WEBVTT - Lessons From Less (Wade Joye) 0:00:00.720 --> 0:00:03.880 Aren't you glad to be in the House of God today? 0:00:06.120 --> 0:00:08.440 I think the only word to describe what I feel 0:00:08.480 --> 0:00:12.200 in this moment is just grateful. I'm grateful to God. 0:00:12.760 --> 0:00:16.080 I'm grateful for our church. I'm grateful for Pastor Stephen 0:00:16.079 --> 0:00:19.320 and Holly for giving me the amazing honor preaching God's 0:00:19.360 --> 0:00:22.080 word today because this has been our church home for 0:00:22.120 --> 0:00:25.239 fifteen years, and like Pastor said, the majority of that time, 0:00:25.280 --> 0:00:28.040 I got the great honor of serving as worship pastor 0:00:28.080 --> 0:00:31.160 and really living out my dream. I had my dream job. 0:00:31.240 --> 0:00:33.760 And then last year, as God led our family to 0:00:33.880 --> 0:00:37.400 enter into a new season, our church and our pastors 0:00:37.440 --> 0:00:41.080 have been so loving and supportive every single step of 0:00:41.120 --> 0:00:43.800 the way in this new journey for us. And there 0:00:43.840 --> 0:00:46.720 was a conversation I had with Pastor Stephen in January 0:00:47.400 --> 0:00:49.000 where I was just trying to say thank you, and 0:00:49.040 --> 0:00:51.159 I was trying to express that there's no way I 0:00:51.200 --> 0:00:53.800 could ever say thank you enough for everything he's done 0:00:53.800 --> 0:00:57.960 for me, the investment he's made and our family, and 0:00:58.000 --> 0:00:59.800 what he said next has really stuck with me all 0:00:59.840 --> 0:01:01.680 you long. It's kind of been a guiding light for 0:01:01.800 --> 0:01:04.520 me this year. He said that the greatest way I 0:01:04.520 --> 0:01:07.200 could thank him would be to run after everything God 0:01:07.240 --> 0:01:10.080 had put in me with all of my heart. And 0:01:10.120 --> 0:01:13.640 at a time when I was questioning if I had 0:01:13.640 --> 0:01:15.480 what it took, at a time when I was nervous, 0:01:15.520 --> 0:01:18.039 at a time when I was scared, he spoke so 0:01:18.200 --> 0:01:22.920 much just confidence and faith and belief encouraging to me. 0:01:23.560 --> 0:01:25.320 And as I've been reflecting on that this week, I 0:01:25.440 --> 0:01:29.040 realized that that's all of our story. Because every Sunday 0:01:29.080 --> 0:01:32.240 we leave church believing that God can actually use us, 0:01:32.680 --> 0:01:34.959 and that when He preaches, we believe that God, God 0:01:35.000 --> 0:01:37.200 cannot just use us. He wants to use us. He 0:01:37.240 --> 0:01:39.959 wants to invite us in to his work. And so 0:01:40.480 --> 0:01:43.039 that's kind of been my vision for this year. I'm 0:01:43.080 --> 0:01:44.760 just going to run after what God put in me. 0:01:44.800 --> 0:01:47.800 So a lot has been different, but a lot of 0:01:47.840 --> 0:01:50.080 stayed the same too, because every week in our family's 0:01:50.120 --> 0:01:53.200 in church, we've made the Blakeney Campus our home. Shout 0:01:53.200 --> 0:01:56.760 out to Blakeney, the rowdy crew over there, and we 0:01:56.800 --> 0:01:59.600 love that we still get to sit under such amazing teaching. 0:01:59.640 --> 0:02:02.440 We love watching our daughters thrive in our youth ministry. 0:02:02.720 --> 0:02:04.640 We love going to our e group on Sunday night. 0:02:04.640 --> 0:02:06.720 I have some of my e group here right here, 0:02:06.760 --> 0:02:09.000 And even when I go to minister at another church, 0:02:09.480 --> 0:02:12.040 I still feel like I'm at home because every service 0:02:12.040 --> 0:02:14.200 of any church I ever go to, there's always an 0:02:14.240 --> 0:02:17.840 elevation worship song in the service, usually more than one. 0:02:18.040 --> 0:02:20.120 I think I've heard same God at every church I've 0:02:20.160 --> 0:02:24.000 ever been to this year. But it's beautiful. I meet 0:02:24.040 --> 0:02:26.880 epham from all over the country and meet people that said, 0:02:26.919 --> 0:02:29.560 thank