When Less Is Better - Craig Groeschel
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00:00 Let me just tell you honestly that this message
00:05 has the potential to impact your life as much or more
00:10 than any message we do this year.
00:15 And I say that sincerely.
00:17 It has the potential to impact your life as much or more.
00:21 But at the same time, this message is gonna be
00:23 one of the easiest ones for you to shake off
00:27 and pretend like it's for the person sitting next to you.
00:30 Just be forewarned.
00:32 Now, last week we learned that we all tell lies.
00:37 And we discovered that the person that you lie to the most
00:40 is who?
00:41 Is you, right?
00:43 We learned also that one of the biggest lies
00:46 that we tell ourselves today I wanna talk about,
00:49 over and over and over again, we lie to ourselves
00:51 and tell ourselves that more is better.
00:57 Whatever you have, if you have one, two is better,
01:02 more is always better.
01:03 And this reflects the lie that the serpent
01:08 told Adam and Eve all the way back in Genesis
01:12 in the Garden of Eden.
01:13 If you remember the story, God created Adam and said,
01:17 "It's not good for you to be alone."
01:18 He created Eve.
01:19 Adam said, "Whoa, man," called her woman.
01:21 They were naked and in love and enjoying the garden.
01:26 And God said, "You can eat from any tree in the garden
01:28 "except for one.
01:29 "You can't eat from the one,
01:31 "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."
01:32 And the serpent came along and said,
01:35 "Did God really say you can't eat from that one?"
01:40 Because if you eat from that one
01:42 that he told you you can't eat from,
01:43 if you have what he said you can't have,
01:45 then you'll be like God.
01:47 Essentially, the message from the serpent back then
01:51 is the same message we hear over and over
01:53 and over again today, that what you don't have
01:56 is what you need to be happy,
02:01 to be fulfilled, and to be content.
02:04 Every marketing message,
02:07 everything you see on social media,
02:08 every time you turn the television on,
02:10 what you don't have is what you need
02:14 to be happy, to be fulfilled, and to be content.
02:19 Why?
02:20 Because more is always better.
02:24 What do you need to be happy?
02:27 You need more money, you need more toys,
02:31 you need more shoes, more purses, more watches,
02:34 more muscles, come on, somebody.
02:36 You need more square footage, you need more travel,
02:39 you need more likes, you need more followers,
02:41 you need more hair.
02:43 Unless we're talking about hair on your back
02:45 and then you don't need more hair there,
02:46 but you know what I'm talking about in general.
02:49 You need more, you need more, you need more,
02:52 because more is always better.
02:55 And I would ask you the question,
02:56 what if the stuff you have
02:58 is keeping you from the life that you want?
03:02 Today, we're continuing the series Habits of the Heart,
03:07 and we're gonna talk about the habit of simplicity,
03:11 and the title of today's message is When Less is Better.
03:15 Father, we pray today that by the power of your Holy Spirit,
03:20 that your living Word
03:22 would speak to us in such a way
03:27 that we are transformed to stop believing the lie,
03:33 embrace the truth, be changed by the truth,
03:38 and we know that Jesus is the truth.
03:41 So speak to us and change us today by his power.
03:44 We pray this in Jesus' name, and everybody said.
03:47 - Amen. - Amen.
03:49 What I wanna do today is I wanna introduce to you
03:50 our key thought from a story in the book of Acts,
03:54 Acts chapter 27, I'll give you the context.
03:57 Paul was on a ship,
03:59 and this ship was beaten down by a storm,
04:03 and the whole crew thought they were gonna die,
04:05 and they had gone a couple of weeks without eating,
04:08 and Paul finally broke bread, and he gave thanks,
04:13 and this is where we pick up the story in Acts chapter 27.
04:16 We see in verse 36, "Then they were all encouraged
04:21 "and also took food for themselves."
04:23 So after two weeks, I'd be encouraged
04:25 if I got a bologna sandwich too,
04:27 and they were really in a good mood.
04:28 Scripture says something really fast in here,
04:31 and I want you guys to help me out with this verse,
04:33 those of you online as well.
04:35 The Bible says, "So when they had eaten," what?
04:37 Would you say the word aloud?
