You know, one of the things I love about the clip you just saw is the the variety of the different gifts kind of put on display right just to kind of see people serving with with kids or cooking playing football. I mean, it's just kind of it's all over the place, right? Because the reason I love that it is because a lot of times when we start talking about serving the people around us when we start talking about like leaning into and and influencing our communities. Well, we begin to think is so easy for us to begin to think like man. I don't have anything to offer.

Right, like I can't do that thing because we have it pictured that there's one right way to do this thing. Right? Like well Kids Camp. I don't know about that. I don't know if I may I find made for that but the reality is like we have men all of us have been given a variety of time talents resources, right and it looks different.

It looks different from me to you and you to the person that you you're sitting beside right now. And so you have not only do you have what it takes? I would say that you have what is necessary to complete the body. I think that's kind of the story of the New Testament talk about the body we talk about the church all of us have unique gifts, right and when we when we use and when we leverage our gifts, when we leverage our abilities the time the talents the resources that God has given us when we leverage those things to to influence the people around us for the good of the people around us then then we begin to see That we can be a part of a small part, but we can be a part of seeing a glimpse of Heaven on Earth and that really is what we've been talking about. It's kind of the question we've been asking as a church for the past several weeks now is what does it look like for us to experience heaven on Earth?

And you say that sounds ridiculous Kyle. First of all, like there's not heaven on Earth, but hang with me because isn't that what Jesus taught us to pray? He did he taught us to pray Lord your kingdom come your will be done on Earth as it is in heaven. And so if Jesus told us to pray for life on Earth as it is in heaven, then there must be some way for you and I to experience that right like he wouldn't have taught us to pray that if he didn't intend for us to experience that and yet we look at our life you look at your life. I look at mine and we think man this is anything but heavenly Fair I tell you I've been there for for really several weeks.

Now. It's kind of been a tough season where man, I just I've kind of looked at my life and thought with this if this is I don't think this is Meant To Be Heaven on Earth and hear me out because In my life is great. Okay, like the circumstances and situations around my life and it's great. I have an incredible wife that that loves me. I have a beautiful healthy baby daughter that I get to hold every night.

Have a great job that I enjoy have a good home plenty of food. Like Life's good in that way. Okay. But one of the things I know that I look at my life, I'm gonna examine my life that that I have missed. Is the presence of my heavenly father?

He's not God, like you're you're preacher that doesn't happen to you but men it does like honestly look back over this past season of my life. I mean I've struggled. Especially in the areas of my faith like my my time in Scripture has been inconsistent at best my time in prayer basically been non-existent. Like a physically I've been where I should be right? Like I've been here.

I've been right here with you man. I've been in worship all that kind of stuff. I'm literally at church almost every single day of my life. You don't say it's like physically I'm where I'm supposed to be and yet I would even come into these places and these spaces and be a part of worship incredible Worship in like nothing. And I don't like maybe I'm alone in that but I don't think I am.

I think that's a pretty common story for a lot of people. We went um several weeks ago. I had the opportunity to go with one of our other campus pastors Blake Houston to Kentucky to Asbury University. I don't know if you followed what was going on there news social media, but what happened several weeks ago there was a group of college students. And by the way, if you're not paying attention to this current generation, if you're not paying attention to gen Z, you should you're missing out because there's something unique and Powerful happening within this generation.

But what happened at this University several weeks ago was that just a regular Chapel mandatory Chapel service a group of college students said, you know, we're gonna hang out for a little while later. They thought man we need to be here. We're gonna stay in this place. We're gonna worship. We're gonna pray we're gonna seek the face of God.

And so they they did and what that simple decision sparked was a movement that quite honestly overwhelmed that college that overwhelmed the town that it sits in that that began to spread to several and it's still spreading to several colleges and universities around our nation incredible movement where thousands for weeks at this University this small private university in the middle of nowhere, Kentucky. I meant weeks thousands and thousands and thousands of people flocked to this college campus to catch a glimpse. Of Heaven on Earth to seek what we call Revival now. I don't the word Revival for you might mean different things for me. Like there's kind of certain pictures that pop into my head when I think about Revival right?

