The Everything of Nothing | Erwin McManus - Mosaic

last week we dove into this beautiful declaration in the scriptures that feels almost too good to be true talked about how God wants us to live beyond limits and we look to this particular statement I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me I wanted to dive in and in some ways take us to part two of that particular conversation because so often times that the statements in the scriptures are are so big that they they feel unattainable that's what happens when when the declaration doesn't match your experience is that you you put it in a different category of inspiration but it's not supposed to actually ever be experienced in real life and in the same way that that that declaration I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me process us to wonder what what are the limits that we've accepted for ourselves that are not real what are the limitations that we've been posed on ourselves that God is trying to press us beyond and past but this is one statement by Jesus in John chapter 14 specifically verse 12 that that affected me so profoundly when I was new in my faith journey and and when I stumbled on these words I I didn't understand all the intricacies of theology and I knew I didn't have all the background but I think this one verse I thought to myself I think I get this one it says simply this he who believes in me will do the works that I do and even greater works than these because they go to my father in heaven this declaration from Jesus truly I tell you whenever Jesus uses the word truly or verily he's saying is pay attention listen to this I'm telling you a truth that you will miss if you do not allow it to seep into your soul truly I tell you whoever believes in Me and I thought to myself okay I qualify I remember when I did not believe and now I believe so whatever else this declaration says I'm the person he's talking to says whoever believes in me that's me and then the last part says because I'm going to my father and I also came to believe that was true to that Jesus walked among us flesh and blood God stepping into humanity giving his life for us being crucified buried raised for that and jesus said that by the way I'm going to my father and they didn't understand the full implication of that but Jesus will fill the last part of the statement and we have to fulfill the first part of the statement so the middle part that's the part that's kind of hard to get a hold of whoever believes in Me the works that I do they shall do and even greater works than these because I'm going to my father in heaven I'm sitting there reading this to my something you wait a minute I believe and I believe he's already with the father and so the middle has to somehow become real and yet it doesn't feel real at all because when I think of Jesus I think of Jesus as the penultimate he's he's the ultimate expression of being human and God stepping into humanity how in the world could I ever measure against who he is even if he said the works that I do you shall do that be Allah I don't know about that that's sort of a standard I came out here but Jesus is actually saying you think I'm the ceiling but I just established the baseline see the works that I do you shall do it even greater works and he's he's saying I'm the baseline of what you should expect in your relationship with me but most of us see it as it's just these climactic moments these pinnacle moments of living life the way Jesus lived it is it possible that Jesus did not simply come to reveal to us who God was but who we were supposed to become he's not only fully God was fully human and I think sometimes we attribute to the divinity of Jesus the thing he was trying to help us understand about the humanity of Jesus this declaration is just too big it's like the other one that I can do all things and I can do greater things and and then there you have to step back okay wait a minute if we're supposed to the works of Jesus and even greater than this then maybe we should understand how that was possible for Jesus how did Jesus do what he did maybe that'll help us understand how we're supposed to do what we are supposed to do and then Jesus throws everything off by making this kind of declaration in John chapter 5 verse 30 he says by myself I can do nothing now wait a minute useless you just told us that everything you did it even more we're gonna do and now you're telling us you could not do anything by yourself now he sounds like he's going through an identity crisis this is one of those mom's Heights just can't do anything have you ever had that moment and your friends are just so new you can't you can't I know I don't have any talent you all know you do and you really believe you do just want them to tell you how good you are you know this is not a Jesus meeting emotional support moment just can't do anything I I thought I could do this and Here I am I came and I you know I'm God that I'm all confused because I'm in like this human body I just I can't get anything right this is actually Jesus explaining to us his relationship to his father that will transcend our understanding of how we experience life because he wants us to step into the same relationship says I could do nothing by myself he says and then John 15:5 he applies it to us he says depart from me you can do nothing now I read that I think to myself which one is it I can do all things or I can do nothing