Although We Wrestle

I would like for you to turn your attention to the book of Ephesians and find with me chapter 6, and once you find chapter 6 would you be so kind, if your able, to stand with me in honor of God’s Word. I will be reading our verse today from the King James Version and find with me verse 12. Hear the words of the Lord.. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Now turn with me to the book of Psalms and find with me, Psalm 65. From Psalm 65, find verse 3. 3 Though we are overwhelmed by our sins, you forgive them all. Father, I thank You for Your wonderful presence. May Your Word be planted deep in our spirit. Strengthen us to meditate on Your Word and build our life upon the rock of Your truth. In Jesus’s name we pray, Amen.

First, I want to apologize to anyone who may be new here today, because this isn’t a normal Sunday message. I had planned on preaching on the Shema in Deuteronomy this week—that was my plan. But sometimes the Lord presses something heavier on your heart, something you just can’t ignore. And this week, with everything happening in our nation and in our communities, I’ve felt the Lord asking me to pause, to set aside my plan, and to speak directly into the weight we’re all carrying. So if you’re visiting, please know—you’re walking in on a family moment. A moment where we’re not pretending life is easy or that faith is neat and tidy, but a moment where we’re opening God’s Word together and looking for His voice in the middle of our wrestling and overwhelmed life. And my prayer is that even in a heavy message, you’ll see the hope and presence of Jesus. So with that said, let’s restart with this thought… The love of Christ was always evident in the heart of those who love Him. That’s where everything begins. Christ’s love is alive in His people. Paul says in Romans 5:5, “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” That means if you belong to Jesus, His love has already taken root in you. Even when you don’t feel it, even when you don’t see it, even when life is dark and overwhelming—His love has not left you. Sometimes it’s hard to recognize that love in ourselves. We doubt it. We second-guess. Maybe that’s why Jesus commanded us to love one another—because there are days we need our brothers and sisters in Christ to show us what we can’t see in the mirror. When a word of encouragement is spoken, when a prayer is lifted on your behalf, when someone sits with you in your pain—that’s Christ’s love in them spilling over into you. That’s His presence proving itself again and again. I’ll be honest with you—I wish I had a little meter inside me that showed how full I was of Jesus. Wouldn’t that be easier? A little gauge on your heart that tells you: “You’re running low—better spend some more time in prayer. You’re overflowing—keep pouring it out.” But that’s not how God designed it. Maybe that’s the beauty of faith. We don’t measure it by a meter. We learn it in the wrestling. We discover it when life overwhelms us. We find it when we keep turning back to Him, again and again.

And with that being said, let me just say something that might surprise you… I find comfort in Paul’s words found in our Scripture today. Paul writes, “We wrestle.” Its true.. At first, that doesn’t sound very comforting, does it? Who wants to wrestle? Who wants the struggle? But here’s why it comforts me—because it reminds me that wrestling is normal for the Christian life. It’s not a sign that something is wrong with you. It’s a sign that you belong to Christ in a world that’s still broken. Paul doesn’t say we stroll. He doesn’t say we coast. He says we wrestle. I think its Paul being honest with the readers because he’s naming what you and I already feel. We wrestle with questions. We wrestle with suffering. We wrestle with sin. We wrestle with things we can’t explain. Now, what do we want when we wrestle? Most of us want an explanation from God. Why this? Why now? Why us? Job asked those questions. His friends tried to answer. But when God finally speaks in Job 38–42, He doesn’t give Job an explanation—He gives him a revelation of Himself. And that changes everything. And that’s the shift we all need to see. When we cry out, “Why this? Why now? Why us? Why them? ”—God doesn’t always hand us an explanation. He hands us something greater: he says… here’s me.. he gives us Himself. Why? Because His power is greater than our suffering. What we learn in the book of Job is that through his suffering, God takes Job on a tour of creation: foundations of the earth, borders of the seas, storehouses of snow, paths of the lightning and he asks Job some pretty tough questions…in chapter 38, and verses 35… “Job, can you call the clouds to pour? Do the lightning bolts report to you?” In other words, I am God, and I am not small. Your life is not in the hands of chaos; it’s in the hands of the Creator. Remember last week… when we spoke on Genesis 1.. and we said the holy Spirit, before any words was spoken… was there. Brooding, hovering… over the nothingness and chaos, God was present. And we called that the inhale of God. Right now, we all are in that inhale. Before galaxies are spoken, theres presence. And all of our life… … I just believe… what God wants is for us to find him within all of our chaos… and focus on him… so that we can understand that in any moment that we wrestle with…he is there. To learn to rest in the inhale of God…. And… with anticipation….! Like, when we wrestle, we live so focused on Him, that we live in any moment with anticipation of… man.,.. I don’t understand… but I can’t wait to see how you bring glory to yourself through this… My heart is hurting.. I see others are hurting… but you’re will is so perfect, and you can see things I can not… so I will wait and trust in you…

That’s what Job does… and that’s how he answers God… Job confesses, “I know that You can do all things, and no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.” (Job 42:2) That’s a confession of power and purpose. God’s power is great, and His purpose is guaranteed. Now remember—Job is saying this without knowing everything we know as readers. He didn’t know about the conversation back in Job 1 and 2, when God allowed Satan to test him. He didn’t know the whole behind-the-scenes picture. And yet he still says, “No plan of Yours can be thwarted.” Even though he couldn’t see the reason, he trusted the God of purpose. And church, that’s the beauty for us—we do get to see the bigger picture. We see how Satan’s attacks could only end up serving God’s greater plan. That’s one of the loudest truths in this book: Satan’s attempts to harm God’s people only end up advancing God’s purposes. Think of the power in that statement. And what Paul says … In 2 Corinthians 12, he describes a thorn in the flesh, “a messenger of Satan.” He begged God to take it away. But instead of removing it, God spoke: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”What Satan meant to torment Paul only made Paul stronger in Christ. Think about Acts 7–8. When Stephen was stoned, persecution broke out. Satan must have been laughing—“I’ve got them now.” But what happened next? The church scattered, and everywhere they went they preached the gospel. Satan attacked, but God advanced His church. Think about the cross. Satan thought he’d won when Jesus was nailed to that tree—mocked, beaten, crucified. Darkness had its day. But three days later, the tomb was empty. What Satan meant to destroy became the very means of our salvation. Like… Take that, devil. You loser!!!! But here’s the truth: No one, can thwart the purpose of God. Not Satan, not suffering, not sin, not death itself. His plan stands. His purpose is guaranteed.So if God’s power is great, and His purpose is guaranteed, and His mercy is personal—what does that mean for us, right now, in our wrestling?

Well, that’s where we read these words… although we wrestle. Paul tells us in Ephesians 6 that our battle is deeper than flesh and blood. People are not the enemy—darkness is. Which means our weapons can’t just be flesh and blood either. We don’t fight with anger. We don’t fight with arguments. We don’t fight with fists…. Listen, church… our fighting must be on our knees. That’s what we do and I know that is hard for all of us…. Because we are people of action. Right? We want to do something. And Paul says we do—he says in Ephesians 6:13–17 that we suit up. We put on the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit. We get to stand firm in the armor of God. That’s action. But notice what comes next. Verse 18. After you put on the armor, what do you do? What the first word in verse 18? Pray….. That’s the fight. And listen—this goes against so much of our cultural Christianity. We think the armor makes us warriors so we can charge out swinging. But I don’t believe that’s what Paul is saying here. The armor doesn’t make us strong so we can fight people—it makes us strong enough to fall to our knees and wrestle in prayer. That’s how we fight the darkness. That’s how we push back against the enemy. That’s how the church wins—not in our own strength, but in surrender to God in prayer. And my favorite part is this… verse 19. Paul says, “Pray also for me.” Now listen—what does he ask prayer for? For his suffering to stop? No. For his chains to be broken? No. He says, “Pray for me, that words may be given to me when I open my mouth, so that I will boldly proclaim the mystery of the gospel. His prayer was for others to pray for him, to be bold in the gospel…. Oh man church.. can you imagine a church that prays for one another? Not just, “Lord, keep them safe” or “Lord, make life easier,” but, “Lord, give them boldness. Lord, give them words. Lord, let them shine Christ in their homes, in their workplaces, in their neighborhoods.” Can you imagine a church where parents are praying boldness over their kids at school, where students are praying boldness for each other in their friend groups, where we’re praying boldness for one another in hospital rooms and at kitchen tables? That’s the kind of church that shakes a community. And I pray… that we, right here in Falcon, would be that kind of church. How amazing would it be if, in a town full of churches and denominations, people looked at us and said, “That’s the church that prays. That’s the church where bold prayers rise up. That’s the church that doesn’t just talk about Jesus—they call on Him with everything they’ve got.” Church, what if we were known, not for our programs, not for our building, not for our name—but for being a people of radical prayer? And prayer, not for prosperity, not for more blessings, but prayer that says: “Lord, restore what is broken for Your name’s sake.” Isn’t that the heart of Job? Lets go back to Job for a moment… When, You read the end of Job and you see restoration. His health restored, his family renewed, his possessions doubled. Some people look at that and say, “Well, that’s the point—trust God and you’ll get your stuff back.” But that’s not the point. That doesn’t erase Job’s pain. That doesn’t minimize ten graves in the ground. That doesn’t undo the scars. Restoration doesn’t mean the suffering never happened. Job’s story isn’t about getting even—it’s about God having the last word. And that’s what the Spirit is whispering to us today: suffering does not have the last word. Cancer doesn’t. Tragedy doesn’t. Violence doesn’t. School shootings don’t. Not even death itself has the last word. God has the last word. The cross doesn’t have the last word……resurrection does. And the beauty of the gospel is that for the people of God, suffering is never the end. God is the end. And He is always the last word. Which means our eternal response is not endless grief. Our eternal response is endless adoration. Forever, we will rejoice in Him. Forever, we will see Him face to face. Forever, every tear will be wiped away. The question is—do you know that for sure? Do you know that when this life is over, you will spend eternity with Him, free from sin, sorrow, sickness, pain, and suffering? The only way to know for sure is through the gospel—through trusting Christ who suffered in your place and rose again to give you life. But let’s be honest… until that day comes, we still feel the weight of life here. We still wrestle. We still get overwhelmed. That’s why I think of David’s song in Psalm 65 that we read earlier.

David said, “Though we are overwhelmed by our sins, You forgive them all.” Isn’t that what we need to hear today? Not that we won’t ever feel overwhelmed, but that in the middle of it, there is forgiveness. There is mercy. There is hope. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wrestled with life and felt overwhelmed. There’s another place in the book of Psalms that David tells of being overwhelmed…and it’s found in Psalm 94. David laments, “When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.” Psalm 94:19 (ESV) ”The word “consolation” means “a person or thing providing comfort to a person who has suffered.” I think… back at Paul in Ephesians… he had comfort in asking for others to pray for him, and I believe in knowing that they would pray for him. As I wrestle with deep issues and carry feelings that threaten to overwhelm me, I’m learning something. Instead of always saying, “I am overwhelmed,” or, I am wresting… with this.. our that… I began to replace those words with a truer confession: “Father, I haven’t been letting Your comfort and Your presence lift this weight off my soul.” You see, Feeling deeply overwhelmed in life is a signal, It’s first a single for the need for prayer. Anxiety, overwhelmed situations… hurt, all of those feelings.. are a red flag for prayer. But it’s also a signal signal that we have been trying to carry them alone, and for many of us, one of our problems in life is that we’ve been carrying them for far too long. I’m learning to let my overwhelmed heart be a path toward confessing my lack of dependence on God. When my heart is overwhelmed and Im wrestling with life troubles and I witness my tears brimming to the edge from any small bump in my life, I’ve come to learn to run to the Lord and confess I have been carrying my burdens alone, just as we’re instructed in 1 Peter 5:7: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (NIV).Pauls speaking of Jesus you know. Isn’t that what makes Christ even more breathtaking? David said, Though we are overwhelmed by our sins, you forgive them all. In Christ Jesus we find forgiveness of our sins. And forgive s them all,. Did you look at what did David wrote next? 3 Though we are overwhelmed by our sins, you forgive them all. "What joy for those you choose to bring near, those who live in your holy courts.” What we find in our overwhelmed life, and as we wrestle in this world, we’re simply asked to turn our gaze upon Jesus, and it is there, we can find the joy James spoke of. IN the most darkness of valleys, and in our loneliness and wresting and the overwhelming of life, we learn that.. Jesus becomes the antidote to our isolation and struggles in this life. And Jesus desires to be near us. Emmanuel is more than a Christmas name that we celebrate, but a very present name in any troubles we face, even in the troubles we face today with the sudden passing of a dear friend. The name of Emmanual is a promise of nearness. As Jesus tells his disciples, “I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” God is with us always. There’s no expiration date on His presence in our lives. David would remind us in Psalm 23, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” ~Psalm 23:4

Have you ever taken time to think about the words to this verse? As I worship team comes up… I want you to think about these words. Although I walk through the Vally of the shadow of death…. The key word is through. That’s a promise. Just like when Jesus told His disciples, “Follow me, let’s get in the boat and go to the other side.” They didn’t know a storm was coming. They didn’t know the waves would crash over their heads. But Jesus had already promised the destination. And even when they wrestled in fear, He calmed the storm, He calmed their hearts, and He got them through to the other side.