Just kind of my my upbringing my background like when I think about Revival I think about the the week-long deal that we always did in June because that's when Revival happens apparently, but we'd always planted in June, you know, we go to church every single night and that was kind of Revival for me, but when we talk about Revival the word means Renewal, right, it means restoration and for me. I desperately needed that in my faith. I needed that. I mean I had got so wrapped up and I don't it's a drift right like the drift happens. So so easily but I got so wrapped up in honestly like enjoying the gifts that I had.

Totally missed the giver. And I needed that I needed that renewal. I needed that that Revival and that restoration of my faith. And I mean one of the things that God has opened my eyes to and in this season in particular because it's been it's been a story. It's been a struggle of mine.

It's just the great need of that man. I think we are a people and I do think God is is breaking out Revival renewal restoration and some incredible ways. But man, we are a people that desperately need it. We are people that desperately need renewal and Revival and restoration maybe for you like me. It's in your faith.

Maybe it's in your marriage. Maybe it's in some relationships around you. Maybe it's in your your joy your purpose just through the the trudging of life. And you've lost sight of that and there's a craving for something more. I think God has that something more for us.

So here's what I want to do. For the the next little while man. I just I want to talk to the hearts that are craving renewal. That are craving restoration and Revival whatever Avenue that might look like for you and if you don't have one of those an Avenue of arrival on a heart if you if you're looking at your story and you think man, I don't I don't know that I need Revival or restoration anywhere then men praise God for that being prayer for the rest of us that do because we need it. Is I want to walk through a text James chapter 4 I want to walk through just the first 10 verses of this chapter.

No, no Rhymes. No literation. Nothing fancy. I just been on I want to I want us to talk about what James has to say to our heart. What does what the Scripture says to our heart that is longing for Renewal that as longing for restoration and Revival, okay.

So James chapter 4 starting in verse 1 says this James says what causes quarrels and what causes fights among you is it not this that your passions are at War within you? Where is the conflict in your life? That's what James is kind of pressing into this what James is trying to get us to ask where where is the conflict? Where is the tension and you're like because you need to pay attention to that you need to pay attention to the tension that is coming up in your life because that will reveal something within you that external conflict that external tension is showing it is highlighting and internal War. Where's that conflict?

Where's that tension? You find yourself going home every single day after work. Just ready to bite. Your spouse's head off like you just meant you're incredibly short with him and you don't really know why but that's on your nerves. Or maybe your kids maybe your kids are just on your nerves and just it doesn't take anything and you just pop off on them.

If you're mad at yourself, you look in the mirror and man, you're just you're you're discussing. You're grossed out by what you see not physically maybe physically mentally. You're driving to work every single day 30 minutes. You're just cussing your boss out in your head the whole time I go. Where is that conflict to have?

Where's that tension in your life? James says that tension that conflict that that external conflict reveals an internal War. That's your passions are at War within you the next verse. He's gonna say desires. He talks about passions and desires together what he's telling us, we're gonna see this as we roll through this chapter and these couple of verses rather that it is our disorder.

That's what we call it. Our disordered desires calls that conflict and when I say disordered desires, I mean those desires I mean those passions that are out of sync with God's design Jeff talked about a couple of weeks. So God's design right that there is a good design that God has for life. And in that design that's where we experience Heavenly walk in life a Heavenly experience a life within God's design but our desires When those things get disordered when those things get out of sync with God's design. It causes we begin to see that play out and external conflict and that external tension.

So pay attention to it pay attention to those places. Verse 2 He says you desire and you do not have so you murder you Cove it. That means you you want you covet and you cannot obtain so you fight and you quarrel you do not have because you do not ask now. Let me let me just kind of clarify the sentence right here. You do not have because you do not ask he is not saying and I want to clarify this because I think I've been guilty.

Actually. I know I've been guilty of I've kind of teaching this I think the wrong way You do not have because you do not ask James is not saying hey if you want more you should just ask more. Now I do think like Jesus teaches us that that God is a heavenly father that longs to give good gifts to his children. I believe that to be very true. But James is not saying here.

Hey, you just need to ask for more things. Then you'll get more things. What James is saying here is you're not asking. No you're taking You do not have because you're trying to take too much. You're trying to walk through doors.

You're trying to kick down doors that God doesn't intend for you to walk through Let me Give an example. One of the reasons you don't have joy and purpose in your life is because you're trying to take it. You're trying to take it for yourself. You can't you can't find that Joy. You can't latch on to that purpose because you keep thinking man, you know it in this passion and this addiction I'm gonna find it.

