back to indexBam Summer Retreat 2019 - Session 2
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Now, jumping into the second main session here, I want to review real fast. 00:00:07.000 |
That last session we talked about word design. 00:00:11.000 |
We talked about the question of what do you want. 00:00:15.000 |
And sometimes, if I confess, there have been seasons in my life where that question was 00:00:21.000 |
answered by certain things that were incredibly material. 00:00:30.000 |
It was things like cars, toys, houses, whatever it may be. 00:00:37.000 |
Sometimes we all have moments of struggle where our desires are attached to something 00:00:44.000 |
Now, at other times, we recognize just as the world does that the materialistic stuff, 00:00:54.000 |
As a matter of fact, the old kind of adage of "he who has the most toys wins," we know 00:01:01.000 |
"He who has the most toys" just has a lot of joke. 00:01:04.000 |
It's a border, and no, you don't win because you're carrying a whole herd behind you. 00:01:09.000 |
Everybody knows that the more you have, the more trouble you have, the more responsibilities 00:01:14.000 |
you have, the more, "Oh my goodness, I own this house now, but now I have to go fix the 00:01:21.000 |
Everybody has a buyer's remorse because now it comes with a burden. 00:01:27.000 |
So then, there are times though where we mature and no longer do we attach our desires to 00:01:34.000 |
We start to look for the intangibles, the things that actually even the world sees as 00:01:40.000 |
What I'm talking about are things like relationships, the intangibles of affection, respect, a legacy, 00:01:47.000 |
an admiration of the people in your community. 00:01:51.000 |
Now, the reason why I bring this up is because as we talk about our identity and how that 00:01:57.000 |
is built, I stated in the morning session that your own personal desire is one key facet 00:02:04.000 |
of building that identity and how you are judged about who you are. 00:02:09.000 |
But, right now, what I'm more so talking about is not so much your desire, but other people's 00:02:20.000 |
So, this second session has everything to do with topics like worth. 00:02:25.000 |
What are you worth and to who are you worth that? 00:02:34.000 |
I'm asking a question of maybe something like approval. 00:02:40.000 |
Who is approving, qualifying, or validating you? 00:02:45.000 |
Am I talking about the main concept of people pleasing? 00:02:50.000 |
Yes, that's the kind of concept I want you guys to think about. 00:02:53.000 |
In order to introduce this, I want to talk about somebody who's been on the news cycle 00:02:57.000 |
so much lately, maybe the last two, three months have been crazy. 00:03:02.000 |
The individual I'm thinking about is Kawai Leonard. 00:03:16.000 |
And what's really crazy about him is people were so, so concerned because he was going 00:03:23.000 |
And the news was dropping that, "Oh, he's talking to this team." 00:03:29.000 |
And even non-individuals who are in the sporting realm, let's say sports commentators or in 00:03:36.000 |
the front office of a team, they were making him offers. 00:03:39.000 |
"Come to our city and we'll give you free food." 00:03:42.000 |
Restaurant owners telling him, "Just come, we'll give you everything you want." 00:03:45.000 |
And what's more, teams were actually offering him, "We'll bring other people to support 00:03:54.000 |
Ultimately, Kawai Leonard signed with the team and his contract was a three-year contract 00:04:06.000 |
And the truth of the matter is he could have actually got more if he signed a five-year 00:04:10.000 |
deal where he could have easily made over $34 million per year. 00:04:17.000 |
Now, some of you guys who are into sports, I'm going to be honest, I'm not into sports 00:04:20.000 |
that much in terms of this kind of stuff, but it was intriguing because everybody was 00:04:26.000 |
Now, I just want you to take a moment to think and fantasize a little bit and imagine if 00:04:35.000 |
You had this rare physique, tall, strong, athletic, skilled, and everybody wants you. 00:04:49.000 |
They straight up went to bend over backwards, literally to have him come. 00:04:55.000 |
And everybody was waiting in anticipation and watching, fans, literally people were screaming 00:05:05.000 |
The reason I want you to think about that is because, I mean, who would not want that? 00:05:12.000 |
Now, I know some of you guys, you hate attention. 00:05:15.000 |
