- 
        00:00:01 - There is a sacrifice
that everyone can make, 
- 
        00:00:03 but too many people miss it. 
- 
        00:00:06 Today, we're exploring
the sacrifice of gratitude 
- 
        00:00:09 and how it stops us
from chasing things 
- 
        00:00:11 and instead gives
us the ability to reflect, 
- 
        00:00:14 come to a new
realization and rely on God. 
- 
        00:00:17 Hey, I'm Hannah and
welcome to Crossroads. 
- 
        00:00:19 Today we're exploring
what is perhaps 
- 
        00:00:21 one of the angriest songs
ever written, maybe, probably. 
- 
        00:00:26 Man, the writer
had all of the feels, 
- 
        00:00:30 and there's a song that
gives me all the feels 
- 
        00:00:33 no matter when I listen to it. 
- 
        00:00:34 And it's a song from the
'90s all about chasing. 
- 
        00:00:39 [singing] Don't go
chasing waterfalls 
- 
        00:00:43 Just stick to the
rivers and the lakes 
- 
        00:00:46 that you're used to 
- 
        00:00:48 I know that you're
gonna have your way 
- 
        00:00:52 or nothing at all, but I
think you're moving too fast. 
- 
        00:01:06 [paste in from last week♪♪] 
- 
        00:02:26 - Believe in yourself,
the rest is up to you. 
- 
        00:02:28 Oh, sorry. Sorry, y'all. 
- 
        00:02:30 Anyway, there's a
reason that universally 
- 
        00:02:33 everyone understands
Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls; 
- 
        00:02:37 it turns out that they might
not be what they seem. 
- 
        00:02:40 And today, as we
explore Psalm 50 together, 
- 
        00:02:42 we're going to see that 
- 
        00:02:43 it's not all it's cracked
up to be either. 
- 
        00:02:45 All this talk about waterfalls
has me remembering 
- 
        00:02:48 the time that I got to stand on 
- 
        00:02:49 one of the natural wonders
of the world: Victoria Falls. 
- 
        00:02:54 This waterfall isn't a
hidden gem. It's mainstream. 
- 
        00:02:58 See what I did there? 
- 
        00:03:00 Come on, you can
laugh. It was funny. 
- 
        00:03:02 See, around here, 
- 
        00:03:03 we talk about guiding
people spiritually. 
- 
        00:03:06 We talk about leading them
on their spiritual adventure. 
- 
        00:03:08 And I will tell you, 
- 
        00:03:09 this was an adventure
that was unmatched. 
- 
        00:03:13 I fell in love with this
waterfall pretty rapidly. 
- 
        00:03:16 And as you can see, I
was just gushing with joy. 
- 
        00:03:19 Okay. Okay. I'm done
with the waterfall humor. 
- 
        00:03:21 But, hey, sometimes you've
just got to go with the flow. 
- 
        00:03:24 Okay, now I'm done
with the waterfall humor. 
- 
        00:03:27 Today we're talking
about Psalms 50, 
- 
        00:03:28 and among all the other Psalms 
- 
        00:03:29 that we've talked about to date 
- 
        00:03:31 that have a very heavy emotion 
- 
        00:03:33 and almost lyrically
lament and praise God, 
- 
        00:03:36 sometimes in the
same Psalms even, 
- 
        00:03:38 this Psalm really
helps us see why 
- 
        00:03:40 this series is
called All the Feels, 
- 
        00:03:43 because the writer is angry, 
- 
        00:03:45 like the little red
character from inside out. 
- 
        00:03:48 Oh, and by the way,
if a moment ago, 
- 
        00:03:50 when I said all the
Series of Psalms, 
- 
        00:03:52 if you got kind of freaked out, 
- 
        00:03:54 there are more episodes
of Psalms, actually, 
- 
        00:03:56 and we'd love for
you to see them. 
- 
        00:03:57 You can go to Crossroads.net
to find out more. 
- 
        00:04:00 But today we're talking
about Psalm 150, 
- 
        00:04:02 and the writer is
just straight up mad. 
- 
        00:04:05 And he's angrily
talking about a subject 
- 
        00:04:07 that most of us avoid
like the plague: sacrifice. 
- 
        00:04:12 No, seriously, it's a sucky
idea to sacrifice anything. 
- 
        00:04:16 And just like the
writer, many of us 
- 
        00:04:18 probably identify
with what he's doing, 
- 
        00:04:21 which is being angry. 
