1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:04,640 It's good to see you guys this. Is one of my favorite Psalms. 2 00:00:04,640 --> 00:00:07,840 It is not one of my favorite songs because it naturally fits 3 00:00:07,840 --> 00:00:11,400 my tone and temperament. Or my pre-existing. 4 00:00:11,400 --> 00:00:14,240 Passions or biases? It's my favorite. 5 00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:21,520 Psalm because it cuts exactly. In the opposite direction of the 6 00:00:21,520 --> 00:00:23,520 natural. Grain in my heart. 7 00:00:23,520 --> 00:00:27,200 One of my favorite Psalms. It's a measly 3 verses. 8 00:00:27,200 --> 00:00:29,280 It's short. But sweet and despite its 9 00:00:29,280 --> 00:00:32,439 brevity, it is. A masterpiece of. 10 00:00:32,439 --> 00:00:34,800 Quiet trust and spiritual maturity. 11 00:00:35,160 --> 00:00:39,800 Charles Spurgeon said Psalm 131 is 1. 12 00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:46,800 Of the shortest psalms to read, but one of the longest psalms to 13 00:00:46,800 --> 00:00:51,200 learn, You know. Come on. 14 00:00:53,040 --> 00:00:57,400 One of the. Shortest psalms to read, but one 15 00:00:57,400 --> 00:01:01,240 of the longest. Psalms to learn Ultimately, 16 00:01:01,240 --> 00:01:07,160 Psalm 131 is the Psalm of a man, King David, who has learned. 17 00:01:07,720 --> 00:01:09,720 Over the course of a. Lifetime of walking with the 18 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:13,920 Lord. To put to death his narcissism, 19 00:01:16,680 --> 00:01:23,640 his inflated sense of self, his need to do great and marvelous. 20 00:01:23,640 --> 00:01:27,040 Things to earn the attention. Of people who are watching. 21 00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:28,520 Him. It's the Psalm of a man. 22 00:01:29,840 --> 00:01:31,720 Who's? Learned to wean his. 23 00:01:31,720 --> 00:01:35,280 Soul off of the world if you're able. 24 00:01:35,280 --> 00:01:37,320 That stand for the reading of God's Word this morning. 25 00:01:45,710 --> 00:01:52,870 If I had to vote, I will vote that King David is the least. 26 00:01:52,870 --> 00:01:58,080 Likely person and the entire Canon of scripture to write this 27 00:01:58,080 --> 00:02:02,920 Psalm and yet. It was written by King David. 28 00:02:05,120 --> 00:02:12,000 Oh Lord, my heart is not. Lifted up, my eyes are not. 29 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:16,800 Raised too high. I do not occupy myself with 30 00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:19,800 things too great and too marvelous for me. 31 00:02:23,880 --> 00:02:27,520 But I have calmed and quieted my soul like a. 32 00:02:27,520 --> 00:02:32,080 Winged child with its mother. Like a winged child is my soul. 33 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:36,120 Within me O Israel. Hope. 34 00:02:36,400 --> 00:02:38,880 I don't know what are you guys looking at the piece that says 35 00:02:38,880 --> 00:02:41,480 text, is that bothering? You too. 36 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:48,880 There we go. Got it. 37 00:02:50,120 --> 00:02:55,120 O Israel hope IN the. Lord, from this time forth and 38 00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:57,120 forevermore. What would it look like for you 39 00:02:57,120 --> 00:03:01,520 to calm and quiet your soul? What would it look like for you 40 00:03:01,520 --> 00:03:05,240 to wean? Your soul off of the. 41 00:03:05,240 --> 00:03:07,720 Attention and. Approval of the world. 42 00:03:09,080 --> 00:03:12,520 And to simply. Hope and trust in the Lord. 43 00:03:12,520 --> 00:03:15,240 From this time forth and forevermore that's the subject 44 00:03:15,240 --> 00:03:17,040 of our sermon this morning, you're welcome to sit. 45 00:03:29,640 --> 00:03:33,240 Here's the poem with Psalm 131. My flesh. 46 00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:35,280 Doesn't like it I. You know what I love? 47 00:03:35,280 --> 00:03:38,600 I I love thinking too highly of myself. 48 00:03:38,680 --> 00:03:41,440 I love having an inflated sense of self. 49 00:03:41,440 --> 00:03:45,120 I love feeding my ego. I love doing things that are far 50 00:03:45,120 --> 00:03:46,920 too great and far too marvelous for me. 51 00:03:46,920 --> 00:03:49,480 When I was really little, I remember how after a wrestling 52 00:03:49,480 --> 00:03:52,000 match, some random stranger. Walked up to my dad. 53 00:03:52,280 --> 00:03:55,280 And said, boy, your son sure knows how to wrestle. 54 00:03:55,640 --> 00:03:58,040 And I remember seeing my dad get lit up by that. 55 00:03:58,040 --> 00:04:00,640 I remember seeing a big smile stretch across his face. 56 00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:04,120 And he said, well, at least the kid knows how to shake hands. 57 00:04:04,640 --> 00:04:06,600 I was really little. When that happened. 58 00:04:06,600 --> 00:04:08,760 But I still remember that exchange because I remember 59 00:04:08,760 --> 00:04:11,720 thinking in the deepest part of my heart, I will. 60 00:04:11,720 --> 00:04:14,520 Do whatever it takes to hear that again. 61 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:18,920 I like that feeling. Right, I Of course I don't have 62 00:04:18,920 --> 00:04:21,640 the language to articulate it this way as a young child, but 63 00:04:21,640 --> 00:04:23,320 when my dad. Smiled like that. 64 00:04:23,600 --> 00:04:26,960 And I impressed some stranger. There was some sub articulate 65 00:04:26,960 --> 00:04:28,520 part of myself in my heart that said. 66 00:04:28,800 --> 00:04:30,800 I want to feel that. Feeling. 67 00:04:30,840 --> 00:04:34,440 All the time. I like being admired. 68 00:04:34,440 --> 00:04:37,200 I like. That attention and I'm not using 69 00:04:37,200 --> 00:04:39,680 this as an out, I need to take responsibility for my own 70 00:04:39,680 --> 00:04:41,400 propensity towards narcissism, but. 71 00:04:41,680 --> 00:04:44,080 The cultural. Air that we breathe certainly 72 00:04:44,080 --> 00:04:48,480 isn't helping me or you. Out at all either right like. 73 00:04:48,880 --> 00:04:53,240 Dream big and you're special. Is the water that we. 74 00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:58,360 Swim in in the 21st century the the philosopher John Twinge. 75 00:04:58,360 --> 00:05:02,240 Calls it quote the narcissism epidemic we. 76 00:05:02,560 --> 00:05:05,440 Live in an epidemic of this inflated self of self 77 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:09,040 importance, this need for constant validation and approval 78 00:05:09,040 --> 00:05:12,400 and admiration. It's the water that we swim in. 79 00:05:12,400 --> 00:05:16,280 It's it's what we think there was a a famous narcissism study. 