I’ve been praying about this all week. Thinking about how precious life is while watching and reading all the headlines.. … And how life can be gone in an instant. Because of hate, or misunderstanding, or violence, or sickness, or simply the fragility of our days. One moment we’re planning tomorrow, and the next moment tomorrow is gone. That reality is sobering, but it’s also why Psalm 23 means so much. Because even though life is fragile, God’s presence is not. When David said, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me,” he was reminding us that the safest place in all of life isn’t outside the valley—it’s beside the Shepherd. Think about it.. every time in this life, we get to the other side of the valley, its never how we got there, it was about the one were with and who we arrived with. So many times in my life I get into this valley and I try to arrive myself. I try to arrive ahead of God. I know short cuts, I know a better way, I know how to get…… there…. Wait…. Where’s my Shepard. The greatest advice I was given by a man I admire… a pastor who mentored me… his greatest advice to me as a young minister was this… Matthew, don’t get ahead of God, Don’t get behind God… but walk with him. Walk with him… because he’s a present God. He’s not a god that we have to only yearn and hope to see one day in the future, and he’s not a god we need to go back into our past to find him… He’s a God the walks with us. His name is Emmanuel… God with us. And as I thought about this, and all of the headlines this week and the tradegies, and hate and division… Sometimes the valley we walk down are the not the valley we would choose…….. Life is so precious. So fleeting.. but a vape in the wind. And I wish every time, in our valleys, in our wrestling and being overwhelmed by life, we can get to the other side unharmed. But sometimes life is taken. What if we walk this path expecting to make it through untouched and led by the Lord, But sometimes we don’t leave untouched. What if death comes for us? What if something that doesn’t play fair comes? What if hearts break? Sometimes the hope-for deliverance doesn’t arrive. What then? Does the Shepard still lead us through such valleys where death awaits us. I believe… he does. …..And I believe by faith, He leads us in the valley, & through. You see, when we face challenges that go against our desires, when the road bends where we never would have chosen, faith doesn’t deny the pain—it clings to the king. The Shepherd doesn’t promise us detours around the valley, He promises to walk with us through the valley.

How do I know this? Well, there’s a story in the book of Acts that reminds us. It’s the story of Stephen. Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit… that means on this side of life he was being led by the Holy Spirit. Through a valley. And he begins to preach—and before long, he’s being stoned to death. Turn with me, real quick if you was to… But listen to Acts 7:55: “But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.” Who was there? Even in death?…… the shepherd was there… . He was present. And… did you notice this….. sometimes we comb over it when we read it… He wasn’t sitting… what was he doing…….He was standing. The King of Glory—who the Scriptures tell us ascended into heaven and sat at the right hand of God—here, He stands. The only time we see this in Scripture. Why? Because one of His sheep was walking through the valley of the shadow of death, and the Shepherd stood to welcome him home. Church, don’t miss this: the same Shepherd who walks with you in your valleys here will be the same Shepherd who stands to welcome you there. The destination isn’t calm waters or peaceful fields. The destination isn’t avoiding valleys. The destination is Christ. Every valley you come through will teach you—it wasn’t about the valley, it wasn’t about how you got there—it was about who you were with. That’s why David could say with confidence, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Church, here’s the hope that anchors us today: we wrestle, yes. We feel overwhelmed, yes. But in every valley, in every storm, in every unanswered “why,” the Shepherd is with us. And when that final valley comes—the shadow of death itself—He will not only walk us through, He will stand to welcome us home. So let me ask you—do you know this Shepherd? Are you walking with Him, or are you still trying to carry the weight on your own? Because the cross is where the valley road begins. The empty tomb is what makes the other side certain. And His presence is what makes the journey bearable today. If you’ve been wrestling, come and wrestle with Him here at the altar. If you’ve been overwhelmed, bring your burdens and cast them on the One who cares for you. And if you’ve never trusted Him as your Shepherd, today is the day to follow His voice. Because presence matters most. And in the presence of Jesus, we find forgiveness, comfort, and victory. Victory in Jesus. And because He lives, we can face tomorrow, no matter how heavy today feels. Church, don’t forget the promise of Psalm 23: “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” That’s the Shepherd’s promise. That’s why we can sing with confidence: Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. So, lets stand together, and as we sing, would you come? Would you kneel, would you stand in His presence, and let Him meet you here?*

Baptism Week 2

I want to invite you to open your bibles with me to Philippians chapter 1… What a powerful Sunday last week. I’ve been enjoying all the texts and phone calls throughout the week as many of you have tried to put into words the blessing we all felt during baptisms. There’s something about seeing people go under that water—seeing the old washed away—and rise again that just stirs something deep in us, doesn’t it?

And here’s what I kept hearing from so many of you: “I can’t stop thinking about it.” Why? Because baptism isn’t just about the ones being baptized—it’s about all of us remembering what Christ has done for us. It’s like a mirror reminding us: That’s my story too. I’ve died with Christ, and I’ve been raised with Him. Last week we talked about death—about the joy of surrender, about what it means to say with Paul, “to die is gain.” But today, we turn the page to the next part of what Paul was saying.… If last week was about the joy of dying, this week is about the joy of living. So, lets get into the word together, and lets read again verses 20 - 26. 20 My eager expectation and hope is that I will not be ashamed about anything, but that now as always, with all courage, Christ will be highly honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 Now if I live on in the flesh, this means fruitful work for me; and I don’t know which one I should choose. 23 I am torn between the two. I long to depart and be with Christ—which is far better— 24 but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. 25 Since I am persuaded of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that, because of my coming to you again, your boasting in Christ Jesus may abound.

So the question I want us to wrestle with this morning is this: What does it mean to live in such a way that people see Jesus? I mean, isn’t that a goal of our faith? Less of me, more of him… not just in me, for me, but in me, for you. And in you for me. Christ is to be shared within the community. When Paul says, “your boasting in Christ may abound,” he’s reminding us that faith is never a solo act. Christ in me is meant to strengthen Christ in you. And Christ in you is meant to awaken something in me. Like, when we think about evangelism, we often picture going out and preaching. And let’s be honest—that’s scary for many. For some of you, you know the Bible, you’ve got that holy boldness, and it just comes natural—it’s the way God wired you. But for others, even the word evangelism makes your heart race a little. You start thinking, What if I don’t have the right words? What if I mess up? What if they ask a question I can’t answer? But listen—evangelism doesn’t need to be about what you know as much as who you know… and who indwells within you.

Evangelism starts here—Christ in one person overflowing to another."That’s evangelism. Christ, taking your life, your story, your brokenness, your healing—everything that’s been transformed through your dying—and using it to reach someone else who’s still searching for life. Remember last week. For those of you who were baptized, your testimony was you pouring out what the Spirit of Christ within you has done within you. You see, Evangelism is not just about sharing information. It’s about sharing transformation. It’s your life becoming a living testimony of His life. It’s Christ being magnified through your ordinary, everyday moments—through kindness, through forgiveness, through compassion, through courage. That’s what Paul means when he says, “If I live, it means fruitful labor.” He’s saying, ….If God gives me breath, I want that breath to breath into someone else’s life so that they can have a full picture of Jesus. It’s Christ living His life through His people. It’s His Spirit flowing through a surrendered heart until others can’t help but notice something different, something alive, something holy. And That’s the heartbeat of Christian community—Christ magnified in each other, and shared with one another, and with the world. That’s what baptism pointed to last week. When we’re baptized, we don’t just declare, “I’ve been raised to new life in Christ. We also say, “That new life now belongs to the body of Christ.” My life is no longer just about my faith journey—it’s about helping the faith in others, grow. It’s. Your story becomes part of my story. Your joy becomes part of my joy. And together, through this gospel thread, we magnify Jesus—by the way we love, and serve, and live for Christ and for one another.. But here’s my tension…. because for that kind of life to really exist—for that kind of love to truly grow among all of us who are believers, —something has to happen first. And it’s not something small. It’s not a tweak or a tune-up that we get through Bible study or imitation faith,… It’s not better habits or stronger willpower. It’s death! Something in us has to die, for. Life to truly live. Because before Christ can live through you, something in you has to be buried.

Do you know what a community of believers look like? True community isn’t built on shared interests or personalities; it’s built on shared deaths. And in those shared deaths, reveals a shared life. A life, where Christ at the center, and he’s magnified, and we are satisfied.

But here’s the thing—and here is where the tension within me begins to fester. Because if death is the doorway to life, then I have to ask… how does that even work? How can a dead man die? And then live? There are moments when I read Paul, and I’ll hit a verse that makes me stop and think. ..man… that sounds like he’s contradicting himself. Like, there before me are Two truths, sitting side by side that don’t seem to fit together. And I’ll just sit there, staring at the page, whispering, “God, how does that work?” Let me show you what I mean… In Ephesians chapter two, verse one, Paul writes, “You were dead in your trespasses and sins.” That means at one time, we were spiritually dead—cut off from God, blind to truth, enslaved to sin. And I get that. My life before Christ had no desire to know Him. I lived how I wanted, did whatever I wanted, chased purpose in everything and anything other than God. But then, you go through Philippians, and you read Paul saying things like, “To live is Christ, and to die is gain.” And then you turn to Colossians chapter three, verse three, and he says something completely different again. He writes, “You have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” And I just stop there and go, God… how does that happen? That doesn’t seem like it fits together. You said I was dead… now You say I have died. How does that work? How does a dead man die? I mean, I know dead men tell no tales—because they’re dead! Right…. So how can someone who’s already dead… die again? So I had to wrestle with that. I had to sit with it and ask, “God, what does that mean?” Because this isn’t just some abstract idea—it’s the reality of every person who follows Jesus. Before you can live the life God calls you for, something deep inside of you—your old nature, the part that ran from God, resisted God, and wanted to be God—that part f your life must die. And that’s where this starts to make sense. Because that’s the center of sin, isn’t it? The old self doesn’t just ignore God,……..it competes with Him. This old self… the one that needs to die, wants the glory of God for itself. That’s what Paul says in Romans chapter one—that humanity saw the glory of God but traded it for images, for idols, for anything that could make us feel in control, or important, or worshiped. Before Christ, you and I weren’t just bad people needing help. We weren’t just morally sick hoping for medicine. We were dead. Completely cut off from the life of God. And this is where I think so many people get stuck. We try to use faith to catapult our dead life into a slightly better version of death. We attend church, we try to be good, we clean up the outside—but on the inside, the same old self is still calling the shots. And what that leads to.. is a dead faith. And you can’t take a dead heart, dress it up with religion, and expect it to come alive. It’s no different than putting lipstick on a pig—it might look cleaner and prettier, but it’s still the same thing underneath.