- 
        00:04:22 And I know I do. 
- 
        00:04:23 I don't want to speak for you, 
- 
        00:04:24 but they say it's a
secondary emotion. 
- 
        00:04:26 But I will tell
you, I'll be honest, 
- 
        00:04:28 it's my first response. 
- 
        00:04:30 Like, anytime I see
anything I don't like 
- 
        00:04:32 or somebody does something,
I just responded in anger. 
- 
        00:04:35 It is not secondary for me 
- 
        00:04:36 But there's a difference
between my kind of anger 
- 
        00:04:39 and the anger
that's in this Psalm. 
- 
        00:04:41 See the writer,
his name is Assaf, 
- 
        00:04:43 and Assaf was a
chosen worship leader 
- 
        00:04:46 for the people of Israel. 
- 
        00:04:47 See his anger in this
moment, it's righteous. 
- 
        00:04:50 What? What does that mean? 
- 
        00:04:52 Well, Assaf was a chosen
worship leader, like I said, 
- 
        00:04:55 appointed by King
David over ancient Israel. 
- 
        00:04:58 And what's so cool about him
is not only was he a leader, 
- 
        00:05:01 but he was actually
by his bloodline, 
- 
        00:05:04 considered to be a priest. 
- 
        00:05:05 Now, all that means is
that King David saw him, 
- 
        00:05:08 saw that he would
have some potential. 
- 
        00:05:10 And it means that him
and God, they were tight. 
- 
        00:05:12 They were like this. 
- 
        00:05:13 And so when he's
writing this Psalm, 
- 
        00:05:15 you can see that he's
addressing the people of Israel. 
- 
        00:05:17 But quickly, it goes from
third person to first person 
- 
        00:05:20 because he starts to write down 
- 
        00:05:21 what God is saying to him
and he starts to say stuff 
- 
        00:05:24 to the children of Israel. 
- 
        00:05:25 Now, I've been
doing all talking. 
- 
        00:05:26 I'm sure you're really
rushing and wanting to know 
- 
        00:05:29 what that Scripture
said, so I'll hush 
- 
        00:05:31 and read from the
Scripture. The writer says: 
- 
        00:06:09 Insert dramatic
music, I mean, for real, 
- 
        00:06:13 it feels like the big
monster is just coming 
- 
        00:06:15 to get us and eat us
alive because we failed. 
- 
        00:06:18 Now, there's a lot to unpack 
- 
        00:06:19 in the beginning
of this Scripture, 
- 
        00:06:21 and even more so as
we'll see a little bit later on. 
- 
        00:06:23 But what we can clearly see is 
- 
        00:06:25 that Assaf is just
setting the stage. 
- 
        00:06:27 He's letting us know that God, 
- 
        00:06:29 even though it
sounds a little bit scary, 
- 
        00:06:31 He's not coming
as the big bad wolf, 
- 
        00:06:33 He's coming as the Almighty
God, the one who judged. 
- 
        00:06:35 Not for fun, but because
His judgment is righteous, 
- 
        00:06:38 His judgment is perfect, 
- 
        00:06:40 and He does it in a
way that's full of mercy 
- 
        00:06:42 and full of second,
third and fourth chances. 
- 
        00:06:45 And that's good news for us. 
- 
        00:06:47 The scripture goes on and says: 
- 
        00:07:12 Now, there it is, the word
that we've been waiting for, 
- 
        00:07:15 the one that's reserved
for special people, 
- 
        00:07:17 the ones that are
disciplined: sacrifice. 
- 
        00:07:20 It's a word that,
if we're honest, 
- 
        00:07:21 makes most of us shudder 
- 
        00:07:23 because it's actually
not easy to do. 
- 
        00:07:25 If it was easy,
everyone would do it. 
- 
        00:07:28 If we're honest, I'm not
going to speak for ya'll, 
- 
        00:07:30 I'm gonna speak for me, 
- 
        00:07:31 I don't like sacrificing all
the time because it's hard. 
- 
        00:07:34 I don't like the idea
of giving up something 
- 
        00:07:36 in the short term just
to have long term gain. 
- 
        00:07:39 And don't even get
me started on sacrificing 
- 
        00:07:41 for other people because I
really don't want to do that 
- 
        00:07:44 because it's actually an
inconvenience to myself. 
- 
        00:07:47 Now, maybe I'm not alone. 
- 
        00:07:49 Maybe you're out
there and you're like, 
- 
        00:07:50 "Yeah, Hannah, I'm like you. 
