Holiness Part One

Beginning today, we together being a new series called, “Unveiled: Revealing the sanctuary of our hearts.” All thought the Bible God is calling his people to be set apart. To be holy for he is holy. 4 times in the book of Leviticus found in the old testament, you read God calling the children of Israel into a life of holiness. And in each of those four instances, God say, I am holy, for you are to be holy. Or I am holy who sanctifies you holy. Peter, one of the disciples of Jesus reminds us in the very first chapter of his first letter, that since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (I Peter 1:16) Paul to the Thessalonians also reminds us, For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. So today, it’s important that we ask the question. Well, what is holiness?

Have you ever been put in a situation where you didn’t know what to do? Of course, You’re alive right. Most often, everyday we find ourselves asking what in the world do I do? Life is full of situations that leave us going, “How do I navigate this?” How do I figure out this problem? Where do I go? Who should I ask for help? And those are moments, and situations where I dunno about you, there not my favorite. I don’t go looking for confusion. I want answers. I want a road map to life. A little confession here, I didn’t travel a lot when I was a kid. Our kids, have flown on planes to Puerto Rico, Gabe and Chloe have been on planes to go from Colorado to Pennsylvania and back. But when I was a kid, if, and I mean if I traveled, it was usually boo longer than 200 miles or less and always in the back seat of a car. But When it comes to flying, I didn’t fly until I was in my 20’s, when Halliburton wanted to relocate our family to the Engineering training center in Brighton Colorado to work in the research lab. And I was terrified to fly. I think most of my freight was the fact that when flying, I had no control. Flying in an airplane wasn’t anything like driving where you can see danger, or react to danger or you can come to a moment where you’re kind of scared, like those moments driving in the snow, and you turn the radio off to concentrate better, and if it gets scary you can pull over and just rest your nerves. But you cant fro that in a plane. And I had so many questions that came to mind when flying. Where do I check in? Where’s the bathroom? Will miss my next flight. So many questions, and so many fears. We all have some sort of fear just like that. And so, what do we do? We try to be prepared. We try to find the rules.

Did you know we do the same thing with our faith? We come to church and we get around people and we have all kinds of fears. Fears of wondering if we would be accepted. Sometimes the Fear that our kids wont be accepted in the congregation. There’s the fears of knowing the right christian language. What should I say, when to say amen, epeiclaly during pastor Matthews sermon. And so, just like life, we want our life of faith to be comfortable, and we want to know how to fit in, and the rules to living a good faithful life and we desire to do what is right. For many, we might find ourselves feeling the same way in our relationship with Christ. Okay, Jesus my life is yours, I’ve come by faith and I trust in you, and you alone, and I know You love me, but how do I navigate life now? How do I make the right choices in life? What does it mean to “follow Christ”? What does it mean less of me and more of you. What does it mean to consecrate my life? Is that once, or daily, or every other month? How about last week? How many of us agree with Paul. I have a desire to do what is right, but I find that I keep dong what is wrong. There's a war going on within me. And so, every time… every time anyone comes to faith in Christ, we ask, What are the rules?! What can I watch? Is it okay if I hang out with this person? How does tobacco or alcohol fit in. How much is good to give when it comes to tithes and offering. We also live in the day and age of social media. And so, we ask, what do I post? Was this too judgey? Is this going convict someone to where they think I am talking about them when I wasn’t. Life is just hard to navigate and we want to know the rules. And to be honest, I think we also want to play by the rules. But sometimes life gets hard. Sometimes our faith gets so bogged down with trying to figure out the right and wrong ways to navigate it too. Can I tell you some good, but unsettling news? The rule book you are looking for doesn’t exist. Because Jesus didn’t come to give new rules, He came to give a new identity. I think this is the best foundational truth when it comes to holiness. Holiness is more than just what we do, and how we do it, and what is right and wrong.. Holiness, in its simplest form is us, taking on a new identity in Jesus Christ. So who are you?

As we dive into this new series over the few weeks, there’s one verse that we’re going to keep coming back to, because it speaks so much to who we are in Christ.

This verse comes from 1 Peter 2:9-10 NIV But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

So holiness… what does the Bible say about holiness? One of my favorite moments of Jesus was when he was asked what was the greatest commandment. In essence, a scribe in Marks gospel that was speaking with Jesus was saying, what is the greatest rule. Whats are the rules to a life of faith. So he was asking Jesus, what rules should I follow. What commandments should I adhere my life to. What rule should govern my actions and decisions in life. So in essence he’s asking, what must I do. And the thing he didn’t realize was, he was trying to ask what can I do in my own power to make sure I am holy. So Jesus, answers his question by simply reciting the Shema from Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy chapter 6 verses 4-5 says, 4 “Hear, O Israel: dThe LORD our God, the LORD is one.1 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. This word Shema is a word in Hebrew that means ‘to hear or listen’. But in the rich meaning of this word, it’s not just listening and hearing, but listening and hearing with the intent to obey. And so, Jesus answers the scribes with a rendition of the Shema.. Jesus says in Marks gospel, , “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. And to love your neighbor as yourself. Who’s our neighbor? We spoke about this last week… it’s anyone I come into contact with. And so, when Jesus answers the scribes question, what he’s saying was this… It’s not so much about following rules, or commandments as much as it’s about God wanting Himself to be the center of your love. God wants to be the center. And not just center, but also king of that area. Surrendered to His will. And I think this is the danger.. so many of us with trying to find the rules, we try to put God in the center, but he has no control over our life. Its like, we want God to abide by our rules. And so, who am I to do that?

I was thinking about this question, who am I… this week, and I was thinking about the fact that sometimes, through circumstances of life, we can lose a grasp on the reality of who we are. Most often, the things we do, that are not good things. Like lying. Being overly aggressive towards others. Letting anger control us. Having unhealthy sexual addictions. Not being so loving towards others. Showing no grace or mercy to those who make mistakes. And so what do we try to do to fix these issues.. we look for rules. We seek to ways to change these things in us, and in the end, they never really change us, as much as we find ways to suppress them. Rules, more or less alleviate or lessen the effect more than get to the root of the issue that’s deep down. And the issue is, We have a heart issue. Our heart has the identity of our old life, there needs to be a process… a cleansing, and renewing of the heart.

But how do we get there, if theres are not new rules? How do we begin to recognize in our own life who we are meant to be? First, we need to recognize the enemy that is without. I Peter chapter 5 verse 8 says, Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” Peter Knew this from experience. Jesus said to him before his three denials, in Luke 22:31, ““Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat.” Jesus even knew what it was like to be sifted by Satan. Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness and the word says, the enemy left him for a more opportune time. Which became the garden moment where Jesus prays in the garden for the Fathers will. The book of James reminds us: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Secondly, acknowledge the brokenness within. James 1:14-15, “but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” It wasn't until Simba acknowledged his brokenness that he was healed. He had to acknowledge his brokenness. We’ve got to come face to face with the reality that the temper we have, the desire to say hurtful things to others, and even the desire to think hurtful and wrong things about ourselves is not God. We have sin in our hearts that God sent his Son t die for…. So, When you know who you are in Christ, you’re able to see yourself for who you truly are made to be. Thirdly, Understanding your part. 2 Peter 1:5, “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith…” How have you added to your faith this week? Or let me ask you this… have you added to your faith, or have you neglected your faith. You see, you play a part in holiness. And it’s the only part that is your part. Do you know what it is? It’s repentance. Repentance is your part. Do you know what repentance is? Repentance is responding to God love. Hear that again.. repentance is responding to Gods love. And the proper response is this: move over and Let go and Let God. With whatever it is your holding onto. 1 Peter 5:5, Peter says later on, “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility…” John 3:30- John the Baptist, “He must become greater; I must become less.” Paul says, I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 Holiness isn’t trying harder to make yourself clean, it’s getting out of God’s way.

And Finally, Understand the Holy Spirits part. 2 Timothy 2:20-21, “In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use. 21 Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.” Paul is speaking here while Ising the imagery in what the holy Spirit does with us. He moves us from items of wood and clay- that may be in the house. To instruments of gold and silver- used by the master’s hand. Do you know how that is done? Malachi 3:3 tells us, “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.” Do you know how a silver smith does this? Refines silver. It’s not an easy process.. because it takes time, and heat. The smith throws the ore into a kettle. And as the heat melts the metal, and then he takers the dross, Dross means the worthless stuff. It’s mineral waste, but its the impurities, the things that are not perfect. They come to the top. They surface.And then the silver smith, one by one takes them away. He scrapes them off. When you ask the silversmith, How do you know when the silver is pure… He says, when I look into the kettles and I take out all of the impurities and I see me. There a Disney cartoon that shows us this. It’s called the lion king. Think of the Disney movie, The Lion king. Simba is a young cub. He loves his father. His identity is in being like his father. He wants to be brave and a good king, just like his father. It the same with us. In the beginning of humanity, Adam and Eve, when they were created by God, they had this perfect union with Him. Our greatest reflection of Gods righteousness in us was in the garden, before sin entered into our life. But then, Trouble strikes. Simba loses his father and then he was lied to, the enemy prowls like a loin to steel and kill what we have. And so, with the enemy, saying Simba had killed his father, Simba runs away so he runs away and meets Timon and Pumba. Its the same with Adam and Eve. In their shame when they had sinned against God, Adam and Eve hid from God. They ran from him. Now, I love Timon and Pumba, but they begin teaching Simba something contrary to his real identity. And, so over the years, Simba begins to live as a forager for bugs. Contrary to his real identity as a lion. Until one day, he meets Nyla and is reminded of his past hurts. Of why he ran away. Rafiki, he reminds me of the Holy Spirit. Through this word, prevent grace, The spirit keeps reminding us… who are you? What reflection are you reflecting? And so, Rsafiki reminds Simba his father is alive, He is in him as he shows the reflection to him. Lets watch this moment together.

I love this movie. Simbas father lived in him. It wasnt until Rafiki showed him that After this moment, Simba has a moment with Rafiki about how the past hurts, but his identity isn’t in the past… his identity is in who he was called to be… and he was called to be the king of the pride. So he has a choice. Return home and return to his idienty, or stay where he is and be the person he was not meant to be. And What we realize is this: When you know who you are, you’ll know what you’re supposed to do. Simba chooses to be who he was destined to be, and he ends up going home and facing his past.

This morning… you have an opportunity, no obligation, only opportunity this morning…. To come and get out of God ways. To give over to him the wheel of your life. To allow the silversmith to do his work. You see, friends, God wants to do his greatest work at the spot of your greatest resistance. God wants to do his greatest healing at the spot of your greatest pain. God wants to deliver his greatest strength at the spot of your greatest weakness. Will you give these to him? Will you do it right now? Heavenly Father, there are things in our life that are like wood and clay. There materials for building yes, but you want to come into our lives and make our hearts one where you see your own reflection in our life. You desire to see your love being reflected back to you, from within us. I pray this morning with boldness. Come. Refine us. It’s a process that takes heat. It takes time, and it takes great suffering at times. Come. Clean our life. And give us new life in your son, our savior and Lord, and his name is Jesus. In his name we pray.. amen. *

Honesty - Sunday Message

I want to invite you to open your bibles with me to Romans chapter 7, and find with me verse 15. It’s only one verse for today, Romans chapter 7, and find verse 15 with me. Before I read this verse, I just want to encourage you to bring your bibles with you. Whether by phone for physical Bible, and if you need one, let me know. I’ll buy you a really nice one.

But its really important that we as a body of believers, open our bibles together. Romans chapter 6, verse 15.. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. (the law means God’s word, it means what God says is good and what God says is bad.) 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.

18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

(Romans 7:15-20). The last two nights I’ve been out in the middle of nowhere, with barely any internet with roughly 18 pre-teens as the main speaker for their retreat called, “honesty.” And so, this is kind of the afterglow from being with them this weekend. I told them when I left, that I was going to back to my church and tell the people that God is still changing lives. That God is still forgiving people of their sin.

That God is still passionately pursuing people. That relationships can be fixed, that friendships can be reconciled, but theres usually just one thing standing in the way and that’s being honest. Do you wanna know how important honesty is to God? Important enough that one of the 10 commandments speaks on being honest in our relationships. Exodus 20 verse 16 says, "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” And that’s interesting because who’s my neighbor?

When I think of neighbor, I think of our friends the Baxters who lives across the road from us. Or the young family living behind us. But if we really dig in to what this word neighbor means, what we would discover is that it means everyone and anyone we come into contact with. So that guy or gal walking down the street, that is a stranger, they are your neighbor.

That young kid with purple or green hair, who is different than you, they are your neighbor. The person you work with, who annoys the world out of you, they are your neighbor. And Jesus helps us to understand who our neighbor is by telling us what is the greatest commandment. Remember when the scribe asked, Jesus who is the greatest commandment? And Jesus gave them the Shema? That you should love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength.

And what? You should love your neighbor as you love yourself. So when we read, you shouldn’t bear false witness against your neighbor, Now we can read it is like this… you shouldn’t bear false witness with anyone you come into contact with. You shouldn’t bear false witness against them. But yet, we do sometimes. Sometimes we’re not totally honest. I believe there are three areas in our life where we’re not always totally honest.

And I want to discuss them you. The first area is our personal life. We struggle to be honest with ourselves. I don’t know why, but there are times I feel really guilty for doing something. Or for saying something. Sometimes it’s easier to point out others faults, and other people short comings than it is to look into a mirror and see my own faults. For most of my christian life, it seems to have been a struggle.

I struggled with wanting to read my Bible. I struggled with prayer. I struggled with giving. I wrestled with self doubt. Believing that I wasn’t worth anything, to anyone. But yet, I had a desire to please God, but that desire seems to meet a wall of inconsistency in my spiritual life. In Romans chapter 7, Paul was struggling. Remember he said, I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.

16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. It’s as if there is a war going on in my inner being. Theres this desire to do what is good, but the action never follows that up. Or another issue is that that people try to do good, they try to do the right thing and what is true, but then they begin to sprinkle little lies in.

And if you notice, most often when little lies are sprinkled in, those are lies will always try to make the person look good. We call that being deceptive. Deceptive means, a person is giving the appearance of something being true, but then they’re trying to mislead someone from seeing the real, honest, and full truth of it. And so Paul; writes, theres this war going on within my inner being.

King David writes, God delights when truth reigns in my innermost being. He says, when truth is the king of my inner most being, God is delighting. And so what I’ve found to be true in other peoples lives, and even my own. Is that the hardest part about speaking truth into a heart that refuses truth is a heart that won’t be honest with itself. Our lives improve only when we take chances – and the first and most difficult risk we can take is to be honest with ourselves.

Sometimes, we’re not hones tight ourselves because we have low integrity. Solomon had a lot to say about integrity. Proverbs, 10: 9 says, Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out. Chapter 12, verse 17says, “An honest witness tells the truth, but a false witness tells lies.” And so, I think what we can say is this, Integrity is telling myself the truth. And honesty is telling the truth to other people.

Thomas Jefferson once said, Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom. We’ve got to come to a moment in our life where we’re honest with ourselves and where we truly are. The second area where we’re not totally honest with is in our relationships with others. We struggle with being honest with others. God takes honesty so serious that he desires for us to be honest not only with ourselves, but also with others.

James said, confess your sins with one another. It’s really hard to confess a sin to someone else, when were too busy confessing the hurt they caused us to others. Amen? We want to be justified for what wrong has been done to us. We want the other person to come into the knowledge of what we think they’ve done to us. Do you wanna know a phrase I don’t really like.

They’ll get whats coming. Or how about this one, Karma will get them. I just believe those are not very Christlike phrases. I don’t think Jesus ever said, you’ll get whats coming to you one day. I don’t ever read in the scriptures where Jesus goes, Karma’s gonna get you. We’re people of justice. We want to see others get what they deserve. And sometimes, that kind of mentality isn’t love.

It’s not filled with grace. Do you wanna know how one can tell whether or not a heart is growing in Christ, Seeing someone love their enemies. Do you want to know whats hard… Loving those who are hurting you. Loving those who are trying to assimilate your character. Loving those who are believe you’ve caused this ruin, or you caused harm to them. Ya know, most church hurt isn’t really church hurt.

Most often what some might think is a person being hurt by the church, or by the pastor is just the church or the pastor holding that person accountable to what they say or what they do. I’ll never forget the time Alicia and I were going to a church and they pulled me in as the youth pastor and I made it for about 6 months as the youth pastor.

They brought me in prematurely. I wasn’t ready, and the church wasn’t ready. But I do want to say something before I continue… God lead our family there, and it I believe it was God's will for us to go through what we dis. But, bringing me in as the youth pastor without really the church being ready and myself being ready, caused animosity between the pastor, me and one of the members.

I was arrogant, young and naive. The teens went from 5 to over 20, but the person I replaced didn’t know they were being replaced. They weren’t called into pastoral ministry, they were just serving in a role and then one day, here comes our family. Move over, let me show you how this is done… I just spent 3 years in the Denver area where teen ministry thrives… let me show you what I've learned.

Arrogance on my part. Needless to say, within 6 months, the conclusion from the senior pastor was, it’s either you or me, and I was let forced to either be fired, or resign. I had reason to say, I’m done. I moved my family here because you wanted me here. You’re the one that hired me. You’re the one that said I was in charge. And now, you’re firing me. Because the person I replaced was a board member, a heavy tither, and they were bitter over what had happened.

I wanted to leave. I looked at Alicia and I said, if they don’t want me as a youth pastor, well guess what, there a church down the road thats been looking for a youth pastor. Let’s go there… And Alicia said, no. we’re staying here. I don’t think I would be here today if it wasn’t for Alicia saying no. Do you know what happened? We ended up reconciling the relationship that was broken by staying, and being honest with the ones that we’ve hurt, and who have hurt us.

James says, be honest with one another and confess your sins to one another. That takes humility… but it also takes accountability. It’s called being honest with others so that they can be honest with you. Do you know something… even as a pastor, or even a friend, I cant help someone who won’t be honest. Have you ever been around someone like that. The kind of person that is never wrong.

The kind of person that wont admit a mistake. Or how about this… how about when it comes to saying I’m sorry, they kind of say, oh well, I'm sorry you didn’t like, or im sorry you didn’t see it this way, or that wya. They kind of give a false, or fake hearted apology? The reality is, if you can't be honest about mistakes, you're never going to get free from the inner war going on within your inner being.

There are three types of people in the Bible. Wise, foolish and evil. A wise person is one you can correct, and they become wiser. In fact, you can take truth to a wise man, and the wise man will correct themselves to the truth. The second is the foolish person. A foolish person never admits mistakes. A foolish person, many times, will turn it around on you. Instead of being held accountable, they try to show it was your fault.

And sometimes, they will go so far as to hurting others around them, to make sure their foolishness is seen as truth. But they reject truth, and what you recognize is that the foolish person adapts the truth to themselves. Proverbs 9:8 says, "Do not correct a scoffer", a foolish person, "lest he hate you. Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you. Then there is the evil person. This is a person that is either wise or foolish.

They reject truth all together. Their people of deceit. They are people that live one life in public, and another in private. And sometimes they cant help themselves. They’ve got to come to a point where they reconize they’ve got to be honest with where they are. And heres the thing… I can pastor two of them. I can pastor, a wise person and a foolish person… but an evil person, I can’t.

Not until they are honest about where they are. Not until they are honest. They need to be Be fully transparent and vulnerable with God and with others. The last area of our life is that we struggle being honest with God. If we cant be honest with ourselves, and we cant be honest with others… how do we ever expect to be honest with God? I mean think about it…

The god who knitted a person in their mothers womb. David writes, Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. Psalm 139:16 The god who knows the heart, and knows what the heart wants. You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. Psalm 139:1 The God who loves us in our sin, and calls us from our sin.

Who pursues us, even when we’re walking away form him, in His great love, and patience he still comes after us. And yet, we struggle to be honest with God. Did you know that when we are honest with God, joy becomes avaible? Turn with me to Psalm 32. David writes, How joyful is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How joyful is a person whom the Lord does not charge with iniquity and in whose spirit is no deceit!

What David is saying is that there is joy in being honest and being forgiven. Theres no joy in dishonesty... only fear. What are we fearing? Well we fear someone will find out the lie. We fear God wont bless us. We fear losing friends. And so fewer causes us to live in deceit. And theres a key phrase in these verses for when it comes to joy… the Psalm says in verse 2, In whose Spirit is no deceit!

In your spirit. David would write in another Psalm, Psalm 51, “God delights when truth reigns in our inmost being.” Paul, in our Scripture this morning would write, “For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” And then he would go on to say, oh what a wretched man that I am. You see, Paul is being honest and recognizing his constant tendency and temptation to turn from GOd and be dishonest with himself.

It’s like a magnet, or a light to a bug. He recognizes that he has an urge to turn from God and die what he doesn’t want to do. And so, he cries out… God! What should I do. Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? David writes, back in Psalm 32, When I keep silent, my bones become brittle from my groaning all day long.

I’m heavy. I’ve lost the strength. I’m tired… I cant hold this wretchedness in my any longer. I believe Paul and David were both experiencing the same thing… Honesty with oneself, and honesty with others, should always draw us to being hornet with God who saves us. You see, David would go on to say in verse 5, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord, and you forgave me for my sins, Do you remember what Paul does?

In verse 25 of Romans 7 Paul writes, 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! He turns to Jesus. As our worship team comes up… I want us this morning to recognizes that everyone of us struggle with honesty on some level. Maybe it’s being honest with yourself. Maybe you don’t think your beautiful. Or maybe you might not think your worthy. Just this morning I got a text from a friend at the pre-teen retreat thanking me for being there.

I write back… I think I needed to be just as much as the kids. Because I too have been hurt, and told that I'm not as good as someone else, or I’m not doing well as a pastor. This weekend, after the first altar call and all the kids came to the altar, I had to leave. I went outside because theres a tendency to want to take the glory from GOd.

And thats sin. And so, I had to be honest with God and say, God, Forgive me. Maybe you’re not being honest with others. Maybe you’ve struggled with lying about someone. Maybe you just want others to respect you.. or see you as someone that is smart, or beautiful, or better than what you really are. Maybe you’re living one life in public but another at home? Sin that is left unchecked with grow roots not only in your life, but will at some point begin to reach out into the lives of those around you.

And sometimes, we see people with a lot of briars thats been overgrowing for years. Hurting others. Maybe you just need to be honest with God this morning… I’ve always heard this… when it comes to repenting of our sins, or asking for forgiveness, its not you coming and telling God something he doesn’t already know. He knows it already.. Repentance is us coming to a God who already knows, who’s just waiting for us to be honest with him that now, we know and that we understand, and we also know there us only one thing we can do, and that is to come, and to turn to a loving God and ask for his grace and forgives…

so that he can place the Spirit of His Son within us, to care for us, and to guide us, and walk with us… Paul goes, this war that is waging within me… I need it to stop. I need peace. David says, this desire to keep silent, to hide my deceit… I need relief. And so they both turn to God. Will you this morning….. will you turn to him, or will you tune him out…

That decision is for you to make… not me. *

We Wrestle

ZI 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 word 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.

He would be humbled by all the kind words you’ve shared about his life. I’m truly thankful for all the help from those who stepped in with the service, and by my wife, Alicia who came over and moved chairs and set up the sanctuary. And for everyone who’s had a hand in preparing for this moment. Truly, ministry is about working together. I sense there’s a lot of compassion from all of you, coming together to serve the needs of others, and that is one of the greatest expressions of his life.

He was truly a man of compassion. He served everyone no matter who you were. From the widow to the married, to the young and the old, he lived a life of humility through servitude and compassion. Even in his death, there is a certificate in front of me that is proof of his willingness to give to all and any who needed help. There’s no doubt in my heart that he loved Jesus, and he loved his mother, and his brothers and his family.

I hope hearing these words encourages you. Because The love of Christ was always evident in his heart. I could see it and I am sure you all saw it as well. But I also know how hard it is at times to see and witness Christ in us for ourselves. Perhaps that is why Jesus makes an emphasis of us loving one another. But I dunno why it’s hard at times to realize that Christ’s compassion and love is oozing out of us because he is in us.

I don’t understand why we just don’t have a meter designed within us showing us how full we truly are of Jesus. But perhaps that the beauty of faith. I find comfort in Pauls words found in our Scripture today. Paul writes, We wrestle. We wrestle. It’s true… we wrestle. We wrestle with life everyday. The Bible is filled with people who wrestled… Job wrestled when he experienced immense suffering and wrestled with the questions of why he was facing such trials.

But yet, Job is recored as saying although you slay me, I trust in you. Paul was no stranger to wrestling. Paul struggled with a "thorn in the flesh," which was a source of suffering. But yet, as he wrestled he knew that the thorn wasn’t the issue but the fact that through this suffering if it brought God more glory, so be it! I am sure Paul would agree, that in the greatness of our troubles there may often be space for the greater display of the goodness of God.

Because he writes, although I am weak, Christ is strong. The fact is, We wrestle. We face trials and we wrestle in those trials. Think of what James writes. He says in chapter 1 verse 2, 2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, How? I mean does that mean that when trials comes crashing down our first words to ourselves when we were asked by those who are our friends, “how’s life going, and we’re wrestling with some big trials and hardships?

How should we answer? “ well brother, it’s nothing but Pure joy!. Well sister, I’m just Considering it all joy!” But yet were wrestling in the weight our troubles? How many times we say things like, I am blessed and highly favored, but yet We’re being overwhelmed in our circumstances. I think of Davids song in the Psalm we read this afternoon. David said, Though we are overwhelmed by our sins…

David was overwhelmed. 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.” To be honest, he has often been that person for me in my suffering.

He’s been a prayerful comfort in my life, and a listening ear to my troubles. Many times he would just smile and I would know I’m not alone in my own personal struggles. But yet, life overwhelms us. As I wrestle with deep issues and filled with feelings that are overwhelming in my life, I’m learning that the words “I am overwhelmed” that have been habitually placed in my vocabulary can softly be replaced by a truer confession: “Heavenly Father, I am not allowing Your comforts, and presences to unburden my heavy soul.

You see, Feeling deeply overwhelmed in life is a signal, It’s first a single for the need 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. 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 his sudden passing.

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?

Although I walk through the Vally of the shadow of death…. The key word here is through. It’s a promise just as Jesus promised the disciples, Follow me, and let’s get into the boat and go to the other side. They had no clue that the dark valley of a dangerous storm would come upon them, and the waves would crash upon the very boats they were in. They simply had to walk by faith, following Jesus onto the boat, and yet we still read in Scripture, that although they wrestled in that storm, when we call upon the name of Jesus in our troubles, he calms not just the storm, but he also calmed his disciples, and guides them to the other side.

It’s the same with our valleys that tend to overwhelm us and that we wrestle with in this life. Can I just pause for a moment for you to hear this… our valley of darkness is never the end for us. The deep darkness of any valley is never our final resting place. It’s always a hallway leading elsewhere. David is surrounded by enemies, he’s surrounded by his darkness, he’s surrounded by uncertainty, he is overwhelmed and wrestling, but he knows that he will walk through it, because Jesus is always there, even in the moments we sense him not.

Emmanuel is there, being present with us in every moment of our lives. I am encouraged with that truth. Jesus comes for his beloved. Last night as we placed his ashes on the altar and after everyone had left, I sat alone on the front row wrestling with God. My heart wanted to know that he was with Jesus. I wanted to be reminded of the hope we have in knowing that we have a savior that cares and comes.

And so I prayed, and asked, and I believe that prayer was answered this morning. Before I left the church last night after praying, I turned all the lights off except for dimly lit cross, and I placed upon all the tv’s in the sanctuary a YouTube channel that plays non stop hymnals of praise with lyrics. My expectation was that through the darkness of night, this room, this sanctuary will be one of praise.

I woke the next morning to gaze out the back door of our home to a red sky, reminding me that new mercies are new each day. The blood is sufficient for all of our sins and the new day reminded me of the resurrection of Christ. Alicia came out into the living room later this morning and asked, Were all the lights on in the church? I said no, just the dim light of the cross and the tv’s playing hymns.