have you ever just wondered which one it is well your way I note when this for my life so which are you experienced I can do all things or I can do nothing see any fast Jesus which one is real both can I do all things or can I do nothing he says yes in the same way that I could do all things he says and I could do nothing you can do all things it alone you can do nothing again he says by myself I can do nothing I judge only as I hear and my judgment is just for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me Jesus thinks he might my intention is to fulfill my father's intention my purpose is to fulfill his purpose for me so this life isn't about me and pursuing my own desires or my own dreams or my own direction I seek back to please myself but him who sent me and because of that you understand that with that thing the measure apart from him I could do nothing see there's a really practical way even without God you could do something right in fact I would say Jesus come on don't underestimate yourself you're probably like an awesome stonemason or carpenter you're probably like a great guy who's probably pretty good cook I don't know there's so many things Jesus you could do I see the problem is that without God you can actually do things and so they might actually convince you that you don't really need God or somehow this is off but Jesus like no you need to understand if your intention is to fill God's intention for your life then in this measure apart from him you can do nothing and since Jesus did not come to do anything except what he was supposed to do what he was created to do when he was called to do then he was left with this reality apart from him he could do nothing I want to talk to you about the everything of nothing because what Jesus was trying to take us into is the everything of nothing so when he spoke to us and said a part for me you could do nothing he wasn't trying to diminish you wasn't trying to make you think that you're not capable or gifted or viable or able he's trying to lead you to this beautiful space where you're not afraid of the nothing of complete surrender so you can step into the everything of complete relationship so how does Jesus flush this Alti everything of nothing well we see that Jesus has a very clear expression of this life in John 5:19 Jesus says this very truly I tell you the son can do nothing by himself there's this theme again in case you think I just overstated it he says it several times the son can do nothing by himself and can you imagine being one of the followers of Jesus watching Jesus do everything you thought was impossible you know you just walked on water that was fairly impressive right you know and fed multitudes I saw that blind guy who can now see and and but in Jesus saying apart from my father can do nothing I can do nothing by myself I can do nothing the right Wow if Jesus can do nothing by himself what can I do by myself that's a really important question to ask yourself says the son of man can do nothing by himself he can only do what he sees his father doing because whatever the father does the son also does so Jesus is I can do nothing of myself all I can do is what I see my father doing so here here's an easy application for your life all you should do in your life is what you see God doing yeah I don't see God I don't know what God is doing see this is why you cannot take on what Jesus is calling you to become through a religion or through a ritual or through a pattern or practice or even principles because this can only be experienced in intimacy with creator the universe see how in the world can you actually do what you see the father doing if you do not see the father doing anything at all so Jesus lives in this relationship where he sees his father doing and he does what he sees his father doing says I want you know I am just a visible reflection of his invisible action see I'm just doing in the visible what he's doing in the invisible I just do it when I see my father doing now but you cannot do what the father is doing if you cannot see what the father is doing so what do you do so I want to give you a practical action for an unattainable transformation see doing what the father is doing is not something you work at it's something you become so here's a good starting point do good I don't know what God's doing I can't see God I can't see what God is doing where do I start do good see if you want to do what the father is doing do good because you can know the guy that's doing good in fact all the good that's ever been done it's been done because God is good and by the way whenever someone does good you don't even realize it but the moment you see that good you actually seen God any what's really beautiful even when a person doesn't believe in God what they're doing good they're actually reflecting God and you may not know it but you reflect the God in times you didn't even know you were reflecting God you may be I don't even believe in God but if you did good you were reflecting God because God is good everything that is good comes from God and when you do the good source your confusion I don't know what to do I don't know what I should do with my life I don't know what directions I'd run to watch what a choice I should make just do good you go yeah but what good I don't pick one yeah I want to pick the wrong good really this is where we come be like I know I don't know it should do this good or that