- 
        00:07:52 I'm like you, I want
to have cake now. 
- 
        00:07:54 I don't want to be on a diet. 
- 
        00:07:55 I don't want to have a
healthy heart later on. 
- 
        00:07:57 I want to do it right now." 
- 
        00:07:59 Now, listen, truthfully,
we're on the same page now 
- 
        00:08:02 because even
sometimes I don't struggle 
- 
        00:08:04 with just worldly sacrifice, 
- 
        00:08:05 I struggle with
spiritual sacrifice. 
- 
        00:08:07 God calls us to give
10% of our income, 
- 
        00:08:09 which is our tithe. 
- 
        00:08:10 And I don't always
want to do that, 
- 
        00:08:12 because even
though it's good for me, 
- 
        00:08:14 I just hate the idea of giving
away my money sometimes. 
- 
        00:08:17 It just sucks. 
- 
        00:08:19 Sacrifice feels out of reach 
- 
        00:08:21 and it really makes
me shift in my seat. 
- 
        00:08:23 And I don't always like
that. It doesn't feel good. 
- 
        00:08:28 "What? 
- 
        00:08:29 Hannah, I thought you said
Jesus wants us to feel great." 
- 
        00:08:31 Okay, I didn't say that, 
- 
        00:08:33 but why would He call
us to something that hurts? 
- 
        00:08:35 Well, it's because sacrifice
is a sign of surrender. 
- 
        00:08:38 See, in ancient Israel,
when Assaf wrote this Psalm, 
- 
        00:08:41 it was customary
for religious leaders 
- 
        00:08:43 and religious people
to often give sacrifices. 
- 
        00:08:46 And not just in the
Hebrew culture, either. 
- 
        00:08:49 Other religions are doing this. 
- 
        00:08:51 They would give sacrifices
for the atonement of sin, 
- 
        00:08:53 for thanksgiving, even in
request, and for supplication. 
- 
        00:08:56 And in verse eight, God
has to clearly say that 
- 
        00:08:59 "I'm not displeased
with your burnt offerings 
- 
        00:09:01 and sacrifices," just because
He doesn't want them. 
- 
        00:09:03 He's saying them because
those things are common 
- 
        00:09:06 and the heart behind
why they're doing it, it's off. 
- 
        00:09:09 See, sacrifices were common
because they brought results. 
- 
        00:09:13 So if they brought results,
why is God so freaking angry? 
- 
        00:09:16 Well, I'll tell you.
Let's get to the point. 
- 
        00:09:18 Hannah, you've talked enough. 
- 
        00:09:19 He's angry because the
heart behind the sacrifice, 
- 
        00:09:23 it's unacceptable. 
- 
        00:09:25 It's what I call a
little waterfall-ish. 
- 
        00:09:28 It just means that what it
seems to be on the surface, 
- 
        00:09:31 like a waterfall, beautiful,
glorious, all worthy. 
- 
        00:09:35 It's actually not all
it's cracked up to be. 
- 
        00:09:38 See, before you get too
confused, let me explain. 
- 
        00:09:40 Waterfalls are made by
soft rock under hard rock. 
- 
        00:09:43 Which just means that
underneath all that water 
- 
        00:09:46 is actually a really
not a full rock, 
- 
        00:09:49 it's actually not
what it seems to be. 
- 
        00:09:51 And that's what the
children of Israel were doing. 
- 
        00:09:53 They were giving
their sacrifices. 
- 
        00:09:55 They were doing the
thing, being traditional, 
- 
        00:09:57 being faithful, doing all
the things that their preacher 
- 
        00:10:00 or priest told them to do. 
- 
        00:10:02 But underneath it, it was empty. 
- 
        00:10:06 Their hearts were empty. 
- 
        00:10:08 I can relate to the children
of Israel in that moment. 
- 
        00:10:11 I can relate because I
know that sometimes 
- 
        00:10:14 I give my tithe just because
I'm supposed to do it. 
- 
        00:10:17 Sometimes I go to
church or watch online 
- 
        00:10:19 because I'm supposed to do it. 
- 
        00:10:21 Sometimes I volunteer in
student ministry because 
- 
        00:10:24 I feel like I'm
supposed to do it. 
- 
        00:10:25 But God's asking
the children of Israel 
- 
        00:10:27 something very
important in this Psalm. 
