Leaks

Well, uh, if you've been here all year, then you know that for the entire year we've been studying the life of Abraham, and we wrapped that up last week.

So if you hated the Abraham thing, in fact, maybe some of you are here because you heard we were done with Abraham.

You're like, you got tired of it, and you're like, I'll come back when it's done.

Well, good news, Abraham, that's that's in the past.

Well, he's always been in the past, but uh but for us, we're done with the Abraham study.

What we typically do as a church, if you are new, is we go through scripture.

And so we we might pick a book of the Bible or a story in the Bible and really deep dive through it, just kind of verse by verse and explore it.

I believe that God's word, the Bible, scripture, whatever phrase you want to use, I believe it is truth that is that is inspired, it is time-tested, you can build your life on it.

So, really, my job is to read God's word and go, okay, Lord, what does this say?

What does this teach?

What is the truth that you have put in here?

And then how can I try to communicate this to people in a way that's effective?

And so uh that's what we normally do, and I'm still praying through what the next kind of big study that we're gonna have is gonna be.

A couple years ago, we went through the entire story of the Bible.

We did the book of Matthew and took a whole year to go through that a while ago.

I'm praying through what the next big study is, and over the course of the next few months, we're gonna do a few topical studies, as uh, to be honest, as I figure out what's next for the big thing.

Okay?

Does that make sense?

And today we're gonna start a three, maybe four-week series called The Full Life.

The full life.

And this is really based on some promises that that God makes to us for a life that is full.

And full disclosure, this is kind of an expansion of a teaching that I gave about two years ago, that I really felt like there was something to it.

It was just a little different, and it was kind of a one message, one-off thing.

But as soon as I was done with it, I was like, all right, Lord, I really want an opportunity to kind of expand on that and just felt right to do it now.

And so let me let me go to scripture and explain this concept of the full life.

Jesus spoke about a life that is abundant and full very often to those who would listen.

In fact, one of my favorite stories in the entirety of the Bible is the story in John chapter 4 of the woman at the well.

John 4 · chapter mention

If you've never heard the story, there's this woman, she's at a well to gather water, but she's not there when she ought to be, because she's kind of a social outcast.

And she's a social outcast, frankly, because she has lived an immoral life, and in her culture, she's look really looked down upon.

And so she's kind of this pariah, and she goes by herself to draw water, and Jesus happens to be there, and they have this unbelievable conversation.

In this conversation, Jesus actually tells her explicitly that he is the Messiah, that he is the one that God has promised for centuries to come and rescue his people.

She's the first person that ever hears Jesus say that.

In fact, his disciples aren't there, they come at the tail end of the conversation, and they don't even know, really, that he's the Messiah yet.

They think that, but he has not outright stated that to them.

They've yet to have a moment where one of them just says, Hey, you're the Messiah.

So he lets her in on the secret before even his disciples know.

He shows her tremendous honor.

Well, in this conversation, Jesus uses the water at the well as an illustration to what he really wants to offer us as people.

And we see this really interesting uh idea play out here.

It's John chapter 4, verses 10 through 14.

John 4:10–14

Jesus replied, If only you knew the gift God has for you and who you're speaking to, you would ask me and I would give you living water.

But, sir, you don't have a rope or a bucket, she said, and this well is very deep.

Where would you get this living water?

And besides, do you think you're greater than our ancestor Jacob who gave us this well?

How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?

And Jesus replied, Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again, but those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again.

It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.

Jesus promises something that will fill us.

He says, using water as this as this illustration, most of the things in this world, if they fill you, it's only for a moment.

But then you're thirsty again, you're hungry again.

But what I give you, he says, you will be filled.

In John chapter 10, verse 10, Jesus says that the thief, talking about our enemy, Satan, comes only to steal and kill and destroy, but I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.

John 10:10

There's a version of life that Jesus wants to give us that we can have through a relationship with Him, through the Holy Spirit, that He gives to us when we follow Him, that is, it is full.

Some translations there say abundant.

Matthew chapter 5, verse 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Matthew 5:6

The Apostle Paul puts it this way in Ephesians chapter 3.

Ephesians 3 · chapter mention

He says, I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

I love that phrase.

Filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

We are supposed to live clearly a full life.

We're supposed to have a full life.

Now, all of us know what it's like to deal with emptiness.

Like all of us can relate to empty, I'm sure.

But let's just be honest with each other.

How many show of hands, you've been in an empty car, no gas.

You've been in a car and it's run out of gas.

How many of you were driving that car?

It's your fault you ran out.

I've never been in a car that ran out of gas, but I've gotten dangerously close a few times.

Like a few of those times where we were in a place where my wife was like, our marriage might be over if this car runs out of gas, right?

I've been in those moments.

Um I was one time, and I won't expand on this story, but a friend of mine were in a boat with our families and it ran out of gas on the water.

That was awesome.

That was a great experience, and we tried to swim it to shore by pulling it, uh, you know, like ropes tied to us.

It was a manly attempt, but an unsuccessful one.

Um so I've been in a boat with no gas, no fuel.

