How to Deal With Other People's Success | Timothy "TA" Ateek

Kylen Perry: What's up, Porch? It's great to see you. Welcome back. Man! It's good to have you in the room. We're so glad you would choose to be here with us tonight. For all of you in Dallas, welcome, and for all of you who are tuning in online, we're so glad you're here with us as well.

We're firm believers that God is doing something, not just here in Dallas, Texas (though he is), but also all over the nation in cities and in places just like where you are right now. So, we're really glad you're tuning in. If you're part of our Porch.Live family, we want to give a special shout-out to you, and a very special shout-out to Porch.Live Wheaton, Springfield, and Greater Lafayette. Can we give it up for them? There you are. Amazing.

Hey, Porch. I am really excited for tonight, because you are going to get to hear from one of my favorite Bible teachers on the planet. I was processing what I wanted to say as I came up here and gave an unnecessary endorsement to someone who's very familiar to all of you. I wanted to take time to come up here and just tell you the person you're hearing from tonight is easily one of the greatest spiritual influences in my own life.

I have been so personally impacted by his teaching, his ministry, his leadership, and his shepherding. He is the same person from here as he is down there. You're going to get to hear from the one and only Timothy Ateek, TA, tonight. When Brooke and I were processing making the move from Houston, Texas, to Dallas to take on this job here at The Porch, one of the primary reasons we made the move was because I wanted the chance to work with TA again.

I wanted the chance to be led by him, and I now have the joy of calling him my pastor. TA is the lead pastor of vision and teaching here at Watermark Community Church. He was the interim director of The Porch for a season of time, and he's here to speak to you tonight. So, would y'all do a great job of welcoming him to the stage? Thanks for being here, bro. As TA comes, I'd love to pray for him, and I'd love to pray for you. So let's pray together.

God, we're so grateful for tonight. Already in worship, I just sensed the nearness of your presence here in this room. As we were declaring back to you, God, all the demonstrations and declarations of your love for us, what impacted me in that moment was this idea that "Kylen, if I would do all of these things to save you and save them, why wouldn't you then believe I have something for you and for them tonight?"

Maybe you're here, and you don't know why you are. I believe it's because God has something for you. So, would you take a moment and pray for yourself, where you are, and ask that God would speak to you? Maybe it has been a long time since you've talked to him, but he's eager to listen. Take a moment and pray for yourself. If you would, take a moment and pray for TA. As he comes to preach God's Word, would you pray for him that everything he says would be true and helpful to us?

God, we agree there is none like you in heaven, on the earth, and under the earth, so it's you we listen to now. It's in Christ Jesus' name we pray, amen.

Give it up for TA one more time.

Timothy Ateek: Good evening, Porch. It's so good to be here with you. Kylen, you said everything exactly how I told you to say it, so thank you. Exactly how I wrote it for you. Hey, let me say this, and this is not just because of everything Kylen just said to me. I've known Kylen now for almost 10 years, and I can honestly say that one of the greatest joys in ministry is getting to minister alongside him.

I am so glad God brought him here to Dallas and that you get to experience his leadership, because he is a man who truly loves Jesus and is calling a generation to fully surrender to Jesus. I'm just excited about what's happening here. Kylen and I talk about how what is happening here on Tuesdays is leading the way for our church as a whole. I believe in your generation and what God is stirring inside of you and how he's using you to shape and inform what's happening at this church as a whole.

So, it's great to be here with you tonight, and I'm excited to talk about what we're talking about. Prior to being here at Watermark, I was the executive director of Breakaway Ministries on the campus of Texas A&M University, for the Aggies in the room. When I took over Breakaway, I took over from a guy named Ben Stuart. Many of you are familiar with Ben. Ben is a very close friend. He's truly one of the greatest Bible teachers in our nation today.

When I took over after Ben, what I didn't realize was that I would spend years fielding compliments for Ben Stuart. No one told me that. No one made me aware of that. But now I have come to realize that God's desire for me is to have people tell me what they think about Ben, which has been amazing. Ben and I joke about it, so this is not an awkward thing right now.

Let me give you some examples of what I've gotten to hear about Ben over the years. I remember this guy came up to me and was like, "Hey, TA, I've just got to tell you, no one speaks to me like Ben Stuart." He was like, "You're good too, but, man, nobody…" I was like, "Oh, I got it. I heard it the first time you said it."

