When Your All Seems Small

0:00:01.560 --> 0:00:04.120 Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. I'm the pastor of Elevation 0:00:04.360 --> 0:00:06.600 Church and this is our podcast. I wanted to thank 0:00:06.640 --> 0:00:09.920 you for joining us today. Hope this inspires you. Hope 0:00:09.960 --> 0:00:12.000 it builds your faith. Hope it gives your perspective to 0:00:12.039 --> 0:00:14.760 see God as moving in your life. Enjoy the message. 0:00:17.760 --> 0:00:21.040 Hi everybody, and welcome to all of our locations and 0:00:21.160 --> 0:00:24.239 all of you watching online are e fam No, I'm 0:00:24.320 --> 0:00:28.360 sorry Pastor Stephen is not preaching. I hope it's not 0:00:28.480 --> 0:00:30.880 too much of a disappointment because you're going to have 0:00:30.920 --> 0:00:34.960 to settle for me the other Ferdick. I'm just kidding. 0:00:34.960 --> 0:00:37.960 I know you love me too, and I count it 0:00:38.040 --> 0:00:40.480 such a privilege every time that I get to teach 0:00:40.560 --> 0:00:44.599 on this stage at Elevation. So I'm recording this message 0:00:44.640 --> 0:00:47.159 here to a small group of people, but many of 0:00:47.200 --> 0:00:50.960 you are watching this message as we're celebrating Mother's Day weekend. 0:00:51.479 --> 0:00:54.920 And Mother's Day is such a happy day, but for 0:00:55.000 --> 0:00:57.800 so many we can't ignore the fact that it's also 0:00:58.160 --> 0:01:01.760 a difficult day. And what I love about our church 0:01:01.880 --> 0:01:05.119 is how we take the opportunity to celebrate all women 0:01:05.520 --> 0:01:08.800 on this day. To me, Mother's Day is a day 0:01:08.840 --> 0:01:12.639 to celebrate the beauty in God's creation of the woman. 0:01:13.240 --> 0:01:17.000 He put a nurturing, mothering heart in each one of us, 0:01:17.240 --> 0:01:19.959 whether we have children or not, whether our children are 0:01:20.000 --> 0:01:24.360 still with us or not, And together, as women, we 0:01:24.400 --> 0:01:27.520 are able to contribute to our church and to this 0:01:27.680 --> 0:01:30.800 world in a unique and special way. So can we 0:01:30.840 --> 0:01:37.280 take a minute to celebrate. Find a woman near you 0:01:37.640 --> 0:01:45.840 and tell her you look thinner. So, speaking of looking thinner, 0:01:46.400 --> 0:01:49.640 have you ever experienced one of those moments where your 0:01:49.760 --> 0:01:53.440 kid's honesty was like a slap in the face. You know, 0:01:54.840 --> 0:01:57.200 they really know us, well don't they. We think we 0:01:57.280 --> 0:02:00.240 know them, but they really have us pinned too. So 0:02:00.280 --> 0:02:03.640 I had one of these moments recently. Abby came home 0:02:04.000 --> 0:02:07.720 from school. And Abby is one of those kids too 0:02:07.800 --> 0:02:12.880 who tells you everything about school and my boys. They like, 0:02:12.919 --> 0:02:16.000 I get nothing from my boys, but Abby, I get 0:02:16.000 --> 0:02:19.519 it all. So Abby is in her you know, talking talking, talking, 0:02:19.560 --> 0:02:23.720 and she goes mom. Monday is the bubble test, and 0:02:23.840 --> 0:02:26.320 my teacher said that we need to go to bed 0:02:26.720 --> 0:02:29.520 early so that we can get plenty of rest. And 0:02:29.560 --> 0:02:32.240 she also said that we need to get up and 0:02:32.320 --> 0:02:36.680 need a big breakfast like pancakes and bacon, so that 0:02:36.720 --> 0:02:40.080 we won't be hungry during the test. And then she said, 0:02:40.240 --> 0:02:43.440 and I thought, in my mind, I don't think my 0:02:43.600 --> 0:02:47.680 mom's going to do that. At least she had realistic 0:02:47.760 --> 0:02:52.320 expectations of her mom, right. Being a mom often comes 0:02:52.360 --> 0:02:58.959 along with feeling underappreciated and unqualified, constantly feeling like I'm 0:02:59.000 --> 0:03:01.400 never enough, I can ever do enough, we can never 0:03:01.760 --> 0:03:05.120 be enough, I can't take you enough places. But as 0:03:05.120 --> 0:03:08.440 I was thinking about this message and preparing and praying 0:03:08.480 --> 0:03:10.680 about what I felt like God wanted me to say, 0:03:10.720 --> 0:03:13.880 I started to think, Wait, like, that's not just moms, 0:03:14.040 --> 0:03:17.200 that's all of us. That's called being a grown up. 0:03:17.280 --> 0:03:21.200 That's life, and we all struggle with those feelings. And 0:03:21.720 --> 0:03:25.240 how about this one. Do you ever struggle with the 0:03:25.280 --> 0:03:29.799 feeling of does this really even matter? One time, we 0:03:29.800 --> 0:03:33.720 were in a restaurant with another pastor. My husband was 0:03:33.720 --> 0:03:36.400 preaching at this pastor's church, and he was taking us 0:03:36.400 --> 0:03:38.920 out to dinner and they had a reservation, and so 0:03:39.000 --> 0:03:43.520 we're standing in the entryway of the restaurant and nobody 0:03:43.960 --> 0:03:46.520 was attending to us. Nobody asked us, you know, how 0:03:46.520 --> 0:03:48.760 many