you for the ministry of this church because God 0:02:29.600 --> 0:02:32.639 has changed my life through it. And so as our 0:02:32.680 --> 0:02:35.400 family gets ready to give in the year end offering, 0:02:35.800 --> 0:02:38.120 we are more excited and more convinced than ever that 0:02:38.160 --> 0:02:41.280 this is great ground to sow into for the Kingdom 0:02:41.280 --> 0:02:44.000 of God. So if you're grateful for our church, if 0:02:44.040 --> 0:02:47.359 you're grateful for our pastors and our leaders, you're grateful 0:02:47.360 --> 0:02:49.520 for what God has done in your life to this ministry. 0:02:49.520 --> 0:02:54.480 Put your hands together. I'm grateful to be with my 0:02:54.520 --> 0:02:59.320 favorite worship team on the planet. Again. You ready for 0:02:59.360 --> 0:03:02.600 the Word of God? All right, I'm ready to appreciate it. 0:03:02.800 --> 0:03:05.560 We're going to be in Ephesians today. This is chapter three, 0:03:06.280 --> 0:03:10.400 verses fourteen through twenty one, and this is what the 0:03:10.440 --> 0:03:13.360 word of God says for this reason, I kneel before 0:03:13.400 --> 0:03:16.520 the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on 0:03:16.560 --> 0:03:20.040 earth derives its name. I pray that of his glorious riches, 0:03:20.080 --> 0:03:23.040 he may strengthen you with power through a spirit in 0:03:23.080 --> 0:03:25.679 your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your 0:03:25.720 --> 0:03:28.680 hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted 0:03:28.720 --> 0:03:32.640 and established in love, may have power, together with all 0:03:32.639 --> 0:03:35.560 the Lord's Holy people, to grasp how wide and long, 0:03:36.000 --> 0:03:38.680 and high and deep is the love of Christ, and 0:03:38.720 --> 0:03:41.880 to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may 0:03:41.920 --> 0:03:44.480 be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 0:03:44.840 --> 0:03:47.360 And maybe you've heard these next two verses. Now to 0:03:47.440 --> 0:03:50.440 him who is able to do immeasurably more than all 0:03:50.520 --> 0:03:53.520 we ask are imagining, according to his power that does 0:03:53.560 --> 0:03:55.800 that work within us. To him be glory in the 0:03:55.880 --> 0:03:59.880 Church and in Christ Jesus, throughout all generations, for ever 0:04:00.640 --> 0:04:05.400 and ever. Amen to Him who's able to do immeasurably more. 0:04:05.440 --> 0:04:06.960 I feel like there should be a song that says 0:04:06.960 --> 0:04:09.000 something like you are more than able. I think that 0:04:09.040 --> 0:04:11.960 would be That would be a great song. That song 0:04:12.040 --> 0:04:14.880 is amazing. It's fantastic. Now I know. I just read 0:04:14.920 --> 0:04:18.120 a scripture about more, but today I want to preach 0:04:18.160 --> 0:04:22.440 on the topic Lessons from less, Lessons from less Let's 0:04:22.480 --> 0:04:26.680 pray together. God, we thank you for the richness of 0:04:26.720 --> 0:04:29.480 your word and how every time your word has opened, 0:04:29.480 --> 0:04:32.120 you will speak to us. We can be confident of that. 0:04:32.160 --> 0:04:34.920 We can be confident that you are here among us 0:04:34.960 --> 0:04:37.200 right now, and you want to do a work in 0:04:37.240 --> 0:04:39.919 each one of us, whether it's Epham, whether it's in 0:04:39.960 --> 0:04:43.080 the room here at Valentine or Blakeney or Gaston. God, 0:04:43.200 --> 0:04:44.960 you want to speak to us who speak through your 0:04:45.000 --> 0:04:48.960 word now in Jesus name. Amen. All right, go ahead 0:04:48.960 --> 0:04:55.040 and give three high fives on your way to your seat. Now, 0:04:55.080 --> 0:04:59.479 my family, did we ditched Blakeney for Balentine this week? 0:05:00.000 --> 0:05:01.800 I've got my family here. I've got my parents here, 0:05:01.839 --> 0:05:03.719 the whole crew. But I do want to put a 0:05:03.760 --> 0:05:06.719 picture of my family on the screen because I'm just 0:05:06.800 --> 0:05:09.760 a proud husband and dad. So it's my wife, Ferris. 