All right, good morning, Bryn Community Church. Let me get to a few announcements before we get started. First of all, we're going to be having another Bryn service auction. So some of you guys who remember doing that during the pandemic, our sister Rachel and Andy put on this great auction and was able to raise actually quite a few dollars to be able to support the work that's being done overseas.

This one is going to be specifically targeting our Indian pastors. As I've shared, we've been getting information that some of the pastors are sick, some of the Christians there, and they don't have access to the hospitals and they don't have finances. So we're going to be raising funds to support the work that's happening over there.

And so the auction is going to be happening. So if you have gifts, if you have things you want to donate for the auction or even a service, and I remember last time it was kind of like whether it was cooking or cleaning or going, you know, what do you call it, camping, or whatever it is, whatever service that you would offer, and people will auction that, and then whatever funds is raised from that, that's going to be used for that purpose.

And along with that, there's another fundraiser that's taking place on Saturday, May 29th at 1.30 p.m. It's our first annual Bering Golf Tournament fundraiser, and this is going to be going to support our IMB missionaries. That's the denomination that we're in. It says Southern Baptist, and it is the international mission board of our denomination.

And so we'll be sending our funds there to support the ministry that they're doing there. So if you play golf, even if you don't play golf, and you just want to come and fellowship with the people there, and this is open for men and women. Mitchell Kim is in charge of that, so if you want to sign up for that, you can sign up with him.

Again, this is taking place on May 29th at 1.30 p.m. Today, after this service, we have a Mother's Day lunch that's taking place, and so again, if you are a mother or soon to be a mother and you want to make an announcement and you want to join that group, so right after service, if you go into the cafe area, so we started calling that side of the building North Campus and then South Campus, until we come up with a better name because for whatever the reason, our street is divided, and this is South Mitchell and that's North Mitchell.

So if you go into that side, the tables are already set up. If I can ask you to let the dads go pick up the kids, so for once, dads, go pick up your kids, and then go get your kids so that the moms can go there as soon as they can, and then the dads will have separate lunch prepared.

I think it was $5 or something for pizza, and so the dads and the kids can eat outside in the courtyard somewhere. So that's going to be set up so you can go there so that the moms can just go there immediately, and usually every time we do that, it takes like 20, 30 minutes to gather all the moms together because usually they're busy taking care of their kids, and then make sure everybody is good, the father is fed, the kids aren't hurting themselves, and then they come in, right?

So if we can ask the dads to take that role today and then let the moms come in so that they can enjoy that time together. So we're going to try to start that as soon as possible, so as soon as the service is over, if you guys can make a beeline, and we'll get that started as soon as possible, okay?

And I want to just make one more push. I've seen our parking right here, not this one directly behind us, but diagonally behind that building. I was looking at it this morning, and very few people were using that. I don't think people are used to it. And so you probably don't know how to get there.

You just have to go behind our buildings, and then I don't know if we have signs over there, but the gate is open, so actually that's the closest you can come to this building. It's actually even closer than parking across the street. So if you have it, if you parked way down there, just get in the habit of using this site first so you don't have to walk that distance, okay?

So I just want to make that push so that we know that that's there, okay? All right, let me pray for us. After we pray for the offering, if we can get that ready, and then our physical offering box is in the back. This morning, David Hyun is going to give his testimony, and we'll be baptized this morning.

All right, let's pray. Gracious and loving Father, we thank you so much, especially as we celebrate Mother's Day and all the labor that they've poured into all our lives, Lord God, that we may have an example of what it means to love sacrificially. I pray that you would give them strength.

I pray that you would help us to acknowledge them, that they may have the energy, Lord God, to continue to do what you've called them to do. But more than anything else, Lord God, that through their love that we would see a greater picture of what it means to love sacrificially.

Help us, Lord, that our hearts may lean towards you, that your word would guide and lead us, that even the offering that we give, that it would be out of abundance of appreciation of all that you've already given to us, may it be multiplied 30, 60, 100-fold for the sake of the gospel.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) - Church family, let's all go ahead and rise together and sing.

(soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) - The radiance of the Father. ♪ The radiance of the Father ♪ Before the dawn of time ♪ He spoke and all creation came to be ♪ The molecules and planets ♪ Reveal your great design ♪ And everyone was made ♪ So we could see ♪ So we could see - You are the glorious Christ.

♪ You are the glorious Christ ♪ The greatest of all delights ♪ Your power is unequal ♪ Your love beyond all heights ♪ No greater sacrifice ♪ Than when you lay down your life ♪ We join the song of angels ♪ Who praise you day and night ♪ Glorious Christ (soft piano music) ♪ You left the earth ♪ You left the air ♪ To breathe the dust of earth ♪ And dwell among the outcasts ♪ And the poor ♪ You came to be forsaken ♪ And died to take our curse ♪ So you could be our joy ♪ Forevermore ♪ Forevermore - You are.

♪ And you are the glorious Christ ♪ The greatest of all delights ♪ Your power is unequal ♪ Your love beyond all heights ♪ No greater sacrifice ♪ Than when you lay down your life ♪ We join the song of angels ♪ Who praise you day and night ♪ Glorious Christ - Sing it, Lord.