- 
        00:10:29 He's saying, "Are
you going to give Me 
- 
        00:10:31 waterfall sacrifices, or
are you going to give Me 
- 
        00:10:33 what I actually want,
which is real sacrifice?" 
- 
        00:10:38 So God goes into
another spiel in this Psalm 
- 
        00:10:41 about how He owns everything. 
- 
        00:10:43 And I always thought
growing up that that just meant, 
- 
        00:10:45 Oh, he owns the cattle
on a thousand hills. 
- 
        00:10:47 He must be rich. 
- 
        00:10:48 And well, I think
if you think about it 
- 
        00:10:50 in natural terms, we would
define that as being rich. 
- 
        00:10:54 But excuse my grammar,
that just ain't what He meant 
- 
        00:10:56 when He was talking about that. 
- 
        00:10:58 What He meant was, "When
I ask you for something, 
- 
        00:11:00 when I ask you to sacrifice
your money or your time, 
- 
        00:11:02 it's not because I need it. 
- 
        00:11:03 It's not because I don't
have enough volunteers. 
- 
        00:11:06 It's not because I don't
have enough money 
- 
        00:11:07 and the lights are
about to go off in heaven. 
- 
        00:11:09 I'm actually asking
you to sacrifice 
- 
        00:11:11 because it invites
surrender into your life, 
- 
        00:11:14 and it's for you." 
- 
        00:11:16 "What? That sounds challenging. 
- 
        00:11:18 Hannah, you're
challenging me right now?" 
- 
        00:11:20 I'm glad. If you're sitting
at the seat of challenge, 
- 
        00:11:22 you're actually right where
you probably need to be. 
- 
        00:11:25 I'm a touch uncomfortable
if I'm being honest, 
- 
        00:11:27 because sacrifice
makes me shift in my seat 
- 
        00:11:29 because God is asking
us all the question: 
- 
        00:11:32 is your heart in it? 
- 
        00:11:34 So the sacrifice
isn't the problem. 
- 
        00:11:36 He loves giving us His time. 
- 
        00:11:37 He wants us to give
our money, all the things. 
- 
        00:11:39 But He wants to know,
is it a waterfall sacrifice? 
- 
        00:11:43 Is it just cute on the
outside or is it in your heart? 
- 
        00:11:46 "So what kind of sacrifice
is God looking for then? 
- 
        00:11:49 Hannah, tell me the answer, 
- 
        00:11:50 since it's not the
ones I'm giving, 
- 
        00:11:51 the ones that seem empty. 
- 
        00:11:53 What should I be doing?" 
- 
        00:11:54 Now all the churchy people
think they know the answer. 
- 
        00:11:56 They think it's Jesus.
That's the perfect sacrifice. 
- 
        00:11:59 You're wrong. 
- 
        00:12:01 But I'm going to tell
you the real answer, 
- 
        00:12:03 so stay with me, I promise. 
- 
        00:12:06 - Hey, guys, I'm Kyle.
- And I'm Andy. 
- 
        00:12:07 - Hope you're
enjoying this message. 
- 
        00:12:09 If you are, we'd love
you to engage with us 
- 
        00:12:10 in even more ways.
- That's right. 
- 
        00:12:12 Around here at
Crossroads, we believe that 
- 
        00:12:14 the act of giving is
a spiritual discipline, 
- 
        00:12:15 meaning that it's not
something God wants from us, 
- 
        00:12:17 but for us. 
- 
        00:12:19 - If giving's something
you want to do, 
- 
        00:12:20 or maybe you want to try out, 
- 
        00:12:21 you can go to
Crossroads.net/give. 
- 
        00:12:24 Let's get back to the message. 
- 
        00:12:30 - So it turns out God
wants a sacrifice, 
- 
        00:12:32 and not just any sacrifice, 
- 
        00:12:35 but a sacrifice of thanksgiving. 
- 
        00:12:38 Hey, growing up I
always thought that 
- 
        00:12:39 I needed some very grand
and elaborate testimony 
- 
        00:12:42 that was going to make
me more interesting, 
- 
        00:12:45 not just to people,
but shockingly, to God. 
- 
        00:12:48 I thought that I really
didn't have a story to tell 
- 
        00:12:50 because for the most
part, I feel a little textbook 
- 
        00:12:54 and what I call like a pew baby, 
- 
        00:12:56 which just means that
I was raised in church, 
- 
        00:12:58 I was always at church. 
- 
        00:13:00 And somewhere along
the line, maybe about 13, 
- 
        00:13:03 thankfully, church
actually got in me. 