She looked confused, and then she said to me, that before she went to bed, the church was lit up so bright as if every light was on in the church. She had thought o come over to turn them off but the cross lights, but she decided to come to bed. I believe that was an answered prayer. There’s a verse in the hymn were about to sing that goes, And then I cried, "Dear Jesus, come and heal my broken spirit, And somehow Jesus came and brought to me the victory.

I believe the overwhelming light Alicia saw was Jesus reminding me that he had brought him to victory. I do not doubt my saviors promise that he wold return for us, because he has prepared a place for us. That’s a promise I cling to today. And I pray, if you’re struggling too, if your wrestling and overwhelmed… would you Just consider putting your faith in Jesus, and come to him with your burdens.

The good news is that there is, victory in Jesus! O God, you have ordered this wonderful world and know all things in earth and in heaven. Give us such faith that by day and by night, at all times and in all places, we may without fear commit ourselves and those dear to us to your never-failing love, in this life and in the life to come.

We commend your son in sure and certain hope of resurrection to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Let; us stand for the Benediction. May God give to you and all whom you love his comfort and his peace, his light and his joy, in this world and the next; and the blessing of God almighty, the father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be upon you, and remain with you this day and for ever.

Amen.*

Won't You Be My Neighbor - Week 3

I want to invite you to open your bibles with me to Marks Gospel, and find chapter 2. We’re in week three of our series called, Would you be, our neighbor where so far we have asked, Who is my neighbor and What does neighboring look like. Last week we examined three very important practices about building healthy communities. Today, I want to explore a question that will not only help us set healthy boundaries when caring for others, but it will answer a question that I believe is important when it comes to compassion…

How far do you go in helping others? I have a good friend that began to do something absolutely amazing. He had heard that there was a kid that needed a kidney and for whatever reason, felt compelled to go to the dr.s office to get tested to see if he would be a match for her. He went through all the testing, for months. Kept getting green lights after green lights, but then right towards the end, the committee that overlooked the operation said that they felt it would be better to not approve the donation.

Thankfully, not too long afterwards the lilt girl did finally find a match and had her transplant. Its moments like this where I want to ask… How far is too far in loving your neighbors like yourself? Think of Jesus… When I have a hard time feeling loved. Or believing the God loves me….. I like to think of the time Jesus said, I love you. Did you know that? That Jesus tells you that he loves you?

In his prayer before the cross, we call them the high priestly prayers in Johns gospel. IN John chapter 13, he says, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. Jesus loves you. And he calls us to love those around us. And I think of this truth, and I take stories like my friend, and I hear Jesus saying, Love your neighbors as you would love yourself.

And I think of my friend who’s christian walk at the time would be questionable, and I ask, would what they were trying to do for that little girl, wouldn’t that be a great example of loving your neighbor as yourself? I think if you were to ask me what would you want.. and I would say, I want to live. Just as anyone else wants tomorrow live. Is that going to far in loving your neighbor as yourself?

Its really a serious question. I know Alicia and I have helped countless people. We’ve given things, and prayed, and help many people. Theres a lot of people that we have given money to, and food, and given to those in need, and many of them left without a trace. Never to be seen again. And you’ve got to ask.. was we gullible? Was we taken advantage of? Or was we led by the Holy Spirit to plant seeds of hope?

Or was it both? What about Momentum Church? How far are we wiling to go to help those in need? As a church? What are we willing to sacrifice to be known as a church that is compassionate? What does loving your neighbor well look like for us? These are real questions, but they are also questions that need the discernment of the Holy Spirit. In Marks gospel, we begin to find some answers to those hard questions that we’ve asked, lets read Mark chapter 2 together, beginning in verse 1.

When he entered Capernaum again after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2 So many people gathered together that there was no more room, not even in the doorway, and he was speaking the word to them. 3 They came to him bringing a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4 Since they were not able to bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and after digging through it, they lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying.

5 Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 But some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts: 7 “Why does he speak like this? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 Right away Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were thinking like this within themselves and said to them, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?

9 Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat, and walk’? 10 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he told the paralytic— 11 “I tell you: get up, take your mat, and go home.” 12 Immediately he got up, took the mat, and went out in front of everyone.

As a result, they were all astounded and gave glory to God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!” Cappernaum was Jesus’s headquarters. It was one of the places I missed on the Israel tour because I was laying in bed sick form drinking water from a fountain at the place called, the Valley of Armageddon. Or the valley of death.. iu wont be doing that again. Not the best choice from me.

I know. But this moment was at the height of of Jesus’s ministry where the word was getting out about his ministry, and people where flocking around him. Mobbs of crowds were surrounding him. iN this story, 4 men had a friend that was paralyzed and laying on a mat. So they, each grabbed a corner, and began to make their way towards Jesus who was in a house giving a sermon.

Houses in these days were typically one story, but they had these stairs that would go up to the roof where people would hang out in the early morning, or late evening. It was like how in the country without AC, many people would rock on the front porch to let the house cool down form the heat of the day. But think about what these 4 friends did for the paralyzed man.

First, they disrupted public. They made a scene. I think we all would agree, that usually if we’ve got other say something in a crowd, or speak louder than the crowd, I know for myself, I get nervous, and I get that lump in my throat. But to do what they needed to get their friend to Jesus, they had to create a moment where every eye would be on them…

Secondly, They took a risk for those watching to think, they were just going to far, and being extreme. Everyone has an opinion.. if you don’t believe me, get on social media. Because there you will find plenty opinions. But these men took a chance of people looking at them and, well.. being critical. Thirdly, They destroyed someone else property, and would be, by always responsible to repair, fix or compensate the owner in some way.

But the remarkable thing was this… their faith paid off. They went above and beyond for their friend and he ended up getting healed. Thats amazing! But even better, his sins were forgiven and revival broke out because everyone was amazed and praised God, and said, we’ve never seen anything like this before. How far are we wiling to go of our neighbors? How do we love our neighbors in a responsible way that shows great faith?

Well, first, we need to prepare to be uncomfortable. Peter knew what it was like for uncomfortable faith. In Matthews account, in chapter 14, Jesus said to Peter, come. So Peter got out of the boat and walked not he water and came to Jesus. There are times in our faith where Jesus tells us to come. Right.. we believe by faith that God goes before us. Before you arrive in any situation or place, God has already been there.

We call that prevenient grace. If you recall in Deuteronomy chapter 31, the Bible says, The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” God goes before you and He is with you.. but in our generation after the resurrection of Jesus and pentecost, we live int he truth that he also lives within us.

When it comes to loving our neighbor as ourselves, sometimes, maybe often, maybe not, but sometimes, God will call you to come, and for you to get out of the boat and go. It’s a moment where, when we walk by faith, we are walking to a place where we know GOd is already is. We’re walking to a place where he has already prepared for us. All the while, still with us and within us.

He calls us to step out of our comfort zone. I can say, by my own experience, “Faith doesn’t mean comfort, but it can mean peace.” These four friends… If I was one of them.. I know for a fact I would be uncomfortable in what we were going to do… Disrupt public, make a scene, tear up property? Thats not me. I’m usually the one that assess the situation and finds the easiest and most safest way to do it…

I’m the defensive driver kind of guy. Im the guy that drives behind 5 below to go to target because I don’t want to take a chance of getting hit or hitting someone in the front of the strip mall. But often times, faith requires us to become uncomfortable and helping people usually requires us to get out of our comfort zone. The first time I sat with a dying member who died in-front of me, I was scared.

I was terrified. I was called to come visit and as I sat there all I could do was watch someone take their past breath and there was nothing physical I could do for them. Thankfully, God knew I was a new pastor… and he sent a seasoned minster to come and sit with me throughout the situation. Even right now.. I get nervous speaking in public. The bottom line is this..

Loving your neighbor as yourself for most of us means pushing past those awkward feelings and doing the opposite of what feels comfortable. Another way for us to neighbor well is to count the cost before we help. Listen to what Jesus says in Lukes gospel chapter 14, “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?

Luke 14:28 Faith is stepping out into the unknown… thats true. But often times we step out without really counting the cost. How many times have you stepped out by faith to do something, and didn’t get the reaction you expected? Or the love you thought you deserved? How many times have you cared for someone and they blew you off, or didn’t reciprocate the same generosity when you were in need?

Often times, instead of praying, and listening, and preparing, we jump into situation with selfish motives and selfish expectation. I believe we all need to learn patience. And before we jump into helping someone, we need to learn to count the cost before we help. In our story today, the four men didn’t just do this out of a whim. They had plan. And when that plan was blocked by the crowds of people, they improvised by going up to the roof to get the job done.

What we find, is often times, we walk in this life with our emotions as our guide, and not as our Gauge. Our emotions are never to be used to guide us.. They are meant to report the situations around us, not dictate our actions. And thats hard for people like me… I’m an emotional person. Emotions are built into us to help us feel. Emotions like, anger, and delight, and joy, and affection, and even fear, are important to us because they reveal what our heart loves, and trust.

Did you know, You can tell a lot about someone by recognizing what they pleasure in. I’ve once heard it said before, pleasure is the measure of your treasure, because the emotion of pleasure is the gauge that tells others, what you love. Sometimes, we help others as a knee-jerk emotional reaction to the moment. There have been times when I said yes, but I didn’t have all the resources or time, or expertise to meet their need.

I jumped in without praying, or thinking through. When our emotions are used as a gauge, and not as a guide, we learn that helping people in a Responsible way means praying about it, thinking it though, taking the time to really listen to them, and then, if you can, bring others into the situation to help or guide them to others who can help Thats why I love the church community.

We’re called to gather together, lift one another up as a family. Each one of us have a gift, or a season in life that we can testify to.. and most often our testimony of what God has dine in your lives is what another needs to hear to get thorough their moments of doubt, or fear., or even healing. Thirdly, Help others with the goal of them not needing your help anymore.

Listen to what Paul writes to the Thessalonians in 2nd Thessalonians chapter 3, And now, dear brothers and sisters…Stay away from all believers who live idle lives and don’t follow the tradition they received from us…We never accepted food from anyone without paying for it. We worked hard day and night so we would not be a burden to any of you…Even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “Those unwilling to work will not get to eat.” 2 Thessalonians 3:6-10 Do you think the plan for these four friends, was to get their friend healed so that they can still carry him around?

When we look at Pauls letter to the thessilonans… there was a major issue. These people believed that Jesus was going to come back soon. And so, there were some people in the church that decided to not do anything anymore. Then there was other people who were still working, and supporting those who decided not to work. Why work? Jesus is coming back and its the end of the world!

Can you imagine that today.. its the end of the world… why work. Why do anything.. wars, and rumor of wars. Famine, disease, fire, earthquakes… lets all just stop working and wait till Jesus comes back.. Can you imagine life today if we did that? And so, Paul writes, yo.. people.. you cant do that. Don’t be idle… you need to contribute. And we need to get you to a place where you can work for yourself.

Your goal should be to help people get to a place where they can help themselves. Its not being harsh, its teaching people to be healthy so they can help their neighbors too. Fourthly, be aware that over helping can hurt. Paul tells the Galatians, Carry each others burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ… for each one should carry their own load. Galatians 6:2,5 Right off the bat you may think theres a contradiction here.

First he says to carry each others burdens. But then he goes, for each will carry their own load. Which is it? DO I carry other peoples burdens, or should they carry their own. Well, the answer lies in understanding what Paul was saying in the original language. The greek word for burden in verse 2 refers to an eternal significance. Its a character flaw, or a sin that weighs you down, an issue you struggle with.

These kind of burdens are never meant for us to carry alone. A burden is lightened when its carried with others. James tells us, “confess your sins one another.” Think about out the burdens we carry when we don’t forgive each other. Then theres the greek word for load in verse 5. This word in greek refers to a responsibility that are unique to us and must be carried by us alone.

For instance, it is my job to be Alicia’s husband, and its my job to be a father to our kids… its no other mans job. Spiritually, my journey of holiness can not be transferred to another. These are my responsibilities. Lastly, We help the most by bringing people to Jesus. The best gift you can give people is to bring them to Jesus. Most often that means something as simple as praying for them.

Lifting them up before the throne of grace. You may not have the time, the talents or the resources to help them, but you do have prayer. James tells us in chapter 5, that prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. I want to close today with some deep questions for you to pray over. What keeps people from helping more? I think, a lot of people stop helping others in a sacrificial way because they’ve been burned in the past.

How do we let go of past hurts of being burned by others in the past? The answer is found in our story. When the friends lowered him down to Jesus through the roof, Jesus, seeing their faith said to the man, Son, your sins are forgiven. Forgiveness is the real story of this story. You see, the men opened a space of the rood of a house to get to Jesus, but Jesus opened a space in your hear and mine wide enough for forgiveness to be let down into it.

So, if anyone has taken advantage of you, of someone has hurt you when all yo wanted to do was help them, do exactly what Colossians 3:13 says, "Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” Dont let a past hurt, of someone taking advantage of you deter you form help[ing others or even holding onto it.

Be graceful when it comes to the faults of others. So, who need your help[ this week? And how can you help your neiughbor in a responsible way? Lets pray. *

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. *

Won't You Be My Neighbor - Week 1

Lets open our bibles together to Luke’s gospel and find with me chapter 10. Our service looks a little different this morning… Right? It’s beautiful here. Next week I believe we will be at the Twin Bridges in Orangeville just to give you a heads up to where we will be. We’re making an emphasis on being good neighbors, in our very own neighborhoods. So, were here in one of our neighborhoods to kick off this new series called, Would you be, My neighbor.

The entire series is based on the Great commandment from Luke chapter 10. One day, a lawyer asked Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” The question was designed to trap Jesus into saying something that would get him into trouble with the religious authorities, but Jesus simply replied, “What does the law of Moses say?” The lawyer knew the answer as any devote Jewish person would. “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind and you must love your neighbor as yourself”.

The lawyer was quoting Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18. The Great Commandment defines what’s most important in life: Loving God and Loving people. How do we do that? Loving God is more than feeling our hearts touched in worship or in prayer as beautiful as that is. We prove we love God by the way we love other people. If you don’t love people well, you aren’t loving God well. Jesus said to the lawyer “You really know your stuff.

Do this and you will live”. But the lawyer was satisfied, he wanted to justify his actions. What does that mean? It means he wasn’t interested in loving everybody; he was trying to justify why it was okay for him to keep his love circle small. So, he asked Jesus “Who is my neighbor?” So, Jesus told a parable. A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. It’s about a 15-mile journey and would take about 8 hours walking.

Along the way, the man was attacked by bandits, badly beaten, robbed and left for dead on the side of the road. A priest came upon the half dead man. You would think the priest would run over to help him but instead he crossed over to the other side and passed him by. Then a Levite came along. A Levite was a temple assistant to the priests; like being on staff at the church.

Surely this man would help but he did the same thing as the priest. Then a Samaritan came along. When he saw the man, he didn’t hesitate. He rushed over to see if he was still breathing and realizing he was, he sterilized his wounds and put oil on them, picked up the man, put him on his donkey and took him to an inn where he could recuperate. The good Samaritan gave the innkeeper a pre-loaded debit card and said “If his expenses are higher than I’ll settle the debt when I return.

Jesus asked the lawyer “Which of the three was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy”. Then Jesus said, “Now go and do the same.” When we look at this parable. There are three questions we tend to wrestle with… First, who is my neighbor? Right.. How can I neighbor well if I’m not sure who’s my neighbor. Secondly, what about this question?

What keeps me from being a good neighbor? And lastly, How Do I neighbor well? So, lets dive into the first question. Who is my neighbor.. the answer is you’re neighbor is anyone in need. Now that’s a hard question to ask isn’t it? Because I’d ask, well then Who’s in need? I wanna say, I bet all of us here has some sort of need. Maybe you need help with something?

Maybe you need to just feel like you belong? Maybe theres an emotional need, or physical need. The truth is, I think we all have a need for something. And at Momentum Church, we believe the the holy Spirit draws us together, to meet the needs of one another. To fill the needs of others. One of my favorite cartoons that came out in 2005 forever changed my thoughts on how to neighbo well…

Its called Robots which was a cartoon made by the creators of Ice age and it had a star packed cast. Robin Williams, Haley Berry, Mel Brooks, Amanda Bines to just name a few… but the cartoon was about a young idealistic inventor who travels to the big city to join his inspiration's company. A typical story right.. and there was a famous line that this young investor uses throughout the movie…

Its this.. see a need, fill a need. And so, all throughout this movie this young robot recognized that this company was being taken over by greed, and the poor robots couldn’t afford the upgrades so they were obsolete and falling apart and no one was caring for them. And so, he keeps reminding himself, see a need fill a need. Which in this context was, see someone needing help, help them.

Its another way of saying, to love your neighbor as yourself, put yourself in their shoes. Ask those hard questions.. If I was in their shoes, If I were him or her in this situation, what would I need? It s really living a life having empathy for others. And heres something about that.. to love your neighbor as yourself, its about helping others who can’t meet their needs right now, for what4ever reason.

And it goes even deeper… its not just meeting needs for whatever reason, but also, its about meeting needs for anyone whois even different than you. Culturally different. Right now, think about this for the time we are in right now, someone politically different than you. Maybe even someone who is theologically different than you. The punch line for this story of the lawyer, priest and Samaritan is that the jews and the Samaritans had a great hate towards each other.

Each of them claimed to be the true inheritors of the promises of Abraham and Moses and both claimed the rightful claim to the land. And as Jesus was telling this story, the listeners were expecting the jews in this story to be the hero but ironically as Jesus was telling this story you can just read into it and feel the boos when the Samaritan comes onto the scene. But Jesus isn’t here to play favorites..

He’s; hear to write a news story of grace which includes everyone. And when I say everyone, I really mean everyone. Even those you may not like. Even those that may be your enemy. I always love it when I read the book of acts, and right in the beginning of chapter one, Jesus says, you will take the gospel to Jeruslamn, to Samaria and then to the world. Do you remember what that meant?

You’ll take the gosplel to those who first hated me… And then you’ll take it to those you hate. Before you go anywhere where they do not know you or me, I think it was Jesu saying, you need to learn to love first. Because what are you going to do when you go where they do not know Jesus or you, and you make an enemy? Wither they hate you or Jesus, would you be willing to love those who are hard to love?

And I think by learning to love those in Jerusalem, and Samria they can learn to love those anywhere. Jesus is writing a news story of grace and love, and he’s telling this story asking, the lawyer and the jewish people, do you really know who your neighbor is? Because, to neighbor well, this circle requires a wide circle of grace. How wide is your circle of grace? How many people are you willing to love, our care for, or give without question?

Who is your neighbor? Who is in your sphere of influence right now at work, or in your own neighborhoods, or even in your own home who you know is in need/ Jesus says, go meet there needs. There is a quote by a Bible teach named Tom Wright, who writes about this story in Luke, and he writes, “No church, no Christian can remain content with easy definitions which allow us to watch most of the world laying half-dead in the road.” Which leads us to the next question..

What keeps us from being a good neighbor? As Jesus was telling this parable, those who heard it must have thought when the priest came onto the scene, what luck! If there’s one person you would think would step in and do something it would be a religious guy but he didn’t. Let’s as a question, Have you ever been surprised at who didn’t help? Has there ever been a moment where we’ve been let down when we needed help?

I know I have. And I know the feelings of feeling let down, or maybe even alone when I’ve put my own pride aside and asked for help and no one was there. But what keeps us from neighboring well?? Well.. what about being too busy? Have you ever been deriving down the road and seen a car on the side of the road with a couple kids in the back seat and thought to yourself, maybe I should stop to see if they are ok.

Did you stop? Or did say, I got to get to where I’m going? I think we’ve all done it. How hard would it have been to stop and offer a few bottles of water and some snacks for the kids? What about fear? Fear can keep us from welcoming people into our circle of grace. Maybe if we see someone on the side of the road, and you’re like, I’m not stopping and helping.

You never know these days. Maybe it’s a trap to lure people to stop to harm them.. The truth is, we watch way to many movies where people are harmed for doing the right thing. And maybe the priest and the levite had the same thing in their minds too. Lets not forget, traveling was very dangerous in Jesus time. It s dangerous road to anywhere. Someone could be hiding in the weeds, or the brush to jump out to attack you.

Then theres this one, its goon gt o require to much and become messy and complicated. Let’s face it.. helping people can get hard and messy at times. It is. We want our love for others to fit within a 30 minute sitcom which ends with every one getting better and learning some new life lesson. Maybe there was a time you did help, and you got burned.. Maybe someone took advantage of you.

Lets face it, it can happen. Messy people bring messy situations and loving on people can become messy and complicated. And in full disclosure… I know first hand of all of these. Busyness, fear and messiness. Just a few weeks ago, a friend and I were at Cape May teen camp, andthewse two guys showed up sweaty and tired. They were talking to some of the ladies who were a little uncomfortable and ask for a couple guys to come and talk with them.

When we arrived, we saw these two men, all tattooed up. Baggy pants and dirty clothes. They were sweaty and dirty. So we learned that they had been walking for some time, and were asking if someone could give them a ride. We got the van, and loaded it up with them and the two of us. Then we went to McDonald’s and got them dinner. There was change to the $50 I had, so I gave that to them incase they needed something else.

And then they began to direct us to where they needed to go, but they wouldn’t give us the exact address. We were scared. He thought he was going to get stabbed in the side, and I was afraid that I was going to get my throat slashed, while they robbed us. The drive kept getting scarier and scarier. Until finally, we pulled into a house where they were staying, and we prayed and let them out, and told them Jesus loved them.

On the way home, we asked the question, did we have faith even in this moment where we needed to be the samaritan in a story where it was, scary, took our time and could get messy. What we determined was that they needed grace just like we needed grace. We all need grace. You and I do not need to save the world because there is already a savior, but the savior invites us to join him in his work and that means he puts people right in front of us to neighbor.

Its complicated right?? There so many questions like, how? How much? When? When not to? What is helpful and what is not helpful? We need dot ads those questions. Yet, they can also paralyze us to the point and numb us to all of the great needs that are around us. Each and every day. Where we walk this world, watching all these people around us dead from their sin. So how do we neighbor well then?

Well, here are some tangible things we can do.. First, walk across the street. If the priest and Levite walked across the street, they would have discovered the man wasn’t dead and could have helped them. Walking across the street for you may mean walking across the street to your neighbor and getting to know them better. It may be throwing a neighborhood BBQ or a hot dog night around the fire pit.

I remember the first time I saw someone from this church singing on Facebook… I was scared to ask her because I didn’t know her, but I could sense she knew Jesus. One invitation and conversation led to the last two years of watching her grow in her faith. Take that time to get know those around you… and maybe that could begin by getting to know those you church with. Make an effort to get to know those around you.

Invite them to dinner or lunch. Start a Bible study together. Make the effort to walk across that boundary, or to let others in to your circle of grace. Secondly, be you. We talk about this a lot in our Christina circles. Don’t be a Christian at church, and someone different at home. Be authentic, and to be authentic takes people being honest. Most of my friendships grew when I was willing to be honest about myself to them.

When I am at the fire hall, these guys cuss. They get excited.. and they always say, sorry Matt… I forget you were here. And I’m ,like, its ok. Be you. Be authentic. It’s easier to show you the gosple when you’re being the real you… when they take off their mask and show their real heart. It helps me see where they are. Lastly, and this might be one of those..

man that is so easy moments for you… Be consistent in going to the same places. I intentionally go into the bank just to speak with the tellers face to face. Now, they know me. They know where I pastor, and I get to know their lives a little more. Just the other day, I walked into the bank to make a deposit and the teller began to speak about her kids, and she opened up about seeing me at other community events.

When it comes to intentionally neighboring, it means being consistently going to the same places. To the same grocery store. To the same laundry mat. To the same gas station. To the same garage. To the same restaurants. Our family goes to buffalo wild wings almost every week and we know the waitreses there and they know us.. so much so they know I always order two waters. We know their names, and have prayed for them.

As we close, I want to encourage us to really think about these questions… who are we neighboring to… Even in this moment, we are out of the walls of the church among people.*

Remembering Together

I want to invite you to open you bibles with me to Philippians chapter 1. Theres a lot of emotion surrounding my heart today because this will be the last message I bring to you as the Momentum Congregation. Next week, I’d like to gather too pray and worship, and to take our final communion together as the body of Christ. This morning, Id like to read to you from Philippians chapter 1, verses 3-6, and then i’d like to share with you an excerpt of my journal entry from August 7th.

“I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you, 4 always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Journal Entry, August 7th, 2024. I write theses words at the Philadelphia Pre-Teen Camp during our time of prayer together.

In my heart, I am being readied too let go. I feel that the work is coming to an end at momentum for me. I sense God moving me in a different, and new direction. I am ready to say yes. 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 death.

Deo Volente. Whatever God wants. When apostle Paul came to Philipi, This city was known for two things. The infamous, Alexander the Great and Caesar Augustus. The city which was smaller than the cities of Corinth and Thessilonica was about 10,000 people, and founded roughly 350 years before Jesus came onto the scene. Alexander the Great conquered the town and named it after a person named Philip II of Macedon, which was the father of Alexander the Great.

Then, in about 168 bc, the romans came in and conquered the city and around 42 bc, there was a famous battle that happened when the armies of Brutus and Cassius, who had assassinated Julius Caesar, met and fought the armies of Marc Antony and Octavian. This city was important because it was the gateway between Europe and Asia… But unless your a history buff, you may not of known those two facts, and you may be someone who knows of this city because of something even greater…

Jesus. Philippi is the place where Paul, would end up visiting and establishing a church, and there is where you get the book of Philippines. I share this with you because I want you to know you will always be a part of my life. Paul writes in verse 3, I thank my God every time I remember you. I think of how Paul loved Jesus and how the Spirit of God took him on this journey to the known world to plant churches, and I think about how hard it must have been for him to make connections, and build relationships with people, and baptize them, and share bread, and communion with them, and grow in their relationship together, all for Paul, who had to know he woiukldnt be there long, would need to leave, because his calling was to plant churches.

Paul had a heart to take the gospel as far as Spain, but the beauty is, by the time he reaches Rome, he would be surprised that the gospel was already growing and going before him. But he remembers them. I'm thankful God would have designed us in a way that memory is a part of our life. We remember. What a phrase. We remember the past. We remember the smells and the people we’ve met throughout our life.

We remember words. Think of the Bible. Most of the OT is Israel remembering. Remembering God’s faithfulness. Remembering the promises. Remembering the faithfulness of God and how God forgives and loves and pursues us even in the moments we stop pursuing him. And I imagine Paul is sitting there writing to the philiiapsians remembering all of these things as he writes. Do you remember? Do you remember when you first heard your child cry?

Do you remember the first time you met someone you’ve love. Do you remember when the little feet would pitter patter across the floor, and the giggles, and the smiles. I think of these moments and often times in prayer, I think GOd says that to us.. do you remember… Do you remember when you cried out for help. Do you remember when you prayed to get pregnant, or you prayed for this situation, or that situation.

I sense God at times when I slow down my life, and I sense God saying to me.. remember when I…… And you can place your own story here…. But there are moments in our walk of faith where God has shown up… and says to us.. Remember when I showed myself too be faithful. Remember when I when showed myself to be kind and loving towards you. Remember when I showed and revealed my only son, Jesus, to your heart.

Remember that time you believed and the Spirt of Christ was born within you… Do you remember? When we slow down our life, and we take time to remember, its not just reminiscing of our past, but in reality, its receiving an invitation to praise God, in his very presence in the present. He’s inviting us to remember. We always want God to speak something new to us. We always want God to do something.

To change something. And we should–after all, He is God. He invites His children to ask Him, to call upon Him day and night. But there is something so sacred and so holy about just pausing to remember what He has already done. The more we remember, the more we can trust Him. The more we can rest in Him. The more we know how very near He is. David wrote, “I shall remember the deeds of the LORD; Surely I will remember Your wonders of old.