(soft music) ♪ You're seated now in heaven ♪ And thrown at God's right hand ♪ You shatter death and free us from our fears ♪ And though we cannot see you ♪ You're coming back again ♪ And all will be made right ♪ When you appear ♪ And all will be made right ♪ When you appear ♪ Oh ♪ You are the glorious Christ ♪ The greatest of all delights ♪ Your power is unequal ♪ Your love beyond all heights ♪ And no greater sacrifice ♪ Than when you lay down your life ♪ We join the song of angels ♪ Who praise you day and night ♪ Glorious Christ ♪ You are the glorious Christ ♪ The greatest of all delights ♪ You are the glorious Christ ♪ Day and night ♪ Glorious Christ (soft music) ♪ Glorious Christ ♪ Day and night ♪ Glorious Christ ♪ Day and night ♪ Glorious Christ (soft music) ♪ Praise to the Lord ♪ Praise to the Lord the almighty ♪ The King of creation (soft music) ♪ Oh my soul praise him for he is thy health and salvation (soft music) ♪ All ye who hear ♪ Now to his temple draw near ♪ Praise him in glad adoration (soft music) ♪ Praise to the Lord ♪ Praise to the Lord ♪ All things so wondrously reigning (soft music) ♪ Shelters be under his wings ♪ Yet so gently sustaining (soft music) ♪ Hast thou not seen ♪ How thy desires have been ♪ Granted in what he ordained (soft music) ♪ And praise to the Lord ♪ Order the prosper thy work and defend thee ♪ ♪ Surely His goodness and mercy ♪ ♪ Here daily attend thee ♪ (bright music continues) - Ponder.

♪ Ponder anew what the Almighty can do ♪ ♪ If with His love He'd be friendly ♪ (bright music continues) - What's next? - Praise. ♪ Praise to the Lord O let all that is in me adore Him ♪ ♪ All that hath faith and breath ♪ ♪ Come now with praises before Him ♪ ♪ Let the amen sound from His people again ♪ ♪ And be for all we adore Him ♪ ♪ Praise to the Lord ♪ ♪ Praise Him ♪ ♪ Praise to the Lord ♪ ♪ Praise Him ♪ - Amen, you may be seated.

(bright music) - Hello, my name is David. I'm a post-grad in band ministry, and this is my testimony. Growing in faith has been a lifelong journey. During my childhood, I was blessed to be raised in a Christian household and have the opportunity to begin to hear about God at a young age.

My parents were active in church and served in many roles. My father attended seminary and became a pastor with his own ministry. I volunteered, served, and was involved in church in ways that seemed to grow my faith. I checked off a lot of boxes as a Christian living in Southern California.

In reality, I had not even met God and wasn't pursuing His kingdom with all my heart. My focus was always advancing my earthly goals and aspirations. In my mind, I thought I was walking and living for God, and that God was helping me carry out my plan. However, I was actually living for myself and mistakenly believing that I could glorify God with my selective obedience.

I lived as if I was king of my own life, and I did what's right in my own eyes. At best, I was obeying only some of God's commands. While in grad school, my eyes were opened to how fragile this world is and how incredibly shallow my faith was.

I was surrounded by brilliant individuals who were driven and willing to sacrifice every moment to advance their careers, lives, and their own names. I also sought after these things and continued to mistakenly believe that I was doing all this for God. I thought that I could give more to God by pursuing my own interests, even though that was far from the truth.

I was still attending church and serving in various roles, but was really wandering away from the presence of God. At best, I was obeying most of God's commands. While wandering away from the presence of God, my soul became troubled because I knew the example that Jesus had set for me.

I became so preoccupied with my own life that I couldn't possibly live for God. After grad school and coming home to California, I entered into a spiritual desert and recognized I did not have a genuine relationship with Him. No matter how much I prayed, read the Word, and attended church, I couldn't enter His presence simply because I could not become righteous by my own efforts.

Through His mercy and grace, that all the things I had placed my hope and trust in fall one by one. Only after I became sick and tired of living for my own life did I understand that His love is greater than anything I could ever comprehend. By grace, He allowed me to begin to understand when He said, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, "nor are your ways my ways, "and that to obey is better than sacrifice, "and to heed is better than the fat of rams." By grace, He showed me that He is Almighty God and that He shares His glory with no one.

By grace, God allowed me to understand how to seek after Him with all my heart, and only then did He finally meet with me. By grace, He invited me to seek Him and gave me the privilege of possibly comprehending His love and goodness. In God's own brilliant way, an indescribable way, indescribable way, He called me to build my life upon the foundation of faith and His righteousness.

I've learned that for me, there is no prioritizing God over things of this world, and that there is only God's truth and nothing else. Through Christ's sacrifice, I'm able to be with God, and I have been crucified with Christ, and it is now Christ who lives in me. I can place my trust and hope in Jesus, who made a way back to God, and walk by faith, believing that slowly but surely, I'm becoming the man God has called me to be.

Thanks to Jesus' sacrifice, I can live a life where my joy, peace, and rest is in His word and presence, and I look forward to a life of repentance, perseverance, belief in the power of Christ's sacrifice, making God king, and giving my very best to obey, not some, not most, but all of God's commands.

Thank you. (audience applauding) (audience member speaking indistinctly) (audience member speaking indistinctly) , (audience member speaking indistinctly) (audience applauding) - All right, thank you, David, for that testimony. If you can turn your Bibles with me to Hebrews 12, we're in verse one, two, three, and we're gonna be here for a few more weeks.

Yeah, so as I've been preparing, there's some stuff that I just didn't wanna skim through. I wanted to take some time, and we don't have a timeline where we have to finish this by a certain date, so we're just gonna go as the word of God is being revealed, and I didn't even get through the whole sermon for service, so we'll see how long this takes, verse one, two, and three, so let me read this, and we'll jump in.

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

For consider him who has endured such hostility by sinners against himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we give this time to you. Asking for a clear understanding of your word, that you would search us and know us and see if there's any hurtful ways in us.

