1 00:00:02,580 --> 00:00:08,360 - Well, good morning, Springhouse. 2 00:00:08,360 --> 00:00:11,500 Aren't you grateful to be in a place 3 00:00:11,500 --> 00:00:14,160 where the Holy Spirit chooses to reside? 4 00:00:14,160 --> 00:00:16,340 He is already here this morning. 5 00:00:16,340 --> 00:00:17,960 He's already been meeting with us, 6 00:00:17,960 --> 00:00:19,800 and he's gonna continue to this morning. 7 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:23,120 And I'm just so excited about what God has for us today. 8 00:00:23,120 --> 00:00:25,000 And I'm glad that you're here for it. 9 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:26,020 I'm glad that you're here. 10 00:00:26,020 --> 00:00:28,000 This God, this incredible God of the universe 11 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:29,960 sure does love you, sure does see you, 12 00:00:29,960 --> 00:00:31,460 sure does know you. 13 00:00:31,460 --> 00:00:34,240 And God is so faithful. 14 00:00:34,240 --> 00:00:37,360 Before we get kicking right along here with the message, 15 00:00:37,360 --> 00:00:40,640 this is Christmas week, it is here. 16 00:00:40,640 --> 00:00:43,720 And this week on Christmas Day, 17 00:00:43,720 --> 00:00:45,480 we have a Christmas Day service. 18 00:00:45,480 --> 00:00:46,980 And let me just encourage you, 19 00:00:46,980 --> 00:00:49,640 if you've never attended the Christmas Day service, 20 00:00:49,640 --> 00:00:52,040 I encourage you to do so this year. 21 00:00:52,040 --> 00:00:54,780 I promise you, if you choose to attend, 22 00:00:54,780 --> 00:00:57,380 you will not walk out of here regretting that you came. 23 00:00:57,380 --> 00:01:00,340 It is a wonderful moment in your day 24 00:01:00,340 --> 00:01:03,560 to really exalt Christ and to worship with your friends 25 00:01:03,560 --> 00:01:05,420 and the community and the believers here. 26 00:01:05,420 --> 00:01:07,180 So it's one service, 11 o'clock, 27 00:01:07,180 --> 00:01:08,740 we'll be done right at noon. 28 00:01:08,740 --> 00:01:10,980 And then you can go about your plans. 29 00:01:10,980 --> 00:01:14,380 But please come and worship with us on Christmas Day. 30 00:01:14,380 --> 00:01:17,500 And then because we do know some people travel 31 00:01:17,500 --> 00:01:19,140 and there's some things happening, 32 00:01:19,140 --> 00:01:20,380 we wanna make sure everybody's aware, 33 00:01:20,380 --> 00:01:24,380 our midweek gatherings are gonna return January the 8th. 34 00:01:24,380 --> 00:01:27,060 And that is because January 1st is New Year's Day 35 00:01:27,060 --> 00:01:29,660 and Barbie's gonna be partying all night, New Year's Eve, 36 00:01:29,660 --> 00:01:33,260 and she's not gonna be awake enough to present on the 1st. 37 00:01:33,260 --> 00:01:36,620 No, Barbie has a terrific series lined up for us. 38 00:01:36,620 --> 00:01:38,260 And so come and be a part of that. 39 00:01:38,260 --> 00:01:40,580 And then of course, the kids are gonna be at full swing. 40 00:01:40,580 --> 00:01:42,060 The youth is gonna be back in motion. 41 00:01:42,060 --> 00:01:46,020 And so as you're making your plans for 2026, 42 00:01:46,020 --> 00:01:49,240 if you've got capacity Thursday nights, it's really rich. 43 00:01:49,240 --> 00:01:51,940 And we invite you to come and be a part of that, amen? 44 00:01:51,940 --> 00:01:54,460 All right, and so we have been talking 45 00:01:54,460 --> 00:01:57,020 about the greatest stories ever told. 46 00:01:57,020 --> 00:02:00,700 And man, how humbling it is for me to be able to present 47 00:02:00,700 --> 00:02:04,520 today on our last real Sunday of the series. 