and we're living like there is no God and we only have this side of the destiny dynamic, we're trying to make our own destiny and live our own purpose, not God's purpose for our lives. 00:24:26.799 --> 00:24:30.480 Then when we have problems, they're simply problems. 00:24:31.200 --> 00:24:37.359 So you have to work around them, or you have to ignore them, or you have to find something to self-medicate so that you forget about them. 00:24:38.160 --> 00:24:46.880 But with God, our problems, when they are met with his power, become unlimited potential. 00:24:47.039 --> 00:24:54.559 God says he works all things out for the good of those who love him, who are called to his purposes. 00:24:54.720 --> 00:24:58.079 He has him draw the bow and he has them face east. 00:24:59.119 --> 00:25:01.200 He has them put one arrow on. 00:25:02.079 --> 00:25:06.079 And he tells him, shoot your shot. 00:25:08.400 --> 00:25:14.079 One arrow out the window towards the battle they have lost is going to make no difference militarily. 00:25:14.240 --> 00:25:17.119 However, this isn't a military move. 00:25:17.279 --> 00:25:19.279 It is a move of faith. 00:25:20.720 --> 00:25:31.039 Just that one arrow out the window, shooting his shot, is showing that he believes God's promise. 00:25:31.519 --> 00:25:33.839 And Elisha tells him what the promise is. 00:25:34.079 --> 00:25:38.559 The arrow of victory, the victory over Aram. 00:25:39.359 --> 00:25:40.960 It's a beautiful moment. 00:25:41.759 --> 00:25:45.759 It's important to learn how to shoot your shot. 00:25:46.319 --> 00:25:47.359 Many of you know that. 00:25:47.440 --> 00:25:50.799 Last week was Katie's birthday, my wife, if you're new. 00:25:50.960 --> 00:25:53.279 And uh February 21st. 00:25:53.359 --> 00:25:54.160 It's a great day. 00:25:54.240 --> 00:25:56.960 It is the day that my wife came to earth. 00:25:57.039 --> 00:26:01.200 And uh, Pastor Roy did such a good job, and I got the day off just to celebrate with her. 00:26:01.279 --> 00:26:12.400 And what you may not know is that the first time I ever spoke to her was also on her birthday many years ago, February 21st. 00:26:13.039 --> 00:26:19.200 And it wasn't the first time I'd seen her, and it wasn't the second time I'd seen her. 00:26:19.519 --> 00:26:25.200 I had actually seen her off and on for like five months. 00:26:25.839 --> 00:26:30.000 Took me that long to work up the courage to speak to her. 00:26:30.319 --> 00:26:39.440 For five months, I was, you know, not stalking, I was just like admiring from a distance without being seen. 00:26:39.680 --> 00:26:44.880 Okay, yeah, I was I was stalking her for like five months, you know, and uh and I was very nervous. 00:26:45.119 --> 00:26:56.319 And you've seen my wife, she's she's very beautiful and not just on the outside, she's highly successful and very smart, very challenging, and it's like it's very intimidating. 00:26:56.559 --> 00:26:59.759 And so for five months, I couldn't figure out how to talk to her. 00:27:00.880 --> 00:27:04.160 And what I needed was a window of opportunity. 00:27:04.240 --> 00:27:05.759 That's what I was looking for. 00:27:06.160 --> 00:27:11.440 And on February 21st, she decided to spend her birthday going to a concert. 00:27:11.599 --> 00:27:16.240 And at this concert, the headlining band was my band. 00:27:16.640 --> 00:27:21.119 And I was like, oh, we are getting married, like it is on. 00:27:21.359 --> 00:27:22.880 This is perfect. 00:27:23.920 --> 00:27:26.079 And I knew I had to shoot my shot. 00:27:26.240 --> 00:27:28.720 And I didn't drop a bomb on her, I promise. 00:27:28.880 --> 00:27:35.839 It was like three sentences, it was one arrow, but it opened up the dialogue. 00:27:37.119 --> 00:27:42.319 It was one little move that began to lead us towards our destiny. 00:27:42.640 --> 00:27:46.720 God operates in our lives in ways that require faith. 