1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:04,000 Good morning is so good to be with you, Forest you. 2 00:00:04,010 --> 00:00:05,700 It's always a pleasure to be up here. 3 00:00:05,750 --> 00:00:08,510 Our foundational texts this morning will be Hebrews 12 4 00:00:08,520 --> 00:00:10,860 verses 1 to 2. So if you have your scriptures 5 00:00:10,970 --> 00:00:12,380 or if you don't, please grab one. 6 00:00:12,390 --> 00:00:15,970 Maybe pull it up on your phone. Hebrews 12 verses 1 to 2. 7 00:00:17,570 --> 00:00:20,700 Now if you don't know, we're in our series Words to live By, 8 00:00:20,710 --> 00:00:23,300 which is where we take popular sayings from the culture and we 9 00:00:23,310 --> 00:00:26,060 examine them through a biblical and Christian lens. 10 00:00:26,110 --> 00:00:33,420 Today's phrase are popular saying is manifest your destiny, 11 00:00:33,810 --> 00:00:38,100 Manifest your destiny. I recently heard a story where a 12 00:00:38,110 --> 00:00:40,940 wife was talking to someone and she used it like this. 13 00:00:41,110 --> 00:00:46,760 My husband is just so much better at manifesting things 14 00:00:46,830 --> 00:00:49,870 than I am. Now you might hear this phrase. 15 00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:52,320 You might be familiar with it. It's very popular in certain 16 00:00:52,830 --> 00:00:56,360 circles in the 21st century. Some of you have never heard 17 00:00:56,370 --> 00:00:58,720 this before. Some of you will hear me say 18 00:00:58,730 --> 00:01:02,730 manifest your destiny and say Manifest destiny is that the 19 00:01:02,740 --> 00:01:05,880 westward expansion of America. We are not talking about that 20 00:01:05,890 --> 00:01:07,530 this morning. Rather, we were talking about 21 00:01:07,540 --> 00:01:11,770 Manifest Your Destiny. Now, it's hard to pin down 22 00:01:11,780 --> 00:01:13,890 exactly what people mean by this phrase. 23 00:01:13,900 --> 00:01:15,690 People use it in all sorts of ways. 24 00:01:15,780 --> 00:01:20,480 When I was researching this sermon, I came across A blog 25 00:01:20,490 --> 00:01:24,390 post by an Eastern Mystic who was talking about how time is 26 00:01:24,400 --> 00:01:27,260 not a reality. And so you can actually think 27 00:01:27,270 --> 00:01:29,060 about the future, what you would have had. 28 00:01:29,130 --> 00:01:32,080 And because time is just an illusion, you can manifest it 29 00:01:32,090 --> 00:01:34,780 back in front of you. So there's that side of manifest 30 00:01:34,790 --> 00:01:37,470 your destiny. And on the total opposite end of 31 00:01:37,480 --> 00:01:41,300 the spectrum is something like dress for the job you want, not 32 00:01:41,310 --> 00:01:48,400 the one you have or fake it till you make it so you have this 33 00:01:48,410 --> 00:01:53,440 massive spectrum of this idea of manifest your manifest, your 34 00:01:53,450 --> 00:01:56,650 destiny. Yeah, thank you if that's your 35 00:01:56,660 --> 00:01:58,620 destiny. But at the core of it, what it's 36 00:01:58,630 --> 00:02:03,760 saying is that if I focus on something enough, if I give my 37 00:02:03,770 --> 00:02:07,160 attention to something enough, I will get it. 38 00:02:08,410 --> 00:02:11,340 OK, so we all understand this. If I focus on something enough, 39 00:02:11,350 --> 00:02:13,820 I will get it. Now, lots of people use this 40 00:02:13,830 --> 00:02:15,720 phrase. I've heard it from agnostics, 41 00:02:15,730 --> 00:02:18,260 people who don't necessarily believe in anything spiritual, 42 00:02:18,270 --> 00:02:20,200 but not religious. This common phrase. 43 00:02:20,240 --> 00:02:24,850 I've heard it from entrepreneurs and even certain Christians, 44 00:02:24,860 --> 00:02:27,370 people that believe in something called the prosperity gospel or 45 00:02:27,380 --> 00:02:29,450 this idea of name it and claim it. 46 00:02:29,460 --> 00:02:32,340 If I think about something enough, then I can get it. 47 00:02:33,520 --> 00:02:37,310 The main thrust of this sermon is to point out that sayings 48 00:02:37,320 --> 00:02:41,890 like Manifest Your Destiny are actually distractions. 49 00:02:43,240 --> 00:02:46,570 They're distractions from the reality of life and an attempt 50 00:02:46,580 --> 00:02:51,690 to take control of uncertainty that lead us to a transactional 51 00:02:51,700 --> 00:02:57,010 view of the universe rather than a relational view of God. 52 00:02:58,260 --> 00:03:00,910 So sayings like Manifest Your Destiny lead us to a 53 00:03:00,920 --> 00:03:03,810 transactional view of the universe rather than a 54 00:03:03,820 --> 00:03:07,290 relational view of God. With that, let's turn to our 55 00:03:07,300 --> 00:03:09,070 passage. Hebrews 12/1 to two. 56 00:03:11,270 --> 00:03:16,460 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud 57 00:03:16,470 --> 00:03:20,320 of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders in the 58 00:03:20,330 --> 00:03:24,360 sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance 59 00:03:24,370 --> 00:03:28,000 the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the 60 00:03:28,010 --> 00:03:30,260 pioneer and perfecter of our faith. 61 00:03:30,330 --> 00:03:33,460 And this is the really important section that I think speaks to 62 00:03:33,470 --> 00:03:37,760 manifest your destiny. For the joy set before him, he 63 00:03:37,770 --> 00:03:42,740 endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right 64 00:03:42,750 --> 00:03:46,940 hand of the throne of God. So we're going to be talking 65 00:03:46,950 --> 00:03:48,700 about manifest your destiny this morning. 66 00:03:48,710 --> 00:03:50,840 Here's the path that we're going to be following. 