Lions & Lizards & Lies

0:00:01.920 --> 0:00:04.480 Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. I'm the pastor of Elevation 0:00:04.720 --> 0:00:06.960 Church and this is our podcast. I wanted to thank 0:00:06.960 --> 0:00:10.320 you for joining us today. Hope this inspires you. Hope 0:00:10.320 --> 0:00:12.360 it builds your faith. Hope it gives you perspective to 0:00:12.360 --> 0:00:17.080 see God is moving in your life. Enjoy the message. 0:00:17.360 --> 0:00:19.239 You may be seated. Welcome to week one of a 0:00:19.239 --> 0:00:25.360 brand new sermons series called Triggered, and we're going to 0:00:25.400 --> 0:00:28.319 be discussing some things, some different teachings to help you 0:00:28.400 --> 0:00:31.520 take your mind back and not just give territory over 0:00:31.560 --> 0:00:34.960 to the devil in the area of your imagination and 0:00:35.040 --> 0:00:37.760 so that he fills you with all of these hypothetical 0:00:37.840 --> 0:00:40.839 scenarios that may or may not ever happen, keeping you 0:00:40.880 --> 0:00:43.440 from enjoying the life God has given you, more importantly, 0:00:43.800 --> 0:00:46.559 stewarding the life that God has given you for His glory. 0:00:47.120 --> 0:00:49.959 And we're so excited to get it started today. And 0:00:50.040 --> 0:00:53.440 I want to make the best use of our time possible. 0:00:53.479 --> 0:00:55.680 I know here at Valentine they were saying it was 0:00:55.760 --> 0:00:59.000 kind of difficult to get in, probably not at all 0:00:59.040 --> 0:01:01.720 the campuses, but there was more traffic than usual, and 0:01:01.800 --> 0:01:04.280 so you should thank God for that, because not only 0:01:04.360 --> 0:01:07.199 is that more people hearing the message of Jesus Christ, 0:01:07.240 --> 0:01:11.040 but it's also a good preparation for a sermon about anxiety. 0:01:11.440 --> 0:01:14.720 And so we're just looking out for you and helping 0:01:14.760 --> 0:01:16.520 you get in the right mind frame. But let's go 0:01:16.920 --> 0:01:20.560 to the word of God now. And obviously I'm no psychologist. 0:01:20.640 --> 0:01:25.200 I'm just a Bible preacher from Monks Corner, South Carolina, 0:01:25.959 --> 0:01:29.119 And with a little bit of knowledge that I have 0:01:29.200 --> 0:01:32.440 about the scriptures and life experience, I want to show 0:01:32.440 --> 0:01:35.160 you something today that I think will be so helpful 0:01:35.160 --> 0:01:38.880 from on Peter chapter five, verses five through nine. And 0:01:38.880 --> 0:01:40.559 I'm going go and tell you there's only one verse 0:01:40.560 --> 0:01:44.600 in this whole passage that I actually like. I believe 0:01:44.640 --> 0:01:46.959 all of it, and I know that I'm supposed to 0:01:46.959 --> 0:01:50.400 do all of it. But from the natural standpoint of 0:01:50.400 --> 0:01:53.120 my mind, there's only one verse that appeals to me. 0:01:53.160 --> 0:01:54.520 And you'll see what I'm saying when I read it. 0:01:54.840 --> 0:01:57.440 Of course, we can't talk about triggered without paying a 0:01:57.520 --> 0:02:01.320 visit to Peter. Easily the most triggered to disciple that 0:02:01.440 --> 0:02:06.000 Jesus called cussing and cutting off people's ears and stuff. 0:02:06.680 --> 0:02:08.760 But he's calmed down by the time He writes this 0:02:08.880 --> 0:02:12.320 letter to the Gentiles who are assimilating into the Greco 0:02:12.400 --> 0:02:17.160 Roman world, and he has some great advice for us 0:02:17.240 --> 0:02:21.160 concerning our anxiety and our cares. Not that you have any, 0:02:21.760 --> 0:02:27.120 but someone on your row worries too much. Not that 0:02:27.200 --> 0:02:30.800 you do, but they think about stuff. They make little 0:02:30.840 --> 0:02:34.480 movies in their minds, and they edit together things that 0:02:34.560 --> 0:02:37.320 didn't actually happen, and then they tell themselves that that's 0:02:37.360 --> 0:02:39.840 how it really is. So that's what I'm helping today. 0:02:40.120 --> 0:02:41.919 I'm sorry you had to come here a sermon design 0:02:41.960 --> 0:02:45.560 for someone else, But Peter was actually talking to a 0:02:45.639 --> 0:02:49.440 church that was undergoing a great deal of persecution, and 0:02:49.520 --> 0:02:52.440 he has some experience from wisdom, and I want to 0:02:52.480 --> 0:02:55.079 share his words with you today and pray that God 0:02:55.080 --> 0:02:58.760 will speak to you personally. He says, first Peter, Chapter five, 0:02:58.840 --> 0:03:01.560 verse five, Humble yourself. What did I say? Verse five? 0:03:01.680 --> 0:03:04.720 In the same way, you who are younger submit yourselves 0:03:04.800 --> 0:03:08.680 to your elders. Almost skip that verse, But it's great 0:03:08.760 --> 0:03:11.840 verse that I like as a parent. All of you 0:03:12.000 --> 0:03:17.160 clothe yourselves with humility toward one another. Because God opposes 0:03:17.639 --> 0:03:23.520 the prow but shows favor to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, 0:03:24.560 --> 0:03:26.560 under God's mighty hand. I like how he says that. 0:03:26.639 --> 0:03:29.440 He says God lines up on the other side of 0:03:29.520 --> 0:03:32.080 human pride. So if you want to be on the 0:03:32.080 --> 0:03:36.360 same side of the ball as God, you gotta make 0:03:36.400 --> 0:03:38.840 sure that you come in at the right level and 0:03:38.880 --> 0:03:44.360 realize that you are not him, that you are the creation, 0:03:44.560 --> 0:03:48.960 not the Creator. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, 0:03:49.560 --> 0:03:52.880 that he may lift you up in due time. Cast 0:03:52.920 --> 0:03:59.240 all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. 0:04:00.000 --> 0:04:02.760 If ever there was a verse to cross stitch and 0:04:04.000 --> 0:04:07.200 to put on a coffee mug, it's one Peter five seven. 0:04:07.240 --> 0:04:10.320 That's the one I like, in case you're wondering, cast 0:04:10.480 --> 0:04:13.880 all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 0:04:14.520 --> 0:04:18.040 Really enjoy that verse feels good. Be alert. Verse eight 0:04:18.040 --> 0:04:21.080 I don't like so much. And of sober mind your enemy, 0:04:21.120 --> 0:04:26.080 the devil brows around like a roaring lion looking for 0:04:26.200 --> 0:04:31.040 someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith 0:04:31.080 --> 0:04:34.920 because you know that the family of believers throughout the 0:04:34.960 --> 0:04:39.560 world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And I 0:04:39.560 --> 0:04:41.000 want to stop right there and talk to you for 0:04:41.040 --> 0:04:45.240 a few moments today. In this opening, foundational session in 0:04:45.240 --> 0:04:47.640 our study called triggered on this subject, I want to 0:04:47.680 --> 0:04:55.520 talk about lions and lizards and lies. Lions and lizards 0:04:56.640 --> 0:05:00.359 and lies. And before you say, oh my, put you 0:05:00.480 --> 0:05:04.000 in the frame of mind of me five or six 0:05:04.080 --> 0:05:08.480 years ago when I called a pastor who is older 0:05:08.480 --> 0:05:12.360 and wiser than me. And I wasn't having like a 0:05:12.400 --> 0:05:16.280 nervous breakdown from a clinical standpoint, or a panic attack, 0:05:16.360 --> 0:05:20.160 as I understand a panic attack, but just feeling overwhelmed. 