Finding Rest and Joy in God's Generosity
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"You know, one of the things that's really important or a very vital part of our worship is not just when we sing. It's not just when we learn from God's Word and fellowship together. Those are all important parts of worship. But also, our giving is worship. And one of our pastors was sharing something with me and with our team about that this week. And I wanted to share with you what happens in our lives when we give and we give generously." [00:18:48]
"But what our Pastor Oscar from our Northeast Campus was really pointing out, I think is summarized in Proverbs 11, verse 24. Check this out. But when you give generously, God's Word says, Those who give generously receive more, but those who are stingy with what is appropriate will grow needy. Those who are generous, who give generously, receive more. What does that mean? More money? Maybe more vacation time? Maybe more, you know, stuff that I want or more time with my hobbies? Well, maybe that might be part of it." [00:20:08]
"Think of how you get, through your giving, you get more joy because you see what God is doing in the life of the church and in our community and in the world. You get to see what God is doing through our church, through your giving, and you get more joy out of that. For example, yesterday at our Sanchez Prison Campus, we got to baptize 13 guys there behind bars, 13 men in white who went public with their faith in Jesus, and how bold and courageous of them to do that." [00:22:19]
"Jesus said that he came to give us fullness of life, a rich, meaningful life of joy and purpose. And yet the clutter of life can so easily get in the way of that. Most of us probably have some junk in our lives that we need to get rid of. And so what we're going to do today and next Sunday is talk about how to do some spring cleaning of the soul, how to get rid of, clear out some things in your soul that chip away at your peace and get in the way of you becoming who God made you to be and living the life that God wants you to live." [00:35:24]
"When your body dies, your soul will live on forever, either with the Lord or apart from his love. The core of every person, the essence of every person is our soul. And we even see that in scripture. We see that from the start of humanity. When God created the very first human beings, when he created Adam, the first human, look how it was described in Genesis chapter two, verse seven, scripture says, then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils, the breath of life." [00:36:39]
"In fact, if you read on for yourself in the next chapter, Genesis 4, we see that the curse caused those very first humans to spend the rest of their days like restless wanderers on earth. And don't we feel like that at times, like restless wanderers in life? Like we're always searching for something but never quite finding it. We're interested in everything but seem to be satisfied by nothing. We're constantly on overdrive. And so we try to find rest for our bodies through a vacation or through hobbies or we live for the next three-day weekend, right? But we never really find rest for our souls." [00:40:05]
"Listen, God does not want you to live that way. God did not make you to live that way. God promises rest for his people. But first, we have to clear out a lot of the clutter that gets in the way of us enjoying that rest. So where do we find rest for our souls? Where do we find the rest that we need? Let me tell you something that is true. I know this through and through and through. There's only one place to find the rest that you really need in life." [00:42:05]
"My soul, inwardly, internally, the essence, the core of who I am, only finds rest in God. Salvation from a frazzled, stressed, over-busy, restless, packed full life comes from God. There's no person. There's no thing. No experience. No vacation. No amount of education, no amount of money, no dream home, nothing outside of God that can really bring rest at the core of who we are. You and I were made to rest only in God." [00:42:56]
"The Lord said, Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened. Weary and burdened, not just in your body, but in your heart and your soul. That you're stressed out. You find it difficult to be loving. You find it difficult to shut your mind down at night. Your soul is overwhelmed and tense and anxious. And Jesus says to you, Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." [00:43:35]
"That's why Psalm 46 verse 10 tells us very simply, says, be still and know that I am God. Be still. It doesn't say be busy and know that I am God. It doesn't say be overworked and overwhelmed and know that I am God. It doesn't say be productive, be productive, be anxious, be all worked up on the inside and know that I am God. It says, be still, stop, pause, wait, and know, not just knowing your head, but knowing your soul that God is supreme, that God is glorious, that God reigns, that God is in control, that God is good, that God is love, that God can be trusted, that God is your provider and sustainer." [00:45:46]
"Think of it this way. Have you ever been around a kid that just won't sit still, right? Right now, that's our little girl. She's almost two. That's her life, right? They fidget, they move, they kick. You've probably seen a kid like that at a restaurant or a movie theater. Maybe some of your own kids are like that, right? And you see a kid like that, and sometimes it just makes you want to say, hey, just stop it. Can't you just sit down? Can't you just be still? I'm giving you to the count of three, right? One, two. Don't make me pull this car over. What are we doing when we say those things? We're telling them, be still. And listen, sometimes you have to say that to your soul." [00:46:46]