So, when Paul says we were dead, he’s describing a condition that isn’t physical—it’s spiritual. He’s saying our hearts were disconnected from the life of God. Ephesians 4:18 says it perfectly: “They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.” Paul show us why theres tension… theres Darkness and hardness—that’s the picture. What’s the cause of dead faith,… darkness and hardness…. The people living in darkness are Unable to see reality as it truly is. Unable to feel, and see, and know and experience the things of God. And that raises the question—what couldn’t we see? What are we blinded to? 2 Corinthians 4:4 tells us: “The god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.” That’s it right there. The light of the gospel is the beauty, the worth, the glory of Christ—and sin blinds us from seeing it. So this is what our spiritual deadness means: hearts that are hard and blind to the beauty of Jesus, and therefore, is in rebellion against His will. That’s why Paul says in Romans 8, “The mind set on the flesh is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.” We weren’t just avoiding God’s will—we were resisting it. That’s what it means to be dead in your trespasses. … You’re Alive to everything else in the world, but completely dead to God. Now, what does that really mean? What does Paul mean when he says we were “dead in trespasses and sins”? Because clearly, we weren’t lying still in a grave somewhere. We were moving, breathing, laughing, making money, chasing dreams. So what does you have died mean? It means this: apart from Christ, we were alive to everything that didn’t matter—and dead to the only One who does. We were fully functioning, but spiritually lifeless. That’s what Paul means when he says, “You were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked.” (Ephesians 2:1–2) You were walking—but in the wrong direction. You were living—but for the wrong purpose. You were alive—but not to God. So when Paul says in Colossians 3:3, “You have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God,” he’s describing a second kind of death—one that must happen inside of those who are already spiritually dead. Because here’s the mystery of the gospel: the dead must die before they can ever live. There are two deaths every follower of Jesus must experience. The first is the death of condemnation, and the second is the death of self. The first death happens when you are united with Christ by faith—when His death becomes your death. Romans 6:5 says, “If we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His.” That means that when Jesus went to the cross, He didn’t just die for you—He died as you. Every ounce of judgment, every drop of wrath, every consequence of sin that should have fallen on you fell on Him. His death counts as your death. That’s what it means to believe the gospel—not just to say, “Jesus died for me,” but to say, “When He died, I died.” The old me—the one enslaved to sin, chasing glory, rejecting God, hardened and blinded—was crucified with Christ. That’s what Paul says in Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”

But that's only the beginning. There's a second death that comes after the first—an ongoing death. It's the daily death of self. It's the slow, deliberate, Spirit-empowered putting to death of everything in you that still wants to take the throne from God. Paul calls it "putting off the old self and putting on the new.” Two deaths, but one life. And all of that comes down to this… Death must be believed before life is lived. You can't truly live for Jesus until you've first died with Him.

So now, do you see how this connects to what we talked about at the beginning? I said evangelism is Christ in one person overflowing to another. But here's what I didn't say yet: you can't overflow with what you haven't died to." If the old you is still on the throne—if you're still clinging to control, comfort, reputation—then what you're offering people isn't Christ. It's just a religious dead version of you. Its death handing out death. But when you've died with Christ—when you've been crucified with Him and raised to new life—then something powerful happens. Christ starts living through you. And now it's not death imitating life, but handing out death. It's life pouring out life. And here's what that means: from this moment on, your life becomes a daily pursuit—to see Christ more clearly so you can share Him more deeply.

That's it. That's the whole Christian life right there. Every morning you wake up and say, "Jesus, let me see more of You today. Let me know You better. Let me love You more.” And the more you see Him... the more He overflows from you. Not because you're trying harder. But because you can't contain Him. And that brings us to this moment. Would those of you being baptized today please come forward? Church, look at these faces. These are your brothers and sisters who are about to do something incredibly brave. They're about to preach a sermon without saying a word. Just like those last week, and just like all of you, and just like those who are visiting…. Here's what you're about to do. When you go under that water, you're declaring to everyone watching: "The old me is gone. The one who lived for control, for comfort, for my own glory—that person died with Christ.” And when you come up out of that water, you're declaring: "My life doesn't belong to me anymore. It belongs completely to Jesus.” You're saying: "I believe in the death that gives me life.” And from this day forward, your life becomes that daily pursuit, and struggle to see Jesus more clearly. To know Him more deeply. So that He overflows from you to everyone you meet. Some days will be hard. Some days you'll fail. Some days the old you will try to climb back on the throne. But even on those days—especially on those days—Christ will be at work in you. Refining you. Changing you. Using even your weakness to show His strength. So when you rise from that water today, you're not rising to perfection. You're rising to pursuit. You're rising to a life where Christ lives through you. You're rising to a life that shows Jesus. And listen,

Church, this isn't just their story. This is our story too. Every one of us who has trusted Christ has gone under that water—whether literally or spiritually. We've all declared, "I am dead to sin and alive in Christ.” And every one of us is called to that same daily pursuit. To see Him more clearly. To share Him more deeply. So as we celebrate what God is doing in these lives today, let's remember what baptism is really declaring: "For to me, to live is Christ.” Not just a belief. Not just a prayer you prayed once. A life. A life where Christ is so real, so precious, so satisfying, that He can't help but overflow from you to everyone around you. That's what we're celebrating today.

Let's pray over them, and then let's watch them preach the gospel with their whole lives, together. *

Unveiled - Week 2

Let’s open our bibles together to John chapter 14. Last week we began a new series called, Unveiled. And the purpose of this series is to dive into some of the characteristics of what Holiness is. One truth we learned last week is that when it comes to experiencing something new, like a new career or perhaps even new relationships, or even when it comes to walking by faith, we want the rules. We want to know how to do it, where to do it, when to do it, and we just want a road map to whatever it is we’re trying to do. And we learned last week, Jesus didn’t come to give new rules, He came to give a new identity. And that truth is rooted in what we’re going to explore today in Johns gospel. Read with me in Johns gospel, and look at chapter 14, and we’re gonna start reading together in verse 8. 8 “Lord,” said Philip, “show us the Father, and that’s enough for us. 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been among you all this time and you do not know me, Philip? The one who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who lives in me does his works.

So that’s the image part. He’s telling Philip the one who has seen me, has seen the father. Jesus is saying, the Father and I are one. Here in a moment, Jesus is going to begin to link the rest of the story where he’ll tell the disciples that soon, you and I will be one, through the Holy Spirit. That’s what Paul tells us in Galatians, that, by faith, so faith is the connection here. By faith, God the Father will put the Spirit of His Son within His people whom come to him by faith, and the Spirit of the Son will cry out Abba Father within them. Right? So, Jesus in this moment is, in my opinion, speaking of his own holiness with the Father. Listen to his words, We are one, He is in me, and I am in him and the Father does his will thorough me. What was Jesus saying? He was saying that the image of God the Father was in him. Lets continue further to root out the Scripture our topic for this morning. Verse 11,

11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Otherwise, believe because of the works themselves. 12 “Truly I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do. And he will do even greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

Now, here is where the image begins to produce something. Jesus just a moment ago mentioned works. He says, You know the Father is in me because of the works themselves. Because of the fruit being produced. Jesus is speaking on a faith that works. It’s very important that we understand that salvation comes by faith alone, not by our works. And There two types of faith, There is Living faith, and also, dead faith. In the book of Matthew Jesus says, you will know them by their fruits. Living faith, faith with the Spirit of God within us, produces fruit. This fruit is produced through abiding in Christ. Dead faith is the opposite. Dead faith doesn’t have fruit. And Specifically, dead faith does not care for the poor. Dead faith focuses on what I can do, and then focuses on who gets the glory for what I did. Well talk about that another time, because thats not the emphasis on unveiling holiness for us this morning… but I will say this, When we have the image of Christ we will alway reflect his compassion to others. That fruit…. hes; talking about is us living a life o compassion for others… But listen to what Jesus says, about it… verse 15… Jesus says, 15 “If you love me, you will keep my commands.

Jesus is talking about obedience. In others versions we can read, If you love me, you will obey my commands. Now, Notice what Jesus didn’t say, Jesus didn’t say, If you do this task, It shows that you love me. Jesus didn’t say, If you come to church and pay tithes, or sing certain songs, you will prove your love for me. He didn’t say, if you say a prayer, or live your life in any way.. no, he says. if you love me…. You will keep my commandments. When it comes to obey, we must understanding that, Obedience is fueled by love. Can I ask.. do you know, as your shepherd, what my prayer is for Momentum Church? My prayer is this… that we would be rooted and Grounded in God’s Love in 2024. It comes from Ephesians 3:17. And that prayer begins with two emphasis… The first emphasis is this… I pray that we as a church family would be captivated by Gods love for us. Because that is where Love begins… Love begins with God, and we receive that love through our faith. Our love for God becomes our most inner burning desire where there are no more idols fighting for that love, not even the idol of self. To be glorified, to be justified, to be lifted up above anyone else. I John tells us, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God. And so we are.” We are loved, because we are the children of God. We’re known. We’re loved. I wish some of you listening would really realize that…. That you are known and loved by God. We should desire to be a church that filled and compelled by God’s love for us. And that’s more than doing, it’s an act of worship that springs form a heart thats been changed and the Spirit of God now resides within us. Our life, together, as the body of Christ must be an act of worship. Remember Romans 12:1-2, that we live as living sacrifices. Living sacrifices means that our everyday life, our getting up and laying down is an opportunity for worship. And that leads me to share with you the second emphasis I’m praying for and it’s this… , Not only should we be compelled with God’s love for us, but we should also be compelled by God’s love for others. If we cant be a church that first loves God, and I mean we love him together, as a body, then loving others isn’t possible. We’ll hope others come, and maybe we’ll pray for others to join us, but would we truly love them when they come through those doors? Would we serve them? Would we put their needs over our own? Would we accept them, whether they are rich or poor, or anything else. Would we recognize that the gospel is meant to be shared among the congregation and the community we live in. Did you hear that? The gospel isn’t just for us in here. I need the gospel just as much as those out in the community far from God. I still need the gospel just as much as anyone else does. And that’s what drives the core statements, For others. 1 John goes on to say, in verse 11 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Ans so obedience, it comes from a life that first has the love for the Father, because the Son resides within them, and obedience is an act of worship rather than just duty. When obedience is outside of love, it becomes about duty rather than authentic care and connection with God and with others.

So, how do we choose obedience? First, begin by leaning to listen. Theres a verse in I Samuel that I always think it’s funny, because Samual is hearing a voice and he things it’s his mentor Eli, and so he keeps going to Eli and saying, Are you calling for me? And Eli, recognizing that God might be talking to Samual tells Samuel the next time you hear the voice calling for you, instead of coming to me, respond by saying, Yes Lord, You servant hears. And so, Samuel went back to bed and again he heard the voice calling out to him, Samuel, and he responds back, yes Lord, You’re servant hears and it was God calling to Samual. What I love about this verse is that, “As Christians, we should strive to humbly listen to God with open hearts and open ears.” When I read I Samuel for the first time, I remover saying, I want this posture to mark my life on a daily basis. Don’t you want it to mark your life, where you are open at every moment to however God might speak to you through his word, through his spirit, and even through other people? That you have a soft heart toward God. That you are sensitive to his word and to his Spirit’s leadership in your life. This is a life of humility, this posture of listening to God is vital to experiencing intimacy with God. So listening is learning to loved find to seek for the voice of God. Jesus says, the sheep will know my voice. And to be honest, we have to many voices playing king of the hill in our minds and in our hearts. I remember one time, I was preparing for worship at family camp, and I sat in the back where all the other holy people sit, and right before service, I was reading myself and praying. To be honest with you, I was feeling rejected. Unloved, and I was being really down and hard on myself. And I heard a voice say in my heart, you worship to loudly. Throwing your hands up, and your voice carries over all the other people, and sometimes you even sing the wrong words… have you ever thought about being more meek and humble in your worship. And I was hurt. I began to cry, and I ran out of the tabernacle as worship began. All the people in the tabernacle were worshipping, and here I was outside ashamed, because I was feeling unloved, and unappreciated, and now convicted that my worship was too loud and sloppy. At the end of the service I went to Kerry and told him what I had heard, and he looked at me and said I don’t think that was the Holy Spirit speaking to you. Who are you listening to? And do you listen more to your self doubts than the goodness of Gods word, more than what God says about you.. that you’re wonderfully made. That he loves and cares for you. That he delights in you?