00:27:47.920 --> 00:27:52.480 It's like he opens up these windows of opportunity, and that's what we say, right? 00:27:52.640 --> 00:27:54.720 I just need a window of opportunity. 00:27:55.119 --> 00:28:00.720 Windows are very difficult because you can only see a small piece of the picture. 00:28:01.279 --> 00:28:07.599 It requires faith to follow God when we know he can see the whole picture, but we can't. 00:28:07.920 --> 00:28:12.240 We just get a window into where we're headed. 00:28:14.000 --> 00:28:17.039 And I wonder what you see in your window. 00:28:17.200 --> 00:28:18.079 I wonder. 00:28:18.880 --> 00:28:26.079 If, like King Jehoash, he would have seen worry in his window, he's being pointed to the very battle that he just lost. 00:28:26.559 --> 00:28:30.000 And maybe you're thinking, boy, I don't see any windows in my life. 00:28:30.079 --> 00:28:42.160 Like, I would love for God to give me a window of opportunity in my career, a window of opportunity in my relationships, a window of opportunity in my finances and my follow-up question would be like, how much time are you spending with God? 00:28:43.200 --> 00:28:45.519 How much are you seeking his purpose for your life? 00:28:45.680 --> 00:28:49.200 How much are you using his truths as the filter for your reality? 00:28:50.480 --> 00:28:56.799 God works all things for good for those who love him and are following his purposes. 00:28:57.440 --> 00:28:59.599 And if you love someone, you spend time with them. 00:28:59.839 --> 00:29:04.720 And if you're more interested in God's purpose for your life than your purpose for your life, then you're going to be seeking that out. 00:29:04.799 --> 00:29:13.119 And if you are spending time with God and seeking out his will for your life, you will see windows of opportunity every day of your life. 00:29:13.839 --> 00:29:16.880 God's desperate to show us through the window. 00:29:17.119 --> 00:29:19.119 We don't get the whole picture though. 00:29:19.519 --> 00:29:21.200 We just get a piece. 00:29:22.720 --> 00:29:28.880 And it takes faith and it takes courage to shoot your shot. 00:29:30.720 --> 00:29:42.160 To shoot the one arrow through the window was acknowledging that God is omnipotent, that God does have the power, that if God guarantees the victory, then the victory will in fact come. 00:29:42.319 --> 00:29:48.400 It's the acknowledgement that we don't save ourselves and we don't succeed with ourselves. 00:29:49.039 --> 00:29:50.880 God wins the war. 00:29:51.920 --> 00:29:59.920 God fights the battles, God brings the victory, but it doesn't mean that we don't play a role. 00:30:00.319 --> 00:30:02.559 Here's how this verse ends. 00:30:04.000 --> 00:30:06.960 Elisha said, open the window, and he opened it, and he said, shoot, so he shot. 00:30:07.039 --> 00:30:19.359 And Elisha said, The Lord's arrow of victory, yes, the arrow of victory over Aram, you are to strike down the Arameans in Aphakh, that's where they've already lost, until you have put an end to them. 00:30:20.079 --> 00:30:24.000 He guarantees victory in one of the battles. 00:30:24.240 --> 00:30:27.680 He guarantees victory in this one area. 00:30:28.799 --> 00:30:35.279 But you should know that in life, you can win some battles and still lose the war. 00:30:36.559 --> 00:30:50.319 To completely see this thing through, for the king to be able to not only protect his kingdom, but to continue to build it and thrive, he needed both sides of the destiny dynamic. 00:30:50.720 --> 00:30:54.079 In verse 18, then Elisha said, Take the arrows. 00:30:54.400 --> 00:30:59.839 So the king took them, and Elisha said to the king of Israel, strike the ground. 00:31:00.880 --> 00:31:17.440 Now, literally translated, what he means is to take an arrow, not to shoot it, not to use the arrow how it's meant to be used, alongside of the bow, but to take the arrow and to strike the ground with it. 00:31:19.039 --> 00:31:21.839 I already admitted, I don't know much about bows and arrows. 