04:38 "So when they had eaten enough."
04:41 Those of you online, go ahead and type this
04:43 in the comment section.
04:44 Let me spell it for you.
04:45 If it's a word you've never heard before
04:47 and don't know how to spell it, it's enough, E-N-O-U-G-H.
04:52 Let's say it again, we're learning a new word.
04:54 The word is enough.
04:56 "So when they had eaten enough," what did they do?
05:00 "They lightened the ship,
05:02 "and they threw out the wheat into the sea.
05:06 "When they had enough,
05:08 "they got rid of what they didn't need."
05:12 When they had enough.
05:15 So just to be really clear, what is enough?
05:19 If you're taking notes, you wanna write this down.
05:21 Enough is when you have what you need.
05:26 I'll say it again, and I'll say it really slowly,
05:29 'cause I know this is a new concept.
05:31 I'm trying to take this in myself.
05:32 What is enough?
05:33 Enough is when you have what you need.
05:36 What do we call that?
05:37 We call it enough.
05:40 So to practice the habit of simplifying,
05:45 we're gonna learn a little phrase.
05:46 It has three words,
05:48 and then we're gonna say it again and again,
05:49 and we're gonna ask God to help internalize it.
05:52 Here it goes.
05:53 The phrase is this.
05:54 Say it with me.
05:55 I have enough.
05:57 Okay, let's all say it again, everybody.
05:58 One, two, three, one, two, three.
06:00 I have enough.
06:02 Those of you online,
06:03 you can type that in the comment section.
06:05 Type it by faith if you don't believe it, okay?
06:08 Let's say it again.
06:08 I have enough.
06:11 And the reason I'm kind of poking fun at this
06:13 is because we can kind of say we have enough,
06:16 but the problem is there's almost nobody here
06:20 that the way we live communicates
06:24 that we believe that we have enough.
06:28 The Lord is my shepherd, and I have all that I need.
06:31 The Lord is my shepherd.
06:32 I have enough.
06:34 And so if we wanna really live the habit of simplicity,
06:38 I'm gonna give you a couple of prayers that we can pray.
06:40 You can pray this in your life group.
06:42 You can pray it in your own devotion time.
06:44 But this is a game-changing set of prayers.
06:48 It would go like this.
06:50 God, give me less of what doesn't matter,
06:54 and God, give me more of what does matter.
06:57 You can type that in the comment section,
06:59 and let's all just say that aloud.
07:01 God, give me less of what doesn't matter,
07:04 and God, give me more of what does.
07:07 Let's say it one more time.
07:08 Just make it even kind of prayerful if you can right now.
07:11 God, give me less of what doesn't matter,
07:15 and God, give me more of what does matter.
07:20 What if you prayed that consistently?
07:24 What if you really desired that?
07:27 It'd be very, very countercultural,
07:29 but it would be very, very true
07:31 to what Jesus teaches in the gospel.
07:33 So let's start with the first part of the prayer.
07:35 God, give me less of what doesn't matter.
07:41 Give me less of what doesn't matter.
07:43 Jesus taught this principle in Matthew chapter six,
07:47 and I'm gonna show you the words,
07:49 but I just wanna pause as we go into them,
07:50 and I want you to understand these are the words of Jesus.
07:53 Do not let it be just words on a page
07:55 or words on a screen.
07:56 These are the words of Jesus,
07:59 and this is what Jesus taught us.
08:01 This is his way, and this is truth.
08:04 Jesus taught us this.
08:06 He said, "Don't store up treasures here on earth.
08:11 "Which is exactly what is a life goal for most of us."
08:16 More stuff, more stuff, more stuff.
08:17 "Do not store up treasures here on earth
08:19 "where moths eat them and rust destroy them,
08:23 "and where thieves break in and steal."
08:26 He goes on to say, "But store your treasures in heaven
08:30 "where moths and rust cannot destroy,
08:33 "and thieves do not break in and steal."
08:35 Then Jesus says, and watch this,
08:37 "Wherever your treasure is,
08:39 "there are the desires of your," what?
08:40 "There are the desires of your heart will be also."
08:44 Remember, we're talking about habits of the heart.