- 
        00:13:04 And so I started
to follow Jesus. 
- 
        00:13:06 I started to walk with
Him, learn His ways. 
- 
        00:13:08 And I really even
used to study the Bible 
- 
        00:13:11 on my lunch breaks
in high school, 
- 
        00:13:13 not because I was
trying to be this, like, 
- 
        00:13:14 holier than thou person, 
- 
        00:13:16 but truly the food
was disgusting. 
- 
        00:13:17 I needed something to
do. No, I'm just kidding. 
- 
        00:13:19 But seriously, I did
have some hard days, 
- 
        00:13:22 but I don't ever feel like 
- 
        00:13:23 I had this grand story
of rescue, you know? 
- 
        00:13:26 Like, it wasn't like
my dad, who literally 
- 
        00:13:29 had a spiritual
encounter with God 
- 
        00:13:31 that was like Paul in the Bible. 
- 
        00:13:33 Not me, I was pretty
boring and lame even. 
- 
        00:13:36 I never even had, like, a
backsliding moment in college 
- 
        00:13:39 where I just turned
my back on God 
- 
        00:13:41 and decided He
wasn't for me. Nope. 
- 
        00:13:43 Crazy enough though, this all
pretty much bummed me out, 
- 
        00:13:46 so I started to shy away
and not really tell anybody 
- 
        00:13:49 about what God
was doing in my life 
- 
        00:13:50 because I thought
it was too small. 
- 
        00:13:52 I thought that it
did not measure up 
- 
        00:13:54 to all the things He's
miraculously done 
- 
        00:13:56 for other people
and how they have 
- 
        00:13:58 awesome testimonies of rescue. 
- 
        00:14:00 And so when I would be in church 
- 
        00:14:02 and worship God through music, 
- 
        00:14:03 or even through giving or
even through volunteering, 
- 
        00:14:06 I really was only doing
it because I thought 
- 
        00:14:08 it's what you were
supposed to do. 
- 
        00:14:10 See, I had a lot of
waterfall sacrifices 
- 
        00:14:12 because I thought that if I
just keep doing the thing, 
- 
        00:14:14 keep doing the thing that
looks good on the outside, 
- 
        00:14:16 God's just going to
be pleased with that. 
- 
        00:14:18 It's going to be fine. 
- 
        00:14:19 But, you know, they
looked good on the outside, 
- 
        00:14:21 but they were really
horrible on the inside. 
- 
        00:14:23 They were empty because I missed 
- 
        00:14:25 what God was trying to
say, what He actually wants. 
- 
        00:14:27 Of all the sacrifices
that I could give, 
- 
        00:14:29 He says in verse 14: 
- 
        00:14:31 Offer God a sacrifice
of thanksgiving, 
- 
        00:14:34 and fulfill the promises that
you made to the Most High. 
- 
        00:14:37 "Now wait a second. 
- 
        00:14:38 I thought we were supposed
to serve in Kids' Club. 
- 
        00:14:41 You mean to tell
me that my tithe 
- 
        00:14:43 is not an acceptable sacrifice? 
- 
        00:14:44 What are you talking
about, Hannah? 
- 
        00:14:46 God, what are you saying? 
- 
        00:14:47 Why are you so
angry in this Psalm?" 
- 
        00:14:50 See what I missed in my story 
- 
        00:14:52 and what I'm sort
of missing now is 
- 
        00:14:54 if I don't have thankfulness, 
- 
        00:14:55 not just for the things
that He hasn't done, 
- 
        00:14:57 but for the things
that He is doing. 
- 
        00:14:59 If that's not -- if my
sacrifices aren't flowing 
- 
        00:15:02 out of that gratitude,
then they're empty. 
- 
        00:15:06 See, the only way to cure
those waterfall sacrifices, 
- 
        00:15:09 the ones that just look
good on the outside, 
- 
        00:15:12 is to really be thankful 
- 
        00:15:14 and offer those as a
sacrifice of gratitude, 
- 
        00:15:17 doing those things out
of thankfulness to God. 
- 
        00:15:21 That is what I was missing. 
- 
        00:15:23 See, thankfulness
does something for us; 
- 
        00:15:26 it forces us to do three things: 
- 
        00:15:28 to reflect, to
realize, and to rely. 
- 
        00:15:31 For most of my life, 
- 
        00:15:32 I never shared my story
of God's redemption 
- 
        00:15:35 because I just thought it
was too small, too textbook. 
