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June 17, 2026 · 47 min · Missing It
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Missing the Mark: Lessons from Biblical Figures 0:02 A man with 2 sons, a rich young ruler, and a servant who had been entrusted with some gifts and all of them missed it. Missed out on God's heart, missed out on the adventure he was calling him0:14 into. There was a man with 2 sons, both of them were missing it. 1 thought that he had out sinned God's grace, completely missed it. The other thought he had already earned all of God's love. He missed it.0:26 The rich young ruler, he missed out on the adventure of following God with his entire life because the stuff he owned actually owned him. And a servant, a servant0:38 who'd been entrusted with some gifts to use while his master was gone but who thought his gifts were too small. Who thought his impact was was gonna be insignificant. And so he missed out on the opportunity0:50 of trusting God with what he had and using it to the best of his ability and instead he just kinda punted on the entire opportunity of entrusting himself fully to his God. Why1:02 did so many people that met Jesus miss what he was trying to teach him? Why is it, my brothers, that today so many men are still missing what1:14 Jesus is up to in the world? In this series, missing it, we've been setting the lives of of a bunch of different people who tragically missed some1:26 aspect of what God was either doing in their lives, who Jesus truly was, or something he was trying to teach them. And some of them were scared, and the others were1:38 just kinda closed minded, and some just couldn't line up. They couldn't line up what they had experienced in this life with what Jesus was teaching them, with what he was saying that life could be or should be1:50 like. And our hope in this whole series is that we would learn from them, From the places that they missed it. That we would identify places in our own lives where we're tempted to miss what2:01 Jesus is up to. Where we're tempted to miss what Jesus is up to in this world. And instead, we wanna go and join him rather than miss him. Amen? Right. Well,2:14 we've seen people who've missed God's heart for them. We've seen others who missed out on the adventure of following God. Today, we're gonna look at a few people who missed some key truths2:26 that Jesus was trying to teach them. Truth. I mean, Pilate said it right. Quides veritas. What is truth? And today?2:38 Your truth? My truth? I mean, we talk as if truth is something that each of us owns. Something that that each of us gets a chance to weigh in on and decide upon. We really are2:50 living in the most confusing time in history at least when it comes to truth and what truth really is. But if you look at the scripture, confusion around what's true, confusion around3:02 the truth is nothing new. Scripture is full of people who missed the truth. People who missed the ultimate truth. That Jesus was who he claimed3:14 to be the Messiah, the King. Or people who missed subsequent truths about life that Jesus unpacked for them. The nature of money, the truth3:26 about money, the nature and the truth about relationships, about marriage, about work. People missed almost every lesson that Jesus taught. Not that everyone missed everything, but there were people around who missed3:38 it almost every time that Jesus opened his mouth. Why? Well, we're gonna look into their lives. We're actually gonna look at the lives of a very interesting person in scripture today,3:50 and my prayer is that as we see where he missed it, we would would understand if there are places in our own hearts where we're missing it. The first guy is an interesting guy to do the Bible calls4:01 Nicodemus. Super interesting and I think very misunderstood, but he's he's popular nonetheless. He shows up in just 3 passages of scripture, and yet he4:13 makes it into almost every adaptation of the New Testament that you've ever seen. Any play, anything any adaptation that hits the big screen, Bible commentaries. And I don't know if it's Nicodemus'4:25 honest questioning that we relate to so well, Or the fact that he's 1 of the very few members of the religious elite of that time who were even open to considering the idea4:37 that Jesus just might be who he claimed he was. But there's something about Nicodemus that draws us to him, something that endears us to him. And so in John chapter 3, we're gonna take a look4:49 at an interaction he has with Jesus. John chapter 3, the preamble to perhaps the most famous and often memorized verse in all of scripture, John 3 16, that that comes out5:01 in the context of a relationship between Jesus and Nicodemus. And in the way of history and context, we're gonna unpack a couple of things that scripture tells us about Nicodemus and some things we kind of learn about5:12 his life from church tradition. So we know for certain that he was a Pharisee. Right? A member of the religious elite of his day. But he was also a member of the Sanhedrin, which