people were in our party or anything. And the 0:03:49.240 --> 0:03:51.280 hostess wasn't in the hostess stand, but there were people 0:03:51.280 --> 0:03:53.800 buzzing around, so we all just kind of stood there 0:03:53.880 --> 0:03:56.960 for a few minutes. And this particular pastor, I'm not 0:03:56.960 --> 0:03:59.600 going to tell you who he is, but he's really 0:03:59.680 --> 0:04:03.520 loud and has a really boisterous personality. I know that 0:04:03.560 --> 0:04:06.360 doesn't even narrow it down for you, because that's like 0:04:06.360 --> 0:04:08.800 pretty much every pastor. And you could tell he was 0:04:08.800 --> 0:04:12.360 getting frustrated, and all of a sudden, he just yells, 0:04:12.440 --> 0:04:14.680 I mean yells at the top of his lungs. Does 0:04:14.680 --> 0:04:17.520 anybody even care that we're here? And I was like, 0:04:17.640 --> 0:04:21.360 oh my god, but have you ever felt like that? 0:04:21.680 --> 0:04:25.599 Does anyone even care? Does this even matter? Does it 0:04:25.600 --> 0:04:28.800 even matter? Would I do? I just I wonder that 0:04:29.320 --> 0:04:33.839 so often that things like does it matter that I 0:04:33.960 --> 0:04:38.239 try so hard to provide healthy food and a neat 0:04:38.360 --> 0:04:40.679 house I mean not a perfect house, but a neat 0:04:40.960 --> 0:04:44.160 house and clean clothes for my family, when I mean 0:04:44.400 --> 0:04:47.000 three out of four of my people would just soon 0:04:47.360 --> 0:04:51.159 eat junk food and live in complete Squalor does this 0:04:51.279 --> 0:04:55.359 even matter what I'm doing? Like maybe when you do 0:04:55.440 --> 0:04:58.000 a project at school and you give your all just 0:04:58.040 --> 0:05:00.920 for a great does it even matter? Or a report 0:05:01.200 --> 0:05:03.719 at work Does it even matter if I show up 0:05:03.960 --> 0:05:08.120 to volunteer at elevation? There are hundreds of volunteers. Do 0:05:08.160 --> 0:05:11.960 they really need me? Am I really making a contribution? 0:05:12.600 --> 0:05:15.560 Do you ever feel like you gave your all but 0:05:15.680 --> 0:05:20.640 it probably didn't even matter. We all long for significance 0:05:21.160 --> 0:05:24.159 in our lives. We want to know that what we 0:05:24.240 --> 0:05:28.159 are doing will be worth it. And that's what I 0:05:28.160 --> 0:05:30.280 want to talk about today. So I want to jump 0:05:30.360 --> 0:05:33.320 right into our scripture and get started. We're going to 0:05:33.400 --> 0:05:36.640 read a passage of scripture in Luke, starting at the 0:05:36.760 --> 0:05:41.720 very end of chapter twenty, verse forty five, and I'm 0:05:41.720 --> 0:05:43.719 going to read the whole passage to you. So here 0:05:43.720 --> 0:05:46.960 we go. While all the people were listening, Jesus said 0:05:47.000 --> 0:05:50.320 to his disciples, beware of the teachers of the law. 0:05:50.720 --> 0:05:53.680 They like to walk around in flowing robes and love 0:05:53.760 --> 0:05:56.760 to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and have 0:05:56.839 --> 0:06:00.120 the most important seats in the synagogue and the place 0:06:00.320 --> 0:06:04.720 of honor at banquets. They devour widows houses and for 0:06:04.839 --> 0:06:09.440 show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely. 0:06:10.279 --> 0:06:13.440 As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their 0:06:13.480 --> 0:06:17.279 gifts into the Temple treasury. He also saw a poor 0:06:17.320 --> 0:06:21.800 widow put in two very small copper coins, also known 0:06:21.839 --> 0:06:25.400 as a widow's mite. Truly, I tell you, he said, 0:06:25.839 --> 0:06:30.160 this poor widow has put in more than all the others. 0:06:30.760 --> 0:06:34.120 All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth, 0:06:34.480 --> 0:06:38.359 but she, out of her poverty, put in all she 0:06:38.600 --> 0:06:42.080 had to live on. The title of my message today 0:06:42.320 --> 0:06:47.320 is when you're all seems small? Yes, look at your 0:06:47.320 --> 0:06:52.640 neighbor and ask them, does your all seem small? Have 0:06:52.720 --> 0:06:56.760 you been enjoying pastors' messages on savage Jesus. Savage Jesus. 0:06:56.800 --> 0:07:00.280 I can't even say it, savage Jesus. I really I 0:07:00.360 --> 0:07:02.680 think this is one of my favorite sermon series that 0:07:02.720 --> 0:07:04.919 we've ever done. I know I say that every time, 0:07:05.240 --> 0:07:08.200 but I really mean it this time. I've been reading 0:07:08.200 --> 0:07:12.200 the Bible differently. I've been seeing Jesus not just as 0:07:12.240 --> 0:07:17.440 the calm and compassionate Jesus. I've been seeing his savagery too. 0:07:17.680 --> 0:07:20.360 Is that a word? Savagery? And I hope that when 0:07:20.360 --> 0:07:23.920 you read your Bible that it's not just on Sundays, 0:07:23.920 --> 0:07:27.280 that you're reading it in between Sundays, not because it 0:07:27.320 --> 0:07:29.240 makes you some sort of a better person