48 00:02:04,520 --> 00:02:08,180 And I'm not gonna actually pull a particular story. 49 00:02:08,180 --> 00:02:11,620 Today, what I wanna do is I wanna look at a little bit, 50 00:02:11,620 --> 00:02:13,420 we're just gonna look a little bit at the story 51 00:02:13,420 --> 00:02:15,500 that we've been celebrating all season long, 52 00:02:15,500 --> 00:02:17,160 the story of Jesus and his birth 53 00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:19,420 and how it collides with our story, 54 00:02:19,420 --> 00:02:21,620 how it collides with our story today. 55 00:02:21,620 --> 00:02:24,280 And so that's kinda how we're gonna end this thing. 56 00:02:24,280 --> 00:02:27,280 Now, today, I really do believe that the Holy Spirit 57 00:02:27,280 --> 00:02:28,640 of God is here. 58 00:02:28,640 --> 00:02:30,360 I really, I really do. 59 00:02:30,360 --> 00:02:34,180 And so that tells me that it's going to be your choice 60 00:02:34,180 --> 00:02:37,040 whether or not you receive what he has for you. 61 00:02:37,040 --> 00:02:39,640 It's gonna be your choice whether or not, but guess what? 62 00:02:39,640 --> 00:02:42,360 The message is for everyone today. 63 00:02:42,360 --> 00:02:44,920 Would you look at your neighbor and say, it's for you. 64 00:02:44,920 --> 00:02:46,000 It's for you. 65 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:47,200 It is, it really is. 66 00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:48,820 There is a message here for everyone. 67 00:02:48,820 --> 00:02:52,460 So I'm gonna ask us to turn on our Pentecostal, 68 00:02:52,460 --> 00:02:54,500 Baptist Pentecostal selves this morning. 69 00:02:54,500 --> 00:02:58,100 And so if you hear something that just resonates 70 00:02:58,100 --> 00:03:00,180 with your spirit, I'm just gonna ask you 71 00:03:00,180 --> 00:03:02,020 to audibly say, amen. 72 00:03:02,020 --> 00:03:03,940 Amen means so be it, okay? 73 00:03:03,940 --> 00:03:05,940 So let's practice together, okay? 74 00:03:05,940 --> 00:03:08,820 Pastor Kevin is a great looking pastor. 75 00:03:08,820 --> 00:03:11,200 Amen, okay, so we got that out of our system. 76 00:03:11,200 --> 00:03:13,180 So we got to practice in there, okay? 77 00:03:13,180 --> 00:03:15,420 Now, I'd like us to stand this morning. 78 00:03:15,420 --> 00:03:17,340 We're gonna read two scriptures this morning, 79 00:03:17,340 --> 00:03:20,380 hopefully familiar scriptures to you. 80 00:03:20,380 --> 00:03:22,540 And yeah, somebody said, amen, 81 00:03:22,540 --> 00:03:24,180 only two scriptures this morning. 82 00:03:24,180 --> 00:03:28,660 And I really do want you to read them with gusto. 83 00:03:28,660 --> 00:03:31,740 I want you to read them as if you believe in this God 84 00:03:31,740 --> 00:03:32,700 you say you believe in. 85 00:03:32,700 --> 00:03:35,060 Let's read together from the book of Hebrews. 86 00:03:35,060 --> 00:03:39,060 Without faith, it is impossible to please God 87 00:03:39,060 --> 00:03:43,540 because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists 88 00:03:43,540 --> 00:03:47,020 and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. 89 00:03:47,020 --> 00:03:49,100 And then one verse from the book of Mark. 90 00:03:49,100 --> 00:03:52,740 All things are possible for the one who believes. 91 00:03:52,740 --> 00:03:54,820 Let's read that again, that's so good. 92 00:03:54,820 --> 00:03:58,420 All things are possible for the one who believes. 