I will meditate on all Your work And muse on Your deeds.” Psalm 77: 11-12 What was David meaning when he said, to muse.. it means to saturate yourself with thoughts of GOd. To rememberer what he has done, but to also remember and trust in what he’s; already doing. Paul was remembering the people that God had touched. They were partners in the gospel.. thats what he says in verse 5..

you’ve been partners with me.. From he first day to the last… till now, till my departure, we ahvce been partners. Thats what we have been over the last few years. We’ve been partners. Working together in the gospel. I remember the joy, and the sadness we have experienced together. I remember our little celebrations and prayers for help, and for God to be a very presents help in our troubles.

I remember, all the quirky mishaps, and all of the many, many technical difficulties we had with our sound system. I remember baptizing you, and walking with you in your journey of faith… and I celebrate with you, over our love for Christ together. But just like Paul, as God would call him to the next town or even when God called him to be imprisoned and chained for God’s glory, God has called me to move on.

Not for my own gain, but for the gospel to which I am indebted to. And I imagine these moments with Paul had to be tough. They had to be filled with all kinds emotions. I shared my journal entry with you because I was filled with all kinds of emotions too… IN my Bible, on that day I wrote this in my journal, I wrote the word.. ready. I’m ready.

And it amazed me how fast things have moved once I say to God, I’m ready. I don’t think for a moment, we can hinder God’s plan.. but we can hinder our own involvement at times when we let fear take over and we’re afraid to say yes to GOd, and take steps or even leaps foreword by faith. We cant let fear keep us from letting go and letting God work…

I remember at Erma teen camp, there was this phrase that came up.. it was, If I say yes, God will do the rest. Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes, “There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth … A right time to hold on and another to let go.” Ecclesiastes 3:1, 6b (MSG) Life is full of change. Life is full of transitions. For instance, there are natural transitions…

Like our kids growing up. We cant stop that. I was telling Alicia the other day, I miss our kids being little. Then theres the transitions with jobs, and moving, and the changing of our friendships at times. Then there are unexpected c change… Divorce. And illness and death. Poor choices we make at times in life. And every transition comes with a roller coaster ride of emotions. But listen to Solomon’s wisdom..

he says, Theres a time to hold on, and a time to let go. The first time I read these words, I remember saying in prayer, Father, I’m ready. IM ready to let go. That is what I needed to stop the roller coaster of emotions and the fear of moving on…. I need to know what to hold on to and what to let go of. Think about that for a moment…

when it becomes clear to us in our life, what we need to hold on to, and what we need to let go… When we have that clarity, I believe we make progress. To many times, through ministry I’ve seen a lot of people refusing to let go and a lot of people holding on to things that hurt them and others… mainly unforgivness.. We struggle with letting go of past hurts, and we even struggle with letting go of the good things that bring nostalgia.

And things like tradition… Often times, I believe that if we can learn to let go, and Let God, we’ll see some amazing changes in our journey when it comes time for us to let go to move forward. And Think about this… letting go means were redirecting our trust. Its like yesterday as we sat around tables for the birthday party, and we shared stories with one another.. remembering, and talking…

when it was time to leave, we were filled with tears.. because our family was about to leave, and take a journey far away to Colorado. But with every embrace, and hug, there was a moment where we had to let go.. and trust that God would care for them, as he would care for us. Letting go is an act of trust… Paul writes in verse 6, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

For me, letting go was saying.. God this is your church…. Not mine. And not just this church.,., but this life… this body.. I have…..its yours. You’ve called me to advance the gospel. You’ve called me proclaim the good news. And through trusting in your word… I am able to let go knowing that you will continue to complete the good work he had started… not just at momentum church… the church may be closed, or it may not be..

I dunno. But the work isn’t the building… its us. He’s working in us… growing us… perfecting us. I had to learn that myself… the work isn’t growing the building… its guiding people with the truth of the Word and watching God grow the body of Christ, because his Spirit dwells within us. But it all happens when we are willing to let go, and when we’re learning to hold on to what is good and profitable for us.

I’m letting go… and I’m holding on to God trusting that he will be faithful to to complete the work he has begun in you…. Until the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. I join Paul in knowing this… God isn’t done with you… God isn’t done writing your story, for his glory. It may be here, or it may be at another church… I dunno… but I do know this…

Before you say untying.. make sure you know what you need to let go of… and what you need to hold on to… My prayer for you today is this… its the same prayer Paul says to the Philippians… and it comes form verse 9 and this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

Let us pray together.. Heavily Father.. you have begun a work in all of us. And you’ve been faithful. You’ve been patient in times when we were unwilling to let go of things that hinder our growth. You’ve pursued us, listened to us, cared for us, and walled with us….. and there are time where we do not know or understand life, but you promise us that you would be there from the beginning to the end…

I pray that you will open our eyes to what we need to let go of, and to hold on to. I pray that you will grow within each of us a desire to know you more. I lift this congregation up in full submission to you, and pray for any healing that may need to happen. Care for any of my mistakes, and lead these people into the future with confidence in you, and the gospel they mist carry themselves.

Help them to conduct themselves worthy of the gospel. Help them to stand firm in your Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel. Grant to us this one request… Help us to be still, and know…. That you are our God. In Jesus name, amen. *

Kingdom Building

Let’s open our bibles together to Acts chapter 1. I was laughing in prayer this week because the Spirit has been kind of leading me backwards in my study for Sundays mornings. Typically I would assume most pastors would preach acts 1 and move to acts two, but we're rewinding a bit today to explore the beginnings of how the Holy Spirit-filled missions came to be. This week I’ve had the chance to speak the gospel to a lot of different lives.

I counseling moment with a person who’s been struggling. And as Alicia and I were praying with this person, I began to think about a phrase Peter said in Acts chapter 3, verse 6 where Peter says to a lame man, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” I began to think about todays sermon and I asked myself this question, what if our greatest treasure that we have, is also the greatest treasure we get to share with others?

Church, Can you think of anything more important in your life to give to someone else than the good news of how they can be reconciled to God for all eternity? It’s the greatest gift we can give, the greatest thing we can share. But here’s a question—this will lead right into our text today—if this is the greatest gift we can give, the greatest thing we can share with someone else, why are we so hesitant to share it?

This is where I think it would be helpful for us to be honest with each other. Many of us didn’t share the gospel with another person this last week. Maybe some of us haven’t shared the gospel with somebody in the last month. For some of us, maybe it’s been years. Maybe we can’t remember the last time we shared the gospel with somebody else. I’m not just talking about Jesus talk or God talk.

Just because we mention Jesus or God in a sentence doesn’t mean we’re sharing the gospel. Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses are talking about Jesus all the time, but they’re not sharing the good news. I’m talking about having a conversation with someone where you’re talking about Who God is and how we sinned against Him and Who Jesus is and what Jesus has done, and you actually invite somebody—your neighbor, your co-worker, friend, family member—to turn from their sin and trust in Jesus.

I think, whenever we hear the word evangelist or mission, we have a tendency to dismiss ourselves, because we say, how could God use me in that way and if you were to ask me, those parts of ministry are for those really, really called Christians. Those, navy seal kind of Christians that God has called to become a part of his kingdom building special forces. And the truth is… it’s not.

My prayer this week for this church and all churches, meaning all people who have placed their faith in Jesus, would get it out of thier heads that only certain people are called to be missional people. What if instead of saying, I believe by Faith, and the Holy Spirit is in me to sit on the sidelines, we actually said, the Holy Spirit is in me, and now I have the boldness, In Christ to tell someone about Jesus.

If you were to ask me… every church in the world who is a Jesus led church should be a church working in the kingdom growing business. I want to read this passage to you in the book of acts chapter 1, and then, I want to explore three things of a missional church that fans the flames of mission. My hope is that by the end of this message, every follower of Christ in this gathering will be encouraged and emboldened in a fresh way to share the gospel with somebody this week.

Just one person. So that’s where all of this is headed. There is a vast mission field waiting beyond the walls of this church, ready for the harvest. But that's not all. In recent weeks, God has also been working in our own community, expanding the harvest field right in our backyard, offering us incredible opportunities for a fruitful harvest. But the truth of the saying goes… the harvest is ripe, but the laborers are few.

My prayer is that we be encouraged to be laborers, and in turn, this church, Momentum church will passionately engage in the mission and purpose of seeing people come to Jesus Christ.. Let’s read Acts 1, beginning in verse 4.. acts 1:4-14 The first truth we find in the early church that become bold in fanning the flames of mission was this: “They had a faith that produced obedience.” They wholeheartedly trusted God and faithfully followed His instructions.

You see, Prior to Jesus’s ascension, Jesus conveyed to them, 'You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth' (Acts 1:8, HCSB). That’s the last place I think anyone of those early Christians wanted to be because not too long ago, that whole city just told every person in the world what they thought about Jesus… they crucified him! And it boggles my mind…

why would they wan to go back? Have you ever thought about the Barrabbas moment with Jesus.. Think about it, Jesus and Barrabbas come out before the crowd. Jesus is there standing side by side with Barrabbas, the murderer before a shouting crowd. And Pilot said, I’ll release one of these two men to you and the crowd begins to shout Barrabbas. What was going on in Jesus’s head in that moment?

I know I would have been, Uh… are you serious? I would have been like hold up… Wait a minute. This guy actually killed people.. I at least brought people back to life, and you want to set him free? But what caused Jesus to remain silent in that moment? What caused him to do nothing, while facing death… He didn't protest, didn't argue, didn't defend Himself. And why? Because Jesus had a faith that produced obedience.

He had an unwavering trust in His Father's plan, even in the face of death. You see, obedience without faith is nothing more than going through the motions. It's compliance without conviction. It's doing things because we feel obligated or because it's the expected thing to do. But true obedience, the kind that Jesus exemplified, is rooted in deep faith and trust in God. It’s kind of like this.. it’s going to do a service project like pick up trash along the river bed.

And the person next to you is passionate about picking up the trash. Thier talking about how straws are getting stuck in turtle noses, and six pack plastic pieces are getting wrapped around the heads of the wildlife and killing them. They are there because they are convicted deep within their core that something needs to change. We’ve got to take care of our world. And then there’s you… you’re there because you got a free t-shirt and that girl you like, or that boy you like joined.

No conviction, no position or stance on the issues affecting wildlife, just compliance. You’re just there. Those early christians were given instructions. They were told to go back into Jerusalem, into the very place that just showed what they thought about this Jesus, and they were told to go back and wait. I dunno about you, but it’s easy to have faith when we're actively doing things, when we're witnessing God's work firsthand.

But when we're called to wait, when there's uncertainty and a lack of visible progress, that's when our faith is truly tested. Waiting goes against our human nature because We want to take control, to make things happen, to see immediate results. No one likes to see things that are unsettling. NO one desires to witness chaos around us while we wait. No one wants to see things crumble into almost nothing.

But God often calls us to wait, to trust in His timing and His plans. And it's in those waiting seasons that our faith is stretched and refined. You see church, waiting requires great faith because it forces us to surrender our need for control and to rely fully on God. It requires us to trust that He is working behind the scenes, orchestrating the perfect timing and preparing us for what lies ahead.

That’s the season we are in. We’re in the season of preparing. And while we prepare, while we wait, while we place our faith in Jesus… we have a choice. We can either grow weary and impatient, allowing doubt and fear to creep into our lives.. or we can anchor ourselves in Jesus, and put our faith in Him, knowing that God is faithful and His promises never fail. Obedience isn’t driven by circumstance, it’s driven by intimacy and love.

We respond in obedience and faith because our of our relationship to Jesus. When it comes to being a church on mission, do you truly know what the single most greatest truth is that you and I can carry? It’s not our education, it’s not how much money we have, It’s not even passion to which we will talk about here in moment.. the single most greatest thing, that fans into flame the call to missions is our intimate love relationship with Jesus.

Because “Everything Jesus desires to do through you he will do out of the overflow of what he’s doing in you. Look with me in verse 14… “These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer” (NASB). This phrase “one mind” in the Greek language literally means one will, one heart, one passion. The second truth we find in the early church that Fans into flames the mission was this: They had a passion that produced unity.

Can I ask us all a very humble question…… It’s personal… Sometimes personal questions help us ask the tough questions of our faith that we sometimes aren’t willing to ask. How have we invested in the unity of Christ in this church, with those of us who are here at this church? How have you invested in others in this church. To get to know others, to actively love on others.

To let others know you’re praying for them? Do we have a passion to invest in one another? Do we have one will, one heart, one passion here at this church. What’s our passion? What stirs our souls and ignites our hearts? Because, I hope it’s Jesus. Sometimes I get a little emotional when I think of this verse, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” I get emotional because I also couple that verse with this one in Romans, “Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin,” And what that means is that any attempt at obedience on my part, or any other act that isn’t springing from a heart of faith in Jesus, winds up just being sin because it displeases the Lord.

And so, I’ve got to get this heart of mine redirected. I’ve got to have this heart of mine recalibrated because I know it’s very easy at times to get unfocused on Jesus, and focus on myself or focus on what I think is the problems around me. It’s learning to have that relationship like David, when he repented, and said, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.” And so, I find a place, like my office, or I often like to come to the front of the church and jsut sit and focus on the cross. I say with my heart… I want to know more of you, Jesus, and I pray that I would delight in you Jesus, as I meditate on you; and I get the whole Christ before me.

When I do this, Faith will rise because grace would be coming through it, and then obedience flows out from it. I have come to realize that true passion often emerges from a place of desperation. You see, "Passion doesn't wait for convenient circumstances; Passion thrives in the midst of desperation.” Desperation is often misunderstood and seen as a sign of weakness or vulnerability. I disagree with that. I believe desperation is just like meekness, or kindness, and patience.

These are things we think are weak, but actually they are strong because they all require a deep faith and trust in God’s plan and timing. When we are desperate, we’re driven by a deep longing or intense desire for change. Think about it… think about one moment in our life where everything felt like it was failing apart, or crashing down, or just everything seems like its against you… how did you feel in that moment?

You wanted change. We say it all the time… something needs to change. But yet, in these moments of desperation we realize the limitations of our current situation and we become willing to push beyond our comfort zones. The issue though, many times in our desperation we think we’ve got to take matters into our own hands…. And trust me, any times we take things into our own hands, that’s not trusting in God.

So what did they do in their desperation? They did something simple… they prayed. Prayer became their foundation of their desperation. Waiting in prayer is not a passive; it is an active posture of trust and surrender. The Bible says they got in that upper room and they devoted themselves to prayer, and they didn’t stop praying together until God showed up to do what he said he was going to do.

I just want you to know this.. prayer isn’t powerful. The God we pray too is powerful. If you dig deep enough anywhere in the world where God is actively at work, let me tell you what you’ll find. You’ll find a remnant of people that have sought the face of God in prayer for that to happen. If we at momentum church, if we are truly passionate about the growth of the kingdom, wouldn’t our passions say that about us?

I once heard this phrase, “Actions speak louder than words — but desires speak loudest.” You see, the gospel always confronts our desires. That’s what Peter and the 11 did in chapter two when they stood up by faith together. Peter preached the gospel to the people because he and the 11 had one will, one heart, one passion. To see people transformed by the Power that was witnessed in that upper room.

The gospel always confronts the passions of our life and it leads us to ask the question, who and what are we more desperate for? And that’s a question I can’t answer for you… I can only lead you to the place of prayer and sit with you, and pray for you, and with you. What’s your passion? What fuels your passion? Unity without passion is just a collection of disconnected individuals.

It’s like a bunch of electric cords stored in box. They have a purpose, but their not connected to any power. Do you know what we need right now at this new beginning of Momentum Church? We need to be connected to one another, but more importantly, we need to be connected to the power of God. And the only way that happens is to be in Jesus Christ. We can debate for days in lecture halls and classrooms what really happened on the Day of Pentecost.

But here’s one thing we can all agree on: on that day, the church was empowered as it had never been before. We need a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit of God. And that begins with a faith that obeys, a passion that craves unity, and a desperation that calls for prayer. And when those three things happen to a surrendered vessels for the Lord’s presence, I believe those vessels will witness the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling within each and every one of them, and then they can say as Jesus said in Luke 4, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Missional minded people are Spirit filled people. *

A Funeral Message

TI would like for you to turn your attention to the book of Romans and find with me chapter 14, and once you find chapter 14 would you be so kind, and only if your able, would you stand with me in honor of God’s Word tonight. I will be reading our verse today from the Christian Standard Bible and if your able, follow along with me from verses 7 to verse 9.

Hear the word of the Lord…. 7 For none of us lives for himself, and no one dies for himself. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 Christ died and returned to life for this: that he might be Lord over both the dead and the living.. Now, I ask for grace for I need a moment to turn to Matthew gospel, and find Chapter 11.

I’ll read verse 29. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your wonderful presence and your faithfulness to be near those who are hurting and broken hearted. I Pray, in this hour that Your Word would be planted deep into our hearts. Help us not to be a forgetful hearer but a doer of Your Word.

Strengthen us to meditate on Your Word and so build our life on the rock of Your truth. In Jesus’s name we pray, Amen. You may be Seated. She would be so humbled by your kind words over her life tonight. If I was to sum up her life. The life I knew as her pastor. I would sum it up with one word, Jesus. This past Saturday, I sat with family and friends and I was telling them on how Charles Spurgeon had pointed out that in all four gospels given to us, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

And out of 89 chapters of Biblical text, there is only one place in the Bible where we hear Jesus himself, tells us what his heart looks like. and it’s found only in Matthews gospel where Jesus says this of himself, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matt. 11:28–30) In this one place in the Bible, it’s as if the Son of God, pulls back the fleshly veil that covers his heart, and he gifts us the opportunity to peer down into the core of his heart and see him for who he truly is. Jesus says, “I am lowly and gentle in heart.” That’s what Jesus says.

According to his own testimony, this is Christ’s very own heart. This is the core of who he is. And it’s the very nature of her spirit. Think about it. Jesus says, I am gentle. In other translations it says, I am Meek. Humble. Gentle. What we learn is this… Jesus was never trigger-happy. Not harsh, or reactionary, or easily angered. He is the most understanding person in the universe. The posture most natural to him is not a pointed finger but open arms.

Regardless of who you are… he says, come. The most humblest invitation by Jesus to you and to me is to just come. Now, This is only in the time that I’ve known her. Which has been in her mid to late 90’s. Her family may know a different side of her. I can only imagine how many times you boys have tested her gentleness and her sanctification. But I can affirm this..

regardless.. she loved you boys dearly. She was every word of what Peter would say of a Christ-like wife other husband, and to you boys… Peter writes, “but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.” Jesus also said, he was lowly… Do you know what it means to be lowly? It’s a word that doesn’t connect to being gentle, but it overlaps it.

It’s translated in many of our bibles as being humble. Such as in James 4:6: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” In Mary’s song while pregnant with Jesus, for example, this word is used to speak of the way God exalts those who are “of humble estate” (Luke 1:52). Paul, in the same chapter as he says, that our bodies are to be living sacrifices, used to glorify Christ, he uses the word lowly when he tells us to “not be haughty, but associate with the lowly” (Rom.

12:16) The point to what Jesus is saying by saying that he is lowly, is to say that he’s is accessible. He’s willing to listen. He’s approachable. In all honesty, when you encounter his presence, you’ll find yourself wanting to be around Him more. I loved every minute that I was around her. Because She was always kind, and lowly, and gentle and meek, and thoughtful. When I was in her presence, I always found myself to be at rest.

But she would go on to tell me one time that she wasn’t always good. Just a couple months ago I sat with her at her table. Filled with papers, and cards and a magnifying glass, and often there would be a tea cup sitting on the corner wall by her chair. And we began having conversations but it was hard to communicate because she couldn’t hear very well. So one day I said to her…

“why don’t you start telling me about your life growing up. You might not be able to hear me, but I can hear you.” What was it like growing up in the 1920’s and during he great depression, and through so many other things. Just think about it. She lived through some amazing moments. Time magazine was first published only 9 days before she was born. Bubble gum was invented when she was 5.

The US went into the great depression when she was 6. By the time she was 17, McDonald’s was founded and when she turned 18, Pearl Harbor was attacked thrusting the US into the second Word War. IN the 1960’s the beetles were formed in Liverpool England. She lived through the 70’s, the 80’s the 90’s and the 2000’s. There is so much she could have said to me.. but do you know where she started.

She began telling me of when she was a teenager and she wasn’t a very good person. Believe it or not.. she goes, pastor… I’ve been known to be a little mischievous. She began telling me about when she was in school and she would sit up on the front row and her and another boy would cheat on their tests. Until one day, her and her friend went to a tent revival and she received Jesus into her heart.

She began telling me how, when she went back to school she was a different person. She didn’t want to cheat anymore. She had to tell the boy that sat up front with her, that she couldn’t cheat anymore. She just said, “I got saved and I didn’t want to look back.” And I never noticed it until last night as I was thinking about this tory she had told me…

but she was giving me the gospel, in her own way she was giving me me the gospel. The frost gift that God gives to each and every person is their testimony. She could have talked about the wars, or the beetles, or to her amazing marriage to Lee, and her love for her boys… but the first story was to tell me about how her life was changed one day in a tent, by a revivalist, where she lived one way, but when she had a real, authentic interaction with Jesus, who offered her grace, and love and forgiveness.

Who met her there in that tent, with a heart that was lowly and gentle, her life was changed. That’s why I believe the Holy Spirit led me to Romans chapter 14. Romans 14 reminds us of this.. That we are not our own but that we belong, body and soul, both in life and death, too God and to our Savior Jesus Christ. The essence of the Christian life is not to be lifted up.

But to lift the name of Jesus. You see, this is what she would have heard in that tent meeting. God sent his Son, Jesus, to save us by grace and to adopt us into his family. All of which came through the shedding of the blood on the cross. Then in three days, the Son, was raised to life and now sits at the right had of the father. So now, because of that grace, in our gratitude, we want to resemble our Father.

We want the family resemblance. We want to look like our Savior. We want to please our Father. We want a heart that is lowly and gentle. And the only way for that to happen is for His son to come and live in us. We’re not to live as if we belong to ourselves or the world… As Paul had said, and as she had lived.. we belong to Christ.

And that could mean several things. But when we’re called to live for Jesus. I think of two things… First of all, it means we are not to determine for ourselves what is right or wrong. We give up the right to determine that, and we rely wholly on God’s Word. She lived this kind of life… a holy life, a life that says, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

A life that would resemble the famous hymn, It is well with my soul. Regardless of what happens, God you are in control over my life. She lived a life totally surrendered to her Lord. Also, to belong to Christ, meant that we stop putting ourselves first, and we always put first, what pleases God and what loves our neighbor. Let’s be honest… it’s easy to love God.. but sometimes it’s hard to love those who are hard to love.

I don’t think there was a soul here on earth that she didn’t love. Her words were always compassionate. Her words were always encouraging. Her words always pointed to Jesus. Could we live like that? Could we, every day, choose God's way, choose love, even when it means laying down our own wants and desires for someone else? Could we live everyday putting what we want, and how we want it, and what we think is right or wrong behind us to please God and to love others.

She did. And she showed us by her example that we can Love God and Love others and serve both faithfully. She showed us what a holy life looked like, to wholly give ourselves to our savior. Mind, body and soul. It means she trusted God through thick and thin, through the good and the bad times, in life and in death. Her faith was rooted in love. She lived this life of belonging!

I to Jesus and Jesus to I. You too can live this life. I can’t promise you 100 years of life like hers, but I can promise you this… Jesus says, If you put your faith in him, you will inherit eternal life. That a promise… And when Christ comes into your heart like it did jeans… you too can sing the words to the song we’re about to hear. When it's all been said and done, There is just one thing that matters, Did I do my best to live for truth.

Did I live my life for you, Lord I'll live my life for you. For none of us lives for himself, and no one dies for himself. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.*

I Will, Serve

Last week we learned about togetherness. God has designed us not only for worship, but he had also designed us to be together. If you remember, “Coming together is the beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” Every step of the way, our greatest goal is to meet the living God when we meet together. Not programs, not to make sure we have this or that in place. Our first goal is for us to be obedient ourselves in hearing and listening and worshipping and praying and proclaiming God in this service and to hear the still voice of our creator, calling each of us deeper into His plan to a part of the kingdom.

This morning, let’s go a little deeper into the one topic that if I had to pick is one topic that all churches struggle with after giving and money, it would be serving. For me, it took me awhile to learn that serving isn’t something I do, it’s something, I am. Right. I don’t do service, I am a servant. You see, serving is more than just doing, it’s being. It’s being Jesus.

It’s surrendering to Jesus in my life to become a servant unto him. And that can look different in many ways. It could mean different callings, or different positions and jobs or different ways of living… but if you boil it down to one thing… serving is Christ manifesting himself in my life, to do to others, what he was doing for others 2,000 years ago. That’s the life that I pursue.

And it’s called holiness. Holiness simply put, is Christ in me. But not just Christ in me, but he has a hold of me.. all of me. Everything that I am and all that I have, is Jesus’s. That’s all I desire. So my prayer this week while I was at holiness camp was Jesus, have all of me. All of my senses. Have you ever prayed, Jesus not only have all of me, but have all of my sense.

I want to see, hear, touch, smell and taste Jesus in my life. I mean, isn’t that how we process and experience this physical world of ours. I want Jesus to have my eyes so I can see what he sees. I want to be aware of the work Jesus is doing in my own mind and heart, but I also want to see with my own eyes the marginalized and the hurting and the broken in the way Jesus’s sees them.

I desire Jesus to have my ears. I want to hear the things Jesus heard. I want Jesus to have my ears so that I can have them tuned to hear the heart beat of his heart. To hear the voice of God, to witness voices being lifted up in adoration. Do you ever get emotional when your in a room filled with people lifting hands and voices to God and surrendering!

It’s amazing. At camp this week, I took a moment to watch people worship and in but a moment as the Spirit began to move hearts, you can witness moments where people were encountering the living God. I desire Jesus to have my hands, and to have them feel and to work as he would want them to. Jesus was a touching savior. He touched the eyes of the blind to heal, and the faithful reached out to touch him to be healed.

He’s a touching God. What about smelling Jesus? Have you ever wondered what he smelled like? I mean, this was 2000 years ago, hygiene has gotten a whole lot better since then. But what did he smell like? I was thinking about Israel and when we were there I learned that they planted rosemary all around the garden of Gethsemane. Rosemary is believed to be a memory aide.. so they planted it all over gethsemane so that when you would smell the rosemary you would remember Christ.

And I even wanted to taste Jesus… now.. this was a hard one. Because, how do you taste Jesus? If Jesus tasted anything like communion bread and juice well, he doesn’t taste all that good does he? Sometimes he’s dry, or stale. This was the hardest part for me. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t figure out how to taste Christ. Until the Lord reminded me of the garden in Gethseneame.

I couldn’t taste Christ because he drained the cup I could not drink all the way to the bittered last drop and took it to calvary in my place. Because of Jesus all I get to taste is the sweetness of his grace and His mercy and love. Now, I tell you all this because to me, my goal is to live in holiness. If we claim to be holiness people but yet we’re not pursuing Christ with all of our lives, and to be our life.

Then are we truly holy people? Let’s read this Scripture in Matthew chapter 20 and find verse 20 to verse 28. The greatest battle for holiness is our unwillingness to dethrone the sovereign. The most destructive force in this world is our carnal nature to be self centered. That’s sin. Sin isn’t just, Oh I looked over there and saw a woman and lusted for her. Oh, I had a bad thought, or I said a bad word, or I was angry.

Sin, at the deepest core is the fact that we are self-centered. And that is the most dangerous reality because this is what self centeredness does. Self Centerness stands opposed to any kind of love that doesn’t love me first. When we are self-centered, it often guarantees the failure of love. Self centeredness is opposed to all decency. There is no standards other than personal standards. You must love me to my standard.