Lord, give us strength to understand. Give us strength to persevere. And we pray, Father God, that your grace truly would be enough. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. You know, as we travel for various reasons, whether you go to Asia or go to India or Africa, you know, there are some countries where, you know, like 15, 20 years ago, you don't see anything Western, but you can see it developing.

And one of the things, signs that you see developing is you see more and more of the Western stuff coming in. So, you know, 30 years ago, I would say, what, 20, 30 years ago, when we would go overseas, you know, we can tell if there was any kind of Western influence by looking at McDonald's, right?

And you go to McDonald's and you see, it's like, oh, there's a Western influence coming in, you know, and now, I think in the last 15 years, it's switched from McDonald's to Starbucks. You can tell the progress or the economy getting better because you see more and more Starbucks.

And we saw that out in Beijing, and we starting to see that out in India. Each time we go, there's more and more Starbucks, just like here, you can run into it everywhere you go. I remember when Starbucks was first coming in. Some of you guys are a little bit older, remember, you know, that period when it was coming in, I was thinking, like, how is this business gonna take off?

You know, coffee's been around forever, and all they're selling is coffee? You know, I know that since then, they've added, like, donuts and all this other stuff, but it was just coffee. So I said, these guys are crazy. They're gonna do a business just selling coffee, and obviously, since then, I mean, it's one of the fastest growing companies, at least in the restaurant markets and coffee business.

And I realized that, you know, part of the reason why coffee, not just Starbucks, but coffee has taken off is because we become addicted, not just to the flavor, but to the caffeine. You know, we're all fatigued and tired, and so I remember growing up, we didn't really drink much coffee.

I didn't start drinking coffee until I was probably about 31 or 32 years old, and the reason why was because I started to teach ESL to Korean grandparents, and if I wasn't on my game, you know, I would lose them. Their attention span wasn't that great, so I was speaking, you know, I had to speak to them in English and Korean, and so my mind had to be alert all the time, and so, you know, the best way to describe it is kind of giving five-hour sermons five times a week.

That's how it felt, like standing there just draining. I have to constantly think about, you know, what to teach them. Do they remember this? What's the next lesson, and who's paying attention? Who gets it? Who doesn't get it? And so I remember thinking, wow, this is exhausting being a teacher, and this is what the teachers must go through watching kids, so I started drinking coffee, and now it's become such a habit, like, you know, whether I need it or not, I have to drink coffee, and then, if I'm tired during the day, I would drink another cup of coffee.

I try not to drink more than one coffee, but, you know, it's become such a habit now. I mean, it's just, obviously, it's not just me. All through the world now, caffeine is kind of what's keeping people going, right? Well, there's a lot of things that we do. When we feel physically fatigued, maybe just go exercise, right?

Maybe drinking energy drinks or soda, whatever it may be, or just take a walk. When we're physically fatigued, put caffeine in, do something so that you can be alert and you can go back to work, but what do you do when you're spiritually fatigued? What do you do when you feel like the energy has been sapped down and you don't have the energy to continue on on this path?

Where do you turn for that? Because caffeine might be able to give you a little perk and get you alert to be able to do what you need to do, but when you have spiritually been fatigued and you don't have the energy to persevere and continue, who do we turn to?

How do we get energized? So the text that we're looking at in verse one, in conclusion, the transition that's being made is in conclusion to Christalia. Everything that's been presented is a therefore, let us run this race with endurance, and that's the imperative in this passage, and that's what he's gonna be talking about in the next two chapters, and every verse is going to be running this race with endurance.

Well, how do we do that? He's not simply saying just dig deep within yourself. Just find strength within yourself and just be determined to get this right. That's not what he is saying. If any of you, for any period of time, walked with God with that intention, we're just gonna be more disciplined than I was before.

I'm gonna memorize more scripture than I'm gonna pray more than other, I'm gonna evangelize more than any other person. Eventually, you get fatigued, you get tired, and you just don't have that energy, and then if you keep living this cycle over and over again, that's what, and then we use the term being burnt out.

He's not simply calling us to be more determined, to be more disciplined, to be more sacrificial. He says, we talked about, he says that the imperative is let's run this race with endurance, and he talked about how we need to look, first and foremost, are we committed to this race?

Are we in this race, this race before us? And then to look behind the cloud of witnesses that have gone, how they did it, what caused them to persevere to the end? And then last week, we looked at to look within. Is there anything that I'm doing that is entangling me to hinder this race?

What am I engaged in that causes me not to have this appetite for Christ? What are the sins that so easily clings, that we just kind of dismiss and say, well, everybody struggles with it, and then we allow it in our lives without genuinely fighting it, and then the part that we're at this morning is finally, and this really is the main point, the crux of the issue.

Without this, everything else just becomes more things that we need to do, right? He says to look up, fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of the faith, and then verse three, it says, for consider him who endures us hostility towards sinners against himself. If we don't get this, if we don't practice this, church can easily become a place where week after week, you're being reminded what you're not doing.

You're not doing enough. I mean, probably the most tired people in the world are mothers with small children at home, right? You're fatigued. 24/7, you're giving to small children, and then you come to church, you need to be more involved. You need to be more giving. You need to be more sacrificial, pick up your cross.

Jesus did this for you. Why can't you do this for him? So no matter how nicely and graciously I say it, that's what gets into your ear, and then just, you know, life is hard enough as it is, but you end up just piling up week after week this burden of what I should be doing that I'm not doing, and if you've been there for a long time, this just is kind of piled up, so you end up just kind of sucking it up.