67 00:03:50,920 --> 00:03:54,060 First, we're going to talk about the good intention. 68 00:03:54,130 --> 00:03:56,280 What's good about manifest your destiny? 69 00:03:56,330 --> 00:03:58,840 What's behind it that you go, OK, that's not that bad. 70 00:03:58,850 --> 00:04:01,180 There's a reality to that that I can apply to my life. 71 00:04:01,190 --> 00:04:04,080 What's the good intention? Then we're going to talk about 72 00:04:04,090 --> 00:04:07,180 the grand deception. Where does this phrase go wrong? 73 00:04:07,270 --> 00:04:10,280 Where is it no longer helpful? Where is it going to lead you 74 00:04:10,290 --> 00:04:14,160 into a life that's not good? And lastly, we're going to talk 75 00:04:14,170 --> 00:04:18,180 about the gospel of grace. So of all the things that this 76 00:04:18,190 --> 00:04:23,420 idea of manifest your destiny is trying to do, how does Jesus 77 00:04:23,430 --> 00:04:26,860 Christ and the gospel of his life, death and resurrection 78 00:04:26,870 --> 00:04:29,490 speak to it better? So that's what we're going to be 79 00:04:29,500 --> 00:04:32,340 talking about today, the good intention, the grand deception, 80 00:04:32,390 --> 00:04:35,810 and the gospel of grace. Now just as a preface before we 81 00:04:35,820 --> 00:04:40,100 begin this morning we are going to be all over the Scriptures to 82 00:04:40,110 --> 00:04:42,430 see how the whole Bible speaks to this topic. 83 00:04:43,780 --> 00:04:46,760 Don't worry about flipping around OK to these verses unless 84 00:04:46,770 --> 00:04:49,010 you want to because they will be up on the screen. 85 00:04:49,630 --> 00:04:52,810 So with that, let's talk about the good intention. 86 00:04:52,860 --> 00:04:56,820 What is good about this phrase? Manifest your destiny. 87 00:04:58,730 --> 00:05:03,120 I had a friend in undergrad named Ezra, and Ezra was this 88 00:05:03,130 --> 00:05:05,920 really just wicked smart guy who wanted to be a lawyer. 89 00:05:05,930 --> 00:05:09,640 I was studying political science, and he really believed 90 00:05:09,650 --> 00:05:12,660 in this phrase. Dress for the job you want, not 91 00:05:12,670 --> 00:05:15,180 the one you have. And so Ezra is walking around 92 00:05:15,190 --> 00:05:16,520 everywhere. He wants to be a lawyer. 93 00:05:16,530 --> 00:05:17,850 So he's walking around in a suit. 94 00:05:17,860 --> 00:05:21,860 He's always got nice shoes on, nice Plaid dress pants, a button 95 00:05:21,870 --> 00:05:24,600 up, a good coat over top. So here I am, you know, 96 00:05:24,610 --> 00:05:26,940 strolling into the cafeteria. It's about to close. 97 00:05:26,950 --> 00:05:29,240 I'm in sweatpants and a hoodie. I'm like, you know, I'm just 98 00:05:29,250 --> 00:05:30,800 trying to sneak in there and get a meal. 99 00:05:30,900 --> 00:05:33,520 Ezra's doing the same thing, but he's dressed to the nines. 100 00:05:33,530 --> 00:05:36,350 So he walks in there and he's getting food and he looks good. 101 00:05:36,500 --> 00:05:38,840 I OK, you know, Ezra, I, I see what you're doing. 102 00:05:38,900 --> 00:05:42,850 Sometimes I'd be in the gym and there's Ezra in a button up 103 00:05:42,860 --> 00:05:45,690 doing pull ups and I'm like, OK, as we're like, you know, this is 104 00:05:45,700 --> 00:05:49,430 maybe excessive, but there's something in it that worked for 105 00:05:49,440 --> 00:05:52,090 him. Ezra was incredibly hard 106 00:05:52,100 --> 00:05:54,010 working. He believed in this idea that if 107 00:05:54,020 --> 00:05:56,810 I do think about a goal enough, I can achieve it. 108 00:05:56,820 --> 00:06:00,230 And so Ezra went on to be very successful in this classes and 109 00:06:00,240 --> 00:06:03,160 he almost won student body president at the end of his 110 00:06:03,170 --> 00:06:05,130 second year, which is like unheard of. 111 00:06:05,510 --> 00:06:08,040 He didn't win, but he was really close. 112 00:06:08,050 --> 00:06:11,900 So this idea dressed for the job you want, not the one you have. 113 00:06:11,950 --> 00:06:14,560 Focus on your goals. Do things in your life to try 114 00:06:14,570 --> 00:06:17,260 and promote those goals. That's not a bad thing. 115 00:06:18,320 --> 00:06:20,870 In fact, the Bible talks about this. 116 00:06:20,880 --> 00:06:24,930 It's good to have goals. In Proverbs 21 verse 5, it says 117 00:06:24,940 --> 00:06:31,040 the plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste 118 00:06:31,080 --> 00:06:35,320 leads to poverty. Humans have this God-given 119 00:06:35,330 --> 00:06:38,440 creative capacity. Seriously, you all have it to 120 00:06:38,490 --> 00:06:41,580 act out your will and make changes in the world. 121 00:06:41,590 --> 00:06:45,400 And one of the way that you do this is through hard work. 122 00:06:45,590 --> 00:06:47,500 Hard work. And the Bible also speaks to 123 00:06:47,510 --> 00:06:50,120 this. Proverbs 134A Sluggard's 124 00:06:50,130 --> 00:06:54,160 appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are 125 00:06:54,170 --> 00:06:57,500 fully satisfied. There's nothing wrong with 126 00:06:57,510 --> 00:07:00,820 setting high expectations for yourself, having goals, and 127 00:07:00,830 --> 00:07:03,180 working hard on the other side of it. 128 00:07:03,270 --> 00:07:07,270 Laziness is likewise condemned in the scriptures we see 129 00:07:07,280 --> 00:07:09,740 especially in Proverbs, but also in the New Testament. 130 00:07:09,790 --> 00:07:12,200 Proverbs sits 6 to 9. I like this. 131 00:07:12,210 --> 00:07:15,800 I think this is very funny. Proverbs 66 to 9:00 It says go 132 00:07:15,810 --> 00:07:19,060 to the Ant. You sluggard, you know, you lazy 133 00:07:19,070 --> 00:07:23,680 person, look at the Ant, consider its ways and be wise. 134 00:07:23,730 --> 00:07:28,210 It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its 135 00:07:28,220 --> 00:07:30,850 provisions in the summer and gathers its food at harvest. 