Um, how many of us have had an empty bank account?

Let's just talk about that.

Like, that's a fun experience.

Right?

When that's empty, it's good.

I had a friend in college, he was my roommate, and he called me one time.

He's like, Justin, this is you know early 2000s, no no mobile phones with no smartphones yet, mobile phones, but not smart.

He's like, Hey, I need you to do me a huge favor, I need you to log into my bank account.

And he gave me his login information and all that, and I'm on a laptop, and very he was very trusting of me.

And I was like, Oh man, John, you've only got$19 in your account.

I was concerned for him.

And his response on the phone was, sweet, I have enough to buy this pizza.

And then he hung up.

I'm like, you got$19.

He's like, yes.

Three years after college, he called me to uh tell me that he'd become a financial advisor, and he wanted to know if I was open to him managing my finances.

No.

No.

Anyone who thinks a pizza is worth 80% of your money is not, no, no, no.

He has not managed my finances.

I don't think he's a financial advisor anymore.

But, yeah, I mean, empty bank account.

We've all been there, we've had friends that have been there.

At a certain time in life, it's kind of funny, at another time of life it's it's very much not.

We all know what empty feels like.

But what do you do when you're empty?

Apparently, if you're a Jesus follower, you're supposed to have a fresh, bubbling spring within you at all times.

And I'm sure many of us are in a season, by the way, right now, where that is what life feels like.

You're like, yeah, I'm great.

I wake up in the morning and it's I feel full and filled and fulfilled, and everything is great.

But what do you do when it's when it's not that?

Like, what do you do when when you feel empty?

When maybe the bank account's not empty and there's there's gas in the car and you have a full belly, but what do you do when you're a follower of God and your soul does not feel full?

And your life doesn't feel full?

And there's this sort of longing, this emptiness that you're trying to figure out.

What do you do when that's the situation?

I'll tell you, as a pastor, I have sat with so many people over the years, and essentially I've I've watched people, as I've tried to counsel them otherwise, but I've watched people basically blow their lives up, doing something drastic because they just felt some version of emptiness, and it created this existential dread inside of them that led them to do something drastic and crazy, end their marriage, just abruptly, like I'm not happy, uh, I we I I need a change, I need a different relationship.

Just do something really, really sudden and drastic because deep down inside they did not feel full.

They weren't fulfilled with their life, they were not experiencing the full life that God promised, and it led them to do something disastrous.

When we are empty, like when we are empty, we're pretty dangerous people.

We can do really destructive things to ourselves and to others.

But we're supposed to be filled, filled to the measure of the fullness of God.

And so, look, the reality is that's not how life feels every day.

And why?

Is God not making good on his promise to fill us?

Like, did God free us?

Is he like the server you have at a restaurant that you're sitting there like, hey, refill, come on?

And they just forgot?

I don't think that's the case.

No, I I've I've lived in a relationship with God long enough to know that he's doing his part.

It may not feel like it all the time, but he's doing his part.

So, could it be that there are things in me that are keeping me from feeling and experiencing the fullness that God wants to put into my life?

And I want to talk through the next few weeks about three specific things that I think can sabotage our ability to experience the fullness that God has for us.

That full life, that rich life, satisfying, abundant.

Leaks, lids, and lesser things.

Sometimes we miss out on the fullness that God has for us in life.

And what fullness, maybe that I'm being too vague.

What am I talking about?

Okay, we are told in Scripture that we are to live lives that are filled with the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.

Your life is supposed to be filled with that, just filled with love and with peace and with joy.

And some of you, again, you might be here going, I am, and that's great.

So for you, the takeaway for this message in the next few weeks might be, hey, be on guard.

Right?

You're in a good place, great.

Be on guard because the enemy will attack you.

I promise you that.

Satan does not look at us and go, wow, they're having a really full, great life.

They're experiencing all the good things God has for them.

I'll leave them alone.

Nope.

I mean, this might be a little bit of a vulnerable show of hands, but the number of people I know that got baptized and then experienced one of the hardest months of their life right afterwards, or had some type of incredible experience with God, and then immediately after that, trials.

Anyone want to raise your hand, like been there?

Yeah, because Satan's a jerk.

He is, by definition, he's a turd.

And look, I mean, people can be that, he is definitely that, and that's a reality, and he messes with us, and he wants to destroy that fullness that God puts in our lives.

Love and joy and peace and patience and kindness and goodness and gentleness and faithfulness and self-control.

Like, that's the life God has for you.

And if any of those is lacking, if you're like, man, I'm missing that.

Why am I missing what am I missing?

Well, maybe you have a leak.

Or maybe there's a lid that's keeping it from getting in, or maybe there's a lot of lesser things that are just taking up too much room, and God needs those to go so he can fill you with what he has.

So we're gonna spend a few weeks exploring that.

We're gonna start by talking about leaks, because look, even if there is a small leak in something, it will eventually be empty.

Even the smallest, tiniest leak will lead to emptiness over time.

And it's very, very possible for us to live life and be unaware of our leaks.

And here's some ways you can know that.