I'm a Christian, so what else am I gonna do? He's not simply saying be more disciplined. He's not simply saying be more determined, although those are things that he does call us to do. He says in order to be fueled, the ultimate fuel, he says, to fix our eyes on Jesus.

Some of your translations simply says look to Jesus. The word there in Greek is much more intense. It's much more precise. He's not simply saying just to casually look, look at the stars or look at these chairs. The reason why in the ESV or the NASB, it uses the word fix is because it has a meaning of laser focus, to make a determination.

You're intensely looking at something. This word for looking or to fix our eyes on Jesus, and he said there's two reasons for that, because he's the author, and he's the finisher of the rate, perfecter of the faith. Not only is he the one that we are justified by, he's also the one who will sanctify us.

Again, if we're not careful, we get justified by Christ, and then the sanctification is just discipleship. Just hook them up with somebody who's more mature, and then just kind of through learning and telling and discipleship, that that's gonna happen. Justification, we're completely helpless, but sanctification, it's 100% us. He said no, Jesus Christ is the author, and he, Jesus Christ, is also the perfecter of our faith, who will bring us into completion.

That's what Paul says when he says Philippians 1:6. He who began a good work in you, he will carry it onto completion, onto the day of Christ. Now, that does not mean that human effort is not there. That does not mean that God doesn't call us to discipleship and pick up the cross, but in the end, the fuel that causes us to continue and to persevere is Christ himself.

To look intensely at Jesus. It has two specific meanings in application. One, the word to look, to fix, has the idea of gawking at something, to behold something. You ever experience something where something is so great, whether you travel somewhere or maybe you see movies, people standing in front of Grand Canyon, just they can't take their eyes off of Grand Canyon?

I remember as a young child when my family decided to move from Philadelphia to Kansas, my parents would stop by at Niagara Falls, and I probably was about 10 or 11 years old at that time, and I remember so vividly standing in front of Niagara Falls just being awed, even as a child.

Just the waterfall, it just looked so amazing. And even though it was a brief time, even though I was a young child, that made a deep impression. And I remember a few years ago, we went back to look at it and it just didn't look as high. You know, the things that you look at when you're a child or when you go back as an adult, it just doesn't live up to your memory.

You know, I think part of the reason was, obviously I'm older, but the other part of it is, I've seen other things. You know, I remember going to Kenya and this remote part of Kenya, we were at a waterfall. We drove probably about four hours to get there, but once we got there, there was a waterfall that probably was about three times that height.

And I remember looking at that, it's like, wow, this makes Niagara Falls look tiny. But the point of my story is, there's things that we look at that just by the sheer magnitude of what you're seeing, causes you to gaze at something, to gawk at something. All right, and it may not just be scenery, it could be something or someone, maybe someone's so talented, that it causes you to look at it and gaze at it.

And I remember, again, some of you guys are a little bit older, everything I say may be a little bit outdated, but do you know who Whitney Houston is? You do, okay, good. I'm connecting with a few of you, all right. I remember the first time hearing Whitney Houston sing that song, "I Will Always Love You." Remember, at the movie, I have to look it up, it was from the movie "Bodyguard," right?

I don't know, I don't remember what year this was, right? And I wasn't that old, but I remember listening to that song and I was like, I never heard somebody hit a note that high before. And she was so, I was just amazed, right? And it just made a deep impression, right?

This idea of gawking and looking and beholding is something beyond you, is so beyond you, so magnificent. So you can, scenery, you can be talent, whether it's sports, whatever it is, it just naturally causes you to worship. That's the word here, to behold. And in 1 John 3, verse one, in the NASB, it says, "See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us." In the King James, the literal understanding, it says to behold.

Look intently how great a love the Father has bestowed on us that we would be called children of God and such we are. That sinners like us, rebellious sinners like us, behold, gawk at, fix your eyes, that we would become children of God. So that's the idea behind fixing your eyes upon Christ, not just to casually look, not just to consider, but to think deeply about what it is that we have.

Part of the reason why there is such superficiality in the way that we live our life is because we have such superficial understanding of the gospel. Especially if you've grown up in the church and you heard the gospel in Sunday school, and you say, yeah, I believe that. Yeah, what is the gospel?

Jesus, I'm a sinner, Jesus came, died for us, and he was crucified, resurrected on my behalf, and now I go to heaven. But then we've never seriously asked that question. In fact, if you don't evangelize, you have no idea how many holes there are in your understanding of the gospel.

'Cause you've never been tested. No one's ever pushed back. So you never ask the question, oh, Jesus loved me, this I know for the Bible tells me so, the end. And then somebody say, why does he have to die? Because I'm a sinner. But why die? All the mothers in this room, future mothers, we all know that we love our kids, and that's why we have Mother's Day, Father's Day.

But you don't tell your kids, I loved you so much, I died for you. What does that mean? In fact, I loved you so much, I'm gonna bleed for you now. You don't bleed and then take the blood, I love you so much. What is that? Right? But sometimes we hear it so much, we just accept it without really asking what that sounds like, not truly understanding the meaning behind any of this stuff.

Why did he have to be crucified? Why does he have to die and then resurrect again? What does all that mean? But we just heard it, and we have a superficial understanding, superficial appreciation of what we sing about and learn about, and even share. But because we haven't gazed, we haven't beheld and actually wrestled with what it is that we actually have, we just kinda, oh, Jesus loves me, so he died for me, so now I gotta go work.

Tell me what to do. I'm gonna go make disciples of all the nations. And so we're given to work, we work hard, we sacrifice, but there is no beholding in our hearts. And as a result of that, we labor, we strive, we sacrifice, and then we get burnt out.