good I'm just so glad you're choosing between good but if you have multiple goods don't get nervous pick whichever good you want what's good should I do the good you're good at she can't do all the good have you ever feared that out there's so much good that needs to be thought you cannot do all the good that needs to be done but do not use the fact that you cannot do all the good that needs to be done to do no good that needs to be done do some good be good for something Jesus I only do what I see my father doing every time you see the God you sing God so when you see good that needs to be done assume that you have the eyes of God and do don't worry about doing the wrong good you think God's bigger than that you saying to go no why are you doing that why are you helping her I want you to help her why are you solving that problem I want you to solve that problem I don't know why we think God's gonna be really upset because you took some creative Liberty in the God you decided to do no I can't choose some of you is just so tormented you're just so good at so many things it just drives me crazy I get your advice just I don't know what I should do I'm just so good at this and so good at this and so good at desert so get this like oh I feel so bad for you if you're really good at a lot of things and do a lot of things good or just pick the good you're supposed to do because it's right in front of you and if you don't do it's not gonna get done see sometimes we we who try to over spiritualize what it looks like to live in intimacy with God when you're living in in the flow of your faith or you're living in a relationship with the Creator the good just comes natural I bet a week and a half ago Kim and I met Mariah and Jake her daughter and son-in-law at a restaurant in Century City I think Westfield Mall great dumpling place didn't iPhone and this is a free commercial it's amazing and and so when we park and I have this thing when I travel by myself I always take photographs of wherever I park because I've been lost for hours at times and so I always take photographs I take a photograph at the elevator I'm meticulous I'm like Hansel and Gretel i i'm leaving bread crumbs all the way so I can get back this is the spot this is what it looks like this is what a distance looks like this is where the elevators at I mean I'm just literally taking photographs and delete them later but Kim was with me and so she assured me I did not need to do that and because she's got it and she said we're in this color here whatever it said okay I thought okay she'll remember so I didn't do it so we got to the restaurant we had a great meal and we're done it went down the escalator and we had no idea where we were that's a massive parking lot and what we did not factor in is that there are a lot of escalators so we had no idea where we came up or went down and so we were not even in the right section I'm not even sure if we were in the right country and and you know and and we looked and every time I said it's go right she went left and and it didn't matter whenever I said she was just do the opposite and it was just getting more tense and more tense and more tense than and after I don't know how long to three days and I said look I know how to get us to our car and she was how I said we need to go back up to the restaurant if I can get us back to the restaurant I can backtrack exactly the way we got there go down and I can find the right escalator I can get us to the right parking lot you know that's ridiculous I want to go all the way back so she completely rejected my strategy and I said okay what's your plan she had no plan but her no plan was better than my plan and and so she just rather wander aimlessly and until we died and so we search the search and finally we went up dusk sort of found our way back and eventually worked our way down and you know the level of tension that happens in a moment like that okay this has been going on for maybe an hour I don't know how long I hit our and then we're finally leaving this parking lot and the car in front of us clearly did not realize that there there's always a requirement to pay to leave the parking lot have you ever been a cart behind a car that just seemed shocked oh I get a ticket and you can see they pull up and then they check looking everywhere for their ticket and we're in the car behind them just watching I'm going they didn't know they didn't know they didn't know they needed their ticket like now they're looking everywhere all over the car I practically and you could see they find the ticket and then and and then and then he's so far away from it he cannot reach it I'm telling you this is like a comedy he's out of his window trying to reach I'm going really he he can't open his door right and and we're just watching him try try reach his credit card and finally gives up gets out of his car walks over clearly the credit card did not work so I'm still watching patiently right and and then he's scrambling and he grabs you can see cash he gets out of the car with cash and it looks like you're trying to put cash in the machine I don't know did you just move to LA I mean how is it possible you're shocked this the machine does not take cash it's like trying to talk to the machine I'm not sure what's happening and I'm watching all this and you ever just you just you could feel your heightened irritation with humanity and its stupidity and and and then all of a