Because answer that question leads us into the second aspect of obedience, and it’s this, its trust. Proverbs says, Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. – Proverbs 3:5–6. Did you know that trusting is the currency of relationships? I remember back in January of 2021 when I was praying over the year. I wrote in my journal, if there is no trust, then your faith and relationships will rust. What that means is when trust is taken away we begin get hard. A hard heart towards God, or towards others stems from a heart that doesn’t trust. And maybe it’s from being hurt? Or maybe it was someone saying something to you that you trust, but even their perspective can be subjective, and wrong. I remember one time, in the oil and gas industry this big muscle dude came out of the store and I was sitting in the front seat and he reached into the window, grabbed me by the chest and say, I was told you were worthless piece of… you can use your imagination to finish that sentence… Some months later, he came to me one day and said, Im sorry. I was told by someone else that you were worthless, but honestly, your a hard worker. Just remember, you are not always what other say about you. Proverbs is what I call a foundational Bible verse. But let it soak in as if its the first time hearing it. God is saying, trust him with all of your heart. I just did the testimony video for Robyn and Jordan Morales, and the things they had to go through to get their son Nike from Haiti were just God led, and God trusting moments. And when it came to obedience and trusting God, they put their trust in listening for God and by faith hearing him say to them both, Trust in me with all your heart. And so they did. This is what it means to live by faith. It means to trust God with everything that’s happening in the world and everything that’s happening in our world, in our lives, with all our heart. Even when others mistreat us because of something they heard, put your trust in God, who knows all, sees all, and loves all… even the people who are saying the untruthful things about you. How are you trusting God? In everyday life, how are you leaning on him? God will never direct you in ways that are ultimately bad for you. No, always, always, always, he will make straight our paths. Does it mean the path will be easy or smooth? No. But it does mean that it will ultimately be good, and purposeful. And finally,

The third and final aspect of obedience is, commitment. What would happen, if today you came to the conclusion that you need to go all in with your faith? Where you would say, God, My life is a blank check, and you sign, and cash me however you wish? What would the look like for you? For me it was in the summer of 2010 when I had felt every urge to not pursue ministry. Where I had this bad dream that the enemy of our soul was saying, if you pursue your calling, I will not ravish you, but I will Ravish your family. And oh.. has he ravished us. And I remember going to church that Sunday, and sitting in the choir between two old ladies and when we began to sing amazing grace, tears began to flow and I began to uncontrollably sob. Later on that morning, the pastor gave the altar call and I went up and told him about my dream, and how I was fearful for my family. And he said, Matthew you need to be entirely sanctified. You need to give your life to God in full commitment to what he’s calling you into. And so, I did. I write on a piecing of paper, June 6th, everything. My life is now your life. My money is now your money. My family is now under your care and protection. I gave God the blank check of my life and my heart, and I said, I’ll do whatever you want me to do.” And just let me be honest with you.. its been a hard road. The enemy has often come to ravish my family. My wife has been hurt, my kids have been hurt by people claiming to be Christians. Often times, people will abandon you when you do the things God is calling you to do. Sometimes, just like Moses leading people out of slavery is dealing with people who refuse to repent, and give their life to God in full utter surrender. I cant make you submit to God, I cant make you love him, but I can live a life of faith where you can see the reflection of his grace in my life and perhaps, just maybe, you’ll want to pursue Christ with me. You see, friends, commitment isn’t just to God, but it’s also to those God calls you to love unconditionally. I believe the test of our commitment to God is whether or not we’re losing our neighbor as we love ourselves. And that begins right here in this worship setting. If we cant be committed to God and loving each other here, and understanding we all make mistakes, then how will we ever truly love those outside of this church?

But did you notice something in all three of these aspects of obedience… Listening, trusting, and commitment all require love. And so, obedience isn’t just doing, obedience is us living our the love of God, in our life, and extending it, and reflecting it out into the world for others to see Christ.

God is calling you and I into obedience…. To listen, to trust and to commit our lives to be the body of Christ, all through the love of Christ, for the glory of Christ, to build the kingdom of Christ… But question is… are you listening to the Holy Spirit, and will you come and give your life to him today?

*

Won't You Be My Neighbor - Week 2

QI want to invite you to open your bibles with me to Lukes gospel and find with me chapter 10. This is week two of our new series called, Would you be, our neighbor. This series is based on the Great commandment, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind and Love your neighbor as yourself.” Last week we asked the question, how do we neighbor well.

Today I want to talk about three practices needed to build healthy communities in your neighborhood, workplace, where you play and at church. And I want to begin with a poll. I read an article this week that said, Eighty-one percent of Americans say America is more divided than united. And what I thought was interesting, was that although 81% say were more divided, this poll also stated that many believe Americans have much in common with one another.

And this boggled my mind… because although we have a lot in common with our fellow Americans, theres still a lot of divisions in our culture, and communities. So, what does that have to do with you and me. Well, we’re not just called, but were commissioned by God to be kingdom builders. We’re called to build healthy communities. Jesus actually teaches us to about that.. If you recall, when the disciples ask, teach us to pray, Jesus taught them, “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”.

Jesus is losing for a healthy community to be explfreinced here on earth. Think about what he says in Matthew chapters 5-7 known as the Sermon on the mount. He calls us to salt and light in our communities. Do you remember Jonah and the large fish? God called the prophet Jonah to go to Ninevah, the capital city of the Assyrian Empire to preach repentance. Jonah didn’t want to go because they were Israel’s enemies but God said to Jonah “Shouldn’t I show concern for the great city Nineveh, which has more than one hundred twenty thousand people who do not know right from wrong, and many animals, too?” God loved the wicked city of Ninevah more than his prophet and people did.

I think that same attitude exists today in the church. We don’t care as much about our cities as God does. And so, I have this one over all question that I want to ask us this morning… Do we love the community that we live in? One of the emphasis of why we’ve been having church in Sunbury and now here in Orangeville, is to be a reminder that we live in communities.

We’re all from a different community. And there just shouldn’t be a love between you and me, and us, but also, we should have a heart for those that live around us. If I was to ask you, do you know your communities biggest challenge, would you know it? And Are you involved with anything within your community? Are you actively making your community a better place to live? How do you build community in these spaces as well as the other communities you are involved in?

How do you neighbor well? Well, lets look back in our Scripture of the good samaritan, and look in verse 25-28… Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?” The man answered, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength and all your mind.” And “Love your neighbor as yourself”.

“Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live” The first way we can neighbor well is learning to practice civil discourse… Now, what does that mean.. well, Civil discourse is learning to see the best in others and giving them the benefit of the doubt. There is no denying that we live in a world that loves to argue. We live in a country that seems like there is always division, and disagreements.

SO, what should a Jesus following do? Jesus followers are called to build community, not tear it down because people have different opinions than we do. We’re called to practice civil discourse. Simple put, we’re called to act like Jesus towards others. Listen to some ways the Bible teaches us on how we should interact with others.. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Ephesians 4:29 “Everyone should be quick to listen and slow to speak and slow to become angry.” James 1:19 “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Proverbs 15:1 “Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.” Colossians 4:6” “Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.” Ephesians 4:15 All of these scriptures remind us to choose our words carefully.

To make sure the tone of our voice is caring, and living, and we are agreeing or disagreeing with love, and patience. Because that leads me into the second practice… Practice seeing people as individuals not labeling them into categories. Look with me in verse 33 of the Samaritan story. Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him.” v33 I often wonder, do we often show compassion to those that we feel deserve it?

More os than those we would think do not deserve it? We categorize people. Think of the political season we are in.. We’re either republican or democrat, or independent or something else. Even in religion, we have Catholics and protestants, muslims and hindu’s and the list goes ion forever. The Bible even uses categories.. IN Galatians, Paul says, “There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female.

For you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28 And when we know these categories, it gives us a glimpse into peoples cultures and beliefs. But there does come a danger… we can very easily be lead to stereotyping people. And sometimes we get a little extreme with it. Think about the fight between republicans and democrats. To be honest, I think it has gotten so bad, that you’re either far left or far right.

I cant say I’m a republican without someone saying, all republicans hate gays. And I can’t say I’m a democrat without someone saying all democrats are baby killers. When we label and stereotype people, and we do not see people as individuals worthy of respect, regardless of their differences, communities tend to diminish. Thats what we see in this story of the good Samaritan. Jews and Samaritans hated each other but when the Samaritan came along and saw the Jewish man by the side of the road beaten and left for dead, he didn’t see a hated Jew or if he did, he didn’t let his preconceived stereotype influence him; he saw a fellow human in distress and need.

And so, the way we build community is to stop seeing other people in categories but as human beings worthy of respect, and love and kindness just like you and I need all of those things.. and by us seeing that others are needing a savior. Just like you and I need Him. Theres two lies I believe we as a culture believe. the first is that if you disagree with someone’s lifestyle, you must fear or hate them.

The second is that to love someone means you agree with everything they believe or do. Both are nonsense. You don’t have to compromise convictions to be compassionate.” Rick Warren Thirdly, we need to learn to practice hospitality. Look with me in verses 34, and 35 “Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins telling him ‘Take care of this man.

If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’” vs 34-35 One of the things I really love about church is the fact that we gather every month and have a celebration Sunday. Where we come together and celebrate something…. Whether it be a birthday, or a retirement. Or anything else. But I want us to see that hospitality can leave the walls of the church and happen right in our back yards.

Do you know what hospitality is? Hospitality is the art of making people feel welcome and loved. It’s loving people where they are and inviting them in. There is something special about getting together; whether having people in your home or going to someone else’s home or going out somewhere, because there’s a deeper level of personal engagement when we get to know others in their personal space while using their own personal means to make another person feel comfortable and appreciated.

. Thats what the good Samaritan did…. Did you Cath the language used… He put the man on HIS OWN donkey. HE took him to an inn, where HE TOOK CARE OF HIM (implication is that he stayed with the man all through the night) The next day HE paid the innkeeper 2 silver coins telling him to take care of the man. HE promised to pay further expenses if needed.

To neighbor well means sometimes we need to give up what we want, to care for the needs of others. And maybe for some opeiople, we need to learn to give up our hostility towards others, so that hospitality can become a reality. That means, we need to be forgiving people. So, how can we neighbor well and show hospitality towards others? Well, Have someone over for dessert or snacks or dinner.

And you don’t need to go ever board… just inviting someone over for something small like dessert or to have a cup of coffee is a good way to start. Bring over a dessert, or some fresh backed bread to a neighbor.. in in Alicia’s case, share her eggs with others. Alicia keeps inviting people over to come get eggs, and in those moments she gets to show off her chicken coup and little farm area..

and it brings conversation and excitement. Heres somehting… make a picnic basket and meet someone in the park for a snack. I got that one from someone, when I was thinking about your marina Bible study. Buy coffee and donuts for people at work, or just for someone else. I know Alicia and I would get donuts and show up to peoples work and deliver donuts to them. Ir you can simply, pay it forward at the fast food lane, or somewhere else.

The list goes on.. be creative. Neighboring well means building healthy, godly communities wherever we are by loving our neighbors as ourselves. This is how we bring God’s kingdom here on earth. Lets pray. *

Just Jesus - Creator

I'd like to invite you to open your Bibles with me to Genesis chapter one. You know, I can't begin to tell you how excited I am for us in the year 2025. So many new opportunities and chances to see God move among us, in us, and through us. And speaking of excitement, can I share something that's been stirring in my heart? It all began in 2022. I was at a church planting conference with a friend, and during worship, we took time to pray specifically for vision. At that time, I was living in a season marked by the word 'prepare.' But then, two words were impressed on my heart: 'produce' and 'life.' In 2024, I leaned into that word 'produce' – which means to bring about, to give form to, to yield. Sometimes it means being twisted, turned around, bringing forth in pain. Like Paul writes about Christ being formed in you. And Genesis tells us, that the Lord God, Formed Man. To be formed takes adversity and transformation from one way to another. This led me to start 2024 anchored in Ephesians 3:17: 'Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong.' It was God's reminder that I needed to be formed by Christ. To die to self, my ambitions, my desires, and seek God's will for my life. And honestly? I had to learn to let go. That truth became real on August 7th, 2024. I still have the journal entry, let me read it til you.. I wrote: 'My heart is being readied to let go... the work is coming to an end at Momentum and I am ready to say yes. My eager expectation and hope is that I will not be ashamed about anything, but what now as always, with all courage, Christ will be highly honored in my body whether by life or death... Deo Volente.’ You might not know this, but I wrote that prayer during our district children's camp, just one day after talking with our district superintendent about interviewing here. That was the day I knew in my heart God was releasing me and sending me to you. You see, before there can be life, there must be roots.