is kind of the ruling spiritual5:24 cast, the the governing council, for the Jews. So he was a man of high status. He was a highly educated man. Even his name, Nicodemus, was a Greek name. So we can assume that5:36 not only was he well steeped in Jewish culture, but he also had a good understanding of Hellenistic or Greek culture. And as a member of the Pharisees, the fact that he's even open to meeting with5:47 Jesus shows us that he's also a very curious man. Either something that Jesus has done or something that Jesus has said up to this point has piqued Nicodemus'5:59 interest, and so he wants to meet Jesus himself. So he waits until after dark. Now right away, you might be tempted to think, Dusty, that's the first place that Nicodemus is missing6:11 it. He's he's embarrassed, about being curious about Jesus. He doesn't wanna be seen with Jesus. And I've read the scriptures, Dusty. If if we're embarrassed of him, he's gonna be embarrassed and ashamed of us. Hold on6:23 a second. Because that attitude, I think, is really 1 of the places that you and I are very tempted to miss what Jesus is up to today. If anyone6:35 in your life, if anyone in my life is even the least bit curious about Jesus, let's not do anything to stand in their way. Not6:47 in our attitudes of judgment, not in our criticism, or even in our frustration at their their baby steps and their fumbling. If anyone takes a step towards Jesus,6:59 you just encourage them to keep going. Just encourage them to keep going. If they're embarrassed or they're asking you questions in hush tones in the corner of some forgotten cafe,7:11 encourage this person to keep going because what begins with curiosity so often ends in salvation. Let's not miss it that we7:22 were all once far away. In fact, more than far away according to scripture, we were all at 1 time dead in our sins and in need of resurrection.7:34 And so instead of setting up any kind of barriers, right, ideological or societal, mental, whatever, let's instead of setting up these barriers, let's set up slides7:46 on ramps that get people in front of God, in front of the things of God very quick. Let's build bridges and ramps and not walls to keep people out. I love what7:58 Luke says in the book of Acts chapter 15 verse 19. He says, and so my judgment is that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Now in the context of that scripture, he's talking about all8:10 of the religious observances, you know, circumcision and the way that they ate, but the the truth remains for us. Let's not make it hard for people who are curious about Jesus. Let's not miss opportunities to8:22 make finding out more about Jesus an easy endeavor. And what does that look like? Well, it starts in here. It starts with our internal temperature and our internal attitudes. It means this,8:34 be patient with people because Jesus was. It means pursue the long shots, the 1 you think are furthest away from the kingdom because Jesus did. Does it8:45 interest you to realize that Jesus was never upset when he met sinners. Now make no mistake, Jesus despised the sin that he encountered in people's lives because he knew it8:57 kept them from him and from the things that he had for them. He was always angry at the effects of sin, but he was not angry at the sinner for being lost except when he spoke to the sinners who acted and thought that9:09 they weren't sinners. Let's encourage each other to remember that Jesus spent his entire life in ministry pursuing the kinds of people that we hope don't9:21 sit next to us on the airplane. So even though Nicodemus shows up by night, he is intentionally seeking out Jesus. And so when he meets him in John chapter 3, he even9:33 starts off and addresses him as rabbi, as teacher, which most of the Pharisees did not think Jesus was a teacher, did not think he was a good teacher. So it already shows this is something9:44 radical, something's going on in Nicodemus's heart. So open your Bibles to John chapter 3. I wanna read through this interaction, and I wanna see if we can discern the places and maybe the reasons9:57 why ultimately, Nicodemus is unable to grasp the truth that Jesus offers in this passage, why Nicodemus misses it. Says this, there was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a10:09 Pharisee. After dark 1 evening, he came to speak with Jesus. Rabbi, he said, we all know that god has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.10:21 Jesus replied, I tell you the truth, unless you're born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God. So Nicodemus starts off the conversation like we said. He's curious, he's humble, he also starts to show10:33 these a little bit confused. Because on 1 hand, he says, I can clearly see that you are from God. You've done too much stuff. Your your miracles are too obvious. They prove God sent you here10:45 to us. Nobody could have done what you've done Jesus unless God was with them. But at the same time, Nicodemus is not quite sure that he believes that Jesus is who he claims to be.10:57 So