136 00:07:30,860 --> 00:07:34,770 And then it goes on to say, how long will you lie there, you 137 00:07:34,780 --> 00:07:37,490 sluggard? So this is kind of intense 138 00:07:37,500 --> 00:07:39,130 language. Maybe you're feeling slightly 139 00:07:39,140 --> 00:07:41,770 convicted. We moved to the New Testament 140 00:07:42,260 --> 00:07:44,510 and Paul is right into the Thessalonians. 141 00:07:44,560 --> 00:07:48,130 He says, For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule. 142 00:07:48,900 --> 00:07:52,510 The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat. 143 00:07:52,720 --> 00:07:55,060 Such people. We command an urge in the Lord 144 00:07:55,070 --> 00:07:59,440 Jesus Christ settle down and earn the food they eat. 145 00:08:01,090 --> 00:08:03,920 So there's this idea, not only are we supposed to work hard, 146 00:08:04,110 --> 00:08:07,440 but it's good to have plans. It's good to work hard for those 147 00:08:07,450 --> 00:08:09,780 plans. Laziness is not good. 148 00:08:09,850 --> 00:08:14,170 And more than this, even to make the case even stronger, we are 149 00:08:14,180 --> 00:08:18,050 actually instructed in these plans and goals to ask God for 150 00:08:18,060 --> 00:08:20,970 things and expect that we're going to receive it. 151 00:08:21,360 --> 00:08:25,180 In Matthew 778, this famous passage from the Sermon on the 152 00:08:25,190 --> 00:08:28,450 Mount, Jesus says ask and it will be given to you. 153 00:08:28,540 --> 00:08:32,470 Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be open 154 00:08:32,480 --> 00:08:33,830 to you. Why? 155 00:08:34,780 --> 00:08:39,630 For everyone who asks receives the one who seeks fines, and to 156 00:08:39,640 --> 00:08:42,070 the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 157 00:08:42,820 --> 00:08:46,370 We find a very, very similar idea in Mark 1124. 158 00:08:46,420 --> 00:08:49,370 Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that 159 00:08:49,380 --> 00:08:51,800 you received it and it will be yours. 160 00:08:53,320 --> 00:08:56,650 Manifest your destiny. There's something behind that 161 00:08:56,660 --> 00:08:59,510 saying that is true. It is good to have goals. 162 00:08:59,520 --> 00:09:02,550 It is a Christian virtue to work hard. 163 00:09:02,620 --> 00:09:05,930 It is not good to be lazy. And even more than that, it's 164 00:09:05,940 --> 00:09:09,550 good to ask God for things and believe that you will receive 165 00:09:09,600 --> 00:09:12,750 from Him. So that's the good intention 166 00:09:12,760 --> 00:09:16,690 behind Manifest Your Destiny. But as we will see, these 167 00:09:16,700 --> 00:09:20,420 promises that we find in the scripture have a larger context 168 00:09:20,920 --> 00:09:23,010 that the rest of the scriptures delivered to us. 169 00:09:23,060 --> 00:09:26,130 And that leads us now into the grand deception. 170 00:09:26,970 --> 00:09:29,560 What's happening with this phrase, manifest your destiny? 171 00:09:29,570 --> 00:09:32,340 That is actually not true. And it's not going to lead you 172 00:09:32,350 --> 00:09:34,420 to true life. It's not gonna ground you in 173 00:09:34,430 --> 00:09:36,960 reality and it's certainly not going to lead you to Jesus. 174 00:09:38,670 --> 00:09:43,090 To preface, if you have heard someone say manifest your 175 00:09:43,100 --> 00:09:47,750 destiny, if you yourself really enjoy this phrase, I am not up 176 00:09:47,760 --> 00:09:50,970 here condemning you. I'm not saying you're malicious 177 00:09:50,980 --> 00:09:53,480 or that person that you know is malicious or that you know 178 00:09:53,490 --> 00:09:55,870 you're trying to mislead people or anything like that. 179 00:09:56,060 --> 00:09:59,280 But what I am saying is that this idea of manifest your 180 00:09:59,290 --> 00:10:02,500 destiny is not going to get you where you want to go. 181 00:10:03,530 --> 00:10:08,560 The truth is, is that this idea of manifesting your destiny is 182 00:10:08,570 --> 00:10:13,790 an anti type to prayer. OK, anti type, that word there, 183 00:10:13,800 --> 00:10:16,270 how it's being used. It's something that represents 184 00:10:16,280 --> 00:10:19,790 something else, but it flips it on its head. 185 00:10:20,300 --> 00:10:24,250 Manifest your destiny is an anti type to prayer. 186 00:10:24,320 --> 00:10:28,090 It comes from a human urge for control. 187 00:10:29,010 --> 00:10:32,920 We want control. There are so many things in our 188 00:10:32,930 --> 00:10:35,260 life that we do not have control over. 189 00:10:35,490 --> 00:10:42,090 Where you are born, who your parents are, what gender you 190 00:10:42,100 --> 00:10:44,690 are, these sorts of things we don't have. 191 00:10:44,840 --> 00:10:48,350 We are born into these things and we want control. 192 00:10:48,820 --> 00:10:54,530 And this urge for control leads us to a transactional view of 193 00:10:54,540 --> 00:10:58,260 the universe. If I'm manifesting my destiny, 194 00:10:58,330 --> 00:11:03,110 if I do what's right, then I will get what I deserve. 195 00:11:03,180 --> 00:11:05,620 If I do this, then I will get that. 196 00:11:05,680 --> 00:11:09,390 It leads us to a transactional view rather than a relational 197 00:11:09,400 --> 00:11:16,580 view of God, which says I trust that what he has for me is 198 00:11:16,590 --> 00:11:20,880 actually best for me. So I'll say that again, Manifest 199 00:11:20,890 --> 00:11:24,840 your destiny comes from a human urge for control that leads to a 200 00:11:24,850 --> 00:11:28,460 transactional view to the of the universe rather than a 201 00:11:28,470 --> 00:11:32,750 relational view of God. So let's break that down. 202 00:11:32,760 --> 00:11:36,580 What's going on in this grand deception behind Manifest your 203 00:11:36,590 --> 00:11:39,160 Destiny? There are two assumptions that 204 00:11:39,170 --> 00:11:42,230 are being made in this saying. 