0:05:20.279 --> 0:05:25.120 Not in the clinical sense. Was I experiencing anxiety, but 0:05:25.240 --> 0:05:30.160 in the everyday sense of adulthood. And I think sometimes 0:05:30.200 --> 0:05:33.880 we say we're suffering anxiety when we're really just suffering adulthood. 0:05:35.440 --> 0:05:39.120 And I called him in my driveway in the house 0:05:39.160 --> 0:05:41.920 we lived in at the time in mint Hill, and 0:05:42.440 --> 0:05:44.400 I was doing this thing that I was doing a 0:05:44.440 --> 0:05:46.680 lot during that period where I would sit in the 0:05:46.800 --> 0:05:51.760 driveway between work and home because my kids were really small, 0:05:51.880 --> 0:05:54.120 and I couldn't figure out which one was more work 0:05:54.240 --> 0:05:58.080 or home because at work I'm the boss, and at 0:05:58.080 --> 0:06:03.039 home my kids weren't calling me pastor at that stage. 0:06:03.760 --> 0:06:06.960 And so I was sitting in the driveway and I thought, 0:06:07.000 --> 0:06:08.440 you know, I'm just gonna call him, and I'm gonna 0:06:08.440 --> 0:06:10.960 ask him, and I don't care what he thinks, because 0:06:11.160 --> 0:06:13.680 you get to a certain point of being overwhelmed, it 0:06:13.800 --> 0:06:17.920 just all spills out. And when I started talking to him, 0:06:17.960 --> 0:06:19.719 I started, you know how when you're trying to tell 0:06:19.720 --> 0:06:22.760 somebody you're struggling, and you share with them in little slivers, 0:06:23.720 --> 0:06:26.200 and you try to see if anything you say shocks them, 0:06:26.360 --> 0:06:28.520 and if it feels like it shocks them, you back 0:06:28.600 --> 0:06:31.080 up and you go, well, I'm not struggling with that, 0:06:31.279 --> 0:06:33.719 but I'm saying like some people do, and you kind 0:06:33.720 --> 0:06:36.160 of feel your way into a conversation, at least I do. 0:06:36.480 --> 0:06:39.320 And it's like I was telling him I'm kind of overwhelmed, 0:06:39.440 --> 0:06:41.360 and he didn't judge me, and I said, and this 0:06:41.440 --> 0:06:43.240 is how I feel, and he didn't judge me. And 0:06:43.279 --> 0:06:46.640 so every time he didn't judge me and I didn't 0:06:46.640 --> 0:06:49.560 feel like he was surprised, I would share a little more, 0:06:49.760 --> 0:06:51.640 and share a little more, and share a little more. 0:06:51.880 --> 0:06:53.560 And by the end of it, I'm in my driveway 0:06:53.560 --> 0:06:57.160 crying on the phone to him, telling him how overwhelmed 0:06:57.200 --> 0:07:01.559 I feel being you know, just in my early thirties past, 0:07:01.600 --> 0:07:04.640 during a church that was larger than the town I 0:07:04.680 --> 0:07:10.720 grew up in. Imagine that, and then with kids and 0:07:11.440 --> 0:07:14.560 he and he actually laughed in the middle of me 0:07:14.600 --> 0:07:17.920 crying to him. He laughed, and I can't explain why, 0:07:17.960 --> 0:07:20.200 but it was the most comforting thing he could have 0:07:20.200 --> 0:07:23.720 done in that moment. And what he said next is 0:07:23.960 --> 0:07:25.920 just what I needed to hear, and I know God 0:07:26.640 --> 0:07:28.200 put it in his mouth so I could hear it. 0:07:29.080 --> 0:07:33.480 And he said, I'm not surprised that you called me 0:07:33.880 --> 0:07:36.520 and said this. I'm not surprised that you're melting down. 0:07:37.480 --> 0:07:42.760 I'm surprised you didn't call me sooner. And partially he 0:07:42.880 --> 0:07:45.600 was saying that because, you know, as our church grew, 0:07:46.080 --> 0:07:50.040 obviously the pressure's mount with it. And he was also 0:07:50.120 --> 0:07:53.680 saying it from a stage of life standpoint that look, 0:07:53.760 --> 0:07:57.120 every father feels relatively worthless at some point in the 0:07:57.160 --> 0:08:00.680 early stages of their children's visit to pl planet Earth, 0:08:01.520 --> 0:08:04.920 and it takes time to learn how to interact with aliens. 0:08:05.560 --> 0:08:09.520 And by the end of the call, I just felt better, 0:08:09.640 --> 0:08:14.320 just because he said it's supposed to be this way. 0:08:14.520 --> 0:08:19.360 You're supposed to struggle. And when he said I was 0:08:19.400 --> 0:08:23.920 supposed to struggle, the struggle didn't go away, but the 0:08:24.000 --> 0:08:27.920 fact that I was no longer surprised by it made 0:08:28.000 --> 0:08:30.720 me more able to deal with it. And God has 0:08:30.720 --> 0:08:34.599 been speaking to me recently that I am too surprised 0:08:35.200 --> 0:08:39.360 by my struggles, and part of the reason that I 0:08:39.400 --> 0:08:42.280 struggle so much is because I'm surprised when I do. 0:08:43.920 --> 0:08:47.160 It's as if we've set an expectation of salvation that 0:08:47.200 --> 0:08:50.520 if we come to Jesus and lay all our burdens 0:08:50.559 --> 0:08:53.360 at the foot of the cross, that none of them 0:08:53.400 --> 0:08:55.680 will climb back in the car with us and go home. 0:08:56.520 --> 0:08:59.800 But how many have ever laid your burdens down in 0:09:00.120 --> 0:09:03.480 church and found out that they followed you home with 0:09:03.640 --> 0:09:06.960 the few friends you never met before. And it's like 0:09:07.040 --> 0:09:09.640 I came to Jesus to get rid of my struggles, 0:09:10.120 --> 0:09:12.920 But my struggle didn't even start until I came to Jesus, 0:09:13.440 --> 0:09:16.400 Because before I came to Jesus, if I wanted to 0:09:16.400 --> 0:09:19.240 cuss you out, I just cussed you out and I 0:09:19.360 --> 0:09:23.000 felt better. Didn't care how you felt or what God thought. 0:09:23.320 --> 0:09:25.839 I felt better and that's all that mattered. But now 0:09:25.880 --> 0:09:28.240 I got this Holy ghost on the inside of me, 0:09:28.559 --> 0:09:30.800 and when I cuss he makes me feel bad about it. 0:09:30.960 --> 0:09:33.520 Now I can't sleep till I apologize to you. And 0:09:33.600 --> 0:09:44.760 it got harder, So Peter says. Peter says, everybody's struggling. 0:09:46.080 --> 0:09:50.800 Everybody around the world is suffering. You have to take 0:09:50.840 --> 0:09:54.120 the two together. You can't come to a cross for 0:09:54.280 --> 0:09:58.080 salvation where the Savior suffered for you and never expect 0:09:58.200 --> 0:10:02.280 to suffer in your desease. Tire to follow him and 0:10:02.320 --> 0:10:05.600 be like him. Tell the person next to you, You're 0:10:05.640 --> 0:10:14.079 supposed to suffer some that's what Jesus said, That's that's 0:10:14.679 --> 0:10:20.400 that's what the CEO said, CEO of the Galaxies, the 0:10:20.440 --> 0:10:25.440 Seat the Man said that the Master of the Milky 0:10:25.480 --> 0:10:29.480 Way said that. He said, if they hated me, what 0:10:29.679 --> 0:10:32.400 makes you think you're always going to be popular and 0:10:32.720 --> 0:10:41.440 liked and accepted. So I pray that's inspirational for you 0:10:44.240 --> 0:10:48.280 to know that you are supposed to suffer. But it 0:10:48.320 --> 0:10:53.640 helps us. It helps us because the enemy often operates 0:10:53.640 --> 0:11:00.200 in our lives, in the secrecy and in you know, 0:11:00.200 --> 0:11:04.200 it's very sneaky. The enemy's sneaky, and so he wants 0:11:04.240 --> 0:11:06.800 to sneak up on you. And you think life is 0:11:06.840 --> 0:11:10.240 supposed to be easy because life looks easy for everyone else, 0:11:10.280 --> 0:11:14.120 