- 
        00:15:39 See, but really, once I
started to get thankful, 
- 
        00:15:41 once I take a second
and actually say, 
- 
        00:15:43 "Man, God, I'm going to be
grateful for just a moment," 
- 
        00:15:46 my story starts to shape up, 
- 
        00:15:47 starts to look a
little bit different. 
- 
        00:15:49 And I can squint my eyes
and I can see and realize 
- 
        00:15:53 that actually God has been up
to some pretty amazing things. 
- 
        00:15:56 See what He's done for
me physically, for example, 
- 
        00:15:59 I'll just count all the times
I was probably supposed to die. 
- 
        00:16:01 Not even going
to talk about birth. 
- 
        00:16:03 I'll talk about the time that
I got hit by SUV head on. 
- 
        00:16:06 I mean head on, smacked. 
- 
        00:16:07 And I walked away with
nothing but a broken toe. 
- 
        00:16:10 I'll tell you about the
time that I fell asleep 
- 
        00:16:12 with a gas valve on and
the air was full of gas, 
- 
        00:16:16 and I did not die. 
- 
        00:16:17 You guys, I'm not
joking, it's not a joke. 
- 
        00:16:19 I think about the time
I was held at gunpoint. 
- 
        00:16:21 And I would think about the time 
- 
        00:16:22 I was just recently
in two car accidents 
- 
        00:16:24 that probably should
have killed me. 
- 
        00:16:27 See, it's this reflection
when I get thankful, 
- 
        00:16:29 when I say, "Thank you, God,
for doing those things for me," 
- 
        00:16:31 that it makes me realize,
it realizes in that moment, 
- 
        00:16:35 see that realization,
what it brings me to 
- 
        00:16:38 is the next R reliance. 
- 
        00:16:40 It makes me realize that
actually, no matter what I do, 
- 
        00:16:44 I can't do anything for myself. 
- 
        00:16:46 It makes me realize that
God has more for me. 
- 
        00:16:49 See, I just told you
about the physical times 
- 
        00:16:51 I wanted -- I possibly
could have died. 
- 
        00:16:54 I didn't tell you
about the times that 
- 
        00:16:55 God has actually protecting me 
- 
        00:16:57 from spiritual and
emotional death. 
- 
        00:16:59 Because there have
been times, y'all, 
- 
        00:17:00 and still times where I
just believe I'm worthless 
- 
        00:17:03 or I just believe I
am worth nothing. 
- 
        00:17:05 That this life right here
is actually not worth living. 
- 
        00:17:08 And God has saved me from that. 
- 
        00:17:09 There's been times when
my pride and my anger 
- 
        00:17:11 probably should have destroyed 
- 
        00:17:13 my relationships
that I'm closest to. 
- 
        00:17:16 But God didn't allow that. 
- 
        00:17:18 Let me tell you how I
got to that conclusion. 
- 
        00:17:20 It's when I realized
what He was doing. 
- 
        00:17:23 It's when I stopped
focusing on all the things 
- 
        00:17:25 that my story didn't have,
when I stopped focusing 
- 
        00:17:28 on all the grandiose
that I was looking for 
- 
        00:17:30 in my testimony and started
to realize, "Wait a second. 
- 
        00:17:33 God actually has done
some amazing things." 
- 
        00:17:36 See, but here's the promise: 
- 
        00:17:38 Thankfulness doesn't
just get us to a place 
- 
        00:17:39 where we're like, "Oh, God,
You're so good. Oh, my gosh." 
- 
        00:17:42 Thankfulness has
something for us. 
- 
        00:17:44 It actually is a
sacrifice, y'all, 
- 
        00:17:46 because some
days we have to push 
- 
        00:17:48 and we have to
press to be thankful. 
- 
        00:17:50 Because if you're
anything like me, 
- 
        00:17:51 there are moments when
you just get so much bad news 
- 
        00:17:54 in one week you're like, 
- 
        00:17:55 "God, how can I possibly
be thankful for this?" 
- 
        00:17:57 It's so easy to
chase after the things 
- 
        00:18:00 that I don't have,
to go after waterfalls 
- 
        00:18:03 like the song says,
it's so much easier. 
- 
        00:18:06 But God invites
us into gratitude 
- 
        00:18:08 because it makes us rely on Him. 
- 
        00:18:12 I'm not crazy. 
- 
        00:18:13 I know that life actually
just sucks sometimes. 
