WEBVTT
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The greatest prison you'll ever live in.
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Maybe someone else's approval.
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Hey friends, welcome back to the Dirt Pastor Room Podcast.
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I'm Pastor Jason Marna, aka the Dirt Path Pastor.
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I don't know what kind of road you're traveling today.
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Maybe you're headed to work.
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Maybe you're sitting in your living room with a cup of coffee, or you're driving down a country road with nowhere to particularly be.
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However, you found this particular podcast episode.
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So thank you for spending a little time with me today.
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Now let me ask you this question before we get started.
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Have you ever spent years trying to earn someone's love?
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Maybe it was a parent, a spouse, maybe it was someone whose opinion carry more weight than you ever wanted it to.
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Yet you keep hoping.
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Maybe this time.
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Maybe this accomplishment.
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Maybe this conversation.
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Maybe this success would finally be enough.
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And you would get what you take from them.
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Now, if you ever carry those changes, I think that message is for you.
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We're going to chapter 29 and we're gonna meet a woman named Leah.
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To remind us that the greatest freedom isn't found when someone finally gives us the love we've been chasing.
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It's found when we realize God already has.
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So let's open our Bibles together.
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If you don't know where Genesis is, just take your Bible, go like this, and open it.
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And you shouldn't be there.
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You might end up the table of contents, we have to go right apart.
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As you're turning there, how many of you have seen the sitcom, the Big Bang Theory?
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Alright.
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Good number of hands have seen the show, The Big Bang Theory.
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Uh, if you don't have not seen the show, the sitcom is about these nerdy scientists who live in California.
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And they're trying to navigate being super smart, but being very socially awkward at the same time.
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So it's a very funny show.
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Um because again, they're trying to think they're nerds, they don't know how to navigate any of this stuff.
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They're focused on science, not people.
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Uh, but that the show is them learning, navigating being focused in dealing with people and seeing the relationship.
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So it's it's it's a great show.
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I recommend if you've not watched it.
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But one of the main characters, his name is Leonard.
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And Leonard, he has a PhD, and he is a super successful physicist.
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Right?
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And uh during the show, Leonard finds friends, he gets married, and he builds an incredible life despite Sheldon's best efforts.
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Right?
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You know who Sheldon is.
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Well, that's okay.
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If you watch the show, you'll know who Sheldon is, and you'll never forget who Sheldon is.
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Uh but anyway, so but we're talking about Leonard here, but so by every measure, Leonard is successful in his life.
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He's succeeded, he's achieved all of his dreams, all he set out to do.
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But if you watch the series, you know that throughout the whole thing, there's one relationship that haunts him.
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And that's his relationship with his mother.
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Now, Sheldon haunts him too, but for different reasons.
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But the one that really bugs him is his relationship with his mother.
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And his mother's name is Beverly, and Beverly is a respected psychologist.
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Matter of fact, she writes if you wrote the show.
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Suppose she's written books on psychology and how you should parent children.
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So she's very intelligent, very accomplished, but when it comes to her relationship with Leonard, she's emotionally distant.
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Throughout the whole show, Leonard is trying to earn his mother's approval and her love.
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You know, those things that kids kind of suspect to get from their mother, Leonard never gets it.
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No matter what he does.
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But he keeps, throughout the series, he just keeps trying to say, well, maybe if I just show her that I'm this smart, or maybe she sees my lab in this experiment, maybe this time it'll be enough.
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Maybe she sees my beautiful wife, maybe that will be enough to convince my mom that I'm worthy of her approval and her love.
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But each and every time it's not what you get.
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And even no matter what Leonard does, Beverly is always critical to him.
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And it's hard to watch.
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It's hard to watch that.
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And I think it's hard for us to watch that because all of us, in some way, we've experienced that same thing.
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Even if you haven't watched the show, you know what it feels like to try and get someone else's to approve of you, to like you, to love you.
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But it just seems like no matter what you do, you can't get that.
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And that that's a it's for some of us, it might have been your parents, right?
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It could be your mother or your father.
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Maybe it was your spouse.
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Maybe you had a coach that was that way, or a teacher, or a boss.
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I have a boss right now who's terrible.
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No, so I was pointing at myself because some of you know what too.
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I work part-time somewhere else.
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So I was not pointing the finger at that.
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They're wonderful.
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They're more wonderful than the boss I worked for full-time.
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But somewhere in your life, someone should have loved you.
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But they never gave you the affection, attention, or the affection, the attention, or the approval that you were seeking.
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And that's a heavy set of chains to carry around.
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And because it's not a set of chains that's around our wrist, it's one that's around our hearts.
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And they they're forged, these chains are forged, and they're strengthened by years of rejection and trying to get this other person to give you that love that he so desperately wants them to give you.
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Well, thousands of years before sit comes, Genesis tells us the story of a woman living under those very same chains.
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That woman's name is Leah.
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And so we're gonna find her story here in Genesis chapter 29.
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That's what we're gonna read today.
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We're reading verses 31 through 35.
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This is how it reads.
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It says, When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, he opened her womb.
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But Rachel was unable to have children.
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Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son, and she named him Reuben, because she said, The Lord saw my harsh treatment, and now my husband will love me.
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She became pregnant again and gave birth to a son.
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And she said, The Lord heard that I was unloved.
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So he gave me this son, too.
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And she named him Simeon.
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She became pregnant again and gave birth to a son.
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And she said, Now, this time, my husband will embrace me, since I have given birth to three sons for him.
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So she named him Levi.
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Then she became pregnant again and gave birth to a son, and she said, This time, this time, I will praise the Lord.
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So she named him Judah.
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And then she stopped bearing children.
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This is the word of God for the people of God.
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Thanks be to God.
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And now I know I jumped to the middle part of Leah's story here.
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And there's still a lot more after this, but for those of us, maybe if you're not as familiar with this, you haven't read it for a while.
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Uh just no, Leah's story is sad.
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And so to understand Leah's story, you have to read the story of Jacob.
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Remember, Jacob's the one that tricks his brother into giving up his birthright for a bowl of camel soup.
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Right?
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That's what he does.
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And then he flees.
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He has to flee because Esau is upset, wants to kill him, so he flees to his uncle Laban's house.
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And when he gets to his uncle Laban's house, he sees Rachel.
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And Rachel is beautiful, and Jacob becomes infatuated with Rachel.
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He loves Rachel.
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He would do anything to marry Rachel.
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So he goes to his Uncle Laban and says, Hey, I want to marry her.
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Uncle Laban's like, oh, sure thing, but guess what?
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You have to work for me for seven years first.
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And so Jacob, he works for seven years so he can marry Rachel.
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Remember, we're talking about Leah this morning.
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And so Jacob on his wedding night, he gets drunk.
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And if there's ever an endorsement for not drinking to the point of drunkenness and being blacked out, this is the story.
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Jacob gets blackout drunk, and while he's going to sleep, rather than his Uncle Laban bringing in Rachel, the bride he wanted, into the room to consummate the marriage, he brings in Leah.
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So Jacob wakes up the next morning and he's not married to Rachel, he's married to Leah.
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But Jacob still loves Rachel.
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He didn't want Leah, but now he's got Leah and stuff with her.
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But he loves Rachel, so guess what?
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He's like, you know what?
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Because his uncle Limbs like, hey, you cheated me.
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You wronged me.
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So guess what?
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So I want to marry Rachel.
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And then Laban gives his big excuse why he does that.
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And then Laban's like, but if you want to marry Rachel, you'll have to work another seven years.
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And so he works another seven years and he marries Rachel.
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Now, most of the guys in here, now, ladies, put the hymnals down.
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Most of us know one life is bad enough.
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Why would you want two?
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And why would you want them to be the sisters?
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Right?
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That just seems like a terrible idea from the get-go.
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But I want you to know sin created this mess.
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This mess was not God's design.
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This was not God's plan.
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God could say, hey, don't go your own Laban's house.
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I want this to happen.
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This was not God's plan at all.
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But God takes messes and makes beautiful things out of them.
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But anyway, so sin created this mess.
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Laban sinned by cheating Jacob.
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Now Jacob is going to compound that sin because whenever he didn't want Leah, he wanted Rachel.
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And he's going to pound it by playing favorites between Leah and Rachel.
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You see, so often when I don't know if you like me, but when I read this story, I know he's going to marry Rachel, so I don't even really pay attention to Leah's story.
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I pay attention to Rachel.
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But Jacob plays favorites.
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Now, also, polygamy was culturally acceptable at this time.
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And for most of the Old Testament and parts in the New Testament, it's acceptable and culturally.
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But just because something is acceptable culturally doesn't make it acceptable before God.
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You hear me?
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Just because culture says something's okay, just because our government gives us the freedom to do something doesn't mean you should take your freedom and do it for that thing.
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And the Bible is very clear marriage is between one man and one woman.
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That's God's design for marriage.
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Anytime you mess with that design, it creates a mess.
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So every time you read about polygamy in the Bible, yes, it never comes out and says polygamy is fat.
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It never says that it doesn't have to.
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You read the stories of polygamy and it never works out.
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It's always a mess.
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So when we read this story, we can't whitewash Jacob's story and say, oh, it's okay because Jacob is one of God's children.
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No, polygamy's still wrong.
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But God works in spite of Jacob's sin.
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Because here's what happens.
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Leah is now stuck in a marriage to a man who never wanted her.
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That's awful.
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That's wrong by her young father.
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That's wrong by her new husband.
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Okay.
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Let's go on to verse 31.
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Verse 31 says, The Lord saw that Leah was unloved.
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That's a strong word there.
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Like the Hebrew, it's more like it's actually the word that they use to usually translate hate.
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But it's not hate in the sense of Jacob looks at Leah and he despises her.
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Like he doesn't, he's not looking at her wishing harm upon her.
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Right?
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Now, now the Hebrew doesn't mean this, but but when we read this in our understanding, right, it's not so much that Jacob hates her, it's that Jacob has no feelings toward her at all.
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He doesn't think about her, he doesn't care about her, he has no emotional attack, he has no desire to be with her.
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That's we call that apathy.
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And apathy, see, the opposite of love is not hate.
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Because it requires just as much passion to hate somebody as it does to love them.
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The opposite of love is apathy, it's not caring at all.
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And that's Jacob's attitude towards Leah.
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God looks down and he sees Leah and says, he wasn't.
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So he wasn't, the Lord saw that Leah was unloved.
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See, Leah's husband may have been emotionally distant from her, but God saw her.
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Continuing on that verse, it says, God opened her wound.
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Now you and I we read this, like, oh yay, Leah's had a Leah's had a baby.
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Yeah, baby shower.
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Our lady's like, let's get the loot out.
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I'm thinking about I'm thinking a lot of people there, aren't I?
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I woke up when I was like, let's let's let's let's find.
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But we read that that's our attitude, right?
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It's like it's a baby, yeah, exciting.
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But you have to understand, culturally, it's different from them.
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Like in culture, this wasn't about the excitement just welcoming a new child in the world with our family growing.
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The idea of the family growing meant that your family had a future, it was security, it was everything you worked harder would have somewhere to go.