And then we labor, we strive, we get burnt out, and then something else happens, we get encouraged, and we get back up in this cycle over and over again. And if that's the cycle that you've been in four years, five years, 10 years, 20 years, something inside of you just dies, that you don't have hope anymore, that this is not gonna work, this hard work doesn't lead to anything.

The problem was not that we worked hard. The problem wasn't that we didn't work hard enough. The problem was the fuel that we need to cause all these things to happen wasn't happening. And that's why he says to behold. First, we need to run this race with endurance, and he says to behold, fix your eyes on Jesus.

Ephesians chapter 360 through 19. Paul's prayer after laying about how he predestined us, he elected us, he adopted us from before the creation of the world, and he's just basically laying out how he loved us and saved us. And then he says, after telling them this, he says, he prays that he would grant you, God would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power through the Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ would dwell in your hearts through faith, and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints.

Let me stop right there. There is a difference between revelation and illumination. Revelation, anybody can have it at any time. Open up the Bible, read what it says, and then regurgitate that to other people. That's revelation, right? That just requires your effort. Working hard, memorize scripture, right? That's revelation.

He's not talking about revelation, because revelation was already given to them. Right? He already gave it to them. So when he says to comprehend what it is that you have been given, he's not simply talking about having a better or higher IQ or putting more effort into this. He's talking that the Holy Spirit, to take what was revealed to you, so that you would open your eyes to see, with all the saints, the breadth, the length, the height, and the depth, and to know the love of Christ, which surpasses all knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

That beyond revelation, that God, through the Holy Spirit, would illuminate you, that you would begin to behold what it is that you have. And in this beholding is what fuels everything else that happens. You know, I think many of you already know that I'm a cynic by nature, right?

And especially now, where you have Yelp, I know we have a generation where you have five stars, and we gotta go, right? I don't trust any of it, right? I've gone to some of these five-star coffee shops, five-star boba shops, five-star sushi shops, and I can't think of a single time where I came back, it's like, that deserves five stars, right?

It just never lives up to the hype, right? And part of the reason why it doesn't live up to the hype is because that experience you had, you know, it may have been that one person that was there. Maybe the person was making that particular sandwich, did a great job.

And maybe you have a different kind of taste bud than I do, and you like something spicy. Maybe I don't like something spicy. It may have been you were with a group of friends, and it wasn't just about the food, but the environment that you were. There's a lot of things that go into somebody just having a good time.

They've marketed that thing well. So when I go there, and I specifically eat that, I really get excited. And part of the reason is I'm not a good person, right? Part of the reason, I'm a cynic by nature. I just don't trust these things. And I tasted, part of the reason why is because I've traveled a lot, and I've eaten a lot of things.

And so when I compare it to all of this, it just never lives up to the hype, right? And even Niagara Falls, I told you, I was so awed by it. And so second time I went, I was expecting, it's like, man, we're gonna go see Niagara Falls. And I remember going there and saying, huh, there's a lot of water just falling.

(laughs) It just didn't live up to that hype, right? No matter what it is. And that's true, whether it is scenery, whether you travel, whether it is food. It's like that even with people. It just doesn't live up to the hype. So, you know, when I read biographies of people, I'm always thinking behind my head, what is he really like?

I know this is what they're saying about him, but what is he really like, right? That's why it's hard for me to get excited. But I can tell you with all honesty that over 40 years, it's almost, is it 40? I forget how many years, right? 40, almost 40 years.

Almost 40 years that I've been a Christian, that the love of Christ is far deeper than I realized 40 years ago. It is far wider than what I remembered when I first met him. It is far higher than I could possibly explain. Nothing in this world lives up to that hype, but the love of Christ.

And I remember Corrie Tamboon, again, this is one of these things that I remember so much, and I know I shared it before, but I remember Corrie Tamboon, some of you guys who know her, she's the author of the book "The Hiding Place," and it's her testimony about how her whole family got slaughtered during the Holocaust.

And then she became an evangelist. And how before she became famous and was able to pay her bills, she said she used to sell watches. And after she would make a good sale, she would walk away from that, said always feeling bad about the sale. And the reason why was that it would bother her conscience that she had to hype up the watch, in order to get the sale.

This watch is great, it's a great price, it's not gonna let you down, and so she sold it, but even though she was a great salesperson, she would walk away always feeling guilty that maybe I wasn't fully honest. And then she became an evangelist, and she began to share the testimony about Jesus Christ, and she would walk away with the same guilt, but for a completely different reason.

And she would share how, no matter how much she would share about Jesus, she would walk away thinking that maybe I didn't do God's love justice. Maybe I didn't do justice to his grace. There's nothing in this world that if we gawk at it long enough, does not fade.

There's no food, there's no place, there's no human being that you will put on a pedestal and watch and behold, where as time passes, that it becomes greater than last year and greater than that the year after that. Nothing in creation lives up to that kind of scrutiny, except Christ.

That's why when he says to behold, to look, to gawk at, because where our fuel comes from is knowing the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ. You and I do not have the inner ability to just simply say no to temptation. When we're tempted by things, tempted by hatred and anger, to simply say no because we're strong, because we're disciplined.

You and I do not have that ability. So without beholding who Christ is, all Christianity becomes is more things that you're not doing right. C.S. Lewis says this in his book, "The Weight of Glory." "It would seem that our Lord finds our desires "not too strong, but too weak.