I was speaking out of town in a different state, and after I finished speaking, this girl came up to me. She was like, "Texas A&M University?" I was like, "Yeah." She was like, "Ben Stuart?" I was like, "Sure." She was like, "What do you think about him?" I was like, "Well, I think…" She was like, "I think he's great." I was like, "I think he's great too." Truly, he's one of my favorite people in the world, a very close friend.

Then, I was speaking at a camp a few summers ago, and I had only been there about an hour. This girl comes up to me, and she was like, "You're from Breakaway? I just love Ben Stuart." I was like, "I love Ben Stuart too." Another hour after that, this guy came up to me and was like, "My wife's favorite speaker is Ben Stuart." It's like, "I'm so glad you told me that." At the same camp, just a few days later, I get a random text from a guy I usually talk to about once a year. Out of the blue, at the same camp I've been at, I get a text from this guy.

Here's what his random text says to me. He had some Aggie camp counselors staying at his house. Here's what it says. "Me to Aggie camp counselor staying at my house: 'Hey, do you know that Tim Ateek guy?'" Here's their response: "Yeah, he's pretty good, but Ben Stuart was better." I was like, "You chose to send that. We haven't talked in a long time. It's like, 'You know what? TA needs to hear this.'" It's just a part of it.

Ben and I have talked about it. We have joked about it, but tonight, I want to talk to you about how you deal with other people's success. What I'm really talking about is how you respond to other people who just seem to be doing better at life than you, because here's the reality. Ben and I can talk about this. We can joke about it, but there was a season of my life where I honestly battled insecurity and jealousy when it came to Ben's success.

So, my question to you is: How do you respond to coworkers, neighbors, roommates, friends, siblings, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, the guy you know about but don't really know him…? How do you respond to those people who, in the eyes of the world, are smarter, funnier, skinnier, prettier, godlier, healthier, richer, more successful, more influential, more in shape, more likable, and just higher capacity than you?

Who is that in your life? Is someone popping into your mind right now? Put a name with it. If you're like, "No one comes to mind," it's because you're the guy that everyone is like, "I hate that guy." Everything just works out for you. Everything you touch turns to gold. Everything about your life is perfect. You have the perfect physique, the perfect salary, the perfect vacations. Everything is just perfect. How do you deal with that?

I want to show you a story from the Scriptures tonight which is going to show us that there are, honestly, three ways you can respond. I'll tell you what those three ways are right now. The options are these: comparison, rejection, or celebration. Those are the options: comparison, rejection, and celebration. Just to not keep you guessing, the goal is celebration, but you have three options…comparison, rejection, celebration.

I want to show you these three things from a story from the life of King David. If you have a Bible, I invite you to turn with me to 1 Samuel, chapter 18. If you're new to The Porch, if you're new to the Bible, I'm so glad you made it tonight. If you don't know much about what is happening in the Bible, there's a chance that the only thing you know about David is that he is the guy who… The tale goes that he conquered a giant named Goliath. If you know that, you're in a pretty good place, but I'll fill it out for you a little bit more.

David was the second king ever of the nation of Israel. He came after a guy named Saul. Saul was a mediocre king. We know that because God basically told him he was mediocre. Because he was mediocre, God had made plans to replace Saul with a new king. We know that king turned out to be David. We're picking up a story where Saul is still king, and this is the story where Saul is going to find out that David is the king God is going to replace him with.

The story we're looking at comes right after 1 Samuel 17 where David has his greatest conquest, which is conquering the giant named Goliath. So, now we pick it up in 1 Samuel, chapter 18. I'm going to read you a big chunk of Scripture. I'm going to read you verses 1-16, and I would encourage you to follow along.

"As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. And Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father's house. Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt.

And David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him, so that Saul set him over the men of war. And this was good in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul's servants. As they were coming home, when David returned from striking down the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with songs of joy, and with musical instruments.

And the women sang to one another as they celebrated, 'Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands.' And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said, 'They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands, and what more can he have but the kingdom?'

And Saul eyed David from that day on. The next day a harmful spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he raved within his house while David was playing the lyre, as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand. And Saul hurled the spear, for he thought, 'I will pin David to the wall.' But David evaded him twice.