80 00:05:16,280 --> 00:05:18,880 This is not on substantial. There was a famous narcissism 81 00:05:18,880 --> 00:05:21,960 study conducted over the span of 30 or 40 years that discovered 82 00:05:21,960 --> 00:05:25,160 that the amount of people statistically, not numerically, 83 00:05:25,440 --> 00:05:28,680 the number of people statistically who responded yes 84 00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:30,880 to the question, am I special or? 85 00:05:30,880 --> 00:05:35,600 Important tripled by percentage. Between the 80s and the 20 tens, 86 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:40,280 and unsurprisingly, or maybe very surprisingly if you're 87 00:05:40,280 --> 00:05:44,840 unfamiliar with psychology. As. 88 00:05:47,640 --> 00:05:52,480 As our sense of self. Has increased. 89 00:05:54,640 --> 00:05:58,480 Our experience of joy has decreased. 90 00:06:01,800 --> 00:06:07,560 As our sense of ego has increased, our experience of 91 00:06:07,560 --> 00:06:09,920 happiness has decreased. And so. 92 00:06:09,920 --> 00:06:12,760 It's like, it's like a bomb, just a. 93 00:06:13,040 --> 00:06:18,280 Beautiful little detonated bomb. That Psalm. 131. 94 00:06:18,320 --> 00:06:20,960 Rolls into our lives if it doesn't. 95 00:06:20,960 --> 00:06:25,040 Blow you up today. It's detonated. 96 00:06:25,920 --> 00:06:27,800 It'll. Get you set a timer. 97 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:31,080 Psalm 131 is coming for you. David begins with a. 98 00:06:31,080 --> 00:06:35,680 Confession that he. Is not going to think too highly 99 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:38,720 of himself. Look at verse one. 100 00:06:40,880 --> 00:06:46,400 Oh Lord. My heart is not lifted up, my 101 00:06:46,400 --> 00:06:51,680 eyes are not raised too high. I do not occupy myself with 102 00:06:51,680 --> 00:06:56,440 things too great and too marvelous for me. 103 00:06:56,440 --> 00:06:59,000 Notice, notice the language really quickly here in verse 104 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:00,400 one. I need you to see this. 105 00:07:00,400 --> 00:07:03,040 OK, lock into this. I've got it underlined up there. 106 00:07:03,360 --> 00:07:05,960 You know what this? Psalm is not about this. 107 00:07:05,960 --> 00:07:11,480 Psalm is actually not about not doing bad things or not sinning. 108 00:07:11,480 --> 00:07:14,680 Did you notice that? What's it about? 109 00:07:14,680 --> 00:07:16,040 Look at verse one. What's it about? 110 00:07:17,080 --> 00:07:20,640 It's it's not about not sinning or doing bad things or wrong 111 00:07:20,640 --> 00:07:22,960 thing. It's about not occupying 112 00:07:22,960 --> 00:07:27,960 yourself with great and marvelous things, or things that 113 00:07:27,960 --> 00:07:31,400 we might even say are fine or even. 114 00:07:31,640 --> 00:07:34,000 Good. And so if they're not. 115 00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:36,200 Sinful. What's the problem with them? 116 00:07:37,160 --> 00:07:38,840 Well, notice the modifying word. That's. 117 00:07:38,840 --> 00:07:41,160 Hugging both the word great. And marvelous. 118 00:07:41,160 --> 00:07:42,520 What's the word that's hugging them both? 119 00:07:45,320 --> 00:07:51,520 Too great, too marvelous. So the problem isn't that these 120 00:07:51,520 --> 00:07:53,760 things are bad things to think. About or even. 121 00:07:53,760 --> 00:07:56,480 To aim at it's that they've become too. 122 00:07:56,480 --> 00:08:01,760 Great or too marvelous for David when he is occupied or. 123 00:08:01,760 --> 00:08:07,280 Consumed or obsessing over them. So what in the world is going on 124 00:08:07,280 --> 00:08:08,720 here? What it what? 125 00:08:08,720 --> 00:08:11,640 What does this mean to not be occupied with? 126 00:08:11,640 --> 00:08:14,320 What things are too great and. Too marvelous for David? 127 00:08:14,320 --> 00:08:15,840 Well. Like most of the Bible, the 128 00:08:15,840 --> 00:08:17,440 meaning. For that verse is either. 129 00:08:17,440 --> 00:08:21,000 Waiting for you in the verse before it, or hiding from you in 130 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:22,240 the. Verse after. 131 00:08:22,240 --> 00:08:24,400 It So what are the things that are too great and too marvelous 132 00:08:24,400 --> 00:08:28,320 for him? Look at the beginning of verse 133 00:08:28,320 --> 00:08:30,800 one. Here's your here's your context 134 00:08:30,800 --> 00:08:34,039 clue. My heart is not. 135 00:08:34,039 --> 00:08:40,080 Lifted up, my eyes are not raised too. 136 00:08:40,080 --> 00:08:43,360 High. This is our context clue in in 137 00:08:43,360 --> 00:08:46,280 the Old Testament. The metaphor of the lifted. 138 00:08:46,280 --> 00:08:49,400 Heart. Or the eyes raised too. 139 00:08:49,400 --> 00:08:52,640 High. Is always used to describe. 140 00:08:53,040 --> 00:08:57,640 Haughtiness. Or pride and so that. 141 00:08:57,920 --> 00:09:00,360 Helps us see what things are too. 142 00:09:00,360 --> 00:09:02,520 Great. Or too marvelous for us, 143 00:09:02,920 --> 00:09:06,400 ultimately. What this is about is David. 144 00:09:06,400 --> 00:09:09,360 Learning to say no to narcissism. 145 00:09:10,800 --> 00:09:17,400 Saying no to. Pride saying no to the need, the 146 00:09:17,400 --> 00:09:20,440 need to do. Things that are too great. 147 00:09:21,120 --> 00:09:24,920 Or too marvelous for him. It's it's, he's learned to say. 148 00:09:24,920 --> 00:09:29,080 No to demanding worldly achievements. 149 00:09:29,120 --> 00:09:31,400 And so when David says he doesn't need to occupy himself 150 00:09:31,400 --> 00:09:34,480 with things too great and too marvelous for him, he he doesn't 151 00:09:34,480 --> 00:09:40,520 mean that you can't have goals in life, or aspirations, or even 152 00:09:40,520 --> 00:09:43,960 dream big. What David means is that he no 153 00:09:43,960 --> 00:09:48,160 longer needs. To be the best, he no longer 154 00:09:48,400 --> 00:09:50,520 needs to be the most. Important guy in the room. 155 00:09:50,520 --> 00:09:52,280 He no longer. Needs. 156 00:09:52,280 --> 00:09:56,080 To be the most influential, he no longer needs to be special 157 00:09:56,080 --> 00:09:57,600 and. We don't know when, David. 158 00:09:57,600 --> 00:09:59,160 Wrote this. There's a lot of guesses. 159 00:09:59,160 --> 00:10:02,440 Out there for when, David? Came to this. 160 00:10:03,240 --> 00:10:05,840 Spear given realization. Some people say maybe it was 161 00:10:05,840 --> 00:10:08,680 during the long wait between when he was anointed to one day 162 00:10:08,680 --> 00:10:11,600 be king as a teenager and the many years. 163 00:10:11,600 --> 00:10:14,880 He had to watch absolute losers occupy the throne. 164 00:10:14,880 --> 00:10:17,720 Before him before finally being installed as a king. 165 00:10:17,840 --> 00:10:20,640 At 30 years old, maybe it was. During that time period, he was 166 00:10:20,640 --> 00:10:24,600 like, all right, I'm just not. Going to obsess. 167 00:10:24,800 --> 00:10:27,720 About things that are too great and too marvelous for me, right 168 00:10:27,960 --> 00:10:31,080 It could have been some people suggest that maybe it was after 169 00:10:31,080 --> 00:10:32,680 he. Lost his child or maybe? 170 00:10:32,680 --> 00:10:34,320 It was after the death of his friend. 