"We are half-hearted creatures, "fooling about with drink and sex and ambition "when infinite joy is offered us. "Like an ignorant child who wants to go on "making mud pies in a slum, "because he cannot imagine what is meant "by the offer of a holiday at the sea, "we are far too easily pleased." He's describing an individual who gazed at, maybe have a glimpse of his glory, and then spent the rest of his life gawking at the world, being tempted, constantly distracted, and we're so easily pleased.

Easily pleased with food, easily pleased with travel, easily pleased with circumstance. And that's what causes us to drift. So no wonder Christianity becomes a burden. You know, we think of Christianity as a pick up your cross, deny yourself. Jesus loved you so much, how could you not do that for him?

And we live this burden that we owe him, and so we have to keep doing more of this. And of course, we run empty. You know what it says in Matthew 13 to 44 to 46? It says, "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure "hidden in the field, which a man found and hid, "and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has "and buys that field." You notice here the motivation behind why he's selling all of this stuff?

Because he recognized the value of the treasure that he found. And so when he sacrifices, he's given up everything, what does he do? You say, "Oh my God, that's so expensive. "I gotta give up all of this so I can have that?" He says, "From joy over it." Because he saw the value.

And so everything that he had was worth selling, and in joy sold everything so that he can have this. See, the difference between an individual who is struggling to sacrifice and discipline versus somebody who is eager to follow is how he recognizes the treasure in Christ. If Christ is not the treasure, you will not overcome the temptation.

How can you when everybody around you is going after that? It's so nice, especially where you and I live. We live 15 minutes away from the beach, 30 minutes, 40 minutes if you drive fast, to the mountains. Disneyland over here, Knott's Berry Farm, what else is down there? Movie theaters, all the food, you know one thing, the more I travel, the more I know that this is the best place in the world.

Even the food tastes better. Here, everything, we have access to pretty much everything. I literally never need to leave Irvine. Everything that I fleshly desire is in Irvine. How are you going to win over that temptation? Simply by saying no? Simply by being more disciplined? Simply by having accountability group to shame you if you don't?

You and I don't have that power. He says because he saw the treasure of what he had, he didn't wanna lose it. So for joy of having that, he was willing to sell everything to get that. See, if we're not beholding Christ and do not understand the breadth, length, height, and depth of the love of Christ, it just becomes more work.

More work. Life is hard enough as it is, and then you go to the church, and you gotta do more work. That's why he says to fix your eyes on Jesus. To fix it, not just to look at it, not just casually think about it. He says to fix, don't take your eyes off of him.

That's what that means. Because the moment we forget the treasure that we have in Christ, we easily get entangled and fall into temptation. That's exactly what Apostle Paul meant in comparison to the surpassing knowledge of knowing Jesus Christ. Surpassing knowledge meaning, this is beyond just revelation, beyond me telling you.

This is beyond anything that the world can offer you. Surpassing knowledge of knowing Jesus Christ. Everything else became rubbish. Roman citizen, wealthy family, highest education, already well-known celebrity, possibly a Sanhedrin member already, a senator in the nation of Israel. For any Jew, Pharisee among Pharisee, asked the law, he says, perfect.

For a Jew, he's already on the top. But he says in comparison, in comparison to the treasure he found in Christ, it became rubbish. He didn't make it rubbish, it became rubbish in comparison. So when our eyes are taken off of Christ, there is nothing else in this world that's gonna save you from the temptation that we are surrounded by constantly.

You know, I remember when, right before I became a Christian, I was obsessed with baseball. Right, because that was my first love, baseball. Before basketball, anything else. And my friends decided that we're gonna make the Burbank High School baseball team. So we spent every single minute that we had, right?

It probably saved us from a lot of trouble, 'cause we were getting into a lot of trouble prior to that, but when we decided to play baseball, every opportunity we had, we went on the baseball field, and we had a guy who wanted to play shortstop, and so we would just bat to him, right?

Hour, two hours, every day. And it's my turn, so I would take the glove and go to the left field, and then they would just pop it up, right? Pop up the ball. And I said, "Well, put the ball over there, "so let me see how much distance I can cover, "so hit it far from me." We did that every day, every opportunity we had, because we were preparing to try to get on this baseball team.

Well, tryouts came out, you know, it started out in December, and it was about a week of tryouts, and then we took a break, and then the second part was gonna happen after the break. Well, in between that, I became a Christian. It radically changed my life. And we spent so much time preparing for it, going to the batting cage, and trying to get on this team that we want so much, but all of a sudden, I meet Christ, and I just completely forgot.

I don't even remember wrestling about this decision, because their Bible study was Friday night, and all the games were happening Friday night, all the practices were happening Friday night. And so I don't even remember thinking, "Should I, should I?" I just don't remember that, because what would be better than this God that I met?

So I used to live in Burbank, and one of the leaders would come and pick me up right after school at 3.30 or 4 o'clock, be in LA, Bible study starts at seven, finishes at nine. We go have dinner, and then from 11 to one, or two in the morning, we'd have overnight prayer, and then sometimes we'd just sleep over at the church just sleeping on just, you know, on the floor, waking up, mowing the lawn, you know, of the church, 'cause that's the only way they would let us stay there.

And then waking up, just passing out pamphlets, and trying to evangelize, and I would come home sometimes like late Saturday, you know, and I just remember, my parents never asked me where I was. You know, I think part of the reason was 'cause I was getting into so much trouble prior to that.

She knew I was at church, so that whatever I was doing over there is gonna be much better than me not doing that. But I remember that so vividly. I don't remember struggling to let it go, because at that time, my mind was blown. God is real? Heaven and hells is real?