0:05:09.760 --> 0:05:13.000 We've been married for seventeen years. I've got twin girls, 0:05:13.000 --> 0:05:16.440 Adlene Leanna, they are fourteen now, and then Sidney is 0:05:16.440 --> 0:05:18.320 our youngest one. So you can see that I am 0:05:18.360 --> 0:05:21.400 surrounded by women. And so the word count in our 0:05:21.400 --> 0:05:24.520 house right now is incredibly high. Like the word per 0:05:24.640 --> 0:05:28.159 minute number would blow your mind any other girl, Dad's 0:05:28.160 --> 0:05:31.240 out there, can you feel me on that. Plus I've 0:05:31.240 --> 0:05:33.760 got two teenagers that are going through all the teenage 0:05:33.760 --> 0:05:36.640 things at the exact same time, so please pray for me. 0:05:38.040 --> 0:05:41.360 But Sidney, she's our youngest. She's ten and Cydny's amazing. 0:05:41.839 --> 0:05:44.680 She's short like her dad, so sorry, sid but she 0:05:44.839 --> 0:05:48.200 more than makes up for it in personality. And my 0:05:48.240 --> 0:05:51.400 wife and I joke all the time because she Sidney 0:05:51.480 --> 0:05:54.159 is just full of personality. She's feisty, and we're laid 0:05:54.160 --> 0:05:57.200 back and Sidney's whatever the opposite of laid back is. 0:05:57.240 --> 0:05:59.119 But we know God's going to use it. God's gonna 0:05:59.200 --> 0:06:01.840 channel that for good one day. She has the spiritual, 0:06:02.520 --> 0:06:06.080 spiritual gift of perseverance. So parents, you know what I'm 0:06:06.080 --> 0:06:08.960 talking about. Whenever she gets something in her mind that 0:06:09.040 --> 0:06:12.880 she wants, she's going to wear you down until she 0:06:13.000 --> 0:06:15.200 gets it. She is going to find a way to 0:06:15.320 --> 0:06:18.200 get what she wants. And so a couple of years ago, 0:06:18.360 --> 0:06:21.520 when she was seven, she got it in her mind 0:06:21.520 --> 0:06:24.719 that she wanted to watch a shark movie. And I 0:06:24.800 --> 0:06:26.359 knew this was not going to end up in a 0:06:26.360 --> 0:06:28.680 good place because she'd have nightmares, and then it would 0:06:28.720 --> 0:06:30.320 ruin our night because we'd be up all night. So 0:06:30.360 --> 0:06:32.039 I was like, Sidney, you're too young to watch a 0:06:32.040 --> 0:06:35.560 shark movie. But she was set on it, and through 0:06:35.600 --> 0:06:40.440 some mix of charm and stubbornness and my weakness, before 0:06:40.480 --> 0:06:42.599 I knew it. On Friday night, Family movie Night, we 0:06:42.640 --> 0:06:47.160 were watching Jaws, and I convinced myself that not only 0:06:47.240 --> 0:06:49.520 was I exposing her to one of the greatest movies 0:06:49.520 --> 0:06:51.000 of all time, but I was going to teach your 0:06:51.040 --> 0:06:55.800 proper ocean safety. Because I know people say that we're 0:06:55.800 --> 0:06:57.800 not on a shark's menu, but I don't buy that. 0:06:57.839 --> 0:06:59.279 I think I look like a tasty treat to a 0:06:59.279 --> 0:07:03.080 shark myself. So we were watching the movie and the 0:07:03.120 --> 0:07:06.320 girls were excited, but then about an hour into the movie, 0:07:06.320 --> 0:07:09.520 they got a little bit confused because they're like, Daddy, 0:07:09.560 --> 0:07:10.960 I thought we were going to watch a shark movie, 0:07:10.960 --> 0:07:13.400 but we haven't seen a shark yet. And I don't 0:07:13.400 --> 0:07:14.840 know if you've seen Jaws in a while. But for 0:07:14.880 --> 0:07:17.000 the whole first part of the movie, you see a 0:07:17.040 --> 0:07:19.920 fin every now and then, you see some red water, 0:07:20.480 --> 0:07:23.119 you hear the famous theme song, but you don't see 0:07:23.120 --> 0:07:25.800 the full shark, and so they were complaining about it, 0:07:25.800 --> 0:07:28.080 and I was like, I promise, the shark is coming. 