2 assumptions being made in 205 00:11:42,240 --> 00:11:45,560 Manifest your destiny. The 1st is that you will 206 00:11:45,570 --> 00:11:49,540 actually get what you want. If I manifested enough, if I 207 00:11:49,550 --> 00:11:52,310 focus on it enough, I am guaranteed to get what I want. 208 00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:56,110 That's the first assumption. The second assumption is much 209 00:11:56,120 --> 00:12:01,080 more inherent to humans. What I want is actually what's 210 00:12:01,090 --> 00:12:04,220 good for me. The two assumptions that I'm 211 00:12:04,230 --> 00:12:07,200 going to get what I want and that what I want is actually 212 00:12:07,210 --> 00:12:11,010 good for me. So first, is there any guarantee 213 00:12:11,020 --> 00:12:13,690 in life that if you manifest enough that you're going to get 214 00:12:13,700 --> 00:12:16,310 something? The short answer and the 215 00:12:16,320 --> 00:12:19,280 intuitive answer that we all have is no. 216 00:12:19,590 --> 00:12:20,880 And this comes from the Scriptures. 217 00:12:20,890 --> 00:12:24,180 Ecclesiastes Chapter 9 verse 11 says it very well. 218 00:12:24,290 --> 00:12:27,520 The the preacher in this context is saying, I have seen something 219 00:12:27,530 --> 00:12:31,760 else under the sun. The race is not to the swift or 220 00:12:31,770 --> 00:12:35,800 the battle to the strong. Nor does food come to the wise, 221 00:12:35,810 --> 00:12:38,560 or wealth to the brilliant, or favor to the learned. 222 00:12:38,630 --> 00:12:42,340 We wish these things were just true, he goes on to say. 223 00:12:42,390 --> 00:12:46,940 But time and chance happen to them all, and this is just the 224 00:12:46,950 --> 00:12:49,400 reality that we live in. You don't need Ecclesiastes to 225 00:12:49,410 --> 00:12:52,160 tell you this. We all know this intuitively. 226 00:12:52,390 --> 00:12:53,820 We don't always get what we want. 227 00:12:53,830 --> 00:12:56,100 Maybe from a young age, maybe your mom. 228 00:12:56,110 --> 00:12:59,790 My mom certainly told me life isn't fair. 229 00:12:59,800 --> 00:13:01,780 Life isn't fair. I heard that all the time 230 00:13:01,790 --> 00:13:02,910 growing up. Life isn't fair. 231 00:13:02,920 --> 00:13:05,790 We just know that. So someone into manifesting 232 00:13:05,800 --> 00:13:09,070 might say, Oh well, you know, you're just not manifesting hard 233 00:13:09,080 --> 00:13:10,870 enough. OK, that's a fair argument. 234 00:13:10,880 --> 00:13:13,310 I'm not manifesting hard. I'm not focusing enough on it. 235 00:13:13,380 --> 00:13:16,570 Or even someone in the extreme Eastern Mystic side of it will 236 00:13:16,580 --> 00:13:19,970 say something like your karma isn't good enough. 237 00:13:20,320 --> 00:13:21,510 You don't have good enough karma. 238 00:13:21,520 --> 00:13:23,050 That's why you're not getting what you want. 239 00:13:24,860 --> 00:13:28,010 And I, I want to tell a story just to illustrate this 240 00:13:28,020 --> 00:13:30,910 principle and just maybe how silly it is to go against your 241 00:13:30,920 --> 00:13:33,890 intuition on this, that life in truth is not fair. 242 00:13:35,150 --> 00:13:37,080 There was a teacher in my grade 11 year. 243 00:13:37,090 --> 00:13:38,980 I was at a massive public high school. 244 00:13:38,990 --> 00:13:41,760 His name was Mr. Finnegan. His, his name was Michael 245 00:13:41,770 --> 00:13:45,260 Finnegan, believe it or not. So he was Mr. Finnegan and he 246 00:13:45,270 --> 00:13:47,510 was this exceptionally popular teacher. 247 00:13:47,520 --> 00:13:50,880 He was a he taught math. He was heavily invested in his 248 00:13:50,890 --> 00:13:53,180 student success. He's 5 out of five on rate my 249 00:13:53,190 --> 00:13:57,000 teacher hard, but but realistic. You know, this guy was just 250 00:13:57,010 --> 00:13:59,360 awesome. I remember they'd always bring 251 00:13:59,370 --> 00:14:02,900 him up for the pep rallies. He was like the student mascot, 252 00:14:02,910 --> 00:14:05,120 but, you know, because they just loved him so much. 253 00:14:05,360 --> 00:14:07,430 Now, Mr. Finnegan one day is my friend still. 254 00:14:07,440 --> 00:14:10,640 I never had him, but my friends were telling me that, you know, 255 00:14:10,650 --> 00:14:12,460 they showed up to class and he just wasn't there. 256 00:14:13,230 --> 00:14:15,570 You know, they were so excited that Mister Finnegan teaching 257 00:14:15,580 --> 00:14:17,120 the math because he's this awesome guy. 258 00:14:17,170 --> 00:14:19,420 And they show up to class one week and it's only a few weeks 259 00:14:19,430 --> 00:14:20,690 into the semester and he's not there. 260 00:14:21,520 --> 00:14:23,570 And they're told that he's actually gonna be gone for a 261 00:14:23,580 --> 00:14:27,640 month, and they're not told why. So everyone's confused. 262 00:14:27,650 --> 00:14:29,610 This kind of spreads through the school, everyone speculating, 263 00:14:29,620 --> 00:14:31,410 you know, is it this is it, this, you know, something 264 00:14:31,420 --> 00:14:34,820 happened. So a month goes by and I asked 265 00:14:34,830 --> 00:14:37,010 my friends, you know what happened and and they they tell 266 00:14:37,020 --> 00:14:42,230 me that Mister Finnegan had been working on a a math thesis. 