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It was a sign that God was blessing you in this culture to have children.
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So in verse 31, it says, God saw that Leah was in love, but this God loses and works in a way to say, Look, Leah, I see you, and I'm going to set you up to where your husband should see you, because I am blessing you with children.
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A child should have caused Jacob to see God's hand on Leah.
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Now the text goes on to us that Leah has four boys.
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Verses 32 through 34 share about the first three sons.
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And as you read through this, you can you hear the desperate desperation in Leah's prayer?
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We become to realize that Leah is a woman of deep faith, of deep prayer.
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She's not just half hazardly going through this situation with her husband.
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She is crying out to God, God, would you help?
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Would you help my husband to love me like he's supposed to?
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Would you help him to notice and pay attention to me like he's supposed to?
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She's desperate.
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And so each time we go through verses 2, 2, through 3, 4, we see that God, that each time reveals that God hears Leah's prayers.
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So she she has Reuben and says, The Lord saw my heart's treatment.
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And now my husband, now he will love me.
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I have the son Reuben, and yes, my he converted my sister.
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I was the unwanted wife, but look, now I have a son.
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He's in see me now.
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But it doesn't happen.
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Right?
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We know pregnancies last nine months.
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This isn't we read this and we think this happened at last half a finger.
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No, nine months.
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And all the time before that, what time she gets pregnant, the Bible doesn't give us the timeline for that.
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But we know it takes nine months for her to carry Reuben, then she's gonna get pregnant again sometime after that.
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And so she has after she has Reuben, she has Simeon.
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And after she has Simeon Simeon, she says, The Lord heard I was in love, so he gave me this son too.
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Again, her idea here is the fact that God gave me this.
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So now that I have two sons, now my husband Jacob, he really ought to see you.
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You ought to see that I am building a beautiful, strong family, strong household that's coming through me.
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So you should pay attention to me, he should love me.
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Thank you, God, you should see me now.
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But guess what?
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Jacob doesn't see her ever symptoms.
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So she we know that from the text because she's praying again, she's and she can see us again.
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This third time she names Levi.
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And in Levi, she actually named it.
00:19:01.200 --> 00:19:05.119
She says, This time, this time my husband will embrace me.
00:19:08.079 --> 00:19:11.279
She is desperate to get Jacob's attention.
00:19:12.400 --> 00:19:15.039
She's desperate for him to approve of her.
00:19:17.839 --> 00:19:24.000
And as we go through this text, every child becomes another attempt for Leah to earn love from Jacob.
00:19:24.720 --> 00:19:27.119
And here's the disgusting part of all this.
00:19:27.279 --> 00:19:31.839
You know, I've been telling you, Jacob has no emotional attachment to Leah whatsoever, but guess what?
00:19:32.079 --> 00:19:33.839
He has no problem using her.
00:19:37.279 --> 00:19:45.279
That's wrong and disgusting! He doesn't even want to, but he'll definitely take advantage of it.
00:19:45.359 --> 00:19:47.039
Hey, I got this, it's a bonus.
00:19:54.079 --> 00:19:58.000
God blesses Leah and answers her prayers over and over again.
00:19:58.079 --> 00:20:02.160
She has these three sons, and we see God and we say, hey, look, I'm blessing you.
00:20:02.319 --> 00:20:04.480
I'm building you a strong family.
00:20:06.400 --> 00:20:09.519
But Jacob refuses to see it.
00:20:09.839 --> 00:20:14.480
Nowhere in this text do we ever see that Jacob changes his opinion about Leah.
00:20:18.160 --> 00:20:31.599
She's still that unwanted woman that he broke up next to because she broke crazy and she let me get to verse 35.
00:20:31.680 --> 00:20:32.400
Thank you for that email.
00:20:32.640 --> 00:20:33.920
I appreciate it.
00:20:36.319 --> 00:20:38.160
Let me get to verse 35.
00:20:38.960 --> 00:20:40.880
And verse 35, oh, you read that one.
00:20:41.039 --> 00:20:41.920
That was a little different.
00:20:42.079 --> 00:20:45.200
It hits a little different when you pay attention to it.
00:20:45.759 --> 00:20:46.240
Right?
00:20:46.480 --> 00:20:48.720
So Leah's had three boys, right?
00:20:48.960 --> 00:20:49.599
Up to this point.
00:20:49.839 --> 00:20:52.400
Each time her prayer is, God, would you help my husband?
00:20:52.559 --> 00:20:53.759
See, would you open his eyes?
00:20:53.839 --> 00:20:57.519
Would you see that the blessing for his family is coming through me?
00:20:58.079 --> 00:21:01.200
And each and every time Jacob doesn't pay any attention to it.
00:21:04.960 --> 00:21:08.000
Well, there's 35, she has a fourth child.
00:21:08.880 --> 00:21:11.839
But notice what she says when she has that fourth son.
00:21:12.079 --> 00:21:14.480
It's not, Lord, oh, maybe this time he'll see me.
00:21:14.559 --> 00:21:17.119
It's not, oh, maybe this time, Lord, my treatment will change.
00:21:17.200 --> 00:21:20.480
Now, this time she says, I will praise the Lord.
00:21:23.359 --> 00:21:25.119
I will praise the Lord.
00:21:25.440 --> 00:21:30.000
She's not saying that because Jacob said they woke up and he loved her that morning.
00:21:30.319 --> 00:21:33.200
Jacob does not change in this story.
00:21:33.519 --> 00:21:38.079
He's the same jerk as he was at the beginning of the story all the way through to the end.
00:21:38.799 --> 00:21:40.559
He never changes.
00:21:42.160 --> 00:21:46.960
God doesn't come into the rescue and fix her broken marriage.
00:21:47.680 --> 00:21:49.440
He doesn't change that.
00:21:50.319 --> 00:21:52.079
But you know who God changes?
00:21:52.160 --> 00:21:58.240
Because all those times Leah was trying to earn the love and the approval of Jacob, she finally realizes you know what?
00:21:58.480 --> 00:21:59.680
He may never love me that way.
00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:00.480
And guess what?
00:22:00.559 --> 00:22:04.400
There's somebody who does love me, who's been paying attention to me this whole time.
00:22:04.640 --> 00:22:06.559
And I will praise him.
00:22:07.599 --> 00:22:09.599
And she you know what she names that son?
00:22:10.400 --> 00:22:11.920
She names him Judah.
00:22:13.279 --> 00:22:14.799
You know what's fascinating about that name?
00:22:15.039 --> 00:22:15.680
Judah?
00:22:17.279 --> 00:22:19.200
Kings are gonna come from that line.
00:22:19.440 --> 00:22:23.920
Not just any kings, but the king of kings and the Lord of Lord is gonna come from that line.
00:22:26.079 --> 00:22:28.799
As a matter of fact, the son that she praised for that third son, right?
00:22:28.960 --> 00:22:30.960
Have you been Zebite, the law is gonna come through him?
00:22:31.279 --> 00:22:36.880
And we're gonna learn from the law that no matter how much you strive, you can never earn God's favor of grace.
00:22:37.279 --> 00:22:39.680
Grace comes through Judah, not through Levi.
00:22:43.119 --> 00:22:43.759
That was free.
00:22:44.160 --> 00:22:45.440
It has nothing to do with where I was going.
00:22:45.599 --> 00:22:46.240
I just got said.
00:22:53.759 --> 00:22:55.279
She wanted him to notice her.
00:22:56.160 --> 00:23:00.240
Again, you can hear her the desperation after each boy is born.
00:23:01.359 --> 00:23:05.759
And God is doing everything he can to help Leah get noticed by Jacob.
00:23:06.079 --> 00:23:06.960
He is blessing her.
00:23:07.119 --> 00:23:10.400
He is showing, hey, this is where my blessing's at.
00:23:13.200 --> 00:23:15.359
But Jacob doesn't see it.
00:23:17.599 --> 00:23:25.279
So instead of keeping her hope resting in the back, that maybe one day my husband will see me, she shifts her hope from Jacob to God.
00:23:27.039 --> 00:23:29.759
Maybe God, my God sees me.
00:23:33.200 --> 00:23:37.119
Leah was changed in this need for her husband to see her and approve of her.
00:23:37.440 --> 00:23:39.359
But it never happened.
00:23:39.759 --> 00:23:46.559
So rather than stay shamed in the misery, Leah made faith came to see her value was not based on her husband's approval.
00:23:49.119 --> 00:23:56.079
She finally came to research, it doesn't matter what he thinks of me because my God loves me, my God sees me, my God hears me.
00:23:58.559 --> 00:24:01.279
And that is enough for me, so I will praise him.
00:24:04.480 --> 00:24:09.680
She finds freedom, but she doesn't find freedom and changed circumstances.
00:24:09.839 --> 00:24:11.759
She found a change in her heart.
00:24:11.920 --> 00:24:13.920
She found freedom in her heart.
00:24:14.480 --> 00:24:20.240
And then that the freedom she finds is demonstrated in that moment when she says, I will praise the Lord.
00:24:20.480 --> 00:24:22.960
Now I'm not gonna lie to you and say Leah's perfect from here.
00:24:23.440 --> 00:24:28.319
I think she has a moment of faith, a crisis moment of faith, where she realizes God is enough for her.
00:24:28.480 --> 00:24:32.720
But if you go on to read this story, it's just so that is a bit of a simple rivalry with Rachel.
00:24:34.880 --> 00:24:36.960
But it doesn't mean she's having faith in God.
00:24:37.119 --> 00:24:39.119
She means she's a broken person like us.
00:24:39.920 --> 00:24:42.640
Growing what a neat growing grace that God brings us.
00:24:44.400 --> 00:24:48.960
No longer is she pursuing the favor of her husband, instead she's just battling it out with her sister.
00:24:49.039 --> 00:24:51.279
That's a whole different ballgame.
00:24:51.599 --> 00:24:55.599
This day, my brother and I we can't play any games together without trash talking trying together work.
00:24:56.480 --> 00:25:05.440
Right now, actually, my brother's thinking of this stupid game I phone where you're trying to build the best five basketball players of all time, right?
00:25:05.519 --> 00:25:08.319
And and you're trying to get a team that goes AQ and O.
00:25:08.960 --> 00:25:12.799
And I'm competing with my brother in all this little randomizes your team though.
00:25:13.119 --> 00:25:14.319
You get a specific team in a decade.
00:25:14.400 --> 00:25:17.440
I don't know what way you can detail this, but we're competitive!
00:25:17.599 --> 00:25:19.680
Like we're trying to outdo each other.
00:25:26.319 --> 00:25:27.359
We're a broken people.
00:25:30.400 --> 00:25:31.519
Let go of things like that.
00:25:31.680 --> 00:25:32.400
This tastes sleep.
00:25:32.720 --> 00:25:38.799
Yeah, she has the rivalry aspect of it, but she's she stopped living in the chains of trying to win her husband's approval.
00:25:41.839 --> 00:25:43.440
You see, here's the thing.
00:25:43.759 --> 00:25:47.200
You and I, we all have a Jacob in our life.