08:47 If you wanna change your life, change your habits,
08:50 but if you wanna change your habits,
08:52 let God change your heart.
08:56 And Jesus tells us, "Don't store up stuff
09:01 "that doesn't last.
09:02 "Don't accumulate more and don't hoard."
09:07 But the reality is, for most of us,
09:09 is almost a goal to accumulate.
09:11 What do we want?
09:13 We want bigger bank balances.
09:15 Why?
09:17 Because most of us, we put our security in money
09:20 and not in God, right?
09:23 I mean, that's what I do.
09:24 That's why I want more.
09:26 We want a new outfit.
09:28 Why?
09:28 Different reasons, but many people,
09:30 they feel empty on the inside,
09:32 so we need some external validation
09:35 to make us feel better
09:36 because we're empty on the inside.
09:39 Or someone may want, I don't know,
09:41 to remodel their kitchen
09:42 for the third time in three years.
09:43 Why?
09:45 Maybe because their marriage isn't good
09:47 and they don't wanna face it.
09:48 What does it mean to have less of what doesn't matter?
09:54 If you want less of what doesn't matter, what do you do?
10:01 Scripture teaches us what to do.
10:02 Hebrews 12, one tells us this.
10:05 The author of the Hebrews says,
10:06 "Let us strip off every weight that slows us down."
10:11 And we do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus.
10:17 Let's get rid of everything, every weight, every stuff,
10:22 every part of our schedule, every distraction,
10:27 everything that doesn't matter.
10:29 Let's keep our eyes on Jesus.
10:32 Let's strip off everything we don't need.
10:35 Let's have enough and throw the rest overboard.
10:38 Let's eliminate all of the stuff,
10:40 the distractions that weighs us down
10:43 and keep our eyes on Jesus.
10:45 And I don't know what would weigh you down,
10:46 but stuff has gotten in my way for years.
10:50 I'm finally over it.
10:52 What do we do in our world today?
10:53 I mean, people have like a walk-in closet.
10:55 In a lot of part of the world,
10:56 your closet's bigger than some people's house.
10:58 And you walk in your closet, there's clothes everywhere.
11:01 You touch them all and you say, "I've got nothing to wear."
11:04 How does that happen?
11:05 And then you've got so much stuff there
11:06 that it doesn't fit in your closet.
11:07 So you put it in your attic and then you put it in your closet
11:10 and some of you, you have so much stuff in your garage,
11:12 in your closet, and you don't have enough room
11:14 for your stuff.
11:15 So you rent an additional place to put your stuff.
11:18 And Jesus says, "Don't accumulate stuff."
11:22 And so for some of you,
11:24 I believe the Holy Spirit could speak to you
11:26 a very real message.
11:28 Throw out as if your life depends on it.
11:33 Because it does.
11:35 What if the stuff you have
11:38 is robbing you from the life you want?
11:40 I mean, real simple.
11:43 If you haven't used it in the last year, give it away.
11:47 You guys are looking at me
11:52 like I'm talking about sin or something.
11:54 Don't mess with my stuff, pastor.
11:59 Stay out of my stuff.
12:00 If you get one, a new one, give the old one, whatever it is.
12:05 Don't let stuff weigh you down.
12:11 For some of you, it's your schedule.
12:13 You are so busy, you don't have time for Jesus.
12:19 You're here, there, you got more on your to-do list.
12:23 For some of you, the most spiritual thing you could do
12:28 is create a to-don't list.
12:31 (congregation laughing)
12:33 Strip off everything, the stuff, or the busyness.
12:38 I mean, I don't know what it is,
12:42 I don't wanna pick on anybody's thing,
12:44 but you could cancel Netflix and maybe have quiet time.
12:49 Or stop scrolling on whatever
12:53 and maybe start learning the Word.
12:56 Or stop comparing and truly find contentment.
13:00 Let us strip off everything that would hinder our relationship
13:06 and what are we gonna do?
13:07 The only way we're gonna let go of it
13:09 is if we keep our eyes on Jesus,
13:11 because He's so much better.
13:14 God, give me less of what doesn't matter,
13:19 and God, give me more of what does matter.
13:25 God, give me more of what does matter.
