serenity serenity and I I want to make this clear so no one feels like I'm I'm talking to you I'm not putting down vacations we all need vacations we all need trips we all need to get away from like the reality and stuff so I'm all for it I'm going on vacation next month I'm excited I'm about to go to Disney World I know it's probably not everyone's cup of tea for a vacation but that's definitely my cup of tea especially with two young kids so I'm going to Disney World next month so I love vacations we all need trips right we need to be able to get away from the pressures of life that surround us but I want to talk specifically about the culture of taking sabatical or the culture of like I need more vacations I need more trips there's more of a trend now in in in in just culturally speaking in Western Society for us to have more trips we vacation more we are flying more we go on more trips than ever before obviously there's tons of factors that go into that but I want to talk specifically maybe this doesn't pertain to you but it definitely pertains to me there is um um a speaker a podcast guy that I listen to he talks to um pastors and and and and Christian leaders his name is Carrie newoff Carrie newoff just maybe I know the answer is no because none of nobody hears a pastor anything but anyway so K newoff like gives advice and I love to read his blogs I love to read his I listen to his podcast he gives guidance and advice and and and how to help Christian leaders and he talks about what's happening to many Christian leaders is the idea of like I need to take a sabatical I need to take time off to kind of recharge and he talks about the whole culture of vacations and this is applicable to all of us now as far as I the need of like I need to get away I can't take this anymore I need to book the next trip out of here I need to get out so anytime I have half a day off I'm going to go somewhere because I I need to just get away so he talks specifically about this culture on this blog that he wrote which I really liked I just wanted to highlight some of the things he said in the blog he said this your time off can't save you if the problem is how you spend your time on it's common sense but it was just a great reminder when I when I read this article like sometimes we feel I need to take some time off I need to take some time off you can take unlimited time off from the pressures and responsibilities of life but it's still not going to get to the root of the issue because it's all dependent it's all dependent on how you spend your time on he continues sabatical isn't the solution for an unsuitable unsustainable Pace sorry a sabatical isn't the solution for an unsustainable Pace a sustainable pace is the solution to an unsustainable Pace let me read it again because just so we can process it together a sabatical isn't the solution for an unsustainable Pace CU right we feel like I need to get away I need to get I need to take a break I need to go on vacation I need to go on down cruise whatever a sabatical isn't the solution for an unsustainable Pace a sustainable pace is the solution for an unsustainable pace and his last thing he said this until you understand why you're tired it's hard to figure out how not to get that tired all of us are tired right we're just always on the go you're already thinking about where you going to go eat out after this what you have to do all of us are tired until you understand why you're tired it's hard to figure out how not to get that tired so he's talking and tapping into that part of all of us I need to get away I need to unplug I need to recharge I need to book that trip it's on sale I'm going I need to get out of here please don't miss for me I'm all for vacations I don't want you to feel guilty for you going on a trip I like I said I'm going on a trip myself next month you we all need it but I want us to talk about the heart of why we go on trips and don't worry this is not the whole theme of the series but this is kind of my introduction to the entire series as we get into it so K noof who guy who this is his blog post um he said this on social media most people excuse me most people didn't leave your church they just stopped coming they're replacing its importance with other things vacations selfs spirituality comfort and more passion pass is the antidote to indifference that passion has to start with you the first half of his post which I like most people didn't leave your church or make it appal to us most most people don't just stop coming to church they they just they didn't leave the church they just stopped coming they're replacing its importance with other things vacation selfs spirituality comfort and more right there's so many things that pull on us as far as where our weekends go where our time goes so it's it's you didn't leave the church you just stopped coming because other things are there to replace it if I can just speak can if I say this and I don't want anyone anyone I don't want anyone to feel kind of guilty we need to reassess what's a priority to our life if this generation if the priority is going out every other weekend on trips and stuff like that okay then just assume the next generation will even prioritize Church even so we need to assess how we view the life of the church now and how however we view it now expect it to be less so we I don't know if my dad is here I don't know if I can say this kind of growing up we we weren't in every every Sunday type of family at church I remember some sometimes my dad I'll be like are we going to church like no we're just going to stay home today I'm like okay so we weren't that but it becomes there's a trend that like sometimes maybe I'm the exception because now I'm at church every Sunday so that maybe that's not a good example but like studies studies say this okay studies show like some if we just feel like church is like whatever you know if I can go if it works out for me the study K noov pointed the study sorry this is totally off topic here but that's okay he says like if the weather is really really good outside Church attendance goes down everyone enjoy the good weather if it's raining outside Church attendance goes down so there has to be like a 4 and 1 half degree range of the temperature in order for people to feel you know what this is the I'm going to go to church so many things pull at us because we need to recharge we need to relax we need to reset because we are all tired