or a 0:07:29.280 --> 0:07:32.440 better Christian, but because God wants to speak to you 0:07:32.520 --> 0:07:36.360 personally through his word. Okay, that's totally not my message, 0:07:36.400 --> 0:07:38.640 just like a little little side thought. But as I've 0:07:38.680 --> 0:07:41.360 been reading through the Bible, and I've been looking at 0:07:41.440 --> 0:07:45.960 Jesus's teachings in the Bible, you often find him saying 0:07:46.000 --> 0:07:49.560 this phrase. You have heard it said, but I say, 0:07:49.640 --> 0:07:55.520 and throughout the Scripture, we find Jesus challenging what we value, Okay, 0:07:55.920 --> 0:07:58.920 And that's where we find him in this story. He's 0:07:59.040 --> 0:08:03.120 warning the decide that the Pharisees have their values all 0:08:03.240 --> 0:08:07.440 messed up. And this woman who gave the smallest, most 0:08:07.480 --> 0:08:13.400 insignificant gift really truly gave more than anyone else. And 0:08:13.480 --> 0:08:15.240 so today I want to look at this passage of 0:08:15.280 --> 0:08:18.360 Scripture and I want to challenge your thinking. When you 0:08:18.520 --> 0:08:22.480 feel like your gift doesn't matter, like you're pouring out 0:08:22.520 --> 0:08:26.200 your heart and soul into your job, or into your marriage, 0:08:26.560 --> 0:08:29.960 into a relationship, into your family, into your kids, and 0:08:30.000 --> 0:08:32.640 it feels like just a drop in the bucket, I 0:08:32.679 --> 0:08:37.000 want to challenge your thinking. Maybe you're valuing the wrong thing. 0:08:38.120 --> 0:08:41.720 I want you to consider that God is way more 0:08:41.840 --> 0:08:48.640 concern about how you do something than what you're actually doing. Okay, 0:08:49.880 --> 0:08:53.520 now I know what you're thinking. Wait a minute, didn't 0:08:53.520 --> 0:08:56.679 Pastor Stephen just tell us a couple of weeks ago 0:08:57.440 --> 0:09:01.120 that we don't need to know how. Yes, he did, 0:09:01.559 --> 0:09:06.560 and we're both right. Okay, he's talking about how in 0:09:06.600 --> 0:09:08.960 a context of faith. And by the way, if you 0:09:09.400 --> 0:09:11.240 missed that message, it was called let the Dirt do 0:09:11.280 --> 0:09:13.640 its work, my favorite message of the year. I know 0:09:13.679 --> 0:09:15.640 they're all my favorite, but no, that one was really 0:09:16.120 --> 0:09:19.880 my favorite message of twenty eighteen. So you've got to 0:09:19.880 --> 0:09:22.199 go back and watch it. But Pastor Stephen is talking 0:09:22.240 --> 0:09:24.559 about how in the context of faith today, I want 0:09:24.600 --> 0:09:27.400 to talk about how in the context of like the 0:09:27.440 --> 0:09:31.000 way in which you do something. Okay, God is way 0:09:31.040 --> 0:09:34.680 more concerned with the way I do something than he 0:09:34.880 --> 0:09:39.200 is with what I'm actually doing. Okay, don't worry if 0:09:39.200 --> 0:09:41.600 you're a little bit confused, it'll all make sense. We're 0:09:41.640 --> 0:09:44.719 going to take a closer look at this passage of Scripture, 0:09:45.120 --> 0:09:47.000 and as we look at it, I want to point 0:09:47.040 --> 0:09:52.439 out to you three earthly values that Jesus came to challenge. Okay, 0:09:52.679 --> 0:09:55.600 are you ready? All right, let's look back at verse 0:09:55.640 --> 0:09:59.640 forty five Jesus said, or Luke tells us. While all 0:09:59.679 --> 0:10:03.040 the peace people were listening, Jesus said to his disciples, 0:10:03.040 --> 0:10:05.559 I just have to stop right there. I love how 0:10:05.640 --> 0:10:09.280 Luke is giving us this picture of Jesus, and he 0:10:09.400 --> 0:10:13.160 knows that all these people around are there. But he 0:10:13.320 --> 0:10:17.080 said it to his disciples kind of like when I 0:10:17.280 --> 0:10:19.199 say to my husband, like, I know my kids are 0:10:19.200 --> 0:10:23.720 within earshot, and so I say to my husband, I swear, 0:10:23.880 --> 0:10:27.120 if these people don't start picking up their crap, I'm 0:10:27.120 --> 0:10:30.280 going to start throwing it in the trash. Okay, see, 0:10:30.320 --> 0:10:35.680 Jesus use that device too. He was talking to his disciples. 0:10:35.679 --> 0:10:38.360 He knew that everyone was listening, so he took this 0:10:38.480 --> 0:10:42.960 moment to say this to them. Beware of the teachers 0:10:43.000 --> 0:10:46.000 of the law. They like to walk around in flowing 0:10:46.120 --> 0:10:50.720 robes and love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces. 0:10:51.280 --> 0:10:53.000 You see, here's the first thing I want to point 0:10:53.040 --> 0:10:59.720 out to you. We value appearance, but God values attitude. 