but you don't know you have no idea. It is 0:11:14.200 --> 0:11:18.840 easy for you. It's easy for you, preacher, when you 0:11:18.840 --> 0:11:26.040 get up here and preach. You know you don't know, 0:11:26.280 --> 0:11:28.640 and I don't know your struggle, but I know I 0:11:28.720 --> 0:11:33.040 know that there are some struggles and some sufferings that 0:11:33.120 --> 0:11:38.880 come with the package. And so the call to follow 0:11:38.960 --> 0:11:42.640 Christ comes with a cross. We get that, and especially 0:11:42.679 --> 0:11:46.480 in this time, Peter is like, look, you want to 0:11:46.480 --> 0:11:49.600 be a part of this movement, The only way to 0:11:50.240 --> 0:11:54.600 really see the glory of God revealed is to suffer sometimes, 0:11:55.800 --> 0:11:58.640 to suffer, to sit with your suffering and even with 0:11:58.679 --> 0:12:02.920 your sadness. Now we're setting the wrong expected. We're teaching 0:12:02.920 --> 0:12:16.880 people they can get swollen without getting sore. Supposed to hurt, sometimes, 0:12:16.920 --> 0:12:21.720 supposed to strain. Sometimes that's the spiritual muscle fibers breaking 0:12:21.760 --> 0:12:25.120 down so they can grow back together stronger, or something 0:12:25.200 --> 0:12:31.720 like that. I don't know. And so what surprises me 0:12:33.040 --> 0:12:37.320 is that knowing that we must suffer sometimes because our 0:12:37.360 --> 0:12:41.400 saviors suffered. And let's be honest, some of our suffering 0:12:41.559 --> 0:12:44.160 is not because of our Christian faith, it's because of 0:12:44.160 --> 0:12:49.280 our You said it, he said, because we're stupid. I 0:12:49.320 --> 0:12:51.920 didn't say that. I wasn't gonna talk to the guests 0:12:51.960 --> 0:12:54.040 like that. It's a lot of first timers here today. 0:12:54.040 --> 0:12:56.480 I was gonna say, sometimes we suffer because of poor 0:12:56.520 --> 0:12:58.240 decisions and we were ill equipped to fit. But you 0:12:58.280 --> 0:13:01.280 said stupid, so I'll go with that. Sometimes we suffer 0:13:01.280 --> 0:13:05.360 because we're stupid. And it surprises me that with all 0:13:05.400 --> 0:13:08.800 the suffering that we already have to deal with, that 0:13:09.080 --> 0:13:14.920 we somehow as a species, will invent new ways for 0:13:15.040 --> 0:13:19.839 ourselves to suffer and experience pain and call it progress. 0:13:21.640 --> 0:13:24.400 As if it's not enough to worry about in the world, 0:13:25.080 --> 0:13:30.760 we invent, you know, torture device. I mean communication devices 0:13:31.920 --> 0:13:38.800 that keep us constantly connected to everyone's opinion, everyone's offenses, 0:13:39.840 --> 0:13:45.040 and we feed on stuff. The enemy's looking for someone 0:13:45.080 --> 0:13:49.280 to devour. We feed on stuff, and we feed our 0:13:49.360 --> 0:13:53.520 minds with things that eat our peace alive. And then 0:13:53.600 --> 0:13:57.040 we pray for God to give us peace after we 0:13:57.160 --> 0:14:01.240 open the front door and let the enemy show us 0:14:01.240 --> 0:14:06.839 things and stood right there. So I'm really praying. I'm 0:14:06.880 --> 0:14:09.520 really praying that God would show us a strategy for this, 0:14:09.679 --> 0:14:14.079 because it seems to me that some suffering is inevitable, 0:14:14.160 --> 0:14:20.560 but certain suffering, like the suffering of our shame and 0:14:20.640 --> 0:14:23.960 the suffering of our sin that Jesus already paid for 0:14:24.360 --> 0:14:32.520 is dealt with, And so wouldn't it be unthinkable for us, 0:14:32.560 --> 0:14:35.760 as God's children to suffer under pressure that He never 0:14:35.880 --> 0:14:40.160 intended for us. We live in a culture of performance. 0:14:41.600 --> 0:14:45.720 The interesting thing about First Peter five point seven is 0:14:45.720 --> 0:14:50.440 that it preaches so well as a singular verse. Even 0:14:50.440 --> 0:14:52.720 when I was a little boy, my mom used to 0:14:52.720 --> 0:14:57.640 play me this tape of Salty the Singing Songbook, salty 0:14:57.760 --> 0:15:02.840 like psalms ps salty like your teenageer salty, but like salt. Yeah, 0:15:03.040 --> 0:15:06.880 not like that girl work, but salty the Singing Songbook. 0:15:07.760 --> 0:15:09.560 And he had one song on there, and I used 0:15:09.560 --> 0:15:11.440 to fall asleep to this song. If I can remember, 0:15:11.600 --> 0:15:13.760 I will cast it was on this verse all my 0:15:13.880 --> 0:15:20.640 cares upon you, I ley all of my burdens down 0:15:20.760 --> 0:15:26.720 at your feet. And any time I don't know what 0:15:27.760 --> 0:15:34.360 to do, salty falsetto uh, I will cast all my 0:15:34.560 --> 0:15:39.800 cares upon you. Boom boom, walk down. I will cast 0:15:40.360 --> 0:15:44.240 all my cares upon you. Could you play it? I 0:15:44.520 --> 0:15:53.920 lay all of my burdens down at your feet. In 0:15:54.240 --> 0:16:05.480 any time I don't know what to do, I will 0:16:05.600 --> 0:16:08.080 cast oh my cares so I start saying that this 0:16:08.200 --> 0:16:12.360 is so sweet. I like verse seven. I like verse seven. 0:16:12.600 --> 0:16:14.600 I wish I didn't have to be bothered with six 0:16:14.640 --> 0:16:18.000 and eight. You know, these Bible verses were not in 0:16:18.040 --> 0:16:20.080 there when Peter wrote the letter. It was just a letter. 0:16:20.280 --> 0:16:22.240 It was one thing. In fact, let me show you something, 0:16:22.280 --> 0:16:24.120 and I showed this a few years ago to the church, 0:16:24.160 --> 0:16:25.960 but you weren't here yet when I was teaching this, 0:16:26.160 --> 0:16:27.680 and we need to catch up because this is one 0:16:27.720 --> 0:16:29.880 of the craziest, most mind blowing things God ever showed me. 0:16:30.000 --> 0:16:34.520 And I actually I brought two Bibles to church today. Yeah, 0:16:34.520 --> 0:16:38.880 that's right. I'm gonna preach twice as long. No, I'm 0:16:38.880 --> 0:16:41.200 gonna get you out on time. But this is a 0:16:41.280 --> 0:16:45.680 double barrel revelation that God gave me, and one translation 0:16:45.800 --> 0:16:47.320 of it, it breaks it up the one that we 0:16:47.400 --> 0:16:49.480 read from. Put that one up there again from the 0:16:49.560 --> 0:16:53.760 new International version. He says, cast all your anxiety on 0:16:53.880 --> 0:16:56.440 him because He cares for you. And it's a capital C, 0:16:56.920 --> 0:16:59.320 and it's a new sentence and a new thought, and 0:16:59.320 --> 0:17:02.040 it's a promise that we can claim, or rather it's 0:17:02.080 --> 0:17:05.240 the command that we can obey. And I like it. 0:17:05.960 --> 0:17:10.160 I like casting all this stuff. I like casting all 0:17:10.160 --> 0:17:13.560 these cares, like Salty said in the King James version, 0:17:13.800 --> 0:17:16.639 I like casting all of that on him, all the 0:17:16.680 --> 0:17:18.760 stuff that I don't want to deal with, and all 0:17:18.760 --> 0:17:21.840 the stuff that I can't control anyway. I like to 0:17:21.880 --> 0:17:24.359 just give that over to the Lord. I like to 0:17:24.400 --> 0:17:28.040 just lay it all at his feet. But in the 0:17:28.040 --> 0:17:31.800 original language of the Bible, and this is what God 0:17:31.840 --> 0:17:34.520 showed me a few years ago, is that verse seven 0:17:34.920 --> 0:17:38.520 was not a new sentence. It was a continuation of 