171 00:10:34,520 --> 00:10:36,720 Or maybe and I. Find this one really compelling. 172 00:10:36,720 --> 00:10:40,240 Some a lot of theologians argue that this is not a young man's 173 00:10:40,240 --> 00:10:43,120 Psalm. Right, this is not the. 174 00:10:43,120 --> 00:10:47,240 Psalm, a young man writes and SO1 compelling guest for me is 175 00:10:47,440 --> 00:10:50,080 maybe it was written by David after getting everything. 176 00:10:50,960 --> 00:10:52,920 After he killed Goliath and became a. 177 00:10:52,920 --> 00:10:55,560 Wartime hero after he became king or. 178 00:10:55,840 --> 00:10:58,280 Leading Israel's army and he got all of that. 179 00:10:58,640 --> 00:11:02,520 And now he's prophetically writing Psalm 131, almost like 180 00:11:02,520 --> 00:11:05,440 Jim Carrey. Who literally said in an 181 00:11:05,440 --> 00:11:08,480 interview. Maybe Psalm 131 is God's way of 182 00:11:08,480 --> 00:11:10,120 saying what? Kerry said, which was quote. 183 00:11:10,880 --> 00:11:13,760 I believe I was given. Everything I could have ever. 184 00:11:13,760 --> 00:11:16,560 Wanted so I could turn around and tell the. 185 00:11:16,560 --> 00:11:18,240 World that it. Won't make you happy. 186 00:11:22,480 --> 00:11:24,040 But this is a heck of realization. 187 00:11:25,280 --> 00:11:29,240 To arrive at a place where you just no longer need to be 188 00:11:29,240 --> 00:11:32,360 obsessed with things that are too great and too marvelous for 189 00:11:32,360 --> 00:11:36,000 you and. Look, I'm I'm a dream big guy. 190 00:11:36,560 --> 00:11:39,320 I can prove that too if you want to see my full focus planner. 191 00:11:40,560 --> 00:11:45,200 I like goals. I consider myself pretty driven. 192 00:11:45,560 --> 00:11:49,800 I don't think any of those are bad things, so I I want to. 193 00:11:49,800 --> 00:11:53,800 Articulate exactly when ambitions. 194 00:11:54,120 --> 00:11:58,800 Or worldly goals become. In the language of Psalm 131. 195 00:11:59,200 --> 00:12:02,840 Too great and too marvelous for us. 196 00:12:02,840 --> 00:12:05,880 So how does that? How does that happen? 197 00:12:07,480 --> 00:12:13,280 Well, here's here's my thesis. There are two separate. 198 00:12:14,680 --> 00:12:19,480 But well substantiated studies. That you hear about. 199 00:12:19,480 --> 00:12:23,440 In the modern world, all the time they these studies pop up 200 00:12:23,440 --> 00:12:26,000 on our news. They people write books about 201 00:12:26,000 --> 00:12:27,000 them. They're both. 202 00:12:27,000 --> 00:12:29,760 Well substantiated and studied the. 203 00:12:29,760 --> 00:12:32,920 First, very well. Substantiated study that's 204 00:12:32,920 --> 00:12:36,120 popular in the modern. World is the increase. 205 00:12:36,120 --> 00:12:39,880 Of narcissism. This is well documented. 206 00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:44,520 Well documented, right? I mentioned this in in in 207 00:12:44,520 --> 00:12:46,920 passing at the beginning, but there's a famous. 30 year study 208 00:12:46,920 --> 00:12:49,440 out there. About narcissism and when they 209 00:12:49,440 --> 00:12:52,560 began at like 30 or 40 years ago, only 20% of people 210 00:12:52,560 --> 00:12:55,200 responded to the question. I'm a very important person with 211 00:12:55,200 --> 00:12:58,760 the answer yes. And now in the 20 tens it's like 212 00:12:58,760 --> 00:13:03,280 75%. So there's been a well 213 00:13:03,280 --> 00:13:07,200 documented increase of narcissism in our culture. 214 00:13:09,200 --> 00:13:12,160 What's the second? Well substantiated study that's 215 00:13:12,160 --> 00:13:15,840 popular right now. The second one, and again this 216 00:13:15,840 --> 00:13:18,240 is well studied. Is the. 217 00:13:18,240 --> 00:13:24,840 Decrease of relational intimacy. Again, everybody's writing about 218 00:13:24,840 --> 00:13:26,960 this stuff. The decrease of relational 219 00:13:26,960 --> 00:13:29,760 intimacy is well documented in In our world, the amount of 220 00:13:29,760 --> 00:13:33,160 people who say that they have at least two or three close friends 221 00:13:33,160 --> 00:13:38,680 today is less than half. Of the people who said that 50 222 00:13:38,680 --> 00:13:41,240 years ago. Another way of articulating that 223 00:13:41,240 --> 00:13:43,800 is we're twice as lonely as a culture as we. 224 00:13:43,800 --> 00:13:48,320 Were 50 years ago. The amount of people who answer 225 00:13:48,320 --> 00:13:51,320 simply yes to the question Are you lonely? 226 00:13:51,800 --> 00:13:55,360 Is not just astronomically higher than 50 years ago. 227 00:13:55,600 --> 00:14:01,000 It is at the highest. Point in human history and so 228 00:14:01,000 --> 00:14:04,600 here's my thesis for you. What I want you to consider this 229 00:14:04,600 --> 00:14:08,320 morning or just think about is that those are not 2 separate 230 00:14:08,320 --> 00:14:11,520 studies. They're the same study. 231 00:14:13,560 --> 00:14:15,160 And no, I've never. Read a study. 232 00:14:15,160 --> 00:14:17,000 Linking those two things together. 233 00:14:17,320 --> 00:14:20,720 And I know correlation is not causation. 234 00:14:22,240 --> 00:14:23,640 You're not causation either bro. But. 235 00:14:25,000 --> 00:14:28,160 I think they're related. Two sides of the same coin. 236 00:14:29,920 --> 00:14:33,360 The increase of our narcissism is actually. 237 00:14:33,360 --> 00:14:37,480 Why? We can't experience relational 238 00:14:37,640 --> 00:14:42,280 intimacy. Your teacher meant well when he 239 00:14:42,280 --> 00:14:44,640 told you how. Special you are. 240 00:14:45,280 --> 00:14:49,320 He didn't mean to wound you. Right he was. 241 00:14:49,320 --> 00:14:51,400 Following the self esteem movement. 242 00:14:51,400 --> 00:14:53,960 That everybody, the Kool-aid everybody was. 243 00:14:53,960 --> 00:14:59,160 Drinking in the 90s but without knowing this constant refrain 244 00:14:59,160 --> 00:15:03,440 about how important our self esteem is and how unique and 245 00:15:03,440 --> 00:15:07,040 special we are. We didn't know it but it was 246 00:15:07,040 --> 00:15:11,080 discipling us towards a lifetime of loneliness. 247 00:15:12,280 --> 00:15:14,560 The more narcissistic. You are the. 248 00:15:14,560 --> 00:15:18,080 Less able you are to experience relational intimacy for two 249 00:15:18,080 --> 00:15:22,360 reasons. First, because people prone to 250 00:15:22,360 --> 00:15:30,200 narcissism are only capable of presenting the parts of 251 00:15:30,200 --> 00:15:33,200 themselves before people that are impressive. 252 00:15:36,680 --> 00:15:40,680 Which is like 2. Percent of who you are, which 253 00:15:40,680 --> 00:15:44,480 means if you're only capable of presenting the parts of yourself 254 00:15:44,480 --> 00:15:48,520 that are impressive to people and that gain you praise and 255 00:15:48,520 --> 00:15:52,800 admiration, that means that you're probably hiding about 98% 256 00:15:52,800 --> 00:15:54,520 of yourself from. The relationship. 