Saul was afraid of David because the Lord was with him but had departed from Saul. So Saul removed him from his presence and made him a commander of a thousand. And he went out and came in before the people. And David had success in all his undertakings, for the Lord was with him. And when Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in fearful awe of him. But all Israel and Judah loved David, for he went out and came in before them."

That was a lot, but this is a story about how two different individuals respond to David's success. The reason I can say that this is a story about David's success is because of the repeated words. If you want a helpful tip, when you're studying the Bible, pay attention to the words the author repeats, because authors repeat what they want emphasized. Let me repeat that. Authors repeat what they want emphasized.

We see that in verse 5. "And David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him…" Verse 14: "And David had success in all his undertakings, for the Lord was with him." Verse 15: "And when Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in fearful awe of him." It's a story about David's success.

Now, we're going to see how Saul responds to David's success and how Jonathan responds to David's success. What's interesting is that Saul and Jonathan are from the same family. Saul is Jonathan's dad, but these two people from the same family have two very different responses to David's success. Saul is going to respond first with comparison, and then he's going to respond with rejection. His son Jonathan is going to respond with celebration. So, let's unpack these three responses.

1. Comparison. I'm going to define comparison tonight as ranking God's will for your life against others. Where do we see comparison in the story? We see it in verse 8. Look back at it. Remember what is happening? David is coming home from conquering the giant. Saul is coming home with his army as well. Women come out from the town. They begin to sing. They begin to bang tambourines. They begin to sing songs in which they declare certain things about David and about Saul.

Verse 8 tells us, "And Saul was very angry…" Why was he angry? "…and this saying displeased him." What was the saying that displeased him? "He said, 'They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands, and what more can he have but the kingdom?'" Do you see the comparison? Saul begins to compare the praise David receives with the praise he receives. They are declaring that David is a guy who has conquered ten thousands and he's a guy who has conquered thousands. Just from this moment right here, we learn two different things about comparison. Don't miss them.

A. Comparison feeds on "er" and "as." No one is saying, "Amen" to that, so I probably should explain that. Comparison feeds on, is nourished by, finds life in "er" and "as." Here's what I mean by that. One pastor referred to our need for what he called the "er" factor. We want to know that we are smart-er, strong-er, pretti-er, funni-er, wealthi-er, skinni-er, godli-er, "successful-er" than the people around us. We want that.

Follow me on this. Women come out from the city to meet and sing songs to…whom? Saul. The text is really clear. It says women came out from the town to sing songs to Saul. They come out, and they play tambourines for Saul. Men, let me ask you. When was the last time a girl played the tambourine for you? Never. Why? Because you're not important enough for a girl to play the tambourine for you. Saul was.

So, these girls come out. They write a song. They're playing a tambourine to Saul. In their song, they actually declare that Saul is a conquering king. Yes, they do say that David has conquered his ten thousands, but they also say that Saul has struck down his thousands. So, they're declaring him to be a conquering king. The issue was not that Saul wanted to be great, because they're declaring him to be great. The issue is that Saul wanted to be greater. That's where things began to unravel for him. He didn't want to just be great; he wanted to be greater.

For some of you, that's what's happening in your life. You don't want to just be great. You want to be able to look around in insecurity at the people around you, and you just need to know you have the "er" factor over them. It gives you some sense of significance. It makes you feel strong. It makes you feel significant when you know you're stronger than that other person at the gym, that you are more likable, that people want you more than they want her, that you're skinnier, that you're more successful, that you take better vacations. Something in you needs that. See, comparison feeds on the "er" factor.

Some of you are hearing that, and you're like, "That's just not me. I don't feel that. I don't look around and need to have the 'er' factor over people." Well, for you, it might be a need for the "as" factor. What I mean by that is you've decided in your own mind what the ideal is, so you just find people in the world who you think represent the ideal, and you think to yourself, "If I could just be as likable as that person, if I could just be as influential as that person, if I could just be as successful as that person, then I would truly be enough."

Let me identify one problem with the "er" factor and one problem with the "as" factor. The problem with the "er" factor is while you'll always have the "er" factor over some people, someone will always have the "er" factor over you. If you haven't found that person, just wait longer. The problem with the "as" factor is that perfection is an illusion. Perception is hardly ever reality.