No, you won't in this pursuit in this relationship. I'm gonna find it and no you don't. But God says hey instead of taking. Why not ask? Because in my order and my design, I've got it for you.

Quit trying to take it. And ask for it. You do not have because you do not ask we we started. We started this conversation about Desire with with our students. Last last week.

Yeah last Sunday night at Movement. We started this conversation about Desire with our students and which by the way parents. Let me say this if if you are not taking advantage of the resources, if you're not taking advantage of man, just all of the things that our teams are putting out for you and for your children you're missing out because here's the deal our teams are putting me. We want to partner with you parents. We want to partner with you as you lead your families, you lead your children in faith.

And I know that's a difficult thing. I know it's a difficult to wrap your head around the language to lead your children in that kind of stuff the things to ask the things that talk about and how to pray so we want to help you in that right we want to man we give you videos and and devotions and prayers and questions and all of those things to help men from from birth all the way through college because look we want to create the spaces and the places for your children to to interact with their faith and to interact with other children and students who are interacting with their faith. Cuz yes, that's powerful. But listen, man. I have been a part of some incredible programming for children.

Incredible programming for students But there is no programming that will ever match the power of your dinner table. Can't do it. And so we want those conversations not just to live in a church building one or two hours a week man. We want those conversations to live in your living room at your table in your household because that's where the power is. That's all sadness.

Let me get back. Um, we started that conversation with our students last week about desire because here's the deal regardless of our age. Our desires any unguarded Desires in our life those things turn deadly. James James calls us murders as you do you desire and you do not have so you murder he's not saying that we physically kill people right but it causes death those desires man when they're left unguarded they cause death death to your faith death to Joy death to your marriage. You've experienced some of that, you know people who have experienced some of that that unguarded desire that you've chased how it's killed that relationship how it's killed that purpose and that Joy because it let it went unguarded.

Verse 3 He says you ask and you do not receive because you ask wrongly to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people don't look man James just call us murders. Now. He's calling us adulterers you adulterous people nine times nine times before this verse he has called his referred to James's referred to his audience as brothers. It's a gender-neutral term.

It can mean brothers or sisters. Okay so brothers or sisters. Who was clear is that James is writing to Believers. He's writing the people who are pursuing Jesus. Not perfect people.

Because he's called a murders and adulterers. So they're clearly not perfect. But he's writing to people who are pursuing Jesus who are following after Jesus who are trying to understand what this looks like to walk in the way of Jesus and here all of a sudden he shifts not the audience but he shifts the language and he says you adulterous people the word means promise breaker. You have broken your promise is what he says. It's like what God says to the Church of Ephesus and Revelation things Revelation Chapter 2 verses this I have against you that you have abandoned your first love.

Not that you lost it. There's not that you misplace it. It's not that it ran away from you. But you left it you abandoned it. You walked away.

Why because our desires are distract us from God's design. When we begin to pursue those disordered desires. When we begin to pursue those things over our heavenly father when we begin to begin to pursue the created thing over the Creator my life when we begin to pursue the gifts over The Giver. And we lose sight of our first love. We we break our promise our our marriage vow.

As the bride of Christ Now here's the good news because I realize all of that none of that sounds good, but here's the good news. Verse 5 or do you suppose it is to know purpose that the Scripture says he that God yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us, but He God, but God gives more grace. Therefore. It says God opposes the proud but he gives grace to the humble. So here's the good news.

Okay, we've said this I don't know how many times in this place you simply cannot outsend God's grace. He's got more of it. You don't know my story. No, but I know he's got more grace. You don't know my choices.

No, I don't but I know he's got more grace me. You don't know the things I've done the lies. I've told the relationships. I broken you don't know I don't you're right. But I know he has more grace.

That's the whole point of Scripture that God has more grace for you more grace for me that it is an abundant fountain that never runs dry that regardless of our story regardless of our Brokenness regardless of our choices. There is God's grace available. Unmerited undeserved favor. That's what Grace means God's favor is available to us. And so what do we do then with these desires are we have these desires we all do these these disordered desires these things that are kind of outside of God's design that kind of pull us that distract us that that bring about death and destruction in our life.

If we don't put the guards around them. What do we do with them? What the next couple of verses James kind of gets into a little bit more of a practical space Okay, so let me read through the the next couple of verses starting verse 7 and Excuse me. James is gonna give us about four kind of practical things that you and I can do to put some guards. Okay around these desires so that we can find that renewal that Revival that restoration that our hearts long for.