And that God cares about me? And then this is the Bible study that I need to attend to connect with this God, versus I get to throw this white ball around with these guys? I wasn't a super Christian. I wasn't discipled, I wasn't, you know, I wasn't more disciplined than the next person, I wasn't more noble, I wasn't more righteous than anybody else.

My eyes got open, I beheld his glory. That's why in Revelation, when it talks to the church of Ephesus, he says, "Remember the height from which you had fallen. "Remember when you first beheld God. "Remember when the gospel first came into you. "Remember how excited you were about singing, "about Bible study, about prayer meetings, "about evangelism." You notice the difference between somebody who just became a Christian, versus somebody who's been a Christian for a while?

Somebody who's been a Christian for a while, and they've become very good at this game, like what is required of this church? What is mandatory? So we say, "Hey, we're gonna have a meeting." And one of the first questions we think, is it mandatory? Right, another, am I gonna be judged?

Right? Yes, you will be judged if you don't come. So you better come, right? So, oh, we're gonna be judged, okay, then we have to come. Versus you meet a new Christian, am I allowed to come? Is it okay if I come? Am I allowed to sit here? Can I, can I attend Bible study?

Right? The difference between the two, is that the young Christian's eyes beheld Christ, and he realized the privilege that he has to have access to God. The privilege that he or she has to worship. The privilege to be a part of a community of people to worship God, versus somebody who's been a Christian for a while, and is like, do I have to?

Is it mandatory? Will I be judged? Even the way we ask questions, is this sin? Right? These are all questions that are coming from somebody who has been burdened, and there's no fuel fueling them. Just meeting the minimum standards. You and I do not have that ability just to suck it up and keep it going, if we're not beholding Christ.

You know how you can tell somebody's beholding Christ? They can't contain it. They can't contain it. Evangelism just doesn't happen. Tuesday at three o'clock, evangelism, okay, now I gotta evangelize. Somebody who's beholding Christ, sit down. Sit down and ask them, what did you do today? That's enough to get them going.

Somebody who's beholding Christ, fixated on Christ, oh, let's have fellowship. We're gonna have, next Wednesday at three o'clock, you know, I'm gonna be, I'm gonna say these things, I'm gonna do these things. Somebody who's beholding Christ, just ask them. What do you like to do for fun? Just ask them.

Because it's abundant. It's what they're beholding. Just comes out because, just like if you watched a movie that you were just enamored, wow, that was great! You don't have to ask them. They'll tell you. Right? You almost get annoyed, stop telling me! But because they were so impacted by that, they'll tell you.

That's why he's saying, behold, fix your eyes upon Christ, that we may have a deepening understanding of the breadth, length, height, and depth of the love of Christ. The second meaning behind this is not simply to behold, but to look intently for help. Kind of like the way we use the word when we say, who do you look to when you are in trouble?

Who do you look to when you have financial problems? Government, the bank, your job, yourself? Who do you look to when you are discouraged? Who do you look to, right, when you feel lost or lonely? So we use that word look to look at something for help. Your friends, church leaders, government, money.

In Psalm 121 it says, I will lift up my eyes to the mountains, from where shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. In other words, the person that I'm beholding, this person that I'm looking to for help, he created the universe.

That's why the Bible always, when the Bible introduces us to God, you notice how often the Bible says, God the creator? Repeatedly, God who created the universe. That God who created your inner being. Why is he saying that? Meaning that his power cannot be exhausted. He's all powerful. The God that you are looking to doesn't have a limit in their bank account, doesn't have limit in resources.

He's God the creator. He's the one that I run to. He will not allow your foot to slip. He who keeps you will not slumber. You know, probably most of us, most of us, the closest thing that you and I can relate to, to agape love, is the love that you and I receive from our mothers.

And even if they're not the best, they're sinners too, but probably the closest to somebody who is willing to sacrifice their well-being in order that you and I could eat and live and sleep comfortably, most of us will probably say it's our mothers. Deservedly so. Because they sacrifice. It's hard being a mother.

I mean, you can't be selfish when you have kids around. Because if a mother is selfish, children die. Right, and that's not an exaggeration. If a mother is selfish, children don't eat. If the mother is selfish, they're not protected. They're gonna run around naked, starve to death. That's what's gonna happen if the mother is selfish.

So the closest thing that you and I can experience, oh, that's kinda like that. But even the mothers grow weary. Even the best of mothers get tired. Even the best of mothers are human and sinners themselves. So he says, but the God that we look to, he keeps Israel and we'll neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper. The Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun will not smite you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will protect you from all evil. He will keep your soul. The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from the time forth and forever.

The Lord will. Anything else that we are beholding for our strength, anything else that we are turning to, eventually will let you down. My guess is you've probably experienced that already. Whether it's an institution, whether it's your circumstance, whether it was the government, or maybe it was a leader, whatever it is that you turn to that replaces where only God can be, eventually will let you down.

'Cause nothing lives up to that scrutiny, nothing. Not your husband, not your wife, not your children, not your circumstance, not your leader, not your pastor, not your elders. Nothing lives up to that scrutiny but God himself. That's why in order to run this race with perseverance, we need to fix our eyes on Jesus who started the race, and he's going to be the one who finishes the race, and only those who are gazing, beholding, and growing in beholding, will persevere in their race.

I remember a pastor years ago described Christians beholding Christ in eternity like an ant trying to describe an elephant. And the ant would get on the trunk and say, oh, the elephant is like this, it's long and slinky. And then he would take a few steps and end up on the trunk, he's like, oh, I was wrong.

It's actually white and very tough. And then he would walk over to the ice. Actually, it's very liquidy, right? And so every few steps he takes, he recognizes a different part of the elephant. He's like, well, what is he, who is he? Well, that's a tiny little ant that's trying to describe something gigantic.