0:17:38.680 --> 0:17:42.040 verse six. And when you read it as a continuation, 0:17:42.560 --> 0:17:46.040 it helps you to understand why sometimes we're trying to 0:17:46.080 --> 0:17:50.439 cast our anxiety on God and they keep coming back 0:17:51.040 --> 0:17:55.520 like a boomerang with extra velocity, because we are trying 0:17:55.560 --> 0:18:00.280 to skip to seven, which we want, without six, which 0:18:00.320 --> 0:18:06.200 we resist. Now, Verse six starts by saying, humble yourselves. See, 0:18:06.240 --> 0:18:08.639 I don't like that. I want to be the star 0:18:08.960 --> 0:18:12.719 of the production. I want to be the MVP of 0:18:12.800 --> 0:18:17.080 the game. I want everybody to accommodate my preferences. I 0:18:17.119 --> 0:18:19.679 want people to read my mind. I want to be 0:18:19.760 --> 0:18:22.800 the center of other people's affection. I don't want to 0:18:22.880 --> 0:18:25.760 humble myself. I'm not even sure I really know what 0:18:25.800 --> 0:18:28.320 it means because all I ever see humble is a 0:18:28.359 --> 0:18:31.919 hashtag where people are bragging about something and then hashtagging 0:18:31.960 --> 0:18:34.919 it humbled, like that makes it humble when you follow 0:18:34.960 --> 0:18:38.119 your bragging with a hashtag. But for Peter, humble was 0:18:38.160 --> 0:18:41.320 not a hashtag. Peter said, humble is a way of 0:18:41.400 --> 0:18:45.200 seeing the hand of God in history that knows, I'm 0:18:45.280 --> 0:18:48.920 just a small part of this. I'm just a little dot, 0:18:49.119 --> 0:18:51.679 I'm just a little I'm a little tiny, I'm a 0:18:51.920 --> 0:18:57.159 little bitty, little bitty, little bitty, little bitty child of 0:18:57.400 --> 0:19:04.720 God in his big strong hand. So humble yourselves, therefore 0:19:05.400 --> 0:19:08.359 under the mighty hand of God, so that at the 0:19:08.400 --> 0:19:15.560 proper time He may exalt you. What a relevant verse. 0:19:16.720 --> 0:19:19.280 I feel like Peter must have been able to see 0:19:19.280 --> 0:19:23.040 into the year twenty eighteen and see that we would 0:19:23.040 --> 0:19:27.399 be living in an age of self promotion, See that 0:19:27.440 --> 0:19:29.679 we'd be living in an age where, rather than praying 0:19:29.720 --> 0:19:37.040 for opportunities, we would post before we prayed, Rather than 0:19:37.080 --> 0:19:40.000 sitting back and listening and learning from people who have 0:19:40.080 --> 0:19:45.280 something to teach us, we would be so intoxicated on 0:19:45.359 --> 0:19:48.159 our own opinions and our own point of view, and 0:19:48.160 --> 0:19:52.560 we would be so sucked into algorithms and echo chambers 0:19:52.560 --> 0:19:54.920 of people who think just like us and speak just 0:19:55.160 --> 0:19:59.080 like us, and before long we would be inebriated by 0:19:59.119 --> 0:20:04.760 our own vantage point, inebriated by images. He says, humble 0:20:04.800 --> 0:20:08.200 yourself under the mighty hand of God, so that at 0:20:08.200 --> 0:20:13.919 the proper time he may exalt you. And then if 0:20:13.920 --> 0:20:16.919 you're willing to go through six, you get to seven. 0:20:17.680 --> 0:20:23.119 And they're not separated by a period, just a comma lowercase. See, 0:20:23.160 --> 0:20:28.360 if you will humble yourself, this is the foundational message 0:20:29.400 --> 0:20:32.800 for this series. To take back your mind. You got 0:20:32.840 --> 0:20:40.320 to humble your heart. And when you do that, when 0:20:40.359 --> 0:20:43.560 you humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, what 0:20:43.560 --> 0:20:50.399 does that mean? What kind of image is Peter trying 0:20:50.440 --> 0:20:54.679 to vote well for a Jewish person? The hand of 0:20:54.720 --> 0:20:59.560 God recalls the sovereign act of God when he rescued 0:20:59.560 --> 0:21:05.879 his children from Egyptian slavery. And there when God spoke 0:21:05.920 --> 0:21:09.359 to Moses, he said, you know, Pharaoh is not going 0:21:09.440 --> 0:21:14.040 to let the people go unless a mighty hand compels him. 0:21:14.040 --> 0:21:17.720 This is Exodus chapter three, unless a mighty hand, there's 0:21:17.720 --> 0:21:21.720 the phrase, compels him. And so the hand of God 0:21:21.760 --> 0:21:28.320 for us is mostly a comforting image sentimental but symbolically. 0:21:28.400 --> 0:21:31.359 For the people reading this who had a little bit 0:21:31.400 --> 0:21:33.959 of background, they would know that the hand of God 0:21:34.520 --> 0:21:40.240 is confrontational, that God opposes the proud but gives grace 0:21:40.280 --> 0:21:43.320 to the humble, and they come from the same hand. See, 0:21:43.320 --> 0:21:47.080 God will use the same hand to oppose the proud 0:21:47.880 --> 0:21:50.200 that he will use to distribute grace to the humble. 0:21:50.840 --> 0:21:53.720 And my question is what do you want to be 0:21:53.760 --> 0:21:58.320 on the receiving end of the posture of your heart 0:21:58.359 --> 0:22:02.680 determines that. And yet there's a little bit of confusion 0:22:02.760 --> 0:22:05.400 because you know, it seems like we want God's hand 0:22:05.440 --> 0:22:11.280 to do certain things for us, Like I like the 0:22:11.359 --> 0:22:15.800 hand of God when it is filled with his provision, 0:22:17.520 --> 0:22:21.240 you know, like I want what is in God's hand 0:22:22.680 --> 0:22:26.320 that I can't give myself. Just a show of hands 0:22:26.320 --> 0:22:28.800 while we're talking, my hands, how many have seen God 0:22:28.880 --> 0:22:33.200 provide for you in a special way and you were 0:22:33.200 --> 0:22:36.320 suspecting this had to be God, This could not be me, 0:22:36.800 --> 0:22:39.080 This could not be people. Wave your hand if you've 0:22:39.080 --> 0:22:41.520 ever seen God provide for you, And I don't just 0:22:41.600 --> 0:22:44.879 mean money to make a car payment or to you know, 0:22:44.920 --> 0:22:47.280 make the deposit on the apartment when you first got married. 0:22:47.440 --> 0:22:49.960 It could be God gave you energy when you were 0:22:50.080 --> 0:22:52.680 so exhausted and you didn't even know how you were 0:22:52.720 --> 0:22:55.359 still going and people would ask you how, and you 0:22:55.359 --> 0:22:58.080 would make something up. But deep down you knew if 0:22:58.080 --> 0:23:01.240 I really told him how, they wouldn't understand it, because 0:23:01.400 --> 0:23:05.280 there's an invisible hand of God that is making things 0:23:05.359 --> 0:23:12.760 happen that I can't even explain. So I like the provision. 0:23:12.840 --> 0:23:15.679 You know how he broke the bread in his hands, 0:23:15.680 --> 0:23:19.240 and Peter was there when Jesus broke the bread and 0:23:19.320 --> 0:23:21.480 with his hands, So he might have been flashing back 0:23:21.480 --> 0:23:23.520 to that incident when he said, the mighty hand of 0:23:23.520 --> 0:23:26.359 God that can provide for you, or maybe he was 0:23:26.400 --> 0:23:30.480 thinking about the hand of God in terms of God's protection. 