WEBVTT 00:00:04.719 --> 00:00:07.040 Welcome to the MetaCurch Podcast. 00:00:07.200 --> 00:00:08.160 My name's Clayton. 00:00:08.240 --> 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 --> 00:00:20.640 I hope that you enjoy today's message. 00:00:23.760 --> 00:00:28.239 Welcome, MetaCurch, to our last Sunday at the saloon. 00:00:28.399 --> 00:00:33.439 If you're new with us, you have joined us in the middle of a big, exciting transition. 00:00:33.600 --> 00:00:38.399 Recently, MetaCurch was able to purchase our very first property. 00:00:38.560 --> 00:00:48.479 It's a beautiful building on the west side of San Antonio, and we are transitioning our operations from the saloon to the new location. 00:00:48.640 --> 00:00:56.640 And so a couple things you need to know is that next Sunday, November 28th, we will not have in-person services anywhere. 00:00:56.880 --> 00:01:01.600 We won't be meeting in person here at the saloon or over at the new building. 00:01:01.759 --> 00:01:07.680 We're going to need these two full weeks in order to be able to open on December 5th. 00:01:07.760 --> 00:01:14.560 And so that's the second date, is our first weekend of holding services at the news space is December 5th. 00:01:14.640 --> 00:01:18.640 We're going to have two service times, 9 45 and 11:30. 00:01:20.560 --> 00:01:27.359 And I hope that you guys who have been streaming with us, if you're here in town, will show up to the opening of this new space. 00:01:27.519 --> 00:01:37.439 And so as we're gearing up and we're preparing for the future, today we want to take some time and find some value in the past in a message I'm calling. 00:01:37.599 --> 00:01:39.200 Don't forget to be thankful. 00:01:39.359 --> 00:01:40.719 Would you pray with me? 00:01:41.200 --> 00:01:42.239 God, we love you. 00:01:42.400 --> 00:01:44.079 We thank you for loving us. 00:01:44.239 --> 00:01:46.319 We thank you for all that you're doing. 00:01:46.560 --> 00:01:56.560 God, we thank you for moments like this where we kind of feel, in a sense, with this mission, like it's a mountaintop moment where we're just seeing your blessing very obviously. 00:01:56.719 --> 00:02:04.239 And God, we thank you for the valleys, the times in our life where you shape us and mold us and strengthen us and fortify us. 00:02:04.480 --> 00:02:15.120 We got, we just give you glory for all of it, God, and we ask that today, as we take a look back, that you would teach us how to be gracious in the present. 00:02:15.360 --> 00:02:15.680 We love you. 00:02:15.919 --> 00:02:17.599 We pray these things in Jesus' name. 00:02:17.919 --> 00:02:18.560 Amen. 00:02:19.039 --> 00:02:22.159 Don't forget to be thankful. 00:02:22.639 --> 00:02:26.479 We live in a culture that is largely discontent. 00:02:26.639 --> 00:02:29.599 And we look around at what is going on in the present. 00:02:29.759 --> 00:02:32.159 We look at the things that are going wrong in our life. 00:02:32.319 --> 00:02:40.719 We all have areas that we wish were different or better, things that we could wish we could change or improve to some degree. 00:02:40.879 --> 00:02:50.960 And because there are always this almost endless number of things that we wish were different, it's easy to look at our lives and just to wish that they were better. 00:02:51.120 --> 00:03:05.199 And when all you can think about is how much better your life can be, it's very easy to have this attitude of graciousness and gratitude that we often see Jesus wants us to have. 00:03:05.439 --> 00:03:23.120 This has been common across all of human history, and we see this in Scripture, and one of the most famous stories in Scripture happens in the Old Testament, and it's the Israelites, they've been captive in Egypt for hundreds of years, generation after generation, were literally enslaved. 00:03:23.199 --> 00:03:28.560 They were doing hard manual labor for an Egyptian government that did not care about them. 00:03:28.719 --> 00:03:34.560 They were only using them, they were treated as slaves, they were fed like slaves, they were free labor. 00:03:34.639 --> 00:03:39.199 And finally, after 400 years, God sends Moses and Moses leads them out. 00:03:39.439 --> 00:03:42.159 And man, it's this like miracle after miracle. 00:03:42.319 --> 00:03:49.199 There's 10 different plagues that happen in Egypt to convince the king of Egypt, the Pharaoh, to let them go in the first place. 00:03:49.280 --> 00:03:55.520 And when they're finally free, they come to this impassable body of water, and God splits the water. 00:03:55.680 --> 00:04:00.879 These like million plus Israelites walk across in the middle of a sea on dry ground. 00:04:00.960 --> 00:04:10.080 When they get to the other side, they have no food, and so God miraculously reigns food from heaven six days a week for 40 years. 00:04:10.639 --> 00:04:11.360 Over and over. 00:04:11.439 --> 00:04:14.560 That just scratches the surface of miracle after miracle. 00:04:14.639 --> 00:04:24.639 They end up in battles and wars with the surrounding nations, and they're just kind of like this rag tag nation, and God is with them, and they they win. 00:04:24.800 --> 00:04:29.360 They win battle after battle after war after war, miracle after miracle. 00:04:29.519 --> 00:04:52.480 And yet, if you read the account in Exodus in the Old Testament, the Jewish scriptures, what you find is a group of people, this nation of Israel, that is constantly complaining, constantly grumbling, always worrying about the future, always speaking negatively about their leaders like Moses and Aaron. 00:04:52.639 --> 00:04:55.199 They can never seem to get it together. 