sudden I don't know what happened something overtook me I decided to help I can't explain it you know and maybe it's an anomaly but I I jumped out of my car and I started going toward them and I realize had terrified him because they probably thought it was angry like when I was you know Angelenos right and I was like I'm sorry you know we can't get we can't find enough money and and and I said hey I got you your sweater no I got it I'm gonna I'm gonna pay for your parking and I put my credit card he goes oh no here here three dollars you can have that by the way it was six if you're gonna offer you the money offer me you know the money but uh I said no no I like you three dollars I like it I'm not giving you a 50% discount so I put my credit card in I pay for it and he's kind of shocked and his girlfriends in the car and they're like in their 20s and and and she's crying and she should because her boyfriend doesn't have three [Laughter] and they got in the car and I was overwhelmed this is this incredible unexplainable sense of wow this is what I'm supposed to do with my life and I looked at him and I and they were so grateful and so shocked and I said hey I just in case no one's ever told you I just want you to know that there's a person named Jesus who really cares about you and that's why doing this it makes me so happy let's change my life and then they looked at me and told went up and they drove off thank you see I think sometimes when we say what does it look like to do what you see God doing we act like it's too complicated see I think sometimes it's just doing what Jesus would do in that moment that goes against some of our more space nature and going oh I could actually be kind I could be generous second I could throw the world on its head turn everything upside down by being everything that Jesus wants me to be in confusing everyone you want to throw people off start doing good just choose the good you can do it instead of getting upset because the world is inconveniencing you just see those inconveniences as an opportunity to step into the good but then it's more than that it's not just doing what you see the father doing and so this isn't gonna work if you can't see God say I can't help you until you get into an intimate relationship with God or your your connection to him is so profound you can actually see what God wants to do but you also need to begin to speak what you hear God's saying listen to what Jesus says in John 12 50 says I know that his command leads to eternal life this is beautiful Jesus say the commands of God they're not there to hold you back they're not there to control you they're not there to condemn you the commands of God are there to lead you to eternal life so whatever I say is just what the father has told me to say Jesus is saying I I only do what I see the father doing and I only speak when I hear the father saying he set the standard pretty high so this is why this is not about rituals it's not about traditions this is not about belief systems and doctrines this is about an intimate relationship with the creator of the universe we're now you're in communion with him you can see what he's doing and you're doing you can hear what he's saying you say it you do good you speak life so whatever I say is just what the father has told me to say in John 14 10 he says this don't you believe that I am in the father and that the father is in me the words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority rather it is the father living in me who is doing his work this is Jesus saying that the father is living in him and it's through the life he receives from his father that he has two words that bring life to others what do your words do what kind of words do you choose not your vocabulary but the essence and texture of your language do you condemn or demean do you encourage and build up I I do think it's important that whenever Jesus makes these profound statements he always says truly truly I think it's because he lives in a world of lies he wants us to know I'm telling you the truth because this truth will set you free I I want to speak these truths sometimes you're going to come at you hard sometimes they're going to make you uncomfortable sometimes you're going to throw you off balance but I'm going to speak the truth because I know the truth will bring you life but I think sometimes we miss to understand Jesus because because when Jesus spoke truth the truth had such elegance we see his his harshest words when he's talking to religious leaders when he's talking to the Pharisees and Sadducees and and teachers of law to those who are hypocrites and use the religion to control people through guilt and shame and Jesus spoke actually to them but whenever he talked to someone who was broken and hurting whenever he talked to anyone that would be described or defined as a sinner his words were tender and compassionate and loving gracious and kind and healing how is it that we've gotten it so backwards we expect everyone to speak to us as if for oil tea and then speak to everyone else is if there are servants and slaves if you speak life you never choose a language to demean another human being you use your words to build people up to strengthen them just speak life yeah we've seen so many people collapsed over the last few years to scandals all different kinds of scandals and and what's interesting is that there are many other people who have been more