There's this beautiful moment in Psalm 119 where David simply prays, 'Lord, give me life.' As I've journeyed here and processed everything, I've had to face a simple truth: my life is indebted. Because here's what I've learned: life is empty when it's just surviving. I don't want to just exist; I want to live. And real living? It begins by coming to Jesus as the life and living every moment in His presence. It's giving control to Him. It's embracing what my previous DS taught me – Deo Volente – which means, God willing, for His glory. Or simply stated in these words, Whatever God wants. And that's what I want to share with you for the next 52 weeks. I want to share with you life, which means Jesus. We're calling this year long series, 'Just Jesus.' Because that's exactly what it is – just Jesus, nothing added, nothing taken away. For an entire year, we're going to focus on seeing Him, hearing Him, living Him, and loving Him. Sometimes in the busyness of life, we lose sight of Jesus. We get caught up in our routines, our challenges, our plans, and even our new years resolutions – and yet,. we forget to simply... look to Jesus. And I mean, to Really look at Him. That's what this year is about. We're starting this new years journey together with a mini series called 'Vintage Jesus.' I love that word 'vintage' – it speaks of something that's been there from the beginning, something timeless, something precious. When I think of vintage, I think of something older than me…. But it has value in some way. You know, they say, 'You should never forget where you came from. If you do, you won't really know where you're going, and you won't know who you are when you get there.’ Now, I might shock some of you with this revelation. I haven't always been a pastor. I haven't always looked like this. It’s true. You need proof. There was a time when my ambition in life was to be Rambo. pause for laughter It's true! See that little guy? That's me when I was roughly 5 years old. And you know what's funny? That desire to be like John Rambo stuck with me even when I got older. This is Alicia and me at our first assignment at a church called Cornerstone. I was an associate pastor for 8 months before I became the Senior Pastor at Momentum. Looking at these photos gives you a little deeper understanding of me. They give you access into portions of my life that none of you were able to see. You see, you’ve only known me from the first time you met me.. you don’t really know my past. You’re not familiar with what made me into the person I am today. When I look at these pictures, they reminded me of times I had nearly forgotten. Sometimes we get so focused on what's ahead of us that we forget to remember where we've been. How God has shaped us. You know, just like these photos reveal different chapters of my story, in this series we want to uncover different glimpses of Jesus. Because when most people think about Jesus, they often picture this gentle figure in a white robe walking through Jerusalem. But the gospels are just one snapshot of who He is. There's so much more to His story. That's why we're calling this 'Vintage Jesus.' Over these next few weeks, we're going treasure hunting in the Old Testament. We're going to look for Jesus before He ever took on flesh and blood, discovering Him in places you might not expect.

Let's start right at the beginning. Would you read with me from Genesis chapter 1? Verse 1: 'In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness.

Let's move down to verse 26…

Genesis 1: 26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, In this verse and ½ we see the Spirit of God present hovering over the surface of the waters, you see God the Father and He speaks…….so where is Jesus. Well, Jesus is found in the very Word that proceeds from the mouth of the Father. How do we know this? I don’t see the name of Jesus.

Now, hold onto that thought for a moment, and let me take you to another passage. Look with me in John chapter 1, and look at verse 1. You'll notice something incredible here. John actually starts his gospel the exact same way Genesis starts: Look at it with me…. 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.’ You know what fascinates me? That phrase 'In the beginning was the Word.' John's doing something remarkable. He's not gradually introducing us to Jesus. He's not slowly building up to some grand revelation. No - right from verse one, he pulls back the curtain and shows us exactly who Jesus is. Think about it - John spent three years walking with Jesus, watching Him, learning from Him, Loving Him and seeing him do amazing things. It took roughly, three years to fully grasp who Jesus was. But he doesn't want his readers to wait three years, or even three chapters. Within three verses, he wants us to know the full reality of who Jesus is. It's like John is saying, 'Before I tell you anything else, before we get to any stories, before we see any miracles - you need to know this truth: Jesus isn't just another teacher. He's not just a good man. He is God. He is Creator. He has been there from the beginning.’ And Before Jesus walks on water, he’s there in the beginning, creating it. But here's what makes this even more amazing. Skip down to verse 14: 'And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.’ That same eternal Word, that same Creator who spoke galaxies into existence - He chose to step into this world with you and me. The same Jesus who laid the foundations of the earth is the same Jesus who would later attend weddings, who would stop to talk with a woman at a well, who meets us at our own crossroads of life. He didn't stay distant. He came close. He became like one of us, yet living without sin, and while never ceasing to be God. Church, Jesus wasn't just present at creation - John is showing us that, He was creation's architect, and that everything was made through Jesus. Now, let's hop back to the Vintage part of our message in Genesis 1:2.

'The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Then God said…' Picture this with me - there's this moment where everything is just... chaos. It's empty, it's dark, nothing has shape. But then something incredible happens. This formless, empty darkness receives the Word - receives Jesus. And what happens next? Everything changes. The moment that Word breaks into the darkness, nothing stays the same. Look at verse 3: 'Then God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness.’ You know how we often say Jesus is the light of the world? We're not just talking about something spiritual that happened 2,000 years ago. We're talking about something that's been true since the very beginning. Right here in Genesis, we see Jesus bringing light into darkness for the very first time! And then, John bridges this beginning with his gospels beginning. Remember what we read in John's gospel? Look at verse 4 with me: 'In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.’ You see, creation had no choice but to receive the Word. When God spoke light into being, the darkness had to give way. The formless void had to take shape. The emptiness had to be filled. Creation received the Word completely, immediately, totally. And look what happened - it was transformed into something new. Where there was darkness, now there was light. Where there was chaos, now there was order. Where there was emptiness, now there was life.

The question for you today is this…Just like how creation received the word, Will you receive him? Let me ask you something - what happened when Jesus spoke into that first darkness? Everything changed, right? And now He's speaking into our lives, but here's the difference - we’ve got to choose how we respond. I'm going to be really honest with you for a moment. My heart aches when I see people who know all the right words to say about Jesus, but their lives are still filled with shadows. Not because I'm sitting here judging - believe me, I'm not - but because I know there's so much more available to us. Trust me, theres more to faith than than just knowing. It's like having the most powerful light in the universe at our fingertips, but keeping the shades drawn.

Today we start this year together, I'm dreaming of something bigger. I'm dreaming of a time when we don't just talk about Jesus, but when we really encounter Him - when we see Him, hear Him, love Him, and live Him out in ways that change everything. We've seen Him today in creation - right there at the start, speaking everything into being. We can hear Him every time we open this Book - His words are alive, they're active, they're meant for us today. And can I be real with you? If you're not spending time in your bibles, you're missing His voice. Don’t let the only time you hear his voice be when I ask all of us to open the Bible together on Sunday mornings. And I hope you recognize how wonderful this moment is. That every Sunday, we open up the word of God together, to hear him and see him together. And do you know what gets me excited about coming together like this? When we gather, when we worship, when we open His Word not just here, but even in our house churches - it's like we're experiencing what creation experienced. That same presence, that same voice that spoke light into darkness is right here with us. But just like when Jesus told the disciples 'follow me,' following takes commitment. Real commitment isn't born from a New Year's resolution or a passing feeling - it comes from a heart transformed by His Word. Think about it - you can't truly love anything if your heart isn't in it. It's like my heart for my wife and kids... I'm all in. They get all of me. I don't give them just my Saturdays, or just when I feel like it, or just when it's convenient. They get my whole heart, my whole life, every day. And that's what Jesus is asking of us - not just our Sunday mornings, not just our good intentions, but our whole hearts. Because when our hearts are transformed by His Word, commitment isn't a burden - it becomes as natural as breathing. That's what happened at creation - when the Word spoke, everything responded from the inside out by receiving the word which gave life and meaning. Here's where the journey gets real - and honestly, where it gets exciting. Are we ready to love Him? Are we ready to love Him? Because this isn't about half measures. You know, I think about how I fell in love with my wife - it wasn't about just showing up for dates or knowing facts about her. It was about giving her my whole heart. That's what changed everything. Real change, lasting change, doesn't start with our willpower. It starts with receiving His Word into our lives, just like creation did. When Jesus speaks into our darkness, into our emptiness, into our chaotic life - that's when true transformation begins. So what does it really mean to love Jesus? Well listen to what Jesus tells us.. Jesus said, ’If you love me, obey my commandments.' Pretty straightforward, right? But here's what's amazing - when we choose to love Him like that, when we surrender to The Word, He shapes us the way it shaped creation, something incredible happens. start to change. Light starts breaking into those dark places in our lives. New things start growing where there used to be nothing. Can I ask you something personal? Are you seeing that kind of change in your life? When you look at yourself in the mirror, do you see someone who's being transformed by God's love? You know, I've only been here a couple months, but I already see Christ living in so many of you. I've heard your stories - where you've been, what God has brought you through. And now, I get to see what He's doing in your lives today. That's evidence of His transforming power. And did you know this… Mind blower.. ok… - if the same Word that created the universe is in our lives, shouldn't there be evidence of that on going creative power at work? Think about that for a moment. The same Voice that spoke galaxies into existence is speaking into your life., right now. You know what I've learned? Real love for Jesus isn't just a feeling. It's not just showing up at church or saying the right words. It's receiving Him do in us what He did in creation - bringing light, bringing order out out of chaos, bringing new life into our lives. That's the kind of transformation I'm seeing in this church, right now, today, and im anticipating whats to come. In the future within our community.. That's the kind of love that changes everything. "But there's one more vital piece to this puzzle. Listen, Church, Transformation isn't the end of the story. We often think our goal is to be transformed. And yes, thats a part of our faith. But it's not just about being transformed - it's about becoming carriers of that transformation.

We've talked about seeing Him, hearing Him, and loving Him. But you know what happens when we truly experience all of that? It naturally flows into something beautiful - living for Him. Living for Him. You see, when creation received the Word, it didn't just change - it became a display of God's glory. The stars don't just shine for themselves. The oceans don't just roll for themselves. They live for the One who spoke them into being. And the same is true for us. When we truly see Him, hear Him, and love Him, we can't help but live for Him. It becomes as natural as breathing. I don't mean just going through the motions - I mean really living like He's the creative force in our lives. It's funny - this time of year, everyone's talking about New Year's resolutions, right? And there's nothing wrong with that. But here's the thing - if we're just changing because the calendar changed, those changes won't last. They can't. Because when the excitement of January fades, so do our resolutions. Did you know the second Friday of January is known as quitters day? And it makes sense, right? When we try to change just because the calendar tells us to, those changes rarely stick. And often we quit… and guess what.. then we feel guilty. Shame sets in. The enemy of our souls begins to tell us, you cant do it. You never could. You’re a failure. Trust me I know. I’ve failed Jesus many times, but he has never failed to forgive, and show me mercy. But what if Jesus was the reason for our change? Remember what He promised in John 14? 'If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.’ See the pattern here? It's the same pattern we saw in Genesis. The Spirit hovering, the Father speaking, Jesus present in every Word. And when that happens - light breaks through. Change happens. Real, lasting change.

"So here's my question for you today: What parts of your life are waiting for God's creative Word to speak into them? Where do you need His light to break through?

Do you know what amazes me most about light? The moment it appears, darkness has to give way. Not just a little, but completely. When God first spoke light into the darkness of creation, it didn't politely take up a small corner. It couldn't. Light, by its very nature, spreads. It reached into every void, touched every corner, transformed everything it touched. And when Jesus, the very word of God speaks light into our lives, it works the same way.