0:11:00.559 --> 0:11:03.880 I love to throw birthday parties for my kids, and 0:11:03.960 --> 0:11:06.560 I mean, I really get into it. I don't know 0:11:06.600 --> 0:11:10.480 why I never even asked my kids if they like it. 0:11:10.600 --> 0:11:13.320 I mean, honestly, if one of my kids said they 0:11:13.320 --> 0:11:15.319 wanted to have a birthday party at one of those 0:11:15.400 --> 0:11:19.600 jumpy places. I'd be like, are you sure, because think 0:11:19.600 --> 0:11:23.880 of all the things we could do. So in the 0:11:23.920 --> 0:11:27.000 past twelve years of my motherhood, I've thrown a lot 0:11:27.000 --> 0:11:29.760 of birthday parties and I just like really get into 0:11:29.760 --> 0:11:32.400 the theme. So whatever my kid is into, we're going 0:11:32.440 --> 0:11:34.360 to have a birthday party with that theme. And I 0:11:34.480 --> 0:11:37.400 particularly get into the snacks. I don't know. I go 0:11:37.440 --> 0:11:42.320 on Pinterest and you know, search Shark birthday party and 0:11:42.880 --> 0:11:45.560 come up with all the decorations and whatever. So I 0:11:45.600 --> 0:11:48.880 love the snacks. One time Graham had a Batman birthday 0:11:48.920 --> 0:11:51.800 party and so we had poison ivy punch to drink. 0:11:52.559 --> 0:11:56.480 And one time Abby had a Rapunzel party, and so 0:11:56.840 --> 0:11:59.800 I went on Pinterest and found this recipe where you 0:11:59.800 --> 0:12:02.720 take a hot dog and then you braid the crescent 0:12:02.840 --> 0:12:05.720 roll dough over it to make it look like a braid. 0:12:05.800 --> 0:12:09.160 It probably looked more like a Pinterest fail, but we 0:12:09.160 --> 0:12:12.720 were gonna eat braids at that birthday party. I get 0:12:12.760 --> 0:12:16.400 into the decorations and the games and everything. Okay, And 0:12:16.480 --> 0:12:18.600 again I really don't know why, but it's just fun 0:12:18.640 --> 0:12:21.199 to me. Okay, So just whatever do what's fun to you. 0:12:22.000 --> 0:12:24.200 But there have been a few birthday parties over the 0:12:24.280 --> 0:12:26.560 years where I have failed. And no, I'm not talking 0:12:26.600 --> 0:12:30.080 about the Rapunzel braid fail. And I'm also not talking 0:12:30.120 --> 0:12:33.160 about the time that Abby had a panda party and 0:12:33.200 --> 0:12:35.200 so I thought it would be really cool if we 0:12:35.280 --> 0:12:37.560 hired a face painter to paint, like you know the 0:12:37.600 --> 0:12:40.040 face painters at Caroin's and your face looks so cool. 0:12:40.160 --> 0:12:42.720 It was like to paint panda faces on the girls. 0:12:43.000 --> 0:12:45.600 And about midway through the party, my husband leans over 0:12:45.679 --> 0:12:47.680 to me and he's like, they kind of look like 0:12:47.760 --> 0:12:54.360 the eighties hairband kiss. Okay, not that failure either. The 0:12:54.440 --> 0:12:57.840 failure that I'm talking about is the times where I 0:12:58.000 --> 0:13:02.400 was doing something for my kids and I was fussing 0:13:02.440 --> 0:13:05.079 at them at the same time, like stop eating the 0:13:05.160 --> 0:13:07.559 cheese off of the cheese tray. This is for other people. 0:13:07.640 --> 0:13:10.720 And you know, don't stop punching the balloons. I bought 0:13:10.720 --> 0:13:13.760 the balloons for them, but I'm so obsessed over the 0:13:13.760 --> 0:13:16.920 way that it looks, and get out of my kitchen. 0:13:16.960 --> 0:13:20.960 I'm trying to throw a party. Can't you see it's funny, 0:13:20.760 --> 0:13:23.640 But it's not funny, you know. There have been so 0:13:23.800 --> 0:13:28.120 many times where maybe I've posted something on social media 0:13:28.600 --> 0:13:32.480 that made it look like everything was awesome, but in reality, 0:13:32.960 --> 0:13:36.320 I am yelling and fussing. If you don't say cheese, 0:13:36.360 --> 0:13:38.079 I'm gonna take the phone, I'm gonna smash it, and 0:13:38.160 --> 0:13:41.320 you're never gonna play Fortnite again. And I'm like Happy 0:13:41.360 --> 0:13:47.440 Easter from the Verdige. We live in a day that 0:13:47.600 --> 0:13:52.160 is ultra focused on appearance. And there's nothing wrong with 0:13:52.280 --> 0:13:55.520 caring about the way that you look. Absolutely nothing wrong 0:13:55.559 --> 0:13:59.240 with that. But when you use appearances to cover up 0:13:59.480 --> 0:14:02.880 what's really going on in your heart, that's when you 0:14:02.960 --> 0:14:06.880 get into trouble. One time, Jesus in the Book of 0:14:06.920 --> 0:14:09.920 Matthew was talking about the Pharisees and he called them 0:14:10.200 --> 0:14:15.120 whitewashed tombs. He said, on the outside they're beautiful, but 0:14:15.240 --> 0:14:19.960 on the inside they're full of dead bones. Jesus came 0:14:19.960 --> 0:14:23.320 that we might have life. He doesn't want me to 0:14:23.440 --> 0:14:28.880 be walking death, walking bones. But if I'm hyper focused 0:14:28.920 --> 0:14:32.040 on the way that I appear, God can't even get 0:14:32.120 --> 0:14:34.160 to the inside of me. He can't even get there 0:14:34.480 --> 0:14:36.800 and minister to that part of me and work from 0:14:37.160 --> 0:14:41.000 the inside out like he wants to. If I'm always 0:14:41.080 --> 0:14:44.960 covering everything up, and always concern about how I appear, 0:14:45.080 --> 0:14:49.280 how my family appears to others. I think I'm stepping 0:14:49.320 --> 0:14:51.880 on some toes, So let's get back to her our scripture. 