13:26 I love Ecclesiastes 4, and I wanna look at it a few times.
13:29 Better one handful with what?
13:34 With tranquility or with peace,
13:37 than two handfuls with toil and a chasing after the wind.
13:41 I wanna illustrate this for you.
13:43 These are jelly beans.
13:46 The reason they're jelly beans is because they're colorful,
13:49 and I don't like jelly beans.
13:51 If they were M&Ms, I'd probably eat 'em,
13:53 but they're jelly beans.
13:54 And this is gonna illustrate the verse.
13:57 Better is what?
13:58 Let's say, let's quote the verse together.
14:00 Better is one handful with what?
14:04 With tranquility, with peace,
14:05 than two handfuls with a toil and a chasing after the wind.
14:10 Let me show you what most of us look like.
14:13 Most of us just aren't two handfuls.
14:14 Most of us are.
14:15 Right?
14:24 But what does the Word of God say?
14:27 Better is a little less with room for the stuff
14:31 that matters.
14:32 Better is one handful.
14:34 Why is one handful better?
14:38 Because you have a free hand.
14:41 And if you have a free hand,
14:42 what can you do to someone around you?
14:44 You can hug someone, and you can give to someone,
14:49 and you can encourage someone, high five, knuckle bump,
14:54 pat on the backside, flat hand, never cupped,
14:58 send the Word of God,
15:00 may God add the richest blessings
15:02 to the reading of His Word, flat, never cupped.
15:05 You can praise God, you can give to God,
15:10 you can surrender if you have one handful.
15:15 If you have two, what do you have?
15:17 You have toil.
15:18 Better is what?
15:21 Better, when less is better, better.
15:25 Better, more is not better.
15:27 Better is one handful
15:30 without having to fix stuff all the time.
15:32 Better is one handful
15:36 without the debt that's weighing you down.
15:38 Better is one handful
15:42 than pursuing things that don't last
15:44 when your marriage is struggling.
15:46 Better is one handful
15:49 and time with your kids
15:51 instead of pouring your life into things.
15:54 Better is one handful.
15:59 So to have more of what does matter,
16:03 what do we have to do?
16:04 We would be really wise to define what does matter.
16:10 And one of my assignments for you this week
16:12 in your life group, and if you're not in a life group,
16:14 I'm gonna say like, how do you do it without a life group?
16:17 I don't know about you, but I literally need people
16:19 praying for me, with me.
16:22 I need people to stand together
16:24 against the forces of darkness.
16:26 I need the body of Christ.
16:29 Your life group is just define what matters most.
16:32 What does matter most?
16:34 I have a friend I'm praying for,
16:37 the doctors gave him a few months to live.
16:39 And when you realize,
16:41 if you only have a few months to live,
16:42 all of a sudden you recognize what matters.
16:46 His days are short, most likely.
16:50 And I wanna remind you,
16:51 your days are actually numbered as well.
16:54 Meaning all of our lives are ticking away very, very fast.
16:57 And if you recognize you only get one chance
17:00 and your life is really, really short,
17:02 then you start to be more clear about what matters most.
17:07 I would ask you in your life,
17:10 what really, really matters?
17:14 And some of you would say, well,
17:15 it's one handful, my relationship with God matters,
17:20 or my spouse matters, or certainly my children matter.
17:26 Some of you would say, making a difference matters.
17:29 I'm thankful a lot of you would say
17:30 that my church matters to me and to this world.
17:34 Some of you would say like ministry matters,
17:35 showing God's love matters.
17:37 A lot of you would say my sobriety matters.
17:41 Some of you would say, my loved ones knowing Christ,
17:43 that really matters.
17:44 What wouldn't be on any of your lists,
17:46 if you recognize you only had a few days to live,
17:50 what would not be on anyone's list is your leather sofa.
17:53 Right?
17:56 No one would say, my Apple Watch matters.
18:00 No one would say my new countertops,
18:05 and no one would say my 65-inch flat screen TV.
18:08 Because the closer you are to Jesus,
18:13 the more you realize that the most meaningful things
18:16 in life are not things.
18:19 Amy and I have six grown children.
18:26 Where did the time go?