- 
        00:18:17 See, I know from experience
that there are weeks 
- 
        00:18:19 where you lose your only
grandparent, your cousin, 
- 
        00:18:22 you have friends
lose two babies, 
- 
        00:18:23 you feel like you get
eaten alive by inflation 
- 
        00:18:25 because three of your
siblings just lost their job, 
- 
        00:18:28 You've got two siblings
with high risk pregnancy, 
- 
        00:18:30 oh, and by the way, 
- 
        00:18:31 your mom is in and
out of the hospital. 
- 
        00:18:32 See, it's in those
weeks where it gets 
- 
        00:18:34 really, really hard to
say, "Thank you, Jesus," 
- 
        00:18:37 because there's
too much going on. 
- 
        00:18:39 And if you have that
question, if you say, 
- 
        00:18:41 "Hannah, how can I be grateful?" 
- 
        00:18:42 I'm right there with you. 
- 
        00:18:43 I'm standing right
there with you 
- 
        00:18:45 because it's a valid question. 
- 
        00:18:47 Why does it actually
hurt to be thankful? 
- 
        00:18:51 And that's why God says
it's an acceptable sacrifice, 
- 
        00:18:54 because that gratitude makes
us reflect on what He's done. 
- 
        00:18:57 It makes us stop chasing
for all the things He hasn't, 
- 
        00:19:00 all the things that
we wish we had. 
- 
        00:19:02 It makes us stop trying
to be like the Joneses 
- 
        00:19:04 and keep up with the Joneses. 
- 
        00:19:05 Gratitude makes us thankful. 
- 
        00:19:07 It makes us
thankful for the place 
- 
        00:19:09 where He's going to take
us, the place that we are. 
- 
        00:19:12 And it makes us rely
on Him to take us there, 
- 
        00:19:15 not our own selves. 
- 
        00:19:16 See, we serve a big God
who loves us so much, 
- 
        00:19:19 so unconditionally that
he sent His son, Jesus, 
- 
        00:19:23 not just to be down
here and walk among us, 
- 
        00:19:25 but He sent Him so
that we could have life 
- 
        00:19:28 and life to the full. 
- 
        00:19:29 And that means life that's
full of ups and downs, 
- 
        00:19:32 life that's full of crazy weeks. 
- 
        00:19:33 And yes, life that's full of
good and wonderful things. 
- 
        00:19:37 See, and maybe I just
gave you one reason 
- 
        00:19:40 right there to be grateful, 
- 
        00:19:41 because Jesus is a
good reason to be grateful, 
- 
        00:19:43 because when we get
that life, we have something 
- 
        00:19:46 that the rest of the world
only wishes they had; 
- 
        00:19:48 we have hope. 
- 
        00:19:50 So whether you have been
following Jesus, awesome, 
- 
        00:19:52 or this is your first
time here today 
- 
        00:19:54 and this is the first
time you're hearing 
- 
        00:19:56 Jesus spoken to you in a
language that you understand. 
- 
        00:19:58 Welcome, and I'm
so glad you're here. 
- 
        00:20:00 And I'm glad you're here 
- 
        00:20:01 because we all have
a chance at hope. 
- 
        00:20:04 And the way that we get
there is through realizing that 
- 
        00:20:07 what Jesus did for us
allows us to be grateful, 
- 
        00:20:10 allows us to be thankful. 
- 
        00:20:12 And when we are, when
we say, "You know what? 
- 
        00:20:14 I'm going to have a
sacrifice of thanksgiving," 
- 
        00:20:17 it pushes us to a new place. 
- 
        00:20:19 And not only does it
push us to a new place, 
- 
        00:20:21 but we honor God. 
- 
        00:20:23 See, at the very end of
that long rant of Psalm 150 
- 
        00:20:26 and God describing all the ways 
- 
        00:20:28 that waterfall
sacrifices are empty 
- 
        00:20:30 and how they make us empty. 
- 
        00:20:32 In the last verse, He says this: 
- 
        00:20:40 See, our sacrifices need to flow 
- 
        00:20:42 from a heart of thanksgiving. 
- 
        00:20:45 They can't just
come out of formality 
- 
        00:20:47 or they can't even
not happen at all. 
- 
        00:20:48 Maybe you've
never been thankful. 
- 
        00:20:50 God is saying that He wants us 
- 
        00:20:54 to forget about sacrifices
in the form of worship 
- 
        00:20:57 and tithing and volunteering
if they don't actually 
- 
        00:20:59 flow out of a
heart of gratitude. 