And boy let me just tell you I got some high standards. Someone who is self-centered may be preoccupied with their own thoughts and feelings and may not be very attentive to the needs and perspectives of others. Honestly, If we only lived our life expecting others to live to our standards, there will never be peace or unity in this world. Never.. ensues our standards are meant to bring us glory, or praise or comfort.

Self centeredness is opposed to relationships. There is not one marriage that I know where two become one where both people are at odds with each other all the time. Self centered carnality is not restricted to certain parts of our life. It permits every function of our living. Every relationship, every standard, every public and private moment, all our thoughts and attitudes are effected by self centeredness. There is nothing, absolutely nothing untouched by the self centered carnality of our mind, and our hearts, and our service towards others and our relationship with others.

It’s problem. And it’s was a problem for the disciples as well. The sons of thunder were seeing a prominent role in the kingdom. Their mother was coming to Jesus and taking a moment to see an opportunity for them to sit at the right and left hand of Jesus and, it caused a lot of things to happen within the group. It was a self centered request. And anytime we are self centered and we make a request that is self centered, there are major implications that become tragic for us and others.

For instance, Look with me in verse 24. And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brothers. The first thing we learn is this… Self-centeredness is a guaranteed recipe for tearing the body apart. These men are the core of the first church. These 12 men were to be the seeds, in the core of the apple of the first church. And you have two disciples going behind the back of the other 10, to try to gain a prominent seat in the kingdom.

And the other 10 got angry because they didn’t think of it first. The result was division. This one word in greek means two things, it means to annoy, and it means very much. When we put indignation together it means to be very much to be annoyed. Which also translates to, seized with anger. The same thing happened in Corinth. They were immature, carnal church. They were divided over loyalty.

This is my pastor, and the other person would say, this is my pastor. There was division over apostleship and leadership. These divisions came from a carnal self centered life. Paul comes into Corinth and says, For where there is envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men. He’s saying, there is no spiritual life in you. I always love this… he never calls them unchristian either.

He never says, you unchrist-like heathens. He calls them Carnal Christians. And whenever there is strife, and division among you, and envy, then the presence of self-centered carnality is always among you. Can you just hear the 10 in this moment? Jesus, that’s not fair. Those two guys went behind our backs and they used their family connections to get this honored seat beside you. And who can blame her! Any mother would want to see her two sons, who were walking with a rabbi without the comforts of life to have some sort of greater role in the kingdom.

I don’t blame her. I want my kids to have every opportunity in life. I mean, isn’t that a part of love. To see others receive? The second thing self centeredness does is that it dethrones the sovereign. We sing this song, I’m sure you’ve heard it… Let the King of my heart, Be the mountain where I run, The fountain I drink from, Oh, He is my song, Let the King of my heart, Be the shadow where I hide, The ransom for my life, Oh, He is my song…

right… Who’s the king of your heart? No where does that song say Jesus! I love the song, don’t get the wrong…, but when I sing it, I’ve got to add Jesus in there, somewhere, anywhere because it’s really easy to sing those verses to the king of my heart, and think only of myself, not Jesus. Am I the king of my heart?? If I am, then the fountain I drink from is from my self centeredness.

The mountain I run to isn’t Jesus, it’s things in this life that I have accumulated and made to become mini idols to the greater idol. Look with me in verse, 22, “You don't know what you are asking, will you be able to drink the cup I’m about to drink? What was their answer? We are able! Oh man… when I read that this week, I was thinking of that old song….

Anything you can do Jesus, I can do better… no you can’t, yes I can. Do you remember that as a kid? This is such an important question by Jesus because this is what he’s asking… James… John… are you able to drink from the cup I’m about to drink? Disciples, are you able to take one sip of the cup that I am about to drain to is bitterest ends.

This was why this week, as I was praying to taste Jesus. It was very clear that I couldn’t taste what he tasted and finished it to the end. Because not one drop was left. He drained it! There response was, We are able. And to be honest, that’s not how the greek word is translated… in the context of this moment when they said, I am able, what they are really saying is this, We are always able.

So many times we are so quick to believe that we are always able, until the suffering comes, and then we begin to doubt our ability to do what we say we can do. Our failures scream of our inadequacy. Our programs don’t work, and were not winning the lost to Christ. But yet, we, just like them find ourselves many times coming into church saying were always able, but were not able.

Honestly, so many times we say we’re able, but we’re unwilling as well. We’re able Jesus … yet They were unwilling to even stay awake in the garden, for one hour to pray. We’re always able Jesus, but yet, How could they go to the cross with Jesus? Once a moment of fright and fear came to them, they ran in fear. Their ignorance was their own dependancy. That’s not faith.

Thats not dependent upon the sufficiencies of Christ and the cross for forgiveness and love and mercy towards others. When it comes to serving, there is no serving with a right heart when your hearts are self centered. So what does Jesus say? He says, in verse 26, Yet it shall not be so among you: but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. Being a servant means being submissive.

You see, Jesus was trying to tell them that in this world, they work to try to get ahead of each other. Jesus turns the ideas of this world around and says, no, in my kingdom, we lower ourselves to be below one another. And everyone is to live in this way, in this pattern. Its our style, our way of doing it, it’s to be submissive. Haven’t you noticed that in all of Jesus’s sermons, there is this thread of servitude.

We’ve got to be careful when we say we want holiness because if that is true, that means we’ve got to be like Jesus. And Jesus had God the father at the center of his heart, and Jesus came to be a servant. How does that apply to our lives? Well, Jesus calls us to step from a position of equality, to lower ourselves to serve the person next to us.

That’s a servant. A servant is equal with another person, but they lower themselves, to serve another. Wouldn’t it be something… just think about this for a moment… wouldn’t it be something… if this is what church membership really meant? That when I take membership vows it’s not so I can make decisions. My membership isn’t about deciding what color we change the carpet to, or so that I can have my favorite kind of preference for this or that so I can be more comfortable.

But what if, membership truly meant that I was going to come into church, every Sunday, and every event, and roll up my sleeves to say, “I just want to become your servant. I am equal with you. However, the moment I see a need in your life, I will forfeit my equality and become your servant.” How different would the church be if we did that? Hcurhc, “You cannot be a Kingdom person and live for yourself.

Isn’t this the holiness message? But that’s not all Jesus says right? Look closely to verse 27, he says, and whosoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave. If you want to know what that means… it means this… A servant is equal with another person, and they lower themselves to serve another. But after they serve, they can rise and become equal with them again. However, to become a slave is different.

To be a slave means they are lower and they stay lower. It’s like a picture of a galley ship. This person sits on a bench in the bottom of a great sailing ship. Everyone is shackeled together, and they are property, they are owned. The owner has a piece of paper that says, I own them. There is no sick days, there is no let’s call in sick. There is no complains, or rights.

This person doesn’t go, Im not coming into work today because there are hypocrites in the boat. This style of servitude means they have no rights. I imagine a new membership vow within church membership. Wouldn’t it be different… if God’s people declared to be a slave of Christ. I often wondered if Peter in his letter was thinking of this moment of James and John and Jesus and the 10 when Jesu says, if you want to be greater, of you want to go further in being a servant, becomes a slave.

He says, “Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ..this bond-servant word means slave. But what would happen, if people came to the altar, stood up and declared to the entire congregation, I desire to lower myself to everyone here? What would happen, if our one focus will be to meet the needs of others, to pour out our energy for others? And require no appreciation and encouragement from others?

To have others not understand you, or to even be liked by others? All because you’ve given up your rights to be served in return, and you are became a slave? I think of my marriage. Its not 50/50. I declared myself to my wife to be a slave, and my one focus will be to meet her needs. I will not live for myself, but for her. My first thought will not to be for me, but for what is good for her.

I surrender all of my rights and submit to be your slave… I am losing my life to you.. and I’m not expecting anything in return form her. How different would our marriages and relationships be if that was our desire? Listen church, I have one observations about being a servant that I want to end with. Servants see needs and meet them. That’s what servants do. Jesus saw our need and came and died for us.

There is a lady named, Ruth Harms Calkin wrote these wonderful words: “You know, Lord, how I serve you with great emotional fervor in the limelight. You know how I eagerly speak for You at women’s clubs. You know how I effervesce when I promote fellowship groups. You know my genuine enthusiasm at Bible study. But how would I react, I wonder, if you pointed to a basin of water and asked me to wash the calloused feet of a bent and wrinkled old woman day after day, month after month in a room where nobody saw and nobody knew?” Jesus said, “You want to be great, you be a servant.” *

Faith and the Unknown

If you have your Bible, and I hope you do. I’d like for you to join me in opening them up to Acts chapter 2. It’s been one of those weeks. This past week has been tough for me. It's been a week of doubt, of week of questioning, and even moments of frustration. And, I found myself asking God why certain things were happening, and at times, I wondered why He seemed to be silent when the world around me is so loud.

Perhaps some of you can relate to that. It's in these moments of struggle and uncertainty that our faith is tested, and we're confronted with the reality of our limitations. I hate being limited at times… I like the all or nothing mindset. I bet We've all had weeks like that. We've all faced moments of doubt, fear, and questioning. It's a part of our journey of sanctification. And the good news is that we have a God who understands our struggles and walks with us through every step of the way.

Amen? And come to think about it… aren’t you glad God’s presence is with us… Amen? I was thinking this week, life is unpredictable. Life sometimes seems to throws curveballs and lemons our way when we least expect it. Every day, every moment we face challenges, disappointments, and uncertainties that can leave us feeling lost and confused. And In those moments, it's easy to question if God is truly present. I’ve been guilty of times when I wonder if He sees my struggles, if He hears my prayers, or in my case this week, has God heard my groanings, and I sometimes wonder if He cares about my pain.

That was me on Monday… On Monday I was just absolutely defeated. I felt rejected all day. I felt like it was the bottom of the barrel and I felt like I had no support, no friends, I have no one to encourage and be there for me… until…… God’s presence broke through the clouds of my pity party and he rescued me, well from myself. There’s truth in the statement, You’re greatest critic is yourself.

Monday night I went to Abby’s choir concert upset, and I sat there with my arms crossed and then the singing starts, and all of sudden a few songs in, these kids being singing this song called Child of Peace… They sang peace in, I believe 7 different languages and every time they would say the word peace, it was like a hammer hitting the hard shell surrounding my heart. Every time…

peace… hammer… Shalom… hammer, Lay-Pan… Hammer.. Then something amazing happened… in the moment, I stopped focusing on myself, and looked around and realized that I was in place packed with people, and I realized God was there in that room. God’s presence unveiled himself in that auditorium, and he just began to love on this tired, grumpy and wayward heart of mine. Can I just testy that our God is not a distant God!

Amen? God spoke to my heart Monday night and when I got home here’s the word that I wrote down that I believe He wanted me to share with you this morning… Are you ready….??? Is Faith really faith if I’m unwilling to step out into the unknown. Could you say that with me… Do you believe that? Hebrews 11 tells us.. “Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see.” I was having a discussion with Alicia just the other day in our living room, And I siad, Hunny….

Do you remember the song Danger Zone from Top Gun? Kenny loggins sings these words, ( Revvin’ up your engine, Listen to her howlin' roar, Metal under tension, Beggin’ you to touch and go, (Now, listen to this… ) Highway to the Danger Zone, Ride into the Danger Zone ) I was telling Alicia… ya know what… when it comes to faith, if we’re not willing to step out into the unknown, can it really be called faith?

Right… Do you know how different the movie Top Gun would have be if Kenny Loggins would have changed the lyrics, to highway to the comfort zone….. ride into the Comfort zone… ???? I mean, what song ever sings… let’s stay where we are and in the comfort zone?????… Even Elsa from the Disney cartoon sings, “into the unknown”…. And it was meant to brush off, or turn away from the old way of life and to embrace who she really was inside…

To me, that sounds a whole lot like holiness. To turn from the old me, and to embrace and cling to the life giving Spirit that God has put into me…. Which His very presence… Could you Imagine if we lived life solely in our comfort zones. If we were content to stay where we are, never taking risks, never venturing into uncharted territory. Never stepping out into the unknown or trying new things.

What kind of faith would that be? Or how about this… What kind of story would we tell with our lives if we never lived by radical faith that requires us to step out by faith into situations that we have no clue what the outcome would be? Wouldn’t, our lives would be stagnant if we lived the way? In the comfort zone?, wouldn’t we lack enthusiasm? I mean there can be growth in the comfort zone..…

but, the typically the only growth we see most times when we stay put, and we’re unwilling to change or move, is dust and rust. I want to read a verse to you, and then just camp out here for today.. is that ok? Acts 2, and you should already be there, and find with me verse 14. “14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.” There’s so much that has happened before this moment.

The disciples have just experienced the amazing resurrection of Jesus Christ! They've spent, face to face time with Jesus, receiving further instructions and promises of the Holy Spirit to come. And so, they gathered together in the upper room, and they began together, pressing in with prayer and seeking God's face. Days turn into nights, and nights turn into days, and still, they’re waiting. But here's the catch: their waiting isn't passive.

No, this is active waiting! They are expectant, preparing their hearts for the unknown. Here is a life principle we all need to understand… “preparing doesn’t mean standing still”… to prepare… it means to make preparation… You see, waiting is not about inactivity; it's about active preparation. The disciples understood this. They knew that the fulfillment of God's promise required their preparation and participation. So what did they do.. well, we know from just before this moment, they all participated in prayer……they sought the promised Spirit, fervently, seeking His guidance, and His presence.

Their waiting was marked by prayer, by worship, and by aligning their hearts with God's purposes. I love what Oswald Chambers writes, "Prayer does not change God, but it changes him who prays.” Do you understand what Oswald is saying??? Prayer changes me… Not the situation… prayer changes me and then, it prepares me for any situation. You see, church, waiting is not a passive state of existence. It’s not finding the comfort zone, or the easy groove and making “no” attempt at anything new or different.

Prayerful waiting is an opportunity for us to surrender our will, and our desires, and our timelines to Jesus so that he can take our everyday, ordinary life and make it His life, in us and through us. We should be having upper room prayer life experiences everyday… I was at the park on Tuesday and in my moments of my upper room moment with God, he sends this Butterfly and it’s just flying around, in all of it’s grace and beauty.

There’s a message in that butterfly… Spiritually, I believe God sent that butterfly to remind me of my encounter in Israel where God told me to be still, and to be patient….. Where the person I met told be about how a caterpillar undergoes metamorphosis in its cocoon. To us on the outside, it may seem like a stagnant and confining existence. But within that hidden space, a miraculous transformation is taking place.

The caterpillar is being transformed into a beautiful butterfly, destined to soar the skies with grace and beauty. Those outside of our prayer life don’t always see what’s going on in our prayer room. So they dont always know what God is saying to us. But When it comes to receiving godly advice from others, there's at least one telltale sign that sets apart whether they are giving you spiritual counsel or just mere human wisdom – and it is this…

“is there a willingness to wait in the prayer room with you.” Think about the story of Job? Job was a man who faced unimaginable trials and suffering, but he had friends who came to offer their perspective and counsel. They begin to offer explanations for his suffering, after awhile, they began to say it to his own wrongdoing or lack of righteousness. What we read and learn from the book of Job, is that his friends failed to grasp this one profound spiritual truth that I think we all forget……

“Just by being present with others is the most compassionate advice we can give without saying anything.” Just be present with others… When Jobs friends we’re telling Job of all the things he’s done wrong, guess who waited with him? God! God Himself waits with Job, listens to his cries, Hears his questions, and understands his frustrations. That’s compassion. And God doesn’t rush to give an immediate explanation but instead, he invites Job into a deeper understanding of His sovereignty and wisdom.

And what we realize in the book of Job, and in my life at the park… is that God is always there, he’s always with his… and he is always inviting us into a deeper relationship, with him. True godly advice is not a rush to provide answers but a patient journey of empathy and compassion. It's about being present which says without words, "I'm here with you, and we will prayerfully wait together until clarity emerges." That, my friends, is the mark of genuine friendship and godly counsel.

And I had to learn that truth this week myself. God used Abby’s song, child of peace to speak to my heart.. God was saying, I’m with you… I got you… Matthew, just focus on me… not on what others are saying.. not on what you think you should do who are outside of the situation… Matthew, I am here with you and when you focus on me… clarity will emerge…

Paul tells the corinthians.. God is not the author of confusion but of peace and whenever you feel confused, you can be sure that God is not part of it. Paul writes in Romans 12:15 (NIV): "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” You see, Romans 12:15 is Godly Counsel… I am here with you when you cry tears of joy and I am here with you with you cry and mourn…

I'm here with you, and we will prayerfully wait together until clarity emerges." That’s what Peter and the 11 did.. they found clarity on what they had to surrendered to the power of the Holy Spirit, read with me again in verse 14… Peter stood up with the eleven… Peter and the 11 had every reason to be afraid…. But because of prayer and God’s presence they stood together in the peace the Spirit gave to them.…

What’s so significant about this? What’s so significant about waiting, and preparing with others… … well it led them into transformation. Into transformation….. What that means is this… Stepping out by faith into the unknown always leads to change. One main reason why we fear the unknown… Let’s just be honest.. we fear the unknown because deep down, we know, that when we go into the unknown, it will change us.

Without a shadow of a doubt, we know I am going be different when I come to other side… and sometimes, we’re just happy where we are. I believe the familiar is wonderful until the familiar keeps us from what God is trying to unveil in our life…. All Throughout history, whenever someone stepped into the unknown by faith and with faith, something incredible happened. Noah stepped into the unknown and witnessed the unveiling of a world-transforming flood and a rainbow promise.

Abraham stepped into the unknown and experienced the unveiling of a promised land and a lineage as numerous as the stars. Moses stepped into the unknown and witnessed the unveiling of God's mighty power, parting the Red Sea and leading the Israelites to freedom. And let's not forget about the ultimate unveiling. Jesus, the Son of God, stepped into the unknown of Calvary, bearing the weight of our sins, and through His death and resurrection, He not only tore the veil unveiling access to God, but he unveiled the greatest act of love and redemption the world has ever known.

And sometimes, we may not see or realize it at first… it may be shrouded in darkness.. it may be hiding behind something… or it may not be clear to us… But it’s there… hidden and waiting to be unveiled by God….. but it can only be unveiled if we’re willing to trust in God, and walk with God by faith to where he wants to unveil himself to us. When I left for Colorado for my very first plane ride in 2008.

I flew into Denver international airport under the cover of clouds and rain… and I was like… man, what’s so special about this place.. The next morning in my hotel room, I woke up and flung the curtains open and to my surprise… there in all of its glory, as if God had just painted it over night… the Colorado mountains… towering above everything, snow glistening in the sun… and it was amazing…

Every unknown brings about changes, but behind every 'unknown' lies an 'unveiling'! Church, let me remind us of something amazing before I close… faith doesn't require having it all figured out but it does require us to step out of our comfort zone. It's not about creating our own detailed manual or a step-by-step guidebook. Faith is about taking that leap into the unknown, even when you have no clue what you're doing.

Faith is stepping into the unknown of forgiveness, not knowing whether or not the other person will want to reconcile. But yet, when we ask God for forgiveness and others to forgive us, we’re changed. Our faith deepens. Reconciliation happens when they are changed as well, and we can’t force them to change. Faith is stepping out into the unknown of being honest about our sin. And asking God to root around in our hearts, to root out of our hearts anything that is not his Son, Jesus.

Faith is stepping out into the unknown with others because we pray with one another and for one another, and when it comes time to step out and do, we can do so in the Spirit of Christ, together. Peter and the eleven disciples stood up, and in that moment, they had no hymnals, no bulletins, and no established order of service. They didn't have all the answers, but they had something far greater: They had each other ……And more importantly, they had power of the Holy Spirit within them….

Here's the beautiful truth: we are not alone. I’m not alone, you’re not alone. Just as the early disciples had each other and the Holy Spirit, we too have a community of believers and the same Spirit dwelling within us. The power of unity, of standing together in faith, is immeasurable. We don't need to have all the answers or a perfectly planned script on how to do church. What we need is the courage to pray with one another, and then when God wants us to, step out hand in hand, trusting one another and trusting The holy Spirit within us, to lead us through the unknowns.

That's why I'm wearing this sweater, it’s a reminder of the word the Lord gave me this year: "prepare." It's a call to be ready for whatever lies ahead. And in this moment, as we face major changes and the unknowns of ministry, I ask each and every one of you to let go of any fear of the unfamiliar and embrace faith with me. And here’s one final thought I have…

we’re going to get scars when we step out by faith into the unknown together… we will get hurt, and we may get buried… But also remember Jesus, staggering on his broken feet out of the tomb toward the Resurrection, bearing on his body the proud scars of the defeat which is victory, all by faith, he stepped into the unknown of death, and in the end God the father unveiled life to us…

Its Jesus… he’s our life… but we can only have Jesus as our life…. If we’re willing to come to him by faith… We can have as much of Jesus as were willing to receive…. And we can have as much as faith as were willing to trust… You see, the unknown might not be known by us… but you can know, the one who has already been there… and done that…because.…

He’s the way maker.. and the miracle worker, the promise keeper… Jesus is the light in the darkness… That is who He is…. Let’s pray… *

Embedded Church - Pennsville

Let’s open our bibles to Acts chapter 17. At our last General Assembly in Indianapolis, Alicia and I watched a worship service on Friday night. The speaker for Friday night was our General Superintendent Dr. Duarte. His message was around the theme, Jesus is Lord, and he commissions us to go. Now, I don’t know about you. But when I heard those words, "Jesus is Lord, Go.” I felt God say to my heart what he asked very simply to Isaiah, Who will I send?

Who will go for us? I said: Here I am. Send me.” The mission of God is to reconcile people from death to life, in Jesus Christ. God has called us to be Christ filled and a space, a people, a bride, the local church that embodies the rescue plan for the entire world. And what an honor it is to be a part of what God is doing here in the local church.

One great prayer I have for us is that we together will see with eyes wide open the call to be missional mined people carrying the light of Christ into a dark world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. We carry the gospel in us. Have you ever thought about this.. the gospel as an invitation. Don’t we all like receiving invitations in the mail? Don’t you remember as a kid, being invited to a party through an invitation.

That feeling you got to be included and welcomed. The treats and food set out before you for the celebration. Don’t you remember how good it felt to have the resources to invite others to your celebration? The friends and family that would come surround you to celebrate with you. Everyday God is inviting you and me with great love and compassion to the table to witness the grace of being in his great presence.

Every week, we come to the church to celebrate this great invitation to come… Isaiah speaks of the compassion of the Lord, 55 “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Isaiah 55 When I think of the free invitation, I also think of Revelation 22, where the Spirit and the Bride say together, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.

All throughout history God has called his people to come, because he is an inviting God. As we learned during Easter he calls us to become curious. To be willing to be like Mary and Mary to hear the invitation and have the curiosity to come and see for ourselves that God is good and faithful and indeed that Jesus is not in the tomb. He calls us to step out by faith to witness the death and resurrection of Jesus.

And then once we witness the goodness of God, through the Fathers plan for our great salvation in Jesus Christ, he calls us to go and tell. So we are invited to come, and then with great love and passion we are called to go… we are invited and called, through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and was resurrected in three days, and asked to step into the great commission shackled not to sin, or to our past life, but to be as a servant, and begging debtor, anchored by faith, to Jesus Christ to go and be light to the world.

Isaiah begins to set the tone for the great commission, he says, “I will also make you a light for the nations, to be my salvation to the ends of the earth.” Is. 49:6” Jesus tells us through John’s gospel, “I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.” John 12:46 And then in Matthew, Jesus gives us a foretaste of the great commission by saying, You are the light of the world…

How many of you know that the gospel is not as powerful or effective if we keep it within the walls of the church? What would be the point of laughter and joy within the walls if it never pours out from the four walls of the church to the people living in darkness? We see paintings of people in hell crying out to God to save them. We read Bible accounts of the rich man begging Abraham to have Lazerus to come and give a drop of water.

Where’s the compassion in our hearts to witness first hand, neighbors and coworkers and family members of our own community living in a physical hell, right now, without Christ, without hope, without life, without light because everyday we watch people in our community live in darkness keeping the joy and the light within us and holding it from pouring out of us because we’re afraid to be labeled Christ followers. .

Keeping the gospel within the walls of the church is not going and telling. I believe that is why God brought us outside today. To show us that we are, at this moment standing in the mission field. A year ago or so, Pastor bob and I drove the car down into the ball field and we got out and with great deepness his in voice, Pastor bob began to cry out to God to bless this church and to bless this field.

It’s to be a field of growth and building. It’s to be a field of mission and to see the gospel being lived out as we serve one another and the community. Almost a year later, God has blessed us with amazing opportunity to do just that. He has in the last two weeks brought over 250 people to this property through little league and 4-h. You and I are literally standing in the mission field today.

The gospel is alive. It’s alive within you and me. The light of Christ is in you and me… The gospel doesn’t need anything added to it. One thing we do no need to do is dress up or adorn, or to make the gospel more appealing than what it already is. It’s already appealing. It’s already good and life changing and of course, it’s simple. I believe it’s simple, because I am not an educated man.

The gospel is simple enough for my heart and mind to grasp, it’s simple enough for anyone. Let me give you a promise. I am not an expert. I have no expertise in what God is calling you and me into reaching this community. I am nothing but a sinner saved by grace, and the gospel is my testimony to the world, being lived out in the world that Jesus loves us.

And because of his Spirit in me, and with me, and for me… I can hear the call in Matthew 28 where Jesus says, I commission you to go and tell the world that Jesus is alive, The Lord commands us to Go. Dr. Duarte said “If God is calling you to GO, don’t wait until you have all the answers. Be like Abraham and go now.” How would you respond to that?

I’ve been praying for this church since my sabbatical asking God, “what is the future of this church”, and I believe God is calling Momentum Church to be a missional church. One Church with multiple congregations serving and witnessing to the community. Look with me in Acts 17 and verse 17, it says: 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.

Paul in Acts 17 began at the temple, but then in verse 17 Paul moved from the temple into the marketplace to become a tourist, to ask questions to be curious of what the community they were embedded in beloved. He wanted to build relationship with the people to ask them what they believe, and what they were experiencing in life. And through relationship and simple conversation he was able to share the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

To be a missional minded church we must learn to move from the temple to the marketplace. That means we need to be where people are if we’re ever going to impact this community for Jesus. The Marketplace is where people are. That is where everyday life is lived out. The marketplace was where men and woman and children would go to buy and sell. It’s a public space. A missional church learns that we are not fixed.

I hear all the time that we’re just pilgrims, that we’re just passing through. But I need to remind us, that our church building is not meant to be our permanent residences. It’s a tool. We had church today, here, outside. A missional church must learn to move beyond the confines of the four walls of the church to enter the spaces where people gather in their daily lives. Do you want to know why I believe this is important?

I believe this is important because it gives the church the opportunity to have it’s eyes opened to the greatest need that this world needs, and the greatest need this word needs is the gospel. Look with me in verse 16, it says, 16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. We’ve got to learn to see the world for what it is: It’s Broken.

This week I was at Koenobles and I met a lady that knew me from the school board meetings. And we were talking about praying before the meetings and I was telling her that I knew one of the meetings were going to be harsh. There was a lot of uproar about Covid and wearing masks in school and I went to that meeting and I walked up to the pulpit and I began to pray for God’s presence, and peace and unity.

And when I turned around I began to get emotional and the further I got up the ramp to leave, the more emotional I got. And by the time I got to the main doors, tears were pouring out of my eyes and once I got into my car, I began to weep uncontrollably. Why? What happened? The Spirit had whispered into my heart this Scripture, (Luke 19:41-44) “And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42 saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace!

But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side 44 and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.” I saw the world for what it was, it was broken and it desperately needed Jesus.