00:04:55.360 --> 00:05:02.240 And over and over again, they instantly forget all that God has already done for them. 00:05:02.399 --> 00:05:12.959 And because they choose a limited scope of history, they have a maximized sense of discontentment. 00:05:13.279 --> 00:05:15.680 And this happens to us so often. 00:05:15.839 --> 00:05:25.759 And it's really interesting for those of us who are Jesus followers and who like pray about things, you know, because we all have things that we want and we have goals. 00:05:25.839 --> 00:05:28.639 And sometimes you pray about things for years and years. 00:05:28.720 --> 00:05:50.879 And if you're single and you're unhappy about being single, you might have prayed and prayed and prayed, and it took a long time, but God finally brought someone into your life and you finally got married, and it's like all of your dreams came true, and now you're sitting here today in November of 2021, five years into a marriage, thinking, Why did I ever marry this person in the first place? 00:05:51.120 --> 00:06:04.560 You have a very limited scope of your history, and so maybe you're thinking about the last six months, and the last six months have been really hard, or maybe you're thinking about the last 18 months, you know, because you had like two months of quarantine where it was awesome because you get to be around each other all of the time. 00:06:04.720 --> 00:06:11.040 And after those two months kind of wore off their honeymoon period, it was like, oh my gosh, I have to be around this person all the time. 00:06:11.199 --> 00:06:23.839 And so you have a limited scope of history, and you've had a very difficult last 18 months, and because that's where your history begins in your perspective, it feels like the entire marriage has been a failure. 00:06:24.000 --> 00:06:26.959 And if you're honest, you're kind of looking for your way out. 00:06:27.040 --> 00:06:30.639 And some of you just grew up like ready to be a parent, man. 00:06:30.800 --> 00:06:41.439 Some of you just loved kids, you had younger siblings, or you worked in the nursery growing up, and you got married, and you couldn't wait to extend the family line and to bring these beautiful children into the world. 00:06:41.519 --> 00:06:45.600 And you know, now they're teenagers and you have this limited scope of history. 00:06:45.759 --> 00:06:53.360 You can remember right back to about when puberty started and it all hit the fan, and you didn't recognize them as the human beings that you brought into this world anymore. 00:06:53.519 --> 00:06:59.120 And now you are like, I cannot wait to get this child out of my house. 00:06:59.920 --> 00:07:02.560 It's so interesting because this happens all the time. 00:07:02.879 --> 00:07:04.959 We pray and pray and pray for a job. 00:07:05.199 --> 00:07:05.439 Amen. 00:07:05.680 --> 00:07:06.879 We want to be in that career field. 00:07:06.959 --> 00:07:22.800 You know, you really want to, and you go through the process and you get the qualifications and you get the degrees, and you finally get the job, and now you've been in the job for a few years, and you have a limited scope of history, so you're really only thinking about the last year, and the last year you've been even busier, and you actually got promoted, which is what you wanted. 00:07:22.959 --> 00:07:31.199 You prayed for that promotion, but the promotion comes with some problems because now you're managing people, and people are difficult to manage because we're all broken jacked-up people. 00:07:31.439 --> 00:07:38.720 And so you're discontent in your job, and you're discontent in your marriage, and you're discontent in your parenting, and you're discontent in life. 00:07:38.879 --> 00:07:48.720 And what's so interesting about every one of those scenarios is the very thing that you're looking to escape is something that at one point you are desperately praying for. 00:07:50.160 --> 00:07:53.120 And some of the hardest things to manage are answered prayers. 00:07:53.600 --> 00:07:59.920 And the Egyptians fell into that because for generations they are like crying out to be freed from slavery. 00:08:00.480 --> 00:08:02.079 Like, God, we don't understand. 00:08:02.240 --> 00:08:03.680 Have you forgotten about us? 00:08:03.920 --> 00:08:09.120 You promised us the land of Canaan, the land that is flowing with milk and honey. 00:08:09.199 --> 00:08:12.639 You promised it to our greatest grandparent, Abraham. 00:08:12.800 --> 00:08:15.040 You told us this, and here we are. 00:08:15.839 --> 00:08:17.360 And finally, God answers. 00:08:17.519 --> 00:08:24.800 He answers the prayer, he sends the plagues, he parts the waters, he brings them right to the brink of the promised land. 00:08:25.279 --> 00:08:35.360 And now they are grumbling against and complaining about the very thing that they have been so desperately praying for. 00:08:36.159 --> 00:08:47.919 Don't forget to be thankful, and we all want to raise thankful children, and we all like to be surrounded by gracious people, and yet we are a very thankless society. 00:08:48.399 --> 00:08:55.679 We often find gratitude for the things that we have so incredibly difficult, and this is not a new problem. 00:08:56.159 --> 00:09:00.720 It was Moses that God called to lead Israel into the promised land. 00:09:01.360 --> 00:09:09.600 And because of some sin in Moses' life, he got to bring them all the way to the edge of the promised land, but he he didn't actually get to bring them in. 00:09:09.840 --> 00:09:12.000 And so he did something really cool. 00:09:12.480 --> 00:09:22.960 He got up and he told the people of Israel exactly what he believed they needed to hear before a new leader, Joshua, took them into the promised land. 00:09:23.120 --> 00:09:26.159 And we have that speech from Moses recorded. 