Like, here's some some telltale signs if you have a leak.

Uh, if if you if you lash out, like if you lash out at people around you very often, like stuff bothers you and you just quickly like anger goes sideways.

I I've learned over the years that leaky people lash out.

And that's actually been really helpful for me as a pastor because sometimes people like be really upset and lashing out at this person, lashing out here, lashing out there, you know, maybe even mad at the church.

Like, very often when people have a leak, they'll be upset, it's like they know they're not full and they they turn their attention outward and go, you should be filling me.

So they'll get mad at their spouse because their spouse ought to be doing more to fill them.

They'll get mad at their job or the world at large, even their church.

Like, you ought to be doing more to fill me, and then it's like, well, maybe you have a leak, and no matter what I put in, it'll leak out.

Like it's easy to get a leak.

Very, very easy.

Let me give you a few examples of what I would consider really common leaks.

Uh, insecurity.

Insecurity.

It's amazing how often the people in scripture that God uses are incredibly insecure people.

Like you would think if you were God and you're gonna go pick the people you're gonna use, you'd pick the best.

Like that's you know, that's what we typically do in life.

We have a team or we have a company and we wanna we wanna do well.

We we go pick the people who are the obvious choices.

God almost never does that.

Like, even look at Jesus with the disciples.

Everyone's like, really?

Those guys.

Okay, you know, it's a lot of fishermen.

You got a heavy concentration of guys who just fish.

I don't know if they're really trained for this, right?

It's just God picks interesting people.

Well, very often, God picks people, and and either maybe everyone's insecure, it's just the Bible records it for us, but very often the people that God chooses and lifts up to do big things, their insecurities come out really fast.

And it actually makes it difficult for God to use them, or difficult, maybe a better way to say this, difficult for them to receive what God is trying to give them.

Great example of this is Moses.

In Genesis chapter, or rather Exodus chapter 3, verse 11, God shows up and he does this amazing thing where he tells Moses, hey, I'm picking you.

Exodus 3:11

Moses is an Israelite, the people in Israel have been slaves in Egypt for for generations, and God's like, it's time.

We're freeing all of the slaves, we're all gonna, we're gonna leave Egypt, we're gonna go to the promised land, and Moses, you're the guy.

Can you imagine being picked for that?

Like how awesome that would be.

What an honor that would be, what a distinction.

But here is the response that that Moses gives in Exodus.

But Moses protested.

No! You know?

Uh-uh.

He says, Who am I to appear before Pharaoh?

Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?

Can you see the insecurity?

Like, I'm not good enough.

And God answered, I'll be with you.

Like, kind of not about you, Moses, he's kind of saying.

And this is your sign that I am the one who uh has sent you.

When you've brought the people out of Egypt, you'll worship God at this very mountain.

That's not good enough for Moses.

Moses protested again, look, if I go to the people of Israel and tell them the God of your ancestors has sent me to you, they'll ask me, Well, what's his name?

And then what should I tell them?

Because at this point in time, this is crazy.

God had not told the people his name yet, like what to call him.

He's just, he's God.

It's kind of interesting.

And so God replies to Moses, I am who I am.

And this is a word Yahweh.

It means like I am, I always have been, I always will be.

It's this very interesting word.

We could do months of just studying that one word.

Say this to the people of Israel.

I am, has sent me to you.

God also said to Moses, say this to the people of Israel, Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.

This is my eternal name, my name to remember for all generations.

And then there's more conversation that goes on in Exodus chapter 3.

Exodus 3 · chapter mention

We get to Exodus 4.

Here's how it starts.

But Moses protested again.

What if they won't believe me or listen to me?

What if they say the Lord never appeared to you?

Verse 10, but Moses pleaded with the Lord, oh Lord, I'm not good with words.

Like at this point, he's grasping for straws, like, you know, he said no to God a bunch, and God's like, no, you're doing it.

I'll be with you, I'll be with you, I'll be with you.

And he's like, the last thing he's got is I'm not good at speeches.

So, you know, that maybe isn't a good thing.

He said, I've never been, I'm not now.

And even though you've spoken to me, I get tongue-tied, my words get tangled, and then God's like, Well, your brother Aaron's pretty good with words, I'll send him to you to help.

Like, that's Moses isn't getting out of this.

But you see the insecurity.

I mean, Moses is a pillar, right?

He is a legend in the story of the Bible.

I mean, Moses is one of he's one of the greats.

If there was a Hall of Fame of Bible characters, he's in it.

If there was a Mount Rushmore, his beard is on there.

I'm just saying, okay?

A lot of beards on that.

But Moses is deeply insecure.

And here's God trying to pour into him.

Here's God trying to say, I'm choosing you.

You're the one.

I've prepared you.

I'm with you.

And it's like in one ear, out the other.

It just leaks out because he has this deep insecurity and he can't receive from God.

Now, God's gonna get him through it, and the good news is God doesn't move on from us quickly.

But Moses has an insecurity that is it's a leak.

And everything God's pouring in, it's just not sticking, it's not staying.