and we all want Serenity we all want to go to that beach on and recline and unplug and no one can reach you and you're just able to just scroll without anybody bothering you right you want that I want that we want that peace we want that vacation to be able to recharge but we also need to assess the second half of his post what are you passionate about because K noov says this passion is the antidote to indifference so some of us are indifferent like if I go to church I go to church if I don't go to church I don't care spirituality sure if if it makes me feel good and warm and gushy inside sure if it doesn't then it's not for me right we kind of pick alart as our selfs spirituality as he says passion is the antidote to indifference what are you passionate about what are you passionate about is it just Comfort is it just convenience is it just the next trip what are you passionate about all that can be good but can we categorize what we're passionate about is it for the temporal things or is it for things that go way past this life what are you and I passionate about and does it fall into the category of things that come and go or is it something that lasts so much longer than our lifetime here in this temporal World passion requires us to be fully alive and I know that's a very relative statement that many people can take in so many different directions but sometimes we feel so fatigued so tired because so many things are pulling at us that we don't even feel alive we just feel kind of like a a a a rat in the in the the wheel thing we just going go around and around around it's just the same thing over and over again it's a Friday again it's a Monday again and we just keep on going it's the same thing over and over and over again and we do not feel alive I want to share with you a quote from an early Church Father by the name of St aronas St araneus so the most beautiful attractive thing to me I know I'm biased the most beautiful and attractive thing to ancient Christianity to Orthodoxy is the beautiful continuity so when you look at Jesus you look at the 12 disciples you look one of them named St John St John first eyewitness gospel writer he wrote a couple of other letters as well you look at St John who were his disciples what's the the continuity what's the organic thread of this church Jesus you have St John he's continuing the movement of of Christianity he's continuing uh to be a Jesus follow and and spreading the word he has a disciple named St polycarpus St polycarpus also has a friend a disciple named St araneus so you have this beautiful continuity here all right St erus said these words the glory of God is Man Fully Alive the glory of God what gives glory to God is when you and I are fully alive and we reinstate that passion for us to become alive not Passion of the things of the flesh not things that come and go not the consumeristic mentality but passion for us to become fully alive for to for us to live for things bigger than ourselves this is how we give glory to God this is how we become fully alive but there's one specific thing that gets in the way there's one specific thing that gets in my way and gets in your way that prevents us from being Fully Alive for us to give glory to where we came from to who we belong to there's something specific that gets in our way and I think the person who said it best is the very vulnerable and the real writer by the name of St Paul St Paul used to be a terrorist used to kill Christians now he becomes the biggest Advocate and messenger of Christianity and he said these very emotional and vulnerable words follow along and try to capture his his emotion of how he's writing this I do not understand what I do how many of us say that ourselves I don't understand what I'm doing sometimes we do things and I we look back we like I can't believe I did that I told myself I wouldn't do it again and I did it again I do not understand what I do for what I want to do I do not do but what I hate I do and if I do what I do not want to do I agree I agree that the law is good I agree that there is a moral compass I agree that there are absolutes I don't believe that everything is relative I believe there is a moral code I believe that the law is good I believe there is a Divine Law that is there for my edification but I don't do that I I can't get myself to do it the thing I know what I'm supposed to do I don't end up doing If we're honest with oursel I feel like we can all relate to Z Paul's words he's being so open he's being so real as he's writing this letter to the Romans he continues as it is it is no longer I myself who do it but there is a spiritual tension within me that does not seem natural that's pulling at me it is sin living within me regardless of your view of sin right now just put that as as side but we have to understand there is a tension between what is seen and what is unseen as the video in the beginning kind of alluded to there is a tension between what is seen and unseen there is a spiritual world and there is a a tangible world and there are there is tension why do I know that you lean in toward that statement and why do I know this to be true because we can say the same words to St Paul it's a Tong swister don't try to say it sometimes fast but we can agree I don't understand what I do for what I want to do that I don't do but what I hate I do and if I do what I do not want to do I I agree that the law is good as it is it is no longer I myself who do it but there is sin living within me there is this pull like I'm trying to go straight but there's something the thing keeps on pulling to the right there's something within me I told myself I wouldn't do it again I end up doing it again there's sin living within me he continues for I know that good itself does not dwell in me that is in my sinful nature he's being so real for I have the desire to do what is good but I cannot carry it out you have the desire I have the desire to be a better father to be a better husband I I I I I have the desire I have the desire to stop doing that when I told myself I don't want to do it anymore I some do I have the desire the desire is there but there there is this unseen warfare that's pulling at me there's this unseen warfare that's pulling within you and me some of us might be more sensitive to that tension and forgive me some of us have let go and lost the battle and just become convenient just just go along with the flow of a comfortable