18:29 Why do we have six kids?
18:32 Because we were in love,
18:34 and we didn't know what caused it for years.
18:36 And then when we figured out what caused it,
18:39 we just weren't willing to give it up.
18:41 So we had six kids, and they're all grown now,
18:44 and many of them are here.
18:46 And when I look back,
18:48 the things that I remember are not things with them.
18:55 I remember, and I remember playing G-Ball.
18:58 That stands for Groschell Balls, our own version.
19:00 Most people call it kickball,
19:01 but kickball's not nearly as cool as G-Ball.
19:05 And we played the escape game.
19:07 We lock 'em up, level five, and they try to get out.
19:10 And if they don't get out by the count of 10,
19:11 they get tickled.
19:12 Nobody in the history of ever has gotten out of level 10.
19:15 It is impossible to get out of level 10.
19:18 We had our own obstacle courses.
19:20 We told dog fairy stories.
19:21 Now my grandkids hear dog fairy stories.
19:23 You don't know what the dog fairy is.
19:24 The dog fairy lives under the bed.
19:26 There's a secret door.
19:27 There is a dog fairy land underground,
19:29 and there are bad elves.
19:30 Watch out for the bad elves.
19:32 Don't leave the door open,
19:33 or the bad elves will get in the room,
19:35 and then your three-year-old granddaughter
19:37 will not sleep for a month.
19:38 Don't let that happen.
19:39 (audience laughing)
19:42 The most meaningful things were never the things.
19:45 Amy, we've been married almost 33 years,
19:47 and it wasn't the new countertops,
19:50 or the new microwave, or the new piece of jewelry.
19:54 Man, it's the walks together.
19:56 And we've taken so many walks and just held hands.
19:59 And then when it looked like I was the number one person
20:04 in the state of Oklahoma to get COVID, I was in Germany,
20:07 everybody thought I was the number one.
20:09 We couldn't tell anybody.
20:10 We had to hide, and then the news story got out.
20:12 And I must've FaceTimed her for like 27 hours a day.
20:16 And we just, "I love you, I love you, I love you.
20:18 "I love you more, I love you more, I love you more.
20:20 "Kiss the screen, kiss the screen.
20:21 "I'm not gonna kiss the screen, kiss the screen.
20:23 "I love you, I love you, I love you."
20:25 And it was just, I will remember that as long as I live.
20:29 I remember holding each other in times of loss,
20:34 and it's just being together.
20:35 As a pastor, last weekend,
20:40 seeing 1,300 people say yes to the grace of Jesus
20:46 is mind-blowing. (audience applauding)
20:49 When one person recognizes
20:54 that all the sins they've ever committed
20:57 are forgiven by Jesus,
20:59 and God doesn't hold those against Him,
21:01 and they're new in Christ,
21:02 and then that same person forgives someone else
21:07 as they've been forgiven,
21:09 and then that person becomes a giver and sees themselves
21:12 as not someone who just goes to church,
21:14 but they are the church,
21:15 and they're the light of this world.
21:18 You know, that's what matters.
21:22 Better, better, like better, better is one handful
21:27 with what matters, tranquility and peace,
21:31 than two handfuls of toil and chasing after the wind.
21:36 God, give me less of what doesn't matter,
21:39 and God, give me more of what does.
21:44 God, give me less of what doesn't matter
21:46 and more of what does.
21:48 So let's say it again, our phrase.
21:49 Let's all say it again, everybody.
21:51 I have enough.
21:53 One more time.
21:55 I have enough.
21:56 Type it in the comment section, I have enough.
21:57 I have enough.
21:58 One more time, just say it.
22:00 I have enough.
22:00 Now, most of you really do not believe that,
22:06 and honestly, you probably shouldn't believe it,
22:10 because the statement that I gave you
22:11 is actually incomplete,
22:14 because if you're just a regular person
22:16 trying to get through and be happy,
22:20 everything is gonna tell you you actually need more.
22:23 You always need more.
22:25 The statement is incomplete, and I wanna help fill it in
22:28 so you can say it and you can believe it,
22:31 and the statement goes like this.
22:34 Because I have Jesus, I have enough.