00:09:26.320 --> 00:09:28.799 We call it the book of Deuteronomy. 00:09:28.879 --> 00:09:31.759 It is also at the beginning of our Old Testament. 00:09:32.000 --> 00:09:37.039 And I want you to hear a common theme that he has all throughout this message. 00:09:37.120 --> 00:09:43.120 We're gonna look at three different parts of this multi multi-multi-chapter speech. 00:09:43.360 --> 00:09:47.039 The first is in Deuteronomy 4, and you're very quickly going to see a pattern. 00:09:47.200 --> 00:09:54.320 In Deuteronomy 4, Moses says to the people, only be on your guard and diligently watch yourselves. 00:09:54.559 --> 00:09:55.120 Why? 00:09:55.519 --> 00:09:57.919 So that you don't forget. 00:09:58.320 --> 00:10:07.360 Don't forget to be thankful, so that you don't forget the things your eyes have seen, and so that they don't slip from your mind as long as you live. 00:10:07.600 --> 00:10:11.519 Teach them to your children and teach them to your grandchildren. 00:10:11.679 --> 00:10:16.879 He says, to be on your guard and to diligently watch yourself. 00:10:17.679 --> 00:10:26.960 He's asking them not to forget all of the amazing things that they saw the hand of God do, these amazing works that they had seen. 00:10:27.200 --> 00:10:34.879 This is the generation who actually saw the miracles out of Egypt, who saw the miracles in the wilderness. 00:10:35.120 --> 00:10:44.879 They know the power of the hand of God, but Abraham knows the human tendency to have a very short view of history. 00:10:45.600 --> 00:11:00.799 You see, if the Israelites do not watch themselves, if they do not stay diligent, then they will limit their scope of history to just the last few weeks or months or even the last few years. 00:11:01.360 --> 00:11:07.440 And on the other side of that limited scope is all of the miracles that God had already done. 00:11:08.559 --> 00:11:14.639 You see, part of our struggle with gratitude is we don't have a long enough perspective. 00:11:14.720 --> 00:11:40.080 And I think it's very interesting that he says, not only to watch yourselves, and this is a message to us from God that if you are struggling with contentment, if you are struggling with gratitude, you have to begin to take the first step yourself of getting the proper perspective, of expanding your historical scope and not blocking out of your life the things that God has already done in your life. 00:11:40.320 --> 00:11:48.480 But he doesn't just say to guard yourself, he also says, teach them to your children and your grandchildren. 00:11:48.639 --> 00:11:57.279 Don't forget the things your eyes have seen, don't let them slip from your mind and teach them to your children and to your grandchildren and to the parents listening. 00:11:57.440 --> 00:12:00.639 I'm sure you wrestle with the same things that Katie and I wrestle with. 00:12:00.799 --> 00:12:14.799 One of the things that's very difficult is this balance between wanting to give your kid the best life they can possibly have, which means providing like all of their needs and even providing a lot of their wants, just the things that they desire. 00:12:15.039 --> 00:12:21.519 But on the other side of that balance is not ending up with kids who are absolutely spoiled rotten. 00:12:21.919 --> 00:12:31.600 And there's a lot of things, chances are, unless you come from generational wealth, chances are your kids have a lot of things and a lot of opportunities that you didn't have growing up. 00:12:31.840 --> 00:12:40.320 And when you think about some of the things that you didn't have, they were actually very formative into creating you into the person that you became. 00:12:40.559 --> 00:12:43.519 And I get really worried about our kids just being on screens all the time. 00:12:43.679 --> 00:12:47.200 My kids and your kids, I'm worried about all of them being on screens all of the time. 00:12:47.360 --> 00:12:58.960 Our kids not going outside, you know, and like whatever, throwing rocks at each other, learning those lessons, jumping over fences, using their imaginations in any other form except for like Minecraft and Fortnite. 00:12:59.039 --> 00:13:06.399 And I'm I'm sure they're using their imagination, but it's not tactile and it's a it's a a world that isn't actually reality. 00:13:06.559 --> 00:13:11.360 And so we worry about those things, and yet we want to give our kids all that we can give them. 00:13:11.440 --> 00:13:22.879 And here's the big problem I see when these younger generations are becoming adults is we are raising our kids with very, very limited scopes of history. 00:13:23.679 --> 00:13:31.279 And even for most adults alive in the West right now, their historical perspective is very, very small. 00:13:31.519 --> 00:13:41.759 They're usually only thinking about the last few months and making decisions about not just their present, but also their future based on that limited scope. 00:13:42.399 --> 00:13:46.399 People don't know how the world has actually functioned across human history. 00:13:46.559 --> 00:13:56.080 They don't actually know really what we have and the opportunities that we have, and all of the bloodshed that took place to get us to these opportunities. 00:13:56.240 --> 00:13:58.159 And so we take them for granted. 00:13:58.320 --> 00:14:01.120 And our children are like a microcosm of this. 00:14:01.279 --> 00:14:09.759 Because for most of us, our kids, from the day they showed up, have been given everything they need and almost everything they desire. 00:14:09.919 --> 00:14:13.279 And so, how could they not take it for granted? 