Okay verse 7 He says submit yourselves therefore to God resist the devil and he will flee from you. Two things one submit to God. This is the first thing now look I understand that that we that culturally we've kind of made a bad word out of submit right because to submit if I'm gonna submit to you if I'm gonna submit to God then I don't have choice of my own anymore and and somehow we've made my own choice. We've elevated it to the Pinnacle that there's no higher thing than to be able to make my own choice, but let me ask you How's that been working now? Because I I hear a lot of stories.

I've made a lot of choices and when we get into this place and we think me and you know what I've got this figured out. I know what's best. I'm gonna tell you Kyle. I'm a fool. I make some dumb choices.

It's in those moments and those places. I think I got this. I meant I know what's best for me that I end up doing the dumbest thing possible, right? Because we don't know. We don't know what tomorrow holds we certainly don't know what next year holds.

How am I going to know what's best? And we get into this place where we think my choice is supreme and I'm gonna make my own choices and we end up in the ditch. Wrecked and instead What God Says look I've got a better suggested. I've got a better design. I've got a better way and so listen you and I look we don't have to be perfect.

We'll see this in just a minute. We don't have to be perfect in order to acknowledge that God has a better way. That's what submitting looks like. I say it all the time not my way God but yours that's what submitting looks like. I can't do this.

But God I trust you. I don't know what this looks like, but God I know you and I trust you. And we get into that place that's submitting right we say look, okay. You're right. I don't know at all.

But I know God has a better design. I want to find his way forward. Submit And then James says to resist the enemy resist the devil this word resists. I'd love this because it's it's it's it's wartime language is what it is. It means to fight it it literally means to turn to stop running and instead turn and fight engage in the battle because how often do we feel like man?

We just have to White Knuckle our way through the struggle. Through the struggle through the desire through the Temptation. We feel like I've just got a man if I can bear down if I can stay put this will pass and what what Scripture what James is telling us is look you don't have to just close your eyes and grit your teeth and one day it's all gonna be. Okay. No, he says turn and fight engage in the battle because it's worth it.

It's worth a fight. Your faith is worth the fight your marriage your children. They're worth the fight. And so quit being passive with your struggles with those desires and turn and fight engage them. Was that look like let me give you two things.

Just real simple real quick. Okay, you Circle that word resist and somewhere out in the margin. You're right these two words guardrails. And accountability guardrails and accountability you want to begin to resist you want to fight back against the enemy that is constantly pulling distracting bringing death and destruction in your life. Put some guardrails in place.

Look if if pornography of lust is the the desire that is that is pulling you into some dangerous places then quit being alone with your laptop or your your phone by yourself put some guardrails in place. If it's addiction if it's alcohol, then you probably need some new friends that are that are not going to encourage you to do that every single weekend, right? Put some guardrails in place. And then have some accountability invite someone else into the conversation let someone else in on the struggle. Let someone else know the struggle the battle that you're in the war that you're fighting have some accountability in place.

And if you don't know how to do either one of those things if you've got nobody to help you in either one of those Lanes then you need to be at house church on Wednesday night. Because you'll find people there that can help you with your guard rails that can help you with accountability that can help you resist and fight back. Because it's worth it. The next verse verse 8 draw near to God and He will draw near to you cleanse your hands you Sinners and purify your hearts. You double minded.

He's the third thing James tells us to draw near to God. What the enemy will do with your sin and your struggle. This will turn it into shame. And shame will separate you. It'll separate you from your heavenly father from your God from your creator.

So what happened in the garden, right? It's what happened to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden what happened? They sinned? The enemy introduced sin it led to shame and what they did they hit from God. You can hide your struggles from every person around you, but you can't hide them from God.

They did the hid from God and what God do he went and found them? He found them in the garden. Why are you hiding and then then he covered their sin and their shame. The enemy will separate you from your father by turning your struggle into shame. Listen to me.

God is Not grossed out. By your struggles He's not ashamed of your shame. You remember the parable of the prodigal son? Like we've talked about it several times the son gets his father's inheritance and he goes into a foreign land and he wasted all he does all the awful things you can imagine and then one day it comes to himself. He goes back to his father and his father.