"Some of our souls are too busy, but no more. It's time to do some spring cleaning. It's time to make the decision right now, this very moment, that you're no longer going to let yourself be driven by the desires and needs and demands and the ways of society. that as followers of Jesus, we will let our souls be driven by the goodness of God. Be still before God. Wait patiently for him. Reflect on his goodness." [01:03:14]
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"But what our Pastor Oscar from our Northeast Campus was really pointing out, I think is summarized in Proverbs 11, verse 24. Check this out. But when you give generously, God's Word says, Those who give generously receive more, but those who are stingy with what is appropriate will grow needy. Those who are generous, who give generously, receive more. What does that mean? More money? Maybe more vacation time? Maybe more, you know, stuff that I want or more time with my hobbies? Well, maybe that might be part of it." [00:20:08]
"Think of how you get, through your giving, you get more joy because you see what God is doing in the life of the church and in our community and in the world. You get to see what God is doing through our church, through your giving, and you get more joy out of that. For example, yesterday at our Sanchez Prison Campus, we got to baptize 13 guys there behind bars, 13 men in white who went public with their faith in Jesus, and how bold and courageous of them to do that." [00:22:19]
"Jesus said that he came to give us fullness of life, a rich, meaningful life of joy and purpose. And yet the clutter of life can so easily get in the way of that. Most of us probably have some junk in our lives that we need to get rid of. And so what we're going to do today and next Sunday is talk about how to do some spring cleaning of the soul, how to get rid of, clear out some things in your soul that chip away at your peace and get in the way of you becoming who God made you to be and living the life that God wants you to live." [00:35:24]
"When your body dies, your soul will live on forever, either with the Lord or apart from his love. The core of every person, the essence of every person is our soul. And we even see that in scripture. We see that from the start of humanity. When God created the very first human beings, when he created Adam, the first human, look how it was described in Genesis chapter two, verse seven, scripture says, then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils, the breath of life." [00:36:39]
"In fact, if you read on for yourself in the next chapter, Genesis 4, we see that the curse caused those very first humans to spend the rest of their days like restless wanderers on earth. And don't we feel like that at times, like restless wanderers in life? Like we're always searching for something but never quite finding it. We're interested in everything but seem to be satisfied by nothing. We're constantly on overdrive. And so we try to find rest for our bodies through a vacation or through hobbies or we live for the next three-day weekend, right? But we never really find rest for our souls." [00:40:05]
"Listen, God does not want you to live that way. God did not make you to live that way. God promises rest for his people. But first, we have to clear out a lot of the clutter that gets in the way of us enjoying that rest. So where do we find rest for our souls? Where do we find the rest that we need? Let me tell you something that is true. I know this through and through and through. There's only one place to find the rest that you really need in life." [00:42:05]
"My soul, inwardly, internally, the essence, the core of who I am, only finds rest in God. Salvation from a frazzled, stressed, over-busy, restless, packed full life comes from God. There's no person. There's no thing. No experience. No vacation. No amount of education, no amount of money, no dream home, nothing outside of God that can really bring rest at the core of who we are. You and I were made to rest only in God." [00:42:56]
"The Lord said, Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened. Weary and burdened, not just in your body, but in your heart and your soul. That you're stressed out. You find it difficult to be loving. You find it difficult to shut your mind down at night. Your soul is overwhelmed and tense and anxious. And Jesus says to you, Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." [00:43:35]
"That's why Psalm 46 verse 10 tells us very simply, says, be still and know that I am God. Be still. It doesn't say be busy and know that I am God. It doesn't say be overworked and overwhelmed and know that I am God. It doesn't say be productive, be productive, be anxious, be all worked up on the inside and know that I am God. It says, be still, stop, pause, wait, and know, not just knowing your head, but knowing your soul that God is supreme, that God is glorious, that God reigns, that God is in control, that God is good, that God is love, that God can be trusted, that God is your provider and sustainer." [00:45:46]
"Think of it this way. Have you ever been around a kid that just won't sit still, right? Right now, that's our little girl. She's almost two. That's her life, right? They fidget, they move, they kick. You've probably seen a kid like that at a restaurant or a movie theater. Maybe some of your own kids are like that, right? And you see a kid like that, and sometimes it just makes you want to say, hey, just stop it. Can't you just sit down? Can't you just be still? I'm giving you to the count of three, right? One, two. Don't make me pull this car over. What are we doing when we say those things? We're telling them, be still. And listen, sometimes you have to say that to your soul." [00:46:46]
"Some of our souls are too busy, but no more. It's time to do some spring cleaning. It's time to make the decision right now, this very moment, that you're no longer going to let yourself be driven by the desires and needs and demands and the ways of society. that as followers of Jesus, we will let our souls be driven by the goodness of God. Be still before God. Wait patiently for him. Reflect on his goodness." [01:03:14]
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