00:25:48.480 --> 00:25:53.920
We have a Jacob in our life, we have someone in our life, we are desperate to gain their approval of.
00:25:56.079 --> 00:25:57.839
Maybe it was your parents.
00:25:58.960 --> 00:26:03.200
Maybe you wanted to hear them say I love you or I'm proud of you.
00:26:03.680 --> 00:26:07.759
And let's be honest, that's incredibly important for kids to hear.
00:26:08.000 --> 00:26:09.680
They need to hear that.
00:26:10.240 --> 00:26:15.279
Don't just show it, don't don't just don't just say it, show them, but don't just show them, say it do.
00:26:17.359 --> 00:26:19.039
Because they need to know that.
00:26:21.200 --> 00:26:23.359
But maybe it's maybe you never experienced it.
00:26:23.440 --> 00:26:24.319
You longed for it.
00:26:24.400 --> 00:26:25.279
You sought after it.
00:26:25.359 --> 00:26:28.640
You were waiting for that little weird dad that you said, I am proud of you, sonner.
00:26:28.799 --> 00:26:32.319
I love you, daughter, but that moment never came for you.
00:26:37.359 --> 00:26:41.759
Maybe you never heard the words, or maybe, and maybe you never even saw the evidence of it.
00:26:43.440 --> 00:26:48.160
When we get married, our assumption is our spouse will love us and want to spend time with us.
00:26:48.400 --> 00:26:49.920
That's what we assume.
00:26:53.680 --> 00:26:57.279
However, sometimes our spouse spends time with everyone but us.
00:26:57.759 --> 00:26:59.200
We feel left out.
00:26:59.519 --> 00:27:02.160
We're kind of like Leah, like, why don't why don't they love you?
00:27:02.240 --> 00:27:03.519
Why doesn't it pay attention to me?
00:27:03.599 --> 00:27:05.440
Why don't they approve of me?
00:27:09.200 --> 00:27:13.359
It could be a boss, it could be a pastor, a church family, or even a friend.
00:27:15.920 --> 00:27:21.039
So what we do, we keep doing all these same things, saying, well, maybe this time I have done enough.
00:27:22.559 --> 00:27:31.359
If I have just done enough, maybe this time they'll see me, they'll say I'm proud, they'll say I'm love, maybe they'll want to spend time, maybe they'll want to be with me if I just keep doing these things.
00:27:36.559 --> 00:27:38.559
But it never came for Leah.
00:27:38.799 --> 00:27:40.319
At least not from Jacob.
00:27:43.119 --> 00:27:44.799
It might not come for us.
00:27:48.240 --> 00:27:51.440
But notice the detail before Leah prays in verse 34.
00:27:51.519 --> 00:27:54.480
It's 35, it says, God saw.
00:27:55.599 --> 00:28:02.720
And despite the disappointment following each child, Leah eventually realized that God was paying attention to her.
00:28:02.880 --> 00:28:07.359
She realized that there was a love that was greater than Jacob could ever offer her.
00:28:09.279 --> 00:28:13.039
It wasn't loud, it wasn't demanding, it was just in the details.
00:28:13.119 --> 00:28:13.759
It showed up.
00:28:13.839 --> 00:28:15.519
There was evidence for it.
00:28:17.279 --> 00:28:20.880
There was a love out there for her that she did not have to earn.
00:28:22.240 --> 00:28:26.079
She didn't have to win God's approval or God's affection.
00:28:26.160 --> 00:28:29.759
God just looked at her and said, I see that you're unloved, I'm gonna love you.
00:28:35.759 --> 00:28:37.200
This was God's love.
00:28:37.359 --> 00:28:41.839
And that same love that God showed Leah is there for you.
00:28:43.440 --> 00:28:50.079
If you've been there, if you've been in Leah's spot, let's you know that God's love has been there for you all along.
00:28:52.640 --> 00:28:54.880
I'm not saying the way they treated you was right.
00:28:54.960 --> 00:28:58.640
I'm not saying that was godly or what God wanted of them.
00:29:01.200 --> 00:29:04.079
I'm here to tell you that God loves you despite that.
00:29:04.319 --> 00:29:07.200
Despite how they have their approval of you, despite the way they love you.
00:29:07.279 --> 00:29:11.119
And God's saying, you don't have to earn it with me, you don't have to prove anything to me.
00:29:11.200 --> 00:29:13.039
I love you as you are.
00:29:14.880 --> 00:29:16.960
I see you, I hear you.
00:29:20.640 --> 00:29:22.640
And here's the thing about God's love.
00:29:22.720 --> 00:29:24.319
And we see this also with Leah.
00:29:24.400 --> 00:29:28.079
Leah, she's praying and talking to God, but she's not seeking him that way.
00:29:28.240 --> 00:29:31.119
And we just read it in the service today.
00:29:32.079 --> 00:29:38.000
We love God, not because not because we love God because God first loved us.
00:29:38.400 --> 00:29:40.160
God made the first room.
00:29:42.319 --> 00:29:43.920
Think about what it says in Romans.
00:29:44.000 --> 00:29:47.119
It says, when we are still sinners, Christ died for us.
00:29:47.279 --> 00:29:53.759
It doesn't say once we were good, it doesn't say once we started going to church, doesn't say once we were baptized, doesn't say once we were on the membership roll.
00:29:53.920 --> 00:30:04.640
It says when we were still sinners, who wanted nothing to do with God, who was running as far away from God as we possibly could, Christ came and died for us.
00:30:05.920 --> 00:30:08.799
And that is proof of God's love for you.
00:30:11.039 --> 00:30:18.000
There is no mountain too high, no wall too impenetrable, nothing that will stop God's love from getting to you.
00:30:18.319 --> 00:30:20.000
David, that could almost be a song.
00:30:30.400 --> 00:30:37.039
All those tears that you have cried and you've failed attempt to get this person to notice you and to love you, God has seen each one of them.
00:30:38.880 --> 00:30:44.640
All the times that you've prayed or talked with yourself or rest on your mind, God has heard those.
00:30:46.240 --> 00:30:47.599
And he loves you.
00:30:48.720 --> 00:30:54.240
And Jesus is calling for us to stop chasing because he wants to give you something better.
00:30:56.079 --> 00:30:58.319
His love and his acceptance.
00:31:00.240 --> 00:31:04.319
So the question this morning is who have you been trying to convince to love you?
00:31:05.759 --> 00:31:07.680
It wasn't a mom or dad.
00:31:08.079 --> 00:31:10.640
You never seemed pleased with anything you did.
00:31:14.720 --> 00:31:15.839
I was pretty good fortunate.
00:31:15.920 --> 00:31:19.440
I had a dad that I knew love before you, you know, I had enough time to know before he got sick.
00:31:19.599 --> 00:31:21.920
You know, there were times where I was holding the flashlight, I wasn't sure.
00:31:22.079 --> 00:31:23.359
I knew he loved me.
00:31:26.559 --> 00:31:30.160
Are you chasing the affection of a spouse who has grown cold?
00:31:31.839 --> 00:31:33.039
Keep asking what's wrong.
00:31:33.200 --> 00:31:35.519
But you just tell me you're dying for them to talk to me.
00:31:35.599 --> 00:31:37.839
They just are not interested in talking to you about.
00:31:48.799 --> 00:31:57.519
Maybe it's that boss that no matter how hard you work or how much time you put on you, you know, you know, tell you go above and beyond and we'll take care of you.
00:31:58.000 --> 00:31:59.920
Sometimes that doesn't happen.
00:32:03.200 --> 00:32:07.359
Maybe it's someone's opinion of you, and this person, you really evaluate their opinion.
00:32:07.519 --> 00:32:10.000
Their opinion of you matters greatly.
00:32:12.720 --> 00:32:19.519
Whoever it is, if your life has become one long attempt to earn someone else's love, this morning, stop chasing that.
00:32:20.880 --> 00:32:22.400
Stop chasing it.
00:32:23.839 --> 00:32:27.119
Because here's the thing if you have to earn love, it's not love.
00:32:28.079 --> 00:32:31.839
Love is not earned, love is not conditional.
00:32:33.680 --> 00:32:35.519
Love is unconditional.
00:32:35.759 --> 00:32:40.480
Love is based on I see you, I hear you, I love you for you.
00:32:46.319 --> 00:32:50.400
So stop chasing me! Now this morning, I'm not asking you to stop loving people.
00:32:50.480 --> 00:32:52.079
I don't know how that's possible.
00:32:52.319 --> 00:32:55.839
I'm not asking you to give up on a broken relationship.
00:32:56.400 --> 00:33:03.359
But I am asking you to stop making that other person's approval, their love for you, the thing that you're chasing.
00:33:06.559 --> 00:33:11.920
Because some for somehow in our minds, we make that person's approval of love.
00:33:12.640 --> 00:33:14.400
The object of who we are.
00:33:15.839 --> 00:33:17.680
And that's not who you are.
00:33:18.000 --> 00:33:21.119
Who you are is someone that God loved enough to die for.
00:33:23.839 --> 00:33:25.599
You remember Leonard from the big name theory?
00:33:25.839 --> 00:33:27.039
Talk about him in the beginning.
00:33:28.640 --> 00:33:36.720
Talk about how his mother, Beverly, treating him as an experiment experiment that Leonard spent his whole series chasing Beverly's approval.
00:33:38.720 --> 00:33:42.319
One of the most underrated scenes of the entire series is when you get to the end.
00:33:42.559 --> 00:33:46.480
It's not the last episode, it's not even the last two episodes, it's like the last three or four years.
00:33:46.799 --> 00:33:50.079
And Leonard finally has a lot of sit-down conversation with his mom.
00:33:50.720 --> 00:33:57.519
And he's he's made out of shape because I think she's come to visit him and she makes it sound like she's interested in his work and the project he's working on.
00:33:58.880 --> 00:34:02.960
And she's acting all approving and loving, and Leonard's eating up at the end of the episode.
00:34:03.279 --> 00:34:06.480
He finds out she's been doing it as an experiment for her book.
00:34:10.000 --> 00:34:11.920
And so he calls her out on it.
00:34:12.159 --> 00:34:15.280
He says, Mom, that was not right, that was not okay, you hurt me.
00:34:15.519 --> 00:34:20.880
And as he's raving at her and yelling at her, trying to get it, and she finally finally dawned on him.
00:34:21.039 --> 00:34:23.280
Why am I trying to get her approval so badly?
00:34:23.440 --> 00:34:27.119
Why is my identity based on her, what she thinks of me?
00:34:28.559 --> 00:34:30.000
I've got a degree in science.
00:34:30.159 --> 00:34:32.559
I've got a woman who loves me, I've got friends all around me.
00:34:32.639 --> 00:34:35.119
Why am I still chasing this woman's approval?
00:34:35.360 --> 00:34:39.920
So finally, rather than continue to yell or you know what he says, he says, I forgive you.
00:34:40.239 --> 00:34:44.159
You may you're never gonna love me the way that I want you to, but guess what?
00:34:44.400 --> 00:34:45.679
I forgive you.