0:07:29.480 --> 0:07:31.680 And so then finally the moment arrived that they had 0:07:31.720 --> 0:07:34.160 been waiting for, and they saw the shark, and I 0:07:34.240 --> 0:07:36.920 was waiting to heal like squeals of terror and fear. 0:07:36.960 --> 0:07:38.440 I don't know why I wanted that, but I guess 0:07:38.480 --> 0:07:41.680 I wanted them to have the full experience. And instead 0:07:41.680 --> 0:07:45.880 I heard something I didn't expect. I heard laughter. And 0:07:45.920 --> 0:07:48.040 I look over it and they are pointing at the shark, 0:07:48.080 --> 0:07:51.320 pointing at the screen, just mocking this movie, making fun 0:07:51.360 --> 0:07:54.200 of one of the greatest cinematic achievements of all time. 0:07:54.280 --> 0:07:58.000 And they're like, these special effects are awful. Marvel is 0:07:58.080 --> 0:08:02.200 so much better. This is terrible. And I couldn't convince 0:08:02.240 --> 0:08:05.040 them otherwise, and you know, I kept trying to tell 0:08:05.080 --> 0:08:07.520 them that, you know, that was cutting edge technology at 0:08:07.520 --> 0:08:10.520 the time that Steven Spielberg knew that the shark didn't 0:08:10.520 --> 0:08:13.320 look super real, and so he went with a less 0:08:13.440 --> 0:08:16.880 is more approach that he knew in order for people 0:08:16.920 --> 0:08:19.320 to truly enjoy the movie the way it was meant 0:08:19.360 --> 0:08:21.440 to be enjoyed. They had to see less of the 0:08:21.480 --> 0:08:24.840 thing that they went into the movie wanting to see. 0:08:25.160 --> 0:08:27.680 So less is more something. I'm not teaching you anything new. 0:08:27.720 --> 0:08:30.840 You all know this. So less time on Instagram means 0:08:30.840 --> 0:08:34.360 more time in person with the people you love. Less 0:08:34.360 --> 0:08:36.880 shopping means more money in the bank. Can I get 0:08:36.880 --> 0:08:42.520 a witness on that after this weekend? You know, less 0:08:42.720 --> 0:08:47.640 donuts is more abs. Now I don't personally like that. 0:08:47.720 --> 0:08:51.280 I want more donuts and more abs. I would actually 0:08:51.280 --> 0:08:53.160 just settle for one AB, but I don't think the 0:08:53.200 --> 0:08:57.760 Lord has given me the ab anointing. But usually we 0:08:57.840 --> 0:08:59.800 don't like less as more when both are things that 0:08:59.800 --> 0:09:03.400 we want, we want more and more. So you want 0:09:03.600 --> 0:09:08.160 more relaxation and more influence at your job. You want 0:09:08.160 --> 0:09:12.160 more free time and more money. But usually a trade 0:09:12.160 --> 0:09:14.440 off has to be made in order to get something 0:09:14.480 --> 0:09:17.360 that is most important later. You have to see less 0:09:17.360 --> 0:09:20.480 of something that you want right now. So with that 0:09:20.600 --> 0:09:23.200 tension in mind, I want to read the ty the 0:09:23.320 --> 0:09:27.120 two key verses from Ephesians, and let us really think 0:09:27.120 --> 0:09:29.560 about what God is wanting to say to us about 0:09:29.559 --> 0:09:32.520 more so now, to him who's able to do immeasurably 0:09:32.600 --> 0:09:35.200 more than all we ask are imagine according to His 0:09:35.440 --> 0:09:37.600 power that is at work within us. To Him be 0:09:37.720 --> 0:09:41.760 glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, 0:09:41.800 --> 0:09:46.360 forever and ever. Men. See that scripture used to be 0:09:46.400 --> 0:09:48.680 my cheak code when I was a worship leader, because 0:09:48.679 --> 0:09:50.400 if I needed to get the people to shout, all 0:09:50.440 --> 0:09:52.640 I had to do is start talking about immeasurably more, 0:09:52.960 --> 0:09:55.120 and people would shout about it because you should shout 0:09:55.160 --> 0:09:57.760 about it. It's an awesome promise from God. It's an 0:09:57.800 --> 0:10:01.560 awesome declaration of faith because I can imagine a lot, 0:10:01.880 --> 0:10:04.280 and if God can out do what I can imagine, 0:10:04.280 --> 0:10:05.959 then that sounds like a pretty sweet deal for me. 0:10:07.800 --> 0:10:10.520 But what I didn't realize is that I would also 0:10:10.679 --> 0:10:12.720 I would almost