We have other characters in the Bible who have major insecurities, but it turns out to be disastrous for them in a way that it wasn't for Moses.

One of my favorite examples of this is Saul, the first king of Israel.

Saul uh gets off to a really great start, he's successful as a king.

He's actually one of my favorite characters to study, because I think he's a cautionary tale for everybody in a lot of interesting ways.

But Saul has this one major issue, this one major flaw that is it ends up being his undoing.

It's that he's jealous, he's insecure.

And when David, who is someone who's underneath Saul, he's a soldier for Saul, when David, the David that kills Goliath, starts to be celebrated a little bit more than Saul, when he becomes a little more popular than Saul, it just destroys Saul.

We see this happen in 1 Samuel chapter 18.

1 Samuel 18 · chapter mention

It says, Whatever Saul asked David to do, David did it successfully.

So Saul made him a commander over the men of war, an appointment that was welcomed by the people and Saul's officers alike.

And when the victorious Israelite army was returning home after David killed the Philistine, talking about uh Goliath, women from all the towns of Israel came to meet King Saul, and they sang and they danced for joy with tambourines and cymbals, and this was their song.

Saul has killed his thousands and David his ten thousands.

Ooh.

And this made Saul very angry.

What's this?

He said, They credit David with ten thousands and me with only thousands.

Next, they'll be making him their king.

Yeah.

And so from that time on, Saul kept a jealous eye on David.

And this this stays with Saul.

In 1 Samuel 18, 10, and David was also a musician.

It says David was playing the harp as he did each day.

But Saul had a spear in his hand, and he suddenly hurled it at David, intending to pin him to the wall, but David escaped him twice.

So apparently two spear throws.

1 Samuel 19, David's playing the harp again.

Saul hurled his spear at David, but David dodged out of the way, leaving the spear stuck in the wall.

He fled and escaped into the night.

1 Samuel 20.

Saul has this dinner, and he invites David, who's really good friends with his son Jonathan, to come to the dinner because he wants to kill him.

He's got the spear at dinner again.

And David's smart now.

He's like, I'm not going to that dinner.

And Jonathan actually doesn't understand the hatred that his father has for David, so Jonathan's like, no, come.

And he's like, dude, I'm telling you, if I come, I'm going to die.

And Jonathan's like, I promise.

And so David basically says, I'll tell you what, I'm not going to be there.

Tell your dad that I've got to be here instead and see what he does.

And so in 1 Samuel 20, this happens, and here's what Saul says to Jonathan.

He says, Hey, as long as that son of Jesse, Jesse's the father of David, is alive, you'll never be king.

Now go tell, you know, go and get him so I can kill him.

But why should he be put to death?

Jonathan asks his father.

What's he done?

And then Saul hurled his spear at Jonathan, intending to kill him.

So at last Jonathan realized that his father was really determined to kill David.

So, a couple takeaways.

Saul, bad at spears.

Um for four.

That's what I'm saying.

That's why, that's why you only killed your thousands, and David is ten thousands.

If you want to look in the mirror, you know, practice maybe.

But here you have a man who's the king and the first king.

I mean, to be the first king, like I'm the second pastor of our church, which is not a I'm not a king, and I don't think of myself as one.

Well, it's kind of tough being the second guy, because the first guy was great.

And he built this place and he funded it all, and you know, uh, like a big deal.

Just turned a Kmart into a church.

I could do that.

No, sometimes being the second person, it's tough because there's so there you're gonna be compared to somebody.

And look, when I became the pastor kind of overnight, I was 30, and there were people that were like, no.

True.

I mean, it just happened.

They were like, nope, no offense, but no, thank you.

Like, Saul doesn't have that.

He's the first guy.

There's no one, he's, it's so set up for him to be successful.

There's no one else that the other people are like, we wish we had that guy again.

He's just, he's the first.

He's in such a sweet spot, but yet this jealousy of really what's so silly about it, David is like a superstar for him.

David's winning him battles, David's making him look good.

But he can't handle it.

The insecurity, all of that blessing, all of the honor, all of the everything just leaks out of him.

And it and it drives him mad, and it ends up being his undoing.

Insecurity can be this major leak in your life.

I think it's so dangerous.

And I've experienced it, so I've experienced it personally.

Anyone, like, anyone ever had someone say something to you years ago?

It may have even been small.

And yet you have never forgotten it.

It is like, I mean, I'm gonna raise my hand here, like, it's something, and it's like it's played in your mind over and over again.

I'll give you an example.

When I was in sixth grade, I went to this big basketball camp.

Um, and it was a it was a really cool experience.

We stayed at the college, and it was all these guys, and and a big part of the camp, it was at a big D1 school, a big part of the camp was that they split us into teams.

And I knew a lot of the guys up there because we all played, and and our teams would compete against other teams.

And there was this kid on my team named Ryan Hancock, I remember his name.

And when we we got on the same team, and I'm looking at like our roster, and I looked at Ryan, I was like, dude, we're gonna win this thing because we got we got four stars.

And Ryan went, Well, we've got three.