00:31:22.000 --> 00:31:23.839 I know this is not how they work. 00:31:26.559 --> 00:31:28.799 And King Jehoash is a man of war. 00:31:28.960 --> 00:31:30.640 And more than that, he's a king. 00:31:30.880 --> 00:31:34.240 And kings are meant to be dignified and regal. 00:31:35.119 --> 00:31:38.160 And what Elisha is asking him to do is far from that. 00:31:38.960 --> 00:31:40.319 It's stupid. 00:31:40.640 --> 00:31:42.079 It's pointless. 00:31:42.720 --> 00:31:46.799 If someone walked by the room and saw him, he could lose influence. 00:31:46.960 --> 00:31:49.680 They might think that the king has finally cracked. 00:31:49.920 --> 00:31:53.119 The king has lost his mind. 00:31:54.880 --> 00:31:56.240 We shoot our shot. 00:31:56.319 --> 00:32:00.000 That's an acknowledgement that we have faith. 00:32:00.400 --> 00:32:05.599 At least outwardly, we are proclaiming that we believe in God. 00:32:05.920 --> 00:32:08.160 We see the window of opportunity. 00:32:08.799 --> 00:32:10.640 But what are we going to do about it? 00:32:11.039 --> 00:32:14.079 This is where we must strike the ground. 00:32:15.680 --> 00:32:18.960 And the question is: will the king comply? 00:32:19.519 --> 00:32:22.160 Will he become undignified? 00:32:22.799 --> 00:32:24.799 Will he strike the ground? 00:32:25.119 --> 00:32:28.559 Will he go through with this silly exercise? 00:32:28.799 --> 00:32:31.519 Remember, prophets act and then they speak. 00:32:31.759 --> 00:32:32.799 This one's on him. 00:32:33.039 --> 00:32:35.680 Elisha's hands are no longer on the king's hands. 00:32:35.759 --> 00:32:40.000 This is whether or not he will be truly obedient. 00:32:41.039 --> 00:32:43.359 Elisha said, Take the arrows, and he took them. 00:32:43.599 --> 00:32:46.640 And Elisha said to the king of Israel, strike the ground. 00:32:47.119 --> 00:32:48.799 And so he struck the ground. 00:32:49.119 --> 00:32:50.079 Verse 18. 00:32:50.319 --> 00:32:53.359 He struck the ground three times. 00:32:55.440 --> 00:32:56.559 And then he stopped. 00:32:58.079 --> 00:32:58.960 Three times. 00:32:59.599 --> 00:33:00.640 And then he stopped. 00:33:01.200 --> 00:33:08.640 And I can almost hear Elisha in astonishment saying, Did I say stop? 00:33:10.720 --> 00:33:12.480 Did I tell you to stop? 00:33:12.640 --> 00:33:14.000 Did God say stop? 00:33:14.240 --> 00:33:16.400 Did someone mention the number three? 00:33:16.960 --> 00:33:20.319 It's almost like the king said, I'll play your game, but I'm only playing halfway. 00:33:20.400 --> 00:33:21.759 I'm only playing half-hearted. 00:33:21.839 --> 00:33:23.279 And I've got news for you. 00:33:23.519 --> 00:33:25.599 Half obedience has a name. 00:33:25.759 --> 00:33:28.160 It's called disobedience. 00:33:30.160 --> 00:33:31.200 Three times. 00:33:31.519 --> 00:33:32.880 And he stopped. 00:33:34.400 --> 00:33:42.799 And his lack of follow-through and his lack of intensity and his lack of being willing to do whatever it takes, his lack striking the ground was gonna have severe consequences. 00:33:42.880 --> 00:33:50.000 In verse 19, the man of God was angry with him and said, You should have struck the ground five or six times. 00:33:50.480 --> 00:33:53.920 Then you would have struck down Aram until you had put it into them. 00:33:54.160 --> 00:33:58.880 But now you will only strike them down three times. 00:33:59.359 --> 00:34:01.680 We know the three battles that he'll win. 00:34:01.759 --> 00:34:06.000 It's the battles to take back Aphak, because God had promised that. 00:34:06.240 --> 00:34:08.159 God always stands by his promises. 00:34:09.280 --> 00:34:19.360 But there is an intersection between God's omnipotence and our obedience, God's promises and our process of living a life following him. 00:34:20.559 --> 00:34:23.119