treat it like God would take my 0:10:12.840 --> 0:10:16.480 dreams and whatever I wanted and just like crank it 0:10:16.520 --> 0:10:19.280 to eleven, like God just wanted to take whatever my 0:10:19.400 --> 0:10:23.839 wish list was and just maximize that that immeasurably more 0:10:23.920 --> 0:10:26.319 was going to come my way, no matter what, more success, 0:10:26.400 --> 0:10:28.640 more money, more happiness. I treated it like it was 0:10:28.679 --> 0:10:32.880 Paul's Mike drop moment at the end of Ephesians. And 0:10:32.920 --> 0:10:36.720 the problem with that is this, it doesn't usually line 0:10:36.760 --> 0:10:40.280 up with real life because many of you, you're looking 0:10:40.360 --> 0:10:43.160 at the last year of your life and you're not 0:10:43.200 --> 0:10:47.079 seeing more of what you hoped for. You're actually seeing less. 0:10:47.640 --> 0:10:49.840 You're seeing less of what you prayed for, less of 0:10:49.880 --> 0:10:52.200 what you thought God was going to do in your life. 0:10:52.240 --> 0:10:55.800 And that can be especially painful during the holidays. So 0:10:55.880 --> 0:10:58.640 this Thanksgiving, you were looking at one less person across 0:10:58.640 --> 0:11:01.600 the table from you, that divorce that you never saw coming. 0:11:02.640 --> 0:11:05.840 You're looking at less financial security after you just lost 0:11:06.280 --> 0:11:09.040 your job. I've got two friends right now who just 0:11:09.080 --> 0:11:13.000 got a devastating diagnosis about their unborn son where they 0:11:13.000 --> 0:11:16.480 were told that he would not live past childbirth. So 0:11:16.559 --> 0:11:19.600 where is a measurably more for them right now in 0:11:19.679 --> 0:11:23.120 this season? You know, when Sidney was born, five weeks 0:11:23.120 --> 0:11:25.280 after she was born, we found out that she has 0:11:25.320 --> 0:11:29.120 cystic fibrosis, and so we weren't shouting about a measurably 0:11:29.200 --> 0:11:31.880 more in the hospital room when we got that diagnosis. 0:11:32.280 --> 0:11:34.720 So here's the question we're going to wrestle with from 0:11:34.760 --> 0:11:37.400 our main text today is how can we as a 0:11:37.440 --> 0:11:40.040 people of God claim to worship a god of a 0:11:40.120 --> 0:11:43.160 measurably more in a world that often feels like a 0:11:43.240 --> 0:11:47.560 measurably less So as we look at this question, I 0:11:47.600 --> 0:11:49.400 think it's important that we go back and see what 0:11:49.440 --> 0:11:52.600 Paul was actually experiencing when he wrote it, because he 0:11:52.600 --> 0:11:55.000 didn't write this as like a mic drop moment Benediction 0:11:55.080 --> 0:11:57.640 at the end of Ephesians. It's right smack dab in 0:11:57.679 --> 0:12:00.400 the middle of that letter. And it's what he's says 0:12:00.559 --> 0:12:04.079 next that I think is really interesting for us to explore. 0:12:04.120 --> 0:12:08.040 He says this in four verse one. He says, as 0:12:08.080 --> 0:12:10.880 a prisoner for the Lord den I urge you to 0:12:10.960 --> 0:12:13.920 live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 0:12:14.320 --> 0:12:16.320 So if you're not seeing what you expected a measurably 0:12:16.360 --> 0:12:19.200 more to look like in your life right now, Paul's 0:12:19.200 --> 0:12:21.840 immeasurably more at this moment look like a prison cell. 0:12:23.080 --> 0:12:26.000 He wasn't seeing more. He was seeing less, less freedom, 0:12:26.360 --> 0:12:28.920 less visible fruit of his ministry, less of his dreams 0:12:28.960 --> 0:12:32.680 coming to life. So how could Paul still write about 0:12:32.720 --> 0:12:35.760 God doing more? Well, we know that Paul was a 0:12:35.760 --> 0:12:37.600 student of the Scripture, so I wonder if bes he's 0:12:37.600 --> 0:12:40.360 writing this letter, if he's thinking about Isaiah fifty five, 0:12:40.440 --> 0:12:44.000 verse eight, where it writes, my thoughts are nothing like 0:12:44.080 --> 0:12:46.800 your thoughts, says the Lord, and my ways