Jesus meets him right in that tension, right where he was sitting, but Jesus refuses to let him stay there. So Jesus goes, let's go to the deep end of the pool. I'm throwing you all the way in11:09 Nicodemus. You wanna follow me? You wanna enter the kingdom? You gotta be born all over again. Nicodemus isn't even sure what Jesus is talking about, or maybe11:21 he is, and he's not willing to admit what Jesus is calling him into. Could it be that he's just not willing to accept the idea that11:33 someone as religious as him, as accomplished as him, as knowledgeable about scripture and God as him has to do something else, something so drastic in order to be worthy of entering the11:44 kingdom. But he continues to ask questions, which is where we wanna keep people who are seeking Jesus. We wanna keep them asking questions, digging deeper. But11:56 the fact that Jesus says something so radical straight to a Pharisee, it teaches you and I something that is very important, something that we can't miss. Not only for our own salvation, but for12:08 how we're gonna go out and articulate the good news, the gospel of Jesus Christ. See, the Pharisees were the most strict followers of Torah, of of the religious law. These men had committed12:20 entire books of the Old Testament to memory. They were highly disciplined. They were devoted to God. They loved him deeply. So when Jesus says to a man from this12:31 crew, you have to be born all over again. We have to understand what Jesus is conveying is that no matter how moral you are,12:44 you must be born again. The fact that Jesus says this to Nicodemus whose entire life was full of morality, of moral goodness, of sin management, of12:56 avoiding the bad, of pursuing the good, it means that the invitation to be born again is not just God offering us more religious structure, or more effort, or13:07 demanding more success of us in our obedience. But notice, Jesus also doesn't say, Nicodemus, you've done a really good job. And you're like 90 percent of the way there. And if you'll13:19 just let me help you be born again, man, it's gonna push you right over the top all the way into the kingdom. He does not say that. And this is13:31 1 of the truths they'll notice we've been landing on some version of this truth that our salvation is of God and from God and it's because of the work of Jesus. We keep coming back to this and we13:43 have to keep coming back to this. Not only in this series but in our life, Jesus spoke so often to us and so directly that our salvation, it's never Jesus13:55 plus anything. Just as true when the scriptures are written, just as true for us today. Our salvation is not Jesus plus confession to a priest. Jesus plus14:07 taking holy communion in the proper way. Jesus plus baptism. Jesus plus tiding, plus church involvement, plus any kind of effort. Jesus plus sin management, plus trying really hard. Jesus tells us that we14:19 have to be born again. What he's saying is you have to become completely new. But it's not the encouragement just for14:30 those, who think that I might need rebirth even though I'm very, very moral. Right? This this doesn't just go over that. Guys, the truth that Jesus shared this, it doesn't14:42 just remind us that no matter how moral you are, you have to be born again. It also means that no matter how sinful you are, you can be born again. The the gospel says to the 1 who thinks14:54 I I think I'm 90 percent of the way there. Jesus says, you need to go all the way back and be made new. And the 1 who says, there's no way I could ever be able to be made clean. Jesus says, I'll make you new. To the15:05 proud, it brings humility. To the humility, it raises them up and lets them know that God is the 1 who does it in both circumstances. It's so encouraging. No 1 is so holy that they're beyond needing to be15:17 made new, and no 1 is so sinful that God can't transform their lives. But it was clearly beyond Nicodemus's ability or willingness to grasp. Look at how he15:29 responds in in verse 4. What do you mean? Explains Nicodemus. How can an old man go back into his mother's womb and be born again? Nicodemus is flustered. He is very confused and15:41 understandably so. This is a trippy idea that Jesus lays out there. It's radical. This is revolutionary teaching. And so he's trying to understand. He's taking Jesus's words,15:53 and unfortunately, he tries to fit them through his current lens. He tries to make sense of the teachings of Jesus according to his current framework, according to what16:05 he knows, according to his current worldview. People still miss Jesus this very same way. They take the words of Christ that they encounter in scripture16:17 and they kind of try to hold them up. Right? They take God's word and they try to hold it up to see if it lines up with their personal experiences. Does it sync up with their own personal desires and viewpoints? Is it16:28 consistent with their perspective? Is it consistent with their plans? And so they kinda run scripture through the gauntlet of of pop culture, of of