22:38 Now you can say it and you can believe it,
22:42 but you can only say it and believe it
22:45 if you truly have Jesus.
22:48 So for those of you who are walking with him
22:55 and intimate with him and have been changed by him,
23:00 go ahead and say it like you believe it.
23:06 Because I have Jesus, I have enough.
23:11 One more time.
23:12 Because I have Jesus, I have enough.
23:17 The problem is some of you, you're gonna say,
23:19 I have Jesus, but I want more.
23:24 Like you've genuinely been saved, you've been baptized,
23:27 you read your Bible, I have Jesus,
23:31 but I still don't have enough.
23:32 Some of you are gonna go, well, I really don't have enough.
23:35 Like legitimately, like you don't know,
23:37 like forget the TV, I don't have a job.
23:40 Or forget the Apple Watch, I've got medical bills.
23:43 And I just wanna acknowledge there are some of you
23:45 that are hurting right now,
23:47 but if you find yourself saying I have Jesus,
23:51 but I still don't have enough,
23:53 let God's words speak to you very, very clearly.
23:55 Paul talked about those who had a lot
23:56 and he talked about those who had none.
23:58 And he said this, he said,
23:59 "I've learned the secret of being content
24:02 "in any and every situation."
24:05 There is not a single situation
24:08 that any of you listening to this message right now
24:11 that this truth does not apply to.
24:13 "In any and every situation,
24:14 "I've learned the secret of being content,
24:16 "whether well-fed or hungry,
24:19 "whether living in plenty or in want.
24:22 "I can do this, I can do all things through Christ
24:27 "who gives me strength.
24:29 "It's Jesus that gives me contentment.
24:32 "It's Jesus that gives me strength.
24:35 "Because I have Jesus, I have enough.
24:38 "When I'm well-fed, I have Jesus.
24:41 "But if I'm hungry, I still have Jesus.
24:45 "If I have a bunch, I have Jesus.
24:48 "If I'm in want, I still have Jesus.
24:51 "And because I have Jesus, I have enough."
24:55 Some of you say, "I have Jesus, but I still want more."
24:59 Why?
25:00 Because Jesus is in the background of your life.
25:04 Because your life is so full of everything else
25:07 that there's not room for Jesus with all the other stuff.
25:12 Jesus is in the background right now.
25:15 And when he's in the background, he's easy to miss.
25:20 He's easy to ignore.
25:22 He's easy to forget.
25:25 But when he's in the front of your life,
25:29 when you're seeking him first,
25:32 when you're pursuing him,
25:34 seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,
25:36 and then everything that matters will be added unto you.
25:41 Not more of what doesn't matter,
25:44 less of what doesn't matter, more of what does.
25:49 When you put Jesus in the forefront of your life,
25:51 he's not a historical figure.
25:53 He's not a Sunday school lesson.
25:55 He's your closest friend.
25:58 He is a counselor that guides your very steps.
26:03 He is the bread of life that nourishes you.
26:06 He's your confident.
26:07 He is your comforter.
26:10 And then when you put him first, something starts to change
26:12 and you understand what Paul said.
26:15 Doesn't matter what I have or don't have.
26:16 I have Jesus, therefore I have all that I need.
26:20 (congregation applauding)
26:25 I'm gonna try to tell you this, and I hope you believe it.
26:33 And Amy would stand right by me and vouch for this.
26:37 This is the second time in my life
26:39 and only the second time in my life
26:40 where I can say with integrity, I have enough.
26:45 I have enough.
26:47 Because I have Jesus, I have enough.
26:49 This is the second time and only the second time.
26:53 The first time was when I was a brand new Christian.
26:57 I couldn't believe that God would forgive
27:05 all the things that I had done.
27:07 And when I embraced it and received it,
27:09 I didn't care about anything in this world.
27:11 Just open the door, let me preach, let me show up.
27:15 Be a pastor, put us in the middle of nowhere,
27:17 small church, I don't care where,
27:19 just let me talk about Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.
27:21 I don't care about anything.
27:23 And then life just kind of like started seeping back in.
27:26 I got married to Amy and all of a sudden,
27:29 like I wanted to give her nice stuff.