00:34:46.960 --> 00:34:47.840
Let's go.
00:34:50.800 --> 00:34:57.360
Let's go, not because Beverly changed, but because Leonard refused to let that pursuit keep him in chains anymore.
00:35:00.239 --> 00:35:05.280
You see, sermons and simcoms can point us toward truth, but only Jesus can set us free.
00:35:06.480 --> 00:35:09.280
And Jesus doesn't simply tell us to let go to let go.
00:35:09.440 --> 00:35:14.079
Jesus says, let go of what you're clinging to so that way you can take and hold on to my hand.
00:35:16.320 --> 00:35:17.360
Don't worry about that.
00:35:17.519 --> 00:35:19.440
Stop making their approval of you, you're ID.
00:35:19.840 --> 00:35:21.519
I already love you.
00:35:21.679 --> 00:35:22.960
Grab onto me.
00:35:25.440 --> 00:35:28.000
Stop chasing the love and approval from that person.
00:35:28.079 --> 00:35:34.320
Instead, like we are notice that God sees you, that God accepts you, that God loves you without you happing to earn it.
00:35:34.480 --> 00:35:39.840
Because here's the thing the greatest freedom isn't found when someone finally gives you the love you've been chasing.
00:35:40.000 --> 00:35:40.960
That's not freedom.
00:35:41.119 --> 00:35:44.880
The real freedom is when you realize God already loves you.
00:35:45.440 --> 00:35:52.400
So this morning, what I'm asking you to do is to let go of that, to stop chasing that and say, God, I'm gonna turn towards you.
00:35:54.320 --> 00:35:56.079
I'm gonna take your hand.
00:35:57.119 --> 00:36:07.679
And here's the thing when you turn to Jesus, I promise you this, when you turn to him, just like not only are you gonna hear those chains break in your life, you're gonna feel them drop off your heart and disappear.
00:36:09.119 --> 00:36:10.400
But that can't happen.
00:36:10.559 --> 00:36:14.079
As long as you keep holding on to this and you keep chasing it, you have to let go.
00:36:19.599 --> 00:36:27.920
Hey, I know we're not in a church setting right now, so you can't come to an altar like I invited at in this sermon, or at least the conclusion of it.
00:36:29.039 --> 00:36:33.760
But maybe your altar right now is the passenger seat of your truck, or the driver's seat.
00:36:35.039 --> 00:36:37.599
Maybe it's your kitchen table before everyone else wakes up.
00:36:38.559 --> 00:36:44.400
Or maybe right now you're sitting in your break room, or you're on your quiet drive home after work.
00:36:44.559 --> 00:36:51.039
But wherever you are right now, I want you to invite you to do the same thing Leah did.
00:36:51.920 --> 00:36:53.199
Stop chasing.
00:36:53.760 --> 00:36:58.239
Stop trying to earn the love you spent years hoping someone would finally give you.
00:36:59.199 --> 00:37:02.079
You may never hear the words you've longed to hear.
00:37:02.400 --> 00:37:04.880
You may never receive the apology you've waited for.
00:37:05.280 --> 00:37:08.320
And that relationship may never become what you hoped it would be.
00:37:09.039 --> 00:37:16.079
But don't let someone else's inability to love you keep you from receiving the love God has already offered you through Jesus Christ.
00:37:17.599 --> 00:37:22.079
If you've never trusted Jesus, today is a good day to begin.
00:37:22.880 --> 00:37:29.599
If you've been following him for years, maybe today is the day you finally laid down those chains you've quietly carried for so long.
00:37:30.400 --> 00:37:31.440
Let's pray together.
00:37:32.239 --> 00:37:35.280
Lord, thank you for seeing us when we felt invisible.
00:37:36.320 --> 00:37:39.119
Thank you for hearing our cries when no one else seemed to notice.
00:37:40.000 --> 00:37:44.159
Most of all, thank you for proving your love to your son Jesus Christ.
00:37:44.960 --> 00:37:49.760
Forgive us for the times we build our identity on someone else's approval instead of your love.
00:37:50.559 --> 00:37:53.599
Help us lay down the chains of rejection and striving.
00:37:54.320 --> 00:37:59.840
Teach us like Leah to turn our hearts towards you and say, This time I will praise the Lord.
00:38:00.800 --> 00:38:03.199
For the person listening today who feels forgotten.
00:38:03.840 --> 00:38:07.119
Remind them that they have never been unseen by you.
00:38:07.840 --> 00:38:12.079
For the one who feels unloved, remind them that your love was settled at the cross.
00:38:12.880 --> 00:38:17.519
And for all of us, help us walk in the freedom that only Jesus can give.
00:38:18.000 --> 00:38:20.079
We pray this in the holy name of Jesus.
00:38:20.800 --> 00:38:21.440
Amen.
00:38:22.480 --> 00:38:25.039
Friend, thank you for walking this dirt path with me today.
00:38:25.119 --> 00:38:26.159
I know it was a hard one.
00:38:26.639 --> 00:38:30.000
And if today's message encourages you, I'd love to hear from you.
00:38:30.400 --> 00:38:36.800
You can connect me with me through the dirt path pastor on social media like TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook.
00:38:37.199 --> 00:38:43.519
Um you can visit the web search the website, the either the Ravnas website or uh the dirt path page.
00:38:43.599 --> 00:38:48.480
Uh or another simple way to do it is there's a link in the show notes that says send us a message.
00:38:48.559 --> 00:38:52.880
Uh that sends a direct message directly to me through the through uh the host site.
00:38:53.440 --> 00:38:57.519
Or you can simply email dirtpathpaster at gmail.com.
00:38:57.679 --> 00:39:01.679
That's dirtpath at gmail.com all over the case.
00:39:01.920 --> 00:39:03.440
Uh uh I'd be so grateful.
00:39:03.679 --> 00:39:11.039
Also, I'd be so grateful if you would subscribe to the podcast and share this episode with someone who might be caring about.
00:39:12.480 --> 00:39:19.519
If you'd like to support this ministry financially, just know that every gift goes to the Nazarene Compassion Ministry's emergency relief fund.
00:39:20.000 --> 00:39:22.559
And that means your support doesn't come to me.
00:39:22.719 --> 00:39:28.400
It helps provide practical cris-centered relief to people around the world facing disasters and crises.
00:39:29.360 --> 00:39:33.360
Much like the families recently affected by the devastating earthquakes in Venezuela.
00:39:36.079 --> 00:39:43.360
And as you go this week, remember this you don't have to spend another day chasting the love that Jesus has already given you.
00:39:43.679 --> 00:39:46.000
The God who saw Leah sees you.
00:39:46.239 --> 00:39:48.960
The God who heard Leah hears you.
00:39:49.280 --> 00:39:54.960
So wherever this week takes you, walk in the freedom of knowing you are already loved.
00:39:55.199 --> 00:39:58.320
Until next time, grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus.
00:40:01.679 --> 00:40:14.719
Thank you for listening to this episode of the podcast.com.
00:40:15.679 --> 00:40:18.400
If you'd like to send me a message, we'll do it.
00:00:00.640 --> 00:00:02.720
The greatest prison you'll ever live in.
00:00:03.520 --> 00:00:05.040
Maybe someone else's approval.
00:01:12.640 --> 00:01:14.719
Hey friends, welcome back to the Dirt Pastor Room Podcast.
00:01:14.799 --> 00:01:17.359
I'm Pastor Jason Marna, aka the Dirt Path Pastor.
00:01:18.480 --> 00:01:21.280
I don't know what kind of road you're traveling today.
00:01:21.519 --> 00:01:22.640
Maybe you're headed to work.
00:01:23.599 --> 00:01:29.280
Maybe you're sitting in your living room with a cup of coffee, or you're driving down a country road with nowhere to particularly be.
00:01:30.000 --> 00:01:32.719
However, you found this particular podcast episode.
00:01:32.959 --> 00:01:35.200
So thank you for spending a little time with me today.
00:01:36.400 --> 00:01:39.040
Now let me ask you this question before we get started.
00:01:39.280 --> 00:01:42.319
Have you ever spent years trying to earn someone's love?
00:01:43.120 --> 00:01:50.239
Maybe it was a parent, a spouse, maybe it was someone whose opinion carry more weight than you ever wanted it to.
00:01:51.280 --> 00:01:52.400
Yet you keep hoping.
00:01:53.519 --> 00:01:54.400
Maybe this time.
00:01:54.879 --> 00:01:56.000
Maybe this accomplishment.
00:01:56.239 --> 00:01:57.280
Maybe this conversation.
00:01:57.439 --> 00:01:59.760
Maybe this success would finally be enough.
00:02:00.319 --> 00:02:02.000
And you would get what you take from them.
00:02:02.560 --> 00:02:06.560
Now, if you ever carry those changes, I think that message is for you.
00:02:07.599 --> 00:02:12.159
We're going to chapter 29 and we're gonna meet a woman named Leah.
00:02:12.560 --> 00:02:17.680
To remind us that the greatest freedom isn't found when someone finally gives us the love we've been chasing.
00:02:17.919 --> 00:02:20.560
It's found when we realize God already has.
00:02:21.199 --> 00:02:23.520
So let's open our Bibles together.
00:02:42.159 --> 00:02:46.240
If you don't know where Genesis is, just take your Bible, go like this, and open it.
00:02:46.319 --> 00:02:47.120
And you shouldn't be there.
00:02:47.199 --> 00:02:49.439
You might end up the table of contents, we have to go right apart.
00:02:53.759 --> 00:02:59.759
As you're turning there, how many of you have seen the sitcom, the Big Bang Theory?
00:03:00.960 --> 00:03:01.599
Alright.
00:03:02.000 --> 00:03:04.960
Good number of hands have seen the show, The Big Bang Theory.
00:03:05.120 --> 00:03:12.479
Uh, if you don't have not seen the show, the sitcom is about these nerdy scientists who live in California.
00:03:13.039 --> 00:03:21.759
And they're trying to navigate being super smart, but being very socially awkward at the same time.
00:03:22.080 --> 00:03:24.800
So it's a very funny show.
00:03:25.039 --> 00:03:31.280
Um because again, they're trying to think they're nerds, they don't know how to navigate any of this stuff.
00:03:31.360 --> 00:03:33.439
They're focused on science, not people.
00:03:33.520 --> 00:03:38.479
Uh, but that the show is them learning, navigating being focused in dealing with people and seeing the relationship.
00:03:38.560 --> 00:03:39.759
So it's it's it's a great show.
00:03:39.840 --> 00:03:41.840
I recommend if you've not watched it.
00:03:42.080 --> 00:03:44.879
But one of the main characters, his name is Leonard.
00:03:45.680 --> 00:03:51.759
And Leonard, he has a PhD, and he is a super successful physicist.
00:03:52.719 --> 00:03:53.280
Right?
00:03:53.520 --> 00:04:01.919
And uh during the show, Leonard finds friends, he gets married, and he builds an incredible life despite Sheldon's best efforts.
00:04:02.080 --> 00:04:02.319
Right?
00:04:02.719 --> 00:04:04.240
You know who Sheldon is.