So, anytime someone calls your name or whatever, it's like, "Ooooh!" 00:05:21.000 |
But just being truthful, who would not want to be at the center of that kind of attention 00:05:26.000 |
when literally everybody is declaring their love for you? 00:05:37.000 |
We think about identity crisis, and I talked a little bit about how identity crisis is 00:05:41.000 |
because sometimes you want something and you don't have it, or identity crisis is because 00:05:44.000 |
you want certain things and that's not you, right? 00:05:49.000 |
However, there can be also an identity crisis where the worst case scenario, the fear is 00:05:59.000 |
that with all your hard work, with all your production, and you try to be the best that 00:06:12.000 |
You literally try everything you can, you've just put in the hours, you're putting the 00:06:19.000 |
sweat and tears, and at the end of it, no one really wants you. 00:06:23.000 |
Yes, I'm talking about the whole concepts of value, I'm talking about worth, and I'm 00:06:29.000 |
talking about everyone's fear that if they have the attention of the people, people will 00:06:38.000 |
People fear not being unique, people fear not having any kind of distinctive skill set, 00:06:43.000 |
distinctive production, distinctive value, where people will care. 00:06:48.000 |
And so on the flip side, you get something like, recently on Saturday, I saw a photo 00:06:53.000 |
go through my Facebook feed of Jeremy Lin crying. 00:07:00.000 |
Now, I don't want to make too light of it, I mean, to him, that's his entire life, right? 00:07:04.000 |
That's his whole career, so I don't want to necessarily make too light of it because 00:07:14.000 |
One feels like he's on top of the world, the other, even though he has millions, he feels 00:07:22.000 |
Because I am talking about the concept of my fear and your fear of being disapproved. 00:07:30.000 |
I'm talking about also the inner heart wrestling of your identity when you feel like you don't 00:07:37.000 |
have the approval of either God or your family or your friends. 00:07:40.000 |
Why is it that people fear public speaking over death? 00:07:45.000 |
I mean, that statistic just was mind-boggling. 00:07:48.000 |
You do the study, it wasn't just some silly guy on a blog who happened to ask a hundred 00:07:55.000 |
You know, actually, individuals who are professors, doctorate holders, doing assessment of individuals, 00:08:00.000 |
science graduate supports, asking people, "What are you afraid of?" 00:08:04.000 |
And if you've ever, if you're an individual who's never had to do any public speaking, 00:08:08.000 |
if I ask you to come up here and start talking, you're going to physically shake. 00:08:19.000 |
Because there is a deep-seated desire in each individual. 00:08:29.000 |
We have to feel like there's some kind of meaning to my life. 00:08:33.000 |
And if there isn't, that is what you call depression. 00:08:37.000 |
Many of you guys know, I've been studying that topic of depression for a while. 00:08:47.000 |
In my talks with individuals, most people who have been depressed, 00:08:53.000 |
at some point in their lives, the thought either crossed their mind or it came out of their mouth. 00:09:02.000 |
If you guys have ever tried to help somebody in depression, 00:09:13.000 |
But did you know then what a devastating kind of emotion and feeling and belief that is? 00:09:20.000 |
If it wasn't just something thrown at you, but you actually believed it, meaning it stuck to you, 00:09:26.000 |
and you believe those words, "I'm worthless," 00:09:30.000 |
think about what kind of devastation, what kind of pain. 00:09:41.000 |
I've been in moments and situations where I've sat down with an individual who has said that to me, 00:09:47.000 |
and I ask them, "You know what? I know you feel that way, but that is begging so many questions. 00:09:53.000 |
What standard are you using to think you're worthless? 00:10:01.000 |
And in situations where the depression is deep, they'll actually answer this question. 00:10:13.000 |
But what standard are you using? It doesn't even matter. 00:10:16.000 |
Because I think I'm worthless to my own standard. 00:10:23.000 |
And that's when thoughts of suicide, that's when thoughts of ending it are. 00:10:29.000 |
Now I'm not sharing this stuff with you just to be somber or just to get some kind of like deep, sad rise out of you. 00:10:36.000 |