are far 0:12:46.920 --> 0:12:50.840 beyond anything you could imagine. So if God's thoughts are 0:12:50.880 --> 0:12:53.880 beyond our thoughts, and his ways are beyond what we 0:12:53.920 --> 0:12:58.000 can imagine, then maybe the way that God sees more 0:12:58.520 --> 0:13:00.880 is different than the way we see more, the way 0:13:00.960 --> 0:13:05.200 we view more see Paul was writing this letter either 0:13:05.240 --> 0:13:07.520 to the church in Ephesus or to several churches in 0:13:07.520 --> 0:13:09.560 that area, and they would just pass it around and 0:13:09.559 --> 0:13:12.240 they would read it because he was trying to show 0:13:12.280 --> 0:13:14.920 them what the church should be like, what was the 0:13:14.960 --> 0:13:17.400 purpose of the church, what did it mean to follow Christ? 0:13:17.520 --> 0:13:20.200 Because so many people were coming to faith in Jesus 0:13:20.200 --> 0:13:22.680 from so many different backgrounds and so many different walks 0:13:22.679 --> 0:13:25.440 of life, and there was very little blueprint for what 0:13:25.600 --> 0:13:28.280 this life in Christ was supposed to look like. And 0:13:28.280 --> 0:13:31.440 they were facing opposition from so many different things, And 0:13:31.520 --> 0:13:34.200 so Paul wanted them to know where their hope came from, 0:13:34.240 --> 0:13:36.599 where their power was found, how they could be in 0:13:36.760 --> 0:13:39.800 power to live out the Gospel, live out this life 0:13:39.880 --> 0:13:43.240 that Christ was calling them to. And in verse twenty, 0:13:43.320 --> 0:13:45.839 I think there's two words that make sense of the 0:13:45.880 --> 0:13:48.720 whole passage for us. So put Ephesians three twenty on 0:13:48.760 --> 0:13:51.920 the screen. See. Most of my life I focused on 0:13:51.960 --> 0:13:56.040 the two words immeasurably more. But I've always skipped over 0:13:56.080 --> 0:13:59.400 the two words within us. And I think that is 0:13:59.440 --> 0:14:02.880 the key to understanding this chapter, because the more Paul 0:14:02.960 --> 0:14:05.840 is talking about here is less about an external wish 0:14:06.120 --> 0:14:11.360 and more about internal weight. It's less about what we see. 0:14:11.720 --> 0:14:14.280 It's less about the more that we can view with 0:14:14.320 --> 0:14:17.000 our own eyes, and it's really about the more that 0:14:17.040 --> 0:14:19.080 God wants to produce within us, the more that he 0:14:19.120 --> 0:14:21.080 wants to form within us, the more that he wants 0:14:21.080 --> 0:14:23.720 to shape, and the more that He wants to do 0:14:23.960 --> 0:14:27.840 through us. And so when you read scripture, context is everything. 0:14:27.880 --> 0:14:29.520 So I want to show you some of the verses 0:14:29.600 --> 0:14:32.600 leading up to Ephesians three twenty, and notice all the 0:14:32.640 --> 0:14:36.040 internal language in it. So let's see. I think it's 0:14:36.160 --> 0:14:41.120 Ephesians three sixteen. I will show it. Here we go, 0:14:41.520 --> 0:14:43.360 says I pray that out of his glorious riches, he 0:14:43.400 --> 0:14:45.960 may strengthen you with power through His spirit in your 0:14:46.080 --> 0:14:49.160 inner being verse seventeen, So that Christ may dwell in 0:14:49.240 --> 0:14:52.960 your hearts through faith. Go to verse eighteen nineteen. I mean, 0:14:54.280 --> 0:14:56.120 there we go, that you may be filled to the 0:14:56.160 --> 0:14:59.720 measure of all the fullness of God. See paul Is 0:14:59.720 --> 0:15:03.320 prayer saying that they would experience the process of sanctification. 0:15:04.080 --> 0:15:07.000 So when you put your faith in Jesus, you're saved 0:15:07.000 --> 0:15:09.560 by grace through faith in a moment. But it takes 0:15:09.640 --> 0:15:12.480 a lifetime for the Holy Spirit to work out the 0:15:12.520 --> 0:15:14.520 reality of what He wants to do in your heart. 