257 00:15:56,440 --> 00:16:01,120 And you can't have relational intimacy with somebody in a deep 258 00:16:01,120 --> 00:16:03,800 relationship with somebody by giving them 2% of you. 259 00:16:05,120 --> 00:16:08,560 And so you just can't. You just can't. 260 00:16:09,280 --> 00:16:12,400 You just can't be narcissistic and also have deep 261 00:16:12,400 --> 00:16:14,960 relationships. The second reason why is because 262 00:16:15,320 --> 00:16:20,880 the more prone to narcissism you are, the more expectations you 263 00:16:20,880 --> 00:16:26,160 bring into relationships, and the more expectations you bring 264 00:16:26,160 --> 00:16:30,760 into relationships, the least. Likely it is that your 265 00:16:30,760 --> 00:16:34,040 relationship. Will succeed expectations 266 00:16:34,040 --> 00:16:37,560 clutter relationships? They drown relationships. 267 00:16:37,560 --> 00:16:40,120 They bleed. Relationships out, the more 268 00:16:40,120 --> 00:16:41,760 expectations you bring into the relationship. 269 00:16:41,760 --> 00:16:45,200 The more likely it is to fail. The expectation for instance. 270 00:16:45,200 --> 00:16:47,600 If if we. Constantly think of ourselves as 271 00:16:47,680 --> 00:16:50,440 unique and special we will bring. 272 00:16:50,440 --> 00:16:53,640 Expectations that suffocate other people. 273 00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:56,280 Expectation. Expecting your spouse or your 274 00:16:56,280 --> 00:16:59,040 friend? Expecting them to constantly. 275 00:16:59,040 --> 00:17:02,360 Praise you and tell you how great you are and tell you how 276 00:17:02,360 --> 00:17:05,040 wonderful you are and tell you that you're the best. 277 00:17:05,280 --> 00:17:09,839 That's actually a weight that nobody can carry, right? 278 00:17:09,839 --> 00:17:11,680 If you're spending time with me and you're like, man, I don't 279 00:17:11,680 --> 00:17:13,720 think Cole's going to be friends with me unless I tell him he's 280 00:17:13,720 --> 00:17:18,040 the best pastor ever. It's going to suffocate you. 281 00:17:18,920 --> 00:17:20,440 It's too heavy for the relationship. 282 00:17:20,440 --> 00:17:22,920 It suffocates people and flushes them out of relationship. 283 00:17:22,920 --> 00:17:24,520 Or. People fail to meet your 284 00:17:24,520 --> 00:17:27,920 expectations and you end up huffing and puffing that nobody 285 00:17:27,920 --> 00:17:31,560 knows how special I am and nobody in the world gets me. 286 00:17:31,840 --> 00:17:34,880 And you leave a bunch of burn bridges behind you because of 287 00:17:34,880 --> 00:17:37,480 expectation. And the reason why I'm I'm 288 00:17:37,480 --> 00:17:42,240 piercing right now is because. That that. 289 00:17:42,240 --> 00:17:49,720 Moment. Is exactly the moment where it 290 00:17:49,720 --> 00:17:53,560 becomes holy to let go of big. Dreams and aspirations in life. 291 00:17:54,840 --> 00:17:57,360 The exact. Moment where a thing has become. 292 00:17:57,640 --> 00:17:59,960 Too good or? Too wonderful or too marvelous 293 00:17:59,960 --> 00:18:05,240 for you is exactly the moment that it becomes an expectation 294 00:18:05,240 --> 00:18:09,600 in your relationship with. God, have you ever noticed? 295 00:18:09,600 --> 00:18:15,320 That starts out as a goal and then somehow. 296 00:18:17,840 --> 00:18:23,400 It becomes this expectation that you hold out to the Lord. 297 00:18:23,600 --> 00:18:25,760 And demand that he meets it. You. 298 00:18:26,120 --> 00:18:31,240 You develop an unspoken contract with God that says OK, you meet 299 00:18:31,240 --> 00:18:35,240 my wildest dreams and I'll continue to worship you. 300 00:18:37,400 --> 00:18:39,400 An unspoken agreement. And if your. 301 00:18:39,400 --> 00:18:41,840 Relationship with God is filled with a bunch of expectations. 302 00:18:41,840 --> 00:18:44,160 It's heading for disaster. Set the clock. 303 00:18:44,760 --> 00:18:47,520 Here's another way you know your ambitions have become too. 304 00:18:47,520 --> 00:18:50,560 Marvelous. Again, I keep on rounding this 305 00:18:50,560 --> 00:18:53,040 out, but there's nothing wrong with dreams when they're want to 306 00:18:53,040 --> 00:18:57,360 and. I think that's great, right? 307 00:18:58,160 --> 00:18:59,960 I want. To have a great marriage, that's 308 00:18:59,960 --> 00:19:04,440 a good, that's good, right I. Want to get healed. 309 00:19:04,920 --> 00:19:06,400 I want to get the. Promotion. 310 00:19:06,400 --> 00:19:08,280 Look at David. He had a lot of wants. 311 00:19:08,280 --> 00:19:09,840 He wanted to become the king of Israel. 312 00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:12,080 He wanted to kill Goliath. He. 313 00:19:12,160 --> 00:19:14,240 Wanted to lead Israel's. Armies. 314 00:19:14,440 --> 00:19:17,120 Those are massive dreams. Nothing wrong with big. 315 00:19:17,120 --> 00:19:20,720 Dreams. When is it destructive? 316 00:19:22,680 --> 00:19:25,280 It becomes. Destructive at the exact. 317 00:19:25,280 --> 00:19:31,080 Moment. That it goes from a want to to a 318 00:19:31,080 --> 00:19:38,600 need to I I need to have the perfect marriage. 319 00:19:39,840 --> 00:19:45,520 I'm done with God. I need to have the best kids I 320 00:19:45,800 --> 00:19:48,120 need. To be the next CEO. 321 00:19:48,120 --> 00:19:53,960 Or else God. In that position, when something 322 00:19:53,960 --> 00:19:56,760 transitions from a want to to a need to. 323 00:19:57,280 --> 00:20:01,720 What you've discovered is that you like. 324 00:20:03,280 --> 00:20:06,640 What God can give you more than who God actually is? 325 00:20:09,200 --> 00:20:16,400 Do I sound crazy this? This position where we love God 326 00:20:16,400 --> 00:20:20,840 for his gifts and not for his presence. 327 00:20:21,680 --> 00:20:22,760 If you. Like God. 328 00:20:23,040 --> 00:20:28,520 For what he gives you. More than who He is, your faith 329 00:20:28,520 --> 00:20:30,520 will. Either implode or you will. 330 00:20:30,520 --> 00:20:33,520 Need to in the language. Of Scripture be humbled. 331 00:20:33,840 --> 00:20:37,800 And that's what. Verse 2 is all about look at 332 00:20:37,800 --> 00:20:41,840 verse 2. Instead of being occupied with 333 00:20:41,840 --> 00:20:43,160 thanks to great and to marvelous. 334 00:20:43,160 --> 00:20:47,600 For David, he says. But I have calmed and. 335 00:20:47,600 --> 00:20:51,280 Quieted my soul. The key. 336 00:20:52,280 --> 00:20:56,840 Is the second-half here like a weaned child? 337 00:20:56,840 --> 00:21:00,680 With its mother like a. Weaned. 338 00:21:00,800 --> 00:21:04,320 Child. Is my soul within me? 339 00:21:04,320 --> 00:21:10,680 How do you achieve that? All right, I'll wean. 340 00:21:10,680 --> 00:21:12,240 Myself off of the. World and be humble. 341 00:21:12,320 --> 00:21:14,280 Great. How do I do? 342 00:21:14,280 --> 00:21:16,120 Do I clench my fist? Grip my teeth? 343 00:21:16,120 --> 00:21:21,160 And say, all right, stop. Being narcissistical. 344 00:21:21,360 --> 00:21:24,360 How do you achieve that? And. 345 00:21:24,360 --> 00:21:29,080 Probably the answer to that question is you probably just 346 00:21:29,080 --> 00:21:30,120 need to be. Broken. 