- 
        00:21:02 He's saying, "Forget about it." 
- 
        00:21:03 See, we aren't
giving anything to God 
- 
        00:21:05 because He needs it. 
- 
        00:21:07 I was reading an article about 
- 
        00:21:09 the making of Waterfalls by TLC. 
- 
        00:21:11 And the ladies, they
say that the song, 
- 
        00:21:13 it sounds like an encouragement
to run from your dreams, 
- 
        00:21:16 just stay to what
you're used to. 
- 
        00:21:18 But what it really is
they're saying, be careful. 
- 
        00:21:21 The song is a warning against 
- 
        00:21:23 self-destructive
behavior and chasing. 
- 
        00:21:27 See, our tendency is to
just do whatever it takes 
- 
        00:21:30 to look normal, to feel normal. 
- 
        00:21:32 But when we sacrifice
in thanksgiving, 
- 
        00:21:34 when we do things out
of a heart of gratitude, 
- 
        00:21:37 that's the best way
not to self-destruct, 
- 
        00:21:39 because it keeps us
from chasing things 
- 
        00:21:41 that God never had for us. 
- 
        00:21:42 It makes us realize
that we actually have 
- 
        00:21:45 a story so powerful that
somebody needs to hear 
- 
        00:21:48 and we need to tell it, 
- 
        00:21:49 and it makes us rely on God. 
- 
        00:21:52 So now is the time
that we're going to get 
- 
        00:21:54 to hear some music
and actually worship, 
- 
        00:21:57 which is just
prayers set to music. 
- 
        00:21:59 And thankfully, this song
that we're about to hear, 
- 
        00:22:01 you probably won't
know it because 
- 
        00:22:03 it's the exact Psalm
that we've been studying. 
- 
        00:22:06 But during this time,
now is the time for action. 
- 
        00:22:09 Maybe I've said something
that stuck with you. 
- 
        00:22:11 Maybe you have more questions. 
- 
        00:22:13 Whatever it is, actually,
here's the main point, y'all: 
- 
        00:22:16 we have to be grateful. 
- 
        00:22:18 So some of us need
to write a list, like me. 
- 
        00:22:20 I write a list of
what I'm thankful for. 
- 
        00:22:22 Some of us need to stop
complaining long enough 
- 
        00:22:25 so that we can realize
what God has done 
- 
        00:22:28 and reflect on His goodness. 
- 
        00:22:30 Some of us just need to take
a pause and take a moment 
- 
        00:22:33 and realize what God
has done in our life. 
- 
        00:22:36 Hey, if that's you now, 
- 
        00:22:38 this song is the
perfect time to do that. 
- 
        00:22:40 It's the perfect time
to soak up the words 
- 
        00:22:42 and let the words soak in
and to decide what it is that 
- 
        00:22:46 you're going to do to offer
a sacrifice of thanksgiving. 
- 
        00:24:42 - We hope you enjoyed
the message today 
- 
        00:24:44 and you were able
to get something out of 
- 
        00:24:45 going deeper in
the Book of Psalms. 
- 
        00:24:47 - It doesn't have to
stop here, by the way, 
- 
        00:24:49 because this series is
connected with the thing 
- 
        00:24:51 we've been doing all year long
called the Bible Challenge. 
- 
        00:24:53 - Yeah, we as a community
are in the Crossroads App 
- 
        00:24:55 all through the week, reading 
- 
        00:24:56 and diving deeper
into Scripture. 
- 
        00:24:58 I'm in there. Kyle's in there. 
- 
        00:24:59 Brian is in there.
You're in there. 
- 
        00:25:00 - We're in there because
it's making our lives better 
- 
        00:25:02 and it's helping
us connect to God. 
- 
        00:25:04 If you want to dive
in, all you have to do 
- 
        00:25:06 is download the
app and you're all set. 
- 
        00:25:07 - Hey, that's all
we've got today. 
- 
        00:25:09 We'll see you next
time on Crossroads. 
- 
        00:25:12 - [singing] I'm
living my best life 
- 
        00:25:15 Wake up with the sunrise 
- 
        00:25:18 Does not look a thing 
- 
        00:25:19 How many people do
you know would say that 
- 
        00:25:21 they're living their
best life? Really? 
- 
        00:25:23 And what about you? 
- 
        00:25:24 I'm going to show you
how to live your best life 
- 
        00:25:26 through an ancient way of living 
- 
        00:25:28 that you can rediscover today.