You know, if you've talked with people about their struggles, you know people around you struggle. 00:10:47.000 |
Like even in secular psychology, even in just school, go ask a high school counselor how many high school students 00:10:54.000 |
who should be at the prime of their lives with all this energy running around are struggling with deep anxiety and thoughts of infertility. 00:11:08.000 |
I've asked multiple times throughout this retreat, have you struggled with your personal identity? 00:11:14.000 |
Have you had any moments of crisis where you were confused and lost about who you were? 00:11:20.000 |
And if you then had those kind of moments, then I'm willing to bet that you struggled with approval. 00:11:27.000 |
You either struggled with the approval of people who are very important to you, namely your parents, your family, or your closest friends. 00:11:35.000 |
And if you live with that kind of uncertainty, you walking around with that kind of concern and anxiety, 00:11:42.000 |
that the people who are most important to you in your life, that they might not approve of you. 00:11:49.000 |
How are you going to walk around with your family? 00:11:55.000 |
You're either going to have to fake it or you're going to have to hide it. 00:11:59.000 |
And this is why. This is such important and real stuff that people struggle with. 00:12:05.000 |
And so with that said, I want to say again, point number one is our identity problem is often an approval problem. 00:12:24.000 |
Our identity problem is not just because you feel like you don't have certain opportunities and circumstances. 00:12:30.000 |
The diagnosis of our identity crisis is not as simple as, well, you know, you grew up with some harsh parents. 00:12:38.000 |
And everybody has harsh parents. You just got to keep riding past that. 00:12:45.000 |
It's a deeper rooted desire. It's a deeper rooted anxiety. It's a deeper rooted concern. 00:12:51.000 |
Concern over what? Am I being approved by the people I'm drawn to? 00:12:58.000 |
And at this point, I want to say, "Love God." 00:13:03.000 |
Because let me tell you, for those of you who struggle with people pleasing, for those of you who struggle with the fear of man, 00:13:09.000 |
you know very, very well people are hard to please. 00:13:14.000 |
If you've run any kind of event, you've led any kind of class, team, whatever it is, 00:13:24.000 |
I'm not bringing this up because we all know that the world, the way they judge is by their eyes. 00:13:29.000 |
We all know the way they judge is by their own standards. 00:13:32.000 |
It's always, always mobile. It's never immutable like pods. 00:13:37.000 |
And you are never going to win that game. Love God. 00:13:41.000 |
A huge part of the gospel is that God according to His great grace has approved you in Christ. 00:13:53.000 |
But God in His great grace has approved you in Christ. 00:13:58.000 |
Gospel that we believe in is summarized in so many different ways. 00:14:03.000 |
He saves sinners. He redeems those who are worthless. 00:14:08.000 |
He finds and gives light to those who are lost. 00:14:12.000 |
He adopts those who are children of wrath, children of darkness. 00:14:16.000 |
But we know the gospel has also certain terminologies that has such specific nuance to approval. 00:14:23.000 |
For example, please turn your Bibles to Romans chapter 3, verse 21 through 30. 00:14:28.000 |
Let's take our Bibles to Romans chapter 3, verse 21 through 30. 00:14:33.000 |
As you guys know in the context of Romans chapters 1 through 3, it is all about every single person, both Gentile and Jew is under sin. 00:14:47.000 |
You're in such depravity, God is giving you over to your depraved minds. 00:14:55.000 |
In chapter 3 starting from verse 21 through 30, this is what the gospel says. 00:14:59.000 |
"But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets, 00:15:08.000 |
even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe. 00:15:15.000 |
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus." 00:15:26.000 |
Right now you should be thinking of two terms, righteousness and justification. 00:15:30.000 |
I'm going to read on and see how many times he repeats those concepts. 00:15:34.000 |
"Whom God has displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. 00:15:38.000 |
This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God, He passed over the sins previously committed 00:15:45.000 |
for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, 00:15:50.000 |