0:14:51.880 --> 0:14:55.000 I'm stepping on my own toes, all right, So I'm 0:14:55.000 --> 0:14:57.240 gonna start over again in verse forty six. Beware of 0:14:57.240 --> 0:14:59.440 the teachers of the law. They like to walk around 0:14:59.440 --> 0:15:01.960 and flowing, and love to be greeted with respect in 0:15:02.000 --> 0:15:05.720 the marketplaces, and have the most important seats in the 0:15:05.760 --> 0:15:10.080 synagogues and the places of honor at the banquets. They 0:15:10.120 --> 0:15:16.000 devour widows houses. See here, I find that we often 0:15:16.080 --> 0:15:22.560 place value on importance, but God values integrity. The Pharisees 0:15:22.560 --> 0:15:27.800 are running around seeking the seat of importance. Meanwhile they're 0:15:27.920 --> 0:15:33.120 devouring what little a widow has left. Whenever I get 0:15:33.160 --> 0:15:36.640 a chance to teach at our church, I always like 0:15:36.720 --> 0:15:39.880 to highlight a woman. Now. I know I've said this before, 0:15:40.680 --> 0:15:43.600 but Pastor Steven, you know, he's a man's man. He's 0:15:43.640 --> 0:15:47.120 got his speak muscles, and he likes to teach about 0:15:47.360 --> 0:15:51.720 David and bars and battles and savage Jesus. And how 0:15:51.720 --> 0:15:53.400 many of you were here when he did the series 0:15:53.400 --> 0:15:56.560 on Elijah called work your window, and one day I 0:15:56.560 --> 0:15:58.680 want him to do a series all on women of 0:15:58.720 --> 0:16:03.840 the Bible and call it some really feminine like glitz 0:16:03.960 --> 0:16:06.760 and glitter. That was the best I could come up with. 0:16:06.880 --> 0:16:08.680 I tried, really already to come up with something better 0:16:08.720 --> 0:16:10.800 that he might have come up with. But leave the 0:16:10.840 --> 0:16:13.320 creativity to him. He can just get started with glitz 0:16:13.360 --> 0:16:17.520 and glitter. Okay. Anyway, So the woman I want to highlight. 0:16:18.200 --> 0:16:20.240 Do any of you know the story of Rebecca in 0:16:20.280 --> 0:16:24.720 the Book of Genesis. So Rebecca was the wife of Isaac, 0:16:25.560 --> 0:16:29.080 the mother of Jacob and Esaul. Remember another sermon series 0:16:29.120 --> 0:16:32.080 that my husband did on Jacob called Death to Selfie. 0:16:32.080 --> 0:16:34.040 That was years ago. I don't know how many of 0:16:34.040 --> 0:16:35.920 you were here for that. When you talked about the 0:16:35.920 --> 0:16:38.880 Bowl of Beans, and I love that series too, say 0:16:38.920 --> 0:16:41.920 I told you they're all my favorite. Okay. So what 0:16:42.040 --> 0:16:45.960 you might not know about Rebecca is the way that 0:16:46.000 --> 0:16:49.000 she came to be the wife of Isaac. Now I 0:16:49.040 --> 0:16:51.160 don't know about the men, but ladies, we like to 0:16:51.240 --> 0:16:54.400 hear how people got together, you know, So say, so 0:16:54.520 --> 0:16:59.200 how y'all meet? If you ask Rebecca that question, she 0:16:59.280 --> 0:17:03.360 would say, well, it all started with some camels. So 0:17:03.640 --> 0:17:05.680 that interesting for you. I want to read to you 0:17:06.000 --> 0:17:10.560 part of Rebecca's story found in Genesis chapter twenty four. 0:17:11.080 --> 0:17:14.320 So in this chapter we have Abraham. So you know, 0:17:14.400 --> 0:17:18.879 you have Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And so Abraham was 0:17:18.920 --> 0:17:21.639 the father of Isaac, and he wanted a wife for 0:17:21.720 --> 0:17:24.880 his son from among his own people. They were living 0:17:24.880 --> 0:17:27.600 in the land of Canaan, and he did not want 0:17:27.960 --> 0:17:30.439 his son Isaac to marry a Canaan Nite woman. So 0:17:30.480 --> 0:17:32.800 we went to his servant and he said, I'm going 0:17:32.880 --> 0:17:35.920 to send you back to my people to find a 0:17:35.960 --> 0:17:40.359 wife for Isaac. Okay, So we find in Genesis chapter 0:17:40.400 --> 0:17:45.120 twenty four Abraham's servant has set out on a journey 0:17:45.160 --> 0:17:48.080 and he's taken along with him ten cammebls. Here's where 0:17:48.080 --> 0:17:50.440 our campbell's come into the picture. And when he finally 0:17:50.600 --> 0:17:54.560 arrives into the town of Nahor, he praised this in 0:17:54.680 --> 0:17:59.240 verse twelve, Lord God of my master Abraham, make me 0:17:59.280 --> 0:18:03.119 successful and show kindness to my master Abraham. See I 0:18:03.160 --> 0:18:05.959 am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the 0:18:05.960 --> 0:18:09.000 townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be 0:18:09.200 --> 0:18:12.040 that when I say to a young woman, please let 0:18:12.040 --> 0:18:14.240 your jar down that I may have a drink, and 0:18:14.320 --> 0:18:18.160 she says, drink, and I'll water your camels too. Let 0:18:18.200 --> 0:18:21.080 her be the one that you have chosen for your servant, Isaac. 