everything they've experienced, of their own emotions, of their own16:39 desires, and they see if they can understand Jesus through the lens of their own current context. Can they fit Jesus into their own lives?16:51 But Jesus was doing something new. Jesus is still doing something new. The change that Jesus makes in us. The moment of17:03 salvation when we're when we're forgiven, when the Holy Spirit takes up residence within us, he makes us completely new. We become something that we were not yet. It's so different that Jesus17:15 likens it to being born over again. To being born a second time, to becoming something completely different. And brothers, nothing less than rebirth17:27 is what's necessary to truly follow Jesus. I simply cannot follow Jesus and stay where I am. I can't become17:39 more like Jesus by efforting to become more of like what I already am. I have to be made new. And so Nicodemus, like so many people sadly today, he just miss17:51 it. But maybe it wasn't just that it didn't fit into his context, maybe he saw it and was unwilling. Unwilling to let go of what he thought it meant to be a part of the kingdom. How he18:03 thought he was made right with God. Or maybe it was just doubt. He didn't believe that Jesus had the authority to offer what he was offering. Or maybe he looked at what Jesus was offering. And the idea of becoming18:15 new, of letting go of what currently was, was too disruptive. Maybe he had come to love the comfort that he experienced. Was Jesus asking him to let go of that?18:28 Was this rebirth gonna cost him all of his power? His prestige? Would this cost him his privilege that he was experiencing in society? No doubt, Nicodemus18:39 lived a comfortable life. Now he had worked hard to get there, but he was comfortable. He knew where he stood. He didn't lack for anything. He was comfortable in what he believed to be true18:51 about God, about himself. He liked the wealth he had amassed, the respect that he earned in society. Maybe he even started to enjoy that position of privilege so much that he was unwilling to let it19:03 go. And as he's sitting here listening to Jesus, perhaps he's weighing out in his mind. Man, becoming a follower of Jesus is actually gonna cost me something. And ultimately,19:16 we see Nicodemus just like so many people we've studied throughout this series, decides following Jesus isn't worth what it's going to cost me.19:28 Or maybe he was just confused. Because if you keep reading, look at verse 9. I mean, he keeps the dialogue going, even though it's hard, even though these things are all coming up. It doesn't seem like he's just19:40 unwilling. At least like he's not just cons you know, just consciously rejecting Jesus. He's not just saying no. But he does ask a question that reveals a roadblock19:53 that keeps a lot of people from Jesus today. Look what he says in verse 9. How are these things possible? How is this even possible?20:06 Even after following Jesus for my entire life, I am still so surprised that I'll get into a new situation, having to make a new decision, coming up against some new20:18 struggle, and I just don't see the way out. And it feels like it's impossible. When my human mind can't discern the way out, I'm so tempted to give up or doubt that God20:30 knows the way out. When I brought my second of 4 children home from the hospital, the company that I was working with, national company, about 4000 employees suddenly20:41 closed. I got a call on a Saturday night and say go clean out your office. To say I was freaking out, that'd be giving me a lot more credit than I deserve. But it wasn't just that my company was shutting down. The market20:53 segment that I had been a part of was being squeezed out of the industry. So it wasn't just like an attorney learning that his firm was going under or a teacher learning that their school would be closing. It would be21:05 like an attorney hearing the world doesn't need attorneys anymore. That's not how we do law. We're not gonna educate in schools anymore, professor. I'm sorry. So everything I had done for the last several years,21:17 was now gone. I mean, to say that it looked bleak for us, that's that's really treading lightly. And like I said, to say that I was confused or freaking out a little bit, that's giving me a lot more credit than I do. I21:29 was completely resigned to the fact that we were in trouble. I could not see a way out. I had no idea what to do. And so we turned to the Lord. It makes me sad that it21:41 was out of this desperation. It's great that in our desperation we cry out, but why is it that we have to exhaust all of our personal effort before we'll turn to the 1 with limited resources, unlimited21:53 power, unlimited wisdom? We we appeal to the creator god like it's some last ditch effort. But so my wife and I just said, lord, if we're gonna get out of here, it's going to be miraculous. It's going to be22:05 you. We had no other choice. We had no options. We just clung to Jesus and we just decided, God, you're the only 1 who can get us out