347 00:21:33,440 --> 00:21:39,080 Probably. Here's how I know this. 348 00:21:40,920 --> 00:21:46,640 My 2 year old son Jack, he just turned 2. 349 00:21:47,520 --> 00:21:49,840 He is exactly like me. He's crazy. 350 00:21:50,800 --> 00:21:52,840 OK, he's two years old. And he's crazy. 351 00:21:52,840 --> 00:21:54,600 He doesn't. Stop moving I. 352 00:21:54,600 --> 00:21:58,720 Swear to you he won't stop moving, he just runs around. 353 00:21:59,120 --> 00:22:01,840 Everywhere the world is too. Satisfying for him. 354 00:22:02,120 --> 00:22:05,320 And as a result of that, Jack is our first kid. 355 00:22:05,320 --> 00:22:07,680 We've got two others. Jack is my first kid. 356 00:22:07,760 --> 00:22:10,840 Who refuses to just. Slow down and cuddle with me. 357 00:22:10,960 --> 00:22:13,000 He won't cuddle with me and I'm bitter about it. 358 00:22:14,520 --> 00:22:17,720 He'll give me like a one second hug and then he's gone. 359 00:22:19,480 --> 00:22:21,000 Because the world's too. Shiny. 360 00:22:22,320 --> 00:22:25,920 There's too much fun. Stuff he can't slow down and 361 00:22:25,920 --> 00:22:28,840 just lay on my chest and cuddle with me. 362 00:22:29,120 --> 00:22:31,640 Because he needs to. Be running hot laps around the 363 00:22:31,640 --> 00:22:36,200 house or he needs to be breaking out of our house and running 364 00:22:36,320 --> 00:22:39,400 down the block, which is not hypothetical. 365 00:22:40,320 --> 00:22:42,600 And so if you saw me riding my bike around the neighborhood 366 00:22:42,600 --> 00:22:44,640 this week yelling Jack that's why. 367 00:22:46,200 --> 00:22:48,160 Or head butting his brother. Or sister. 368 00:22:48,680 --> 00:22:51,160 Or jumping off of the couch, or breaking things. 369 00:22:51,160 --> 00:22:52,800 The world is just. It's too. 370 00:22:52,800 --> 00:22:55,600 Fun for Jack. There's too much fun stuff for 371 00:22:55,600 --> 00:22:58,120 him to do so he won't cuddle with me. 372 00:22:58,400 --> 00:23:04,200 Unless. Unless he's sick. 373 00:23:08,120 --> 00:23:13,400 Now. It was good. 374 00:23:15,200 --> 00:23:22,560 Now I'm not a monster. I don't sit around. 375 00:23:22,560 --> 00:23:28,280 Hoping that Jack will get sick so that I can get some good. 376 00:23:28,280 --> 00:23:30,680 Father, son, time with them, That's monstrous. 377 00:23:31,680 --> 00:23:33,880 I'm not saying that I want him to be sick. 378 00:23:33,920 --> 00:23:38,920 All I'm saying is when you're an adult, you see when your child 379 00:23:38,920 --> 00:23:39,800 does. Become sick. 380 00:23:39,800 --> 00:23:44,760 The complexity of the situation, to the kid, it's all bad. 381 00:23:44,760 --> 00:23:47,960 It feels bad. They slowed down life, right? 382 00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:51,120 But when you're an adult, you're like, OK, I don't want you to be 383 00:23:51,120 --> 00:23:55,440 sick, but it also feels pretty. Dang, nice. 384 00:23:56,800 --> 00:23:58,880 When you finally slow down enough. 385 00:23:59,240 --> 00:24:02,920 To just lay on my. Chest and collapse into my. 386 00:24:03,040 --> 00:24:07,320 Arms and cuddle with me. But he needs. 387 00:24:07,320 --> 00:24:12,840 To get sick, This is probably the way you are too. 388 00:24:14,480 --> 00:24:19,880 You just don't slow down. You just don't draw near. 389 00:24:19,880 --> 00:24:22,320 To the presence of God. For the sake. 390 00:24:22,320 --> 00:24:27,200 Of the presence of God. And so more time, 9 out of 10 391 00:24:27,200 --> 00:24:30,160 times what needs to happen is. We need to be broken. 392 00:24:30,160 --> 00:24:33,360 And God's not a monster. He doesn't ordain suffering and 393 00:24:33,360 --> 00:24:37,160 pain in our lives because. He's some sort of killjoy. 394 00:24:37,640 --> 00:24:39,840 But he does. Ordain suffering and pain in our 395 00:24:39,840 --> 00:24:43,240 lives to pass, because if we don't experience loss or 396 00:24:43,240 --> 00:24:48,720 sickness or suffering, we will. Never, ever, ever slow down. 397 00:24:48,920 --> 00:24:53,040 To embrace his love and lay on his chest and simply receive the 398 00:24:53,040 --> 00:24:55,600 glories of His presence. I. 399 00:24:55,600 --> 00:24:59,520 Don't. Like usually, I need to be 400 00:24:59,520 --> 00:25:02,280 humbled. I need to be broken. 401 00:25:02,280 --> 00:25:03,680 When my life is all. Ease. 402 00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:05,640 I float superficially through my. 403 00:25:05,640 --> 00:25:08,840 Days like a living triviality. But do you know what being 404 00:25:08,840 --> 00:25:13,760 broken does? Being broken drives me so. 405 00:25:13,760 --> 00:25:17,480 The only thing that actually satisfies the presence of God 406 00:25:19,600 --> 00:25:21,280 so. How do you wean? 407 00:25:21,280 --> 00:25:23,960 Yourself off of the world and calm and quiet your soul. 408 00:25:24,240 --> 00:25:28,080 You probably need to be broken. I hope not. 409 00:25:29,680 --> 00:25:32,200 You don't need to, it's just probably. 410 00:25:32,200 --> 00:25:35,000 Likely you don't. Have to get sick or be. 411 00:25:35,000 --> 00:25:37,600 Broken in order to wean. Your soul the most compelling. 412 00:25:37,600 --> 00:25:39,080 Theologian I've read on the subject. 413 00:25:39,320 --> 00:25:41,960 Of how to get ahead. Of that, and to humble yourself 414 00:25:41,960 --> 00:25:45,280 before being humbled is the Catholic theologian from the 415 00:25:45,280 --> 00:25:49,400 1900s, Hans ers von Balthazar, which is a great. 416 00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:54,840 Name somebody out there. You should name. 417 00:25:54,840 --> 00:25:58,240 Your next child, Balthazar, it would be great. 418 00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:05,120 Balthazar, he had this. Process of humbling the self and 419 00:26:05,120 --> 00:26:07,760 calming it and quieting it before being broken. 420 00:26:08,160 --> 00:26:10,840 And Balthazar unpacks this process with two really simple 421 00:26:10,840 --> 00:26:11,440 steps. All right. 422 00:26:11,840 --> 00:26:15,640 The first step is. Be seen. 423 00:26:18,640 --> 00:26:21,280 Did you hear that? Be seen. 424 00:26:22,680 --> 00:26:25,880 You must first let yourself be seen and be held through the 425 00:26:25,880 --> 00:26:27,360 loving. Eyes of God. 426 00:26:27,600 --> 00:26:29,640 And so the first step. For Balthazar towards. 427 00:26:29,640 --> 00:26:32,120 Calming and quieting your soul. It's really not a first. 428 00:26:32,120 --> 00:26:34,520 Step at all it's. Just a step of not. 429 00:26:34,520 --> 00:26:37,160 Doing what Balthazar says is quote. 