Some of you have seen this before, but this is the Ateek family Christmas card from awhile back. I wish we had time to form a line for you all to each walk by just to glance at an incredible family. If you want to see a family that's crushing life, this is it. Noah was in second grade at this time. He was crushing second grade. Andrew was in kindergarten at the time. Just smokin' people in kindergarten. Then there's baby Jake who I guarantee you deserved a baby modeling contract. We just think people were having a hard time getting ahold of us.

You know what the good news is? Bam! We're just getting started here, people. This thing keeps going. There is so much amazingness to us. Sometimes I'm amazed at how amazing we are. We're awesome. Okay. Do you want to know what was happening on either side of the button being pressed on the camera taking these pictures? Well, on the front end, I was all over my kids. Like, "Get off the ground. Stop messing around with each other. Stop tilting your head in a weird way. Look at the camera and smile." I was all over them.

On the back end…well, we took those pictures in about 20-mile-an-hour winds, and something blew into the eye of Jake, who was about 4 months old at the time, and it cost us about a $1,000 trip to the ER. So, I would say we were crushing life. Do you know what year this Christmas card was? This was 2017. Do you want to know why I brought the 2017 Christmas card? Because we haven't sent out Christmas cards since 2017. We didn't even finish sending them out in 2017. Why? Because sometimes the Ateek family is just barely holding it together.

There are some days that we are just so day to day. That's just reality. Yet, you can look at this and be like, "You know what? If we just had what they have…" Have you ever thought that the people you're looking at as the ideal…? What if they're looking at someone else as the ideal? Isn't that crazy to think about? If you want to feel a little bit crazy, just think the person that you think is the ideal is discontent with themselves, wishing they had what someone else has. That's comparison, and it's the thief of joy.

B. Comparison has terrible side effects. You know those ads that show up, like, medication commercials? Do you know what I'm talking about? I'm always so surprised at the activities people are doing on those medicine commercials. Next time you see one, be like, "Man! I never thought about the glass-blowing business and how that guy will need that medicine in his occupation."

Or someone is wrestling with their dog or sitting in a bathtub on a beach next to someone else in a bathtub. It's like, "Where did those bathtubs come from? Did you just walk out and find them and were like, 'Let's get into them'?" As a germ freak, that's horrifying. But there's that soft, soothing voice at the end of the commercial that tells you the side effects. It's like, "Talk to your doctor before trying this medicine. It can cause nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, demon possession, or even death." It's like, "Wow! Those are some serious side effects."

Comparison has terrible side effects. Verse 8: "Saul was very angry." Verse 9: "Saul eyed David from that day on." Comparison fueled suspicion and paranoia. Verse 12: "Saul was afraid of David." It caused him to live a life of fear. The event we're looking at in 1 Samuel 18 is the event where Saul's life began to circle the drain.

If you were to keep reading on, you would find comparison led Saul to spend the rest of his life trying to kill David, which led to Saul losing the respect of his son, his daughter, and his men. In the end, Saul committed suicide. Comparison produced terrible side effects in Saul's life, and it will produce terrible effects in our lives. You're going to experience competition, pride, envy, jealousy, anxiety, and exhaustion. Comparison isn't a medicine; it's a poison. I know this because I've lived it.

Do you know what it took me far too long to understand? It took me way too long to understand that the cross of Christ does what comparison can't. Do you want to know why we compare? Leon Festinger popularized the social comparison theory. Do you want to know why we compare? Because we're trying to determine our value. We're trying to figure out how we stack up value-wise in comparison to other people.

If that's how you determine your value, your value is going to consistently be fluctuating. Do you know what the cross of Jesus Christ does? It places value on you. That's permanent. When we look at the cross of Jesus Christ, we first find the infinite value of Jesus Christ, because Jesus Christ is so infinitely valuable that what we find on the cross of Christ is the eternal Son of God leaving heaven, coming to earth, living perfectly, dying sacrificially, and rising victoriously.