scandalous than them who have not been brought down and what you actually find is there's a unifying pattern people who are destroyed by scandals that other people survive we're not destroyed because of the scandal they were destroyed because of their unkindness because they were so unkind to people that those people decided they wanted to destroy them too we really don't understand the power of kindness and gentleness and graciousness if you're just had an intern era Tavor what you wanted to say that's when Kim and I we've been married for almost 40 years and and I've had to learn how to decipher because when she tells me a story of a conversation she has been in in the middle of the conversation weaving it in and out she tells me what she wanted to say not what she said but she doesn't device just a stop and go this is not what I said she says it like she said it all right oh you said that though no no no I didn't say that said but you just you just acted like you said no no no it's just sort of thinking stay with me and it's all on me right yeah and and and then you didn't say that oh no no I'm just thinking it I said so what did you say that she tells me she said that this is nothing like what you just said and I know I know I know yeah every that inner you ever just thought that inner monologue become your outer monologue you go oh I can't believe you said that hey by the way that's not as bad as it gets there's some people who should have never said what they said and they don't even know that they shouldn't have said it the only time that kind of language bothers them assume someone says it to them so what if we not only just decide I'm gonna do good everywhere I secret I'm gonna do good but I'm also gonna speak life I'm gonna take every opportunity wouldn't I feel this incredible need to beat someone up verbally or diminish someone or do you mean someone I'm gonna realize that that's not the Jesus in me that that's not a reflection of what God is speaking I'm gonna listen carefully to how God would say this and then I'm gonna speak with God would say but Chuck come on we can celebrate that together which by the way this has been a really rough month and it's been a hard month for me as a husband because I have made a lot of mistakes because I was well intended but my execution was off I our backyard is gonna swamp for like nine years and every time Kim puts in grass it becomes a swamp again and it becomes a swamp again it becomes a swamp again so I thought I'm gonna change the backyard I'm gonna put concrete down it's gonna be really cool she's gonna have her Thanksgiving it's gonna be awesome and and and nothing went the way it was supposed to go and so when they dug up the backyard they found all these pipes where the water was just leaking into the backyard that's why we had a swamp for nine years because they never connected the pipes together because they must have been mad at the former owners so they left it like that and and that was rotting away at the foundation of her house which we would have not known if we had not dug it up to put the concrete but now we know we have foundation issues and it just kept unraveling one more problem and another problem and another problem that we had gas leaks and so then they shot off all of our our gas which means we had no hot water and then Kim took a freezing cold shower and it almost killed her and and we had no hot water and then they found they couldn't find the gas leaks but they came and they tried to fix the gas leaks and then they thought they fixed them but the gas company came he refused to turn our gas on even though we're the ones that called them and reported it because she walked in the house when the house was packed with gas I was upstairs and I was unaware and she's like don't you smell the gas which is a really odd rhetorical question because like if I smelled the gas I wouldn't be going gas right so clearly I don't smell the gas or maybe I'm unconscious because I did not smell the gas and she's up there there's gas everywhere so now it's on me because I wasn't aware of it she has the nose of a basset hound so she smells everything everywhere and so then we find we do have a massive gas leak but they can't find it and then on top of all that they're having to dig a pipe out to the yard to the front to let the water run out and and they hit a gas pipe and so and so I wake up to Kim being very upset because there are fire engines and and outside of our house goes I guess our house could blow up or something and and the gas department and electriss-- electrical department and the water department the whole city became involved in my project and she's really not happy with me she goes I just wanted to enjoy Thanksgiving you're ruining Thanksgiving there's nothing to be yet I'm ruining the days leading up to Thanksgiving and give me a chance to ruin Thanksgiving and it wasn't Wow and then one of my friends invited me to Monday Night Football and I made a strategic here I'm going to Monday Night Football while the gas leak as was being repaired because I thought they had it all in hand I told no more digging but one of the workers decided he felt so bad for cutting open the gas pipe that he came and worked without permission and after the city had fixed the gas leak he hit another gas and there was another gas leak so life has just gotten so bad and it's so difficult and and we've had a lot of tension in our home in our