430 00:26:38,160 --> 00:26:44,000 Contemplation begins not with what we see, but with allowing 431 00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:50,040 ourselves to be seen, namely, seen through by the eyes of 432 00:26:50,040 --> 00:26:54,560 love, and so before doing or saying anything, or even before 433 00:26:54,560 --> 00:26:57,720 repenting of your sin, before saying or acting in any. 434 00:26:57,720 --> 00:27:02,760 Way the key is to bring your soul before God and then. 435 00:27:03,160 --> 00:27:09,120 Look at him looking at us and then simply resting in the 436 00:27:09,120 --> 00:27:14,480 loving. Gaze that's already there and 437 00:27:14,480 --> 00:27:18,840 then. When you have experienced being 438 00:27:18,840 --> 00:27:25,000 seen by the Lord, you can move to step #2 which is to repent of 439 00:27:25,000 --> 00:27:26,560 our. Need to be seen. 440 00:27:28,960 --> 00:27:32,920 Once you're seen by the Lord, you can see how important it is 441 00:27:32,920 --> 00:27:34,760 to repent of our need to be seen. 442 00:27:34,760 --> 00:27:37,080 By the world. Balthazar has a really 443 00:27:37,080 --> 00:27:41,520 interesting observation where he diagnoses modern religion as 444 00:27:41,520 --> 00:27:43,840 being. Captivated by quote, a zeal. 445 00:27:43,840 --> 00:27:48,120 For everything that's measurable and calculable and draws praise 446 00:27:48,120 --> 00:27:50,520 to us. So in other words, Balthazar 447 00:27:50,520 --> 00:27:53,480 says, we tend to. Use religion to fulfill our 448 00:27:53,480 --> 00:27:56,040 worldly. Ambitions and to draw attention. 449 00:27:56,040 --> 00:28:02,280 To ourselves rather than to God. He he even argues that listen to 450 00:28:02,280 --> 00:28:05,200 this the majority of what we do and say on a daily basis. 451 00:28:07,200 --> 00:28:11,560 At the root of that behavior is a desire to be seen by the 452 00:28:11,560 --> 00:28:13,760 world. You know what? 453 00:28:13,760 --> 00:28:15,760 You work yourself to death for that goal because you need. 454 00:28:15,760 --> 00:28:17,600 To be seen. You know why you. 455 00:28:17,600 --> 00:28:20,400 Behave that way because you need to be seen. 456 00:28:20,920 --> 00:28:24,000 All of our. Godly or ungodly ambition, our 457 00:28:24,000 --> 00:28:25,120 frenzied. Toil. 458 00:28:25,440 --> 00:28:29,120 Our obsession with narcissism, it's. 459 00:28:29,760 --> 00:28:32,000 It's all because we have daddy issues. 460 00:28:32,000 --> 00:28:35,720 Heavenly Daddy issues. That's it. 461 00:28:35,760 --> 00:28:45,080 Pretty much all of them. We've never slowed down to 462 00:28:45,080 --> 00:28:50,720 experience the loving gaze of the Father that's already on us. 463 00:28:52,360 --> 00:28:55,960 And to be in it and to soak in it and to rest in it. 464 00:28:56,320 --> 00:28:59,120 And so we've developed heavenly daddy issues since we're not 465 00:28:59,120 --> 00:29:01,600 confident that God sees us. You know who? 466 00:29:01,600 --> 00:29:08,600 We need to see us, everybody else, the world we desperately, 467 00:29:09,080 --> 00:29:12,080 desperately, pathetically obsessed over ourselves. 468 00:29:12,080 --> 00:29:14,440 With a vanity that says look at me, look. 469 00:29:14,640 --> 00:29:16,320 Please. Look at me or I'll. 470 00:29:16,320 --> 00:29:22,440 Die or I'll disappear. Have you ever? 471 00:29:23,120 --> 00:29:26,160 Oh. Have you ever posted something 472 00:29:26,160 --> 00:29:29,280 on social media? And nobody likes it. 473 00:29:34,800 --> 00:29:39,360 What an amazing experience if you've experienced that, what a 474 00:29:39,360 --> 00:29:41,800 blessing. You know what I'm talking about, 475 00:29:41,800 --> 00:29:51,520 Jay, if you. No, Jay is very popular. 476 00:29:52,880 --> 00:29:54,520 That was for yourself esteem. You're welcome. 477 00:29:57,120 --> 00:29:58,960 If you want something really practical this morning though, I 478 00:29:58,960 --> 00:29:59,960 will. Give you a doozy. 479 00:30:00,120 --> 00:30:03,280 It's not for the faint of heart. What I would encourage you to do 480 00:30:03,280 --> 00:30:06,160 is for the next week. At the end of every day. 481 00:30:06,800 --> 00:30:08,920 Whenever you put the kids down for sleep or whenever you get 482 00:30:08,920 --> 00:30:10,640 done with work. Whenever you've got 15. 483 00:30:10,640 --> 00:30:12,720 Minutes I would. Encourage you. 484 00:30:13,680 --> 00:30:15,520 At the end of every day, sit down. 485 00:30:15,520 --> 00:30:18,640 With a piece of paper journal, I don't care. 486 00:30:20,200 --> 00:30:25,240 Ask one question. What did I do today? 487 00:30:26,720 --> 00:30:28,720 Because I needed to be. Seen. 488 00:30:33,440 --> 00:30:38,160 And what you'll discover is it the answer to that question is 489 00:30:38,160 --> 00:30:43,720 most of it. You know why you talked over 490 00:30:43,720 --> 00:30:46,760 your spouse. You needed to be seen. 491 00:30:49,000 --> 00:30:51,040 You know why you slandered your Co worker? 492 00:30:54,280 --> 00:30:57,000 You needed to be seen. You know why you gossiped about 493 00:30:57,000 --> 00:30:59,160 a friend? Because you had something that 494 00:30:59,160 --> 00:31:00,520 would make the world. See you. 495 00:31:01,880 --> 00:31:03,320 If you ask that question at the end of. 496 00:31:03,320 --> 00:31:05,480 Every day for a week. What did I do today? 497 00:31:05,480 --> 00:31:09,960 Because I needed to be seen. You will always, always, always 498 00:31:10,360 --> 00:31:13,560 have something to repent of at the end. 499 00:31:13,560 --> 00:31:19,440 Of the day. But it will also by the grace of 500 00:31:19,440 --> 00:31:20,720 God, if you can. Receive the. 501 00:31:20,720 --> 00:31:23,440 Grace of Jesus Christ, which is free for you. 502 00:31:24,120 --> 00:31:26,840 You'll also experience an extraordinary forgiveness from 503 00:31:26,840 --> 00:31:31,240 Him in the process of regularly identifying the things that you 504 00:31:31,240 --> 00:31:33,920 do because you need to be seen and then repenting of them. 505 00:31:34,560 --> 00:31:40,280 It will actually wean your. Soul off of the world. 506 00:31:42,280 --> 00:31:44,120 They don't need it, right? Look at verse 2 again. 507 00:31:45,800 --> 00:31:50,200 I've calmed and quieted my soul. I want. 508 00:31:50,200 --> 00:31:55,080 That God, What is that? Like like a wean child. 509 00:31:55,080 --> 00:31:59,760 With its mother. Like a weaned child. 510 00:31:59,760 --> 00:32:02,200 Is my soul with enemy? What? 511 00:32:04,480 --> 00:32:12,920 What a strange analogy. It's odd his his soul. 512 00:32:15,120 --> 00:32:18,360 Is no. Longer like a baby. 513 00:32:19,040 --> 00:32:23,120 Who takes milk from her? Mother, isn't that weird? 514 00:32:23,800 --> 00:32:27,880 His soul is no longer like a baby that cries out and calls 515 00:32:27,880 --> 00:32:32,240 out and panics when she needs milk. 516 00:32:32,960 --> 00:32:38,280 She's a His soul is like a. Weaned child. 517 00:32:39,960 --> 00:32:41,640 Why? What? 518 00:32:41,640 --> 00:32:43,000 What's? Huh. 519 00:32:43,080 --> 00:32:45,120 What? Why the metaphor? 520 00:32:46,920 --> 00:32:48,600 Here's why the metaphor? This is profound. 521 00:32:48,880 --> 00:32:53,320 Here's what it is. What does an infant? 522 00:32:53,320 --> 00:32:59,960 Go to her mother for milk, what she gives. 523 00:32:59,960 --> 00:33:06,040 To the child now follow me here what does a weaned. 