so that He would be just and a justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. 00:16:04.000 |
For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law. 00:16:15.000 |
Yes, for the Gentiles also, since indeed God, who will justify the circumcised by faith 00:16:25.000 |
I want you to think about the purity of the gospel, or at least the simplicity of the gospel in this framework. 00:16:33.000 |
The truth of the gospel is you take an individual who is condemned, who is chapters 1 through 3, 00:16:39.000 |
all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 00:16:52.000 |
If you're thinking quality control, absolutely condemned. 00:17:00.000 |
Now go to another passage, Colossians chapter 1 verse 9 through 12. 00:17:05.000 |
Colossians, skip over there, it's chapter 1 verse 9 through 12. 00:17:12.000 |
Within this, Apostle Paul gives a preliminary admonition of what he desires to see in the people of God. 00:17:28.000 |
"For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you, 00:17:33.000 |
but have asked that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will and all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 00:17:38.000 |
so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please him in all respects, 00:17:43.000 |
bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God, 00:17:47.000 |
strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, 00:17:51.000 |
for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience, joyously giving thanks to the Father who has," 00:17:57.000 |
What? You should highlight this. "qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in blood." 00:18:09.000 |
Romans said he's justified you, meaning he's taking you from condemned to righteous. 00:18:13.000 |
The gospel is not, "Hey, guess what? The chains are gone, the bars are open, now go!" 00:18:23.000 |
Radically and permanently changed you to be righteous. 00:18:28.000 |
And what's more now in Colossians, he's qualified you for the inheritance. 00:18:36.000 |
You don't go to a rich man and say, "You know, I was buying your inheritance. 00:18:42.000 |
Pretty, pretty please with cherry on top, can I have it?" 00:18:45.000 |
No, you don't do that kind of stuff. That's not something you even asked for. 00:18:50.000 |
But he has qualified you to have that inheritance. 00:18:54.000 |
Now go over to John chapter 17, verse 13 through 26, where we've been focusing on for a while now. 00:19:00.000 |
Go back to that passage. Last time we read it, we read it like we were asking the question of, 00:19:07.000 |
Now I want you to ask the question, "What kind of acceptance, what kind of approval are we receiving?" 00:19:16.000 |
Read this passage again with a different kind of eye to observing and noticing what is basically God's plan of redemption. 00:19:24.000 |
And I'm asking the question, "What kind of benefit, what kind of approval and acceptance are we receiving as disciples, 00:19:36.000 |
He says in verse 13, "But now I come to you and these things I speak in the world, 00:19:40.000 |
so that they may have my joy, may fulfill themselves. 00:19:45.000 |
I have given them your Word, and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, 00:19:52.000 |
I do not ask you to take them out of the world, but keep them from the evil one. 00:19:57.000 |
They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 00:20:00.000 |
Sanctify them in the truth, your Word is truth. 00:20:03.000 |
As you sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 00:20:07.000 |
For their sake I sanctify myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. 00:20:12.000 |
I do not ask on behalf of those alone, but for those who also believe in me through their Word, 00:20:21.000 |
that they may all be one, even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, 00:20:26.000 |
that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you sent me. 00:20:31.000 |
The glory which you have given me, I have given to them, that they may be one, just as we are one. 00:20:36.000 |
I in them, you in me, that they may be perfected in unity. 00:20:41.000 |
So that the world may know that you sent me, and I have loved them, even as you love me. 00:20:46.000 |
Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, be with me where I am. 00:20:53.000 |
I'm going to stop there, and I'm going to do this kind of thing, okay? 00:20:58.000 |