00:14:13.759 --> 00:14:20.000 These Israelite children and grandchildren were going to be born in the promised land. 00:14:20.799 --> 00:14:41.600 And if the people who came out of Egypt do not share the story of what their eyes have seen and what their minds can remember, then how will the future generations have any context for understanding the significance of where they live and the glory of the God who brought them there? 00:14:42.559 --> 00:14:50.399 Over and over and over again, Scripture implores us to tell ourselves we are the first movers. 00:14:50.480 --> 00:15:02.720 We have to make the decision to expand our scope of history, to actually remember the things that God has done in our life, and we have to tell those stories to our children and our children's children. 00:15:02.960 --> 00:15:16.080 This is part of how we make known the glory of God, and we will take it for granted, and future generations will take it for granted if we do not keep it in front of them. 00:15:16.240 --> 00:15:21.759 And so many people grew up without grandparents who lived through the Great Depression. 00:15:22.480 --> 00:15:37.440 And I can remember my grandma sitting me down and talking me through it, and I can remember as I got older observing things in her life and how she was shaped by living through such a significant world event. 00:15:38.080 --> 00:15:49.360 And how will we know, and how will future generations know if we can't see it and we've lived through it, and if we don't pass that on, don't forget what you've seen. 00:15:49.600 --> 00:15:53.759 Don't forget the memories of the life that you've already lived. 00:15:54.080 --> 00:15:57.360 We're two weeks away from opening opening up in a brand new building. 00:15:57.600 --> 00:16:21.200 And so some of you are going to have kids in the next few years, and they're going to grow up never having attended a service in this bar, and we're gonna reach a whole bunch of new people in that community and in that area, and they will have no idea really about the history and all that God has done and the ways that He used a saloon on the west side of town and all of the history before that. 00:16:21.360 --> 00:16:23.840 They won't know if we don't tell them. 00:16:24.000 --> 00:16:35.679 And if we forget, if we rewrite our history with a limited scope that starts at a new fancy building, we will be removing from ourselves. 00:16:36.080 --> 00:16:40.879 Part of the miracle of how God has made this movement move. 00:16:40.960 --> 00:16:45.440 In Deuteronomy 4, it says, Be on your guard so that you don't forget. 00:16:45.600 --> 00:16:52.879 In Deuteronomy 6, it says, When the Lord your God brings you into the land, he swore to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that he would give you. 00:16:53.120 --> 00:17:08.160 A land with large and beautiful cities, here's the key, that you did not build, houses full of every good thing that you did not fill them with, cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant. 00:17:08.240 --> 00:17:20.319 And when you eat, and when you are satisfied, here it is, be careful not to forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery. 00:17:20.559 --> 00:17:27.599 We can't forget, he says in Deuteronomy 4, the things that we have seen and experienced and the lives of others around us and the world around us. 00:17:27.839 --> 00:17:30.960 And we cannot forget where we have been. 00:17:32.079 --> 00:17:38.000 They were going into the promised land, and it's kind of like buying a house fully furnished, you know? 00:17:38.319 --> 00:17:40.640 Like you guys don't even have any work to do. 00:17:40.880 --> 00:17:43.599 Like, first of all, you didn't create this land. 00:17:43.839 --> 00:17:46.079 God spoke this world into creation. 00:17:46.319 --> 00:17:48.400 You're coming in, it's already set up. 00:17:48.640 --> 00:17:56.000 The vineyards are already on the trellis, the wine presses are ready to ferment, the houses are ready for you to move in. 00:17:56.240 --> 00:17:58.160 It's all been set up for you. 00:17:58.400 --> 00:18:01.519 And I gotta be honest, I read that and I am convicted. 00:18:01.759 --> 00:18:02.799 It is how I feel. 00:18:03.119 --> 00:18:05.519 You guys know the story, and we'll never stop telling it. 00:18:06.000 --> 00:18:09.920 We were half a million dollars short of buying this building. 00:18:10.160 --> 00:18:12.480 A building that's already set up. 00:18:12.640 --> 00:18:13.920 It's already built. 00:18:14.079 --> 00:18:16.400 The air conditioner is already in it. 00:18:16.799 --> 00:18:28.000 As a matter of fact, because we're sharing it with bingo for a season, the chairs are already on the floors, the lights are already in the ceilings, it's set up for us. 00:18:28.319 --> 00:18:29.839 God did that. 00:18:31.119 --> 00:18:40.319 And he says, as great as this is, and you guys know this, we have been begging God for a permanent space for four years. 00:18:40.880 --> 00:18:51.519 But don't forget, so often the things that we end up complaining and grumbling about five years later are the very things that we begged God for today. 00:18:52.400 --> 00:19:05.119 And if we are not careful and if we do not keep a proper perspective, then we'll be one year, three years, five years into the building of our dreams, and we'll be viewing it as the building of our nightmares. 00:19:05.279 --> 00:19:07.039 It's all about perspective. 00:19:07.359 --> 00:19:14.480 We might hit the same growth problems, the same capacity problems in a building five times this size, then what? 00:19:15.359 --> 00:19:17.519 Will we lose our gratitude? 00:19:17.839 --> 00:19:23.200 Will we be like the Israelites and look to God saying, Why would you even bring us out of Egypt? 