And just as important, I needed Jesus. We’ve become numb to the fact that this world, including those of us who showed up today need Jesus. Paul saw the idols of Athens and so his eyes were open to seeing they needed Jesus. It’s easy to become numb to our surroundings.… My bottom drawer in my dresser is broken. I fixed it once, but it broke again. And over time I began to just not care that it’s broken.

Right now, it’s still broken. And so, Alicia washes our clothes and she folds them and she takes my white t’s and she opens up that broken drawer and puts them in, and closes that broken drawer. It’s ugly…. The drawer not my wife. It’s ugly, but it also has became normal to her and i.. We have found a way to live around the fact that it needs fixed. What it has done is that, it has created within her and I this mindset that this broken drawer is normal.

We’ve worked around the issue long enough that it has become a familiar thing to us. Church, We can becomes so familiar to the broken things around us that we no longer see them as broken. If we’re ever going to pour of of this church and see the need in this community we need to show up to where they are, and then we need to pray that God gives us the eyes to see the world for how it truly is, it’s broken and full of idols.

What are some familiar things in your life that prevent you from seeing the brokenness of the world? Ya know, a part of repenting is being honest with how we are living our life. How we interact with people, and how we live a life that s contrary to the gospel we believe. Paul tells us, For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, He also reminds us in Romans, For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Jesus puts it plainly to us when he tell us in John, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” That to me, would be a missional minded church. An embedded church is a church that embeds itself within the community to serve its community, to build deep meaningful relationships within the community. And you know what? To build relationships with anyone, many times takes Longevity.

You see, the Bible tells us that Paul preached at the synagogue, then at the marketplace, and was then he was invited to the Areopagus. He went from church, to the community, and basically, to a place of intimate conversation. And it’s there, when we are in those private and intimate conversations where a decisions are truly made. Yes, Church, evangelism works. We can lay tracks, we can preach in the open air, proclaiming that Jesus is coming.

All of these methods have their place and can be effective in reaching a wide audience. But, if we truly desire to make the greatest impact in our community, we must recognize the power of being where people are and having intentional relationships that are rooted in authenticity. And keep in mind, not everyone we encounter will immediately come to know Jesus. The reality is that, like in Paul's story, some will ridicule and reject the message we share.

But there will also be those who are genuinely interested, who desire to know more. It’s not solely about the quantity of people we reach, as much as it’s also about the quality of the relationships we build with one another. When we have meaningful relationships that open up opportunities to walk alongside others, engaging in conversations that dive deeper into their doubts, thier questions, and life struggles. It’s in these relationships that provide space for vulnerability, trust, and mutual understanding.

It is within these contexts that the transformative power of the gospel can be fully realized. It creates a safe place where people will be more receptive to ask, why are you at peace? Why do you have faith.. and it’s there, in the laboratory of relationships that we can point them to Jesus, and say… because I know he, who is peace. You see church, Sometimes, we’ve got to reach people in our world that first become companions and friends of us before they will ever be willing to be introduced to Jesus.

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Is What We Do Worship?

I want to invite you to open your bibles with me to Psalm 84. We’re going to take a little detour today. For the last few weeks, we’ve been looking at compassion. But I can’t get away from this longing in my heart to speak about worship. Now, I know what you're thinking. "Pastor, we worship every Sunday. We sing the songs, we pray the prayers, we do the whole thing." And you're right – we do. But here's my question: Is what we're doing really worship, or is it just religious routine? Let me ask you something, and I want you to be honest with yourself, not with me. Why did you come to church today? Now don't give me the Sunday School answer – "To worship Jesus!" That's true, but dig deeper. When you woke up this morning, when you were getting dressed, when you were rushing to get here on time – how much were you actually thinking about meeting with God? Did you come because it's Sunday and that's what Christians do? Did you come because someone expected you to be here? Or did you come because you were genuinely excited to encounter the living God? Here's what I've learned in 8 years of pastoral ministry: routine is the enemy of relationship. And worship, at its core, is about relationship with God.

Church, can I just be real with you for a minute? Week after week I look out at this congregation. I visit you, I spend time with you, I lead you, I serve with you, and I love you — and I see people who love Jesus. I really do. There is no doubt you love Jesus. But, I also see something in our culture and world that scares me. Because when I read the Bible, and I think about the heaviness of people making churhf a routine, I realize how easy it is for any one of us — myself included — to slip into this pattern. We come to church, we sing the songs, we check the box, and we think we’ve worshiped. And sometimes, even on Sunday mornings, we say all the right words — we say things that sound biblical, things that sound caring. But often, if we’re honest, those words don’t really carry into the week. And that scares me. And I think.. man, its so easy for God’s people to fall into this religious routine. Think about it, All throughout history – and I mean from the very beginning – God's people have had this tendency to turn worship into routine. It's true... we see it all throughout Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation. They go through the motions. They keep the rituals. They sing all the songs. But God looks down and says, "This isn't honoring Me. This isn't even close to what I want.” In fact, God has a word for this kind of worship – He calls it "vain worship." Empty worship. Meaningless worship. And friends, this should terrify us. Because we can be sitting right here, in this room, singing these songs, and God could be looking at us saying, "Your worship is meaningless to Me.

Let me show you exactly what I'm talking about. Look at Isaiah 29:13. This is God speaking, not my words, but his words to the people of Israel: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.” Stop. Just stop right there and think about this with me. Can you picture it? Here are people saying all the right words – "Praise the Lord! Hallelujah! Glory to God!" They're singing all the right songs. They're doing everything that looks right on the outside. They're doing everything they learned from their parents and grandparents and teachers. But their worship is false. Why? Because their hearts are not ready. Worship has become routine. In Matthew 15:8, Lok at what Jesus says, These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Do you hear the warning? Listen, church… The moment worship becomes routine, it stops being about relationship and starts being performance lead. And this is the danger of empty worship. This is the difference between a heart that longs for God and a life that only imitates worship, because thats what we’ve learned and been taught. And hear me on this—I am not saying that when we raise our hands in worship on Sunday it isn’t an encounter with the Holy Spirit. I believe it can be. I believe it often is. God meets us in those moments. He stirs our hearts. He fills us with joy. But what I am saying is this: if that encounter….. that you have on Sunday morning…. doesn’t overflow beyond Sunday… if that passion doesn’t follow us into Monday morning at work, or Wednesday evening at home, or Friday when temptation comes knocking—then is it possible we’re only experiencing a glimpse of worship…… without living a life of worship. And I got to ask this question too… if that is possible… then is our hearts so hard that theres no room for transformation? Because isn’t that the purpose of the services on Sunday? To see gods people witness God, to worship him with our hearts captivated on his glory, and sense a weakening within our own hearts that we have not been who we’ve said we are… we’ve been living two lives and God is calling us deeper still. Because here's what I see that can happen in anyones life—Its so easy….. for Gods people to become comfortable with the disconnect. Where the people have made peace with living two different lives. And if… that is true,… then thats not biblical Christianity. That's not the gospel. That's spiritual schizophrenia.

So, all of this has been a real heaviness on my heart, and I want to share it with you in the way that matters most — by letting God’s Word speak. I’ve asked one of our leaders to come and read Psalm 84 for us. Would you follow along in your Bibles as he leads us into God’s Word? And when he finishes, we’ll respond together and say: Amen. and Respond, and all of God’s people said.. amen.

Thank you… Man, so much imagery here…. Psalm 84…. really breaks into three sections — and what we can do is this… we can almost take verses 1-4 and make it one book end, and then verses 9-12 and make it another… and then theres this amazing section in the middle that shows a worshipers overflow into the hardship of life. The first bookend is verses 1–4. Here we see a worshiper who is longing to stay in the presence of God. He’s been in the temple, he’s encountered the living God, and his heart has been changed. And now he can’t imagine leaving. Right.. get this… he’s more excited about staying in God’s presence than going to eat pot roast after church. And now, Look with me… in verse 2.. Verse 2 gives us these verbs that are past tense… he longed… he yearned. He’s saying, “Oh how I loved being in this place." It’s special to me, it’s what we would say, this place is near and dear to my heart. It’s important that I be there. It’s important that I stay and cherish everything that I am experiencing. To breath in the grace, and to exhale praise. And I can’t help but to think of grandparents and grandkids. How theres so much longing and yearning to see them. To love on them, to see how much they have grown, and to hear of their adventures, and be caught up in their stories. Then we find in Verses 3-4, and he begins to get jealous. Right? Like, he sees the birds nesting on the porches and the eaves of the temple. And he imagines. “what it would be like, or how amazing it would be to remain there forever.” And so, what we see is that he is longing to stay in in the very presence of God. And he ends this first book end with these words, Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise. Do you hear the longing in that? Do you feel the ache in his heart? He's looking at these birds—these simple sparrows and swallows—and he's thinking, "They get to live here. They get to wake up every morning in the presence of God. They get to make their nests in the very courts of the Almighty." And there's this beautiful jealousy, this holy envy, where he's saying, "I wish I could be like them. I wish I could stay here forever. And here's what breaks my heart as I read this: The psalmist recognizes something that many of us have forgotten—that proximity to God should produce perpetual praise. Lets put this in practical senes… if God is living within you… should not there be praise overflowing out of you… This is what authentic worship does to us. It ruins us for ordinary living. It creates in us a holy homesickness for heaven, a deep dissatisfaction with anything less than God Himself. And the question for us is: When we leave this place today, will we carry that same longing? Or will our cup run dry by the time we enter our cars?

Now, The other bookend, or the ending part of this Psalm goes from longing to stay, to longing to return. Look at Verse 9 with me: “Look upon the face of Your anointed.” In my notes, I wrote, don’t look away Lord. Also, we have a tendency to get back to our own life after church and forgot that we just spent a few hours looking for and to GOd. But seeking is the heart of worship, ….wanting to be seen, known, and loved by God. Then verse 10: “Better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere.” Here’s the bottom line: One day with God is better than a thousand without Him. The psalmist says, “I’d rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.” Even the lowest place in God’s presence is better than the highest place without Him. Verse 11 tells us why: “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.” Circle those words: sun and shield. Sun means He gives me life. Shield means He gives me protection. Favor means He lifts me up. Honor means He gives me worth. And then He promises: no good thing will He withhold from His people. Man… what promises. The sin, shield favor and honor. And it all comes together in verse 12: “Blessed is the one who trusts in You.” Here’s the key: worship isn’t about performance — it’s about presence. And presence is sustained by trust.

But here’s the question: what does that kind of worship actually look like? How do we live it out, not just on Sunday but every single day? Thats what I wan too know…. Pastor, its true.. its easy for my mind and heart to wonder. For that, I want us to turn to one of my favorite chapters in the whole Bible: Isaiah chapter 6. Because every time I read it, I’m reminded of our eternal calling — to be true worshipers. You and I were made for this. We were designed by God, fashioned in His image, created with this purpose written into our very souls: to worship Him. And Isaiah 6 shows us the pattern. Within chapter 6 and in verses 1-8 we find three transaction that misuse happen when a worshiper engages in worship. Three holy transactions. If you witness these three things… they are… an indication that you truly worshipped. Transaction number one — God wants us to see the sheer awesomeness of who He is. He says in verse 1, “I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.” Just stop, and drink this image in. Isaiah doesn’t say, “I saw heaven.” He doesn’t even say, “I saw glory.” He says, “I saw the Lord.” The Sovereign One. Seated. Not pacing the floor. Not wringing His hands. Sitting. Ruling. Reigning. High and lifted up. And then Isaiah notices His robe. Not His crown. Not His face. Just the hem — just the train — and it fills the temple. Do you feel the weight of that? In Isaiah’s culture, the length of a king’s robe displayed the measure of his victory. Every time a king conquered another, he cut off a piece of the defeated king’s robe and sewed it onto his own. The longer the robe, the greater the king. And here is God — His robe doesn’t trail behind Him. His robe doesn’t just cover the floor. The train of His robe fills the whole temple. Which means: He has conquered every rival. Every power. Every enemy. Every kingdom. Every king. There is no one above Him. No one beside Him. No one who can threaten Him. He is absolute. He is sovereign. He is the King of kings. And Isaiah says, “I saw Him.” That is worship. When the eyes of your heart are opened to the greatness of God, when you see Him in His majesty, and everything else in your life shrinks down to size — that’s worship. That’s the beginning. The second transition is the one we all struggle with. And one that I believe so many chrisitnas coming to church doesn’t see worships overflow out of the church. Isaiah sees the holiness of God, and what’s his first response? Verse 5: “Woe is me! For I am lost; I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips.” This is so important. He doesn’t clap. He doesn’t cheer. He doesn’t even sing all the heavenly host are singing praises…. Why doesn’t that lead him to do that… why does Isiah… collapse. Why does he come undone. His life is literally a the majesty of God’s presence, he’s unraveled — like the threads of a garment coming apart. When the holiness of God shines in, Isaiah sees the darkness of his own heart. And church, that’s true worship. It’s not just singing louder or raising your hands higher. It’s when the greatness of God’s purity collides with the reality of our sin, and all we can say is, Oh God, I’m ruined. I can’t stand before You. Peter did this at his calling… DO you remember.. depart from me for I am a sinful man. But watch what God does. The seraphim takes a coal from the altar, touches Isaiah’s lips, and says, “Your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for Oh, don’t miss this: the God who should have destroyed him, remember, no king… not even the king of my life, my greatest idol, myself… can not even stand in his presence… and God, cleanses him. Isaiah should have been consumed. The Bible says, “Our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29). Holiness and sin cannot coexist. Isaiah knows this. That’s why he cries, “Woe is me, I am undone!” But instead of consuming him, God cleanses him. The angel touches his lips with a coal from the altar and says, “Your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for” (Isaiah 6:7). Do you see it? The very God who should have destroyed him forgives him. That’s grace. That’s the gospel. The holy God takes guilty sinners and, by His atonement, makes them clean. “The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). And that’s why Transaction Number Two is this: worship always leads to repentance. Always. You cannot see His holiness without seeing your sin. You cannot see His beauty without confessing your brokenness True worship always includes, authentic repentance.

Look what happens next in verse 8: “And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I! Send me.’” Do you see the flow? God reveals His glory — Isaiah is floored. God reveals Isaiah’s sin — Isaiah repents. God reveals His mission — and Isaiah surrenders. That’s the rhythm of true worship: awe, repentance, mission. Because, listen, you can’t miss this… worship is not complete until it overflows. It’s not just “I saw the Lord,” it’s also “Here am I, send me.” Jesus Himself said in John 20:21, “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” Real worshippers always become real witnesses. So here’s another bottom line: If your worship doesn’t send you, it hasn’t changed you. True worshippers are sent ones. Now let’s get real for a moment. Every Sunday… is that what you witness? Awe? Repentance? Mission? That’s the rhythm of true worship. And listen — God’s church was never meant to be a church of maintenance. We don’t gather just to keep things running smoothly or polish what we already have. Worship is about overflow — the overflow of our encounter with Him.

So why am I sharing all of this? Because Psalm 84 isn’t just about longing to stay in God’s presence (the opening verses). And it’s not just about longing to return to His presence (the closing verses). The middle section — verses 5 through 7 — shows us what happens in between. And here’s the theme I want you to see: “True worshipers are called to pave blessings out of the harsh conditions of life so that others can experience the life-giving presence of Jesus.” That’s the missional call. The worship you express here in the sanctuary — it’s meant to overflow into your daily life. But here’s the question: what happens when that worship collides with reality? When the Monday morning grind hits, when the valley feels dry, when life doesn’t feel like a temple but more like a wilderness? Because we know it’ll happen. I would bet, there some kind of wilderness meeting you right now out those doors. Some life event. Some struggle. Im not trying to sugar coat it… Jesus said, in this life there will be trouble. That’s a promise, but he also gives us another… he tells us in John 16:33, “But take heart! I have overcome the world.” And remember, how he started Pslam 84? , “How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord!” But now, he’s back in the real world with real problems. So what does he do? Here’s what I love about this passage: instead of getting discouraged, he does something practical. Since his strength is in the Lord, he starts paving highways — highways in his heart that lead himself and others back into the presence of God. Look at verse 5: “Blessed are those whose strength is in You, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.” Now let me explain that in simple terms. Zion was the hill in Jerusalem where God’s temple stood. Zion represents God’s presence. So having “highways to Zion in your heart” means two things. First, it’s personal. The psalmist wants a straight shot back to God’s presence. Not a detour, not a back road — but an express lane. He’s saying, “When life wears me down, I want the quickest road possible back to the place where my soul finds peace.” And I can’t help but think of driving up I-25 to Denver and seeing those HOV lanes — you know, the fast lane, but you’ve got to have 3 or more people with you. Now, That image leads right into the second point. Second, it’s about others. The psalmist isn’t just thinking about himself. He wants others to find the way too. It’s like he’s saying, “If I can’t live in the temple forever, then I’ll spend my life helping others get there.”\ hink about it — when you find a great restaurant, you don’t keep it to yourself. You text your friends. You post about it. You want them to taste what you’ve tasted. When you encounter something good, the natural response is to share it. The same is true when you’ve truly encountered God. And here’s the joy: Ecclesiastes 4:9 says, “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.”There’s something special about not walking alone, about sharing the journey, about saying to a brother or sister, “Come on, let’s go together.” And I know…. Friday nights are hard…. I see it in the eyes of everyone who shows up… but there can be joy in it all. Because were together. So here’s the principle I don’t want you to miss.: Worship is not complete until it overflows and invites others to join you in treasuring God’s glory. Now, comes verse 6, and this is where it gets real. “As they go through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs.” Now, what’s the Valley of Baca? The word Baca isn’t some Appalachian way of saying tobacco… Like, im going to use some chewing baca. baca means “weeping” or “barrenness.” It was a dry, arid, lifeless place. The psalmist is saying: this is what the journey is like sometimes. Life isn’t always temple courts and songs of praise. Sometimes it’s dry valleys. Sometimes it’s tears. Sometimes it’s barrenness and hardship. But here’s the miracle: true worshippers don’t just endure the valley — they transform it. Looks at what ot says “As they go through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs.” Do you hear that? They make it a place of springs. How? Because they carry the presence of the living God with them. Jesus said in John 7:38, “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” That’s what Psalm 84 is describing. When worshippers walk through the dry places, the Spirit of God within them turns barrenness into blessing. So here’s the truth: True worshipers don’t just survive the wilderness — they bring refreshment into it. I think about moments in our lives when we’ve had misunderstandings. Maybe with a friend. Maybe in your marriage. Maybe even here in the church. And in those moments, you feel hurt. Offended. And if we’re honest — bitterness feels justified. You think, “I was wronged. I have every reason to hold onto this. Every reason to walk away.” But here’s the thing: bitterness is a barren valley. It dries you up on the inside. It poisons relationships. It turns the Valley of Baca into a desert. And its like the dead sea, just salty. And its easy to carry bitterness. It takes no effort at all. But it takes faith to say, “Lord, I trust You enough to forgive. I trust You enough to let grace flow here instead of anger.”And when you do, you don’t just refresh yourself — you create a spring for someone else to drink from too. How can I explain this in a practical way… how can we live this out here in community. What if I said this… what if, That circle of people you meet with during the week — that’s not just a Bible study. That’s a well in the wilderness. A place where someone who’s dry and discouraged can come and drink living water. I was talking to a mentor of mine yesterday and they were talking about their small group and how they invite people on the edge of life… people needing grace. And I’ll be honest with you — my first thought was, “Well, did you invite them to church?” Because that’s what we do, right? We want people here, in this room, singing these songs, hearing God’s Word together. But as soon as I thought that, I realized something. For someone who’s broken, someone who’s hurting, someone who’s been burned by church before, walking into a room full of us crazy Jesus-loving people… that might be overwhelming. Maybe too much too soon. And after my mentor left, I got convicted. Because the Spirit whispered to me, “Matthew… this isn’t about growing the church. This is about creating a well — one place at a time — where people can drink.” Church, that’s the mission. Every single one of you is a part of that. Wells aren’t just built in sanctuaries; they’re built in living rooms, coffee shops, break rooms, and kitchen tables. And listen — if you’re not in a small group yet, let’s change that. Because this isn’t just about what you get; it’s about what you help create. When you’re in community, you’re helping dig wells all over this city, places where people who are dry and weary can come and taste the living water of Jesus. And finally as our worship team comes up and prepares, look in verse 7… And then look at verse 7: “They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion.” I love that line. The psalmist is saying, “This journey isn’t about running out of gas — it’s about being renewed at every step.” When you walk with God, you don’t just collapse in the valley. You move from one well to the next. From one strength to another. Can I just say somehtigh… going fro well to well isn’t about planting churches.. its not that we plan this church, and then we plant another and another… a missional church is a church that digs wells wherever we are… in our homes, in our workplaces… at ball games..and why not… we are carrying living water within us..

And this brings me to a very important question for our closing: What kind of worshiper are you? Are you digging wells, or are you digging pits? Are you just going with the flow, or are you on mission? There are really only two types. Type 1: are what I call, Maintenance-Mode Christians. These are people who show up to church, sing the songs, listen to the message, and go home. They think, “I got my weekly dose of God, I’m good until next Sunday.” But their faith is all about them. And if that’s true — if worship is just about consuming an experience — how will they ever build highways for others? How will you ever help your small group leaders dig wells? The second Typeare this… Mission-Mode Christians. These are people who encounter God and can’t help but overflow. They think, “God has been so good to me, I can’t keep this to myself — I’ve got to tell others!” They don’t just attend church, they become the church. They build highways to help others find God. These are the people in awe of God… repent and too the mission. So which type are you? Paul said in Romans 1:14, “I am a debtor.” What did he mean? That he owed a debt he could never repay for what Jesus had done. And the only way he could live in response was gratitude — gratitude that overflows into mission. Think about it: if someone saved your child’s life, you’d never stop telling that story. You’d never stop honoring that hero. Jesus didn’t just save your child’s life — He saved you for eternal life. How could we not share that? So how do we get “highways to Zion” in our hearts? Let me give you three simple steps: Start with worship that leads to gratitude. True worship always awakens gratitude for what God has done. Look for opportunities to serve others. In your Valley of Baca — in your hard times — ask, “How can I turn this into a well for someone else?” Share your story. You don’t need a theology degree. You just need to open your mouth and say, “Here’s what God has done for me.” So here’s my challenge: Don’t settle for maintenance-mode Christianity. God hasn’t saved you just to have a good church experience once a week. He’s saved you to be a highway builder — someone who makes it easier for others to find their way to God. He’s saved you to be a spring in the valley — someone who brings life and hope into the darkest moments. This is not just for pastors and missionaries. This is for every Christian. Every single one of us who has been touched by God’s grace has the responsibility — and the privilege — of helping others find that same grace. Having highways to Zion in your heart means your worship doesn’t stop when the music ends. It means you walk out of church looking for opportunities to build bridges that lead people to God. It means when you go through tough times, you don’t waste your pain — you use it to become a source of strength and hope for others. If you remember.. thats compassion. That’s what it means to walk in the strength of the Lord. That’s what it means to be blessed. Not because life gets easier, but because your life starts making an eternal difference. So the question is: Are you ready to move from maintenance mode to mission mode? Are you ready to let God use your life to build highways and dig wells that lead others to His amazing grace? Lets’s stand…. “Church, the Word is clear: God is not looking for maintenance-mode Christians. He’s calling for mission-mode worshipers. People who say, ‘Here am I, send me.’ So today, I want to give you a chance to respond. If the Spirit is stirring your heart, if you’re saying, ‘I don’t want to just sing songs. I want to live sent. I want highways to Zion in my heart,’ then I want you to come and kneel before the Lord. Don’t wait for someone else to move. Step out in faith. Say with your body what you’re saying in your heart: ‘Lord, I’m Yours. Send me.’” This is not about growing a church. This is about building wells — one heart at a time, one life at a time. Don’t settle for maintenance mode when the King of glory is inviting you into mission. So come. Come while there’s time. Come while the Spirit is calling. And let’s say together, ‘Here am I, Lord. Send me., so that, we, together can bring the gospel to every heart, every neighborhood, and every generation, one relationship at a time.*

Lonely

I want to invite you to open your Bibles with me to Matthew chapter 17, verses 1-8. 1 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” 8 When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.

Today, as we finish our series on 'Defining the Relationship,' I want to share something that's been hitting me hard lately. Here's our big idea for this morning: Sometimes our most defining moments in faith come from our hiding places. Think about that for a second. The very places we run to hide - those moments when we're trying to get away from everything and everyone - often become the exact spots where God does His deepest work in us. You know what's crazy? We all have them - these hiding places. Maybe yours is pulling extra hours at work to avoid dealing with something at home. Maybe it's scrolling endlessly through your phone when life gets overwhelming. Maybe it's just shutting down and going quiet when things get tough. I'll be honest with you - I've got my own hiding places. A vulnerable moments for me is that I spent 4 days this week in a state of loneliness, and i’ Ve been struggling with how to handle it. Where to run…… I’ll tell you what had happened to me, here in a moment….. But what I'm learning, what I really want to share with you today, is that God has this incredible way of turning our hiding places into holy ground. Here's what throws me - even now, standing here as your pastor, surrounded by our church family, sometimes that feeling still creeps in. You can be in a room full of people and still feel completely alone. And You know what's wild? That's exactly what happened to Peter, James and John….on that mountain. There they were, standing in the actual presence of Jesus, and they still ended up face-down, hiding.

I want to do something right now. It's going to take some courage, but even more than that, it requires us to be vulnerable with each other.” A few moments ago, I shared something deeply personal with you - that I’ve struggle with loneliness. You see, real relationships - requires vulnerability. They require honesty. And honesty... well, honesty is always a two-way street. "So I want to ask you something… "If you have experienced loneliness at any point in your life - would you raise your hand? Just keep it raised for a moment... Yes... thank you for your courage. Thank you for your honesty.” Now, with your hands still raised, I want everyone to look around the room. Just look around.” You can lower your hands now…

You know what this tells me? I'm not the only one carrying this weight. You're not the only one either. Here's what just hit me - loneliness isn't my story, and it's not just your story. It's our story. It's a human story. Do know what's crazy? It doesn't matter if you're the teenager in the back row or the grandparent who's been here for decades. Doesn't matter if you've got three dollars or three million in the bank. Loneliness finds us all. And here's the thing that's changing everything for me: Feeling lonely isn't a sign that something's wrong with us. It's proof that we're human.

Heres what’s wild about loneliness…. It's kind of like a master of disguise. It doesn't just walk through the front door and announce itself. No... it sneaks into our lives wearing different masks, using different doors. Shepherding people through their stories, after living my own story, I've noticed there are three ways loneliness tends to show up in our lives. The first one? It comes through circumstances - those moments in life we never asked for... When we lose someone we love, there's this space that opens up inside us. A space that feels impossible to fill. I... I'm walking this truth right now. My oldest brother lost his battle with cancer up in North Carolina this week. HE was only 50 years old. and you know what happened? In the middle of all of it... this deep loneliness just settled in. Like a heavy blanket I couldn't shake off. My heart's been so heavy this week. You See church, that's what circumstances can do to us. Life throws something at us we never saw coming, and suddenly... we find ourselves isolated. Not because we chose it. Not because we wanted it. But because life just... happened. Sometimes the deepest loneliness comes from moments we never asked for. But there's another door loneliness walks through.

The second way loneliness sneaks into our lives? It comes through sin and disobedience. You know what's crazy? When we mess up, when we know we've blown it, our first instinct isn't to run TO God - it's to run FROM Him. Sin and disobedience in our life guides us to push people away. We stop showing up. We dodge calls. We make excuses. 'Oh, I'm just really busy right now.' 'Work's been crazy.' But really? We're hiding. It’s like when someone knock o your door and you hide from them hoping they don’t see you home.. Lets be honest… And here's the crazy part - hiding doesn't fix anything. Actually, it does the opposite. Every step we take away from people, every excuse we make, every time we choose isolation over honesty - we're just pushing ourselves deeper into loneliness. Our PROTECTION becomes our PRISON The very thing we think is protecting us, is actually isolating us.