0:23:32.080 --> 0:23:34.760 How God drove back the sea with his hand so 0:23:34.760 --> 0:23:38.680 as people could cross through till they got safely through. Now, 0:23:38.720 --> 0:23:43.800 if you've ever had God protect you from you, you're 0:23:43.840 --> 0:23:47.159 grateful for the hand of God. If you've ever had 0:23:47.240 --> 0:23:51.000 God protect you from people that were in your life. 0:23:51.040 --> 0:23:54.320 In fact, sometimes the way that God will protect you 0:23:54.960 --> 0:24:00.600 is to reach down and remove you from situations that 0:24:00.760 --> 0:24:07.560 you like that you are actually praying for God to 0:24:07.680 --> 0:24:10.639 leave you in, and God will sometimes reach down and 0:24:10.680 --> 0:24:17.040 say I know more than you. I'm big, you're little, 0:24:17.560 --> 0:24:22.240 I'm wise, you're limited, I'm infinite, your finite, So come 0:24:22.280 --> 0:24:25.560 with me. I'm gonna put you over here because I 0:24:25.640 --> 0:24:28.280 know if you stay with them, I know where it's 0:24:28.280 --> 0:24:32.000 gonna lead. And Peter says, you can either fight that 0:24:32.800 --> 0:24:35.400 or you can go with it because it's the hand 0:24:35.440 --> 0:24:38.439 of God. It's the hand how many have ever had 0:24:38.480 --> 0:24:46.680 God protect you? And I want him to provide for me, 0:24:46.720 --> 0:24:50.639 and I want him to protect, protection and provision. But 0:24:50.680 --> 0:24:56.239 there's a third dimension of God's hand and that is 0:24:57.040 --> 0:25:01.399 his plan. And that's the part that I have a 0:25:01.440 --> 0:25:07.239 harder time with because I like my plan. Why are 0:25:07.240 --> 0:25:11.520 you looking at me like you totally trust God that 0:25:11.680 --> 0:25:15.119 his way is better than yours. You know, half of 0:25:15.160 --> 0:25:17.360 our prayer life is trying to convince God to get 0:25:17.400 --> 0:25:19.119 on the same page we're on so he can do 0:25:19.200 --> 0:25:21.840 what we want him to do that he should have 0:25:21.880 --> 0:25:24.520 already done, and he's running a little behind schedule. But 0:25:24.560 --> 0:25:26.320 we'll forgive you for that. Lord, if you just come 0:25:26.359 --> 0:25:28.840 on and do it right now, it's okay. You got 0:25:28.840 --> 0:25:34.080 a lot you're taken care of. I get confused, honestly, 0:25:34.960 --> 0:25:38.880 I get confused because sometimes I don't know what part 0:25:38.920 --> 0:25:43.520 is God's job and what part is my job. And 0:25:43.560 --> 0:25:48.560 it's not always so simple humble yourself under the mighty 0:25:48.600 --> 0:25:51.080 hand of God. But then you know, God told Moses, 0:25:51.119 --> 0:25:52.720 I'm going to bring you out with a mighty hand. 0:25:52.760 --> 0:25:54.520 It's going to be my hand that brings you out. 0:25:55.160 --> 0:25:58.000 And then he asks him, what's that in your hand? 0:25:59.240 --> 0:26:02.119 And so it seems to be like two hands at 0:26:02.160 --> 0:26:06.800 work here. And the issue is the issue is always 0:26:06.880 --> 0:26:11.040 who is in control. A lot of my anxiety comes 0:26:11.119 --> 0:26:15.040 because I get confused about who is in control, and 0:26:15.359 --> 0:26:21.480 I get responsibility confused with sovereignty. So I start thinking 0:26:21.480 --> 0:26:25.400 that because God has given me responsibility, that God has 0:26:25.440 --> 0:26:29.640 also given me control. And that's where I get stressed out. 0:26:29.720 --> 0:26:32.359 And a lot of my anxiety comes from making it 0:26:32.400 --> 0:26:36.440 about me when it's not about me, making it about 0:26:36.440 --> 0:26:39.280 my strength, when it's not about my strength. It's not 0:26:39.400 --> 0:26:41.440 by Mike nor by power, but by his spirit. But 0:26:41.480 --> 0:26:44.720 I know God's given me a job, like I know 0:26:44.800 --> 0:26:48.480 that when I stand before you like this and people 0:26:48.480 --> 0:26:52.840 in the room are suicidal, and people in the room 0:26:53.000 --> 0:26:58.120 are addicted not only to illegal drugs, but some are 0:26:58.119 --> 0:27:01.320 dependent on drugs that at first they were taking the 0:27:01.320 --> 0:27:04.120 recommended dosage, but now it's gone far beyond that. And 0:27:04.160 --> 0:27:05.919 when I know that there are some of you who 0:27:05.960 --> 0:27:09.240 have not slept in three nights except for a few 0:27:09.240 --> 0:27:12.040 minutes here and they're hearing this message, I know that 0:27:13.080 --> 0:27:17.720 I can't say the words that you need. I need 0:27:17.760 --> 0:27:23.000 God to speak through me to you. And I always 0:27:23.080 --> 0:27:26.239 pray for that because I know how disappointing it's going 0:27:26.280 --> 0:27:29.000 to be if I speak. I know that I need 0:27:29.040 --> 0:27:31.360 to move my mouth, and I know that I need 0:27:31.520 --> 0:27:34.199 my vocal cords need to rub together, and I know 0:27:34.200 --> 0:27:35.760 that I need to produce a sound. But I know 0:27:35.800 --> 0:27:38.320 that I need the substance of God behind the sound 0:27:38.359 --> 0:27:40.919 that I make. I need God to speak. I know 0:27:41.080 --> 0:27:45.400 you did not load up those demons. I mean, precious children, blessings, 0:27:45.480 --> 0:27:48.080 quiver full of arrows from the Lord, and get to 0:27:48.200 --> 0:27:52.080 this house of worship today in Gaston or you see, 0:27:52.280 --> 0:27:54.800 or Lake Norman. You did not log on to hear 0:27:54.880 --> 0:27:58.200 me speak. You need God to speak. And I believe 0:27:58.240 --> 0:28:01.919 that God will speak. Believe he is speaking. I believe 0:28:01.920 --> 0:28:05.320 he wants to speak. I believe he still speaks. I 0:28:05.320 --> 0:28:08.000 don't believe he spoke one time in the past, and 0:28:08.040 --> 0:28:11.040 now we got this dusty book full of principles that 0:28:11.119 --> 0:28:13.560 applied at one time but don't make sense in a 0:28:13.600 --> 0:28:17.240 modern age. I don't believe God is outdated or irrelevant. 0:28:17.520 --> 0:28:20.320 I don't believe I need BuzzFeed to tell me what's 0:28:20.359 --> 0:28:23.199 going on in the world. I got my Bible and 0:28:23.240 --> 0:28:27.120 it's living and it's active and it can penetrate through 0:28:27.119 --> 0:28:30.760 all the noise. So I know we need God to 0:28:30.800 --> 0:28:34.480 speak in his word doesn't return boy, and God will speak, 0:28:34.520 --> 0:28:40.160 but God won't study. I got to study. God won't 0:28:40.160 --> 0:28:42.800 show me whether the sentence was one sentence or two sentences. 0:28:43.840 --> 0:28:47.000 He gave me books for that and he inspired me, 0:28:47.040 --> 0:28:49.040 so I can't figure it out sometimes and sometimes I 0:28:49.040 --> 0:28:50.600 feel like I'm a control free and sometimes feel like 0:28:50.600 --> 0:28:52.040 gets in a way I really do. I feel gets 0:28:52.080 --> 0:28:53.280 in a way. I feel like I want to control things. 0:28:53.320 --> 0:28:55.440 I want to control people. I'm manipulative and I see 0:28:55.480 --> 0:28:56.840 it and I hate it, but I do. It is 0:28:56.840 --> 0:28:59.000 a habit. And I know that God's hand is the 0:28:59.040 --> 0:29:01.760 hand that has the is really moving things around, But 0:29:01.960 --> 0:29:03.560 you know, I want to put my hand on God's 0:29:03.600 --> 0:29:08.600 hand and just kind of nuts. I'm so holy. Sometimes 0:29:09.040 --> 0:29:11.080 you know, sometimes God needs a little help because he's 0:29:11.120 --> 0:29:22.240 just Peter is writing from experience. He didn't come by 0:29:22.320 --> 0:29:25.480 humility easy. That's why I like to listen to him, 0:29:25.880 --> 0:29:29.240 because he didn't always think this way. Like when Jesus 0:29:29.320 --> 0:29:31.800 was getting ready to go to the cross, he told 0:29:31.800 --> 0:29:35.440 his disciples, He's like, hey, come here, this is Matthew 0:29:35.480 --> 0:29:38.080 sixteen twenty one. Give it to us on the screen. 