00:19:23.839 --> 00:19:29.039 Man, at least back at the bar, you know, we had a stage that was fully set up. 00:19:29.279 --> 00:19:33.359 At least back at the bar, we didn't have quite so many chairs to move. 00:19:33.599 --> 00:19:35.680 Anyone can become Egypt. 00:19:35.759 --> 00:19:36.480 It's easy. 00:19:36.720 --> 00:19:38.640 You just have to forget. 00:19:39.759 --> 00:19:42.079 Limit off your scope of history. 00:19:42.559 --> 00:19:47.200 We don't know how to make decisions as a society because we don't know where we are. 00:19:48.000 --> 00:19:51.119 We have no clue where we are. 00:19:52.400 --> 00:20:00.240 This modern world with all of our technology, the freedoms that all of us enjoy, we have no idea what it took to get here. 00:20:00.400 --> 00:20:09.519 And because we just woke up, we woke up in the West, we woke up with freedom of religion, we woke up with affluence, we woke up with all these things. 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:11.440 We were just born into it. 00:20:11.680 --> 00:20:18.240 Like the poorest people in the West are living like kings compared to most of the undeveloped world. 00:20:19.359 --> 00:20:20.400 And we have no idea. 00:20:20.720 --> 00:20:22.720 We have such a limited scope of history. 00:20:23.920 --> 00:20:27.599 All we're thinking about is maybe the last five years, the last season. 00:20:28.160 --> 00:20:32.960 You're just thinking about since you turned 18, since you turned 30, since you turned 50. 00:20:33.119 --> 00:20:34.559 That's your scope of history. 00:20:34.880 --> 00:20:37.599 It's so small, it's so small. 00:20:38.319 --> 00:20:42.960 And what happens is I wake up and I'm dissatisfied, and it's easy to complain. 00:20:43.119 --> 00:20:54.240 And every time that happens, it is because I have shut myself off from the history, and what is locked in the history is all of the movement and miracles that God has already done in my life. 00:20:54.880 --> 00:20:59.039 Don't forget what you've seen, and don't forget where you've been. 00:21:00.079 --> 00:21:03.920 And isn't it interesting that Egypt was the place of their slavery? 00:21:04.799 --> 00:21:13.839 And even though Egypt was the place they wanted to escape, once they are out of it, it is now the perspective that will lead to their encouragement. 00:21:15.119 --> 00:21:28.240 And the things that you want out of so bad right now, once God delivers them from you, if you turn your back on them, they will no longer provide you the perspective to be able to manage what God has now placed in your hands. 00:21:28.319 --> 00:21:32.319 And God is moving us and he's growing us and he's transitioning us, meta church. 00:21:32.960 --> 00:21:37.759 And we cannot forget, or we will lose our gratitude. 00:21:38.160 --> 00:21:38.720 He goes on. 00:21:38.799 --> 00:21:41.200 I'm gonna give you one last example, although there are many others. 00:21:41.359 --> 00:21:43.440 We looked at Deuteronomy 4 and Deuteronomy 6. 00:21:43.519 --> 00:21:44.559 We're gonna look at chapter 8. 00:21:44.720 --> 00:21:56.000 In chapter 8, he says, carefully follow every command I'm giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and take possession of the land the Lord swore to your ancestors. 00:21:56.160 --> 00:21:59.759 And I'll be honest, and this probably won't come as a surprise, but I don't want to just enter. 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:02.559 The building, and I don't want to just live in the building. 00:22:02.720 --> 00:22:04.720 I want to see an increase in the building. 00:22:04.880 --> 00:22:08.720 I want to see our movement move because when movements move, movements grow. 00:22:08.799 --> 00:22:14.079 And there are so many people in our city who need desperately the hope of Jesus. 00:22:14.240 --> 00:22:16.640 And so this is good instruction for us. 00:22:16.799 --> 00:22:21.279 Follow every command so that you may enter, live, and increase. 00:22:21.440 --> 00:22:24.400 In verse 2, he says, remember. 00:22:25.039 --> 00:22:30.880 Remember that the Lord your God led you on the entire journey these 40 years in the wilderness. 00:22:31.039 --> 00:22:31.519 Why? 00:22:31.759 --> 00:22:39.680 So that he might humble you and test you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. 00:22:39.759 --> 00:22:40.960 Don't forget what you've seen. 00:22:41.039 --> 00:22:42.079 Keep it in your mind. 00:22:42.319 --> 00:22:51.039 Verse chapter 6, don't forget where we have been as the counterpoint and the encouragement to where we are currently and where we are going. 00:22:51.359 --> 00:22:56.720 And don't forget how the seasons have changed you. 00:22:58.400 --> 00:23:14.880 You see, when we're in these moments right now where we're like on the mountaintop metaphorically, and we have a you know half million dollar miracle and we have a beautiful new space and we have all of this, it's it's easy to see the lessons. 00:23:15.119 --> 00:23:17.440 It's like God is is building my faith. 00:23:17.599 --> 00:23:23.599 How could I ever, how could I ever not have faith in God after he came through in such a significant way? 00:23:23.759 --> 00:23:26.400 How could we ever question God's goodness? 00:23:26.559 --> 00:23:29.920 How could we ever be overcome with worry again? 00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:31.920 And I'll tell you how, just forget. 00:23:33.359 --> 00:23:38.799 Just live the way that we naturally live as humans, where we experience God in a powerful way. 00:23:38.960 --> 00:23:51.359 We stand here and we pray and pray and pray, and we experience God in a powerful way, and we move into a new season, and we put up a block right here, and we cut off the history and we live with a limited perspective. 