convenient life we have allowed us to be under the sway of the wicked one and we just because we're we're living for oursel and we lose sight of the battle that's in front of us the battle between what is seen and what is unseen he continues for I do not do the good I want to do but the evil I do not want to do this I keep on doing now if I do what I do not want to do it is no longer I who do it but it is sin living in me that does it so you can kind of see his redundancy and you can kind of see his his his his vulnerability and his emotions of how he's being so real of how he's talking about the tension between what is seen and what is unseen if you look at every thought every desire either desire being wholesome or not wholesome healthy or not healthy you look at every Drive within us there is one route that causes us to fall into regret there's one thing if you look at and I'm I'm sorry if I kind of I'm picking at a scab but if you look at every mistake every regret that we have either the passions of our flesh I want to do what what I want to do or or a conversation that went South because our temper our anger got the best of us look at any mistake we have made if you look at the root of every issue we have ever put oursel in there's one Central disease that eats inside of me and that eats inside of you this disease is pride so right I know you're humble because you naturally think of that time that you were humble to that person or you didn't respond back once he said this or that I get it but if we kind of remove just like our instant reflex to to tell us say I'm a good person I am yeah I know you're good and I know you're humble but if we look at every flaw every sin every mistake every regret we have isn't the root of it pride I want to do this thing but no but it's not going to get the best of me I'm not going to fall like the rest of them I'm going to be different I'm going to be the exception what allows me to say that my pride that person said something that really hit below the belt and it really stings so instead of being silent I want to hit back at him what's making me want to H back to make sure to the point that it hurts that person what made me say that my pride I want to have the last word so for honest with oursel the root disease and we remove all the excuses remove all the cute narratives that we we try to tell oursel of why we did what we did the root of all of it what's the root of every single marriage issue that I have what's the issue the bottom the bottom issue my pride you already know this but King Soloman wise man said these words Pride goes before destruction and a hoty spirit before a fall we all understand this from life experience Pride goes Before Destruction every regret we have what's the precursor that that kind of put the the snowball into action is our pride is our pride and King Solomon said it best right there the root sickness within all of us is our pride Let's Talk About Angels and Demons for just a couple minutes here I know it's a fascinating topic but when you look at lurgical texts of ancient Christianity and you look at scripture you see that there is an order to Angelic Spirits we s b puts it this way which is echoed in ancient Christianity and echoed in many different ways the Thrones dominions principalities authorities there are these different terminologies that describe the different Realms of heaven and describing the different Angelic uh spirits that exist in heaven when you look at the Angels who are the word Angel just means messenger so if you look at the messengers that God has appointed each angel is given a mission and also given Free Will so God has given each Angel free will there is one specific Angel who was not content with his Natural State one Angel was not content with his Natural State and he abused his freedom and ended up putting Darkness into the world and him his name is Lucifer the the his name Lucifer means light or the light bearer so Lucifer was an angel was an angel in in the Realms of Heaven he decided to abuse his freedom and he fell from his Natural State but God is also honoring all his Angelic Spirits for them to choose so Lucifer fell as a fallen angel and also pulled with him other Angels what was the root cause for Lucifer to even entertain that conversation within himself is Pride so he abused his freedom his pride and he fell totally fine if you don't want to buy any of this totally fine that that that's on you with my love and honor to you that's on you but tons of of of scripture evidence and outside of scripture back up this reality as we see as far as the birth of Hades the birth of of hell because of the fallen angel angel of Lucifer you those who are in life group and if you're not in life group you definitely should sign up so you don't miss out you guys will talk more and look at scripture and look at certain passages that look into the the reality of the Fallen Angel of Lucifer and what's the byproduct of all of that so you guys will go further into that but I want us to at least for tonight for week one of this series for us to have Clarity on the cancer cell of Pride if this is what made Lucifer fall and if we're honest with oursel and it's okay if if you don't want to kind of probe into for that If we're honest with oursel that's also the root of all of our issues as well yes I know they need to be better and she shouldn't do that and she need I'm I'm with you about all of them but within us If we're honest with ourself Pride resides what did King Solon say Pride goes Before Destruction a holy spirit before a fall so for Lucifer he was discontent with his Natural State I want to end off and and share some meditations from the early church some commentary of how they viewed Pride we kind of sometimes sometimes actually in America at least I feel this we kind of glorify Pride if someone's like I'm I'm proud of who I am and I made it and you know this is me of course we should be proud but there's a fine line between I'm proud of of where I am and then Pride becoming toxic and then it kind of blinds me so there's a fine line but maybe that's another conversation or maybe you guys can talk about it in life group but I want us to talk about how the early church viewed R the cancerous cell of Pride and for us to be able to have Clarity on this sin that can give birth to other issues in our life and I think if we're honest with ourself we can admit that the bottom issue of many of our regrets