0:29:39.360 --> 0:29:44.960 Jesus said, I have to go to Jerusalem and suffer 0:29:45.840 --> 0:29:51.560 many things at the hands of the elders. At this point, 0:29:51.880 --> 0:29:55.120 Peter didn't think that the Savior was supposed to suffer. 0:29:57.400 --> 0:30:00.200 It did not jesus mission did not fit his mindset. 0:30:01.520 --> 0:30:06.520 He was still confused about whose hand was writing the schedule, 0:30:07.800 --> 0:30:12.120 and so Peter, in a younger version of himself, did 0:30:12.160 --> 0:30:14.640 not know how to humble himself under the hand of 0:30:14.680 --> 0:30:18.480 God or the plan of God. He liked the provision. Hey, Jesus, 0:30:18.520 --> 0:30:21.080 don't go die, Let's go feed some more people. That 0:30:21.280 --> 0:30:23.880 was awesome when you did it. That little boy, he 0:30:23.960 --> 0:30:26.640 was so happy, Jesus, it was amazing, And we got 0:30:26.680 --> 0:30:28.960 his stare. Everybody got it in the bag of leftover. 0:30:29.040 --> 0:30:31.600 So it's crazy. You don't have to die. Watch what 0:30:31.640 --> 0:30:34.640 Peter did. Jesus said, I gotta go. I gotta suffer. 0:30:34.840 --> 0:30:37.400 It's a part of the plan. I gotta fulfill the plan. 0:30:37.600 --> 0:30:40.080 I can't get caught up in my preferences. I can't 0:30:40.080 --> 0:30:44.080 get caught up in my ideas, my expectations, or the 0:30:44.120 --> 0:30:47.720 expectations of others. I didn't come to be an earthly king. 0:30:48.000 --> 0:30:50.960 I came to inaugurate a reign and a rule that 0:30:51.120 --> 0:30:55.280 is not the result of human hands. And Peter verse 0:30:55.320 --> 0:31:03.760 twenty two took Jesus aside, put Jesus in time out. 0:31:05.320 --> 0:31:10.360 The same dude that was saying, you know, humble yourself. 0:31:10.400 --> 0:31:12.600 This is like you telling your kids not to do 0:31:12.720 --> 0:31:18.160 exactly what you did when you were their age. Peter 0:31:18.360 --> 0:31:24.800 said to Jesus younger Peter, first half of life. Peter says, Lord, never, 0:31:25.960 --> 0:31:31.000 this shall never happen to you. I won't let it 0:31:31.560 --> 0:31:34.440 if they try. I got a sword, and they got 0:31:34.480 --> 0:31:37.520 an ear. And watch what I can do. I got 0:31:37.520 --> 0:31:44.000 a plan. Let's go work my plan. And verse twenty 0:31:44.000 --> 0:31:49.600 three says Jesus turned and said to Peter, get behind me. Satan, Oh, 0:31:49.640 --> 0:31:53.240 that's a downgrade. He went from Simon to Peter that 0:31:53.400 --> 0:31:56.680 was his first name. Simon is kind of like shifty, 0:31:57.880 --> 0:32:02.280 and Peter is the rock. So he goes from Dwayne 0:32:02.480 --> 0:32:08.160 Johnson in one verse to Satan in the next verse, 0:32:09.360 --> 0:32:14.080 and he says, you are a stumbling block to me. 0:32:14.280 --> 0:32:17.120 You do not have in mind in mind the concerns 0:32:17.120 --> 0:32:22.760 of God, but merely human concerns. You still think you're 0:32:22.760 --> 0:32:26.560 in control, and that's why your mind is a mess, 0:32:26.600 --> 0:32:31.480 because you are still trying to control things that are 0:32:31.520 --> 0:32:37.960 beyond your pay grade. Peter, You're confused. We get confused. 0:32:39.240 --> 0:32:41.120 Sometimes I don't know when to let go. I don't 0:32:42.040 --> 0:32:45.720 when Sometimes I don't do this very much because I've 0:32:45.720 --> 0:32:51.320 seen some really, really really horrific things happen on church stages. 0:32:52.000 --> 0:32:54.920 But sometimes I'll call somebody up on stage and have 0:32:55.000 --> 0:32:59.000 them share, and I don't know them, and I feel 0:32:59.040 --> 0:33:02.120 kind of like my response ability is to control whatever 0:33:02.160 --> 0:33:06.959 happens on the stage as the pastor. And so when 0:33:07.040 --> 0:33:09.920 they come up, uh, usually I'll call them up and 0:33:09.960 --> 0:33:12.080 I'll ask them to share something. And I do this 0:33:12.160 --> 0:33:14.000 even with our staff. I'll call them and ask them 0:33:14.000 --> 0:33:15.840 to share. But one thing I learned to do, I 0:33:15.920 --> 0:33:20.840 always keep keep the mic in my hands when they 0:33:20.880 --> 0:33:24.360 come up they think they're gonna take the mic, and 0:33:24.880 --> 0:33:30.280 but they're not. I'm the MIC's stand and I'm gonna 0:33:30.280 --> 0:33:34.360 hold this mic. In case you decide that now would 0:33:34.360 --> 0:33:38.880 be a good time to say something weird, I can 0:33:38.920 --> 0:33:41.640 snatch a bat and I just like the feeling that 0:33:41.680 --> 0:33:46.160 it gives me of being in control. In case you decided, 0:33:46.200 --> 0:33:47.360 you know, I might ask you something. You say, well, 0:33:47.360 --> 0:33:49.200 when I was three, we don't have time for when 0:33:49.280 --> 0:33:52.280 you were three, and ask you all that, And I 0:33:52.320 --> 0:33:56.920 got the mic, give it back now. So gives me 0:33:56.920 --> 0:34:00.200 a good feeling. But the interesting thing is because there's 0:34:00.360 --> 0:34:03.160 Christians and sometimes when I call them up, I can't 0:34:03.160 --> 0:34:05.880 see their eyes, and when they get closer, I'm like, 0:34:05.960 --> 0:34:08.799 oh god, I picked one of those and you don't 0:34:08.840 --> 0:34:13.560 see it from a distance. So I like to keep 0:34:13.560 --> 0:34:15.919 the mic and hold I like to hold the mic. 0:34:17.560 --> 0:34:21.879 And but now the interesting thing is I'm holding the mic. 0:34:22.440 --> 0:34:26.000 But there's a guy that you don't see named Neil, 0:34:27.160 --> 0:34:30.480 and Neil this week, among many others that are different locations, 0:34:30.520 --> 0:34:33.280 happens to be in the back of the room, sitting 0:34:33.320 --> 0:34:37.040 behind a console. And you know what's interesting, I'm up 0:34:37.080 --> 0:34:40.319 here talking and I'm I'm I'm holding the mic. But 0:34:40.520 --> 0:34:50.000 at any moment, Neil can decide. At any moment, he 0:34:50.040 --> 0:34:53.040 can decide, you know, maybe I fuss at him or 0:34:53.080 --> 0:35:02.240 something like that. He doesn't like it any moment. Here's 0:35:02.239 --> 0:35:06.440 the principle. I'm holding it, but I'm not controlling it. 0:35:10.239 --> 0:35:16.160 They got it last night. That's what I know about 0:35:16.200 --> 0:35:19.800 in my life. That's what I know about my time. 0:35:20.440 --> 0:35:23.719 That's what I'm learning about my money. That's what I'm 0:35:23.800 --> 0:35:29.160 learning about my children, my responsibility. I'm holding it, but 0:35:29.440 --> 0:35:39.719 somebody I can't see is controlling it. He's in control. 0:35:40.320 --> 0:35:45.440 He speaks in win's obeyed, he speaks in waves, tie down, 0:35:46.000 --> 0:35:51.440 he speaks in see split because what I can see 0:35:52.320 --> 0:35:56.200 is controlled by that hand that I can't see. And 0:35:56.280 --> 0:36:00.000 now I want to humble myself under that mighty hand. 0:36:00.640 --> 0:36:03.240 And I'm coming to the place in my life where 0:36:03.280 --> 0:36:07.640 I say, God, I don't even know what I need anymore. 