The cross declares Christ's infinite value, but on that cross, Jesus Christ was making payment for you and me. That's why 1 Corinthians 6 says that you and I were bought at a price. What was the price? It was the body and blood of Jesus Christ. So, it's not that you earn your value from God; it's that God in his infinite love and grace decides to place value on you. So, what is the value that is handed to you freely? You are now valued at the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

All right. Let me say that one more time. I don't know anything more important I can tell you tonight. If you want to know what you're worth, God has decided to give you your worth that now never changes. God has decided to make you worth the body and blood of the eternal Son of God. Would you just let that sink in? That means you don't have to run out into the world asking them to give you something that God freely gives you in Christ.

2. Rejection. If comparison is ranking God's will for your life against others, then rejection is saying no to God's will for your life and others. That's what rejection is. It's just saying, "God, no. I don't want that for them, and I don't want that for me." Where do we see that in the story? Well, again, verse 8. It says, "And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said, 'They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands, and what more can he have but the kingdom?'"

This is the moment where things are beginning to become clear for Saul, where he's realizing David is actually the guy God is going to replace him with as king. And what does Saul say? "Hey, what more can he have but the kingdom?" This is Saul saying, "I see what you're doing, God, and I reject it. I say no to it."

Then, look at what it says in verse 10. "The next day a harmful spirit from God rushed upon Saul…" That can be really concerning to read. Here's what I want you to know about that harmful spirit. Don't think that this harmful spirit is an evil demon aligned with Satan. No, this is a specific consequence from God. This is an angel that God has assigned specifically for Saul's disobedience as the king of the nation of Israel.

The way God dealt with the nation of Israel was very specific in the Old Testament. This is a specific consequence for King Saul as the king of the nation of Israel. Each time the harmful spirit is mentioned… It's mentioned back in chapter 16. It's mentioned ahead in chapter 19. Each time it's mentioned, David's success and God's favor upon him are being discussed. Saul tries to kill David twice because he rejects God's will. So, back to verses 10-12.

"The next day a harmful spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he raved within his house while David was playing the lyre, as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand. And Saul hurled the spear, for he thought, 'I will pin David to the wall.' But David evaded him twice." It always makes me laugh that it says, "David evaded him twice." I'm like, "David, after the first time, it's like, 'Peace.'" Like, "It's been fun, but I'm out." He stuck around. But Saul is trying to kill him. Why? Because he rejects God's plan.

Verse 13 says, "So Saul removed him from his presence and made him a commander of a thousand. And he went out and came in before the people." Saul makes David a commander. You might hear that and think, "Oh, well, that's pretty nice. Saul gives David a promotion." No, this isn't a promotion; this is a tactic.

Saul is thinking, "Okay. David had success once when conquering a giant, but let's see what happens when he has to lead an army of a thousand. What if he doesn't have the leadership capability and he fails in people's eyes? Better yet, what if he goes into battle and gets killed?" This is a tactic to take David out.

What was God's will? It was for David to fade in and Saul to fade out, and Saul is emphatically declaring, "I reject that." That's what rejection is. It's saying no to God's will for your life and others. How does this play out in our lives? How do we reject God's will for our life and others? Well, the main way you will see this crop up in your life is through subtle resentment. You'll resent other people's successes because you believe their success makes you a failure.

Then you resent God for not giving you more of what others have. Do you see what you're doing there? You're rejecting God's will for their life. "I resent their success, because their success is saying something about me. And, God, I resent you, and I reject your will for my life, because you should have given me more of what you gave to them." Another way this shows up is isolation. You'll keep people at a distance because they're your competition.

Jesus has to be our example. We find Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane on the night he's betrayed, praying, "God, not my will but your will be done." What was God's will for Jesus? To be crucified for the sins of the world. What was God's will for Christians? That we who were rebellious toward God would be saved through the death, burial, and resurrection of his Son, that those who were spiritually dead would be awakened to life with God, and Jesus said, "Yes, I will die so they can live." Jesus has to be our example.

The Christian life is a surrendered life. The Christian life is opening up your hands and saying, "God, I accept and I receive whatever you give to me, and I say yes to whatever you give to them. God, you don't exist for me; I exist for you, so you can have your way in my life.

Whatever you want to do through me, however you want to use me, God, I trust that you have wired me and gifted me with everything you want me to have. I'm committed to cultivating the talents you have instilled in me, and I will do it to your glory. If there are other people who do it better, then God bless them, but my responsibility is to be faithful with what you have entrusted to me." That's the Christian life.