of here. And I22:17 got a call from a recruiter and I got an opportunity at a company I thought was gonna go nowhere. I ended up spending 10 years with that company watching them grow 10 x in size and go22:28 public and it was an incredible ride. I got to serve with some great people. But at that moment, I couldn't see any of that. Through my current lens, I couldn't understand how God was22:40 gonna make good come out of this and I think that might be where Nicodemus was. He was looking at everything that he had accomplished. He was looking at everything he understood and Jesus was turning all of that upside22:51 down. And I don't think he was being incredulous. I think he was saying, I'm really trying to believe here. I think he wanted to believe. I just think he didn't know how. I think he was asking Jesus for direction23:04 saying, I do want that new life. I just I don't know how to get from here to there. And I love it because as Jesus progresses through his answer, he makes something23:15 incredibly clear. We, you and me, will never be able to get ourselves there. That new life is only and always a work23:27 of Jesus'. God the father through the son by the power of the Holy Spirit. And I love what follows is a conversation, like we said, perhaps the most famous passage in all of scripture23:40 that lays out so clearly, so succinctly, and so truthfully how it is that we are born again. How it is that we're saved. Jesus said, as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole23:52 in the wilderness, so the son of man must be lifted up so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life. For this is how God loved the24:03 world. He gave his 1 and only son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish, but will have eternal life. God sent his24:15 son into the world, not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. There's no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him24:27 has already been judged for not believing in God's 1 and only son. It's so beautiful. Jesus says to him, Nicodemus, you wanna know how you're born again? He says to us today through the words in24:39 scripture. Guys, you wanna know how to be born again? He says it all starts with me. When I'm lifted up with my death, my sacrifice, and my resurrection, that's where it all begins. When I'm lifted24:50 up, I offer my life for you. As I demonstrate my great love for this entire world, God the father will offer you salvation through the son and you must25:02 believe it. If you do, you'll be born again. Of all the 31000 some odd verses in the Bible, John 3 16 is probably the most memorized. And I think it's because it25:14 just clearly lays out the gospel. Gospel, g o s p e l, God's only son. We don't perish, we get eternal life.25:26 It's so clear. And I think it would have been confusing, maybe even a little offensive to Nicodemus. See Jesus, like25:38 we said, has just upset Nicodemus' long held beliefs about how someone is saved. By telling him to be born again, Jesus was basically saying, Nicodemus, you're not25:50 there yet. You're not saved yet. Nicodemus would have certainly considered himself 1 of God's chosen people, an elected leader of God's chosen people26:02 as already having been saved. It's just waiting for the deliverance, but really already chosen already in. So when Jesus says, you gotta be born again. You gotta undergo some huge changes.26:15 Who you are needs to be made new, Nicodemus. It would have been kind of an affront, a shock to Nicodemus. And then the next thing Jesus said in the middle of that, after26:26 saying that he showed his love for the entire world, when he zoomed out the scope of this, oh, by the way, Nicodemus, I'm offering this rebirth to everyone, it would have pushed Nicodemus over the26:38 edge. Not only has God said, no one's in yet except through me. Oh, by the way, I'm gonna let all the Gentiles in too if they believe. We cannot miss the truth of26:50 John 3 16 that god so loved the entire world. And it didn't stop there. Don't ever forget, god still so loves the world.27:02 God's plan is that all people would come to him in a saving relationship. That's still God's heart towards the world. He hasn't thrown the towel in. He's not frustrated. He's still desiring that all of us27:14 should be saved. It was love that moved the father to offer his precious son to bring salvation to anyone. Whosoever would27:25 believe the author of salvation is universal. God's desire is that everyone would come to him. Everyone would understand what was done for us on the cross. It27:37 also shocks me when I hear people say the exact opposite. They don't ask why a loving God would rescue us. Instead, they look at heaven as kind of our our intended birthright and they say things like, how could a27:49 loving God send people to hell? And I always lovingly remind them, hell is not a place that we are sent. According to this passage, it's somewhere we are already headed.28:03 We are responsible for our own place in hell. The wages of sin is death. My sin, your