and struggles is pride St Anthony the great one of the great uh Church fathers a monastic uh father of the church many scholars would say he is the Founding Father of the monastic movement for all of Christianity St Anthony said these words all sins are repulsive before God but the most repulsive of all is pride of the heart so it's as if he puts Pride into a different category all sins are repulsive before God every sin every mistake every every flaw that we make is pulling against away from what God wants for us but the most repulsive of all is the pride of the heart do not consider yourself learned and wise other way otherwise all your efforts will be destroyed and your boat will reach the harbor empty I love this analogy that he uses do not consider yourself learned and wise otherwise all your efforts will be destroyed and your boat will reach the harbor empty what an why is he giving this analogy St Anthony is talking about we're in this middle of this big body of water and there is waves and so many things pulling at us that's this temporal world if we allow Pride to settle within our heart and give birth to other toxic traits and sins we're going to reach the harbor what's the harbor that's the end when when our time here is done we're going to reach the harbor of the end of our life empty nothing to show for nothing we we're we're left with nothing why because we have given birth to Pride to settle within us we arrive at the harbor empty with nothing because we have allowed Pride to settle within us I'll share another quote by St Isaac the Syrian he said these words around the year 650 ad Pride does not perceive that it walks in darkness right because when you and I have pride we don't like we're not going to say yeah yeah I'm prideful it's kind of hard sometimes for us to see unless we invite the Holy Spirit to kind of give us Clarity and convict us Pride does not perceive that it walks in darkness and as being darkened it does not know the insight of wisdom for this reason in its own murky thoughts it elevates itself above all why did I say that message the way I did why did I want to say that joke why did I want to do XYZ for a lot of it the motive is our pride because we got murky thoughts it's hard sometimes for us to see what is really my intent what really is my motive because it's all murky thoughts and it elevates it elevates itself above all whereas it is more vile and more feeble than any and it is incapable of learning the ways of the Lord and the Lord conceals his will from it because it did not choose to walk in the path of the humble you want to see God's will for your life in a more clear way you want that but there's mer thoughts that kind of fog everything that get in the way and the root of all of that the root of all our issues what's that that that makes it that elevates our above everyone and I know I'm the exception I know what I'm doing it's our pride none of us like a cocky person right we don't I mean I always find it fascinating like I like I like watching like um like after like a sporting event and you watch like the the post game conference like I watching like the athletes kind of talk and you know and they ask you know hey Dak you know why why you guys think why why' you guys think you guys lost I love to see their response you know what's unattractive if he says oh it's because of the linebacker it's because of the corner it's because the receiver if you know if he got that ball we would have won that game it's all his fault that's unattractive but what's attractive and what we lean in toward is when that athlete says you know it's my bad it's on me I didn't prepare enough this week it falls on me we need to do better this is I wasn't prepared enough for that game that's why I lost it's on me there's something appealing there's attract there's something attractive that none of us like a cocky person so we love seeing that virtue but for right now just for week one for week one where within our heart is settled deep in there and it's kind of covered up and it wears a cute mask and we can't even really diagnose it because it's so covered up because it's become second nature to us is pride settling in there if this is what brought the fall of humanity if this is what brought the fall of Lucifer was Pride you and I are not any different for now for right now for week one in life group right now for us to assess this week what on Earth is pride and is it trying to settle itself within me or not and if it's too much too emotional you don't have to but I think maybe a more introspective question when you look and when I look at every mistake every regret that I have what what caused that what's kind of really settling there deep inside my pride I know best they don't I know what's best it's the birth of Pride I know it's not the most uh fluffy way to end session one but what what we need to have Clarity we we cannot sugarcoat this if you and I want to be better if you and I want to have the full capacity to see what God wants for our lives if you and I want to be fully aligned if you and I want peace which surpasses all understanding if you and I want Serenity for right now this week one our diagnostic state where is sin trying to creep where is pride trying to creep in let's stand for a prayer in the name of the father and the Son and the Holy Spirit one God Amen Lord our pride within us tries to wear a different mask and tries to cover itself within us but Lord give us boldness to be able to see within ourselves that the root issue within us that's throwing us off that's that's throwing us from seeing you in our lives that's causing issues within ourselves and relationships and those around us is the the essence and the sin of Pride trying to settle itself within us Lord give us Clarity for us to be able to see that and for us to come to you as you being the true physician you are there to heal us and for us to for right now for this week give us Clarity to see the sin of Pride trying to settle itself within us through the prayers of all your Saints Lord hear us as we pray together saying Our Father Who Art in Heaven Hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but Deliver Us from the evil one in Christ Jesus our lord for thine is the kingdom the power and the glory forever amen thank you everyone if you have not already please do sign up for our life group to continue the conversation specifically of what we talked about today have a great week