I want you to appreciate and know the difference when you conceptually think about something like this. 00:21:05.000 |
Because I want to raise the bar on you and our thinking of this question. 00:21:13.000 |
Do we as individuals struggle with a crisis? Are we approved? 00:21:20.000 |
And then I want you to think about Christ's affection for you, His acceptance of you, 00:21:26.000 |
and think about how emphatically that question is answered. 00:21:30.000 |
Because think about this. Earlier I talked about justification. 00:21:34.000 |
A kind of mere acceptance, maybe, was what we were thinking. 00:21:38.000 |
When you're justified, you're taken from being in jail to being put out. 00:21:42.000 |
If you're an individual thinking, "Hmm, is the way that God treats us kind of like an individual who's doing a charity game?" 00:21:50.000 |
I know this is trash, I know this is junk, but I want to accept it. Why? Because I'm holy. 00:21:56.000 |
So fine, sure, you're broken, you're all messed up, but I'll take you. 00:22:02.000 |
Because that was awesome. You guys understand what I'm saying, right? 00:22:05.000 |
There is a difference between saying, "Wow, this is pure gold," versus saying, "Wow, this is junk." 00:22:18.000 |
I'm trying to convince you that God is not operating on a level where He's just saying, 00:22:22.000 |
"You know what? I'll take it. I'll take whatever." 00:22:26.000 |
But what's more, the next part of it, He says, not only did He just simply accept, 00:22:30.000 |
but there was an element of qualification where He brought you up to a point where, 00:22:34.000 |
"Yes, think about this, okay? If I'm qualified to enter into a school, now I deserve it, don't I?" 00:22:42.000 |
That's weird, right? We would never even talk like that about heaven. 00:22:56.000 |
He has qualified you, made you righteous, so that when you enter, you don't have to feel like, 00:23:06.000 |
"Oh yeah, by the way, if God had such pity on me, I know I suck, but I'm here." 00:23:10.000 |
It's not like when you play basketball, you know you can't dribble, you know you can't pass. 00:23:14.000 |
They're like, "Oh man, we've got to give that guy some time. Hey, come on and play for five minutes." 00:23:24.000 |
Scripture says that the way that God has operated with us, though we were hostile, 00:23:28.000 |
though we were, I think, in our minds we were engaged in evil deeds, 00:23:32.000 |
He reconciled us to Himself, and He is going to present us blameless before Him, holy. 00:23:39.000 |
And now when He says, in here, John chapter 17, 00:23:44.000 |
"I don't just simply accept your quality. I want to share with you your gift." 00:23:58.000 |
To you, for every single Christian, this is the Gospel truth that you have to exercise trust. 00:24:05.000 |
If you've ever struggled with depression, here is where you exercise faith. 00:24:13.000 |
And your friend is going to come by and say, "No, you're not." 00:24:21.000 |
Are you going to suddenly sit there and say, "No, I am worthless." 00:24:26.000 |
Or are you going to trust God's Word when Jesus says, "I want you here with me." 00:24:40.000 |
God is not just simply, like, He's just doing His thing. 00:24:45.000 |
He saw the corner of His eye that these poor people needed help, so He threw out some change. 00:24:50.000 |
If that was your concept of the Gospel, incredibly offensive. 00:24:57.000 |
God says, "When I wanted to love you, I didn't spare myself." 00:25:07.000 |
I didn't put aside some element of my inheritance. 00:25:15.000 |
And I want you to have everything that I have. 00:25:22.000 |
Now, from this point, what I'd like to say is this, point three. 00:25:27.000 |
Point one was our identity crisis is an approval problem. 00:25:30.000 |
Point two is that, but God in His grace has given us this approval. 00:25:34.000 |
Point three is, we unfortunately have a fallen condition. 00:25:38.000 |
Where sometimes, we care very little for that approval. 00:25:45.000 |
Sometimes, even though conceptually we're like, "I get it. 00:25:50.000 |
It's supposed to be beyond any other kind of approval or validation I receive." 00:26:02.000 |
Why am I saying sometimes we just don't care? 00:26:09.000 |
If we ever think about our function, our skill, our appearance, 00:26:19.000 |
His eyes looking at me matters more than your eyes looking at me, right? 00:26:23.000 |
The only way I'm going to be able to stand up here, even as a pastor, 00:26:26.000 |