sin, it separates us from God. We are the ones who send ourselves down this path, but a loving28:14 God died in order to give us the chance to trade up, to exchange separation for connection, death literally for life, hell for heaven. Why28:26 don't we ever ask that question? Why would a good God give us anything that we are so undeserving of? Well, it's based on our God and his love. Praise28:38 God that he loves us based on who he is and not based on who we are or how much we deserve it. But it's not the knowledge of heaven or the invitation28:51 that Christ offered that brings us into that place of either condemnation or salvation. Remember, this passage says that we are already condemned. It's not that as we present the gospel, now someone is29:03 condemned. We all sit condemned, all of us. That is our position before Christ entered. Before we met him, which is where Nicodemus29:15 was. So let's never forget. Let's never stop pursuing the people that Jesus pursued. Let's never for a minute miss the fact that it's not by our own efforts that were reborn.29:27 It is a work of God's Holy Spirit in us. Let's not miss that truth. For the next few minutes, I wanna look at 1 more guy29:39 who missed another important truth. Famous dude. Gardner, son of the original man. He was a brother and a murderer.29:51 His name was Cain. Adam and Eve's son, brother to Abel, and he and his brother's time in scripture is as impactful and insightful for us as it is tragic and short.30:04 Both of these sons set out to bring an offering to God. And both of them brought 2 very different offerings to the Lord.30:17 And God responds in 2 very different ways. Look at the book of Genesis chapter 4 starting in verse 3. When it was time for the harvest, Cain30:28 presented some of his crops as a gift to the lord. Abel also brought a gift. The best portions of the firstborn lambs of his flock. The lord accepted Abel and his30:40 gift, but he did not accept Cain and his. This made Cain very angry and he looked dejected. So like we said before, 2 boys30:52 both bringing an offering a gift before God. They both bring very different gifts for very different reasons and the Lord responds like we said very differently. Just look at the way that it31:04 describes Cain's offering. It's brief, it's accurate, but it's not too flashy. Cain brought some of his crops. Cain brought few things,31:16 And the writer specifies that the amount isn't overwhelming, it's just some. He didn't say that he brought all or that he brought most of the crops. He also says something to the quality. He doesn't say that he brought31:25 his very best. He doesn't say that he that he brought a giant sacrificial it just basically says he brought he brought some crops. Not the best, not not that it was impressive.31:38 Cain, like too many people today, kinda tried to tip God out of his leftovers. It wasn't heartfelt. It wasn't even truly a sacrifice. See, Cain missed the truth of31:50 what a sacrifice actually is because it had cost him so very little. Cain missed it by believing a couple of lies about the nature of sacrifice.32:02 The first is the lie that a worthy sacrifice can cost us nothing. Cain believed the lie that a worthy sacrifice, that a sacrifice that honors God can cost us32:14 nothing. Because a worthy sacrifice by definition, boys, is always a sacrifice. It will always cost us. Now don't get twisted32:26 up though. God isn't interested in flashy or expensive. Right? Remember, remember the widow's mite. Remember the gift that was very small in numeric value, but huge in terms of the sacrifice32:38 it represented. It's always the heart willing to forego to sacrifice something unto the Lord to please him. Now let's compare that to32:49 Cain's brother. Right? Look back at verse 4. It says that Abel also brought a gift, but look at how it describes Abel's gift. The best portions of the firstborn lambs33:02 from his own flock. So picture this, Abel goes to his flock and he finds the firstborn lambs, kinda like first bar. Then amongst those, he selects33:13 the very best. Now from that lamb, he succeeds he selects the very best portions. This is like the best of the best of the best. This would have been costly33:25 to Abel. Right? All of that, the the the best portions, the firstborn, that's Old Testament lingo to convey the idea that this was a very costly sacrifice for Abel to bring.33:37 You guys have all heard the adage that something is worth whatever someone's willing to pay for it. When we offer God a sacrifice that costs us little, what are we telling God that he33:49 is worth to us? We cannot offer God a sacrifice that costs us nothing in order to tell him that he means everything to us. This doesn't34:01 line up. So let's not miss that. But this wasn't the only lie that Cain believed. Cain didn't just believe the eye that a worthy sacrifice can cost him nothing. He also believed the lie that a beautiful34:13 sacrifice makes it a worthy sacrifice. Because there's no doubt if you think about what these 2 offerings looked like, Cain's