00:04:04.560 --> 00:04:06.319
Well, that's okay.
00:04:06.560 --> 00:04:10.080
If you watch the show, you'll know who Sheldon is, and you'll never forget who Sheldon is.
00:04:10.560 --> 00:04:16.959
Uh but anyway, so but we're talking about Leonard here, but so by every measure, Leonard is successful in his life.
00:04:17.279 --> 00:04:21.600
He's succeeded, he's achieved all of his dreams, all he set out to do.
00:04:22.480 --> 00:04:28.560
But if you watch the series, you know that throughout the whole thing, there's one relationship that haunts him.
00:04:29.920 --> 00:04:33.519
And that's his relationship with his mother.
00:04:33.839 --> 00:04:37.920
Now, Sheldon haunts him too, but for different reasons.
00:04:38.240 --> 00:04:42.079
But the one that really bugs him is his relationship with his mother.
00:04:42.720 --> 00:04:47.279
And his mother's name is Beverly, and Beverly is a respected psychologist.
00:04:47.519 --> 00:04:49.360
Matter of fact, she writes if you wrote the show.
00:04:49.439 --> 00:04:53.360
Suppose she's written books on psychology and how you should parent children.
00:04:54.560 --> 00:05:00.720
So she's very intelligent, very accomplished, but when it comes to her relationship with Leonard, she's emotionally distant.
00:05:02.240 --> 00:05:07.279
Throughout the whole show, Leonard is trying to earn his mother's approval and her love.
00:05:08.160 --> 00:05:13.519
You know, those things that kids kind of suspect to get from their mother, Leonard never gets it.
00:05:14.399 --> 00:05:15.839
No matter what he does.
00:05:16.079 --> 00:05:26.800
But he keeps, throughout the series, he just keeps trying to say, well, maybe if I just show her that I'm this smart, or maybe she sees my lab in this experiment, maybe this time it'll be enough.
00:05:27.040 --> 00:05:34.000
Maybe she sees my beautiful wife, maybe that will be enough to convince my mom that I'm worthy of her approval and her love.
00:05:35.199 --> 00:05:40.560
But each and every time it's not what you get.
00:05:51.120 --> 00:05:55.120
And even no matter what Leonard does, Beverly is always critical to him.
00:06:02.079 --> 00:06:03.839
And it's hard to watch.
00:06:04.240 --> 00:06:05.360
It's hard to watch that.
00:06:05.439 --> 00:06:11.120
And I think it's hard for us to watch that because all of us, in some way, we've experienced that same thing.
00:06:12.399 --> 00:06:22.000
Even if you haven't watched the show, you know what it feels like to try and get someone else's to approve of you, to like you, to love you.
00:06:22.720 --> 00:06:26.639
But it just seems like no matter what you do, you can't get that.
00:06:29.360 --> 00:06:34.079
And that that's a it's for some of us, it might have been your parents, right?
00:06:34.160 --> 00:06:35.519
It could be your mother or your father.
00:06:35.680 --> 00:06:37.199
Maybe it was your spouse.
00:06:37.519 --> 00:06:41.360
Maybe you had a coach that was that way, or a teacher, or a boss.
00:06:45.199 --> 00:06:47.680
I have a boss right now who's terrible.
00:06:51.519 --> 00:06:53.920
No, so I was pointing at myself because some of you know what too.
00:06:54.000 --> 00:06:54.879
I work part-time somewhere else.
00:06:54.959 --> 00:06:56.240
So I was not pointing the finger at that.
00:06:56.399 --> 00:06:56.959
They're wonderful.
00:06:57.040 --> 00:06:59.920
They're more wonderful than the boss I worked for full-time.
00:07:02.399 --> 00:07:05.360
But somewhere in your life, someone should have loved you.
00:07:05.600 --> 00:07:12.160
But they never gave you the affection, attention, or the affection, the attention, or the approval that you were seeking.
00:07:13.040 --> 00:07:16.319
And that's a heavy set of chains to carry around.
00:07:17.759 --> 00:07:22.959
And because it's not a set of chains that's around our wrist, it's one that's around our hearts.
00:07:23.600 --> 00:07:35.519
And they they're forged, these chains are forged, and they're strengthened by years of rejection and trying to get this other person to give you that love that he so desperately wants them to give you.
00:07:37.759 --> 00:07:44.639
Well, thousands of years before sit comes, Genesis tells us the story of a woman living under those very same chains.
00:07:45.199 --> 00:07:46.959
That woman's name is Leah.
00:07:47.759 --> 00:07:51.600
And so we're gonna find her story here in Genesis chapter 29.
00:07:51.680 --> 00:07:52.560
That's what we're gonna read today.
00:07:52.639 --> 00:07:55.279
We're reading verses 31 through 35.
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This is how it reads.
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It says, When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, he opened her womb.
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But Rachel was unable to have children.
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Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son, and she named him Reuben, because she said, The Lord saw my harsh treatment, and now my husband will love me.
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She became pregnant again and gave birth to a son.
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And she said, The Lord heard that I was unloved.
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So he gave me this son, too.
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And she named him Simeon.
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She became pregnant again and gave birth to a son.
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And she said, Now, this time, my husband will embrace me, since I have given birth to three sons for him.
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So she named him Levi.
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Then she became pregnant again and gave birth to a son, and she said, This time, this time, I will praise the Lord.
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So she named him Judah.
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And then she stopped bearing children.
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This is the word of God for the people of God.
00:09:05.919 --> 00:09:07.200
Thanks be to God.
00:09:08.080 --> 00:09:12.480
And now I know I jumped to the middle part of Leah's story here.
00:09:12.559 --> 00:09:18.480
And there's still a lot more after this, but for those of us, maybe if you're not as familiar with this, you haven't read it for a while.
00:09:18.639 --> 00:09:20.879
Uh just no, Leah's story is sad.
00:09:23.919 --> 00:09:28.159
And so to understand Leah's story, you have to read the story of Jacob.
00:09:28.240 --> 00:09:33.519
Remember, Jacob's the one that tricks his brother into giving up his birthright for a bowl of camel soup.
00:09:34.080 --> 00:09:34.399
Right?
00:09:34.480 --> 00:09:35.279
That's what he does.
00:09:37.440 --> 00:09:38.399
And then he flees.
00:09:38.559 --> 00:09:43.519
He has to flee because Esau is upset, wants to kill him, so he flees to his uncle Laban's house.
00:09:43.679 --> 00:09:47.600
And when he gets to his uncle Laban's house, he sees Rachel.
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And Rachel is beautiful, and Jacob becomes infatuated with Rachel.
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He loves Rachel.
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He would do anything to marry Rachel.
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So he goes to his Uncle Laban and says, Hey, I want to marry her.
00:10:00.320 --> 00:10:02.720
Uncle Laban's like, oh, sure thing, but guess what?
00:10:02.799 --> 00:10:05.039
You have to work for me for seven years first.
00:10:05.919 --> 00:10:10.159
And so Jacob, he works for seven years so he can marry Rachel.
00:10:10.480 --> 00:10:12.879
Remember, we're talking about Leah this morning.
00:10:13.679 --> 00:10:16.559
And so Jacob on his wedding night, he gets drunk.
00:10:16.720 --> 00:10:23.840
And if there's ever an endorsement for not drinking to the point of drunkenness and being blacked out, this is the story.
00:10:24.080 --> 00:10:35.120
Jacob gets blackout drunk, and while he's going to sleep, rather than his Uncle Laban bringing in Rachel, the bride he wanted, into the room to consummate the marriage, he brings in Leah.
00:10:36.399 --> 00:10:40.720
So Jacob wakes up the next morning and he's not married to Rachel, he's married to Leah.
00:10:45.679 --> 00:10:47.840
But Jacob still loves Rachel.
00:10:48.159 --> 00:10:51.120
He didn't want Leah, but now he's got Leah and stuff with her.
00:10:51.200 --> 00:10:52.879
But he loves Rachel, so guess what?
00:10:52.960 --> 00:10:53.519
He's like, you know what?
00:10:53.679 --> 00:10:55.679
Because his uncle Limbs like, hey, you cheated me.
00:10:55.840 --> 00:10:56.720
You wronged me.
00:10:56.799 --> 00:10:57.360
So guess what?
00:10:57.600 --> 00:10:59.200
So I want to marry Rachel.
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And then Laban gives his big excuse why he does that.
00:11:01.679 --> 00:11:05.519
And then Laban's like, but if you want to marry Rachel, you'll have to work another seven years.
00:11:05.679 --> 00:11:08.879
And so he works another seven years and he marries Rachel.
00:11:09.200 --> 00:11:13.039
Now, most of the guys in here, now, ladies, put the hymnals down.
00:11:13.440 --> 00:11:15.679
Most of us know one life is bad enough.
00:11:15.840 --> 00:11:16.799
Why would you want two?
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And why would you want them to be the sisters?
00:11:18.720 --> 00:11:18.960
Right?
00:11:19.039 --> 00:11:21.759
That just seems like a terrible idea from the get-go.
00:11:22.960 --> 00:11:26.000
But I want you to know sin created this mess.
00:11:26.559 --> 00:11:28.399
This mess was not God's design.
00:11:28.559 --> 00:11:29.440
This was not God's plan.
00:11:29.600 --> 00:11:32.480
God could say, hey, don't go your own Laban's house.
00:11:32.639 --> 00:11:33.440
I want this to happen.
00:11:33.519 --> 00:11:35.600
This was not God's plan at all.
00:11:36.240 --> 00:11:38.799
But God takes messes and makes beautiful things out of them.
00:11:38.879 --> 00:11:41.200
But anyway, so sin created this mess.
00:11:41.279 --> 00:11:43.519
Laban sinned by cheating Jacob.
00:11:43.759 --> 00:11:49.200
Now Jacob is going to compound that sin because whenever he didn't want Leah, he wanted Rachel.
00:11:49.519 --> 00:11:55.600
And he's going to pound it by playing favorites between Leah and Rachel.
00:11:56.080 --> 00:12:03.200
You see, so often when I don't know if you like me, but when I read this story, I know he's going to marry Rachel, so I don't even really pay attention to Leah's story.
00:12:03.279 --> 00:12:04.879
I pay attention to Rachel.
00:12:08.720 --> 00:12:10.559
But Jacob plays favorites.
00:12:11.039 --> 00:12:15.440
Now, also, polygamy was culturally acceptable at this time.
00:12:16.159 --> 00:12:21.200
And for most of the Old Testament and parts in the New Testament, it's acceptable and culturally.
00:12:22.159 --> 00:12:26.960
But just because something is acceptable culturally doesn't make it acceptable before God.
00:12:27.759 --> 00:12:28.559
You hear me?
00:12:29.919 --> 00:12:38.000
Just because culture says something's okay, just because our government gives us the freedom to do something doesn't mean you should take your freedom and do it for that thing.
00:12:39.200 --> 00:12:43.919
And the Bible is very clear marriage is between one man and one woman.
00:12:45.200 --> 00:12:47.039
That's God's design for marriage.