Who do you think the guy?

Like, I was including myself.

I was like, me, dude, me and you and these other guys, and Ryan, jerk, goes, Well, we've really got three.

Okay.

Now here's what's really crazy about that.

I don't remember what Ryan looks like, but here's what I do remember.

Um, he had like, this is a different era.

Uh he had like puffy blonde, like, like sun-bleached hair, and he looked a lot like William Zabka, also known as Billy Zabka, who played basically like the bully in almost every 80s teen movie, uh like karate kid, okay, that's Billy Zabka.

And there's there are other movies where he's just always this bully, and Ryan kind of looked like him, and I can't really remember Ryan's face, just his poofy, stupid hair.

And and so, like, so when I picture Ryan telling me, well, we've got three, I just picture the bad guy from Karate Kid telling me that I wasn't good at basketball.

And so as I was going through that, I actually used AI to make uh what that would look like right there.

There he is.

That's that's my memory.

Just Cobra Kai saying you suck at basketball.

That's my memory right there.

Um that's not what happened, but that's what I remember.

That statement stuck with me for years.

And it was like this stupid thing that I just replayed in my mind, and it like in some ways motivated me and drove me to work harder, but in other ways it was like this kind of haunt this haunting thing that stuck, and I was always trying to prove my worth and prove that I was better and prove that I was good.

And and you know, I I went through school, played ball, all that kind of stuff, and then I thought it was over, but then here's the crazy thing some of you don't know this, but I have a son who plays basketball.

And uh when Liam started to play and started having a lot of success, at first it was just exciting.

And what I wasn't aware of, and it took me years to process this, is that that insecurity was still there.

And in some ways, my son being really good, it brought that back, if that makes sense.

So all of a sudden, you know, confidence and self-assuredness and some things that had kind of leaked out of me over the years because of that insecurity that was there.

Like, I started using Liam to fill that.

I know, gross, not a good thing to do, right?

I started using my son, I literally started using my son's success to fill a void inside of me that I had felt from that comment, other experiences I had that just made me someone always felt like I had something to prove.

And so it shifted from like me as a father, being really excited for my son's success, to kind of needing it to fill me.

Like I got to where I needed this nine-year-old to do well so I could feel full.

That's a really, that's not good, right?

That's a dangerous thing.

And what it did was it robbed me of a lot of joy because rather than just being the dad going, wow, I'm so proud of you, it was like, man, it's gotta be more.

It's gotta be, we gotta be better.

I became the one trying to put a leak in him.

Does that make sense?

Because I I needed him to be successful for me to feel full.

Because I had a leak, I had an insecurity, and it it messed with me.

And this went on for years, and honestly, I I and I've apologized to him for this, but there were there were years where I put so much pressure on him, or at the very least, didn't fully celebrate things I should have, because I always demanded more, always had to be more.

Because if I was being honest, and if I I just didn't process it, it took me years to even figure it out.

It was like, oh no.

It was like I could have looked at him at nine years old and go, hey, hey son, your daddy has some issues from his past.

Um Ryan Hancock, we'll we'll just watch Karate Kid later, you'll understand.

Um Ryan Hancock said a mean thing to me in the sixth grade, and so I need you to score 25 points.

All right?

I need you to do it.

I need to feel better than everyone else at the gym.

This is for me.

Like I could have said that to him, and it would have been completely accurate.

Because an undealt with insecurity in my life re-manifested, and all the excitement and joy leaked out, and I just needed more and more and more, and it it almost, I mean, it really almost messed up some really beautiful things.

And thankfully, like, we're in a good place.

We really are.

I mean, I think we are, but he ask him.

I don't know.

Um insecurity, it's a leak.

It's a leak.

It will slowly but surely, all the good things that are happening in your life, just like King Saul, all the good things kind of leak out and you're empty, and you become angry and you lash out, and all your attention turns to the people around you and what they ought to be doing, what you need them to do so that you feel full.

And it can be other things too.

I'm not gonna go through a laundry list of possibilities.

Guilt, I think guilt, I think, is a major one.

If you have guilt in your life, you carry guilt from major mistakes that you've made, and those haven't been dealt with, and you haven't fully received the grace of God, you haven't actually grabbed a hold completely of the forgiveness and the love that God has for you, and recognize that all those things that you've done that yes, may be bad, and we're not gonna act like they're not, but they have been dealt with.

Like, do those of you who are Jesus followers, do you really believe that your sin was fully dealt with on the cross by Jesus Christ?

Yeah.

And yet, how much do we spend still thinking about it, still trying to make up for it?

You know, it's it's at some point that has to go because guilt, we're not meant to live with guilt.

We're not meant to carry that anymore.

It's been dealt with.

The Bible says that God has taken our sin, he's thrown it as far as the east is from the west.

And the east and west, if you go around a globe, you start going east, you're always going east.

Like it says that our sins have been have been put at the bottom of the sea.

And yet for us, we are really good at holding on to guilt.

And this happens in the story of the Bible many, many times.

Jesus has to deal with this.

In fact, a great example be Peter.