And so none of it is wrong, but not one thing is ever comprehensive. And he described how us beholding Christ is going to be like that, but far greater. But for all eternity, we're gonna be gawking at him, and every time we turn around, we see a different aspect.

That God's love is much deeper than I thought. It's much wider than I thought. Much higher than I thought. God was much holier than I possibly imagined. God is more worthy than I could have possibly told. And for all eternity, he is completely eternal, always immutable, is going to inspire worship.

And it is that God that he is referring to that in order to run this race, to finish this race, to fix our eyes upon Jesus, the author, the beginner, and the one who will finish the race, the fuel to be able to persevere. Let me finish with this in Isaiah 40, 28 to 31.

Do you not know, have you not heard, the everlasting God, the Lord, the creator of the ends of the earth, does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary. To him who lacks might, he increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength.

They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run and not get tired. They will walk and not become weary. For parents, especially for moms on Mother's Day, thank you for your sacrifice. And I know, especially whether you are a veteran mom or you're a brand new mom, the sacrifices that you make and to present what agape love looks like to the family, to the children.

But along with that, I wanna make this very clear. Your love is not enough. No matter how much you pour into your children, your love is not sufficient enough. Your love, no matter how much you sacrifice, will not be enough to save your child. The only love that can change a lost soul, that his identity is changed as a child of God for eternity, is when they also behold this love for themselves.

So the best that you and I could do, the best that a mother can do, is help them see that. And the best way for you to do that is for yourself to behold that, to be a witness of that. Our love is not enough. My shepherding in this church is not enough.

My preaching, organization skills, sacrifice is not enough. That's why the primary goal every Sunday is to help you see that Christ is worthy, that he is worthy of our attention, he is worthy of our sacrifice, that he is worthy to follow, he's worthy to let go of this world.

'Cause only when you behold the same Christ would you also pick up your cross and follow him, behold him. You and I are not gifted enough, we are not strong enough, we're not disciplined enough, but by the grace of God, he has called us to be his witness, to be his witness.

So let's witness this glory, let's witness this love, and tell the world what they do not see, so that they also may come and know this Christ for themselves. Let's pray. (pages rustling) Again, as our worship team comes up, if I can ask you to take some time to let the word of God dwell in your hearts.

If you've grown up in the church, and you just say, yeah, I know Jesus died for me, I believe that, so I'm gonna go to heaven, and that's your level of Christianity. You don't understand what you're worshiping, you don't understand what you're seeing, you don't understand the word of God that's being opened.

To humble yourself before the Lord and ask, do I really know this God? Have I actually gazed upon his glory? To take some time to come before the Lord in honest confession, Lord, I don't think I know you. Open my eyes, Lord, that I may behold your glory as well.

If you happen to be somebody who grew up in the church, and you're so busy doing so many things, but only one thing is required of you, fix your eyes upon Jesus. Fix your eyes upon Jesus. Do you love this Jesus? You're laboring for Jesus, you're sacrificing for Jesus, you are working for Jesus, but do you love this Jesus?

Maybe we also need to take a step back, and fix our eyes upon what it is that we worship, what it is that we have. Let's take some time to pray the same prayer that Paul prays, that with all knowledge, that we would have the strength, with all the saints, to comprehend the width, the length, the height, and the depth of the love of Christ.

Let's pray. (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) Church family, let's all rise together as we sing this closing praise.

♪ O soul, are you weary and troubled ♪ ♪ No light in the darkness you see ♪ ♪ There's light for a look at the Savior ♪ ♪ And life more abundant and free ♪ ♪ Through death into life everlasting ♪ ♪ We pass then we follow Him there ♪ ♪ Over us in no more had dominion ♪ ♪ For more than conquers we are ♪ Turn your eyes.

♪ Turn your eyes upon Jesus ♪ ♪ Look full in His wonderful face ♪ ♪ And the things of earth will grow straight ♪ ♪ In the light of His glory and grace ♪ ♪ His words shall not fail you, He promise ♪ ♪ Believe Him and all will be well ♪ ♪ Then go to a world that is dying ♪ ♪ His perfect salvation to tell ♪ Sing it out, turn your eyes.

♪ Turn your eyes upon Jesus ♪ ♪ Look full in His wonderful face ♪ ♪ And the things of earth will grow straight ♪ ♪ In the light of His glory and grace ♪ ♪ In the light of His glory and grace ♪ ♪ Turn your eyes upon Jesus ♪ ♪ Look full in His wonderful face ♪ ♪ And the things of earth will grow straight ♪ ♪ In the light of His glory and grace ♪ Let's pray.

Psalm 121. I will lift up my eyes to the mountains from where shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip. He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper, the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun will not smite you by day nor the moon by night. The Lord will protect you from all evil. He will keep your soul. The Lord will guard your going and out, your coming in from the time forth and forever.

Amen. ♪ God sent His Son ♪ ♪ They called Him Jesus ♪ ♪ He came to love ♪ ♪ Heal and forgive ♪ ♪ He lived and died ♪ ♪ To buy my pardon ♪ ♪ An empty grave is there to prove ♪ ♪ My Savior lives ♪ ♪ Because He lives ♪ ♪ I can face tomorrow ♪ ♪ Because He lives ♪ ♪ All fear is gone ♪ ♪ Because I know ♪ ♪ He holds the future ♪ ♪ And life is worth the living ♪ ♪ Just because He lives ♪ - Amen.

All right, if we can ask the mothers to head to that room as quickly as you can.