00:12:47.200 --> 00:12:50.879
Anytime you mess with that design, it creates a mess.
00:12:52.159 --> 00:12:56.240
So every time you read about polygamy in the Bible, yes, it never comes out and says polygamy is fat.
00:12:56.639 --> 00:12:58.240
It never says that it doesn't have to.
00:12:58.480 --> 00:13:01.279
You read the stories of polygamy and it never works out.
00:13:01.360 --> 00:13:02.879
It's always a mess.
00:13:04.639 --> 00:13:11.440
So when we read this story, we can't whitewash Jacob's story and say, oh, it's okay because Jacob is one of God's children.
00:13:11.600 --> 00:13:14.320
No, polygamy's still wrong.
00:13:15.279 --> 00:13:17.840
But God works in spite of Jacob's sin.
00:13:22.320 --> 00:13:24.080
Because here's what happens.
00:13:25.840 --> 00:13:28.960
Leah is now stuck in a marriage to a man who never wanted her.
00:13:34.639 --> 00:13:36.000
That's awful.
00:13:38.080 --> 00:13:39.840
That's wrong by her young father.
00:13:40.000 --> 00:13:42.480
That's wrong by her new husband.
00:13:46.080 --> 00:13:46.320
Okay.
00:13:47.600 --> 00:13:49.120
Let's go on to verse 31.
00:13:49.360 --> 00:13:53.919
Verse 31 says, The Lord saw that Leah was unloved.
00:13:55.519 --> 00:13:57.679
That's a strong word there.
00:13:58.720 --> 00:14:06.000
Like the Hebrew, it's more like it's actually the word that they use to usually translate hate.
00:14:06.320 --> 00:14:10.320
But it's not hate in the sense of Jacob looks at Leah and he despises her.
00:14:10.399 --> 00:14:13.200
Like he doesn't, he's not looking at her wishing harm upon her.
00:14:14.000 --> 00:14:14.399
Right?
00:14:14.559 --> 00:14:25.039
Now, now the Hebrew doesn't mean this, but but when we read this in our understanding, right, it's not so much that Jacob hates her, it's that Jacob has no feelings toward her at all.
00:14:27.600 --> 00:14:32.960
He doesn't think about her, he doesn't care about her, he has no emotional attack, he has no desire to be with her.
00:14:36.399 --> 00:14:38.480
That's we call that apathy.
00:14:39.759 --> 00:14:43.120
And apathy, see, the opposite of love is not hate.
00:14:43.360 --> 00:14:48.399
Because it requires just as much passion to hate somebody as it does to love them.
00:14:48.559 --> 00:14:52.320
The opposite of love is apathy, it's not caring at all.
00:14:52.960 --> 00:14:55.919
And that's Jacob's attitude towards Leah.
00:14:57.440 --> 00:15:01.279
God looks down and he sees Leah and says, he wasn't.
00:15:01.440 --> 00:15:04.480
So he wasn't, the Lord saw that Leah was unloved.
00:15:08.240 --> 00:15:13.200
See, Leah's husband may have been emotionally distant from her, but God saw her.
00:15:16.399 --> 00:15:19.440
Continuing on that verse, it says, God opened her wound.
00:15:20.960 --> 00:15:24.639
Now you and I we read this, like, oh yay, Leah's had a Leah's had a baby.
00:15:24.720 --> 00:15:25.840
Yeah, baby shower.
00:15:26.559 --> 00:15:28.639
Our lady's like, let's get the loot out.
00:15:30.879 --> 00:15:33.279
I'm thinking about I'm thinking a lot of people there, aren't I?
00:15:34.000 --> 00:15:37.120
I woke up when I was like, let's let's let's let's find.
00:15:40.799 --> 00:15:42.480
But we read that that's our attitude, right?
00:15:42.639 --> 00:15:44.320
It's like it's a baby, yeah, exciting.
00:15:44.480 --> 00:15:47.039
But you have to understand, culturally, it's different from them.
00:15:47.200 --> 00:15:53.120
Like in culture, this wasn't about the excitement just welcoming a new child in the world with our family growing.
00:15:53.200 --> 00:16:03.039
The idea of the family growing meant that your family had a future, it was security, it was everything you worked harder would have somewhere to go.
00:16:04.480 --> 00:16:09.759
It was a sign that God was blessing you in this culture to have children.
00:16:10.080 --> 00:16:25.200
So in verse 31, it says, God saw that Leah was in love, but this God loses and works in a way to say, Look, Leah, I see you, and I'm going to set you up to where your husband should see you, because I am blessing you with children.
00:16:32.240 --> 00:16:36.000
A child should have caused Jacob to see God's hand on Leah.
00:16:37.840 --> 00:16:41.200
Now the text goes on to us that Leah has four boys.
00:16:42.000 --> 00:16:46.399
Verses 32 through 34 share about the first three sons.
00:16:47.679 --> 00:16:51.759
And as you read through this, you can you hear the desperate desperation in Leah's prayer?
00:16:52.080 --> 00:16:56.320
We become to realize that Leah is a woman of deep faith, of deep prayer.
00:16:56.960 --> 00:17:02.159
She's not just half hazardly going through this situation with her husband.
00:17:02.320 --> 00:17:04.319
She is crying out to God, God, would you help?
00:17:04.400 --> 00:17:06.799
Would you help my husband to love me like he's supposed to?
00:17:06.960 --> 00:17:10.319
Would you help him to notice and pay attention to me like he's supposed to?
00:17:12.960 --> 00:17:14.400
She's desperate.
00:17:17.680 --> 00:17:25.119
And so each time we go through verses 2, 2, through 3, 4, we see that God, that each time reveals that God hears Leah's prayers.
00:17:25.759 --> 00:17:30.000
So she she has Reuben and says, The Lord saw my heart's treatment.
00:17:30.960 --> 00:17:34.240
And now my husband, now he will love me.
00:17:36.480 --> 00:17:40.960
I have the son Reuben, and yes, my he converted my sister.
00:17:41.039 --> 00:17:44.079
I was the unwanted wife, but look, now I have a son.
00:17:44.799 --> 00:17:46.559
He's in see me now.
00:17:47.680 --> 00:17:49.440
But it doesn't happen.
00:17:50.480 --> 00:17:50.799
Right?
00:17:51.039 --> 00:17:52.640
We know pregnancies last nine months.
00:17:52.880 --> 00:17:55.519
This isn't we read this and we think this happened at last half a finger.
00:17:55.680 --> 00:17:57.039
No, nine months.
00:17:57.279 --> 00:18:02.079
And all the time before that, what time she gets pregnant, the Bible doesn't give us the timeline for that.
00:18:02.160 --> 00:18:07.039
But we know it takes nine months for her to carry Reuben, then she's gonna get pregnant again sometime after that.
00:18:11.680 --> 00:18:14.880
And so she has after she has Reuben, she has Simeon.
00:18:15.119 --> 00:18:21.279
And after she has Simeon Simeon, she says, The Lord heard I was in love, so he gave me this son too.
00:18:22.160 --> 00:18:25.039
Again, her idea here is the fact that God gave me this.
00:18:25.519 --> 00:18:30.640
So now that I have two sons, now my husband Jacob, he really ought to see you.
00:18:30.880 --> 00:18:35.920
You ought to see that I am building a beautiful, strong family, strong household that's coming through me.
00:18:36.000 --> 00:18:38.640
So you should pay attention to me, he should love me.
00:18:39.359 --> 00:18:41.680
Thank you, God, you should see me now.
00:18:42.640 --> 00:18:43.359
But guess what?
00:18:43.519 --> 00:18:45.440
Jacob doesn't see her ever symptoms.
00:18:45.519 --> 00:18:50.319
So she we know that from the text because she's praying again, she's and she can see us again.
00:18:56.640 --> 00:18:58.880
This third time she names Levi.
00:18:59.440 --> 00:19:01.119
And in Levi, she actually named it.
00:19:01.200 --> 00:19:05.119
She says, This time, this time my husband will embrace me.
00:19:08.079 --> 00:19:11.279
She is desperate to get Jacob's attention.
00:19:12.400 --> 00:19:15.039
She's desperate for him to approve of her.
00:19:17.839 --> 00:19:24.000
And as we go through this text, every child becomes another attempt for Leah to earn love from Jacob.
00:19:24.720 --> 00:19:27.119
And here's the disgusting part of all this.
00:19:27.279 --> 00:19:31.839
You know, I've been telling you, Jacob has no emotional attachment to Leah whatsoever, but guess what?
00:19:32.079 --> 00:19:33.839
He has no problem using her.
00:19:37.279 --> 00:19:45.279
That's wrong and disgusting! He doesn't even want to, but he'll definitely take advantage of it.
00:19:45.359 --> 00:19:47.039
Hey, I got this, it's a bonus.
00:19:54.079 --> 00:19:58.000
God blesses Leah and answers her prayers over and over again.
00:19:58.079 --> 00:20:02.160
She has these three sons, and we see God and we say, hey, look, I'm blessing you.
00:20:02.319 --> 00:20:04.480
I'm building you a strong family.
00:20:06.400 --> 00:20:09.519
But Jacob refuses to see it.
00:20:09.839 --> 00:20:14.480
Nowhere in this text do we ever see that Jacob changes his opinion about Leah.
00:20:18.160 --> 00:20:31.599
She's still that unwanted woman that he broke up next to because she broke crazy and she let me get to verse 35.
00:20:31.680 --> 00:20:32.400
Thank you for that email.
00:20:32.640 --> 00:20:33.920
I appreciate it.
00:20:36.319 --> 00:20:38.160
Let me get to verse 35.
00:20:38.960 --> 00:20:40.880
And verse 35, oh, you read that one.
00:20:41.039 --> 00:20:41.920
That was a little different.
00:20:42.079 --> 00:20:45.200
It hits a little different when you pay attention to it.
00:20:45.759 --> 00:20:46.240
Right?
00:20:46.480 --> 00:20:48.720
So Leah's had three boys, right?
00:20:48.960 --> 00:20:49.599
Up to this point.
00:20:49.839 --> 00:20:52.400
Each time her prayer is, God, would you help my husband?
00:20:52.559 --> 00:20:53.759
See, would you open his eyes?
00:20:53.839 --> 00:20:57.519
Would you see that the blessing for his family is coming through me?
00:20:58.079 --> 00:21:01.200
And each and every time Jacob doesn't pay any attention to it.
00:21:04.960 --> 00:21:08.000
Well, there's 35, she has a fourth child.
00:21:08.880 --> 00:21:11.839
But notice what she says when she has that fourth son.
00:21:12.079 --> 00:21:14.480
It's not, Lord, oh, maybe this time he'll see me.
00:21:14.559 --> 00:21:17.119
It's not, oh, maybe this time, Lord, my treatment will change.
00:21:17.200 --> 00:21:20.480
Now, this time she says, I will praise the Lord.
00:21:23.359 --> 00:21:25.119
I will praise the Lord.
00:21:25.440 --> 00:21:30.000
She's not saying that because Jacob said they woke up and he loved her that morning.
00:21:30.319 --> 00:21:33.200
Jacob does not change in this story.