As Peter comes up, I want you to think about this: That light in you? It's not meant to stay in you. Just like creation couldn't contain it, we can't either. When Jesus begins to transform us, He's not just changing our story - He's giving us a part in His ongoing creation story… I want all of us to realize that in 2025. We're a part of this vintage story. The same Word that spoke light into darkness at creation is still speaking today - through you, through me, through His church. We're not just reading an ancient story - Church... we're living in it, and carrying it forward, and letting His light spread through us. Because that's what light does. It spreads. And you know what's beautiful? That's exactly what we're getting the opportunity to do as a church family... we're spreading it to the next generation. Just like someone shared and passed on this light to us, we're passing it on to our children, our grandchildren, our neighbors, our community. You're sharing it and spreading it into the dark places in this world. And I hope that gives you meaning and purpose - because you're not just hearing about creation's story today, you're living it out. You're carrying His light forward.

So Church, in 2025, let's be more than just believers - let's lean in together and be what God had intended the newness of our lives to be, in Christ… we’re called to be bearers of His light. Let's let Him speak through our lives in ways that help others see Him, hear Him, love Him, and live for Him. Because that's what light does. It spreads.

"I woke up this morning with this word on my heart. Relationship. And now, we come to this table - the most profound expression of relationship we have with Jesus.” 1 Corinthians 11:23-29 23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves.

"The Communion Supper we share today was instituted by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It's more than a tradition - it's a sacred moment that proclaims His life, His sufferings, His sacrificial death, and resurrection. Every time we gather at this table, we're not just remembering - we're participating in the relationship He established. In unity with the Church throughout all ages, we confess: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.” "Holy God, We gather at your table, in the name of Jesus Christ, your Beloved Son. The One who showed us what perfect relationship looks like. The One who established this new covenant through His body and blood. On the night He was betrayed, He took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and said: 'This is my body, given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ After supper, He took the cup, gave thanks, and said: 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood, poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in remembrance of me.’ Pour out your Holy Spirit on us and these gifts. Make them by your Spirit to be for us the body and blood of Christ, that we might be the Body of Christ for the world.” Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.

Amen "The body of our Lord Jesus Christ, broken for you, preserve you blameless unto everlasting life. Take and eat - remembering that Christ died for you, and be thankful.” "The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, shed for you, preserve you blameless unto everlasting life. Take and drink - remembering that Christ died for you, and be thankful.” "Lord Jesus, thank you for this intimate moment of communion with you. As we've shared these elements, we're reminded that you don't just love us from a distance - you live within us. Help us to carry this reality into our world, being bearers of your light and love. In your name we pray, Amen." Benediction. And now, hear these words from Colossians: 'For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible... all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.’ Go now as bearers of His light, creators of His peace, and witnesses to His power. May the creative Word that spoke the universe into being speak new life through you this week. Amen.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.

Amen*

Comfort

I want to invite you to open your bibles with me to Philippians chapter 1. We’re in a series called, “Pursuing Carrots.” The endless chase for more. And We’re examining, things in our life that we chase that do not bring us closer to God. Carrots are the things in life that we chase and just when we think we’re gong to get it, its just out of our reach again, and we just keep pursuing these carrots that brings us no satisfaction.

Life is full of endless lures. Everyday we are being lured in by something with he notion that if we get it, if we can possess what it is that we are chasing, our life will be different. And most often, we think that if we get this one thing, my life will be better… and sometimes, sometimes, we do get it. But it never stops there, whatever it is that were chasing, often times when we get it, we want more.

And so, it becomes this trap.. or endless pursuit of trying to get more. Today, I want to explore a carrot called, “the carrot of comfort.” And let’s begin by reading our Scripture in Philippians chapter 1, and if you would, find verse 12 with me. I want you to know, brothers,1 that what has happened to me has really xserved to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard2 and yto all the rest that zmy imprisonment is for Christ.

14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold ato speak the word3 without fear. 15 bSome indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, cknowing that I am put here for dthe defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ eout of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.

18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that fthrough your prayers and gthe help of hthe Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20 as it is my eager expectation and hope ithat I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full jcourage now as always Christ kwill be honored in my body, lwhether by life or by death.

21 For to me mto live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 nI am hard pressed between the two. My desire is oto depart and pbe with Christ, for that is far better. 24 But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.

25 qConvinced of this, rI know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your sprogress and tjoy in the faith, 26 so that in me uyou may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again. 27 Only vlet your manner of life be wworthy4 of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you xthat you are standing firm in one spirit, with yone mind zstriving side by side for the faith of the gospel, 28 and not frightened in anything by your opponents.

This is aa clear sign to them of their destruction, but bof your salvation, and that from God. 29 For cit has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also bsuffer for his sake, 30 engaged in the same dconflict that eyou saw I had and now hear that I still have. Let me begin with this thought.. “We live in a culture that is deeply committed to finding, pursuing and yearning for comfort.” That’s what our culture says.

Get better things. Pursue the latest and newest possession. Build bigger homes. Find and work for the next vacation. Save and prepare for retirement, maximize safety but minimize the risk. Your life, and my life is constantly bombarded by this dream, and desire to pursue personal comfort in this life. So here is my first question. Does living and pursuing a Christ filled life lead to our ultimate comfort in this life?

That’s what I’m asking. Does being a Christian lead to an easy life? Paul, here, is telling the Philippians, that for every true christian, Jesus is your life. He’s your life. I wrote in my journal this week, I found a flaw in my own personal evangelism of the gospel. How many times have I said to someone, you’ve got to believe in Jesus. And I’ve received an answer, I do believe in Jesus.

It happened to me this week. I was speaking and sharing with someone the gospel, and asking this person about their faith in Christ, and they said they had a faith in a higher power. And I said, who’ve got to believe in Jesus. And they said, I do believe in him. And that was it.. I was satisfied. I walked away from that conversation believing that I had been successful in my witness..

but then I began to think of something…. There is a difference between believing, and surrendering. Believing is the first step. Acknowledging that Jesus is real. That’s one thing. It's not enough to just believe; your belief needs to take the next step of faithful surrender. Placing faith in Christ, isn’t just believing, but surrendering. For me, it began by surrendering my mind. Who is the way.. who is the truth, who is life…

Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. But then, what I thought of Christ began to permeate into the depths of my heart. Now, theres affection. My faith has gone from just believing in Christ, to living for Christ. To me thats seeing Christ as life. To go from believing to surrendering. Is to recognize and to receivcen life. That’s exactly what Paul is saying here. He says it in verse 21, “For me to live is Christ.” Think of all the things we find in our Scripture that supports this.

In verse 13 he says his imprisonment is for whom? It’s for Christ. In verses 15-18 he starts talking about people who are preaching Christ with different motives. But when we get to verse 18, Paul goes, what I focus on is the fact that Christ is being proclaimed. And I think thats so amazing. That although there can be people proclaiming a gospel with different motives, Paul sees through their motives and he finds Christ within it.

And he’s says, Christ is being proclaimed. That makes me happy. That makes me joyful. I rejoice in this because my hope is not to be ashamed about anything, but that Christ be honored in my life. In my body whether it be life or death. And he comes to this conclusion I think it’s in verse 21… where he goes, For me, TO LIVE IS CHRIST and to die is gain.

He’s Christ centered. In the suffering of his life. He’s Christ centered. In the Good times and the bad times. He's Christ centered. And this is so important for us to understand… This life of faith that we see in Pauls life to be able to see through the veil of just religious activity is a radically different Christianity than the one that is so often practiced in our culture—even in churches like ours.

Because comfort is such a highly treasured commodity of faith, it becomes hard for anyone to grasp the truth that faith might be uncomfortable at times. Faith often times requires us to see past the cloud of confusion and misrepresentation and see Christ above it all. Think of the dangers we have in this life when we pursue a carrot of comfort. What could prevent me from centering my life on Christ?

Perhaps… A good family life, good social status, nice house, nice car, nice job, nice vacations. And a good Retirment fund. All of these things are comforts that we pursue. One can have biblical knowledge and belief in Jesus. A person can show up to church on Sundays, as long as its convenient for them and they experience some sort of religious activities and maybe some hairs raise on their neck, or they get some melodious emotional experience during Worhsip, and partake in sacraments and worship and service.

All the good things of our faith. And yet still not have their life centered on Christ. Their mind can know, but there heart has yet to recognize the goodness of living a life of faith. Because what happens when suffering comes or one loses the comfort of any of those things mentioned earlier.. How would you respond if that was your story? You see, when we look at this Scripture of Pauls life…

and recognize that he has centered his life on Christ. What we notice is this… Suffering is the same gift as his faith. It’s like a coin. Faith and suffering are two sides of the same coin that has the same value. Whether a quarter lands on heads or tales it’s still a quarter. Whether we believe or suffer it’s still a part of our life of faith. Let me show you..

Look with me in verse 29. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him,… Did you hear that first part, to believe in Him. I get that. I understand that. It’s a gift to believe in Christ. Think of what Paul tells the Ephesians. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

(Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV) Faith isn’t on our own works. Its a gift. To live for Christ, is a gift from God the Father. Paul, tells young Timothy, to fan this gift into flames. but Paul doesn’t just stop there.. he flips the coin. And he goes, but also to suffer for him. Like…What kind of gift is that? Have you ever received a gift that you didn’t want? Something you didn’t ask for?

Like a gift that was more exciting before opening it. You get the gift bag, you’re excited, you know theres a surprise in this bag, or this box.. you don’t know what is hidden behind the wrapping paper.. and you’re exited the wait of anticipation is giving you anxiety… and then you open it and its and its…. underwear. Or something you really didn’t want. And often, you’re kind of disheartened at first..

And then you act like its good. Oh gee.. thanks.. Imagine for a moment in your faith where you explain to someone the gospel. And you make an invitation and you go, believe in Christ. He loves you. He wants nothing but the best for you. He pursues you. He’s always there for you. And and saves you from all of your sin. if you come by faith right now… he comes into your heart and he lives in you..

He gives you the comforter to help you and guide you.. how does that sound? Will you put your faith in him.. Of course I would. I want the joy and peace and love that he offers. I want that gift. Even the gift of the church… I hear all the time, unity, and family and togetherness.. I need that.. I want that. But we have an issue. What happens when things go wrong?

What happens to belief when loss happens? When hardships come? What happens when the good things are taken away and left with nothing but pain? When we lose family. Or friends. Or possessions. We see our health going south and we’re praying for healing or a miracle? I’ll never forget when I loss my job in Colorado and I walked into our front door with a box of my office stuff and my wife breaking down and falling to the floor and crying.

Or the time when my step fathered passed and I made the trip back home to lay on the couch to hear listen my mother’s cries of deep anguish in her bedroom as she cried throughout the night. Often.. hurt happens and loss occurs and its not your fault. You didn’t do anything to cause it.. if anything you actually tried to prevent it. So heres a question for you and me..

Do you love Christ so much that to lose everything in order to be with Him would be gain for you? Wouldn’t that be a different way to live? Wouldn’t that be so totally different than what the world says how to live by faith? Because here is what happens… when hardships come, we have a tenancy to be impatient and run from our troubles. Seeking comfort tends to tell us to go the other way.

What if I said, theres a side to our faith where our troubles are where we find the strength that we pray for? In Colossians 1:11 Paul tells us this. He says “God will strengthen you with his own great power so that you will not give up when troubles come, but you will be patient.” How many of you would agree that you would struggle when it comes to taking risk?

I know I do.. I know as I get older the less risk I take. Because theres too much at stake. My life. My wife’s life and our kids life. Our friends. The relationships we have now. The comfort of our home and way of life. All of these things could change if I step out across this boundary of the unknown and make myself uncomfortable. But the truth is, God doesn’t call us to live the safest life possible’s, he calls us too push our boundaries.

He calls you and me, everyday to examine our boundaries that we have made to keep ourselves safe and he calls us to push through them with the strength that he gives to us through our faith. My favorite verse about this is Jesus in the garden. Where there was this boundary of should I go or not to the cross. Its really a boundary of comfort vs faith in his father and the calling of the Fathers will.