0:15:14.600 --> 0:15:17.520 It takes a lifetime to line up our hearts to 0:15:17.560 --> 0:15:19.600 the reality of what God says we are and who 0:15:19.720 --> 0:15:22.320 God says we are. And so paul is saying, there's 0:15:22.320 --> 0:15:24.680 a work that God needs to do inside of you. 0:15:25.440 --> 0:15:27.880 But often I want to bypass the inner work of 0:15:27.880 --> 0:15:30.560 the Holy Spirit and get right to the external reward. 0:15:31.280 --> 0:15:32.880 I don't know if you've ever felt that way too. 0:15:33.360 --> 0:15:35.880 Now let me say this though, Do I believe God 0:15:35.920 --> 0:15:38.280 can do a measurably more in your circumstances and do 0:15:38.360 --> 0:15:42.040 things beyond your wildest dreams? Yes, of course. I'm married 0:15:42.080 --> 0:15:44.960 to the woman in my dreams. I have three amazing daughters. 0:15:45.000 --> 0:15:48.120 I've seen God do miracles. This church, this is a 0:15:48.200 --> 0:15:51.880 living breathing a measurably more testimony what we have seen 0:15:51.960 --> 0:15:55.080 God do through this church. I believe what the Bible 0:15:55.120 --> 0:15:58.600 says that God is a rewarder of those who seek Him, 0:16:00.080 --> 0:16:05.320 but we are not promised are preferred more. But here's 0:16:05.360 --> 0:16:08.080 what you are promised that, if you've placed your faith 0:16:08.080 --> 0:16:12.200 in Jesus, God will do whatever it takes to create 0:16:12.320 --> 0:16:15.680 more and more christ likeness in your heart. He will 0:16:15.680 --> 0:16:18.200 do more and more to conform you to the image 0:16:18.200 --> 0:16:21.120 of Christ. And I remember one time Pastor Stephen preached 0:16:21.160 --> 0:16:24.800 on the stage and he said more is not always bigger, 0:16:25.440 --> 0:16:29.560 but it's always deeper. And often the deepest work that 0:16:29.600 --> 0:16:31.920 God wants to do in our heart and our faith 0:16:32.320 --> 0:16:35.320 and our character, it has to enter through the doorway 0:16:35.360 --> 0:16:37.680 of less And so that's what we're going to talk 0:16:37.720 --> 0:16:41.240 about for the brief time, remaining, just three lessons from 0:16:41.320 --> 0:16:44.080 less areas of your life where you might be seeing 0:16:44.200 --> 0:16:47.320 less of what you wanted, but it's an opportunity for 0:16:47.400 --> 0:16:49.960 God to produce more of what He wants for you 0:16:50.360 --> 0:16:53.680 in your life. So here's the first lesson. You might 0:16:53.720 --> 0:16:57.400 see less certainty, but God wants you to become more confident. 0:16:58.920 --> 0:17:01.200 You might see less serain, but God wants you to 0:17:01.240 --> 0:17:07.080 become more confident. My personality love certainty, I crave at 0:17:07.119 --> 0:17:09.080 chunks texting me this week something You're like, Hey, I 0:17:09.119 --> 0:17:10.760 know you're a planner, so you're only going to see this. 0:17:11.280 --> 0:17:13.840 So like, I'm addicted to it, and this is how 0:17:13.880 --> 0:17:16.439 bad I am, how far I take it, y'all. I 0:17:16.480 --> 0:17:19.399 look up spoilers online for my favorite TV shows and 0:17:19.520 --> 0:17:21.560 movies because I want to know what's going to happen 0:17:21.640 --> 0:17:24.200 before I go in there. I got burned by the 0:17:24.240 --> 0:17:28.159 season finale of Lost, and so I decided that was 0:17:28.160 --> 0:17:29.840 never going to happen again. I'm actually am trying to 0:17:29.840 --> 0:17:33.040 get better. I'm a recovering spoiler addict. So maybe you 0:17:33.040 --> 0:17:35.320 can't relate to that, but maybe this is your story. 0:17:36.640 --> 0:17:39.120 When someone texts you and says, hey, I really need 0:17:39.160 --> 0:17:42.320 to talk. Can we get together later, my mind goes 0:17:42.359 --> 0:17:44.840 to the worst thing I could have possibly done. I'm like, 0:17:44.880 --> 0:17:46.639 what did I say? What did I do? Why did 0:17:46.680 --> 0:17:50.399 they hate me? And I'm going to get fired? And 0:17:50.440 --> 0:17:52.720 so just a couple weeks ago, somebody texted and said, Hey, 0:17:52.720 --> 0:17:54.439 can we hop on zoom later today? There's something I 0:17:54.440 --> 0:17:56.160 want to talk to you about. I spent all day 0:17:56.200 --> 0:17:58.280 worrying about it, and then it was like the most 0:17:58.359 --> 0:18:03.280 encouraging Zoom call ever had. But I hate uncertainty because 0:18:03.280 --> 0:18:06.440 I fill the gap of uncertainty with worst case scenarios. 