00:23:51.519 --> 00:23:52.960 That's all it takes. 00:23:54.079 --> 00:23:56.160 All we have to do is forget. 00:23:56.400 --> 00:23:59.279 And Moses knows this, and he's just hammering them. 00:23:59.440 --> 00:24:02.079 Don't forget, don't forget, don't forget. 00:24:02.240 --> 00:24:04.880 Remember what God has done. 00:24:05.440 --> 00:24:19.759 When you have a full historical perspective, what you start seeing is that even in the valley, and I'll say, even especially in the valley, God is using it for your good. 00:24:21.680 --> 00:24:23.519 And we've got great plans. 00:24:23.759 --> 00:24:26.160 We have a great strategy for the new building. 00:24:26.400 --> 00:24:27.920 It's gonna evolve over time. 00:24:28.079 --> 00:24:42.880 Some of you last Sunday were at the first look event, and you saw how eventually we're gonna flip the auditorium and all the build out we can do upstairs, and the parking lot where we can add a new entrance, and the cafe, which will be a coffee shop someday, and you know, there's all this vision. 00:24:43.119 --> 00:24:54.319 And I'm telling you, when I started as the senior pastor here at the saloon, I didn't know how to think about one single one of those things. 00:24:55.519 --> 00:25:02.160 As a staff, we had the opportunity to come into a place that presented many obstacles for us. 00:25:02.319 --> 00:25:06.319 We had the opportunity, and how can you call a pandemic an opportunity? 00:25:06.400 --> 00:25:13.839 I'm telling you, we had the opportunity to come in and learn how to do church in a completely different way. 00:25:14.000 --> 00:25:15.279 And it was hard, man. 00:25:15.359 --> 00:25:24.880 And there were some depressing seasons in there, and there were some significant disappointments while buildings we put lots of time and lots of money to fell apart right in front of us. 00:25:25.279 --> 00:25:31.039 And in that valley, as God was testing us and trying us, he was also leading us. 00:25:32.079 --> 00:25:34.160 Moses says, look, don't forget. 00:25:34.319 --> 00:25:36.240 Don't forget what you've seen, the miracles. 00:25:36.400 --> 00:25:42.000 Don't forget where you've been in Egypt, and don't forget the journey and that there was a purpose to it. 00:25:42.240 --> 00:25:46.400 And it's not as simple as saying, we were in point A and we are now in point B. 00:25:46.640 --> 00:25:49.599 We we were in a bar and now we're in a in a building. 00:25:49.759 --> 00:25:50.960 It's not that simple. 00:25:51.119 --> 00:25:52.640 It's a journey. 00:25:52.960 --> 00:25:55.440 And in the journey, God has purpose. 00:25:55.599 --> 00:26:12.160 And in the journey, God is getting the things into you that you need to fortify you for the future ahead, and He is using the fires of life to refine out of you the things that are holding you back from the fullness of your purpose. 00:26:14.400 --> 00:26:16.319 I see this as a huge problem. 00:26:17.519 --> 00:26:21.599 Culturally as a problem, and a problem for the church, a problem for us as individuals. 00:26:22.559 --> 00:26:26.240 Our inability to have a solid historical perspective. 00:26:26.799 --> 00:26:38.880 I believe that it's actually a really positive thing for us to learn a little bit about all of history, human history, the history of the West, to put where we are in some sort of context. 00:26:39.119 --> 00:26:45.519 But as an individual, it is critical for you to take in your full history as a human. 00:26:45.759 --> 00:26:47.279 Where did you come from? 00:26:47.920 --> 00:26:53.839 What is the story of your life, and how is God using that story as a part of his story? 00:26:54.000 --> 00:27:00.400 Not just the good moments, not just when you got it right, not just when you were a great mom, a great dad, not when you just made all the moves and got the promotion. 00:27:00.480 --> 00:27:04.319 How is he using the hardest parts of your story, the darkest moments of your life? 00:27:04.480 --> 00:27:05.839 That's how good our God is. 00:27:06.079 --> 00:27:15.920 He can take your full history, every piece of it, and use it for his story if we do not block it off. 00:27:17.839 --> 00:27:21.440 God's wanting to use your story and the story of this movement. 00:27:22.000 --> 00:27:23.599 And it's very difficult. 00:27:24.559 --> 00:27:28.880 You know, we adopted several years ago, and when we adopted Kimberly, she was in a very difficult space. 00:27:29.039 --> 00:27:31.440 She had come out of extreme trauma and neglect. 00:27:31.519 --> 00:27:33.759 And at five years old, she really couldn't talk. 00:27:33.920 --> 00:27:37.519 She had no education, she couldn't count to three, she didn't know a single letter of the alphabet. 00:27:37.599 --> 00:27:43.680 She was so far behind, and she had way, way, like over the top behavior problems. 00:27:43.920 --> 00:27:45.039 Over the top. 00:27:45.599 --> 00:27:46.559 And it was so difficult. 00:27:46.720 --> 00:27:51.200 There was a couple of years, honestly, we just we didn't know if we could make it, you know? 00:27:51.519 --> 00:27:54.240 Like we didn't know if we were gonna survive this season. 00:27:54.960 --> 00:28:01.440 And it's so interesting because she has come so far, like unbelievably far. 00:28:01.599 --> 00:28:09.680 If you met her today, it'd be hard for you to even imagine what we could describe about her first couple of years with us. 00:28:09.920 --> 00:28:14.400 And yet, like all kids, she still has her difficult moments. 00:28:15.119 --> 00:28:28.559 And as her parent, I can get very overwhelmed by this and worried about her future, and worried about will she make it, and worried about her education, and worried about her future relationships, and worried and worried, and overcome, and complain, and grumbling, and overwhelmed. 