Peter's one of the closest disciples of Jesus.

He's kind of the foundational disciple that Jesus says, like, you're the leader of the disciples, essentially.

And then Peter denies three times that he knows Jesus the night that Jesus gets arrested.

Three times he says, nope, don't even know the guy, because he doesn't want to get arrested, too.

And then Jesus dies, and he's resurrected, and he and Peter have a conversation.

It probably felt so awkward for Peter.

And the guilt that Peter's carrying, Peter's actually quit being a disciple, essentially, and he's gone back to being a fisherman.

And Jesus appears to him and he cooks some breakfast, and they have this conversation we see in John chapter 21.

John 21 · chapter mention

It says, after breakfast, Jesus asks Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?

And we don't know what the these is.

It could be the other disciples.

It might just be the fish, because they've just caught fish.

Like Peter's gone back to fishing.

Like, do you love me more than fish?

Yes, Lord, Peter replied, You know I love you.

Well then feed my lambs, Jesus said.

And Jesus repeated the question.

Simon, son of John, do you love me?

Yes, Lord, Peter said, You know I love you.

Well then take care of my sheep, Jesus said.

And a third time he asked him, Simon, son of John, do you love me?

Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time.

He said, Lord, you know everything.

You know that I love you.

Then feed my sheep.

Then Jesus says, Then do what I asked you to do.

Peter's carrying this guilt.

And this guilt is like destroying him.

There's a major leak in him.

He all the confidence he has of being one of the disciples, one of the ones Jesus picked.

I mean, when Jesus first picked Peter, he said, I will make you a fisher of men.

And that confidence and that faith and belief in himself through what God has called him to do is gone.

It is leaked out.

Guilt has a way of doing that.

In fact, I was talking to a young guy going through some pretty heavy marriage struggles about a week ago.

And look, anytime I do any type of marriage counseling, I'm not a counselor by like it's a part of what I do, but um I'll often meet with people in counseling situations and maybe I'll do a session with them and then I'll refer them on to someone who's kind of a specialist or whatever.

Um but this guy just wanted to talk and he was sharing me the dynamics in his his marriage, and they're really bad, really hard, and my heart really broke for him.

And there's always two sides to every story, and when I meet with someone, I'm like, I know that, but you know, if if what this guy told me is true and and it seemed true, and based on the other things I know it is true, um, he it's just a situation where his his wife just leaves.

You know, she's left, she came back, she left, came back, she left, she just she leaves.

And he's just beating himself up, you know, like I've got to be the reason why.

And I asked him a bunch of really hard-hitting questions, like looking him in the eye, like, hey, is this going on?

Is this going on?

And and he answered clearly, and and I believe honestly.

Again, I don't I'm not God, so I don't know.

But it from my discernment, he's got stuff to work on, yes, but but he's his wife needs to figure that out, right?

And I looked at him and I'm saying, man, what's what's really going on with you right now?

And he's like, I just it's it's gotta be my fault.

I have to be the reason that she keeps leaving.

I said, Man, I don't know.

I mean, maybe you're not the reason, maybe you're just the excuse.

That's a little different.

Because sometimes when you're someone who carries guilt, you'll actually welcome blame.

Does that make sense?

Like if you're someone who carries guilt, you will you will readily receive blame even for things that you are not at fault for.

That's what guilt does to you.

It like makes you susceptible to say, I guess it's gotta be my fault.

And we had this long conversation.

I said, man, if what you're telling me is true, you're not the reason, but you're just the excuse, and you've got to let that go.

You've got to let this guilt you have for all the, yeah, you've got mistakes, and so does she, and whatever.

Like, you know, those of us who've been married for a while, it's like, it's hard.

It's hard.

And we talked through it, we prayed for a long time, and and there were tears.

And and I'm I'm praying that God does something really, really big, but I'm I'm talking to this man who just carries so much guilt, and that guilt has eaten away at him, and it's like this major leak in his life, and he can't move forward and he can't let things go, and it's just it's because there's a leak.

So what do you do?

Insecurity, guilt, shame, all kinds of things can be leaks.

And if you have a leak in your life, you're never gonna be full.

You just you won't be.

What do you do with that?

What do you do with leaks?

Well, I got a few things as we wrap up.

First, you gotta find them.

You gotta find them.

Now, since we're celebrating 20 years, we can we can uh think back to different eras in our church.

Who here was who who was here for the the bucket era of the church?

You you'll know what I'm talking about.

Yeah.

So this roof used to be uh different in that it just it was a bad roof.

Uh root when the the main job of a roof is that when it rains, the water does not get inside.

That's primary roof functionality.

We didn't have we didn't have one of those roofs for a long time.

We had one of those roofs, and maybe you you buy one one day, you're like, I want a roof that like when it rains and I'm not at home, I freak out because I know there's gonna be water somewhere, I just don't know where.

That was our roof for a long time.

And so, for years as a church, you might come here on a Sunday, and you just there'd be buckets, lots of buckets.

We had a ton of buckets.

And our roof caught it to replace it was very expensive.