0:18:07.520 --> 0:18:10.680 And somehow Paul Paul didn't seem to do that, or 0:18:10.680 --> 0:18:12.680 at least he didn't seem to let his heart stay 0:18:12.720 --> 0:18:17.080 there because he was in an incredibly uncertain situation. He 0:18:17.160 --> 0:18:19.520 was in prison, he had no idea when he would 0:18:19.520 --> 0:18:21.480 get out. If ever, he had no idea what the 0:18:21.600 --> 0:18:25.160 day would hold. But he still sounds like someone who, 0:18:25.320 --> 0:18:28.359 even in the middle of uncertainty, had confidence that God 0:18:28.480 --> 0:18:32.320 was working. And that confidence is what the Bible calls faith. 0:18:32.720 --> 0:18:36.200 Hebrews eleven one says, now, faith is confidence and what 0:18:36.240 --> 0:18:39.520 we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 0:18:40.320 --> 0:18:42.399 So it's a confidence in the unseen. That means if 0:18:42.440 --> 0:18:45.320 you see it, it's not faith. It's not going to 0:18:45.400 --> 0:18:47.720 take faith to walk into it. So we have to 0:18:47.760 --> 0:18:50.040 believe that God is at work even when we don't 0:18:50.040 --> 0:18:53.159 see the evidence of it in our circumstances, because in 0:18:53.280 --> 0:18:56.280 that uncertainty is when we learn what we can really 0:18:56.320 --> 0:18:59.000 depend on and hold on to. And this is how 0:18:59.000 --> 0:19:02.000 Paul breaks that down. And Ephesians three sixteen and seventeen, 0:19:02.640 --> 0:19:04.960 he says, I pray that out of his glorious riches. 0:19:05.000 --> 0:19:07.240 He may strengthen you with power through His spirit and 0:19:07.280 --> 0:19:10.160 your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your 0:19:10.200 --> 0:19:14.240 hearts through faith. Paul saying here that the foundation of 0:19:14.240 --> 0:19:17.440 our confidence isn't what we're walking into, it's who's walking 0:19:17.520 --> 0:19:20.439 into it with us. Paul is saying that we're not 0:19:20.480 --> 0:19:23.479 promised more certainty on this earth, but you are promised 0:19:23.520 --> 0:19:25.199 that you have a God who will never leave you, 0:19:25.440 --> 0:19:27.800 He will never forsake you. That every promise in Christ 0:19:27.920 --> 0:19:33.400 Jesus is yes and amen. And I love how pastors 0:19:33.400 --> 0:19:35.440 taught us the last couple of weeks. I want to 0:19:35.440 --> 0:19:38.000 make sure I get this quote right. That confidence in 0:19:38.040 --> 0:19:41.960 God's promise without commitment to his process is not dependence, 0:19:42.400 --> 0:19:45.800 it's delusion. And you see, uncertainty is one of the 0:19:45.800 --> 0:19:49.760 greatest invitations into that process of growing and confidence, of 0:19:49.880 --> 0:19:53.440 growing in faith. So if you're a Christian, you've probably 0:19:53.480 --> 0:19:55.280 prayed at some point because I know I have God, 0:19:55.320 --> 0:19:58.400 give me more faith. But are you willing to give 0:19:58.480 --> 0:20:01.800 up some of your certainty to get it? See? The 0:20:01.840 --> 0:20:04.959 least certain I've ever been in my life is when 0:20:05.000 --> 0:20:08.320 our twins Adling Leanna. They were born three months premature 0:20:09.240 --> 0:20:11.879 and I've told this story before here, but when they 0:20:11.920 --> 0:20:14.200 were born, they were born at twenty seven weeks. Leanna 0:20:14.280 --> 0:20:17.440 was one pound fourteen ounces Adley was two pounds five ounces, 0:20:18.000 --> 0:20:20.080 and the doctors didn't give them much hope of survival. 0:20:20.119 --> 0:20:23.240 And in fact, three days after they were born, we 0:20:23.280 --> 0:20:24.760 got a call from one of the doctors saying, hey, 0:20:24.800 --> 0:20:26.160