00:28:29.759 --> 00:28:33.039 And every time it's because I forgot. 00:28:34.880 --> 00:28:39.599 In those first couple of years, we would just beg God for relief. 00:28:40.079 --> 00:28:50.240 Beg God to help her advance, to help her feel secure in our family, to help her make strides in school, make friends, do all the things that kids are supposed to do. 00:28:50.559 --> 00:28:52.079 And God answered those prayers. 00:28:52.240 --> 00:28:55.279 And she's moving and she's growing and she's developing. 00:28:55.519 --> 00:28:57.279 And it's just human nature. 00:28:57.839 --> 00:28:58.720 We cut it off. 00:28:58.799 --> 00:29:05.200 We have such a limited scope of history, and we're comparing her behavior today off of her behavior one week ago from today. 00:29:05.359 --> 00:29:18.880 And the truth is, when we block that off, the thing we wanted to escape is now the source of our encouragement, and yet we can't see the miracle because we have forgotten. 00:29:20.400 --> 00:29:22.400 MetaCurch has a storied history. 00:29:22.640 --> 00:29:28.880 In 2012, there was a small group of people who felt passionate about starting a ministry on the west side of town. 00:29:28.960 --> 00:29:41.839 And Alamo Ranch was beginning to develop, and houses and neighborhoods were going down Petrenko and 471 and across 211, and Tally Road was beginning to expand, and there was like a huge, huge amount of growth on the west side. 00:29:41.920 --> 00:29:46.799 In fact, it was at one point like the fastest growing area in the country or something crazy like that. 00:29:46.880 --> 00:29:53.759 It was going up so fast, and it seemed obvious we should get the gospel, the good news of Jesus into that community. 00:29:54.400 --> 00:30:05.039 And so a group of people, one of which was Pastor Bobby, who is still a part of MetaCurch today, started out there and they got the space that they could get. 00:30:05.279 --> 00:30:06.799 And it was a nunnery. 00:30:06.880 --> 00:30:08.319 That's where nuns lived. 00:30:08.559 --> 00:30:14.400 And it was in the middle of a cemetery, and it was about a mile off of the road. 00:30:14.640 --> 00:30:16.799 It was incredibly difficult to get to. 00:30:16.960 --> 00:30:22.799 I sang out there a few times as a worship leader, and every time I went, I would pass by the entrance to it. 00:30:22.880 --> 00:30:24.640 It was so difficult to see. 00:30:24.720 --> 00:30:31.279 And every once in a while they would show up on a Sunday, and the nuns would have planned something without really telling them, and everything would have to get taken down. 00:30:31.599 --> 00:30:49.920 When you talk about location and how important it is, when you have a powerful movement, people can overcome a bad location to some degree, but at some point, a location can be bad enough where it makes it almost impossible to survive, and that was the first location. 00:30:50.880 --> 00:30:53.839 And a couple of years in, it was obvious something had to change. 00:30:54.000 --> 00:31:04.640 And one day, Bobby and a friend came and had lunch at a restaurant that used to be located where we now have our Medikids in the saloon. 00:31:04.960 --> 00:31:11.519 And during that lunch, through a divine appointment, they met the guys who had just bought the bar. 00:31:13.039 --> 00:31:20.480 They began to talk about the possibility and what they might think in their new bar about having a church on Sunday mornings. 00:31:20.960 --> 00:31:24.160 It was an idea so crazy that, you know, it just might work. 00:31:24.240 --> 00:31:36.559 And in January of 2014, City Church West, the West campus of the City Church Network, opened their doors here at the 151 Saloon. 00:31:36.880 --> 00:31:41.119 Over the next couple of years, this building was transformed again and again. 00:31:41.359 --> 00:31:44.160 Restrooms were put in, patios were opened up. 00:31:44.319 --> 00:31:52.480 At the end of 2016, I was at City Church Bandera Road, and I felt a real strong, undeniable call to go west. 00:31:52.880 --> 00:32:01.039 And so I waited and I sat and I tested that word and I talked to wise counsel and I talked to God and I got into scripture and it was undeniable. 00:32:01.200 --> 00:32:08.400 And in 2017, I got to come out and become the senior pastor of what we began to call City West. 00:32:09.440 --> 00:32:16.559 And a few weeks ago, we talked about church, and for a season, we even quit saying the word church until we were able to redefine it. 00:32:16.720 --> 00:32:20.079 In 2018, we experienced unbelievable growth. 00:32:20.319 --> 00:32:24.799 At one point, we were one of the fastest growing congregations in America. 00:32:25.039 --> 00:32:27.920 It was an insane season for us. 00:32:28.079 --> 00:32:32.640 And you know what is so interesting is it's so easy to forget. 00:32:33.519 --> 00:32:41.920 And I can remember when they were in the nunnery, it became very difficult, a very difficult season. 00:32:42.240 --> 00:32:46.480 But they had to keep in mind that before that, there was nothing. 00:32:47.200 --> 00:32:53.599 And at the saloon, we hit our space capacity and we started becoming very discouraged. 00:32:53.920 --> 00:32:59.039 And we started looking at all of the little problems that are easy to complain about. 00:33:00.160 --> 00:33:14.880 And so often I was guilty of limiting my own historical perspective and realizing that this bar that we were spending time complaining about was the very building that while they were in the nunnery, we were all praying for. 00:33:54.640 --> 00:33:59.839 Of course, in 2020, we had a global pandemic that threw us all off course. 