267 00:14:42,240 --> 00:14:44,890 He was trying to prove something in math. 268 00:14:44,900 --> 00:14:48,350 He was trying to prove it was a mathematical proof, and he'd 269 00:14:48,360 --> 00:14:52,510 worked for the on this proof for 10 years in his free time. 270 00:14:52,640 --> 00:14:55,450 Most of his free time devoted to proving this mathematical 271 00:14:55,460 --> 00:14:57,520 concept. And the night before that he 272 00:14:57,530 --> 00:14:59,790 took a month off. He used also vacation, whatever 273 00:14:59,800 --> 00:15:02,010 it looks like, for teachers to take a month off impromptu. 274 00:15:02,740 --> 00:15:06,780 He came to the realization that it's unprovable, it can't be 275 00:15:06,790 --> 00:15:10,760 done. He spent 10 years of his life 276 00:15:10,970 --> 00:15:14,840 looking to cement himself, even in a small way in the history of 277 00:15:14,850 --> 00:15:18,940 math, and after 10 years of devoting his free time to this, 278 00:15:19,010 --> 00:15:25,750 it wasn't provable. It didn't work and and he needed 279 00:15:25,760 --> 00:15:29,680 to take time to process that, you know, did Mr. Finnegan not 280 00:15:29,690 --> 00:15:32,220 focus enough on this math problem? 281 00:15:32,260 --> 00:15:37,470 Did he have bad karma? No, the truth is, is that even 282 00:15:37,480 --> 00:15:40,110 though life is often joyful, especially with Christ is 283 00:15:40,120 --> 00:15:44,940 joyful, the truth is that the reality of things being out of 284 00:15:44,950 --> 00:15:48,690 our control and the reality of suffering are just real. 285 00:15:49,730 --> 00:15:51,620 They're real and they're intuitively real. 286 00:15:51,630 --> 00:15:56,310 You feel it in yourself. You feel it every day in John 9 287 00:15:56,320 --> 00:15:59,880 Jesus, Jesus disciples asked him about a blind man. 288 00:15:59,890 --> 00:16:02,600 They say is this man blind because of his sin or is it 289 00:16:02,610 --> 00:16:05,420 because of his parents sin and Jesus flips it on him. 290 00:16:05,430 --> 00:16:09,520 He says guys false premise. It's not because of his sin or 291 00:16:09,530 --> 00:16:13,250 anybody else's sin, but in some way that God's glory is going to 292 00:16:13,260 --> 00:16:17,370 be revealed in his life. So this idea that we have, that 293 00:16:17,380 --> 00:16:20,110 we can, you know, that the universe is transactional, that 294 00:16:20,120 --> 00:16:22,420 if I do the right things, I'll get what I want. 295 00:16:23,480 --> 00:16:26,610 These are generally true. If you work hard, you will 296 00:16:26,620 --> 00:16:29,410 profit in some way. But are you always going to get 297 00:16:29,420 --> 00:16:31,780 what you work for? The answer is no. 298 00:16:33,520 --> 00:16:37,830 No, it's not guaranteed to you. And that's just the reality of 299 00:16:37,840 --> 00:16:44,260 life on this side of the fall. It's a hard reality now. 300 00:16:44,270 --> 00:16:46,370 We'll get to the gospel of grace, don't worry. 301 00:16:46,380 --> 00:16:48,800 But we're still dealing with the grand deception. 302 00:16:48,930 --> 00:16:52,910 What about the promises in the Bible that we talked about that 303 00:16:52,920 --> 00:16:56,170 the modern day Navin it, name it and claim it prosperity gospel? 304 00:16:56,180 --> 00:16:57,880 What about those promises that we read? 305 00:16:59,010 --> 00:17:01,840 Well, those promises all come in the context of the rest of the 306 00:17:01,850 --> 00:17:04,609 the scriptures, so let's read some other passages. 307 00:17:04,619 --> 00:17:09,190 Luke 1215. Jesus speaking, then he said to 308 00:17:09,200 --> 00:17:13,890 them, Watch out, be on guard against all kinds of greed. 309 00:17:13,900 --> 00:17:17,329 Why? Because life does not consist in 310 00:17:17,339 --> 00:17:21,650 an abundance of possessions. You got to get the focus right. 311 00:17:21,660 --> 00:17:24,550 Life isn't about getting everything that you want first. 312 00:17:24,560 --> 00:17:29,020 Peter 412 to 13. This is so real, dear friends. 313 00:17:29,030 --> 00:17:32,530 Do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on to test 314 00:17:32,540 --> 00:17:37,020 you as though something strange were happening to you, but 315 00:17:37,030 --> 00:17:41,110 rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of 316 00:17:41,120 --> 00:17:44,280 Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is 317 00:17:44,290 --> 00:17:47,290 revealed. So when a promise is made about 318 00:17:47,300 --> 00:17:50,070 something in the Bible, it's in the context that God is going to 319 00:17:50,080 --> 00:17:54,160 give you what you ask for, if it's good for you, if it's His 320 00:17:54,170 --> 00:17:57,460 will. Psalm 37, four says take delight 321 00:17:57,470 --> 00:18:01,180 in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. 322 00:18:01,890 --> 00:18:05,960 It's not God's going to give you the desires of your heart so 323 00:18:05,970 --> 00:18:09,440 that you can delight in Him. It's take delight in Him, 324 00:18:09,490 --> 00:18:13,400 because in delighting in God your will will be united to His 325 00:18:13,410 --> 00:18:15,230 and He will give you what's good for you. 326 00:18:16,640 --> 00:18:21,450 So that's the grand deception going on in, in, in, in 327 00:18:21,460 --> 00:18:23,070 manifest. I'm forgetting the phrase 328 00:18:23,320 --> 00:18:26,390 manifest your destiny. But there's the second question 329 00:18:26,400 --> 00:18:29,430 that we asked is what you actually want good for you. 330 00:18:29,640 --> 00:18:31,290 And we're gonna spend less time on this. 331 00:18:31,300 --> 00:18:32,930 Is what you actually want. Good for you. 332 00:18:33,000 --> 00:18:36,170 And the answer is, and we all intuitively know this, no, we 333 00:18:36,180 --> 00:18:39,630 have a sin nature. We have a sin problem inside of 334 00:18:39,640 --> 00:18:42,920 us. It's the lie that pervades that 335 00:18:42,930 --> 00:18:46,320 it goes all the way back to the garden is that God is holding 336 00:18:46,330 --> 00:18:50,060 out on you, that there's something good for you that he's 337 00:18:50,070 --> 00:18:52,950 not giving. We read Genesis 36. 