We didn't have the money for it at the time, and so we just had to have years of buckets, and sometimes there were buckets in here, a lot of buckets in the hallways, and it was like uh, yeah, there we go.

You know, the bucket era.

Some of you remember that.

Well, it blew me away in that era we had to have the roof fixed and repaired, like little patches all the time.

And it'd be crazy because there might be like a leak over there, but it's because of that's where the water was, but like the leak was actually over here.

It can be really hard to discern where leaks are.

It can be really tough to do that.

So, step one, if you're like, man, I'm not feeling full, like, Lord, do I have a leak?

Is there insecurity in my life?

Is there guilt that I'm carrying?

Is there something else?

And I'm getting upset at the fact that this person should be doing this in my life, and and I my job should be this, and I don't feel full.

And in reality, it's just that I'm having everything leak out.

Like, how do I find those?

Well, first, pray.

Ask God for help.

You are not alone.

Everything we do in life, we're supposed to do in partnership with God.

So go to God and say, Lord, I need your help to identify a leak.

I don't have the fullness that you promise, and I know that, and I want that.

If there's a leak in my life, Lord, show me.

Okay?

And be ready for Him to show you.

Like, be ready for that.

I'll tell you a few things that have helped me, though.

This, if you want a practical tip.

Um if stuff really bothers you in other people's lives, I have found that it's a it's sometimes because it's something you struggle with too.

Like when I get really upset with other people, like you know, that person, I just notice things about them.

Like, they always do this, they always do that.

Um, I have actually, with Megan before, my wife, described behavior in someone that's driving me nuts and realized halfway through I'm just describing myself.

You know?

I'm like, and he's loud, and I try to, and he just just dominates the conversation.

It's like, hey, you want a microphone?

Like, what, you know, like and it's it's funny, this goes all the way back in the early pages of the Bible, uh, the story of Cain and Abel.

You know, Cain kills his brother Abel, and then God sends him out of where he lives, and he says, No, no, no, God, you can't do that.

Those people will kill me.

Like, well, at this moment in time, he's the killer and he's he sees everyone else as a killer.

Like, we have a way to project our struggles onto other people.

So I'm serious.

If things really bother you about other people, in fact, Jesus kind of put it this way, I love it.

Matthew chapter 7.

Matthew 7 · chapter mention

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?

How can you say to your brother, let me take that speck out of your eye when all the time there's a plank in your own?

You hypocrite.

First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you'll see clearly enough to remove the speck in your brother's eye.

I mean, at the end of the day, what I love what Jesus is saying here, it's so brilliant because we're gonna judge people.

We're really good at that.

Like we're not supposed to, but we do.

But actually, what Jesus is saying is when you do that, because you're gonna do that.

You're gonna you're gonna look at someone, you're gonna judge them, you're gonna see stuff, and you're gonna you're gonna see the stuff in their eyes, so to speak.

But Jesus says, when you do that, turn the attention right back on yourself.

Oh, is it maybe maybe I have something.

I found that we are we're often as people very bad at discerning our issues, but really good at discerning other people's issues.

And maybe that's because we're seeing the same issues in other people that we actually have.

And so I'm just saying, if you're like, I want to see my leaks, pay attention to the things in other people that really bother you.

And then look in the mirror and go, is that a me thing?

I have at least found that it very often is.

But ultimately, the Lord, the Holy Spirit, will give you discernment.

There might be people around you, wise people.

The Bible says that plans fail for lack of counsel.

And that a wise person has many counselors.

Like I have many people in my life that I go to for advice, that I ask advice from.

Um, it's something I genuinely enjoy it most of the time, and well, not all the time, but I value it and I prioritize it.

And so you might go to someone that loves you, that you trust, that you know, and you might say, hey, listen, I something's missing.

Do you do you do you see anything in my life?

Do you see an issue, a struggle that I might have that may be the source of the leak that I have?

And see what they say.

That's a dangerous thing to ask, by the way.

Don't get mad at them.

Decide on the front end not to get mad.

And if you do get mad, it just means you have a leak.

So it's all good.

Um but ask, ask a wise person.

And ask, by the way, ask a wise person who has the Holy Spirit.

Because Spirit, they're the Holy Spirit sees different.

And so uh do that.

But you can identify what those are.

I will say this one thing real quick as we wrap up.

In fact, worship team, you can make your way out.

Um, I mentioned a lot of about insecurity.

And so, you know, it's always great when you go to church, and then you know, you just walk away being like, oh, I'm painfully aware of all my insecurities now.

This is great.

Thank you.

That's why we go.

Um the Lord and your relationship with him has to be the source of your security in life.

I gotta say, on the insecurity front, if you want to shore that one up fast, the only thing that can be the source of your security in life is where you stand with God.

That's it.

If it's your accomplishments, big deal.

There are other people that are far more accomplished than you, no matter how accomplished you are.

I have a really good buddy that's that's real successful, very, very successful, very wealthy, and he was talking about how uh he he you know he felt like he was doing really well in life, and then this guy that he was friends with was talking about trying to figure out what private jet to buy.