0:18:21.400 --> 0:18:23.880 By this I will know that you have shown kindness 0:18:23.880 --> 0:18:27.160 to my master. So here comes Rebecca with her jar, 0:18:27.640 --> 0:18:31.320 and the servant approaches her, and he says, please give 0:18:31.320 --> 0:18:33.520 me a little drink from your jar. And what does 0:18:33.560 --> 0:18:36.600 she say back to him? Drink, my lord, she said, 0:18:36.880 --> 0:18:39.680 and quickly lowered her jar to her hands and gave 0:18:39.760 --> 0:18:43.080 him a drink. After she had given him a drink, 0:18:43.280 --> 0:18:46.760 she said, I'll draw water for your camels too, until 0:18:46.880 --> 0:18:49.960 they have had enough to drink. So she quickly emptied 0:18:50.000 --> 0:18:52.240 her jar into the trough, ran back to the well 0:18:52.400 --> 0:18:56.000 to draw more water, and drew enough for all of 0:18:56.000 --> 0:18:59.439 his camels. Now you're probably thinking, I don't know what 0:18:59.520 --> 0:19:03.480 this worry about Rebecca and camels and this weird tradition 0:19:03.560 --> 0:19:06.520 of sending someone off to find a mate for I 0:19:06.520 --> 0:19:09.240 don't what does this have to do with integrity? Okay, 0:19:09.480 --> 0:19:13.199 it has everything to do with integrity, because did you 0:19:13.280 --> 0:19:17.480 catch how many camels he had with them? He had ten? Okay, 0:19:18.119 --> 0:19:21.560 this man has just made a five hundred mile journey 0:19:21.880 --> 0:19:25.560 with ten camels. Okay, watering his camels was not a 0:19:25.600 --> 0:19:28.080 small task. These are not puppy dogs that you just 0:19:28.200 --> 0:19:31.159 put a little bull down for. Okay, listen to what 0:19:31.240 --> 0:19:34.000 I read this one man say about this event. He said, 0:19:34.359 --> 0:19:38.360 a gallon of water weighs eight pounds. A thirsty camel 0:19:38.680 --> 0:19:42.960 can drink up to thirty gallons of water. There were 0:19:43.000 --> 0:19:47.520 ten camels. You do the math. Okay. This man was 0:19:47.600 --> 0:19:51.359 not important to Rebecca. Okay, she did not know that 0:19:51.480 --> 0:19:56.600 her future husband was writing on these camels. Okay, literally, 0:19:56.960 --> 0:20:00.400 but she had integrity. Integrity is who you you are 0:20:00.800 --> 0:20:04.760 when you don't think anyone is looking. Okay, and God 0:20:05.119 --> 0:20:09.280 blesses integrity. In Luke sixteen ten, one of my favorite 0:20:09.359 --> 0:20:12.200 verses in the whole Bible, a verse that has really 0:20:12.240 --> 0:20:16.199 ministered to me throughout my adulthood. It says one who 0:20:16.320 --> 0:20:19.199 is faithful in the little things is also faithful in 0:20:19.320 --> 0:20:22.800 much And as I was studying for this message and 0:20:22.880 --> 0:20:25.560 thinking about that verse, and I started reading it over 0:20:25.600 --> 0:20:28.639 and over again, and I had this revelation. See, I 0:20:28.720 --> 0:20:33.480 had memorized that verse wrong. I thought that the verse 0:20:33.520 --> 0:20:36.480 said he who is faithful in the little things will 0:20:36.520 --> 0:20:40.080 be made faithful over much. But that's not what it says. 0:20:40.400 --> 0:20:43.560 It says one who is faithful in little things is 0:20:43.680 --> 0:20:47.760 also faithful in much. I was reading the verse like 0:20:47.800 --> 0:20:52.080 a promise, you know, Okay, God, if I'm faithful in 0:20:52.119 --> 0:20:55.840 the little things, then you will entrust me with more. 0:20:56.359 --> 0:21:00.399 But this verse is not a promise. It's a principle. Okay. 0:21:01.359 --> 0:21:04.879 A promise is I will never leave you nor forsake you. 0:21:05.119 --> 0:21:08.159 There's nothing contingent on it. I will never leave you 0:21:08.560 --> 0:21:12.240 nor forsake you, God tells us. But God doesn't make 0:21:12.400 --> 0:21:17.000 if then promises because he will never allow me to 0:21:17.119 --> 0:21:20.800 reduce him down to a formula. God doesn't work that way. 0:21:20.880 --> 0:21:24.040 It's not like, okay, God, if I water these camels, 0:21:24.080 --> 0:21:27.240 you're gonna bring me my man. I mean, wouldn't that 0:21:27.280 --> 0:21:30.639 be nice if we could just reduce everything down to 0:21:30.800 --> 0:21:34.160 and if then this is a principle. And because it's 0:21:34.200 --> 0:21:37.320 a principle, it can become my pep talk. Okay. So 0:21:37.320 --> 0:21:40.320 it sounds like this, Holly, if you can't do the 0:21:40.359 --> 0:21:43.439 small things, then you'll never be able to handle the 0:21:43.440 --> 0:21:47.479 big things. So I wake up every day and I 0:21:47.520 --> 0:21:49.760 hear my kids fighting in the kitchen, for the like 0:21:49.920 --> 0:21:56.560 one millionth time, and I think, here come my camels. Well, 0:21:56.600 --> 0:22:00.720 I care for my household if no one else thanks me, 0:22:01.280 --> 0:22:07.680 because it's my calling. I don't need to be acknowledged 0:22:07.880 --> 0:22:11.040 every time I unload the