relationship all all my fault every every part of it I'm just now publicly apologizing a blanket apology for everything I've done so so you ever just get mad and you just need someone to abuse right so there and so she calls me at the game great game by the way and oh enjoy the game we have a second gas leak they didn't stop working when you told him to stop working but enjoy the game I'm going is she being sarcastic oh that she really just want me to enjoy the game and I'll be worrying about all these issues and then she starts to cry think oh he's gotten this bad and she said and there's all these workers here and I just don't think they're being paid very well I don't know if they're being paid minimum wage I don't know if they're getting paid overtime I and she if anything this is why I love this woman because all the other things I messed up did not bring her to tears it's that the least who are working on our project might not be taken care of so no we got this so we I got home and and we continued the next day and so I called all these guys together and then you're they thought probably they're gonna get fired or reprimanded or and Kim and I just wanted to do something really special for their Thanksgiving and we rewarded them for all their mistakes and because it's easy to punish people for their mistakes I don't know why we think that the person who messed up doesn't feel as bad about it as we do and so and then I said hey I want explain something to you and I said you know you guys over here you're diggin I used to that's why I used to do for a living I used to dig for a construction company and you guys doing concrete yeah I got a I did concrete until they they fired me but I did that concrete thing until they relocated me they relocated me to a less technical job and then and and every one of them I said hey I want you know that what you're doing is what I used to do and that that was my life it was my my work I was the guy working construction eating my sandwich out of my paper bag during the 15 minute breaks I got in between working construction and for almost no money and I said I want you to know you're not just workers you're our friends and we're all family and win this together and grown man had tears in her eyes and they were fighting back tears I realized it's it's because they've learned how to be treated like property and rather than humanity and and so we did this little cards and and Kevin was helping me and I said Kevin we're gonna find every single name and we're gonna write down all their names on the cards I said you wanna know why he was why and I said because most of those men are treating as if they're actually not individuals and I want them to see their name on something that lets them know that they're seen that they matter that they're no one do you know how little it cost me to change my language and to speak life at the build hope and to affirm their value see if you want to be like Jesus you don't have to take this to such a high level where you go oh I just need a to do when I see the father doing and speaker to hear the father speaking just do good and speak life and you will be doing what Jesus dead and there's just one last thing that um I want to highlight because I think it's important and yeah I don't want you to miss it because you see this life that Jesus calls us to it's it's it's transcendent life it's connects us to the eternal I believe that we can see what God is doing and do it I'm convinced that we could hear what God is speaking and speak at that this is the essence of what it means to be connected to God that apart from him we can do nothing but then I saw it for the first time in a way had never seen him why God is trying so hard to align our hearts to him see there's this small moment that Jesus highlights in Luke 21 says this Jesus looked up he saw the rich putting their gifts in the temple treasury he also saw a poor Widow put in two very small copper coins truly I tell you he said this poor widow has put in more than all the others all these people gave their gifts out of their wealth but she out of her poverty but all she had to live on and that that contrasts really struck me because Jesus sees people who are actually giving so they've been generous but they're giving out of their wealth see I think sometimes we think that what we're called to when it comes to giving or even this whole language of tithing is that we're supposed to give out of our wealth than this because the church needs our money or God needs her money and I think we're missing the whole point see what Jesus is actually talking about as an alignment of their hearts see these people are giving out of their wealth and that's a good thing get out of your wealth but it doesn't align you in that place where you will know what God is doing and you will hear a God is saying this woman only had two small copper coins but her heart was aligned to God see they were giving out of their something and she was giving out of her nothing and what Jesus was actually trying to lead us to is this God has an everything for us to see there is an everything that comes out of nothing it's the everything of nothing that God wants us to neck to where he becomes our everything that we get everything see that's where we keep messing up we it's this whole thing we call a prosperity gospel the moment we talk about everything we think oh it's everything it's every house in every car and