And he didn't have private jet money.

And he was like, oh, apparently he like ranked down instantly.

He was like, oh, there's a whole, oh, okay.

Like if you if you allow your salary to be what gives you security, someone makes more.

If you allow your accomplishments and your success to be what gives you security, someone's gonna do better.

It's just a matter of time.

You know what I mean?

If anything other than your relationship with God is your source of security, it is, I mean, it's it's just you're doomed to fail in that way.

The apostle Paul figured that out.

1 Timothy chapter 1.

1 Timothy 1 · chapter mention

He says, I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who's given me strength to do his work.

He considered me trustworthy, he appointed me to serve him, even though I used to blaspheme the name of Christ.

In my insolence I persecuted his people, but God had mercy on me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief.

Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that came from Christ Jesus.

This is a trustworthy saying, everyone should accept it.

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, and I'm the worst of them all.

But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners.

Then others will realize that they too can believe in him and receive eternal life.

All glory and honor to God forever and ever.

He is the eternal king, the unseen one who never dies.

He alone is God.

Amen.

Paul figured out that, yeah, he was just like a sinner and a bad one, but saved by grace and made right by made right by Jesus.

And that was that became his source of security.

If you read the letters of Paul, uh, there's a phrase he uses very often, and it's in Christ.

He says, in Christ.

I got my Lord's Supper cup.

It was in my back pocket, that's why I was reaching back there.

We're gonna do Lord's Supper in a second.

Um Paul uses this phrase in Christ a lot.

In Christ, in Christ, in Christ.

Paul's identity became so wrapped up in Jesus, who he was, his value, his worth, so wrapped up in Jesus Christ, and the fact that he was loved by Jesus, forgiven by Jesus, chosen by Jesus.

That became his security, that became where he drew his strength from, and you know it it allowed him to live the full life.

And so, at the very least today, talking about insecurity as a major leak, I just want to ask and pray that you get your security from him.

Like, do you know who you are in his eyes?

Because just like Paul, you're you're loved by Jesus, you're chosen by.

Jesus.

You're forgiven by Jesus.

And man, people can say all kinds of things about you, and a lot of it's probably true.

But nothing can change the fact that you belong to Him.

And Jesus models for us.

If you're new, we take this little meal together every week.

It's a piece of bread, a little bit of juice.

It's called Lord's Supper, Communion, depending on what title you want to use for it, but it's a chance for us to get our eyes on him, our eyes on Jesus.

You know, Jesus, as incredible as Jesus is, he did not get his security from himself.

It's really amazing.

Because he's God.

God the Son.

But he constantly referred back to the Father.

When people accuse Jesus of all kinds of crazy things, he's like, No, no.

I only do what the Father tells me to do.

He says, all the time, like the Father this, the Father that.

He knew that the Father loved him and was pleased with him, so when other people weren't pleased with him, it wasn't insecurity, and Jesus was not insecure.

But his security did not come from the opinions of others, the things that people said about him, because they said horrible things about him.

Far worse than you're not that good at basketball.

It came from one place, from the Father.

When he was baptized, the Father looked at him and said, This is my son who I love and he brings me great joy.

And Jesus just took that, ran with it, held it.

And anytime someone would say this about him or that, he'd be like, No, that's not what my father thinks.

Do you know what the father thinks about you?

Do you know that he feels the same about you as he felt about Jesus, that you're his child and he loves and you he like you bring him joy?

Do you believe that?

Because if you do, that's your security.

Get your security from that, not from the way that your husband feels about you or your wife feels about you.

Definitely not from the way your kids feel about you.

I'm learning that as the teenage years hit.

Don't, ooh, do not let that be your sense.

No, bad.

Um don't get it from your standing at work, how this quarter has gone.

Don't get it from your grades in school if you're a student.

Don't get it from your performance in a sport if you're an athlete.

Don't get it from anything, everything else phase.

Get your security from one source, from the God who loves you and knows you and has forgiven you and has called you.

And at the very least, that will shore up that leak, I promise.

Let's take this meal together.

Lord Jesus.

Lord, we thank you for this piece of bread.

We thank you for what it represents.

This is your body.

And you gave yourself for us, and you give yourself to us.

And you hold nothing back, Lord, to show us that you want us to have all of you.

You want us to be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

And so, Lord, as we take this this morning, we want to be like you.

We want to be secure in our standing with our Heavenly Father.

It's not based on our performance, what we've done, it's based on you and your love and your forgiveness and your mercy.

So, Lord, help us take that, help us receive that.

Help us be secure in you so that we can be full.

Let's take the bread.

And now the juice.

Father, thank you for this juice.

This is your blood poured out as a sacrifice, as an offering for us.

And Lord, we love you and we need you.

And Father, we just ask in your name that as we drink this today, we recognize who you are.

And your promises are true.

You always follow through.

This meal represents that.

You never hold back.

And when you tell us that you love us and that you choose us and that we're your children, Lord, you never take that back either.

Help us get our security from that so that we can be full.

We love you, Lord.

Let's take the juice.