dishwasher. I mean, if that's 0:22:11.080 --> 0:22:15.600 what you're waiting for, you're gonna die waiting. Okay, But 0:22:16.280 --> 0:22:19.160 can I just do these simple things that God has 0:22:19.320 --> 0:22:22.919 called me to because He's called me to them, not 0:22:22.960 --> 0:22:25.760 because I'm waiting for somebody else to pat me on 0:22:25.800 --> 0:22:29.679 the back and say good job, Holly. No, that's not. 0:22:29.960 --> 0:22:34.520 God is so into integrity. What I'm doing when nobody else. 0:22:34.720 --> 0:22:37.560 When I think nobody else is watching, you never know 0:22:37.840 --> 0:22:42.119 who's watching because because the servant was watching Rebecca the 0:22:42.240 --> 0:22:45.840 whole time. Can I do the project at work without 0:22:45.880 --> 0:22:48.240 needing my name to be put on it? Can I 0:22:48.280 --> 0:22:50.280 give my best to something that I know my name's 0:22:50.320 --> 0:22:53.399 never gonna go on? Can I study for the European 0:22:53.560 --> 0:22:56.040 History test that seems like I don't know what I'm 0:22:56.080 --> 0:22:58.800 ever gonna need this? Why don't I just cheat? No? 0:22:58.920 --> 0:23:07.480 Because integrity matters. Camels build my character. Okay. Now, when 0:23:07.480 --> 0:23:11.840 I say that Jesus values integrity over importance, it doesn't 0:23:11.840 --> 0:23:14.120 mean that I don't mean to say that it's bad 0:23:14.160 --> 0:23:18.040 to be important. It doesn't mean that it's wrong to 0:23:18.119 --> 0:23:22.280 desire a promotion. What I'm simply saying is if you 0:23:22.359 --> 0:23:25.480 don't have the character, you won't be able to hold 0:23:25.720 --> 0:23:32.959 the promotion. Jesus ministered to important people and unimportant people 0:23:33.400 --> 0:23:36.320 all the time because it wasn't a thing of who's 0:23:36.359 --> 0:23:40.439 important or who's unimportant. He could see past their exterior 0:23:40.680 --> 0:23:44.719 and into their hearts. And in our passage, Jesus is 0:23:44.760 --> 0:23:49.120 saying to the disciples, hey, guys, beware of those who 0:23:49.280 --> 0:23:53.960 seek the seat of importance, because that will never make 0:23:54.040 --> 0:23:58.280 you happy, that will never fulfill you. I wish that 0:23:58.359 --> 0:24:01.840 you could hear the Holy Spirit speaking through me, whispering 0:24:01.920 --> 0:24:06.639 to you today this one thing. Little things don't lead 0:24:06.960 --> 0:24:13.879 to bigger opportunities. Little things are the opportunity. That's my 0:24:14.000 --> 0:24:18.280 opportunity right here, this person right in front of me 0:24:18.359 --> 0:24:22.680 that God has put in my path, This is my opportunity. 0:24:23.520 --> 0:24:26.120 All right. Finally, to my favorite part, when I look 0:24:26.160 --> 0:24:28.240 back at the passage one more time, pick up where 0:24:28.280 --> 0:24:33.120 we were. They devour widows' houses and for show, make 0:24:33.280 --> 0:24:36.920 lengthy prayers, and then we'll skip down to the very 0:24:37.160 --> 0:24:42.000 end where Jesus says, all these people gave their gifts 0:24:42.040 --> 0:24:46.119 out of their wealth, but she, out of her poverty, 0:24:46.440 --> 0:24:50.760 put in all she had to live on. You see, 0:24:50.800 --> 0:24:58.520 we often value show, but God values sacrifice. Jesus looked 0:24:58.600 --> 0:25:01.680 up and he saw all all the wealthy people putting 0:25:01.760 --> 0:25:04.880 their gifts into the offering, and he also saw this 0:25:04.960 --> 0:25:09.080 woman put in all that she had, all that she 0:25:09.280 --> 0:25:14.360 had to live on. God doesn't care about the size 0:25:14.800 --> 0:25:20.400 of your gift. He cares about the size of your sacrifice. 0:25:20.480 --> 0:25:22.600 And what's a sacrifice for you may not be a 0:25:22.640 --> 0:25:25.280 sacrifice for me, And what's a sacrifice for me may 0:25:25.320 --> 0:25:29.920 not be a sacrifice for you. And if you think 0:25:30.000 --> 0:25:33.280 that I'm talking about money, then you've missed the entire 0:25:33.400 --> 0:25:36.399 point of this sermon. Yet. I mean, sometimes it is 0:25:36.440 --> 0:25:40.040 about the actual gift that I bring to God. But 0:25:40.200 --> 0:25:43.320 there are times when I offer a sacrifice to God 0:25:43.400 --> 0:25:45.760 and it may not look like much to you, but 0:25:45.840 --> 0:25:49.240 God knows, and God sees. He knows what I have 0:25:49.400 --> 0:25:52.280 going on, He knows the troubles that are in my heart. 0:25:52.600 --> 0:25:56.679 And God sees when you sacrifice your personal time to 0:25:56.800 --> 0:26:00.639 provide for your family, God sees that God. God sees 0:26:00.760 --> 0:26:03.760 when you're driving your kids around like you're their freaking 0:26:03.920 --> 0:26:08.320 uber man, right because he whispers to me, one day, 0:26:08.480 --> 0:26:11.520 they're not going to need a ride from you. God 0:26:11.600 --> 0:26:16.240 sees when you give your weekend to volunteer at your campus. 