00:21:33.519 --> 00:21:38.079
He's the same jerk as he was at the beginning of the story all the way through to the end.
00:21:38.799 --> 00:21:40.559
He never changes.
00:21:42.160 --> 00:21:46.960
God doesn't come into the rescue and fix her broken marriage.
00:21:47.680 --> 00:21:49.440
He doesn't change that.
00:21:50.319 --> 00:21:52.079
But you know who God changes?
00:21:52.160 --> 00:21:58.240
Because all those times Leah was trying to earn the love and the approval of Jacob, she finally realizes you know what?
00:21:58.480 --> 00:21:59.680
He may never love me that way.
00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:00.480
And guess what?
00:22:00.559 --> 00:22:04.400
There's somebody who does love me, who's been paying attention to me this whole time.
00:22:04.640 --> 00:22:06.559
And I will praise him.
00:22:07.599 --> 00:22:09.599
And she you know what she names that son?
00:22:10.400 --> 00:22:11.920
She names him Judah.
00:22:13.279 --> 00:22:14.799
You know what's fascinating about that name?
00:22:15.039 --> 00:22:15.680
Judah?
00:22:17.279 --> 00:22:19.200
Kings are gonna come from that line.
00:22:19.440 --> 00:22:23.920
Not just any kings, but the king of kings and the Lord of Lord is gonna come from that line.
00:22:26.079 --> 00:22:28.799
As a matter of fact, the son that she praised for that third son, right?
00:22:28.960 --> 00:22:30.960
Have you been Zebite, the law is gonna come through him?
00:22:31.279 --> 00:22:36.880
And we're gonna learn from the law that no matter how much you strive, you can never earn God's favor of grace.
00:22:37.279 --> 00:22:39.680
Grace comes through Judah, not through Levi.
00:22:43.119 --> 00:22:43.759
That was free.
00:22:44.160 --> 00:22:45.440
It has nothing to do with where I was going.
00:22:45.599 --> 00:22:46.240
I just got said.
00:22:53.759 --> 00:22:55.279
She wanted him to notice her.
00:22:56.160 --> 00:23:00.240
Again, you can hear her the desperation after each boy is born.
00:23:01.359 --> 00:23:05.759
And God is doing everything he can to help Leah get noticed by Jacob.
00:23:06.079 --> 00:23:06.960
He is blessing her.
00:23:07.119 --> 00:23:10.400
He is showing, hey, this is where my blessing's at.
00:23:13.200 --> 00:23:15.359
But Jacob doesn't see it.
00:23:17.599 --> 00:23:25.279
So instead of keeping her hope resting in the back, that maybe one day my husband will see me, she shifts her hope from Jacob to God.
00:23:27.039 --> 00:23:29.759
Maybe God, my God sees me.
00:23:33.200 --> 00:23:37.119
Leah was changed in this need for her husband to see her and approve of her.
00:23:37.440 --> 00:23:39.359
But it never happened.
00:23:39.759 --> 00:23:46.559
So rather than stay shamed in the misery, Leah made faith came to see her value was not based on her husband's approval.
00:23:49.119 --> 00:23:56.079
She finally came to research, it doesn't matter what he thinks of me because my God loves me, my God sees me, my God hears me.
00:23:58.559 --> 00:24:01.279
And that is enough for me, so I will praise him.
00:24:04.480 --> 00:24:09.680
She finds freedom, but she doesn't find freedom and changed circumstances.
00:24:09.839 --> 00:24:11.759
She found a change in her heart.
00:24:11.920 --> 00:24:13.920
She found freedom in her heart.
00:24:14.480 --> 00:24:20.240
And then that the freedom she finds is demonstrated in that moment when she says, I will praise the Lord.
00:24:20.480 --> 00:24:22.960
Now I'm not gonna lie to you and say Leah's perfect from here.
00:24:23.440 --> 00:24:28.319
I think she has a moment of faith, a crisis moment of faith, where she realizes God is enough for her.
00:24:28.480 --> 00:24:32.720
But if you go on to read this story, it's just so that is a bit of a simple rivalry with Rachel.
00:24:34.880 --> 00:24:36.960
But it doesn't mean she's having faith in God.
00:24:37.119 --> 00:24:39.119
She means she's a broken person like us.
00:24:39.920 --> 00:24:42.640
Growing what a neat growing grace that God brings us.
00:24:44.400 --> 00:24:48.960
No longer is she pursuing the favor of her husband, instead she's just battling it out with her sister.
00:24:49.039 --> 00:24:51.279
That's a whole different ballgame.
00:24:51.599 --> 00:24:55.599
This day, my brother and I we can't play any games together without trash talking trying together work.
00:24:56.480 --> 00:25:05.440
Right now, actually, my brother's thinking of this stupid game I phone where you're trying to build the best five basketball players of all time, right?
00:25:05.519 --> 00:25:08.319
And and you're trying to get a team that goes AQ and O.
00:25:08.960 --> 00:25:12.799
And I'm competing with my brother in all this little randomizes your team though.
00:25:13.119 --> 00:25:14.319
You get a specific team in a decade.
00:25:14.400 --> 00:25:17.440
I don't know what way you can detail this, but we're competitive!
00:25:17.599 --> 00:25:19.680
Like we're trying to outdo each other.
00:25:26.319 --> 00:25:27.359
We're a broken people.
00:25:30.400 --> 00:25:31.519
Let go of things like that.
00:25:31.680 --> 00:25:32.400
This tastes sleep.
00:25:32.720 --> 00:25:38.799
Yeah, she has the rivalry aspect of it, but she's she stopped living in the chains of trying to win her husband's approval.
00:25:41.839 --> 00:25:43.440
You see, here's the thing.
00:25:43.759 --> 00:25:47.200
You and I, we all have a Jacob in our life.
00:25:48.480 --> 00:25:53.920
We have a Jacob in our life, we have someone in our life, we are desperate to gain their approval of.
00:25:56.079 --> 00:25:57.839
Maybe it was your parents.
00:25:58.960 --> 00:26:03.200
Maybe you wanted to hear them say I love you or I'm proud of you.
00:26:03.680 --> 00:26:07.759
And let's be honest, that's incredibly important for kids to hear.
00:26:08.000 --> 00:26:09.680
They need to hear that.
00:26:10.240 --> 00:26:15.279
Don't just show it, don't don't just don't just say it, show them, but don't just show them, say it do.
00:26:17.359 --> 00:26:19.039
Because they need to know that.
00:26:21.200 --> 00:26:23.359
But maybe it's maybe you never experienced it.
00:26:23.440 --> 00:26:24.319
You longed for it.
00:26:24.400 --> 00:26:25.279
You sought after it.
00:26:25.359 --> 00:26:28.640
You were waiting for that little weird dad that you said, I am proud of you, sonner.
00:26:28.799 --> 00:26:32.319
I love you, daughter, but that moment never came for you.
00:26:37.359 --> 00:26:41.759
Maybe you never heard the words, or maybe, and maybe you never even saw the evidence of it.
00:26:43.440 --> 00:26:48.160
When we get married, our assumption is our spouse will love us and want to spend time with us.
00:26:48.400 --> 00:26:49.920
That's what we assume.
00:26:53.680 --> 00:26:57.279
However, sometimes our spouse spends time with everyone but us.
00:26:57.759 --> 00:26:59.200
We feel left out.
00:26:59.519 --> 00:27:02.160
We're kind of like Leah, like, why don't why don't they love you?
00:27:02.240 --> 00:27:03.519
Why doesn't it pay attention to me?
00:27:03.599 --> 00:27:05.440
Why don't they approve of me?
00:27:09.200 --> 00:27:13.359
It could be a boss, it could be a pastor, a church family, or even a friend.
00:27:15.920 --> 00:27:21.039
So what we do, we keep doing all these same things, saying, well, maybe this time I have done enough.
00:27:22.559 --> 00:27:31.359
If I have just done enough, maybe this time they'll see me, they'll say I'm proud, they'll say I'm love, maybe they'll want to spend time, maybe they'll want to be with me if I just keep doing these things.
00:27:36.559 --> 00:27:38.559
But it never came for Leah.
00:27:38.799 --> 00:27:40.319
At least not from Jacob.
00:27:43.119 --> 00:27:44.799
It might not come for us.
00:27:48.240 --> 00:27:51.440
But notice the detail before Leah prays in verse 34.
00:27:51.519 --> 00:27:54.480
It's 35, it says, God saw.
00:27:55.599 --> 00:28:02.720
And despite the disappointment following each child, Leah eventually realized that God was paying attention to her.
00:28:02.880 --> 00:28:07.359
She realized that there was a love that was greater than Jacob could ever offer her.
00:28:09.279 --> 00:28:13.039
It wasn't loud, it wasn't demanding, it was just in the details.
00:28:13.119 --> 00:28:13.759
It showed up.
00:28:13.839 --> 00:28:15.519
There was evidence for it.
00:28:17.279 --> 00:28:20.880
There was a love out there for her that she did not have to earn.
00:28:22.240 --> 00:28:26.079
She didn't have to win God's approval or God's affection.
00:28:26.160 --> 00:28:29.759
God just looked at her and said, I see that you're unloved, I'm gonna love you.
00:28:35.759 --> 00:28:37.200
This was God's love.
00:28:37.359 --> 00:28:41.839
And that same love that God showed Leah is there for you.
00:28:43.440 --> 00:28:50.079
If you've been there, if you've been in Leah's spot, let's you know that God's love has been there for you all along.
00:28:52.640 --> 00:28:54.880
I'm not saying the way they treated you was right.
00:28:54.960 --> 00:28:58.640
I'm not saying that was godly or what God wanted of them.
00:29:01.200 --> 00:29:04.079
I'm here to tell you that God loves you despite that.
00:29:04.319 --> 00:29:07.200
Despite how they have their approval of you, despite the way they love you.
00:29:07.279 --> 00:29:11.119
And God's saying, you don't have to earn it with me, you don't have to prove anything to me.
00:29:11.200 --> 00:29:13.039
I love you as you are.
00:29:14.880 --> 00:29:16.960
I see you, I hear you.
00:29:20.640 --> 00:29:22.640
And here's the thing about God's love.
00:29:22.720 --> 00:29:24.319
And we see this also with Leah.
00:29:24.400 --> 00:29:28.079
Leah, she's praying and talking to God, but she's not seeking him that way.
00:29:28.240 --> 00:29:31.119
And we just read it in the service today.
00:29:32.079 --> 00:29:38.000
We love God, not because not because we love God because God first loved us.
00:29:38.400 --> 00:29:40.160
God made the first room.
00:29:42.319 --> 00:29:43.920
Think about what it says in Romans.
00:29:44.000 --> 00:29:47.119
It says, when we are still sinners, Christ died for us.
00:29:47.279 --> 00:29:53.759
It doesn't say once we were good, it doesn't say once we started going to church, doesn't say once we were baptized, doesn't say once we were on the membership roll.
00:29:53.920 --> 00:30:04.640
It says when we were still sinners, who wanted nothing to do with God, who was running as far away from God as we possibly could, Christ came and died for us.