working through all the fears of man, like, "Oh my gosh, is this a good sermon? 00:26:31.000 |
Oh my gosh, that guy over there opened his eyes in a while." 00:26:35.000 |
All those thoughts are running through my head. 00:26:39.000 |
I'm supposed to get up here and think, "Is my preaching of God's Word 00:26:45.000 |
That's how I'm supposed to get over something. 00:26:54.000 |
There are many times I just recently went to a retreat 00:26:58.000 |
because I don't know the context of people's relationships. 00:27:03.000 |
I poke around where I shouldn't be poking around. 00:27:05.000 |
So one time I saw this, like, two people hanging out, talking to each other. 00:27:09.000 |
And I was just like, "Hey, are you guys like a thing?" 00:27:13.000 |
And I was like, "Uh... what was that all about?" 00:27:16.000 |
And then I realized later on, the girl comes over to me and was like, 00:27:21.000 |
And I was like, "My fault for asking, right?" 00:27:24.000 |
And then she revealed to me, like, it was a long relationship. 00:27:35.000 |
Now, the thing about it is, within that time, 00:27:38.000 |
they have a lot of stuff to work through in terms of the questions. 00:28:02.000 |
Now, all of those things, those are actual real questions that you should work through. 00:28:06.000 |
And you should answer them appropriately and maturely in Christ. 00:28:16.000 |
So, as they share with me, like, "It's been five years." 00:28:19.000 |
I started running through thoughts in my head, like, "Should I ask them?" 00:28:23.000 |
And I was like, "I'm not going to ask them what happened. That's just stupid." 00:28:26.000 |
And I started running through another scenario where I was like, "Oh, you know, the best thing I could think of was just to pat the guy on the back." 00:28:36.000 |
Sometimes I'm slow, so I just tap him on the back, like, "It's okay." 00:28:40.000 |
And I'm like, "Man, I mean, what else could they say?" 00:28:48.000 |
I think I used this as an example in another scenario. 00:28:52.000 |
Imagine you were sharing this to me as a pastor. 00:28:56.000 |
And, you know, you told me, "It was you. You were in a five-year relationship. 00:29:01.000 |
Clearly, you thought you were going to get married. Otherwise, you would have stayed in there five years. 00:29:09.000 |
Clearly, you gave up yourself to some degree, right?" 00:29:19.000 |
And you're like, "I don't know how I'm going to get past this. 00:29:27.000 |
And they feel like they gave up a part of themselves, right? 00:29:29.000 |
And they almost feel like all future hope is gone because now I'm going to look like damaged bits. 00:29:33.000 |
Like, what are the girls going to want me after me giving away five years of my life? 00:29:39.000 |
Those are some of the real questions that get asked, right? 00:29:49.000 |
And I put out my arms, and I'm like, "There, there." 00:30:13.000 |
But you would sit there and be like, "I know you're trying to be nice, but this is weird. 00:30:31.000 |
Because you don't want a romantic relationship with me. 00:30:54.000 |
With me, we talked about your hurts and pains. 00:31:00.000 |
And with me, the relationship, yes, appropriately, wasn't supposed to be this intimate, romantic relationship. 00:31:06.000 |
Neither was it supposed to be a forever dependent relationship. 00:31:11.000 |
But my question is, sometimes we feel like when God says, "I love you," we feel like some nice pastor gave us a hug and tapped us on the back and said, "It's okay." 00:31:24.000 |
My question is, when we hear the words of Christ say, "I love you," why is that not enough? 00:31:31.000 |
And my question to you is going to be, have you relegated God's amazing approval, qualification, and intense desire to be with you, have you relegated all of that to some kind of pastor's love? 00:31:44.000 |
My love and God's love is not the same, is it? 00:31:50.000 |
You shouldn't even put it on the same bar as your own father and mother. 00:31:59.000 |
Why is it that God's love for you is not enough? 00:32:03.000 |
And sometimes it feels like a nice pat on the back. 00:32:07.000 |
Because if we were actually seeing Christ's love poured out in John 17, 00:32:15.000 |
God, with these people, these people who are hurting me and about to hurt me more, 00:32:22.000 |
these people who are rejecting me and disapproving of me, I want them to be with me like I love you. 00:32:32.000 |
And for us to feel like, "Well, Jesus, that's nice." 00:32:47.000 |