A boundary of will I pursue what I want vs what my father has called for me to do. And while in the garden he goes, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; No one chooses death. No one chooses to be in pain. But what if crossing that boundary means stepping into the opportunity to glorifying Christ even more? Or what if crossing that boundary means being closer to Christ?

Jesus is looking at this boundary and he’s got a choice. He’s not being forced to the cross. He’s looking at this boundary and going.. what is my Fathers will?. And I dunno… but I want to believe this is a moment where Paul gets his words, 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. The boundary that he is facing could lead to death.. but in the end, even in death, he’s pursuing God’s will.

He’s following Christ. He’s not defining what boundaries he chooses to live. He’s; choosing to face comfort and going, Yet, Not my will be done, but yours. Faith requires all of us to examine our boundaries. I want to end our time together by giving you three truths. First, Faith pushes against the boundary of fear by putting faith into action. Do you know the story of when Peter walks on water?

When Jesus walks on water and Peter sees him. Peter yells from the boat and he tests the other side of the boundary. He yells out, if it is you Lord, tell me to come. The waters were raging around him, they were in this small boat. And I believe in this moment Peter had a conflict of both fear and faith rising up within him, ultimate, faith caused him to step out of the boat and over the boundary of fear.

Now we know the story that he took his eyes off of Jesus and began to sink. But in the tight moment, Jesus grabs him and takes him to safety. Theres a swim test the navy seals perform. And its a test to see how long they can swim without getting air. And so, they know the average time for a person to swim without air..m there’s swimmers and divers in the water to help in cases of emergencies.

But these recruits for the navy seals are asked to swim and theres a certain distance they need to get to. If they pop the heads out of the water for air, they fail. This navy seal I spoke with said they look for the guys willing to go beyond their boundary of comfort and as they begin to reach the final wall to complete the task, usually many of them begin to drown and its there where they divers grab them and pull them up out of the water.

This navy seal said, they want to see how dedicated these men are. Are they truly willing to give up their life their team? He says, usually its fear of death that makes these recruits fail the test. So, One main boundary faith always comes up against is fear and we have to push through fear in order to follow Jesus. Secondly, Any faith step you take will be challenged. That’s a promise.

Faith is always challenged. When Peter steps out, it says in verse 30, “But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid.” Sometimes we can see through the boundary that were being called to cross and we can see every obstacle in our way. The key for us as it was for Peter, is to not allow outside challenges to diminish our faith or bring into doubt that God is able to do what He is calling us to do.

We need to remember that Faith begins with a promise. Think of the promise in the great commission that Jesus says, I will be with you. In every step we take towards Jesus, we are simply walking towards His fulfillment of a promise and a faith that says, God is with me. Lastly, doubts that come when we’re called to cross the boundaries of comfort must give way to worship.

Ultimately, Peter failed. But when Christ came, and the waves were calmed, and the wind died down, it says, they worshipped Him. We have to be at awe in the one who says, I will be withy you, and the one that calms the storms. If we are to follow Jesus and navigate the ups and downs of the faith journey, we have to become worshippers. Otherwise when it comes to hard seasons, we will have the tendency to step into the unknown in our own power.

Faith doesn’t grow under our own power. Its not just something we practice and get better at. Faith grows through the moments when we are put to the test and we cling to our Savior in worship and complete abandonment to all else. This morning I’m asking you to think about what boundaries have you placed in your life that prevents you from stepping out by faith? What challenges your peace?

What boundaries are in your way that prevents you from trusting in the prince of peace? *

The Prayerful Person

I don’t think I have ever met someone who enjoys to wait. And yet we spend most of our lives doing exactly that. Sometimes, waiting is just inconvenient. We wait for phone calls, many of us are waiting for vacations, and even this week I know some were waiting for doctor’s appointments. We wait in grocery-store lines, we wait for our Amazon packages to arrive. I tell Alicia often, I’m envious of those who live in larger cities that can order something on Amazon and it says it can be delivered today.

That’s amazingly fast. Waiting is a part of our childhood years, we’ve waited, year after year, for Christmas morning. Teenagers are waiting to get that taste of freedom to be able to drive. When I was younger, I couldn’t wait to be older. Some can’t wait to get married, and there are some who are waiting to be engaged. And so what we really is that life is full of waiting.

Waiting is also a part of our spiritual life as well. We’re waiting for healing and answered prayer. We’re waiting for God’s direction for our life. We’re waiting on the return of Christ. And just like we’re waiting for the second coming of Christ, the people in our story today know all too well what waiting was like for the first coming. Simon and Anna have waited their whole life to see the arrival of the long awaited messiah.

Think of it like this… it’s been roughly 700 years since Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would come. And Simeon and Anna are a part of this generational strand of passed down hope that would have been taught to every generation. This also includes the 400 years of silence. The last 400 years were years of silence from God. Which means no new prophets were raised and God revealed nothing new to the Jewish people.

So our story begins in Luke chapter 2… But as we read, I want to ask a question… “What is God trying to teach us about how we should be living and waiting in these last days until Jesus comes?” What can we learn about waiting that will strengthen our witness, or strengthen our faith, or even help us be the generational strand of Hope to our kids, and to our grandkids while we teach them to hold onto the hope to come.

One of my biggest fears is that our hope today, will hinder the hope of tomorrow because we haven’t learned to wait well. Let’s read… verse 25 - 32 While in the temple, they meet a man named Simeon. The first things we learn about Simeon are four qualities of his character. He’s righteous. Righteous seems to be the main thread to every person who’s played a role in the birth of Christ.

Zechariah, Mary and Joseph have all bee found to be righteous, and now Simeon. Righteous doesn’t mean he was perfect or that he was better than others. What it means in a nut shell is that he loved God and he loved others. Secondly, we read that Simeon is Devout. Being Devout has to do with his habits. He didn't just think about being righteous, he put rubber to road and he developed a habit or routine of performing righteous acts.

Good Spiritual Habits are amazingly important in the life of a Christ follower. We’re talking about the habits of prayer, Scripture reading, devotional time. But also habits like generosity, and gratitude, and service. He’s looking for the consolation of Israel… now that’s a weird phrase right? Consolation means comfort, hope, restoration. But in this context, the consolation of Israel.. it means he’s waiting for the one that will come as God’s promised to comfort all.

He’s looking for the one who will bring comfort to a broken and sinful world. He’s waiting for the one called Emmanuel. The one who would comfort all. Fourthly, Simeon is Holy Spirit led. He’s righteous, he’s devout, he’s looking for the promise of God, he’s looking for the one who will be the consolation of Israel… and now he’s being led by the Spirit to the temple. Verse 27 says: “That day the Spirit led him….” Learning to be led by the Holy Spirit takes time, but it also takes everything we just talked about in the life of Simeon.

This is the meat of what I want to talk about today, became being led by the Spirit takes, righteousness, devoutness and seeking Christ above all other things. But I also believe that in the context of loving God and loving others, being led by the Spirit is the key to waiting well. So how is one, led by the Spirit to wait well? It begins by acknowledging from our hearts that we are helpless to do any good apart from the enablement of the Holy Spirit.

Paul says: “I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing.” Jesus tells us in his high priestly prayers, without me, you can do nothing. Of course we can do something…The only thing we can do without Christ is sin. That’s it. If you’re heart has been awakened by Christ and you now have this war of desires going on within you… you have two options, give in to the flesh and sin, or realize there is nothing you can do but surrender to grace.

We cannot do anything pleasing to God without the constant enablement of the Holy Spirit. And so, Acknowledging our utter dependance on God is the first requirement to Spiritual walking. Then Acknowledging leads to grace filled prayer, Paul says, Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. (Ephesians 1:15-23) What does it mean to be constant… it means to be persistent in prayer. Persevere in it. Stay at it.

Be devoted to it, Don’t give up or slack off. Be habitual. Be devout. Let prayer consume your daily life. Constant means that we should treat prayer the way we treat eating and sleeping and doing our job. But keep in mind this… prayer isn’t your life line to get blessings from God. This took me forever to learn.. Let me share with you an excerpt from the book, “If you will ask,” by Oswald Chambers.

Oswald writes: prayer isn’t a part of the natural life. “If we do not pray, what will suffer is the life of God in us, which is nourished not by food but by prayer.” “Prayer is not a means of self-development; we do not find that idea in the Bible. And prayer is other than meditation. Prayer develops the life of God in us. When we are born from above, the life of the Son of God begins in us, and we can either starve that life or nourish it.” Prayer is our connection with Jesus through the Spirit that builds our relationship with the Father.

And through Prayer, it leads to relationship, it leads to trusting: Trusting is the meat of our faith, trusting faith is developed by praying in the Spirit. How does that work? Think of it like this… A lack of faith is a sign of a weak prayer life. Prayer provides the unceasing and continual contact with God. We can call it, Practicing the presence of God. It’s being and searching and following God’s presence at all times.

The prayerful person becomes the faithful person, not the other way around. Hebrews 11:6 - But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. You see, the reward of prayer and faith isn’t given to everyone… it’s only given to those who actively seek it, by faith. The gift of living faith, not dead faith like James tells us, but living faith is actively seeking Christ.

And in the process of trusting Christ, and living faith is produced, it leads to serving. In my infant life as a christian, serving was always my number one. I would skip Acknowledging, I would skip prayer, I would skip trusting, and I would serve because serving is a command. But that’s not learning to walk by the Spirit. Galatians 5 says: “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Listen, church, There is no walking if there is no living in the Spirit first. Living in the Spirit, must be first priority. Acknowledging, Praying, trusting by faith are all prerequisites to live in the Spirit, and then, because of those things, and we are pursuing a Christ centered life , we act accordingly, we walk in the Spirit. The final step in walking in the Spirit is this… Being thankful.

It’s gratitude. The final step in walking by the Spirit is learning to be thankful for all Christ does in us, and all he leads us to be a part of that out of us. Remember, sin wants to steal the glory of God, walking by the Spirit takes that glory we receive from our service, and we in turn lay that praise down at the feet of Jesus. Look at Simeon’s life in verse 27..

it says: he was guided by the Spirit (Meaning he was acknowledging, praying, and living by faith that led him to to the temple that day)… then look down in verse 28… he took him up in his arms (Speaking of Jesus), and he praised God. Walking in the Spirit will always lead a person to praise God in all things. But Simon wasn’t the only one praising God.. Anna was too.

Anna, in verses 36-38 shows us what happens when we praise God… Look in verse 38.. 38 She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem. When we righty praise God, it leads others who are walking the same life as we are, to praise God…

and did you notice what she did… in her praise, she began to evangelize and preach Jesus to others. So let’s go back to our main question. “What is God trying to teach us about how we should be living and waiting in these last days until Jesus comes?” Waiting well requires a focused heart. Ask yourself… what is my heart focused on? Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart.” Have you sat down and asked, what does my heart desire?

Paul tells the phillipians “It is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13 NIV). When we want God’s direction for our lives, we should get our hearts desires out of the way so that we can honestly say, “God, I’m willing to go either way — whatever you want is what I want.” Six words I’ve etched into my heart over the past 8-12 months are this…

“I can trust God with this.” I can trust God to heal the hurt caused to me. I can trust God to heal the hurt I’ve caused others. I can trust God to fill the emptiness that I feel, or the loss I experience. I can trust God to speak to me through his word. You see, A heart focused on God, is a heart willing to wait upon God. One good test to know God’s desire…

It’s the test of time. It’s learning to wait well even when the waiting is hard. It’s saying with David in Psalm 31:15.. My life, my every moment, my destiny—it’s all in your hands. So I know you can deliver me from those who persecute me relentlessly. I’m willing to go either way — whatever you want is what I want.” Secondly, Waiting Well Requires Focusing our Habits Simeon was devout.

He was persistent in his faith. When I was a youth leader, I asked a great man of prayer, teach me to pray like you pray. When you pray, it’s powerful, and worshipful, and imaginary, and absolutely amazing… He looks down at me and goes.. Matthew, I can’t teach you that. I never knew what that meant until I learned this phrase… It’s more caught than taught.