00:34:00.079 --> 00:34:01.200 None of us were ready for this. 00:34:01.599 --> 00:34:02.640 None of you were ready for this. 00:34:02.720 --> 00:34:03.680 No one was ready. 00:34:03.839 --> 00:34:04.960 It threw us off. 00:34:05.119 --> 00:34:11.920 And all of our future plans of expansion and growth and new buildings, they seemed very up in the air, very questionable. 00:34:12.079 --> 00:34:16.320 And yet, we continued and continued to push. 00:34:17.199 --> 00:34:35.039 We believed in in our best moments, we expanded our historical perspective and could see all that God had done, and all the ways He'd opened doors, and all of the moments he'd had our backs, and all the things that we prayed to escape that were now bringing us encouragement, and in our worst moments. 00:34:45.360 --> 00:34:47.519 Started feeling sorry for myself. 00:34:47.840 --> 00:34:49.679 Started feeling sorry for our movement. 00:34:49.920 --> 00:34:51.599 Started feeling trapped. 00:34:53.280 --> 00:34:56.800 Started feeling like the saloon wasn't enough. 00:34:59.119 --> 00:35:01.920 And I shared this story when we announced the building. 00:35:03.199 --> 00:35:05.440 But God really shook me up. 00:35:06.400 --> 00:35:09.119 And in 2021, I had to get up and repent. 00:35:09.280 --> 00:35:10.800 That means you changed your mind. 00:35:10.960 --> 00:35:17.199 I had to let my staff know that no longer was I going to choose to be discontent. 00:35:17.360 --> 00:35:20.639 No longer were we going to choose to be discontent. 00:35:20.800 --> 00:35:26.079 And if the bar is what God has us in, we will be here as long as He has us. 00:35:27.840 --> 00:35:38.800 You see, what happens is God's blessings in the past give us confidence in the present, confidence in the present and hope for the future. 00:35:39.360 --> 00:35:46.800 When we are able to really see it, when we're able to really look back, when we don't forget to be thankful. 00:35:47.519 --> 00:35:50.079 We begin to see his blessings in the past. 00:35:50.159 --> 00:35:57.519 And we can be so stuck in the misery of our present that we forget all that God has already done for us. 00:35:58.559 --> 00:36:01.679 I love the song by Elevation Worship. 00:36:01.920 --> 00:36:07.519 It says, I've seen you move, you move the mountains, and I believe I'll see you do it again. 00:36:07.840 --> 00:36:10.800 You've never failed me yet. 00:36:12.079 --> 00:36:14.159 That's where we stand today. 00:36:14.639 --> 00:36:17.280 I can see it, I can look back. 00:36:18.159 --> 00:36:20.079 I won't forget the things I've seen. 00:36:20.239 --> 00:36:22.239 I won't forget the places that I've been. 00:36:22.400 --> 00:36:32.320 I won't forget the work you've done in my life, how you've shaped us and molded us and transformed this movement and made us a solid foundation to build off of. 00:36:32.559 --> 00:36:34.239 It gives us confidence in the present. 00:36:34.400 --> 00:36:36.239 It gives us hope for the future. 00:36:36.480 --> 00:36:39.280 My message today is don't forget to be thankful. 00:36:40.000 --> 00:36:48.079 And the truth is, if you want to be thankful, the answer is don't forget. 00:36:50.320 --> 00:36:58.960 As we come together to say goodbye to the saloon, I hope that you will remember what you've seen and experienced here. 00:36:59.119 --> 00:37:13.920 Hundreds of lives transformed, hundreds of people baptized, families that were on the brink of falling apart, who are now stronger than ever, people who were living for their own selfish pleasure, who are now living for God's purposes. 00:37:14.159 --> 00:37:17.440 I hope you will remember the place that we've been. 00:37:17.599 --> 00:37:27.280 And as we transition into something new and bright and shiny, that from time to time you will think back on all that God was able to do in and through this movement in this place. 00:37:28.239 --> 00:37:31.519 I hope that you will remember what God has done in your life. 00:37:32.239 --> 00:37:36.960 On the mountaintops and in the valleys, the way that He was using you and transforming you. 00:37:37.440 --> 00:37:40.000 God has called us to be a gracious people. 00:37:40.239 --> 00:37:43.119 He has called us to give thanks and to be thankful. 00:37:43.360 --> 00:37:44.639 Don't forget. 00:37:44.800 --> 00:37:46.000 Would you pray with me? 00:37:46.320 --> 00:37:49.119 God, we love you and we choose to remember all that you've done. 00:37:49.199 --> 00:37:51.599 We choose to expand our historical scope. 00:37:51.840 --> 00:38:04.000 We choose to not get stuck in the misery of today and fail to recognize the blessings in the past that give us confidence in the present and hope, true hope in you for our future. 00:38:04.239 --> 00:38:04.719 We love you. 00:38:04.880 --> 00:38:06.639 We pray these things in Jesus' name. 00:38:06.880 --> 00:38:07.519 Amen. 00:38:10.719 --> 00:38:13.440 Thanks so much for listening to the message today. 00:38:13.599 --> 00:38:18.800 If this was helpful to you and you want to help us get the word out, you can subscribe to this podcast. 00:38:18.960 --> 00:38:21.920 You can rate and review or share it with your friends. 00:38:22.159 --> 00:38:28.800 If you want to get connected further with what MetaCurch is doing, you can go online to metachurch.tv. 00:38:29.119 --> 00:38:31.280 There you can learn how to take next steps. 00:38:31.440 --> 00:38:35.199 You can learn where our different venues are at if you ever wanted to visit. 00:38:35.360 --> 00:38:39.199 And you can also give financially to help push this movement forward. 00:38:39.519 --> 00:38:42.960 Man, I love you guys, and I hope you have a great rest of your day.