every clothes and everything we want and that's not what God's talking about moving into a relationship where he is our everything and but we're never gonna live in this place where God is our everything until we find the courage to move into that place where we come into the nothing because it's easier to hold on to the something and say god I'm gonna I'm gonna tip you or God I'm gonna do something for you god I'm gonna believe in you God I'm gonna respect you but I'm gonna hold on to my something it's my something it's a something I got and so you're actually giving up God's everything for your something here's the only way you'll ever step into God's everything is you have to let go that's something to say God I want to live in the nothing where I can do nothing apart from you that I would live that space for all my dreams all my passions all my desires all my resources all my money all my relationships everything I have is already given to you I hold on to nothing so that I don't lose everything that is you I want to step into that and then it made sense to me why why there's this importance of alignment of our hearts he points this woman who gives out of her everything but she has nothing and it took everything she had it was every thing she had and were uncomfortable with that but Jesus was not because he understood who he was to her and then you have this particular explanation from Jesus and John and Matthew 6:21 says for where your treasure is there your heart will be also this is an alignment he's saying look I want to understand that there's a connection I want you to make with me but your heart is essential for this connection to happen so where your treasure is this is where your heart is see Jesus doesn't care about the treasure he cares about your heart and we put way too much focus on the treasure not on the focus on the heart is the eye is the lamp of the body if your eyes are healthy your whole body will be full of light but if your eyes are unhealthy the whole body will full of darkness so what are your eyes looking at which treasure are you focused on then if then the light within you is darkness how great will that darkness be no one can serve two masters so Jesus hung an alignment of your heart either you will hate the one and love the other or you'll be devoted to the one and despise the other you cannot serve both God and money now people use this to say well then money is bad he's not he's not saying that at all say you cannot serve both God and money see God created everything for our enjoyment for our pleasure but as long as we're living in that something and holding on to it because we're afraid to let go of it and to live in the nothing will never step into the everything that God has for us and by the way the moment you the moment you begin to live in the everything you realize that all the things you thought were something or nothing the moment you begin to live in this intimacy with Jesus and you can finally hear what God is saying you can see what God is doing and you know that you can do God and speak life because you're living in this intimacy with the creator of the universe and you're alive you're alive Jesus saying no but you you got it it starts here in your heart and and I have to tell you I've been a follower of Christ for about 40 years and I don't think I've ever seen this so clearly in my life I've always been uncomfortable with why the Bible puts an emphasis on tithing I just always bug me because of my role and yet it finally is so clear to me in Malachi 3:10 he says bring the whole tithe and to the storehouse that there may be food in my house but this is his test me in this if you want to live in the space where in everything of nothing you and you do good you speak life but you have to prove God see God says touched me in this prove me so your life is supposed to be the proof of God and if you're not living your life in a way where you're proving the existence the reality the faithfulness the goodness of God you're not living the life you're created to live your life is supposed to be an exclamation point of the reality of Jesus in the world stops me and this says the Lord Almighty and look he says and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it and and and as it's as if there's this alignment that Jesus is talking about that that God wants to pour out the fullness of who he is in us and we're the only ones that corrupt this and turn this into a prosperity gospel why because God knows he's everything not stuff but he wants to open up eternity pour it into our souls but the alignment has to be there for it to happen and and then it started creamy how you know how odd it is is it it's easier to buy something then there's things something away it's odd could cost the same amount of money to buy a pair of shoes easy to give a pair of shoes hard to buy a car easy to give a car hard to buy a house well hard but but this is a give a house almost impossible that it's odd the more money you make the harder it will be for you to give the same percentage is that crazy he's like okay well I could I can tie those long as I make 25,000 no you can and it won't be any easier than when you make 250,000 in fact some of you are making solar you're thinking how do i tithe on this see it's not about the money the reason it's it's a 10% it's actually in alignment here the reason people can be generous when they're super wealthy or when they have some