What does that mean… it means that our faith is a matter of the heart, not a cold belief in a set of facts that someone has taught them. I can teach you all about Christ… but you gotta want it… you gotta have a heart change and then pursue it. I had to learn, prayer isn’t something you can teach another, it’s got to be something that springs from a heart of gratitude and thankfulness.

Examine your habits, find another family to do life with. Start a small group. One that aims to love and forgive, and pray, and learn and do life together. Listen, life gets messy, isn’t it better to get messy with others. In West Virginia we went mud bogging all the time… it’s a lot more fun when others are getting in there and dirty with you. And Finally, Waiting Well Requires Focusing our Hope Hebrews tells us: We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.

It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20 where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 6:19 The anchor represents safety. The early Christians would use it as a symbol of Hope. When the writer of hebrews says, this hope is an anchor for the soul, it means it’s supporting steadfast hope during any trial or doubt.

Anchors are really neat tools used by ships to slow down them down and to stables the vessel. It’s like a brake. When our hope is focused on Christ, he becomes our stability. He becomes our anchor. When my life is drifting from God, The anchor pulls me back. Listen, you will always drift in a storm, without the right anchor. Our anchor is God’s presence… the best Scripture that teaches us this is the Shepards Psalm.

“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (Psalm 23:4 NIV). So as I close let’s ask… “What is God trying to teach us about how we should be living and waiting in these last days until Jesus comes?” He’s trying to tach us that “Love is found by looking back to the witnesses, up to Jesus, and forward to joy."*

Praying in the Spirit

When I was on the verge of being a teenager, roughly around 12 years old or so. My best friend and I were in-separable. We would meet everyday we could during the summers and play basketball from sunrise to sunset. We would do the normal things young kids did back in the early 90’s… which was to be expected to pay outside. And yes, for the most part we were usually unsupervised and probably our curiosity got the best of us sometimes.

We also would ride our bicycles all over our small town of Jane Lew. We had another friend named Adam who lived in a couple towns away from us. Some days in the summer we would grab our mountain bikes, fill up our water bottles and we would begin a 12+ mile ride to our friends house. The only problem with that trip is was this… somewhere between our home and his home was this huge hill we had to climb.

And so, like any other person you would try to pick up as much speed as you could to hit the hill as fast as you could, Because you were hoping that your momentum would do most of the work for you. Until what? Until finally you got to a point where you had to switch gears and begin the grueling work of pedaling up the hill. For me, most times, it was about halfway up and I would lose strength and I would slow our progress by needing to get off of my bike and pushing it the rest of the way up the hill.

Over the years I did get better when I faced with the challenge of climbing in over that hill. I would say roughly around when I was 16 i was finally able to conquer that hill without having to stopping. Although it was in my 91 Ford pony hatchback… but I did it. This week, as I was praying, that’s the story that the Spirit put on my heart when it comes to walking and praying in the Spirit.

Paul remind us of that in Galatians chapter 5 16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Doesn’t that sound amazing? To be led? And doesn’t it sound amazing to be led without much physical effort? As if we’re being drawn into something with ease. Something is pulling us, attracting us forward and we no longer resist but become responsive, aware, open and obedient to that leading. And then, we freely walk into whatever it is God is calling us to walk into. Even if it seems impossible.

That’s but a crumb of what walking in the Spirit is like. But our Scripture in Ephesians 6:18 isn’t talking about walking in the Spirit as much as it’s talking about praying in the Spirit. There is a difference. One is about action, the other is about relationship but both is about living a life Surrendered to God. So if we are going to understand the difference, lets begin where prayer leads us, into the relationship.

Let’s define what Paul is saying in Ephesians 6:18, What is praying in the Spirit? Oswald Chambers probably defines it best, he says: “Praying in the Holy Spirit means using the power given to us by God to maintain the relationship to Jesus Christ.” What he is saying is that we maintain and cultivate a constant need for presence. Let’s ask a very important question…What happens when we do not maintain a life of constant prayer?

Well, We starve out the presence of God in our lives and in doing so we hinder the power of God in our lives. That’s because prayer is the very foundation of our communication and relationship to God. Why do we starve our the presence of God, because most times we are self sufficient, our carnal nature, our fleshly nature will rely more on self than God. We starve the relationship between us and God by not praying.

“As long as we are self-sufficient and complacent, we don’t need to ask God for anything. We don’t want Him. It is only when we know we are powerless that we are prepared to listen to Jesus Christ and to do what He says.” So prayer is what reveals the presence of Gods. There has been times even in my life where I struggled with a constant prayer life, I struggled knowing God direction for my life.

But I also discovered that the struggle came mostly because I had a poor involvement with prayer. We can either starve the life of God in us, or we can nourish it. So praying in the Spirit is about maintaining this Holy relationship with God through Daily intentional moments of prayer. I use that word maintaining because it means to keep up, or to keep alive. keep in repair, to service & to conserve, To take good care of, look after.

Prayer life is a constant duty in the life of the Christian. IN a weird analogy its like, changing your oil after 3-5,000 miles. Putting on new tires, and new windshield wipers. Changing out the belts and batteries at certain points of being used. Washing the snow and salt off of the body of the car. We do those things for longevity. We know that if that vehicle is going to last, we maintain it.

That’s an analogy we all understand. Now put it into a spiritual understanding… When we pray, that active prayer life moves our ambition from ourselves to God. Prayer replaces our pride with humility. Prayer checks our hearts condition and then through the power of the Holy Spirit when we give our hearts to God he does his work in us. He does the work under the hood per say. So, Maintaining means to keep that going.

To not give up prayer because it leads to longevity. Just like last week, when we do not hear God, or feel God or know where he is in deep moments of our lives. When His presence seem far from us and our prayers are like smoke in the wind… Our relationship doesn’t stop, because in those moments it should get deeper and wider. God has trusted us in the most intimate way he can…

in his silence, God trusts us to make Holy decisions based on His word. Sadly, we fail at this so much… I have failed at this. And I know I am not the only one who has failed at making wrong choices when it seems God was silent in my life. I’m thankful when Jesus went into the wilderness he passed his temptation test. There are times in my life when I feel like my maintenance isn’t as well as others.

There’s times I don’t want to pray. There are times I neglect my spiritual life. There’s times when all I want to do is sleep and skip out on studying. There are times when I’ve been beaten down and I don’t want to love like Christ. And most times, it’s because my flesh is stronger and my Spirit is weak. But what pushes me forward into the maintenance? Well it’s realizing that if I tried to work on me as I did my own car in my own garage.

I’d mess a bunch of stuff up, because for the most part I'm not a mechanic and I have no clue what I am doing. And Jesus knows me more than I know myself. He’s my creator, he’s my designer. We in our life realize that Prayer is not a means of self-development; we do not find that idea in the Bible. And prayer is other than meditation. Prayer is what develops the life of God in us.

So I surrender the keys of my life over to the one who holds the keys of life. And Let him design me, grow me, use me. Kinda wish he would have designed me to be a muscle car, but all I got was the herbie the love bug. J/k But I am thankful. Not one person in this room or listening online can walk forward in the Spirit if we have not maintained the relationship with the Spirits presence where we are.

And that begins with being honest with God. And being honest with what we haven’t maintained in our relationship with God. So let’s ask, why is maintaining this relationship important? Why do we pursue it? We pursue it Because in Christ, we have found through experience that our reliance on Jesus to be far better than our reliance on ourselves. When it comes to praying in the Spirit, the first thing we learn is that we truly rely on ourselves more than we do God.

We lack reliance for one part in our life because we lack honest commitment and loyalty. Right… do we always commit to pray over every meal? Do we live what we believe? It was a couple messages ago and I asked, how many times have we gone into a restaurant with our churchy clothes, or we pray over the meal but when the waitress doesn't give us the service we think we deserved, we don’t always show a Christ like attitude of being generous and grateful towards their service.

Do we wake up committed to thanking the Lord for another day and do we go to bed committed thanking the Lord for providing that day? Do we commit to pray for others? Especially when we say, I’ll pray for you? Sometimes our lifestyle doesn’t reflect our commitment. But oftentimes our commitment does reflect on who we put our trust in more. For the most part what we find in the life of a half hearted Christ follower is that they will put more trust in performance than they do in purity.

They make it about performance, more than grace. We’re all called to live a holy life. But we fail to live a holy life because it’s easier to be in love with Christ than it is to be filled with the love of Christ. Did you heart that? It’s easier to be in love with Christ than it is to be filled with the Love of Christ. There is a difference.

The best way I can explain it is like this, being in love with Christ is like praying in the flesh and having the love of Christ in us is praying in the Spirit. We lack a consistent surrendered prayerful life for the most part not just because of our misguided commitments, but mainly because we try in our own power to pray in the flesh over the Spirit. What do I mean praying in the flesh vs the SPirit?

What I mean is this, praying in the flesh calls upon human ability and effort to push past the difficulty. And often times, life’s difficulties overcome our prayer life because we are fleshly minded than Spiritual. When Jesus was in the Garden and his commitment and loyalty was being tested. HE got up and found his disciples doing what? Sleeping. They were supposed to be praying, and of course I can imagine not just praying, but praying in the Spirit.

And he found them sleeping. And even in the midst of a great spiritual war going on while JEsus was preparing to go to the cross, he comes out to his disciples, looks at them and says this to peter in Matthew 26:41: Keep alert and pray that you’ll be spared from this time of testing. You’re spirit is eager enough, but your humanity is weak. Meaning, you’re spirit is willing but your body is weak.

Peter was willing but his flesh was stronger. praying in the flesh calls upon human ability and effort to push past the difficulty. Like the beginning of my story. Praying in the flesh would represent me trying to gain as much momentum as I could in my own power, and then trying to climb the hill and struggling to do so but I try to power through. Praying in the flesh feels like an upward climb in which we are having to power up the hill in our own capabilities and abilities.

And most times, praying in the flesh comes through the neglecting of the Holy Spirit, from neglecting prayer in our life. But Praying in the Spirit reflects the reality of the downward slope in my story. It’s like, when you begin to go down hill you can’t see the force that’s pulling you, but you feel this inward leading. This energy that kind of pulls you with very little effort towards the direction you’re heading.

Obviously we know this as gravity when we are riding our bikes. But you get what I am saying. In prayer, while we are praying in the Spirit. We surrender to the force, the power and we end up actually doing less but gaining more spiritual ground because we surrender to Him. So how to begin praying in the Spirit and being in His presence? Number one: Admitting our inability to pray.

If we want a deeper prayer life, it begins by admitting that it could pray more often than we do. Honesty will always bring with it humility. The only people who grow in truth are those who are humble and honest. When we think of Growth in the spiritual life, it takes place not by acquiring something new. Spiritual growth is taking hold of something that has always been there but you couldn’t pick it up because we’re holding onto things we shouldn’t be holding onto.

Number two: Begin to enjoy living communion with God. We’re not going to pray if we do not enjoy it. A relationship with God happens most by the Spirit through the word. Don't try to run away from the Bible to find a relationship with God in the woods or in some kind of attractive encounter with nature or with a great piece of art. Yes, the heavens are telling the glory of God (Psalm 19:1), I get that.

God does use great art and great poetry to awaken us, he uses the beauty of nature to show us his awesomeness. But if we don't center on the Bible where he is speaking authoritatively and infallibly, then our relationship will become distorted by error and sin. So let the Bible be the place where God meets you and speaks to you, and let the Bible be the place where you speak back to him.

The relationship is in this communion: him to us, and us to him. Remember eternity is right now. It doesn't start tomorrow, or next week or when we die. Eternity is being lived out right now and I fear there is a a lot of people that are waiting till they are before the throne of judgment to seek to see if they have the love Jesus’s within them. Friends, that’s going to be too late.

If you do not have the love of Christ in you now, then you’re just an admirer of Christ from afar. And the Bible tells us that those people will be told to depart for I do not know you. Regardless of your service, regardless of your years a as a Christian. His love must be within you. And finally, NUmber three: Still be at wonder of God. *