Now, here's the third door loneliness walks through, and this one might throw you for a loop - sometimes loneliness comes through courage and obedience. Yeah, you heard that right. Sometimes doing the RIGHT thing is exactly what leads to feeling alone. Think about it - standing up for what you believe in? Speaking truth when everyone else is staying quiet? Living out your faith when the world's pushing back? That's not exactly the path to popularity, is it? Sometimes following God's call means walking a path that not many people understand. And let me tell you - that path can get pretty lonely. Jesus understood this… think of his loneliness at the garden… right before the cross. Everyone had fell asleep, and then he was arrested and trialed alone… SOMETIMES THE RIGHT PATH is the LONELY road

You know, after looking at all these different ways loneliness shows up in our lives - through circumstances we didn't choose, through sin we need to face, through courage that sets us apart - it makes me wonder: What exactly is loneliness? I mean, really... what are we dealing with here? At first glance, we might say it's just about being alone - physical or emotional absence. And look at how we typically respond to that: 'I just need to get out more. I need to be more social. I need to be around more people.’ So what do we do? We try all the usual fixes, right? We make the calls. Show up at events. Push ourselves to be more social. And then... something still doesn't feel right. We're surrounded by people, but that empty feeling? It's still there. I saw this all the time when I was working as a middle school librarian. These kids would think if they could just hang out with the 'right' crowd, if they could just be 'popular enough,' the loneliness would disappear. But here's the truth - it doesn't work that way. Because loneliness isn't just about being alone - it's about something much deeper. When we feel lonely, what we're really feeling is pain. A deep, real pain. And not just any pain - it's separation pain. Here's what I'm learning: when we have a separation problem, what we really have is a heart problem. We can try to fix it by filling our rooms with people, but that's like putting a Band-Aid on a broken bone. What we really need is a heart doctor. You know what's amazing about God? He knew we'd have this heart problem long before we did. In fact, there's this incredible passage in Ezekiel chapter 26 that just blows me away every time I read it. Listen to what God says in verse 25: 'I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols.’ Now, catch those two words - impurities and idols. When we run into hiding places, when we choose isolation over connection, it's because there's something deeper going on. There's a heart issue. Those impurities? That's our sin. Those idols? That's our selfish nature - all the things we put before God. But don't miss what comes next - because this is where it gets good. Look at verse 26: 'I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. Think about that promise for a second. God doesn't just clean us up - He gives us a whole new heart. And this new heart? It's not made of stone anymore. It's alive. It's feeling. It's real. But here's the best part - verse 27: 'And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.’ This new heart doesn't just beat differently - it wants different things. Its whole direction changes. Instead of running away from God, it runs toward Him. Instead of hiding from His presence, it seeks it out. Why? Because this heart's deepest desire is for God's word. And who is the Word? Jesus. But let's be honest - where do we usually run? When life gets hard, when shame creeps in, when fear takes over - we run to hide. Why? Because we still have that heart issue. We're still trying to fix a heart problem with human solutions.

This isn't just our story. This heart problem, this loneliness thing, this painful separation - it's been around since the beginning of time. And I mean the very beginning. If we want to understand where all this started, we need to go back. Way back. Picture this - Adam and Eve in genesis had what we're all looking for. Perfect unity with each other. Perfect relationship with God. No isolation. No separation. Life was good! But then... then comes this choice. And I want you to watch carefully how this plays out, because it's the same pattern we still follow today: Choice leads to sin. Sin leads to shame. Shame leads to hiding.

See, when God comes walking in the garden, what's the first thing they do? The exact same thing we do when we mess up - they hide. Not because God changed. Not because His love changed. But because something within them changed. Look with me in Genesis 3:8 tells us - they hid from the Lord. Can you imagine that scene? The same God they used to run TO, they're now running FROM. The same presence that used to bring them joy now brings them fear. Why? Because sin changed how they saw God, even though God hadn't changed at all. They had changed. Let's fast forward to another hiding story - one that hits a little closer to home. The story of Hagar. Picture this woman - Hagar. She's far from everything she's ever known, serving as a maidservant in a foreign land. And not by choice - scholars believe she was a captive of war. Now she's serving Sarah, a woman desperately waiting for God to fulfill His promise of a child. But Sarah gets impatient. And she does something I think we've all done - she decides to help God out. You know what I mean? Those moments when we think we know better than God about how things should work out? So Sarah comes up with this brilliant plan - have her husband Abraham sleep with Hagar. Have a baby through her. Problem solved, right? And Abraham... oh, Abraham. The Bible puts it so simply: 'Abram agreed.' You know those moments when your wife asks you a question and your brain just freezes? Because you know whatever comes out of your mouth next could change the entire course of your day? Yeah... Abraham should've just stayed quiet. Guys you know what I'm talking about… But here's where it gets devastating. Verse 6 tells the story in nine simple words: 'Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.’ Just let that sink in. Nine words. One broken life. No dramatic description. No detailed account. Just the raw truth - a pregnant woman running into the desert because staying felt worse than dying alone. This isn't just a Bible story - it's a story about what happens when loneliness comes through circumstances we never asked for. When life takes a turn we never saw coming.

Let me tell you about another person who knew something about hiding places - Elijah. Picture this: Elijah's like the heavyweight champion of prophets. He's known for incredible miracles. But he finds out that Queen Jezebel has put a death warrant on all God's prophets. Most of them are hiding, and honestly, who could blame them? But Elijah? He stands up. He's like, 'Nope. We're doing this. Let's have a showdown - your gods versus my God.’ So they're up on Mount Carmel, and it turns into this wild 'My God is better than your God' contest. The prophets of Baal are dancing, shouting, 'Come on, God! Do something!' Nothing happens. And Elijah? He's just standing there, being... well, being Elijah. He's so confident that he starts pouring water all over his altar. I mean, who does that? He's even trash-talking: 'Hey, maybe your God's in the bathroom! Maybe he's on vacation!’ Then Elijah prays one simple prayer - BOOM! Fire from heaven. Game over. Total victory. Everyone's convinced. God wins. But here's where it gets real. After this massive victory, one threat from Jezebel and what does this mighty prophet do? He runs. I kings chapter 19 says, 3 Elijah was afraid, so he got up and fled for his life to Beer Sheba in Judah. He was so scared, the next words say, her left his servant behind.. he was booking it out of there.. The same guy who just called down fire from heaven is now running for his life. The truth is…..Sometimes our biggest victories are followed by our deepest fears.

And then there's Peter. Oh man, Peter. You know Peter - Jesus' right-hand man. The guy who's always first to speak up, first to jump out of the boat, first to make big promises. 'I'll never deny you, Jesus! I'll die with you if I have to!' Peter's that friend who's all in... until he's not. Think about this - the same guy who walked on water, who saw Jesus transfigured, who boldly declared Jesus as the Messiah... what happens when things get tough? He tends to fail… right. He Falls asleep when Jesus needs him most Denies knowing Jesus - not once, not twice, but three times And when Jesus is crucified? Peter goes back to fishing. Fishing! Like, 'Well, that didn't work out, might as well go back to my old life. Peter ran. See, Sometimes the people who speak the loudest end up hiding the hardest.

So, Let me ask you something. What patterns do we see in all these stories of loneliness and fear? First, running and hiding? That's universal. It's what we ALL do. But what if… that thing that made you run, instead to hide, made you run to your solution??

You see, church: Regardless of why a person runs and hides, God still comes near. Psalm 139 says it best - there's nowhere you can go to escape God's presence. Listen to this: 'If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.’

"You know what amazes me about God? No matter where we run, no matter how far we think we've gone, He's already there. And it's not just that He's there - it's how He shows up. Think about this pattern in Scripture: There's Adam and Eve - they've just messed up big time, they're hiding in the garden, covered in fig leaves and shame. And what does God do? He doesn't storm in with judgment. Instead, He comes walking in the cool of the day and asks this tender question: 'Where are you?’ Or take Hagar - she's running away into the desert, pregnant and alone, probably thinking death in the wilderness is better than what she's leaving behind. And who shows up? The angel of the Lord - and many scholars believe this was actually Jesus Himself - finds her and simply asks, 'What's wrong?' Not 'What did you do?' or 'Why did you run?' Just 'What's wrong?’ Then there's Elijah - this mighty prophet who just called down fire from heaven, now running scared from one angry queen. God finds him in a cave and asks, 'What are you doing here?' Not to shame him, but to hear his heart. And Peter... oh man, Peter. After his biggest failure - denying Jesus three times - how does Jesus restore him? With this heart-piercing question: 'Do you love me?’ See the pattern? God doesn't just track us down to drag us back. He pursues us to restore us. His questions aren't about gathering information - He already knows where we are. They're about restoration. They're about relationship. Here's what we're learning in these hiding moments - God's not just finding us... He's wanting to heal us. He starts connecting with our heart the moment He says, 'I'm here, and I'm not leaving you the way you are. David got this. Oh man, did David ever get this. Listen to what he writes in Psalm 40, and I want you to picture this scene: 'I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; and set my feet upon the rock.’ Notice what's happening here. God doesn't just peer down into David's pit and say, 'Hey, how's the mud down there?' No - He does something much more beautiful. He lifts him out. Cleans him off. Sets his feet on solid ground. That's not just rescue - that's transformation. But here's what stops me in my tracks. Look at what David says at the beginning: 'I waited patiently. Think about that. In his pit. In his hiding place. In this hole of loneliness and separation... what does David do? He waits. Patiently. For the Lord to show up and speak…. That kind of attitude takes a real heart change. Like he understood something we often miss: Sometimes the pit isn't just a place of pain - it's a place of preparation. I think David saw something we often miss. These moments of loneliness? He didn't see them as punishment. These isolated moments weren't dead ends - they were doorways to deeper communion with God. When life got tough, David didn't run away from God - he ran toward Him. Here's what changes everything: When we run into isolation, we're running away from everything, including God. But when we run into solitude, we're running to God. Maybe that's where some of us are right now. Running into isolation, trying to escape everyone and everything. But what if we saw our hiding places differently? What if, like David, we saw them as meeting places? I need someone to hear this today - even in your darkest hiding places, God has never left you alone. Never. Not once. When we think we're hiding from Him, He's actually waiting there to meet us. To pick us up. To love on us. To set our feet on solid ground. The question is... are you waiting and listening for Him, or are you still trying to run from him?

When we return back to the mounting with Jesus and the three…we see this exact pattern play out. The disciples are face-down on that mountain, terrified, overwhelmed by God's glory. And what does Jesus do? Verse 7 tells us: 'Jesus came and touched them.’ What a friend! What an unshakable friend... He doesn't just speak to them - He touches them. Right there in their fear. Right there in their hiding. And then He says something incredible: 'Get up.’ Not 'shape up.' Not 'why are you afraid?' Just 'Get up... and don't be afraid.' And when they looked up, who did they see? Just Jesus. But here's the part that changes everything - verse 9 says, 'As they were coming down the mountain…' Jesus doesn't leave them there in their terror. He doesn't abandon them face-down on the mountain. No - He gets them up, and they walk down together. That's what He does with us. In our moments of isolation, in our seasons of hiding, Jesus comes near. He touches us. He speaks tenderly to us: 'Get up... don't be afraid... and I will walk with you, not just with you, but be in you.’ Church, sometimes our most defining moments in faith come from our hiding places... especially when our hiding places become meeting places with Jesus.

As Peter comes up… What if this moment, right here, became your turning point? What if today was the day you stopped running from Jesus and started running to Him? What if your hiding place became your meeting place? You see, this table before us... I didn't set it. I'm just a servant who prepared it for the Master. And here's what's beautiful about this table - Jesus is the host, not me. I don't hold the guest list. He does. And you know what kind of host Jesus is? He's not standing here saying 'Clean yourself up first.' He's not demanding perfection. He's offering presence. He's saying 'Show up. Just as you are.’ Church, I'm going to say something bold, and I pray it lands in the hearts that need it most: I believe there are people in this room carrying deep wounds. Some of us have been hiding behind our hurts so long, we've forgotten how to come to the table. Some of us are carrying guilt that feels too heavy to bring here. Some of us have been the ones causing pain, and we've been hiding from that truth. But this table? It's not about being worthy - it's about being willing. Willing to let Jesus meet us right where we are. Willing to patiently listen for his voice. This bread and cup - they represent the lengths Jesus went to end our separation. If you're here feeling separated because of circumstances - maybe life has thrown you something you never asked for - then come. Jesus knows what it's like to face circumstances beyond His control. He sweat drops of blood in Gethsemane, asking if there was another way. He knows your pain. Come. If you're here feeling separated because of sin and disobedience - then come with a repentant heart. Jesus' body was broken and His blood was shed precisely for this reason. He died to bridge this gap. To wash away this separation. Repent and come. If you're here feeling separated because of your obedience - because following God has set you apart and left you feeling alone - then come and be strengthened. Jesus knows this road better than anyone. He walked the loneliest path of all - the path to the cross. He felt the isolation of perfect obedience. Come and let Him strengthen you for the journey ahead. This table isn't about the reason for your separation - it's about the One who came to end it. His body, broken on that cross - it wasn't just for what we call the 'big sins.' It was broken for the bitter root growing in your heart. For the walls you've built. For the pain you can't let go of. And His blood? It wasn't just shed for the obvious wrongs. Scripture tells us that 'without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.' But this blood does more than forgive - it restores. It heals. It brings us near when we've wandered far. I want you to hear what Jesus might be saying to you right now: 'This table - it's been set for you. Not because you're perfect. Not because you've got it all figured out. But because I love you, and I want to walk with you out of that hiding place.’ When you're ready... come to the Saviors table. Tell him your heart. Be forgiven and extend it to others. Take the bread and eat. Take the cup and drink. And leave this place carrying not your shame, but His presence.

Father, We come to you right now - not with polished words or perfect hearts, but just as we are. Some of us are hiding. Some of us are hurting. Some of us are carrying wounds so deep we've forgotten how to even name them. But you see us. Right here, in this moment, in this room - you see us. Not our performances, not our masks, but our true selves. The broken parts. The hidden parts. The parts we're afraid to show anyone else. Jesus, we need you. Meet us in our hiding places. Transform our wilderness into meeting ground. Break through our walls of isolation. Remind us that your love isn't dependent on our perfection, but on your grace. Holy Spirit, do what only you can do - whisper hope into our wounded places. Bring healing where we've been broken. Restore what's been lost. We trust you. Not because everything makes sense, but because you are good. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Benediction: "May you leave here knowing you are seen, Not just by eyes around you, But by the One who formed you. May you walk out carrying not your shame, But His grace. May you remember that your hiding place Can become holy ground. And may the God who pursues you relentlessly Hold you, heal you, and lead you home. Go with His peace. *

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*

Good Shepherd

I want to continue our message from last week as we together look back in the book of John, and find with me chapter 10. Chapter 10.. and as your finding chapter 10.. and if its ok, let me start with this… God is a restorer. Let me say that again, God is a restorer. I’ve been reading the book of Psalms for my morning devotional time, along with a podcast called, “Hidden Streams” and, since of course we’re looking at John 10 and Jesus as our Good shepherd I’ve been praying through Psalm 23.

Let me read it for you, even though I know many of you have it memorized… but if you do have it memorized, would you just close your eyes and.. would you just imagine with me this, that, this is the very first time you’re hearing it. And not just that, but would you stand with me, if you can, in honoring of God’s word… as we hear God's word together.

Paslam 23, The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. And all of God's people said, Amen. You may be seated. God is a restorer. There’s a verse in psalm 23 that I sometimes overlook. And in preparation for this Sunday, for today. I’ve been reading this Psalm and for whatever reason, I tend to over look this phrase.

It’s never caught my eyes or my attention until now… In this Pslam, there are Four simple words in English. Two simple words in Hebrew that I tend to overlook. And I don’t know why I over look this phrase. I think, maybe I tend to glaze over it because I’m so focused on the hardships and trials that I am in. That I tend to lean more on, the verses of…

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…” or the verse, “although I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” But this week, I found comfort in these words, from verse 3… It says, He restores my soul. And what we have before us in Pslam 23, the image of a shepherd, before his flock. The images in verse 2 are clear. We can see the lush pastures beside the quiet stream where the flock finds comfort and food.

Nourishment and rest, is what we see. The sheep scattered throughout the land with no care in the world, their safe, and secure under the watchful eye of the shepherd. David, in a moments turns the attention from grazing sheep to a person. This is the painting that we see David carefully envisioning with every word that pours out from the well spring of his heart.… David has shifted his gaze from the sheep to the shepherd.

And he sings, with great love and joy in his heart… “He restores my soul.” That’s what a good shepherd does….. a good shepherd restores his sheep. I imagine David in this moment, seeing himself as a sheep of the flock and eating, and resting, and then looking up and seeing the shepherd there wit him, and when he sees the shepherd, his heart is secured. Knowing that trouble is ahead, knowing that life gets tough, knowing that although we walk through difficult valleys that bring about the shadow of death…

But yet, still knowing that, ”The darkness is never so deep that the light of love cannot penetrate it.” He’s connecting with his shepherd. We see it in our world all the time.. Just Yesterday I was watching a video of a cross country meet and the boy was running behind, but the mom got up and went to the roped off line and began yelling his name, and began encouraging her son, and when her son locked eyes with his mother, arms began to pump harder, legs began pound the ground faster and he began to overtake others competitors towards the finish line.

We’ve got to learn that, Knowing and recognizing His presence is our greatest victory. We all need someone to anchor us like that… David is anchoring himself in His god.. in the good shepherd of the flock. And so, I say to you this morning… God is a restorer! The whole Bible, from start to finish is God looking to restore his people. We say it all the time in our christian circles, the Bible is a love story of God…

loving us so much, that he sent his only son Jesus to the cross to restore us. John 3:16 is a reminder of that.. the greatest Christmas verse is John 3:16.. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Love came down…. So that love would restore. God is a restorer… he restores our souls.

We were dead in our trespasses and sins, and the Good Shepherd gives us new life. The sheep that are weak and injured, he heals and binds them up. He restores them to full life so that they are once again able to stand and walk and feed, to hold their own as part of the flock. Our old life left us not only dead in our sins but weak, sick, and damaged by our sins.

Why go back to that life? The good Shepherd finds the lost, he finds the one, he seeks to restore the lame and hurting… and he offers to them life. Not just any kind of life, but real, authentic enteral life. David writes, He restores my soul.. my nephesh. Our soul is the seat of our desires. It’s the seat of our appetites. In restoring our souls, He makes us hunger and thirst for righteousness.

He feeds that hunger. He quenches that thirst. There just so many anemic christians running around malnourished because they have yet to learn to stop looking and chasing everything else, they only need to just look up! To get their face out of whatever it is they're pursuing, and just look up.. And then they’ll see the good shepherd looking back at them. That’s why, when David looks to the shepherd, and when their eyes meet, he has peace in his heart for the hard times ahead, because he knows everything that shepherd has, he has with abundance.

I have what he has, all because I belong to the shepherd. I belong to him. God is a restorer. And that’s the same in our story. If you recall, Jesus is restoring the disciples. He corrected them about the blind man. It was his or his parents sin the made him blind, but he was blind to bring glory to God. Jesus restored the blind man. He restored him in two ways.

He restored his sight, and then when the pharisees rejected him back into community, Jesus restored him into His kingdom. If you recall from last week, once they threw him out… to be casted away from the community, Jesus went looking for the blind man. Think about what Jesus said to the blind man when we restore him… Verse 35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 “Who is he, sir?” the man asked.

“Tell me so that I may believe in him.”37 Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.” Did you hear what Jesus just said t him???? You have now seen him. You were once blind but now, through Jesus, and in Jesus you too, just like David, jut like the sheep of the fold can now look up and see the good shepherd standing there…

God is a restorer. What does it mean to be a good shepherd? Let’s read chapter 10, in the book of John and find out. Jesus say’s in verse, 14, 14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen.

I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. What does it mean when Jesus says, I am the good shepherd? Well first we need to understand something… when Jesus says he’s good, It’s an outward description of his inward heart. It’s not, like when we say, Good job, or Good Luck, or good morning… But, the Bible tells us that the word ‘good’ actually means holy, pure and righteousness.

It’s intertwined with this word holiness. Goodness is the fruit produces from a heart that is pure and holy. Jesus tells us, Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. The aim of Jesus Christ is not to reform the manners of society, but to change the hearts of sinful mankind. He's after your heart. He’s seeking to change it. To make it alive. To make it beat in the same rhythm as his own.

But Why the heart? Well, the heart is the center of all we do. It’s our motivation headquarters. What ever your heart loves and desires, that is what it will pursue. It’s what defines and directs you. That’s why Solomon in all of his wisdom tells us to: Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life. The heart is where life gets it purpose. If you want to know what kind of person you are, all you need to do is find what your heart wants and where it leads you in all circumstance in life, that’s the center of your heart.

And to save you the trouble, most often you’ll realize the center of your own heart is you. That’s the center of sin…it’s exchanging the glory of God for mere idols. And the greatest idol in the life of man is ourselves. Our wants, our needs, our desires… we want to be fulfilled people. And so we fulfill our desires with everything in life, but often not of God. I believe that with all of my heart.

Because that’s what I wanted before I came to know Jesus. I wanted to fulfill my life in the way I wanted. I wanted to be satisfied. But I never realized that what I pursued for my own satisfaction was leading me to death. I thought I was living. I thought I was living my best life now… but in all reality I was living a life that lead no where but eternal separation.

Jesus says, I am the good shepherd. His goodness is the outward fruit of his inward heart. What does his heart look like? That’s a very interesting question because, did you know, in all four gospels, which includes 89 chapters, there is only one place, and one time where Jesus tells us about his own heart. DO you know where its found? It’s found in Matthew chapter 11, where he says, I am gentle and lowly in heart.

This is the only place where Jesus pulls back the veil and lets us peer way down into the core of who he is. His heart drives his goodness. Look now to what Jesus continues to say, , “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.

There an intimacy that Jesus has for his flock. I’ve said it before, Intimacy is us knowing God and God knowing us. It’s not knowing about God, it’s a mutual relationship. And regardless of our part, God always is faithful to pursue and to know us 100 % of the time. He has a willing heart. Isn’t it better to know that we have someone loving us, not out of duty but out of willingness?

My wife loves me because she’s willing to love me. I love her not because I have a duty to care and to protect, but I willingly do it because I love her. I think of all the overtime in the oil and gas industry, the torn knee that comes with a life long disability, the broken back, the scars on my hands and body. I think of the long drives that took over an hour to get to the yard, and one time I was so tired that I only got 15 minutes from our home heading towards work and in a terrifying moment, I forgot who I was and where I was going.

I was so stressed and tired that I lost all reality. I lost my mind, and my surroundings. I had to pull over because my mind had left me. It was a willing heart to provide and care for my wife and kids. My family will never know the full extent to the hardships I’ve endured to provide for our family. But they know this.. I did it, willingly because I love them.

God isn’t impress with your duty. Jesus never went to the cross out of duty. He went to the cross fueled by love. Each nail that pieced his hands and feet bled and poured out love. Each prick, cut and splinter from the crown of thorns bled upon the brow of Christ, that was love. The very breath in his lungs as he took one final breath and breathed his last, was out of love.

He says, I am the good shepherd, and I know my own and mine own know me just as the father knows me and I know the father… and I willingly lay down my very life for them. What a wonderful reminder it is to know in my time of trouble, in my time of regret and in my time of need, I can look up, and see my savior looking back at me.

It’s a promise! It’s a promise that he is always faithful. Don't you remember, Stephen? The book of acts tells us that as he was being Stoned to death, “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. “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” He looked up!

And there in all of His glory he saw the good shepherd staring back at him… and led him into glory. I am his and he is mine. I have no other care in the world because I know, Just as David knew, jsut as Stephen knew, that not matter how broken I become, no matter how hard this world becomes, He restores my soul with one look into the eyes of the good shepherd.

He restores me! He has a willing heart if you would but trust him. He has a willing heart. His whole soul and Spirit is thrusted into his sheep. Everything he has and owns is given to his sheep. There is goodness and tenderness and willingness in his care. What a great encouragement that is that Jesus cares. And if Jesus is so pleased to be my shepherd, let me be just as equally pleased to be his sheep.

Because all that Jesus is and all that he offers is made available to me as a sheep of his fold. Do you know how important that is for you to know? That intimacy is loves ways of saying, I am willing. Without doubt.. without hesitation. Without thinking about it… Once my sheep looks to me… I am willing. What is he willing to do? Well, Look with me back in verse 15, Jesus says, and I lay down my life for the sheep Do you know what this greek word, “life” means?

It means, to his very last breath. Now hear it this way, I will lay down my life, my very last breath for my sheep. Jesus is pointing us to the cross in this moment where he actually will lay down his life. Jesus is the only one able to lay his life down and pick it up again. Because he tells us that in verse 18, 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.

I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” Listen church, do you really give your life to your faith? Im not asking if you give yourself to coming to church. Im not asking I you give money in the plate. Im not even asking if you serve the poor with moments of servitude. Im asking.. have you given your whole self to the good Shepherd?

Jesus says, I give my entire life, for my sheep. The very precious breath, that is in my lungs, my everything that is within me, is thrusted to you, to care for you. All you need to do us look up, and see that he is there. Do you, give the same to Him? DO you really give your life to the faith you believe? I pray today, that today would become a day where you’re sanctified completely.

Where there wold be no more talk or wonder who’s our shepherd is. David Writes in Psalm 34, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” This nearness is from a love only a shepherd has for his flock. And so this morning, as we close on this day of love.

I want to challenge you to ask yourself.. is your love for your shepherd the same as the love that he has for you? Because There is no brokenness in life that the love of God can not restore. Jesus took the love within him, and poured it out for all to see.. he paid it all for you for you, to be restored. *

Two Doors

Imagine with me a moment, a crossroads in your journey, where two doors stand before you. Which one do you take? It’s hard to make that decision isn’t it with so little information. But the truth is, there are only two doors. There's a door to life, and there's a door to death. The door to death will present itself in many different forms, in many different doors, to try to lure and to try to please and to try to gratify, but in the end, it leads to death and destruction.

The door to life is one door, one way, one man: Jesus Christ. Where do you find yourself this morning? What door do you find yourself entering into and pursuing today? Last week we read Jesus saying, I am the light of the world, and we learned how Jesus pushes away the darkness and that ”The darkness is not so deep that the light of love cannot penetrate it.” The week before that we examined the verse where Jesus says, I am the bread of life and we examined how every one of us is on a journey to find something to fulfill our life, and we concluded that God wants to be the center of our desires.

So our journey always leads us to Jesus. And God always fulfills our every need, in Jesus. Personally, I don’t want a competing King in my heart. I don’t want division in my heart, I want Jesus to be lifted as the king of my heart. I guarantee you most anxiety and doubt and division we see within the christian today is from this war being waged over whether or not we will bend the knee to Jesus, as our savior and Lord.

That’s why, in prayer I tend to say Lord a lot. It’s my way of affirming His lordship over my life. I yearn for his presence. But I’ve also learned that I need to say Jesus more often, because I need to be able to receive grace as well. He promises us that. He promises us to be with us to the end of the age. He promises to dwell with us, and in us, that We will be with him.

And he will be with us. I yearn for that to be in my heart as much as I yearn for it to be true in your heart this morning. But for that to be true you must choose a door because there is NOTHING is more important in your life than the awakening of this desire. And so, this morning there are three things I want to share with you the we find in our text.

I’ll share an introduction, We're going to see Jesus Christ introducing himself to the Pharisees. Next is the invitation. We're going to see Jesus standing before these religious leaders, giving an invitation. And thirdly, illumination. Upon coming to faith in Jesus Christ, salvation, there are promises Jesus says here in the text that we have as we enter into the door of Jesus Christ. Before we jump into the text this morning, let’s begin with a little context.