3. Celebration. Celebration is a resounding "Yes" to God's will for your life and others. We see this, surprisingly, in the life of Saul's son Jonathan. Who was Jonathan? Jonathan was Saul's oldest son. That means Jonathan was actually the next in line for the throne. Jonathan was the one who was supposed to be the next king of Israel.

So, if anyone had a reason to be paranoid about David and to reject any thought of David being king, it would have been Jonathan, yet what do we find Jonathan doing all the way back in verses 3 and 4? It says, "Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt."

Here's what you need to understand. Think about this. Process this. The clothes Jonathan is wearing are royal. That is a part of what defines him as part of the royal family. So, when Jonathan strips himself of his robe and gives it to David, when he takes off his royal armor, when he takes his royal sword and hands it to David, he is declaring, "You rule and reign instead. You're the rightful king, not me, the one who is the successor to the throne in man's eyes. No, we're going to do things according to what is in God's eyes. You're the future king, and I celebrate that."

This is Jonathan's resounding "Yes" to God's will for his life and David's. As I've processed Jonathan's relationship with David, there are three things I take away from it that I hope you don't miss.

A. Instead of seeing people for their success, see them for their stewardship. David was called by God to steward the throne of Israel. So, instead of resenting David, Jonathan supported David. Everything someone has been given by God has been given for them to steward for God's glory, and they will have to give an account for what they did with what God gave to them.

When I think about my friend Ben Stuart, instead of comparing or rejecting, I want to celebrate. God has wired Ben in such a sweet and unique way. He has put Ben in the capital city of our country, and he has given Ben this ability to speak in a very clear, winsome, and compelling way to people in positions of power. So, instead of seeing Ben for his success, I should see him for his stewardship, because one day he will have to give an account for what he did with what God entrusted to him. The best thing I can do is to pray for my friend Ben.

The same is true for me. The same is true for every single person in this room. God has given each one of us brains, bodies, mouths, hands, feet, feelings, senses of humor, talents, and giftings to steward, and one day you will give an account for how you stewarded the things God gave to you. If that's the case, we don't have time to waste, wishing we had what someone else has. We don't have time to waste comparing or resenting.

B. The death of who you're supposed to be is often the birth of who you were made to be. At some point, Jonathan let the dream of being king die. He had to let go of the dream of who he was told he was supposed to be. I guarantee you he grew up believing that he would be king. That's who he was supposed to be. That's who his dad told him he was supposed to be, but God's plans were for Jonathan to be David's greatest support.

I just want you to think about that really quickly. Who have you been told you're supposed to be? Just think about that. Who have your parents told you you're supposed to be? Who does social media tell you you're supposed to be? Who have you been told you're supposed to be? Or who have you told yourself you're supposed to be?

You're supposed to be CEO or president of something. You're supposed to be rich with multiple houses and nice cars. You're supposed to be someone on Forbes' 30 Under 30 list. You're supposed to be an influencer with hundreds of thousands of followers. You're supposed to be someone who works 60 hours a week and has a ton of friends and a ton of plans and great vacations and still somehow crushes every single aspect of life. Sometimes the death of who you're supposed to be will be the birth of who you were made to be.

When I became the executive director of Breakaway in 2016, because of the directors who preceded me, I started believing that because of my position, I needed to be… This is who I believed I was supposed to be. I believed I needed to be one of the wisest, most strategic, most godly, most creative, most intelligent, most interesting, most captivating leaders, authors, communicators, and pastors in the nation.

I'll tell you what. It was crushing. It was a crushing weight to carry. It was exhausting. Do you know where freedom was found? Freedom was found in embracing who God had called me to be. God hasn't called me to be anyone other than a faithful servant of the King.

C. Others don't have to lose in order for you to win. I remember running on the treadmill at the gym years ago. (I say that just so you think I go to the gym.) I remember running on the treadmill, and it was like God slapped me on the side of the head in a loving way. I felt like I heard God so clearly in that moment, and here's what I felt like he said: "You need everyone else to be a failure so you can feel like a success."

Here's the reality: Jonathan still won. Today, when pastors preach on friendship, do you know who is held up as the ideal model? Jonathan. There is enough room in this world for more than one person to win, and honestly, it's not about you and me winning. Christ has already won. We live to exalt the one who has conquered Satan, sin, and death. Every single person here has the potential of living a faithful life in the eyes of God.