524 00:33:06,040 --> 00:33:13,560 Child go to her mother for not for the milk, but for her 525 00:33:13,560 --> 00:33:19,600 presence. Not for what the mother can give 526 00:33:19,600 --> 00:33:24,880 her, but for. Who the mother is. 527 00:33:26,960 --> 00:33:29,760 This is where David is in his walk with God. 528 00:33:32,920 --> 00:33:35,240 It's. Only what the Wean child knows, 529 00:33:35,600 --> 00:33:37,760 he knows. That the. 530 00:33:37,760 --> 00:33:42,240 Presence of His Heavenly Father. Is better than the. 531 00:33:42,240 --> 00:33:46,760 Gifts of his heavenly. Father, the gifts are great. 532 00:33:48,360 --> 00:33:49,920 They're just not. Better. 533 00:33:49,920 --> 00:33:53,880 Than the presence of God that's why we have verse 3 right 534 00:33:53,880 --> 00:33:55,480 that's. What verse 3 is all about? 535 00:33:55,480 --> 00:33:59,800 Look at verse 3 this. Couplet at the end O. 536 00:33:59,800 --> 00:34:02,760 Israel hope in the Lord. From this time forth and forever 537 00:34:02,760 --> 00:34:05,320 more, when you see a couple like that at the end of the Psalm and 538 00:34:05,320 --> 00:34:07,880 they're at the end of a lot of Psalms, you, you tend to read it 539 00:34:07,880 --> 00:34:12,280 as like an afterthought. It's not an afterthought, right? 540 00:34:12,280 --> 00:34:15,280 It's not like David wrote the Psalm and was like, oh man, that 541 00:34:15,440 --> 00:34:19,719 that didn't sound very. Religious better throw an old. 542 00:34:19,719 --> 00:34:21,440 Hope in the Lord in there at the end. 543 00:34:22,639 --> 00:34:26,440 That's not what's going on. Couplets at the end of psalms 544 00:34:26,440 --> 00:34:29,159 like this they are. Summaries of the whole Psalm 545 00:34:29,520 --> 00:34:31,520 they tell you. What the whole Psalm was about, 546 00:34:31,880 --> 00:34:34,320 the whole process of weaning your soul off of things too 547 00:34:34,320 --> 00:34:36,800 great and too marvelous. For you it's. 548 00:34:36,880 --> 00:34:39,800 All about learning to trust the Lord to be the one who's 549 00:34:39,800 --> 00:34:43,400 satisfied. Do you see this, David? 550 00:34:43,960 --> 00:34:46,760 Trust the Lord knows the Lord. The lights of the Lord enjoys 551 00:34:46,760 --> 00:34:49,280 the Lord so much that He just no longer. 552 00:34:49,600 --> 00:34:52,920 Needs the milk or the gifts that God could give. 553 00:34:53,040 --> 00:35:00,280 He'd like them. Healing would be great like 554 00:35:00,280 --> 00:35:02,840 that. Promotion would be great. 555 00:35:04,520 --> 00:35:10,240 More money would be great. A spouse would be great, right? 556 00:35:10,240 --> 00:35:15,480 David would like that goal. He just doesn't need it. 557 00:35:17,520 --> 00:35:21,680 Does that make sense? He has something better. 558 00:35:22,920 --> 00:35:24,480 Than the milk. He has the. 559 00:35:24,480 --> 00:35:34,470 Parrot the presents when I was in college I'm going to get out 560 00:35:34,470 --> 00:35:37,310 of your way in a second here. When I was in college, I worked 561 00:35:37,310 --> 00:35:40,830 assisted living for young men with mental disabilities. 562 00:35:40,830 --> 00:35:42,990 They were my boys, I. Love that was a really fun 563 00:35:43,390 --> 00:35:45,990 couple years those guys I. Developed a great relationship 564 00:35:45,990 --> 00:35:48,150 with those dudes and they actually, I think it's where I 565 00:35:48,150 --> 00:35:49,830 learned. How to preach? 566 00:35:50,320 --> 00:35:53,240 Because my relationship with those guys often made me think, 567 00:35:53,400 --> 00:35:55,240 Huh? Is this the like this? 568 00:35:55,240 --> 00:35:56,880 The way this relationship is is this kind. 569 00:35:56,880 --> 00:35:59,120 Of the way that God. Feels about me so that there 570 00:35:59,120 --> 00:36:02,560 were a very precious couple years of my life and one of my 571 00:36:02,560 --> 00:36:05,920 guys that I helped out, he had a consumer problem. 572 00:36:06,400 --> 00:36:10,640 He just liked things too much. Like he had a rare genetic 573 00:36:10,640 --> 00:36:14,320 mutation that made him fixate and obsess on things too much. 574 00:36:14,680 --> 00:36:16,640 Like, I mean, I don't mean like a little too much. 575 00:36:16,640 --> 00:36:18,560 I mean like a lot too much. Like we had to lock his 576 00:36:18,560 --> 00:36:20,840 cupboards otherwise he would fixate on the food and he would 577 00:36:20,840 --> 00:36:22,840 literally he would eat himself to death. 578 00:36:22,840 --> 00:36:26,240 That's not a metaphor. When we went to like Walmart or 579 00:36:26,240 --> 00:36:28,640 Target at the mall and there were free pamphlets, you know 580 00:36:28,640 --> 00:36:31,040 what I'm talking about. He would try to take all of 581 00:36:31,040 --> 00:36:32,920 them, right? He just liked. 582 00:36:32,920 --> 00:36:37,920 Things too much. He had a consumer problem and so 583 00:36:37,920 --> 00:36:39,720 when I started taking him to Target. 584 00:36:40,880 --> 00:36:42,760 He. Target was his favorite place to 585 00:36:42,760 --> 00:36:46,240 go and walk around and when the relationship started he would 586 00:36:46,240 --> 00:36:50,160 want things that he could not. Afford and. 587 00:36:50,320 --> 00:36:53,160 When I said no, you don't have the money for that. 588 00:36:53,800 --> 00:36:56,760 He would have these meltdowns. And when I say meltdowns, I 589 00:36:56,760 --> 00:36:58,680 mean. Meltdowns in the middle of. 590 00:36:58,680 --> 00:37:00,560 Target. I'm not talking like he 591 00:37:00,560 --> 00:37:03,800 disagreed with me and his personality soured. 592 00:37:03,800 --> 00:37:07,680 I'm talking like an all on meltdown, cussing at me, cursing 593 00:37:07,680 --> 00:37:10,160 at me, throwing himself on the floor in the middle. 594 00:37:10,160 --> 00:37:11,920 Of the aisle and. Kicking and screaming at the 595 00:37:11,920 --> 00:37:13,920 floor and. Nobody. 596 00:37:13,920 --> 00:37:16,520 Warned me about that. So when it happened I was like 597 00:37:16,520 --> 00:37:19,120 what the heck is going on? And I I was so. 598 00:37:19,120 --> 00:37:22,440 Embarrassed by it because people were worried about it and. 599 00:37:22,840 --> 00:37:26,840 And the the staff members at Target were in a frenzy too, and 600 00:37:26,840 --> 00:37:29,400 they got anxious about it and. Everything kind of threw. 601 00:37:29,400 --> 00:37:31,480 Itself into a frenzy, and so I made a. 602 00:37:31,480 --> 00:37:33,280 Huge mistake the first couple. Times. 603 00:37:33,280 --> 00:37:37,720 Can you guys guess what I did? Yeah, I bought him the stuff. 604 00:37:39,040 --> 00:37:42,160 I was like, I just, I, I just want this moment to stop. 605 00:37:43,160 --> 00:37:47,640 So I'll get you the thing. Huge mistake because that 606 00:37:47,920 --> 00:37:49,640 increased. The the cycle. 607 00:37:49,640 --> 00:37:52,280 And so he would he would want it again and again. 608 00:37:52,440 --> 00:37:54,840 It enabled his behavior. It happened again and again and 609 00:37:54,840 --> 00:37:57,120 again. And it was, it was really hard. 610 00:37:57,360 --> 00:37:59,680 But I learned something. Along the way I. 611 00:37:59,680 --> 00:38:02,000 Learned that when he was having one of his tantrums and 612 00:38:02,000 --> 00:38:03,560 meltdowns. I learned that. 613 00:38:03,560 --> 00:38:05,320 You couldn't talk him out of a meltdown. 