338 00:18:52,960 --> 00:18:57,310 It says when the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good 339 00:18:57,320 --> 00:19:00,050 for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for 340 00:19:00,060 --> 00:19:02,680 gaining wisdom, she took some of it and ate it. 341 00:19:03,460 --> 00:19:07,490 So she sees this fruit. It looks good, it's pleasing, 342 00:19:07,500 --> 00:19:11,310 it's desirable. God says don't eat it, but God's 343 00:19:11,320 --> 00:19:13,950 holding out on me. So I'm gonna take it and eat it 344 00:19:13,960 --> 00:19:15,460 and give some to my husband who's with me. 345 00:19:15,470 --> 00:19:18,560 That's what's happening here. So to summarize this whole 346 00:19:18,570 --> 00:19:22,430 section, the grand deception, I find that James 4/2 to three 347 00:19:22,440 --> 00:19:25,410 tackles both of these points. Will I get what I want? 348 00:19:25,420 --> 00:19:28,260 The answer is not always and is what I want good for me? 349 00:19:28,270 --> 00:19:31,060 The answer is no and James says it well. 350 00:19:31,070 --> 00:19:35,560 He says you desire but you do not have, so you kill. 351 00:19:36,250 --> 00:19:38,900 There's something I want, I'm not getting it, so I'm going to 352 00:19:38,910 --> 00:19:43,460 do what I need to do to get it. You covet, but you cannot get 353 00:19:43,470 --> 00:19:46,370 what you want. So you quarrel and you fight. 354 00:19:46,770 --> 00:19:50,020 You do not have, because you do not ask God. 355 00:19:50,270 --> 00:19:53,720 But when you ask God, you do not receive. 356 00:19:53,770 --> 00:19:55,740 Why? Because you ask with the wrong 357 00:19:55,750 --> 00:19:59,010 motives, that you may spend what you want on your pleasures. 358 00:20:02,690 --> 00:20:05,940 So ultimately, the two principles that manifest your 359 00:20:05,950 --> 00:20:08,940 destiny are built upon are just not realistic. 360 00:20:09,170 --> 00:20:10,720 They're just not true to reality. 361 00:20:10,770 --> 00:20:12,620 Is it true that you always get what you want? 362 00:20:12,690 --> 00:20:15,810 No. Is what you want always good for 363 00:20:15,820 --> 00:20:17,170 you? No. 364 00:20:19,020 --> 00:20:24,470 So what is the Gospel of grace? What is the Gospel of grace for 365 00:20:24,480 --> 00:20:27,870 what Manifest your destiny is trying to accomplish? 366 00:20:27,930 --> 00:20:32,410 How does Christ accomplish it? Even better, how can we ground 367 00:20:32,420 --> 00:20:35,960 ourselves in the reality of the gospel instead of turning to 368 00:20:35,970 --> 00:20:38,340 something like Manifest your destiny? 369 00:20:41,680 --> 00:20:46,770 This saying Manifest your destiny, at its core, what it's 370 00:20:46,780 --> 00:20:50,170 trying to do, and we spoke of this, is it's an attempt to 371 00:20:50,180 --> 00:20:55,690 control the fact that uncertainty and suffering are a 372 00:20:55,700 --> 00:21:00,510 reality. No matter how hard you focus on 373 00:21:00,520 --> 00:21:02,970 something, no matter how bad you want something, it's not 374 00:21:02,980 --> 00:21:05,280 guaranteed to you. You may never get it, and that's 375 00:21:05,290 --> 00:21:08,170 the truth. Manifest your destiny is an 376 00:21:08,180 --> 00:21:12,270 attempt to control this fact. And in fact, every worldview and 377 00:21:12,280 --> 00:21:15,610 religion tries to answer this question of suffering. 378 00:21:16,060 --> 00:21:17,190 Why does it exist? What? 379 00:21:17,200 --> 00:21:19,830 What do I do about it? And Manifest your destiny is 380 00:21:19,840 --> 00:21:23,050 just another way of trying to make sense of this idea. 381 00:21:23,100 --> 00:21:26,130 Why do I experience lack? Why does it hurt? 382 00:21:27,430 --> 00:21:29,500 That's what Manifest Your Destiny is trying to do. 383 00:21:30,530 --> 00:21:33,340 The problem, like we've been saying, is that the universe is 384 00:21:33,350 --> 00:21:37,170 not transactional. It's not transactional. 385 00:21:37,180 --> 00:21:40,280 You won't get what you want all the time, and you can't 386 00:21:40,290 --> 00:21:43,180 completely escape the reality of suffering. 387 00:21:43,360 --> 00:21:47,510 But this leads us to what is true, and this is the gospel of 388 00:21:47,520 --> 00:21:50,050 grace. The biblical response is not to 389 00:21:50,060 --> 00:21:52,430 look at suffering and uncertainty and to try and 390 00:21:52,440 --> 00:21:57,850 control it, but rather to turn to God and trust that His 391 00:21:57,860 --> 00:22:01,230 destiny for you is what is going to lead you to true life. 392 00:22:02,830 --> 00:22:05,910 So instead of trying to manifest a new reality for yourself, what 393 00:22:05,920 --> 00:22:10,390 would it look like for you to turn to God and see what He has 394 00:22:10,400 --> 00:22:13,630 for you? Now we look back to the end of 395 00:22:13,640 --> 00:22:20,630 our Hebrews passage. It says For the joy set before 396 00:22:20,640 --> 00:22:26,560 him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and he sat 397 00:22:26,570 --> 00:22:28,710 down at the right hand of the throne of God. 398 00:22:30,570 --> 00:22:33,950 So what is this saying? Why did Jesus endure the cross? 