Last week in chapter 8 we saw Jesus say, I am the light of the world. He was talking to two groups of jews. One group is believing and following him, while the other group is is not believing him. And So you have Jesus there talking to both of these groups about truth and freedom, and there’s little foreshadowing of his prayer in what we call the high priestly prayers of Jesus later in the same gospel of John.

He begins to give us a sneak peak on abiding in Him, as he aides in the Father. Jesus says, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Jesus is saying, My words, my life is truth, and this truth gives eternal life. Then we come to chapter 9. In chapter 9,This is one of those chapters where you go…

really! I mean I get it.. we get to look at it through a birds eye view and these people were experiencing all of this chapter first had. Here is what’s going on. Jesus ends up spitting into some mud and smearing it on this blind guys eyes and telling him to go wash it off in a pool. So, what does this blind man have to lose? Other than being humiliated by some street preacher known for miracles putting spit mud on his face.

He goes to the pool and washes off, and guess what. He’s healed. He can see. I mean, if there was ever a time to sing the song amazing grace, I once was blind but now I see… it was here in this moment. BUt listen to what happens. Jesus heals this man. He heals this man, and the city goes crazy. Totally nuts. His neighbors.. people that would see him every day, begin wondering and asking..

is this that beggar guy that was once blind? And the guy kept saying, I’m the one… its me. I’m the one that got healed. And I laugh every time I read it, because in verse 10 and 11, they ask him, how did you get healed.. and he doesn’t say one thing about Jesus spitting into mud, he just says, Jesus made some mud. Smeared it on my face and told me to go wash it off at this pool, and so I did.

So in this story, they take him to the pharisee. Now this is important because regardless of any healing. No matter how drastic or amazing it was… before one could be redeemed back into the community, one had to be examined but he priest. We see this all throughout Scripture. Jesus says all through the gospels “go, show the priest”. In Luke 5, Jesus heals the paralyzed man and tells him to tell no one, “but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” In Luke 17, 10 lepers yell out from a distance, Master, Have pity on us, and Jesus tells them to, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.” 9 went to the priest but one can back to worship Jesus.

This was Jesus’s way of making sure that per the law, they would be redeemed back into the community. If you have yet to learn, the body, the community is very important to Jesus. Community is important to Jesus. So, The Pharisees approached this blind man, and they asked him, "How are you with sight?" This blind man testifies, "A man by the name of Jesus healed me." The Pharisees are upset.

They're angry that this blind man is healed. They bring his parents in, and his parents know, if they say the wrong thing, they too will be excluded from worshiping. Can you imagine that!!.. one wrong testimony and you can’t come to church. No grace, no mercy… don’t show up to church next week. Go hang out with the Samaritans. I bet that’s what they probably would say. Go hang out with those weirdo’s.

So his parents say, well go ask him for yourself. He’s of age. And the pharisees go and ask again, who did this.. who healed you…. and guess what the once blind man said? Jesus did it. And They're so upset that this once blind man testified that the Lord Jesus Christ healed him, they excommunicated him. Do you want to know why this is worse than being blind to me…

because we’re designed to be people of worship, and regardless of what current trends say about online church… We’re called to be the gathering of the body of Christ. And to be excommunicated from the body, is the same as dying. This is where I want to stop for a moment and put a pin into what we’re learning together. Because I want to help us understand what shame does to a worshipper.

Shame is an unspoken epidemic in our country. Brene Brown says, “Shame is the swampland of the soul.” And how we walk through the door of shame is through the little or major tragic moments that are out of our control. Think of this, Shame was available because this man who was healed, it was out of his control. He just followed Jesus instructions. He walked by faith, and instead of seeing a man healed, the pharisees saw him as an outcast.

Shame is such a powerful emotion. Shame is the intensely painful feeling or experience of believing that we are flawed and therefore unworthy of love and belonging. What it does, is that it attaches to our identity and it begins to impact our sense of self. Who we are, and who’s we are. When shame gets a hold of us, what it does, is that it opens the doors to anger, self disgust and all kinds of negative ways that we view ourselves.

And I love what Jesus does in this moment… He doesn’t let this man become blind again. I’m not talking physical blindness… that’s not what I mean… Jesus goes looking for him when he heard that he was thrown out and not only is his physical eyes are healed, but his spiritual eyes are opened as well. Jesus goes looking for him. Church, Jesus never stops looking for anyone! No matter where you are, no matter how dark life seems to be, no matter how much shame you carry..

Jesus has never stopped pursuing you. And I believe you’re here today because Jesus is pursuing you. You’re not here because you got up and decided to come, you’re here because the Spirit has led you here. And just like we can lead a horse to water, we can’t make a horse drink it. The Spirit has led you here, whether or not you find Spiritual food is dependent upon whether or not you take a seat at the table.

The question is, how thirsty are you for Jesus and forgiveness and grace? So here’s the introduction… lets read together John chapter 10, and verses 7-11. "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” The first part is this..

Jesus says, I am the door. Jesus is actually correcting the pharisees here. He’s saying, for years, you have been the gatekeepers of righteousness. And, let's be honest.. you priest have not been that loving, and caring, towards others. If you recall, in chapter 9, they had no desire to celebrate with the once blind man. They kept asking questions, "Why? Why is it he is healed? How is it he was healed?

Who healed you” And he kept giving the same answer, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. Not once do they realize that as priest, this was one of their sheep. This was a person, seeking to be reestablished back into his community. They were the gatekeepers for that to become a reality. But they didn't celebrate the very fact he was healed, but what they did do is they exiled him from the community of the Jews.

And so, Jesus, goes and finds him, and he reintroduces himself as, the door. And Jesus as the door is different than the one the Pharisees were supposedly looking after. Jesus as the door is different. First, the frame on Jesus as the door is full of grace. He says, In my very frame, there's grace." Ephesians 2:8: "For by grace you have been saved… "In my very frame, there is mercy." Ephesians 2:4: "But God, who is rich in mercy…" "In my very frame, there's forgiveness." Colossians 1:14: "In whom we have redemption…the forgiveness of sins…” "In my very frame, there's joy.

There's peace. There's patience." Galatians 5:22: "But the fruit of the Spirit…” This whole time, Jesus was communicating to these leaders, to these Pharisees, that the only way to a right relationship with the father, is through a door with the very same frame as the one he’s claiming. The only door that leads to life, is through him. We find 10 chapters later this truth, Jesus would go upon the cross and bear our shame, to defeat Satan, and self and he takes our sin that is rightlyfully due to us, and he goes, Tetelsi, It is finished.

The power of Satan, the power of Sin, the power of shame and self.. it’s over. They no longer have any hold on you, in the name of Jesus. And the same power that raised Jesus from the grave gives us the power to live in freedom! You see, in Jesus, Forgiveness is available. Love is available, and the truth is, John would go on to write in one of his letterers, the letter of I John, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” In my life, in my own experiences, We may not feel forgiven immediately, but we are.

I sometimes wonder, we become so effectuated with the door of Jesus, that we forget to walk into new life. And let me just say, that’s dangerous… because if we do not walk in the newness of life that Christ offers, we will eventually fall back in love with the darkness we once knew and loved, and we will turn from the door of salvation. When Jesus forgives us, we are truly forgiven.

Once we’ve confessed our sin to Jesus and repented, it’s time to stop living in the sin we once knew, in the old lives that we loved so much, and through the power of the Holy Spirit now in us, we live as redeemed people. That’s what Jesus wants. Look in verse 9, he says, if anyone enters by me. That’s the invitation. Jesus even invites his enemies to come. It’s an invitation to eternal life.

It’s an invitation to a deeper relationship with the father. Can you imagine, living by faith before Jesus came, and seeking, and yearning, and living by the law. There is nothing these pharisees would want more than to be near God. But yet, in this invitation, they reject it. IN all of there studying, in all of thier judging, and seeing.. they were actually blind to what God had done and is about to do…

God had stepped away from glory to walk with us, with humility, to show us the way. How Many of us right now in this place are just like the Pharisees? What keeps us from entering into the door of Jesus Christ? You see there are so many doors we have in life, we fail to actually seek the one that gives eternal life. What doors are before us that present themselves as giving us life, but they find their end in death?

Some of us may not struggle with works like the Pharisees. I know a lot of Christians that struggle with works. They think all the work they produce is going to get them into heaven, and they miss just seeking and waking in God’s presence. I know people that are just consumed with thier work that they count it all righteousness, but yet they, in thier life do not know Jesus and they fall prey to false doors..

What are some of these idols we may wrestle with? What about the idol of perfection? "I have to be perfect. Everything always has to be good. Everything needs to be right. Then there is the idol of power…looking for and striving for authority, for control. "Everything always has to fit in the way I want it to fit. Everything always has to go the way I want it to go." Thats desiring power.

What about the idol of success? You're never content and always striving for the next benchmark. The idol of finding the perfect spouse… give that up.. my wife already found me. Ha! Isn’t that the idol of pride. There is the idol of children. "My life is my children. My child can do no wrong. My identity is in my kids. What about the idol of intellect. I want to pursue all the knowledge I can.

Think of Paul to the Corinthians, If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Do you know what he’s saying… Paul is telling us that we can walk through so many doors, but if that door isn’t the door of Christ, the door that we walk through where love originates, I gain nothing in this world. And so this invitation, when Jesus says, if anyone enters by me, it’s truly an invitation to experience the fullness of Love, through Jesus Christ. Have you entered into that door?

And if you say yes… Hallelujah!!!. Praise the Lord. Because there are two types of people… there are two type of sheep. The first sheep are those who are cared for and saved by Jesus Christ. The second set is the sheep who are consumed by sin and darkness. And just like sheep, we need help. We need guidance, we need a savior. Apart from Jesus Christ, we are destined to death.

Someone might say, well hell sounds cool, and it’s be a big party… no it wont be. The bibles says hell is a lonely place. It’s a place void of the presence of God. And think of this.. everyday we’re around people everyday and we still feel lonely. Everyday, we’re around others, with the most technological devises in our homes and hands, but yet there is an epidemic of loneliness. Hell will be full of non believers, but yet still be the loneliest of places that we will ever experience.

This invitation, the Jesus offers isn’t just a get out of hell free card, but it’s an invitation to not be alone. That’s what Jesus promises through the door of life. He promises us his presence. Let me ask you as a believer in Jesus Christ. In the midst of darkness, in the midst of death, and knowing that there's hope in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Why do you still play with the other doors?

Why do you still pursue the things of this world? I belive with all of my heart there are many people here today, and even listening online that you’ve come to see the door, you examined the door, you find the door to be beautiful. It’s even been opened for you, Jesus says, Knock (and keep knocking) and the door will be opened for you. You don't even have to open the door….

Our savior is a servant… he opens it for us… Why haven’t you walked through yet? Why is holiness so scary to you? I think of that verse in Matthew 7 is interesting… knock and the door us open to you.. but it never stops there.. what does Jesus say, …he says, to seek. Why have so many stopped seeking in their life? Why is prayer such a bore to you?

Why is going to chruch on sunday such a hassle for you? Why is reading the word, and spending time with him such a struggle for you?.. I’ll tell you why… beucxase you keep wondering what’s behind the other doors. It’s gonna be a sad day, when the trumpets sound, and millions upon million of people are going to be raptured up into the heavenly realms as God takes up his holy people, but yet there will be millions of people standing there with invitation clutched in their hands.

The invitation is for you to enter… and to seek, not just to stand there and admire. Jesus doesn’t want an admirer… he wants a follower. DO you know what the difference is? The admirer never makes any sacrifices. They just stand still and admire. The admirer plays it safe. Though the admirer knows the songs, and prays the prayers, and praises Christ they renounce nothing. There is no turning from thier sin.

Do you know you can give confession without repentance. You can confess your sin.. Lord, Im a bad man.., Lord, Im not a good woman… and still not turn and repent from it. All you’ve done was bragged about your sin, to a holy God. What will you do with the invitation you’ve received? And that lets me to the last thing we learn.. let me ask you… do yo want to know why so many refuse to enter?

Jesus said in John 3, , Because they love their darkness. When Jesus says, I am the gate, he goes, they will be saved and will come in and go out and find a pasture. The very first promise Jesus gives us as we enter into the door, is salvation. This is Jesus illuminating the path for us. Romans 5:8 and 9 says, "…but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.” That is, upon the gift of salvation, our eyes are open to sin and darkness. When your eyes are open to your sin and the darkness you live in, you flee from it… You will want nothing with it. You delight in His righteousness. You crave his goodness.

Just like the other day, as I as walking to the church at night, I heard a rustling in the trees, and thought something was after me, I was scared… I came running for the light. I didn’t want my phone light.. it wasn’t bright enough for me.. I didn’t feel safe until I got into the fullness of the light inside the church. It’s the same promise we have in Jesus Christ…

Men and woman of light don’t go paying around in darkness. They flee from it… Im gonna go to that altar, and I’m gonna pray as I did last week. I’m gonna pray that God blows the doors off of his church, and the people within will go deeper. Im gonna pray that you’ll not be found sitting with an invitation in your hand, but that you will open it up, and see that Jesus is offering you a better life than you have now…

All you go to do, is come, Knock, and the door will be opened for you… Jesus is a servant, he opens the door, and then start seeking Christ… and when seek Christ, I guarantee it, you’ll be found, and invited into the community. *

I Am the Light of the World

12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12 Every one of us is living in darkness. But yet, I still feel alone at times in my life. I still feel the weight of depression and anxiety overwhelm me. We live in a world that can sometimes feel shrouded in darkness, a world that mirrors the formless and empty state of creation that we find in the book of Genesis.

I sometimes wonder, if the creation story, represents my story and mu life. On one hand I know I can experience loneliness, isolation, and a lack of direction or purpose. And it can become very easy for me to become trapped in my own anxiety and fear. But on the other hand I need to also remind myself of the possibilities that come with being empty, and formless as darkness blankets my life.

Being without form can also represent new beginnings, perhaps a fresh start. Just as the lump of clay on the potter’s wheel does not take shape until the hands of the creator begins to form it into whatever it’s purpose would become of it, my life as well can be formless, shapeless but yet surrendered to the Holy Spirit who works and hovers to dwell within me so that I can be formed and changed into the very image of the Fathers Son, Jesus.

But there is one thing before we choose a path that we will take in the darkness, and we need to be reminded of this one truth. No matter how dark your life may seem…. God’s presence is always present within our darkness. Before light has dawned on the earth. Before the heavens and the earth were formed. Before time and every living thing, ……..God was there. Even in my own life, Before I even knew of God, before I knew of my sin, before any knowledge of my need for Christ as my savior, before the Spirit of God came into my heart to give birth and life to my soul, he was hovering over the darkness of my life., extension grace to me.

We call it prevenient grace. And in God's grace, we are reminded that, God’s presence is always present within our darkness. "Recently, I watched testimonial videos of people's experiences spending 24 to 100 hours in a pitch-black cave in Oregon. These individuals ventured into a small, secluded tiny house built within the cave, equipped with a bed, toilet, and bathtub. Their meals would be delivered once a day in a tiny box.

And During their stay, they would simply eat, sleep, and exist in the complete absence of light. After thier time in the darkness they would come out into the light of the world and for what may have been like the first time, they begin to see how the clarity that light gives, shows us how the world is formed around us. One testimony caught my attention. It was a young man that had said, “I've realized in my pursuit of God that I was trying to find him, but yet in the darkness, I realized that I was infinity surrounded by him.

It was like, without knowing it, I was swimming in His presence.” God’s presence is always present within our darkness. No matter who you are, where you are, or where you’re at in your present state of mind. When you and I experience darkness in this life, we are still surrounded by God’s presence. He blankets us in his love, grace and mercy each and ever day of our lives. Psalm 125 verse 2 reminds us that, “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people, from this time forth and forevermore.

God’s presence is always present within our darkness. But why do we struggle within our darkness to realize God’s presence is present with us? And, when I am in darkness how can I find God? Well first we need to understand that within the darkness that we experience, fear is the enemy of our faith. Fear is the enemy of our faith. What is fear? Fear is an emotion caused by the belief that something or someone poses a threat to us.

God as a threat to my way of life. When I was in college I was invited to a church by a girl. I didn’t want to be there. God was a threat to my way of life, and how he wanted me to live my life. We hear things like, God wants to bring to light your sin, and he wants to invade your hearts. When I am the Lord of my own heart, that’s the kind of language that’s threatening.

You want to expose my sin? But yet, here’s the reality I never realized… I was living my life in darkness and sin. And I loved it. Jesus put it like this when he was describing his own coming : “This is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed” Our problem is not that we don’t have light, but that we love the darkness.

We love it. We love it because we believe it protects us. It shrouds our life in mystery and hides our wrongs. I often wonder, would even my own darkness hide my sin if there was a final judgment? And we choose it often over living in the light of Christ. What kind of fears do you struggle with? Because we have access to so many fears in our life. Are they healthy fears that draw you closer to God, or harmful fears that pull you away from Him.

There’s two fears I believe we need to examine today that are not healthy, The first one is that we can have the fear of intimacy. Intimacy is what we call the experience of really knowing and being known by God and by another person. It’s us knowing God and others on a deeper level. When I think of intimacy I always think of Alicia. We’ve been married for 18 years and I am in love with her more today than I ever was 18 years ago, and that’s because intimacy takes time.

It; takes effort. It takes understanding, and trust me, it takes a whole lot of grace and forgiveness. But our love has grown because her and I have made heart filled intentions on knowing one another deeper. I want to love my wife with all that I am. I want my mind to be filled with visions of her. I want my heart to yearn to be near her. Even when I am sick, and exhausted, and tired, there is a strength within me to keep going, to keep working, to push through the hardships to care for her and my family.

All because, I am in absolute head over heals, in love with her. Think of the command, to love God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love others as you would love yourself. That’s intimacy. To love God with all of your being. And to love others the same way you would want to be loved. It’s a love that is vertical and horizontal. And notice, it’s never a love that lowers God or others from where they belong.

It’s never a love where you see someone lower than you. You love vertically first, where love originates, and then love flows from that intimacy horizontally where others are. No relationship ever becomes healthy by trying to love people from above them. From lording over them. Because For love to be real, it can’t be forced or coerced. There’s an equality to the love we experience between one another, when we love others as we would love ourselves.

People around us are not greater or worse than us, but there becomes a uniformity in our intimacy. This reminds me, that there’s not one person we can’t love in this world. Even when Jesus says love your enemy, it’s a call for us to stop trying to make others lower than ourselves, and to love them as equal to ourselves. When we have a fear of intimacy, every time in this fear we will push God and others away.

And in the midst of pushing God and others away, we tend to create unhealthy boundaries for relationships. We struggle in our faith because we distance ourselves from God, and from others. In Psalm 63 David begins with these words, he says, “God, my God, you are my God. I earnestly seek you. That means David sought God with a sincere but also intense conviction to find God. When we are hurt, we distance ourselves, we put up boundaries to keep hurt and others from hurting us again.

But when we have a healthy love for God and others, when there is healthy intimacy that leaves room fro grace, We find ways to seek to be in God’s presence and we find ways to lift others up. There’s another fear. And if you can imagine, it’s the opposite of intimacy. We fear being close to others, but we also fear of being rejected by others. I wrote in my journal a couple years ago and I keep this truth near because I too at times fear rejection…

I fear not being loved by others, and I am learning that it’s an unhealthy fear. Here’s what I wrote: The hardest part of living a life of rejection is when you begin to believe that the addiction to mans acceptance and approval, is normal. Let me read that again, The hardest part of living a life of rejection is when you begin to believe that the addiction to mans acceptance and approval, is normal.

You and I can become very easily starved for acceptance and approval. We find ourselves seeking to see how many people show up to events that we put on. We look at all of our likes and comments and interactions on social media. We look to see who’s interacting with who and why are they not interacting with me. We count our friends and then the friends of others to see who’s more loved but believing the more we have the better we are.

That’s an unhealthy way of living. And if left unchecked, approval of others can become a drug that we become addicted to. And Otis a hard addiction to break just as much as nicotine and others drugs we encounter, all because it becomes a prison for our minds. At some point the acceptance you had form someone else, will wear off and then we try even harder to win the approval of others.

King Saul started out wonderful as a king to the jewish people. He had such a wonderful potential to be a great king. But He always wondered, “What are the people going to think? Are they going to like me?” And at one point, because of his fear rejection and the fear of what people thought, he rejected God’s commands, and so, the prophet Samuel confronted him. This is what King Saul said in I Samuel 15:24, he repented and confessed.

He said, “Yes, I have sinned. I have disobeyed your instructions and the Lord’s command, But listen to why he rejected God’s command… “I was afraid of the people, so I gave in to them.” why did God chose David to be the next king? Because he was a Shepard boy after the heart of God. Saul ran after the heart of the people, but David ran after the heart of God.

Humans are the only beings on this planet that seek out and long for the approval of others. And we fear being rejected by others. Fear is the enemy of our faith. It’s a snare. Fear’s aim is to keep us where we are… think of it like this.. fear paralyses us. It keeps us in a the rote of daily life. Proverbs teaches us that, Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.

(Pro. 29:25) There are so many others fears I could talk about, but I hope you get where I am going, fear is what keeps us in the darkness of our life and prevents us from moving forward in the light of our faith. Jesus tells us, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. What Jesus is teaching, is that darkness can only overcome us, and overwhelm us when we choose to love our darkness more than we love God.

Even in fearful moments, we can choose to love wrongly, and to wrongly love. And the worlds kind of fear prevents People from loving God in a right way, and walking with him. Think of the life of Moses. Moses was an amazing man walking with God. If you recall last week, the jewish people loved Moses. Here’s another example of an unhealthy habit we have in our life, when we aim to lift others up above God.

They questioned Jesus as the bread of life, because Moses had fed the Israelites manna from heaven, and then Jesus had to correct them by saying, No, It wasn’t Moses that fed you, but my Father in heaven was who fed you. And that moment of Manna falling down was a depiction of the son of man coming down, to fed the people the real manna from heaven to give and sustain life.

However, the life of Moses is one that we should study and admire because he desired to be, Always, In God presence. There’s a Scripture that blows my mind, and it reminds me that when we are in darkness, God is always there. When we are at our lowest, God is always there. When we fail, God always is there. When we’re struggling to understand, God’s presence is always present within our darkness.

There is no darkness to which, God is never present, and this Scripture is found in Exodus 20. Exodus 20:20-21 says, 20 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.” 21 The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was. Here we read about fear.

But do you know what Moses meant in this moment? Too, not be afraid, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning? Think how this links to the New Testament. What we realize that none of us is able to obey the law, that we need Jesus to cover over our sin and our disobedience, and that’s what Jesus did at the cross. He paid the price of sin for us.

He went as a substitute for us to the cross, died in our place, and then rose from the dead in victory over sin and death, so that we can be saved from our sins, not by our obedience but by our faith, by our trust in Jesus. Now get this, when we trust in Jesus, by faith, to forgive us from our sins, we no longer need to fear the judgment of God.

This verse Calls our Relationship with God to Be Marked With Love. And when we are marked by love, we no longer want to sin in our lives. The best way I can explain it is like this…. My Mother is the closest thing to a father that I have ever had. The most simplest parallel I can come to, with what Moses was teaching and by our faith in Jesus is this…

My love for my mother is so deep that I never want to see her hurt. I never wanted to see her disappointed. And there are times in our relationship that I did not want to tell her of things, not because of what she might do, like whip me, or make me sleep on her bedroom floor for months because I snuck out, but because I loved her so much I didn’t want to see her hurt.

I don’t want to dishonor her in anyway. She’s means a lot to me. And so then I think about my relationship with God. It’s marked by that kind of love. Moses said, the fear of God that will keep you from sinning, is his way of saying, I want to fear not that I will be casted away into a fiery hell for eternity, but the fact that in hell, for temerity, your very presence wouldn’t be there, that is what I fear.

To be away from your presence, to be casted away from your presence. But yet, in God the fathers sufficient and always giving grace, he offers us His son, that although we sin, we miss the mark, we fail, we come up short, in Jesus Christ, we can have the light of life, that guides us to see, and witness God the fathers, ultimate and amazing glory. Paul tells the Corinthians, 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

Jesus is the personified, incarnated “radiance of the glory of God” (Hebrews 1:3) He is the “true light” of this world, and he will be the true light of the world to come. And here’s some good news, Jesus said if you turn to me in your darkness you will not walk in darkness, but in light. Ezekiel tells us, that God will will put his Spirit in us. (36:27) Paul tells us in Galatians that the Father desires to put the Spirit of His son, in us to cry out, Abba Father.

My question is this… Have you tuned to Jesus yet? What darkness are you carrying right now? Turn to Jesus. I’m going to lead you to make a decision this morning.… are you going to be a Moses or the people of Israel? You see, Moses and Israel stood in the very presence of God. But did you ever notice what verse 21 says, The people remained at a distance, but Moses approached the thick darkness of where God was.

Listen, Church, ”The darkness is not so deep that the light of love cannot penetrate it.” Jesus took upon himself, on the cross, he took our sin, and went to the deepest that death could take him, before the love of the Father who was already there int he depths of the darkness of death and h resurrected Jesu to glory and honor and now he offers you and me, eternal life through Jesus.

Moses stepped into darkness because, by faith he knew God’s presence was there. The people stood behind because they feared their sin more than they feared God’s loving presence. What sin, or darkness are you fearing more than Gods love this morning? Every one of us is living in darkness. But yet, God’s presence is always present within our darkness, because love is present in Jesus, and he reminds us of this…

, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” *

Go and Tell

I would like to ask you to open your Bible up to Matthew chapter 28 and I wanna read where we were last week… Matthew chapter 28, beginning in verse 5… 5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. (Now here is the invitation) Come and see the place where he lay.

Mary and Mary have just received one of the greatest invitations of their life… to see and witness, in fact that Jesus was no longer in the tomb, for he has risen! And it’s another sermon for another time, but one thing I wanted us to know is this, ”The most fulfilling journeys begins with a simple invitation to come and see.” Invitations are generally moments where others are requesting for us to go somewhere or for us to do something, but often these invitation doesn’t call for us to experience it alone.

When it comes to receiving an invitation, many times, we’re being recognized and chosen by someone who sees value in us, and whenever we see value in one another it creates a sense of connection and belonging. By Accepting an invitation, it can lead to new opportunities, crazy experiences, and new relationships that can enrich our lives. But let me ask, “Have you ever experienced the joy of sharing your journey with someone else?” Whether it’s a spouse, or a parent, or a really good friend, we find all throughout Scripture that God invites his people into this great story, but he never calls us to be in it alone.

Let’s dive right back into the story and see how this invitation turns from the invite into doing life with others, and spreading the gospel message. Let’s continue our Scripture in verse 7… 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” 8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.

9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” What’s interesting about this story is that God invites these women into the conversation of the good news that Jesus has risen and he tasks them and offers them to go and tell the disciples that Jesus lives.

They are literally bringing good news to the disciples of Jesus. Have you ever brought good news to someone? I remember when Alicia, a little after a year into our marriage, called me into our bathroom and showed me that little stick with two lines… She brought me the good news that we were going to have a baby. There’s a Scripture in Romans chapter 10: verse 15 that says, “And how can anyone preach unless they are sent?

As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” Mary and Mary through this invitation to come and see, now have a choice to make, whether or not they will indeed go and tell, and bring this good news to others. Everyday you and I are invited into this relationship with God, and everyday we choose whether or not we will go and tell others about Jesus.

But the pinnacle moment for these women, and for us this morning is this… Have we been faithful to the invitation that Jesus calls us into to come? You see, faithfulness isn’t just about being loyal to our commitments. Faithfulness isn’t just about keeping the promises we make. it’s also about staying true to our values and beliefs even in difficult times, even when others might not believe the message we’re bringing.