27:32 And I kind of liked the stuff too.
27:35 And all of a sudden I went back to wanting more,
27:38 more, more, more, more.
27:41 Just like before, I had Jesus,
27:43 but kind of put him a little bit aside
27:44 'cause I still wanted more comfort.
27:46 And I wanted more money and I wanted more security
27:51 and I wanted more recognition or whatever it was.
27:53 And then in the last year or so, I think finally,
27:57 like I'm 56 now, I think I've lived long enough
28:00 that I've got fewer days in front of me than I do behind me.
28:04 And I just needed Jesus more.
28:07 I mean, I needed him more.
28:09 And so I call on him, call on him, call on him, call on him.
28:11 And the more of him I got,
28:12 the less of this other stuff that I wanted.
28:15 And then I just started, I just like don't want it anymore.
28:17 So I'm giving away so much stuff.
28:18 I give it away, I give it away.
28:19 Amy goes in the garbage can, go, don't give that away.
28:21 Don't give that away.
28:22 I just, I wanna get rid of it.
28:23 I just don't care about the stuff.
28:25 And the only way I had room for Jesus
28:29 was to start getting rid of the stuff.
28:31 Better is one handful.
28:34 How much is a handful?
28:35 That's enough.
28:40 More than that of this is nasty.
28:42 You ever eat one of these things, you're like nasty.
28:46 That's just nasty.
28:47 This is enough.
28:48 Better is one handful than two handful.
28:51 To have room for Jesus when they had enough, what'd they do?
28:55 (sizzling)
28:57 (congregation applauding)
29:09 They threw it overboard.
29:10 And then when they had enough,
29:14 they had room for Jesus.
29:18 And that's why I would tell you, I'm gonna,
29:27 I'm gonna think this thing through before I do it again.
29:32 Has a good idea in my office.
29:36 (congregation laughing)
29:40 Is that's why this message has the potential
29:44 to impact your life as much or more than any other.
29:47 I'm gonna tell you right now,
29:48 it will be the easiest to shake.
29:50 Because better is one handful.
29:55 Let me tell you, at some point you get in a car accident.
29:58 You don't want a pile of cash sitting next to you
30:01 at that point, you want Jesus sitting next to you.
30:05 You walk into a hospital room, an operating room,
30:07 you don't want more followers, you want more of Jesus.
30:10 When you send your kids into the world,
30:14 you don't want just name brand shoes on their feet,
30:17 you want Jesus in their hearts is what you want.
30:20 (congregation applauding)
30:24 And it's really hard, most of you are way younger than I am,
30:29 it's really hard when you're that age to realize
30:30 one day your life's gonna come to an end,
30:32 but when your life does come to an end,
30:34 you're not gonna care where you traveled last year,
30:37 you're gonna care where you're going for eternity.
30:39 And that's why Paul said,
30:41 "I've learned the secret of being content.
30:43 "I can do all things through Christ."
30:46 Through Christ, he's everything,
30:49 because I have Jesus, I have enough.
30:51 If I'm sick, he is my healer.
30:54 If I'm hurting, he is my comforter.
30:58 If I'm sad, and sometimes I am, he's my joy.
31:02 And if I sin, to the glory of God, he is my savior.
31:06 This is the habit of the heart, the habit of simplifying.
31:11 God, give me less of what doesn't matter,
31:16 and God, give me more of what does.
31:22 Why?
31:23 Because your life is too valuable,
31:25 and your calling too great to waste your life
31:29 on things that don't last.
31:32 Because I have Jesus.
31:36 Say it with me.
31:39 I have enough.
31:41 Because I have Jesus, I have enough.
31:45 Father, we pray that by the power of your Holy Spirit,
31:47 you would do a work in a way that only you could do.
31:52 As you're praying today, church is all over,
31:54 nobody looking around, those who say,
31:57 it may take faith to pray, give me less
31:59 of what doesn't matter, more of what does.
32:01 Would you lift up your hands right now?
32:03 Type it in the comment section,
32:04 give me less of what doesn't matter, more of what does.
32:07 Lift up your hands if that's your prayer today.
32:08 You might just leave them up for a moment.