00:30:05.920 --> 00:30:08.799
And that is proof of God's love for you.
00:30:11.039 --> 00:30:18.000
There is no mountain too high, no wall too impenetrable, nothing that will stop God's love from getting to you.
00:30:18.319 --> 00:30:20.000
David, that could almost be a song.
00:30:30.400 --> 00:30:37.039
All those tears that you have cried and you've failed attempt to get this person to notice you and to love you, God has seen each one of them.
00:30:38.880 --> 00:30:44.640
All the times that you've prayed or talked with yourself or rest on your mind, God has heard those.
00:30:46.240 --> 00:30:47.599
And he loves you.
00:30:48.720 --> 00:30:54.240
And Jesus is calling for us to stop chasing because he wants to give you something better.
00:30:56.079 --> 00:30:58.319
His love and his acceptance.
00:31:00.240 --> 00:31:04.319
So the question this morning is who have you been trying to convince to love you?
00:31:05.759 --> 00:31:07.680
It wasn't a mom or dad.
00:31:08.079 --> 00:31:10.640
You never seemed pleased with anything you did.
00:31:14.720 --> 00:31:15.839
I was pretty good fortunate.
00:31:15.920 --> 00:31:19.440
I had a dad that I knew love before you, you know, I had enough time to know before he got sick.
00:31:19.599 --> 00:31:21.920
You know, there were times where I was holding the flashlight, I wasn't sure.
00:31:22.079 --> 00:31:23.359
I knew he loved me.
00:31:26.559 --> 00:31:30.160
Are you chasing the affection of a spouse who has grown cold?
00:31:31.839 --> 00:31:33.039
Keep asking what's wrong.
00:31:33.200 --> 00:31:35.519
But you just tell me you're dying for them to talk to me.
00:31:35.599 --> 00:31:37.839
They just are not interested in talking to you about.
00:31:48.799 --> 00:31:57.519
Maybe it's that boss that no matter how hard you work or how much time you put on you, you know, you know, tell you go above and beyond and we'll take care of you.
00:31:58.000 --> 00:31:59.920
Sometimes that doesn't happen.
00:32:03.200 --> 00:32:07.359
Maybe it's someone's opinion of you, and this person, you really evaluate their opinion.
00:32:07.519 --> 00:32:10.000
Their opinion of you matters greatly.
00:32:12.720 --> 00:32:19.519
Whoever it is, if your life has become one long attempt to earn someone else's love, this morning, stop chasing that.
00:32:20.880 --> 00:32:22.400
Stop chasing it.
00:32:23.839 --> 00:32:27.119
Because here's the thing if you have to earn love, it's not love.
00:32:28.079 --> 00:32:31.839
Love is not earned, love is not conditional.
00:32:33.680 --> 00:32:35.519
Love is unconditional.
00:32:35.759 --> 00:32:40.480
Love is based on I see you, I hear you, I love you for you.
00:32:46.319 --> 00:32:50.400
So stop chasing me! Now this morning, I'm not asking you to stop loving people.
00:32:50.480 --> 00:32:52.079
I don't know how that's possible.
00:32:52.319 --> 00:32:55.839
I'm not asking you to give up on a broken relationship.
00:32:56.400 --> 00:33:03.359
But I am asking you to stop making that other person's approval, their love for you, the thing that you're chasing.
00:33:06.559 --> 00:33:11.920
Because some for somehow in our minds, we make that person's approval of love.
00:33:12.640 --> 00:33:14.400
The object of who we are.
00:33:15.839 --> 00:33:17.680
And that's not who you are.
00:33:18.000 --> 00:33:21.119
Who you are is someone that God loved enough to die for.
00:33:23.839 --> 00:33:25.599
You remember Leonard from the big name theory?
00:33:25.839 --> 00:33:27.039
Talk about him in the beginning.
00:33:28.640 --> 00:33:36.720
Talk about how his mother, Beverly, treating him as an experiment experiment that Leonard spent his whole series chasing Beverly's approval.
00:33:38.720 --> 00:33:42.319
One of the most underrated scenes of the entire series is when you get to the end.
00:33:42.559 --> 00:33:46.480
It's not the last episode, it's not even the last two episodes, it's like the last three or four years.
00:33:46.799 --> 00:33:50.079
And Leonard finally has a lot of sit-down conversation with his mom.
00:33:50.720 --> 00:33:57.519
And he's he's made out of shape because I think she's come to visit him and she makes it sound like she's interested in his work and the project he's working on.
00:33:58.880 --> 00:34:02.960
And she's acting all approving and loving, and Leonard's eating up at the end of the episode.
00:34:03.279 --> 00:34:06.480
He finds out she's been doing it as an experiment for her book.
00:34:10.000 --> 00:34:11.920
And so he calls her out on it.
00:34:12.159 --> 00:34:15.280
He says, Mom, that was not right, that was not okay, you hurt me.
00:34:15.519 --> 00:34:20.880
And as he's raving at her and yelling at her, trying to get it, and she finally finally dawned on him.
00:34:21.039 --> 00:34:23.280
Why am I trying to get her approval so badly?
00:34:23.440 --> 00:34:27.119
Why is my identity based on her, what she thinks of me?
00:34:28.559 --> 00:34:30.000
I've got a degree in science.
00:34:30.159 --> 00:34:32.559
I've got a woman who loves me, I've got friends all around me.
00:34:32.639 --> 00:34:35.119
Why am I still chasing this woman's approval?
00:34:35.360 --> 00:34:39.920
So finally, rather than continue to yell or you know what he says, he says, I forgive you.
00:34:40.239 --> 00:34:44.159
You may you're never gonna love me the way that I want you to, but guess what?
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I forgive you.
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Let's go.
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Let's go, not because Beverly changed, but because Leonard refused to let that pursuit keep him in chains anymore.
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You see, sermons and simcoms can point us toward truth, but only Jesus can set us free.
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And Jesus doesn't simply tell us to let go to let go.
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Jesus says, let go of what you're clinging to so that way you can take and hold on to my hand.
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Don't worry about that.
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Stop making their approval of you, you're ID.
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I already love you.
00:35:21.679 --> 00:35:22.960
Grab onto me.
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Stop chasing the love and approval from that person.
00:35:28.079 --> 00:35:34.320
Instead, like we are notice that God sees you, that God accepts you, that God loves you without you happing to earn it.
00:35:34.480 --> 00:35:39.840
Because here's the thing the greatest freedom isn't found when someone finally gives you the love you've been chasing.
00:35:40.000 --> 00:35:40.960
That's not freedom.
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The real freedom is when you realize God already loves you.
00:35:45.440 --> 00:35:52.400
So this morning, what I'm asking you to do is to let go of that, to stop chasing that and say, God, I'm gonna turn towards you.
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I'm gonna take your hand.
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And here's the thing when you turn to Jesus, I promise you this, when you turn to him, just like not only are you gonna hear those chains break in your life, you're gonna feel them drop off your heart and disappear.
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But that can't happen.
00:36:10.559 --> 00:36:14.079
As long as you keep holding on to this and you keep chasing it, you have to let go.
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Hey, I know we're not in a church setting right now, so you can't come to an altar like I invited at in this sermon, or at least the conclusion of it.
00:36:29.039 --> 00:36:33.760
But maybe your altar right now is the passenger seat of your truck, or the driver's seat.
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Maybe it's your kitchen table before everyone else wakes up.
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Or maybe right now you're sitting in your break room, or you're on your quiet drive home after work.
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But wherever you are right now, I want you to invite you to do the same thing Leah did.
00:36:51.920 --> 00:36:53.199
Stop chasing.
00:36:53.760 --> 00:36:58.239
Stop trying to earn the love you spent years hoping someone would finally give you.
00:36:59.199 --> 00:37:02.079
You may never hear the words you've longed to hear.
00:37:02.400 --> 00:37:04.880
You may never receive the apology you've waited for.
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And that relationship may never become what you hoped it would be.
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But don't let someone else's inability to love you keep you from receiving the love God has already offered you through Jesus Christ.
00:37:17.599 --> 00:37:22.079
If you've never trusted Jesus, today is a good day to begin.
00:37:22.880 --> 00:37:29.599
If you've been following him for years, maybe today is the day you finally laid down those chains you've quietly carried for so long.
00:37:30.400 --> 00:37:31.440
Let's pray together.
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Lord, thank you for seeing us when we felt invisible.
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Thank you for hearing our cries when no one else seemed to notice.
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Most of all, thank you for proving your love to your son Jesus Christ.
00:37:44.960 --> 00:37:49.760
Forgive us for the times we build our identity on someone else's approval instead of your love.
00:37:50.559 --> 00:37:53.599
Help us lay down the chains of rejection and striving.
00:37:54.320 --> 00:37:59.840
Teach us like Leah to turn our hearts towards you and say, This time I will praise the Lord.
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For the person listening today who feels forgotten.
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Remind them that they have never been unseen by you.
00:38:07.840 --> 00:38:12.079
For the one who feels unloved, remind them that your love was settled at the cross.
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And for all of us, help us walk in the freedom that only Jesus can give.
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We pray this in the holy name of Jesus.
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Amen.
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Friend, thank you for walking this dirt path with me today.
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I know it was a hard one.
00:38:26.639 --> 00:38:30.000
And if today's message encourages you, I'd love to hear from you.
00:38:30.400 --> 00:38:36.800
You can connect me with me through the dirt path pastor on social media like TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook.
00:38:37.199 --> 00:38:43.519
Um you can visit the web search the website, the either the Ravnas website or uh the dirt path page.
00:38:43.599 --> 00:38:48.480
Uh or another simple way to do it is there's a link in the show notes that says send us a message.
00:38:48.559 --> 00:38:52.880
Uh that sends a direct message directly to me through the through uh the host site.
00:38:53.440 --> 00:38:57.519
Or you can simply email dirtpathpaster at gmail.com.
00:38:57.679 --> 00:39:01.679
That's dirtpath at gmail.com all over the case.
00:39:01.920 --> 00:39:03.440
Uh uh I'd be so grateful.
00:39:03.679 --> 00:39:11.039
Also, I'd be so grateful if you would subscribe to the podcast and share this episode with someone who might be caring about.
00:39:12.480 --> 00:39:19.519
If you'd like to support this ministry financially, just know that every gift goes to the Nazarene Compassion Ministry's emergency relief fund.
00:39:20.000 --> 00:39:22.559
And that means your support doesn't come to me.
00:39:22.719 --> 00:39:28.400
It helps provide practical cris-centered relief to people around the world facing disasters and crises.
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Much like the families recently affected by the devastating earthquakes in Venezuela.
00:39:36.079 --> 00:39:43.360
And as you go this week, remember this you don't have to spend another day chasting the love that Jesus has already given you.
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The God who saw Leah sees you.
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The God who heard Leah hears you.
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So wherever this week takes you, walk in the freedom of knowing you are already loved.
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Until next time, grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus.
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Thank you for listening to this episode of the podcast.com.
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If you'd like to send me a message, we'll do it.