Mary and Mary had a huge task to bring the news that the messiah, the one everyone watch die on the cross is not dead, but alive. There was a chance of unbelief from those hearing their message. But in spite of that, they were faithful… To be faithful, there must be courage, and perseverance, and a strong sense of purpose. But when faithfulness comes to relationships, there is one more key that is required when it comes to growing intimacy between a group of people from different kinds of lives and backgrounds, and it’s curiosity.

I learned a new phrase recently that I thought would be beneficial to our call to have beautiful feet, as we’re being sent to go and tell this good news, that Jesus lives and share it with others… and it’s this… Be curious, not judgmental. You see, Curiosity opens avenues of understanding and guides our hearts to appreciate those we partner with on this journey of faith. Curiosity helps us understand one another and to be patient with their thoughts, feelings, and experiences just as we want others to understand ours.

Curiosity, helps us to deepen our connection and grow with one another in the relationship of discipleship. And the reason it does that is because curiosity keep our conversation open and fresh when we talk with others. I like to think of it like this… When we are curious about something, we’re interested in it… and when we’re interested in something we tend to lean into a little more than anything else.

BUt when we are judgmental about something… We tend to lean back, and shut ourselves off from others and then assume that we already know everything there is to know about them. When we judge, we limit our ability to understand the perspectives and experiences of others, which can lead to misunderstandings and conflicts in our relationships. Think of it like this… Every time I think of being judgmental I think of my momma.

My mother would not, for the life of her, eat Chinese food. Wouldn’t touch it.. and because she wouldn’t touch it, I wouldn’t touch it. We actually believed, the our local Chinese restaurant would go out to catch stray cats and dogs to use for their food. Now, of course we do know there are cultures out there that think cats and dogs are a delecacy, but I’m thankful were not one of them….

But Then one day, in college, my college girlfriend wanted Chinese and I found myself with her eating General Toa’s chicken and I loved it. It began a beatnik relationship between me and Chinese food, and eventually I began to try other things. Wontons, egg rolls, sweet and sour sauce… But my mom would not go out with us.. it actually took years until recently, she finally went to the Chinese place in Clarksburg with a friend…

and tried it… and guess what…my mom now loves Chinese food. You see churhc…. When we judge, without having conversaiotn, we limit our ability to understand the perspectives and experiences of others. But here’s the good news: Curiosity opens the door for conversation, and when we are having manful conversation, conversation opens the door for transformation. Isn’t that true… Because I was curious to try something, I found I was transformed into living something I thought I wouldn't like.

It’s the same with our faith. I was curious about Jesus… well, honestly, I was curious about a girl and by following her to church, I found my curiosity for her, led me into a conversation with Jesus. I was curious. And through my curiosity, I began to ask more and more questions, and the more I asked questions, the more I began reading the Bible. Those questions were then discussed with those around me.

This is true when budding relationship with others who are curious as well. I learned that when we’re willing to be curious in the lives of others, and we approach others with a curious heart, a heart that is beating affectionally and passionately with Jesus. It creates space and opportunity for us to share good news with others. I’ve leaned that… Curiosity creates a space for their stories to be heard by me and for my story to be shared with them.

This weekend on Friday our son went to prom with his girlfriend and her family took our family out to eat with them to an amazing diner. When we arrived, we walked passed bar area and went to our table and sitting there was an elderly man, I would say in his 80’s eating alone. In our conversation at our table, it every quickly turned from, I just ordered my food, did you see that amazing dessert cooler when you walked in..

I mean.. every dessert you could think of and cheap too… So, I got up went back up front to take a picture to bring it back to our table, but on the wya back, that older man turned towards me, and I said hi, and he, with this smile said hi.. and it seems as if he wanted to say more, but in my excitement to bring back the good news of all the amazing desserts they had, I kind of just smiled and walked passed him.

Until, the Spirit said, Matthew, dont you believe in no indivisible people. I said yes. Dont you believe that everyone has a story to tell, I said yes. Go and sit two seats down from that man at the bar… And so, I did. I got up and excused myself from our table. Went to bar, sat on the stool two seats down. Ans right in front of me was another cooler that I had missed filled with cheesecakes and other desserts…

But more importantly, was the older man sitting two seats down. Then I knew why the Lord sent me there… to be curious. I said, sir… there seems to be a lot of desserts here… I saw you ate the carrot cake, do you have any recomadations.. And comes to find out, he was a regular. He ate there everyday for dinner and everyday had a dessert. He told me all about all the different kinds of desserts, and what he liked.

I found myself then moving one chair closer to him. And we were laughing and talking. Now, I know those I was with could have been bitter because they were paying for my families meal. But they are good christian folks and they knew me… “I talk to everyone.” That man name is bob, and I told bob that I appreciate his kindness to share his experience with me, I asked if I could pay for his dessert for tomorrows meal, and I don’t think he believed me at first, but he finally nodded yes, he picked out what he wanted and the waitress gave me the bill.

I paid that bill of 4.99 with a 20 dollar bill…. And I looked over and saw the work schedule. I said, “I see you have the work schedule there… who will be serving bob tomorrow? who’s working the bar counter?”… and the lady said I am… I handed her the change of 15 dollars and said, here’s your tip for tomorrow for serving my friend bob. Alicia has come to understand, money doesn’t mean a whole to me when I know God is moving my heart into conversation with people.

She’s learned that when the Spirit Moves me, I go. You see, yes I am talking about curiosity that leads us into conversation, but being Jesus to others also means there needs to be generosity as well. But I tell you that story because in that moment, because I was curious, I was able to hear his story and it created an atmosphere for him to hear mine. Sharing stories has been a part of relationship building since the beginning of time.

Early man shared stories on cave walls. Most of the Old Testament was a story told by the older generation to the younger. Everyday we tell stories… We tells stories by how we dress. We tell stories by what we do for a living, and how we live, and who we live with. Every moment of our lives is a story. Just by my family being here this morning, We are increasing our story.

We don’t know what God wants at this moment, but we do know this.. God has a plan, and we plan to be in it. But for our family, our number one place to communicate our daily stories, is around our dinner table. Like last night.. because of your generosity, we had all the snacks we could ever dream of… and we ordered pizza and our family sat around the island in the kitchen, eating snacks, drinking soda’s and sharing stories.

Jesus did the same thing around a table as well. He shared stories.. I guarantee that when Jesus sat around the table with sinners and saints, he shared stories. Stories of life, and hardships. Stories of love and the good times. I bet you Jesus laughed out loud and as we know, Jesus wept as well. And no matter how bad things got for Jesus, it never stopped him from living out his story and sharing his story, all for the glory of His abba Father.

How we live out life, tells a story. Mary and Mary was tasked with sharing the greatest story of all time, and they did. They ran with fear and Joy the scriptures say, the ran to the disciples to tell them, Jeuss has risen. But not everyone believed in that story did they? Do you remember the story of the Emmaus road. In Luke 24, we find two people walking away from Jerusalem, but I think even more hurtful is that they are willingly walking away from the relationship with others because they have lost their curiosity to keep asking questions.

I often wondered, how did these two people just wonder off without anyone coming after them? The Bible doesn’t tell us, but if you ever wanted proof that Jesus leaves the 99 to go after the one, we’ll here’s proof. Just in this story he’s leaving the 98 to go after 2. But in this story of these two people walking away discouraged. What did Jesus do? He shared his story with them.

Look with me in Luke Chapter 24, and find verse 26…… 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. Jesus begins sharing the story of the Bible with them. Which is what? His story. From Genesis to revelation, It’s God’s story… and from the Old Testament to the new, there is one truth weaved into every moment and every page and in every life, it’s Jesus.

Everything points to Jesus…. Look with me at what happens, The hour is getting late and so these men ask Jesus to stay, and he does…. And guess where this story ends… around the table… look with me in verse 30….. 30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.

32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” It’s an amazing story… because Jesus shared his story with them. We all have a story to tell. The fact that I am here, with you… reminds me that you dont know my story and I dont know yours either. What if, we had the willingness and desire, to share our story with one another?

To go and tell each other about Jesus, and in the midst of our sharing, we shared this with those outside of this church our story. Our stories of addiction. Our story of short comings, or those moments when our internal fuse is short and we have and outburst of anger. What about those moments where we were disappointed with someone.. maybe even someone in our own church. Perhaps we too, like Jesus, can share stories around our dinner tables, inviting people or a meal, or when we speak to others at work, or at the park, or when we are at school.

Perhaps, ”Our story might be the very thing that someone needs to hear to take their next step toward the invitation of coming to Jesus?” Our story is full of struggles, and love, and letdowns, and joy, and hurt.. it’s this pool of experiences that can connect with others and help them see that they are not alone in their journey of faith. Think of what the psalmist writes: Psalm 107:2 says: "Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—those he redeemed from the hand of the foe." Speaker and activist Christine Caine once said, "God never wastes a hurt, and your story may be the key to unlocking someone else's prison.” Just remember this..

if we believe that every soul matters, we should also believe that every story matters too… I just want remind us that your story might be the key to leading someone to Jesus. And let’s be honest, life is messy at times. But he question is.. just like Jesus on the Emmaus road, has curiosity leaned you forward into actually showing up in someones life? A well known movie directer once said, showing up is 80% of life.

I want to read this excerpt from a book called showing up… and I hope it helps you see why, if we’re willing to show up in peoples lives, God can use our story for HIs glory.. let me read this… {Read book} To care.. Honestly church…. If we really want to see a church grow and the seats filled… the greatest key… is to genuinely care for others. That’s it…

Sounds simple doesn’t… but yet, the question is this… Are we willing to be there for others? Are we willing to get messy with others. Are we willing to let those we think are different into the conversation? Are we willing to let go and let God take control… and are we willing to simply show up into the lives of others to share the gospel with them.. that Jesus cares.

Listen, church… there should be no invisible people in this town. There should be no person we deemed unworthy of the gospel. Paul himself reminded Timothy, “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief." To be Present? If we’re willing and we’re curious, God will use each of us. And let me just add, we don’t need any special gifts…

deep within every person here, is a story, we just need to be curious, which means to be present with others to tell it, that means sharing life together. Sharing the ups and the downs. Sharing our misunderstandings with them. Our lips should be dripping with grace for one another. In fact, as a Jesus believer filled with his holy presence, we too often underestimate the power of simply showing up in others lives.

All we need to do is what Jesus did many times —- just be there. The greatest story we carry with us is being present, as we bring Jesus’s presence, into the present lives of those who are around us. Did you know every one of us has the same story…. NO matter our age. No matter if our body isn’t what it used to be.. every person has something for the kingdom…

and it’s this… Our greatest ability is our availability. Just show up. But maybe you’re a little scared to show up in another persons life… conversations can be scary… Why don’t you go and be the Church this week? go and tell someone some good news of Jesus. If we go back to Romans chapter 10: verse 15 it says, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” But let us also remember that it says, 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent?

Well, you’re being sent now.. you’re being sent to be light in a dark world… hear the words of Jesus……. 14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

So here’s your instructions, just like Mary and Mary and many before you…. Be light, and go shine. *

I Am the Vine

When I was a kid, my Nana - who was my great grandmother - had this beautiful grapevine in her backyard. Every summer when I would visit my dad's side of the family, my cousins and I would go out into her vines and eat the grapes. They were those real big reddish purple ones just awning there off the vine. Oh man, they were so delicious, except.. for one natural thing they had in them… seeds. I hated the fact that with each, delicious, succulent grape, that would explode in our mouths, there was this inconvenient seed stuck right there in then middle of it. You know, as kids, we'd often complain about those seeds. They were such an inconvenience. But as I was studying for this message, I began thinking about this phrase 'new life and new beginnings,' and something hit me. It looks some time, but Looking back now, I realize something I didn't when I was a kid. Those seeds, which seemed like such an inconvenience to us cousins, were actually essential for new growth and new life. What I didn't realize at the time... I was just spitting them away. I was wasting the opportunity to sow and cultivate new life. Isn't that just like our relationship with Jesus? Sometimes the parts of our faith that seem difficult, even inconvenient, are actually the very things that become the seeds that help us grow in our faith. There's six words I've learned, but I'm also learning every day when it comes to trials and hard circumstances. It's this: 'I can trust God with this.’ The Bible reminds us of those 6 words in Psalm 119 verse 71: 'My suffering was good for me, for it taught me to pay attention, Lord, to your decrees.’ You see, what looks like an inconvenience today might just be God planting seeds for tomorrow.

I want to invite you to open your Bibles with me to John chapter 15, because before we get to joy, and what it means for us.. I need to set up how joy becomes available to us first. (Read John 15: 1-11) My prayer this week for each and every one of you.. was "Father, I pray that everyone here, and listening online would experience a life-changing understanding and a burning passion in their hearts for a fresh way of knowing you." I prayed that you would experience God, even more by his grace, greater than I have, so that when you go through rough times, and hard valleys in your life, when all feels like it’s dark and hopeless, you too can look back to this day and say, “That’s the day that I truly understood joy. Because here’s a question… "Have you ever stopped to consider what truly motivates your faith? “Why are you following Jesus?” Remember those early followers who flocked to Jesus in John chapter 6? They craved miracles and blessings, but when His message challenged their expectations, what did they do? They vanished. And I got to thinking this week, Isn’t it tempting for us to do the same? We have that saying, when the going gets tough, the tough get going. But sometimes, when we get going, we get going the wrong way.

Abiding is so important to the christian. Did you notice what Jesus said in the beginning of our Scripture? “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch of mine that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” Did you notice Jesus’s language here? How he doesn't say 'I am a good vine' or 'the best vine.' He declares, 'I am the true vine.' This isn't a competition; it's a stark contrast between life and death." Listen, Jesus isn’t going, I am better or best…. this isn’t what is being contrasted here.. What Jesus is saying, is it’s not a matter of best or good, but true verses false. He’s saying, “I am the true vine.” All other vines you tap into are false vines… they bring false hope and false joy into your life. Every vine, you come across isn’t a vine that brings life but death. I keep wanting to contrast by going back to the followers in John 6, if you remember, when they look to Jesus they say, “what can we do???”. and Jesus wasn’t saying here’s a list of dos and don't’s to tap into.. no, Jesus says to those following him, just believe in the one that God has sent… The one, God has sent is the one that offers the bread you need, I am that bread, the bread that gives you life. It’s not about quantity of bread but the quality of it. These people were trying to draw from a vine that didn’t bring life. Now, Think about our how we experience relational life with one another. Think about all the things in your life where you try to draw and tap into vines that are not of Christ? Did you know one of the ways to see what vines you tap into, is by seeing what makes you angry. "What makes the fires of anger rise within you? What gets under your skin and when you think about it, it makes you upset. James says this in James 4:1–2. He writes, “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you?” (James 4:1) He goes on to say, “You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel.” (James 4:2) James is holding up a mirror to our souls, and what we see might make us uncomfortable. Because right there, in our anger, in our conflicts - we see what's really feeding our hearts. Think about it - every argument, every bitter word, every broken relationship isn't just about that moment. They're warning signs, flashing lights telling us we're trying to draw life from dead vines. Our anger? It's like a spiritual diagnostic tool, exposing exactly where we've gotten tangled up in the wrong vines. But here's the beautiful part - God doesn't just show us the problem; He offers the solution. Every flash of anger isn't just exposing our wrong connections - it's an invitation to be grafted back in. It's a chance to let the Master Gardener cut away what's choking us and reconnect us to the only source of real love.

But that leads us to the most important question: So, how does one abide in Christ? What does it mean to abide? To abide means to have a life-giving connection to Jesus. Paul used this phrase - being "in Christ." I did something interesting this week... we’ve been in the book of Ephesians at one of our house churches, and I sat down with the book of Ephesians, and I just started circling a phrase. Every time Paul wrote the words "in Christ," I put a circle around it. You know what I found? In just the first chapter alone - in only 13 verses - Paul says "in Christ" 13 times. Once in every single verse. Now, that's not an accident. See, Paul is pulling back the curtain on the heavenly realm, showing us this spiritual world around us, and he's making this incredibly important point: to experience any spiritual blessing, you and I must be "in Christ." Think about what that means - every spiritual blessing in heaven, our ability to love and be made into the image of Jesus, the forgiveness of our sins and the ability to forgive those around its, the riches of His grace being poured out on those He loves, all that wisdom and understanding, even understanding the mystery of the Father's will - all of it comes through one thing: abiding and being in union with Christ. And look at what Jesus says in our passage - it's a mutual connection, a mutual union. "Abide in me and I in you." My version, the CSB says, to remain in me, and I in you.

This is the heart of the Christian life; this is the essence of our Christian experience. That we abide, and remain in Christ. There must be a life-giving connection between us and Christ. It means we're connected to Jesus in such a way that we're crucified with Him, risen with Him, ascending with Him, and even seated with Him in heavenly places. It's being a branch that is rooted and grounded in a life that's found by knowing, trusting in, and obeying Jesus - and nowhere else. That's first. A life-giving connection - that's the foundation, and it comes by faith in Jesus. That’s first.. A life-giving connection; that’s first, and it comes by faith in Jesus.

But there is a second part to abiding.… Abiding in Christ means not only life-giving connection, but a growing dependence on Christ. Look at John 15:5: "I am the vine, you are the branches; whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

Have you ever noticed how you never think about breathing until you can't? Like when you're swimming and you stay under water just a little too long? In that moment, your whole body screams for air. Every cell in your body knows exactly what it needs - not wants, but needs. That's not something you had to learn; it's written into your very existence. Your body knows that without air, there is no life. And do You know what's fascinating? That first breath you took as a baby - you didn't have to think about it. You didn't have to choose it. Your body knew what it needed for life, and it reached for it. And every moment since then, whether you're awake or asleep, your body keeps reaching for that air because it knows one fundamental truth - without it, there is no life. That's what Jesus is talking about when He says "apart from me you can do nothing." He's not just suggesting a better way to live - He's telling us that He's as essential to our spiritual life as breath is to our physical life. Real dependence on Christ isn't something we achieve; it's something we awaken to. Faith in Jesus is the same way but the only difference is this… we’re already dead. Spiritually, we’re dead in our sin. This what makes faith so interesting to me… because it’s not I’m living my life independently from God, and I have some sort of life right now, and God catches me right before I die and saves me.. NO!!.. I’m already dead in my sins. I’m already dead and when I put faith and trust in Jesus Christ, just like Paul tells us in Ephesians, I am resurrected with Him. I want my life to be so intertwined with Christ that depending on Him becomes as natural as breathing. Each and every day, through abiding, I want my dependence on Him to grow deeper. That's why I love what Paul prays in Ephesians 1:17: "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better."

That’s my greatest desire. Not just to know Christ, not just to follow Christ, but to be in such deep union with Him that each day, my desire for Him grows stronger. That’s abiding.. to me. Because here's the thing - when you're growing in dependence on Christ, you can't help but live differently. It's unavoidable. Growing dependence always leads to a life that looks nothing like the life we lived before we knew Christ. When hate creeps into your heart, you recognize it: "Lord, that isn't a vine from you, I repent and seek your love.” When you're tempted to speak negatively of others: "Lord, that isn't a vine from you, I repent and seek your love.” When you catch yourself putting others down: "Lord, that isn't a vine from you, I repent and seek your love."

Growing dependence always leads us to live differently, and when we begin to recognize actions and loves in our life that are not of Christ... those moments are when God prunes us. Jesus says, "Every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” Are you ok with that? That's a tough question, isn't it? Are you ok to be pruned by the Holy Spirit? Because to be pruned is to be surrendered to the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in your life. Paul tells the Galatians, "The desires of the flesh are against the Spirit and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh; for these are opposed to each other." Part of the Holy Spirit's work in the Christian's life, in this process to make his creation Christ like, is pruning out sin. But here's our biggest problem - …..we don't want to name our sin. Jesus reminds us of this when He says, "Light has come into the world, but people loved their darkness instead of light." Our natural inclination is to keep our sin in the shadow. There isn’t any freedom in that. Because here is what we do.. When we hide our sin, We make sin theoretical. Theres no practical practice of naming sin in our life. We come to the altar and pray these nice, safe, general prayers: "Oh God, I am a sinful person, forgive me of all my sins." Then we get up, dust ourselves off, and feel holy just because we admitted we're like everybody else - …… we’re broken. But have you ever notices that - it's easier to live a surface-level Christian life than to go deeper. It's easier to mumble "forgive all my sins" than to look in the mirror and say: "God, I need to confess how I've been treating people with contempt in my heart Lord, I need to face this bitter, self-righteous attitude I've been carrying” Father, I need to be honest about how I've been putting everything else before my time with you” As long as sin stays nameless and faceless, you'll ignore it. Every time. Well Jesus, just forgive me." "For what?" "For my sins." "Which ones? That's no different than wearing dirty clothes and going around telling people you're dirty but you don't know where the smell is coming from. Remember what Jesus said - when the Holy Spirit comes, He will do what? He will convict the world of sin. Nameless sin isn't conviction... it's just guilt. There's a world of difference between the two. Conviction points to something specific, something we can actually address. When we just say "Lord, forgive all my sins" without letting the Holy Spirit show us what needs to change, we're just swimming in guilt without moving toward growth. Think of it this way - real conviction is like a doctor's diagnosis. A good doctor doesn't just say "You're sick." They tell you exactly what's wrong so it can be healed. The Holy Spirit works the same way. He doesn't just leave us feeling bad; He shows us exactly what needs to change. He gets specific: "That comment you made about your coworker? That wasn't love." "The way you ignored that person in need? That wasn't my heart." "That attitude you're carrying? That's not from me.” When the Holy Spirit actually convicts us - when He shows us these specific areas where we need to change - that's when real transformation happens. You see, church, transformation doesn’t happen until what? Until were honest about where we are. I want saved until when.. until my eyes were open that I did not know Jesus. Until my eyes were opened to the way I was living my life. And I needed a savior. when we’re totally honest about our sin, That’s when we start living differently. That's when we start bearing real fruit. Church, here's the hard truth: growing dependence always changes you. It has to. If following Jesus isn't changing you, you might not be following Jesus. If you can spend time with Him and walk away without a list of things you need to get right, you probably didn't really spend time with Him. Because He's perfect! And in His perfection, He has a standard that you and I are to navigate our lives by. But that standard will have no authenticity if we're not willing to be pruned from the things that are not of Him. You know what? I thank God for His pruning. Yes, it hurts. Yes, it's uncomfortable. But it's necessary because it brings life and fruit in our lives. But even more importantly - pruning proves that God loves you and me.

And that's where we discover something remarkable about abiding in Christ. It's not just about having a life-giving connection or growing in dependence - it's about living differently even when it hurts. Because sometimes, that different way of living shows up in the most unexpected places - like finding joy in the middle of the pruning, joy in the middle of the pain. I know what you're thinking - joy in suffering? That sounds like an oxymoron. And yet, look at what Scripture tells us: James writes with boldness, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds." Not if, but whenever. Paul goes even further - "I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” And right here in our passage, Jesus tells us, "I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.” So what is this Christian joy? Yes, Galatians tells us it's a fruit of the Spirit. But to really understand it, we need to look at Jesus. Do you know what brought Him joy? It wasn't comfort. Look at the cross… no comfort there. It wasn't ease. What in his ministry was easy? The single thing that brought Jesus joy was and still is, doing the Father's will. That was the center of Jesus’s joy. I think about my kids, and this shift in their hearts over the years. When they were little, man, they couldn't wait to help mom and me with anything. I'd say, "Can someone grab my shoes?" and suddenly it was like a race - three kids sprinting to be the first one to help, arguing over who got to serve dad. They'd come back with these huge grins, giggling, just delighting in the fact that they'd done something that made their father happy. They found joy in my joy. Then as they grew older, there was a time recently before we moved when I took all three to olive garden. And When it came time to pay, I realized I needed my wallet from the car - you know how they have those phone payment things now, but ours wasn't working. So I asked, "Would someone be kind enough to run out to the car and grab my wallet?" And you know what happened? Instead of fighting over who got to help, they fought over who didn't have to go. Abby was the first one - finger straight to her nose, "Not it!” What happened to that delight in doing the father's will? You know, sometimes I look at that change in my kids and I have to wonder - isn't that exactly what happens in our relationship with God? That eager delight we once had in serving Him sometimes fades into reluctant obligation. And over time, what happens? We get burned out. Church, I've got to remind you of something important - the ministry you serve in? It's not for me. It's not even for the church. You serve for the delight of doing the Father's will.A And I know it can get tough. I know it can get strenuous. I know you can get burned out. I've been there. We've all been there. And maybe that's why these words from spiritual giants of our faith hit so hard: John Piper reminds us, "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him... The chief end of man is to glorify God BY enjoying Him forever.” David Platt challenges us further: "We are settling for a Christianity that revolves around catering to ourselves when the central message of Christianity is actually about abandoning ourselves.” And Francis Chan gets right to the heart of it: "The reality is that most of us know we should have a more intimate relationship with God but don't want to put in the effort. We are banking on the fact that He is loving enough to get us into heaven, which He is." What if serving within the church wasn't just checking boxes on a to-do list? What if it became the place where we discovered that infinite joy Lewis talked about? What if every time you served, instead of asking "What do I have to do?" you asked "How can I delight my Father's heart today?"

But look at Jesus - His delight was to please the Father. His joy wasn't about happiness; it was about abandoning everything, all of himself, into the loving arms of God the Father. His joy was tethered to doing His Father's will, and He longs for us to experience that same joy.

But here's the question that changes everything: How do we experience this joy? You see, joy isn't something we manufacture or chase after. Joy was born in you the day Christ was born in you. I like to think if it this way… Joy isn’t something we chase, it is someone who has chased us first. The question is… Have you been caught? Think about that - just like a newborn's first cry announces new life, joy announces the new life of Christ in us. I remember the day my life changed because I was saved... it wasn't sorrow I cried, it wasn't happiness I felt - it was pure, uncontainable joy that poured out. Joy overflowed out of me, because Jesus was born within me. Joy wasn't something achieved; it's something I received, when my heart was given life and I was born again. And you know what? That same joy that flooded my heart that day - it's meant to flood through us into the lives others.

As Peter comes up, I want to close with this reminder... You know, as we're heading into Christmas, it's easy to think about all the joy we want to receive - the presents, the family time, the special moments. But Jesus flips the script on us here in verses 11 and 12. He tells us something incredible: "I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” Did you catch that connection? Jesus links complete joy with loving others. It's like He's saying, "You want to experience the fullness of joy? Start giving it away." But here's the key - what are you sharing? What are you giving? You're not just sharing happy feelings or good wishes - you're sharing Christ himself. The joy you're sharing is the same joy that changed your life - it's Jesus. Remember those grape seeds from earlier? We wanted to just enjoy the fruit and spit away the seeds. I wanted the good stuff, but I didn’t want what I thought was bad, or work. But Jesus is showing us that true joy works exactly the opposite way - it grows when we share Him in others' lives. When we share Christ, we're planting seeds of real, lasting joy. This Christmas, what if we shifted our focus? Instead of asking "What will bring me joy?" what if we asked "Whose life can I plant joy into?" What if, as living sanctuaries of his very presence, we become Joy-Givers! Maybe it's that neighbor who's spending Christmas alone. Maybe it's that family member who's really hard to love right now. Maybe it's that coworker who's struggling through the holiday season. When Jesus says "Love each other as I have loved you," He's not giving us a comfortable suggestion - He's showing us the path to complete joy. And here's the beautiful thing: just like those grape seeds that seemed like such an inconvenience actually held the power for new life, every difficult moment of choosing to love someone else holds the potential for joy to multiply. And it can begin right here… in our little congregation. Ad each of us, share Jesus with one another. Let's walk out of here today with this challenge: This Christmas season, don't just look for joy - Plant the joy of Christ that’s in you, in others. Because when we love others like Jesus loved us, we're not just spreading joy - we're experiencing the complete joy Jesus promised. And I believe, that’s better than any Christmas present under the tree. Amen? Let’s pray… *