And so my exhortation to you is to point forth. 00:32:51.000 |
My exhortation to you is we have to be ever-growing in how we appreciate God's desire for you. 00:33:00.000 |
Because your identity is not just based on your desires. 00:33:05.000 |
I said that this morning, yes, and it's true. 00:33:07.000 |
Your identity, a lot of what you desire is going to be telling on you. 00:33:12.000 |
But your identity as a Christian is more so built by God's desire of you, right? 00:33:19.000 |
Your identity is not something that you tried so hard to piece together and build, 00:33:25.000 |
and after 10 years of maturing, now all of a sudden you've built it. 00:33:29.000 |
A vast and broad majority of your identity is given to you in the moment when God places 00:33:34.000 |
His loving, intimate knowledge and love upon you. 00:33:38.000 |
And so the more you appreciate it, the more clearly you understand, 00:33:47.000 |
I was wretched, closed, and I was a rotten sack. 00:33:54.000 |
And even though He saw the depths of my sin, even though He saw everything I was thinking, 00:33:59.000 |
wanting, and desiring, and all of that was wicked, He wanted me. 00:34:11.000 |
That to you is a solid, perfect identity given to you by the desire of God. 00:34:20.000 |
Everything about your identity is so intricately tied to God's relational love for you. 00:34:26.000 |
And God so desired that every single piece of you then be perfected, not outside of His love, 00:34:35.000 |
For example, listen to this, Colossians 2, 9-14. 00:34:39.000 |
"And in Him all the fullness of the deity dwells." 00:34:47.000 |
And then He says, "And then so in Him you've been made complete." 00:35:14.000 |
Because He's risen, we have resurrected life. 00:35:17.000 |
Because He's set apart all of these things, because He is, we are. 00:35:21.000 |
And God says our identity then should be made complete in Christ. 00:35:26.000 |
And what's more, when I look at the various perspectives of the apostles, 00:35:41.000 |
For example, I want to read to you a passage, 00:36:05.000 |
"But if anyone loves God, he is known by God." 00:36:12.000 |
What's more, Galatians chapter 4 verses 8-9 says, 00:36:15.000 |
"However, at that time when you did not know God, 00:36:18.000 |
you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods. 00:36:27.000 |
how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless 00:36:36.000 |
"Before you were slaves, now you've come to know God." 00:37:02.000 |
every single one of us wrestles with the fear of man. 00:37:05.000 |
Wrestles with wanting approval from the people around us. 00:37:10.000 |
I know you guys wrestle with it to some degree. 00:37:12.000 |
Anytime you are wanting to perform before your superiors, 00:37:16.000 |
every time you are trying to be seen in a good light 00:37:35.000 |
so this is the last portion, last point five. 00:37:49.000 |
if you are susceptible to the approval of man, 00:38:20.000 |
You can't even walk into church with a clear conscience. 00:38:26.000 |
you are going to be so, so easily manipulated. 00:38:50.000 |
and I was like, "Man, I'm not an animal person, 00:38:56.000 |
She would bring that dog to everything she went. 00:39:04.000 |
And so I went over and I just started praising the lady. 00:39:06.000 |
I was like, "You must be the best trainer ever!" 00:39:11.000 |
it's just because this dog is so easy to train." 00:39:51.000 |
just trying to get that little, little approval, 00:40:09.000 |
you're going to absolutely lose all your sense of security. 00:40:14.000 |
The Apostle Paul says it again, Galatians 1, 8-10, 00:40:19.000 |
"For am I now seeking the favor of men or of God? 00:40:34.000 |
if you guys have ever struggled with insecurity, 00:40:40.000 |
Don't sit there trying to validate your insecurity. 00:40:42.000 |
"Oh, it's because that guy makes me feel insecure." 00:40:52.000 |
That fear comes from your deep-rooted desire. 00:40:57.000 |
And what that's going to make you do is you're going to lose yourself. 00:41:02.000 |
And eventually, you're going to lose your voice. 00:41:08.000 |
if I'm sitting here trying to seek the approval of man or God." 00:41:12.000 |
And so I want to conclude with this today's sermon. 00:41:16.000 |
Your identity, your identity is so wrapped up 00:41:56.000 |
And then is your heart, your stomach, and your mind, 00:42:10.000 |
Do I need everyone's examination and then approval? 00:42:21.000 |
This is the thing in the heart that's going to be so powerful.