0:26:16.280 --> 0:26:20.479 He sees that. He sees your sacrifice. If you're a 0:26:20.520 --> 0:26:24.439 teacher who actually cares about your students, God sees that. 0:26:25.359 --> 0:26:29.600 And you may never know what God will do with 0:26:29.720 --> 0:26:32.960 your sacrifice. You may never get to see that. But 0:26:33.000 --> 0:26:36.280 when you give your all, I promise you, when you 0:26:36.359 --> 0:26:40.280 give your all to something, that's when God rolls up 0:26:40.320 --> 0:26:43.320 his sleeves and he rubs his hands together and he says, 0:26:43.440 --> 0:26:46.320 now that's something I can work with. That's what he 0:26:46.359 --> 0:26:48.200 wants to work with. He did it with the little 0:26:48.200 --> 0:26:51.520 boys lunch, just a little kid offering his lunch. He 0:26:51.600 --> 0:26:54.000 did it with the widow's oil. How much oil do 0:26:54.040 --> 0:26:57.160 you have? Just a little bit? And what can God 0:26:57.240 --> 0:27:00.440 do with your little bit? What a David? I defeat 0:27:00.520 --> 0:27:05.040 Goliath with a couple small stones. I really hope and 0:27:05.080 --> 0:27:10.280 I pray that you're encouraged by this message. I don't 0:27:10.320 --> 0:27:13.600 want you to feel discouraged. I don't want you to 0:27:13.600 --> 0:27:16.000 feel like oh, I've been valuing all the wrong things. 0:27:16.080 --> 0:27:20.080 And it's not a message to overwhelm you. My prayer 0:27:20.359 --> 0:27:23.480 is that this message would be a reset for many 0:27:23.480 --> 0:27:27.640 of us, for myself included, who have gotten our hearts 0:27:27.760 --> 0:27:33.080 just set on the wrong values. The beautiful thing about 0:27:33.160 --> 0:27:39.040 Jesus is that he only needs one small cry from us. 0:27:39.560 --> 0:27:42.840 Do you remember just a few chapters before this story, 0:27:43.080 --> 0:27:46.240 the woman with the issue of blood, and Jesus is 0:27:46.359 --> 0:27:50.639 going to heal Jyrus's daughter, and he's walking through a 0:27:50.720 --> 0:27:54.520 crowd and he stops and he says, who touched me? 0:27:55.000 --> 0:27:59.760 And the disciples are like, uh, Jesus, it's crowded. Everybody's 0:27:59.800 --> 0:28:01.879 touched you. You know, like if we're in the Disney World, 0:28:01.960 --> 0:28:04.480 we're going to the parade. We we're like, stay close 0:28:04.520 --> 0:28:08.959 to me, guys. Okay. So Jesus is the crowds are 0:28:08.960 --> 0:28:12.000 crying around me. He says, who touched me? And and 0:28:12.040 --> 0:28:14.600 it's and it's this woman, Because he says, no, no, 0:28:14.760 --> 0:28:17.720 the power went out of me. Somebody, somebody touched me. 0:28:18.520 --> 0:28:22.480 Jesus celebrated her tiny bit of faith, her tiny reach, 0:28:23.000 --> 0:28:25.520 and he healed her. And then he said to her, 0:28:26.119 --> 0:28:30.280 go in peace. What I want to do is. I 0:28:30.320 --> 0:28:34.160 want to pray and ask God to seal this word 0:28:34.680 --> 0:28:39.280 on our hearts. Jesus not only wants to to heal 0:28:39.320 --> 0:28:42.760 you today. Does he not only wants to to reset 0:28:42.840 --> 0:28:47.240 your values. He wants to refocus your mind on the 0:28:47.280 --> 0:28:50.800 things that he values so that he can restore your peace. 0:28:51.800 --> 0:28:54.680 Some of us wonder, why why don't I have any peace? Well, 0:28:54.680 --> 0:28:59.400 it's because my heart is set on all the wrong things. 0:29:00.160 --> 0:29:03.320 So let's pray and ask God to just really seal 0:29:03.400 --> 0:29:07.120 this word on our hearts. God, we cry out to 0:29:07.160 --> 0:29:11.040 you today. We thank you that all we need to 0:29:11.080 --> 0:29:14.480 do is have a mustard seed of faith, just one word, 0:29:14.960 --> 0:29:18.480 just one prayer to you, and you hear us, and 0:29:18.520 --> 0:29:21.520 you respond to us. And I pray that you would 0:29:21.560 --> 0:29:23.800 help us to see all of the things that we're 0:29:23.880 --> 0:29:27.880 chasing after that are the wrong things, and open our 0:29:28.000 --> 0:29:33.560 eyes to see the things that you value. We ask God, that, 0:29:33.680 --> 0:29:36.680 as your word says in tewod Corinthians four eighteen, that 0:29:36.720 --> 0:29:39.440 you would fix our eyes not on what is seen, 0:29:39.680 --> 0:29:43.680 but on what is unseen, because what is seen is temporary, 0:29:43.680 --> 0:29:48.120 but what is unseen is eternal. God, we ask that 0:29:48.240 --> 0:29:50.760 you would do this in our lives today. We love 0:29:50.800 --> 0:29:54.680 you so much in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, if you 0:29:54.760 --> 0:29:57.480 enjoyed today's podcast, there are a couple things I'd love 0:29:57.480 --> 0:30:00.640 for you to do. Make sure to subscribe, rate, and 0:30:00.800 --> 0:30:03.920 review this podcast. You can also help us reach others 0:30:03.920 --> 0:30:07.960 by investing today at Elevationchurch dot org. Slash GiB and 0:30:08.000 --> 0:30:10.680 thanks again for joining us on the Elevation Podcast.