399 00:22:33,960 --> 00:22:36,580 Why did he go through the suffering and uncertainty that 400 00:22:36,590 --> 00:22:41,370 was the cross? It's because He knew, as we all 401 00:22:41,380 --> 00:22:45,610 need to learn, that God is not holding out on you. 402 00:22:46,580 --> 00:22:51,980 God is not holding out on you. The work that God wants to do in 403 00:22:51,990 --> 00:22:55,920 our life, the work that's good for us and necessary, is often 404 00:22:55,930 --> 00:22:59,180 on the other side of suffering and pain. 405 00:23:01,870 --> 00:23:05,560 And Jesus knew this. And this is the sad reality of 406 00:23:05,570 --> 00:23:08,300 life after the fall. The posture we need to adopt is 407 00:23:08,310 --> 00:23:11,800 that of Jesus, of true trust. But I don't want that to just be 408 00:23:11,810 --> 00:23:14,040 like a heady concept. You know that like, you know, I 409 00:23:14,050 --> 00:23:16,300 need to reject, you know, reject, manifest your destiny 410 00:23:16,310 --> 00:23:19,460 and adopt A posture of trust. What does this look like 411 00:23:19,530 --> 00:23:25,000 practically? Jesus knew the joy, but he had 412 00:23:25,010 --> 00:23:28,840 to injure the cross. He didn't get to skip it. 413 00:23:28,850 --> 00:23:30,610 So what does that posture look like? 414 00:23:30,620 --> 00:23:36,660 And I want to read to you from Matthew 26 versus 39 to 42. 415 00:23:39,970 --> 00:23:45,990 In prepping this sermon, I just found this so moving, it says. 416 00:23:46,860 --> 00:23:49,870 It says going a little farther. He fell with his face to the 417 00:23:49,880 --> 00:23:55,380 ground and he prayed My father and it mark the language is 418 00:23:55,430 --> 00:24:05,020 ABBA, which is Dad, You know. Dad, if it's possible, may this 419 00:24:05,030 --> 00:24:11,670 cup be taken from me yet? Not as I will, but as you will. 420 00:24:13,070 --> 00:24:14,970 Then he returned to the disciples and found them 421 00:24:14,980 --> 00:24:16,740 sleeping. Couldn't you men keep watch with 422 00:24:16,750 --> 00:24:18,260 me for an hour? He asked Peter. 423 00:24:18,270 --> 00:24:21,260 Watch him pray so that you do not fall into temptation. 424 00:24:21,270 --> 00:24:23,700 The Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. 425 00:24:23,750 --> 00:24:25,720 And here's Jesus. He's facing suffering. 426 00:24:25,730 --> 00:24:27,600 He knows what's coming. It's the cross, and He knows the 427 00:24:27,610 --> 00:24:30,180 joy on the other side. But he still says he went away a 428 00:24:30,190 --> 00:24:34,670 second time and prayed. My Father, if it is not possible 429 00:24:34,680 --> 00:24:37,590 for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will 430 00:24:37,600 --> 00:24:44,640 be done. For the joy set before him, He 431 00:24:44,650 --> 00:24:48,290 endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right 432 00:24:48,300 --> 00:24:53,470 hand of the throne of God. Jesus is a model for us in our 433 00:24:53,480 --> 00:24:58,100 deepest hurt and suffering. We know intellectually that 434 00:24:58,110 --> 00:25:00,680 there's joy on the other side. But what does that look like? 435 00:25:00,690 --> 00:25:04,020 And that's what Jesus models for us in the garden in Mark. 436 00:25:04,030 --> 00:25:05,700 Christ says everything is possible for you. 437 00:25:05,710 --> 00:25:09,180 Take this cup away from me yet not what I will, but what you 438 00:25:09,190 --> 00:25:12,740 will. And the anxiety he's 439 00:25:12,750 --> 00:25:16,080 experiencing in this moment. It's not like this is some, you 440 00:25:16,090 --> 00:25:18,450 know, like I was saying, intellectual assent that you can 441 00:25:18,460 --> 00:25:22,120 just get to now. This is real, suffering is real. 442 00:25:22,430 --> 00:25:25,420 But how do you walk through that in a posture that leads you to 443 00:25:25,430 --> 00:25:28,920 the joy that's on the other side that God has for you? 444 00:25:29,910 --> 00:25:33,280 Luke even says his sweat was like drops of blood falling to 445 00:25:33,290 --> 00:25:36,550 the ground. So you picture Jesus in this 446 00:25:36,560 --> 00:25:39,970 moment. He's filled with fear. 447 00:25:40,040 --> 00:25:43,070 He's filled with anxiety. He knows what's coming. 448 00:25:43,200 --> 00:25:46,390 But what does he do? And he didn't, you know, he 449 00:25:46,400 --> 00:25:49,840 didn't manifest a new reality and get out of the garden. 450 00:25:49,850 --> 00:25:53,380 Now he's, he resigned to submit to the Father's will. 451 00:25:53,390 --> 00:25:55,830 And Hebrews tells us that it's because he knew something. 452 00:25:56,250 --> 00:25:58,380 He knew that there was joy on the other side of it. 453 00:26:03,110 --> 00:26:08,370 Sometimes we have this view of of God that's that's distant is 454 00:26:08,380 --> 00:26:12,800 a God that does he sees our suffering, he sees the hell of 455 00:26:12,810 --> 00:26:16,680 fire that's going on in the earth and and he's indifferent. 