0:36:07.960 --> 0:36:11.800 So I trust you and your timing, and I trust 0:36:11.880 --> 0:36:15.280 you and your heart, and I trust you and your wisdom. 0:36:15.480 --> 0:36:19.080 And I humble myself. And as I humble myself, my 0:36:19.520 --> 0:36:24.400 anxiety goes out the door with my pride and my 0:36:24.640 --> 0:36:32.319 arrogance and my plan, and I become what Peter says 0:36:32.440 --> 0:36:36.560 is the goal of the Christian life in verse eight, 0:36:37.200 --> 0:36:39.160 which I don't like any more than I like verse six. 0:36:40.120 --> 0:36:42.719 But it's on the other side of seven, and I 0:36:42.760 --> 0:36:45.319 want the result of seven because I don't want to 0:36:45.400 --> 0:36:49.680 live with the weight of the world on my scrawny shoulders. 0:36:51.520 --> 0:36:56.760 So I got to be what Peter says strange phrase. 0:36:56.800 --> 0:37:01.759 He says, be alert and of sober mind. I didn't 0:37:01.800 --> 0:37:06.480 even know I was drunk, but I am. Peter didn't 0:37:06.480 --> 0:37:12.600 know he was stumbling telling Jesus what Jesus needed to do. 0:37:14.120 --> 0:37:16.200 He was drunk on his own. You see how we 0:37:16.239 --> 0:37:18.880 get intoxicated in the age we live in. Is so 0:37:19.000 --> 0:37:21.799 much information coming at us. We're drunk and we don't 0:37:21.800 --> 0:37:27.480 even know it, and we can't defend ourselves, and we're 0:37:27.480 --> 0:37:33.520 getting eaten alive. God gives us peace, and the enemy 0:37:33.560 --> 0:37:37.160 eats right through it. Because he's a lion. At least 0:37:37.160 --> 0:37:39.600 that's what I always thought. I thought I thought he 0:37:39.719 --> 0:37:43.960 was a lion. And this week I slowed down and 0:37:43.960 --> 0:37:47.080 read the verse, and I realized that the Bible never 0:37:47.080 --> 0:37:50.719 says the devil is a lion. He's a liar. I 0:37:50.800 --> 0:37:52.520 know he's a liar. Yeah, you can know when the 0:37:52.520 --> 0:37:59.759 devil's lion when he's talking. He's a liar, but he's 0:37:59.800 --> 0:38:04.120 not a lion. Give me the verse. Peter says watch out. 0:38:04.160 --> 0:38:07.600 One translation says pay attention, wake up, or be alert 0:38:07.680 --> 0:38:12.400 and of sober mind. Here's why your enemy, the devil 0:38:13.760 --> 0:38:21.160 your enemy. God's enemy is pride. Your enemy is the 0:38:21.239 --> 0:38:25.640 devil who wants to fill your mind, as if we 0:38:25.680 --> 0:38:29.279 don't already suffer enough, as if we don't already have 0:38:29.520 --> 0:38:33.080 enough to deal with today. He wants to put you 0:38:33.160 --> 0:38:38.800 in a hypothetical tomorrow where things may or may not happen, 0:38:39.000 --> 0:38:43.920 or put you in a past replaying what you wish 0:38:43.960 --> 0:38:47.040 you would have said to the person who offended you, 0:38:47.320 --> 0:38:50.600 and how many come up with great comebacks about three 0:38:50.880 --> 0:38:55.760 weeks too late. God, let me see them again. Please 0:38:55.840 --> 0:38:57.640 let me see them again, and let them say it 0:38:57.760 --> 0:39:00.640 just like they said it. I'm ready now. A devil's 0:39:00.640 --> 0:39:06.360 a lion, But he does not say watch out for 0:39:06.480 --> 0:39:08.600 the lion. The devil is not a lion. Was to say, 0:39:08.800 --> 0:39:15.280 your enemy prows around like he's not a lion. He's 0:39:15.440 --> 0:39:20.319 loud like a lion, but he's not as powerful as 0:39:20.360 --> 0:39:24.319 a lion unless you let him be and this is 0:39:24.320 --> 0:39:26.000 what I'm going to teach you in the series. Are 0:39:26.040 --> 0:39:29.719 you coming back after this week? Because I really want 0:39:29.760 --> 0:39:31.799 to get into this and I want to look at 0:39:31.800 --> 0:39:34.719 some of the lies that we have believed in the 0:39:34.760 --> 0:39:38.319 realm of our mind. That's where the attack happens. We've 0:39:38.320 --> 0:39:40.520 been looking for a lion, but it's not a lion 0:39:40.600 --> 0:39:45.360 coming to attack us. It's our minds. It's in our minds, 0:39:46.239 --> 0:39:48.759 and we've been calling the wrong stuff the devil. I 0:39:48.840 --> 0:39:52.240 got a flat tire as the devil. It was a nail. 0:39:52.760 --> 0:39:56.000 There was a construction site. They're building houses across the street. 0:39:58.120 --> 0:40:00.920 I hate a donut. It was the devil. No, it 0:40:01.040 --> 0:40:05.840 was delicious. It's a temple. It's the Devil's a devil. 0:40:06.239 --> 0:40:09.400 I'm under attack, a spiritual warfare. I need some devil's 0:40:09.400 --> 0:40:11.839 attacking me. We mean devil's attacking you. Well, my mother 0:40:11.880 --> 0:40:14.919 in law is coming to visit. That's not the devil. 0:40:15.239 --> 0:40:19.080 That's your prayer request. Remember when you ask those women 0:40:19.160 --> 0:40:22.440 to pray that you would have more patience. Well, God 0:40:22.560 --> 0:40:25.839 wrap patience in a package that looked like your mother 0:40:25.920 --> 0:40:29.160 in law, and she's about to get FedEx to your door. 0:40:29.320 --> 0:40:42.280 Stewn God, delivers. That's not the devil. So now he's loud, 0:40:43.360 --> 0:40:49.640 but he's not a lion. What is he? I remember 0:40:49.680 --> 0:40:54.879 hearing years ago about the part of our brain. Again, 0:40:54.960 --> 0:40:57.440 bear with me. I know there's like neurologists in the crowd. 0:40:58.520 --> 0:41:00.319 You don't make me feel bad about that. I won't 0:41:00.320 --> 0:41:03.360 make you feel bad about the Bible. We just agree 0:41:03.360 --> 0:41:07.920 together that everybody's stay in their own lane. But I 0:41:07.920 --> 0:41:11.680 did hear something about in the phrase got my attention, 0:41:11.840 --> 0:41:15.880 called the lizard brain. And I wrote a book one 0:41:15.920 --> 0:41:17.919 time about the chatterbox, and I think I was trying 0:41:17.960 --> 0:41:21.280 to talk about what they call the lizard brain. And 0:41:21.480 --> 0:41:26.800 I just remembered it the other day because Abby wanted 0:41:26.840 --> 0:41:32.400 to show her brothers. She's our youngest child and our 0:41:32.440 --> 0:41:39.080 only daughter, our smartest child. I'm just getting my sons 0:41:39.080 --> 0:41:42.879 in here. But she does have a little avantage over 0:41:42.920 --> 0:41:46.040 the boys because she's always had to stuff it up 0:41:46.080 --> 0:41:49.920 to keep up, you know, And she's superior by virtue 0:41:49.920 --> 0:41:57.279 of being female. So she work in my pulpit when 0:41:57.320 --> 0:42:02.040 in some points she wanted to go all the way 0:42:02.040 --> 0:42:03.799 across the pool and hold her breath, which your brothers 0:42:03.800 --> 0:42:07.080 couldn't do till they were ten she's seven. So she's like, 0:42:07.120 --> 0:42:08.239 I could do it, I could do it. I do it, 0:42:08.320 --> 0:42:10.840 all right, let's do it. And she wanted everybody to 0:42:10.880 --> 0:42:12.840 see her. And I said, you could do it, but 0:42:13.000 --> 0:42:16.839 just know that the lizard, the lizard brain, is going 0:42:16.880 --> 0:42:20.239 to be telling you that you can't do it. But 0:42:20.280 --> 0:42:24.359 the lizard is lying. She said, there's a lizard in 0:42:24.400 --> 0:42:27.200 my brain. I said, no, baby, and I you know 0:42:27.360 --> 0:42:29.920 she's seven. So I just pretended to be an expert. 