32:10 Hey, if you got one handful of jelly beans,
32:11 you got another one to lift up, so go ahead and lift it up,
32:13 just as a moment of worship.
32:14 God, we need your help with this.
32:17 God, give us the courage, the faith,
32:22 to obey the words of Jesus, not to store up things
32:28 that don't last, but to invest our lives
32:33 in the things that do.
32:35 God, let us fix our eyes on you
32:38 and throw off everything that would hinder,
32:41 so we could know you and make you known.
32:43 God, give us less, less of what doesn't matter,
32:48 and more of what does, because we have you, you are enough.
32:54 As you keep praying today, nobody looking around,
32:57 there are a lot of you, you spent your whole life
32:59 looking for something.
33:00 You thought you'd find it in more money,
33:02 you didn't find it there, better job, didn't find it there,
33:04 some person couldn't find it there,
33:06 better experience, couldn't find it there.
33:09 What are you doing?
33:10 You're searching for something
33:11 that you will not find in this world.
33:12 You are not of this world.
33:14 You were created by God, for God, to know God.
33:17 You have an eternal void inside.
33:19 So what happened?
33:20 We've all sinned, that's what Adam and Eve did in the garden.
33:22 They sinned against God.
33:24 Our sin separates us from God.
33:26 And so if we believe the lie, more is always better,
33:28 pursue the things of this world,
33:30 we're gonna end up getting lost.
33:31 You cannot love God and love this world.
33:33 We have to let go of this world.
33:35 How do we let go of the world?
33:36 We grab onto Jesus.
33:37 Who is Jesus?
33:38 He is the Son of God, perfect in every way.
33:41 He was without sin.
33:43 He died on a cross.
33:45 God raised him from the dead,
33:47 so that anyone, and this includes you,
33:48 who calls on his name, your sins would be forgiven,
33:52 and you would be made brand new.
33:54 You may have to let go of something in this world
33:56 to grab ahold of Jesus.
33:57 Let go of your sin, step away from your sin,
34:00 step away from whatever you're holding onto.
34:02 Let go of whatever's holding you back,
34:04 and by faith say, "Jesus, you be enough."
34:07 How are you made right with God?
34:08 Not by your good works, it's only by his grace,
34:12 through faith in Jesus, that he is enough.
34:16 Wherever you're watching from today, you say,
34:18 "I need his forgiveness, I want his life."
34:21 He came to give you abundant life.
34:24 "I need his grace.
34:25 Today I step away from my old life, I surrender to him."
34:29 That's your prayer.
34:29 You need his forgiveness,
34:30 you're ready to give your life to him.
34:32 Let go of whatever holds you back and say,
34:34 "Yes, Jesus, I give my life to you."
34:36 That's your prayer today.
34:37 Lift your hands high right now,
34:38 all over the place and say, "Yes," right back there.
34:40 Praise God for you.
34:41 Others today say, "That's my prayer, Jesus."
34:43 Lift your hands up and say, right back over here,
34:45 praise God for you.
34:46 Others who say, "Jesus, I need your grace,"
34:48 right over here.
34:49 Oh yes, praise God, and right over here as well,
34:52 both of you, ma'am.
34:53 Glory to God.
34:54 Others today say, "Jesus, I need you."
34:56 Online, type in the comment section,
34:59 "I'm surrendering my life to Jesus," wherever you are.
35:02 Would you pray aloud?
35:03 Pray, Heavenly Father,
35:04 I surrender to you.
35:07 Forgive all of my sins.
35:11 Jesus, be my Savior,
35:14 the Lord of my life,
35:17 my friend,
35:18 my comforter,
35:20 my guide.
35:22 Be truth.
35:25 Thank you for your forgiveness.
35:26 Give me less of what doesn't matter.
35:30 Give me more of what does.
35:33 Thank you for new life.
35:36 I surrender mine to you.
35:39 In Jesus' name I pray.
35:41 Could somebody worship?
35:44 Give Him praise.
35:46 Give Him honor today, wherever you are.
35:47 Tell God, "Thank you for who He is
35:49 and for what He's done."
35:52 (audience applauding)
35:55 (upbeat music)
35:58 (upbeat music)
36:00 on Habits.