614 00:38:06,960 --> 00:38:09,120 You couldn't. Convince him out of a meltdown. 615 00:38:09,120 --> 00:38:11,240 Maybe you could pacify it by getting in the thing. 616 00:38:11,480 --> 00:38:13,440 It doesn't deal with. It it just creates another one 617 00:38:13,440 --> 00:38:15,840 in the future so you can't talk them. 618 00:38:15,840 --> 00:38:17,960 Out of it, you can't. Reason them out of a meltdown. 619 00:38:17,960 --> 00:38:19,560 You couldn't lecture them out of the meltdown. 620 00:38:20,480 --> 00:38:23,200 All those things made everything, everything worse. 621 00:38:23,200 --> 00:38:25,600 So. Do you want to know what worked? 622 00:38:27,680 --> 00:38:31,120 I just be so embarrassed and I found out what worked. 623 00:38:31,640 --> 00:38:36,840 Not lecturing, not caving. What I would do? 624 00:38:37,880 --> 00:38:41,040 When the tantrum happened is I learned there was only one thing 625 00:38:41,040 --> 00:38:46,520 to end it. I would kneel down on one knee 626 00:38:46,520 --> 00:38:50,920 on the ground next to him. I take a deep breath. 627 00:38:51,960 --> 00:38:57,520 Calm myself, I take my right hand and I would gently just. 628 00:38:57,520 --> 00:39:03,080 Place it on his foot. And as calmly as I could with as 629 00:39:03,080 --> 00:39:07,120 little anxiety as possible. All I would do is be. 630 00:39:07,120 --> 00:39:17,840 Present with him and it worked. It was like magic, the staff 631 00:39:17,840 --> 00:39:19,680 members. It calmed them. 632 00:39:20,480 --> 00:39:22,720 They would see a. Calm person who was present with 633 00:39:22,720 --> 00:39:25,080 them and like oh OK, he's got it handled. 634 00:39:25,080 --> 00:39:28,480 Other people felt the same way. And almost magically. 635 00:39:29,120 --> 00:39:33,240 Almost magically. Simply guide by giving my non 636 00:39:33,240 --> 00:39:36,680 anxious presence to him. It would snap him out of it, 637 00:39:36,880 --> 00:39:43,600 transform him and put an end to the tantrums and you can you can 638 00:39:43,600 --> 00:39:45,600 dangle your toes. Over the edge of this. 639 00:39:45,600 --> 00:39:48,080 Metaphor, right? You see where I'm going with 640 00:39:48,080 --> 00:39:52,320 this? This is how God transforms us 641 00:39:52,320 --> 00:39:55,160 too. He needs to say no. 642 00:39:55,160 --> 00:39:57,200 To some of our dreams, even our good ones. 643 00:39:58,040 --> 00:40:01,080 I want the perfect house. I want the perfect marriage. 644 00:40:01,800 --> 00:40:04,840 I want the perfect church with perfect spouse. 645 00:40:06,160 --> 00:40:07,800 And sometimes by the grace of God. 646 00:40:07,800 --> 00:40:10,240 He has. To say no to those ambitions and 647 00:40:10,240 --> 00:40:12,680 dreams and desires. And more times than not, the 648 00:40:12,680 --> 00:40:15,120 human nature responds by throwing a tantrum. 649 00:40:17,880 --> 00:40:20,480 But rather than giving us the things or caving in, you know 650 00:40:20,480 --> 00:40:25,520 what God tends to do if. We're aware or awake he gets. 651 00:40:25,520 --> 00:40:30,040 Down on one knee, puts his hand on us and. 652 00:40:30,040 --> 00:40:36,600 Gives us his presence and. Through this process, we learn. 653 00:40:36,600 --> 00:40:39,640 That even though the gifts of God are good. 654 00:40:40,440 --> 00:40:43,920 They don't satisfy. The only thing that satisfies 655 00:40:44,160 --> 00:40:50,200 you know what it is. It's God, His presence, His 656 00:40:50,200 --> 00:40:59,000 attention, His love, His admiration that Jesus purchased 657 00:40:59,000 --> 00:41:00,720 for you. It's on you right now. 658 00:41:02,160 --> 00:41:04,520 If you're. A Christian Christ has so. 659 00:41:04,520 --> 00:41:07,240 Sufficiently died for your sins and covered you in his very own. 660 00:41:07,240 --> 00:41:11,240 Righteousness that you don't. You don't have to throw a 661 00:41:11,240 --> 00:41:13,960 tantrum to get God's. Right you. 662 00:41:15,160 --> 00:41:17,720 Don't need to clench your. Fists, you don't. 663 00:41:17,720 --> 00:41:20,120 Need to yell and scream to get his loving gaze. 664 00:41:20,360 --> 00:41:22,360 It's already on you before you do. 665 00:41:22,360 --> 00:41:26,600 Anything, it's yours and when you learn that. 666 00:41:27,520 --> 00:41:30,400 And feel that. You you really begin to. 667 00:41:30,400 --> 00:41:34,840 Believe that who God is is greater than what He can give. 668 00:41:37,120 --> 00:41:39,360 And that's why I think David is actually the perfect person to 669 00:41:39,360 --> 00:41:41,440 write this. Because the dude ends up doing 670 00:41:41,440 --> 00:41:44,080 some cool stuff, right? Like David ends up doing some 671 00:41:44,080 --> 00:41:45,920 great stuff. He slays Goliath. 672 00:41:46,680 --> 00:41:49,520 He becomes a military hero. He leads. 673 00:41:49,520 --> 00:41:52,280 The army of Israel. He becomes the king of Israel. 674 00:41:52,280 --> 00:41:58,720 He does a lot of cool stuff. He just didn't need to. 675 00:42:02,480 --> 00:42:08,360 Do you or is God and his presence enough? 676 00:42:08,800 --> 00:42:13,920 Heavenly Father, this is a doozy for me to think about. 677 00:42:14,120 --> 00:42:16,400 It's so obvious to me why I was drawn to this. 678 00:42:17,840 --> 00:42:22,760 During my sabbatical. That first week, it was almost 679 00:42:22,760 --> 00:42:24,680 like I. Went through withdrawal. 680 00:42:25,560 --> 00:42:28,400 I just wanted to teach something in front of somebody who would 681 00:42:28,400 --> 00:42:29,520 listen. It was like. 682 00:42:30,400 --> 00:42:32,560 It was like I was. It was like I was being. 683 00:42:32,560 --> 00:42:36,760 Weaned off of something that's good, but something I'd become 684 00:42:36,760 --> 00:42:40,920 addicted to, and so thank you. For that gift, and I just pray 685 00:42:40,920 --> 00:42:46,560 that you would that you would that you would calm and quiet 686 00:42:46,560 --> 00:42:50,560 our souls there are. A lot of souls in here that are 687 00:42:50,560 --> 00:42:59,400 bouncing around, running around the house all the time, trying 688 00:42:59,400 --> 00:43:04,760 to escape and run down the block, and those souls just need 689 00:43:04,760 --> 00:43:08,480 to be still so that they can rest in the breast. 690 00:43:08,480 --> 00:43:15,080 Of God and just like I, just I. Want to collapse into you, Lord? 691 00:43:16,160 --> 00:43:17,920 Like the type. Of rest that you feel. 692 00:43:17,920 --> 00:43:21,920 From head to toe. When the limbs go loose and 693 00:43:21,920 --> 00:43:24,560 ambition is. Evacuated out of me and. 694 00:43:25,280 --> 00:43:28,360 All I need. To do is rest in the love of God 695 00:43:28,360 --> 00:43:32,040 that is already. Been there and will always be 696 00:43:32,040 --> 00:43:36,360 there because of the gospel that we would experience that this 697 00:43:36,360 --> 00:43:41,320 morning in the precious name of Jesus, all God's people said,