It tells us that his father's looking for him and he goes running after him because he sees him a long way off. He goes running after his son and he Embraces him and he hugs him and he kisses him and he restores him long before his son ever had a shower. And clean the filth off of him. You don't have to hide your shame from God. Don't let the enemy separate you from God.

It says draw near and He will draw near to you. It's one of the beautiful principles of scriptures that we pursue the presence of God. His presence pursues us. Right just like the father went running after his son. God meets you you don't have to ascend the mountain.

You don't have to perfect everything. And once you climb there you'll find God no God comes and he meets you. As you pursue his presence he pursues you and then what's the last thing James says cleanse your hands you sinners? This is this is the last 10% that I think. So many of us struggle with finding being willing to step into in order to find that that Revival that restoration that that Redemption that renewal that man we so long for but if we're going to find we're gonna experience it.

And listen you and not we got to get serious about our sin. We had a serious with it. We got to acknowledge it we gotta we gotta quit sweeping it under the rug look at verse 9. He says be wretched and mourn and weep let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to Gloom. That sounds awful.

Right but he James is not saying you should be miserable in your sin. What James is saying is you need to be serious about it the Puritans and look the Puritans did not get everything. Right? But one of the things that Puritans would pray for is they would pray for Tears. They would pray that God would break their heart for the things that break he is.

Are we willing to be in that same place? Because Levity, right levity is kind of like the the drug of choice for us now culturally, right? Man, we don't want to sit in the weight of heartbreak of weeping of mourning and yet man to understand that our sin breaks the heart of God and then right not just to sit not just to wait there but understand that our sin breaks the heart of God and even steal. He has more grace that that is the place that you and I man, that's where we begin to find a renewal like none other a restoration like none other verse 10. He says to to Humble yourselves before the Lord right to be wretched to mourn to weep humble yourselves before the Lord and He will and God will exalt you.

There's the Revival. That's the restoration that's the renewal that we're looking for. It doesn't come because we had days worth of worship experience. It doesn't come because we we had hours worth of songs. It doesn't come because the preacher yelled really loud it comes because you and I get serious with our sins because we repent and without that repentance we don't find.

Revival God's restoring presence here's how I kind of sum that verse up God's restoring presence meets us in a place of repentance. If you're looking for that that restoration that Revival it happens in Repentance if you're praying for renewal in your life in your faith. It won't happen without repentance. If you're if you're praying for if you're looking for Redemption and Restoration in your marriage and relationships that have been broken, it's not gonna happen without repentance. If you are praying for a viable to break out on your college campus at work in your community.

It's not gonna happen until you and I get serious with our sin. And we understand it in light of God's Amazing Grace. There's a quote we'll end here. It's a quote from Martin Lloyd Jones. He said this he said never has there been a Revival a restoration or renewal, but that some of the people in my prayers that it's you and I today that some of the people especially at the beginning have had such visions of the Holiness of God the goodness the bigness of God and the sinfulness of sin the Brokenness the ugliness of sin that they have scarcely known what to do with themselves this church.

This is where renewal and Revival happens when you and I are willing to acknowledge our Brokenness and see God's goodness despite of it. So here's what we're gonna do. We're gonna step into a time of response across all of our campuses and my hope and my prayer is more than anything else you and I in this space in two songs, we can be serious. With our sin not shame. Don't let it drive you to a place of Shame.

But let it drive us to our Savior. So across all of our campuses that we have people who man they want to pray for you. We have prayer teams available that want to pray for you. In this time, if as we as we sing as we worship as we respond if you just need someone to put a hand on your shoulder look you don't have to divulge your deep dark secrets if you just need to say I need somebody to pray for forgiveness with me. We won't do that.

If you just need to get on your knees at the altar and pray and do that, if you need to to go to the Cross, you need to lay something down there then do that. My hope my prayer more than anything else is that God will break our hearts of the things that break his. And he will restore Us in his grace. We pray for us and then we'll respond. Lord we come before you now got I thank you God.

I thank you for your goodness. For your grace got to pray for for Tears. Pray that you will break our hearts of what breaks yours and God. I pray that in that we will be restored. We will be revived we will be redeemed in you.

I pray that you'll bring healing that you'll bring Salvation to this place that you'll bring miracles to this place. And God that you'll be glorified in it all. We love you. We give you all the praise all things. We ask your name.