What does God celebrate? God doesn't celebrate fame; he celebrates faithfulness. When you cross into heaven, what words are you expecting to hear? "Well done, good and famous servant." Good luck with that. "Well done, good and high-capacity servant." Nope. "Well done, good and wealthy servant." "Well done, good and in-shape, 'crushing the CrossFit Open' servant." No. "Well done, good and faithful servant." That's what God celebrates. Steward the life and purpose you have been given.

Let me encourage you. I encourage you tonight to sit with the Lord and ask him to reveal any relationships in your life where you've given in to comparison or rejection. If someone comes to mind, I would encourage you to ask the Lord for forgiveness here. Find a way to encourage that person this week, and then thank God for the value Christ's cross gives to you. Thank him for how he made you. Thank him for the plans he has for you.

Then I would encourage you to wake up and thank God for the value he has placed on you and say "Yes" to the plans he has for you today. Just say, "Yes." But I'll tell you this. It would be such a failure of a message if we just closed up right here, because when you study someone like David, the goal is to learn from David, but the goal is also to look through David to the greater David, and that's Jesus Christ, the greater David.

Here is the way David and Jesus are so similar. Just as David rose to fame, Jesus Christ rose to fame. Just as Saul sought to thwart God's will for David's life, Satan, through Pharisees and Sadducees, sought to thwart God's will for Jesus' life. Saul tried to put David to death. Roman soldiers actually did put Jesus to death.

Just as David was God's anointed, Jesus was and is the Christ, the Anointed One, and just as David went out and came in victorious, Jesus Christ went out from heaven, came to earth, and conquered Satan, sin, and death for you and me. Through his life, through his death, through his resurrection, he has made a way for those who had no way back to God. He has kicked open the door into the family of God for you and for me.

While David eventually became king for 40 years, Jesus Christ rose from the dead victorious as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords for all of eternity. So, when it comes to how you respond to Jesus, the greater David, you're either going to respond like Saul or you're going to respond like Jonathan. Jonathan stripped himself of the throne because he knew it wasn't his in the first place.

The right response to Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, is to come to him and say, "Jesus Christ, you're King. I'm not. You get to rule and reign over my heart and my entire life. My life belongs to you. It doesn't belong to me." Let's not play games. Let's not just make Jesus a part of our lives. He's either the point of your life or you have no life.

Or you can respond to Jesus like Saul. You can grasp for a throne that doesn't belong to you, insist on your own way, and buy into the mirage of life where you're in control, but you need to know you being in control of your life is never even an option. Either Jesus Christ will be in control or sin will be in control, but you being in control isn't even on the table.

My hope and prayer is that the young adults of The Porch here in Dallas and all over the nation would be a generation that rises up among their peers and declares, "There is one King, and his name is Jesus. He's the King of my heart, and he should be the King of yours." Let's pray together.

If that's you tonight, if you're sitting there realizing, and you sense God is pressing on your heart right now… God is reaching into your life, saying, "Look. I want you to be mine. I want you to be mine." If that's you tonight, then I want to invite you right now to say "Yes" to Jesus, to give your life over to him. You can pray this in your own heart. Just say, "Lord Jesus, would you come into my life tonight? Thank you that you died on the cross for me. Thank you that you rose from the dead for me. Would you come into my life? Would you forgive me of my sins, and would you lead me in a new life?"

Then, if you already know Jesus as King, would you invite him to reveal the aspects of your heart where there's still comparison or rejection? Would you ask him right now that, by the power of the Spirit, he would strengthen you toward celebration?

God, I thank you for the young adults in this room all over the nation right now. My hope and prayer is that you, God, would rule and reign in every heart. If there's anyone whose heart is still cold to you, would you just light it up right now? Warm it up in the name of Jesus. I pray that workplaces would be different tomorrow, gyms would be different tomorrow, and apartment complexes would be different tomorrow because there's a critical mass of people who are owning the calling on their lives and celebrating the calling on other people's lives.

There's no comparison. There's no envy, no jealousy, no resentment, just a bunch of young adults, saying, "Look, I have one life, and I'm clear on who God has made me to be, so I'm going to run this race in a way that I win, and that's exalting Christ through my life." Use the people for your glory, I pray. In Jesus' name, amen.