wealth is because that generosity doesn't cause doesn't require an alignment so you can give out of what you have out of your abundance but the moment you will line your heart say okay god I'm gonna give you the first tenth you're giving out of that space of nothing because you're going I don't know what's gonna happen next this is terrifying I'm not sure how it's gonna happen god I might have to cut down on coffee and I don't know if I can do that and I'm gonna need a cheaper girlfriend or yeah okay I know some of you know and you have to rely on your life because when you put God first you it's not about the money see God's gonna take care of the church so that's not why you shouldn't tithe tithing aligns your heart that says God I stand in this statement that apart from you I can do nothing and that only when I posture my heart in this way do I step into your everything and everything isn't about you returning more than I give the everything is about me living my life in such a way where you are my greatest reality that what I know is you and if you actually think that the benefit of following Jesus is to get more stuff you've missed the whole point Jesus walked in such a way that he could say apart from the father I can do nothing he looks at us and says apart from me you can do nothing and the same Jesus says he who believes in me the works that I do you shall do and even greater works than these because I go to my father in heaven you want you to live in the everything of nothing but that requires that you let go of everything he said Jesus I just want you I just want to know you I want your purpose for my life your intention for my life I want your calling and your dreams for me I don't want to try to manipulate you icarus you to follow me on my journey I want you to lead me into the journey you created me to walk in Jesus is not supposed to be a supplement he's the essence if for Jesus life was impossible without God how in the world could you or me everything life was possible without him do good speak life God could you bow your heads with me just for a moment father I think one of the hardest things in the world to do is to trust you in you you were so trustworthy my god I just pray that with our heads bowed eyes closed that this would be a moment of transfer of trust this will moment where we look at her hearts and we're honest about where they're aligned and we turn our hearts toward you so that we may live in the flow of your life and the abundance of your presence I want to know the everything of nothing just like you did Jesus just like you did if you're here and you're ready to trust your life to Jesus you're ready to cross the line of faith you understand it's giving everything it's letting go of your life putting your life in Jesus's hands it's not adding Jesus to your life it's making Jesus your life if you're ready to step into that level of surrender that I want to lead you in a simple prayer right now just one sentence Jesus I give you my life that's it just tell them right now Jesus I give you my life Jesus I give you my life if this is your prayer if this is your moment if you're ready to let go but you're holding on to I take hold of Jesus if you just whispered this pair of Jesus I give you my life want you to raise your hand right now now I want to pray for you beautiful beautiful wonderful beautiful so that beautiful so good anyone else beautiful anyone else see you beautiful father thank you for the women and men you in this moment have crossed that line of faith but their trust in you and thank you that you were always supposed to be our everything so strange how we hold on to nothing afraid to put our lives in their hands the guy just pray right now that you just wrapped them up with your love let them know they belong to you Jill never leaves them or abandoned them pray that today would be the beginning of new things new life new dreams there God did he begin to live in such intimacy with you they would just naturally do good and speak live and prove God that they would become the proof of God everywhere they go that they would become the visible manifestation of your invisible presence we thank you Father we pray in Jesus name Amen we just thank God for all those two just respond to him right now so good so good it's a practical week it's practical application I want you to aspire to the unattainable I want you to move towards such intimacy with Jesus that you just go Jesus I want to live like you I want to speak what I hear the father speaking I want to do what I see the father doing I want to align my heart where you are my life my everything I want to know the everything of nothing apart from you I can do nothing yet with you the thing with you all things are possible at the same time I want you to do in a really practical way this week when you leave this place let's just do good do good do good do good do good speak life speak life speak life speak life prove God prove God prove God so that everywhere you go just like Jesus took on flesh and blood you become the flesh and blood proof of God in the world

Channel: Mosaic

Views: 8,761

Rating: 4.9774013 out of 5

Keywords: Mosaic, Church, Los Angeles, Mosaic LA, Erwin McManus, Joe Smith, Mosaic MSC, mosaic los angeles, los angeles church, jesus in la, everything, everything nothing, the everything, everything from nothing

Id: smm1YizKyVA

Length: 51min 55sec (3115 seconds)

Published: Mon Dec 02 2019