456 00:26:16,690 --> 00:26:22,970 He looks away, He doesn't care. But in the story of Jesus, what 457 00:26:22,980 --> 00:26:26,670 it tells us, the truth is God looks down at the fire of 458 00:26:26,680 --> 00:26:29,970 suffering that that you're in, and he rushes headlong with his 459 00:26:29,980 --> 00:26:32,790 arms wide open to embrace you in it. 460 00:26:32,860 --> 00:26:37,150 He's right there with you. Not only is God going to redeem 461 00:26:37,160 --> 00:26:40,450 our suffering, but He's intimately close with us in it. 462 00:26:42,140 --> 00:26:47,290 And that's our comfort. So to grasp the joy that God has 463 00:26:47,300 --> 00:26:49,170 for us. And the truth is, is that on the 464 00:26:49,180 --> 00:26:52,230 other side of suffering, on the other side of uncertainty, 465 00:26:52,300 --> 00:26:56,760 there's true joy. God has a good plan for you to 466 00:26:56,770 --> 00:27:00,180 get there. Sometimes it takes suffering, 467 00:27:00,270 --> 00:27:05,730 sometimes it takes uncertainty. But with Jesus as a model, we 468 00:27:05,740 --> 00:27:09,010 submit to the Father's will. We accept what he has for us, 469 00:27:09,020 --> 00:27:12,540 and we trust Him because he's the guy who comes to meet us. 470 00:27:12,550 --> 00:27:14,700 He knows our suffering. He doesn't let us go through it 471 00:27:14,790 --> 00:27:19,110 for nothing and we trust Him. So if I can summarize the gospel 472 00:27:19,120 --> 00:27:22,800 of grace, for what Manifest your Destiny is trying to accomplish 473 00:27:24,380 --> 00:27:26,250 is that God is not holding out on you. 474 00:27:27,720 --> 00:27:32,800 He wants what's best for you. He has a good plan for you, and 475 00:27:32,810 --> 00:27:36,270 that's genuinely true. That might be on the other side 476 00:27:36,280 --> 00:27:39,530 of suffering, and that's a reality that you can't avoid. 477 00:27:39,580 --> 00:27:43,610 But that doesn't change the fact that God has a good plan for 478 00:27:43,620 --> 00:27:49,950 you, that He's with you, and that He loves you. 479 00:27:52,950 --> 00:27:57,410 So to close, we've identified the good intention behind 480 00:27:57,420 --> 00:28:00,280 Manifest your destiny. It's good to have goals. 481 00:28:00,630 --> 00:28:03,090 It's good to work hard. It's not good to be lazy. 482 00:28:03,100 --> 00:28:07,470 You know, you sluggard, we've talked about the deception that 483 00:28:07,480 --> 00:28:10,710 Satan wants us to believe that God is holding out on you. 484 00:28:10,870 --> 00:28:14,450 That's the core deception. And he does that by making us 485 00:28:14,460 --> 00:28:17,850 believe that what we want is what we deserve, and what we 486 00:28:17,860 --> 00:28:20,400 want is what's good for us. And we know that neither of 487 00:28:20,410 --> 00:28:23,990 those things are true. And lastly, we we've looked to 488 00:28:24,000 --> 00:28:27,370 the gospel. God is not holding out on us. 489 00:28:27,720 --> 00:28:30,490 He has something so good for you planned. 490 00:28:30,900 --> 00:28:34,580 But sometimes it's going to be on the other side of suffering, 491 00:28:34,590 --> 00:28:37,580 and we need to adopt the posture that Jesus did in the Garden, 492 00:28:38,230 --> 00:28:42,180 that even though I'm uncertain, even though I'm afraid and 493 00:28:42,190 --> 00:28:48,260 anxious, I trust that God has a joy for me on the other side of 494 00:28:48,270 --> 00:28:52,350 it, for the joy before him. He endured the cross, scorning 495 00:28:52,360 --> 00:28:55,440 that shame, and then he sat down at the right hand of the throne 496 00:28:55,450 --> 00:28:56,820 of God. And that's what God has planned 497 00:28:56,830 --> 00:29:02,380 for you is joy. What's the application here? 498 00:29:04,260 --> 00:29:06,260 You know, if you've been using the phrase manifest your 499 00:29:06,270 --> 00:29:10,430 destiny, consider stopping. It's maybe not helpful, but even 500 00:29:10,440 --> 00:29:15,700 more of that, where in your life are you trying to take control? 501 00:29:17,590 --> 00:29:22,380 In what way have you sidelined what you know is good for you to 502 00:29:22,390 --> 00:29:24,920 do because you know that God would want you to do it and 503 00:29:24,930 --> 00:29:26,320 you're trying to take control instead? 504 00:29:26,330 --> 00:29:30,260 And how can you give that control back to God, saying, 505 00:29:30,310 --> 00:29:34,140 even though I'm suffering, maybe I'm anxious, I trust that you 506 00:29:34,150 --> 00:29:36,900 have joy for me on the other side of this. 507 00:29:38,380 --> 00:29:43,760 I need this reminder daily. So with that, let's pray. 508 00:29:47,340 --> 00:29:57,590 Father, you are so kind to us. You're so patient with us when 509 00:29:57,600 --> 00:29:59,400 we grasp for control in our lives. 510 00:30:00,360 --> 00:30:04,480 You are holy, Your eternal, your unchanging. 511 00:30:04,550 --> 00:30:07,390 You don't. You don't need us, but you look 512 00:30:07,400 --> 00:30:09,920 at us and you have so much patience and grace for the ways 513 00:30:09,930 --> 00:30:12,350 that we try to usurp your authority on our lives. 514 00:30:12,460 --> 00:30:15,810 Father, I just ask that for anyone in this room that's 515 00:30:15,820 --> 00:30:19,950 that's feeling, you know that you know I have not submitted 516 00:30:19,960 --> 00:30:22,480 this to God. Father, would you press on their 517 00:30:22,490 --> 00:30:24,410 hearts that now is the time to do that? 518 00:30:24,640 --> 00:30:27,000 That would ever suffering or anxiety they're going through, 519 00:30:27,010 --> 00:30:30,060 that you'd remind them that there's joy on the other side of 520 00:30:30,070 --> 00:30:32,910 that in the Christian walk, that you are their God. 521 00:30:33,830 --> 00:30:36,320 Lord, if anyone here doesn't know Christ, they don't know the 522 00:30:36,330 --> 00:30:38,860 joy that can be on the other side of suffering. 523 00:30:38,870 --> 00:30:40,460 Father, would you speak to their heart? 524 00:30:40,540 --> 00:30:43,410 Would you give them a sensation of your reality? 525 00:30:43,510 --> 00:30:46,110 Would you be close to them, Lord? 526 00:30:46,120 --> 00:30:51,370 For everyone struggling with seasonal sadness, depression, 527 00:30:51,380 --> 00:30:53,530 Lord, would you be with them closely? 528 00:30:53,740 --> 00:30:56,130 Would you remind them that you're the God who runs into the 529 00:30:56,140 --> 00:31:01,750 fire with them and ultimately died for them on the cross? 530 00:31:03,240 --> 00:31:06,930 Jesus, thank you in your holy name, Amen.