0:42:30.120 --> 0:42:35.560 I said, the human brain, the human brain, and I 0:42:35.600 --> 0:42:38.120 gave her some outdated theory on the tryune brain that 0:42:38.200 --> 0:42:41.320 probably isn't even accepted anymore. But I was talking about 0:42:41.080 --> 0:42:45.320 that thing that is real in our brain that doesn't 0:42:45.360 --> 0:42:49.960 process at the level of wisdom, and doesn't process at 0:42:49.960 --> 0:42:52.680 the level even of emotion, but processes at the level 0:42:52.680 --> 0:42:55.839 of fear. And they call it lizard brain, or they 0:42:55.880 --> 0:42:59.719 called it lizard brain because it's no different than a 0:42:59.760 --> 0:43:06.359 rep a snake or lizard. And so when I told her, 0:43:07.200 --> 0:43:10.200 don't listen to the lizard, I was explaining, you're gonna 0:43:10.239 --> 0:43:12.640 go down, and you're gonna think that you're gonna die, 0:43:12.719 --> 0:43:16.520 but you're not gonna die. Just don't listen to the lizard, 0:43:17.440 --> 0:43:20.960 and she went down under that water and she swam 0:43:21.160 --> 0:43:24.400 clear to the other end. And she came up. She 0:43:24.600 --> 0:43:29.640 took the biggest gasp, the biggest gulp of air, and 0:43:29.719 --> 0:43:35.160 she was so proud, and she said, man, that lizard 0:43:35.280 --> 0:43:44.560 is loud. I said, well, what did you say back 0:43:44.600 --> 0:43:48.320 to him? She said, I told him, shut up, lizard. 0:43:48.840 --> 0:43:54.000 I'm doing this now. Hold on. I know the enemy 0:43:54.040 --> 0:43:57.160 has been telling you some stuff. I know he has 0:43:57.640 --> 0:44:01.160 because that lizard has been talking to me. But I 0:44:01.200 --> 0:44:04.920 came to tell you today that lizard has no power 0:44:05.000 --> 0:44:08.759 over you. He might bruise sore heel, but you're gonna 0:44:08.840 --> 0:44:12.839 crush his head. In the name of Jesus, I am 0:44:12.960 --> 0:44:17.240 gonna make it hot shall living not time. I'm gonna 0:44:17.320 --> 0:44:21.120 raise my kids. I'm gonna make a difference in the world. 0:44:23.480 --> 0:44:31.920 Taking my mind back and over the next seven weeks, 0:44:33.560 --> 0:44:38.520 we're gonna learn how to do what Abby did. What 0:44:38.680 --> 0:44:43.440 Peter said, be of a sober mind. Tell that lizard. 0:44:44.040 --> 0:44:48.800 You can talk, you can scream, but I'm swimming to 0:44:48.920 --> 0:44:53.680 the other side. Now, everything in you has been telling 0:44:53.719 --> 0:45:01.160 you you're drowning, you're going down. But the lizard is 0:45:01.200 --> 0:45:06.319 a liar. Your own mind is lying to you. And 0:45:06.360 --> 0:45:08.279 that's why God put it on my heart to do 0:45:08.320 --> 0:45:15.960 a whole series on triggered the things, the trauma that 0:45:16.239 --> 0:45:19.720 you went through that transports you back to a lesser 0:45:19.840 --> 0:45:22.600 version of yourself, and then you start reacting and responding 0:45:22.719 --> 0:45:24.799 out of anger because of rejection at the hands of 0:45:24.800 --> 0:45:27.200 people who aren't even in your life anymore. I want 0:45:27.200 --> 0:45:33.360 to talk about that, and I respectfully request your presence 0:45:33.360 --> 0:45:35.440 and as many of these sessions as possible, But right 0:45:35.440 --> 0:45:37.080 now I want you to stand and no one leaving, 0:45:38.120 --> 0:45:40.680 because I just want to pray for open and humble hearts. 0:45:42.239 --> 0:45:46.759 We can't receive what God has in his hands when 0:45:46.800 --> 0:45:53.160 we're holding too tightly to what's in our hands. And 0:45:53.200 --> 0:45:56.960 when you're drunk on your own opinions and inebriated on 0:45:57.000 --> 0:45:59.000 your own ideas and ways of seeing the world, you 0:45:59.000 --> 0:46:02.120 are not open to the wisdom of God. And you're stumbling. 0:46:03.560 --> 0:46:09.320 Jesus said, get that behind me. You're stumbling, you're tripping. 0:46:11.880 --> 0:46:15.240 Be of a sober mind because your enemy is trying 0:46:15.280 --> 0:46:18.080 to steal your attention. That's where the fight is, that's 0:46:18.120 --> 0:46:21.960 where the attack is. This is not out here. The 0:46:22.000 --> 0:46:24.239 attacks in our life are actually used by God. The 0:46:24.320 --> 0:46:29.520 trials are used to make us stronger. It's here and 0:46:29.560 --> 0:46:33.439 that's what we want to pray over. And for too 0:46:33.480 --> 0:46:36.319 long the people of God have been equipped with a 0:46:36.320 --> 0:46:39.080 few cliches to make it until about Sunday at four, 0:46:41.520 --> 0:46:45.279 and we're being eaten alive in our minds and now 0:46:45.280 --> 0:46:47.400 we can't focus anymore. We live in the age of 0:46:47.440 --> 0:46:54.640 what one psychologist called constant partial attention, and we can't 0:46:54.640 --> 0:46:57.399 give ourselves holy to anything. But God has a word 0:46:57.400 --> 0:47:00.600 for us. And through this series we will meet several 0:47:00.600 --> 0:47:03.160 Bible characters who struggled with the same things we struggle 0:47:03.200 --> 0:47:05.600 with today and suffered in many ways like us. And 0:47:05.640 --> 0:47:09.440 I know this is no substitute for doctors and counseling. 0:47:09.640 --> 0:47:13.719 That's not my goal in this series, but I think 0:47:13.719 --> 0:47:16.000 it would be good for us to begin this journey 0:47:16.000 --> 0:47:21.200 together just in a posture of surrender. And I want 0:47:21.200 --> 0:47:23.800 to ask you to do something that Christians have done historically, 0:47:23.800 --> 0:47:28.120 worshippers have done through the millennia, and just lift your 0:47:28.120 --> 0:47:30.920 hands to God in his presence, because it's too much 0:47:30.960 --> 0:47:37.040 for you to carry, it really is, and you humble 0:47:37.080 --> 0:47:40.640 yourself under His hand and release what you're holding too 0:47:40.640 --> 0:47:43.400 tightly to then he is able to release his peace. 0:47:43.480 --> 0:47:48.719 And so we just speak peace over your life today. 0:47:49.560 --> 0:47:52.719 More than speaking it, father, I pray that we would 0:47:52.760 --> 0:47:57.440 position ourselves so that we can receive your peace. And 0:47:57.480 --> 0:47:59.439 we repent of all the ways that we think things 0:47:59.480 --> 0:48:04.359 are supposed to be and exhausting ourselves endlessly trying to 0:48:04.440 --> 0:48:11.399 align our agendas with the reality of our lives rather 0:48:11.400 --> 0:48:15.480 than submitting to yours. So we stand here before you today, 0:48:16.840 --> 0:48:20.520 as humble as we know how rescue to fill our 0:48:20.520 --> 0:48:26.279 hearts with your peace. Well, I hope you enjoyed the 0:48:26.320 --> 0:48:28.760 podcast today. If you did, there are just a couple 0:48:28.840 --> 0:48:32.239 things I'd love for you to do. Number one, subscribe 0:48:32.280 --> 0:48:35.160 to our show. That way, the most recent episode will 0:48:35.160 --> 0:48:38.359 always be in your feed, waiting for you ready when 0:48:38.400 --> 0:48:41.680 you are. And Secondly, if this ministry has impacted you 0:48:42.040 --> 0:48:44.080 and you'd like to help us continue to reach others, 0:48:44.440 --> 0:48:46.520 you can click the link in the description and you 0:48:46.560 --> 0:48:49.759 can give now and I'll see you next time on 0:48:49.800 --> 0:48:51.000 the Elevation Podcast.