would have been beautiful. Even if it was some of his crops, it would have been34:25 aesthetically pleasing. It would have looked the part. It would have seemed like a worthy sacrifice. I mean, Abel's offering would have been nasty, bloody, and disgusting. The eye test would have been like, yeah.34:37 Cain's killing it. Abel, that's that's kinda gross. You would have wanted to put Cain's sacrifice on Instagram. Hashtag offering. Hashtag some of my crop.34:50 But God's eyes were not upon the beauty of the offering, but upon the heart that was offering it. And it says the Lord rejected Cain's offering. Now we're not35:01 entirely sure how God did this. It could have been that God came down in fire and consumed Abel's offering and didn't consume Cain's. But the way that it's written, it35:13 certainly sounds like this rejection was public. Cain's response is that this probably happened in front of Abel and might even have happened in front of Adam and Eve as well. And all35:25 we know boys is that doesn't feel good. In fact, everything seems to hurt worse when someone else sees it. Isn't that true? Failure is just hurt worse. Falling down hurts35:37 way worse when people are watching even though we try to act like it doesn't. And Cain is livid. Scripture says he's angry and dejected. He's steaming. He's35:48 stewing in his anger. I don't know exactly what was going through his head, but it was not awesome. And so God lovingly warns him about what's gonna happen36:00 if he stays in that anger. Look what he says in verse 7. Even after God's rejected the gift, he has not rejected the ongoing relationship. He says, watch out.36:13 Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. You must subdue it and be its master. God's saying, Cain, be careful son what you allow yourself to continue36:25 to think about. Because it's gonna give the enemy a seat at the table. You're actually gonna give the enemy the head seat at the table. Sin wants to control you. It does not wanna be a supporting36:37 actor. It wants the lead role. Stewing in your anger, God's saying, is a good way to give your enemy the control that he wants. We cannot miss this truth,36:48 guys. We cannot miss the final lie that Cain believed, and that was this. Cain believed the lie that he could think about whatever he wanted to, and it wouldn't affect his actions. We cannot believe the lie37:00 that we can think about, think however we want, and have it not affect what comes out of us, what we do, and what we say. Cain thought he could just simply stew, be in his anger, and it wasn't gonna37:12 affect what he did. Angry thoughts towards the Lord, jealous, angry thoughts towards his brother, believing the lie that somehow his thoughts and his actions would stay separate. It's untrue. Scripture37:24 promises us the exact opposite. Proverbs 4 23 says, above all else, guard your hearts, your inner man, your thought life, your emotional life because everything you do flows out of it, scripture37:36 tells us. Wait a second. Everything I do flows out of everything that I am in here, what I think about and what I what I feel and the things I allow myself to stew on everything we do starts off as37:48 something we thought about. James says that temptation, it doesn't come from the things out there, it comes from our own evil desires in here, and these diaries give birth birth to sinful37:59 actions out here, and that sin will actually ultimately lead to death. This is just another picture of thoughts becoming intentions becoming actions.38:13 Let's not believe this lie. We cannot allow ourselves to think about whatever we want and not expect that to affect our lives. If you and I38:25 sit and stew in our anger, we ruminate on past hurts or current reasons to dislike someone, it will affect your interactions with that person, 100 percent.38:37 Don't believe the lie that you can just stew in your lustful thoughts. Let it run free. Tolerate any sexual thought that comes into your head. It will play itself out in real life.38:49 Don't believe the lie that you can sit and plot and scheme about ways to make more money in the company even if they're a little bit outside of the lines looking for those places when you maybe could expand your38:58 footprint or expand the profit lines and think that that's never going to affect your actions. Your thoughts matter. We all know how Cain's39:10 story ends. He ends up killing his own brother. It started with a sacrifice that cost him nothing. It became anger that he let grow uncontrollable,39:22 and it led to the death of his kin at his own hand. And let's just not miss what we learned from this tragic example from him or also from Nicodemus.39:35 What happens when we miss it? Let's not miss it like Nicodemus did and never believe that that we are either too righteous and don't need to be made new or that the person in front ofShow more In this video 0:00 Missing the Mark: Lessons from Biblical Figures42:00 The Inner Battle: Spiritual Growth and Breakthrough
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