93 00:03:58,420 --> 00:04:00,700 And Father, we so believe that. 94 00:04:00,700 --> 00:04:02,780 Whether it is in the middle of the night 95 00:04:02,780 --> 00:04:05,500 at the midnight hour, whether it's in a hospital bed, 96 00:04:05,500 --> 00:04:07,620 whether it's the middle of everything abundant 97 00:04:07,620 --> 00:04:10,200 on the mountaintop, God, we believe that all things 98 00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:12,260 are possible if we just believe. 99 00:04:12,260 --> 00:04:16,340 So Lord, may our belief meet you and your power this morning 100 00:04:16,340 --> 00:04:18,220 and may your word resonate in our hearts 101 00:04:18,220 --> 00:04:20,460 and transform us for eternity. 102 00:04:20,460 --> 00:04:22,660 In Jesus' name, and the saint said. 103 00:04:22,660 --> 00:04:24,440 - Amen. - Amen, amen. 104 00:04:24,440 --> 00:04:26,700 You may be seated, you may be seated. 105 00:04:26,700 --> 00:04:29,420 Well, if you are on social media at all, 106 00:04:29,420 --> 00:04:31,700 which I know most of you are, 107 00:04:31,700 --> 00:04:35,540 and you've looked at my social media lately, 108 00:04:35,540 --> 00:04:39,220 you probably know that I have become one of those guys. 109 00:04:39,220 --> 00:04:43,540 Yes, those guys, we had Eliana Hope two weeks ago, 110 00:04:43,540 --> 00:04:46,260 and I've become one of those people that, yes, 111 00:04:46,260 --> 00:04:49,220 I'm posting every three seconds my daughter and her picture. 112 00:04:49,220 --> 00:04:51,220 You're probably sick of seeing her, but I'm not. 113 00:04:51,220 --> 00:04:54,340 And so I'm posting her pictures left and right, 114 00:04:54,340 --> 00:04:58,540 and man, she has just been so beautiful 115 00:04:58,540 --> 00:05:02,420 and is continuing to just bless us with her sweet presence. 116 00:05:02,420 --> 00:05:05,100 And so I just love posting, but look at that. 117 00:05:05,100 --> 00:05:08,220 I mean, she's just adorable. 118 00:05:08,220 --> 00:05:10,340 And I mean, I just picked, I mean, 119 00:05:10,340 --> 00:05:12,860 you can't get any better than that little chubby cheeks. 120 00:05:12,860 --> 00:05:14,520 I mean, that's her sleeping. 121 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:16,060 I mean, look at this one. 122 00:05:16,060 --> 00:05:17,540 I mean, come on, guys. 123 00:05:17,540 --> 00:05:21,380 I mean, I could stare at her all day long, 124 00:05:21,380 --> 00:05:24,540 little sister, just sweet and cute. 125 00:05:24,540 --> 00:05:25,700 Come on. 126 00:05:25,700 --> 00:05:27,460 I mean, little Eliana. 127 00:05:27,460 --> 00:05:29,400 And so, you know, here's the thing. 128 00:05:29,400 --> 00:05:30,980 If you look at my social media, 129 00:05:30,980 --> 00:05:34,840 you are getting a filtered version of Kevin O'Dea's life. 130 00:05:34,840 --> 00:05:38,780 You're getting a filtered version of Kevin O'Dea's life 131 00:05:38,780 --> 00:05:41,300 because anything you see on my social media, 132 00:05:41,300 --> 00:05:44,060 I have endorsed for the world to see. 133 00:05:44,060 --> 00:05:45,860 Anything that I put on my social media, 134 00:05:45,860 --> 00:05:48,260 I'm saying it's okay for everybody in the ethos 135 00:05:48,260 --> 00:05:51,100 and the universe to see everything that I've posted. 136 00:05:51,100 --> 00:05:52,220 But here's the thing. 137 00:05:52,220 --> 00:05:55,180 There are beautiful moments in our life, 138 00:05:55,180 --> 00:05:58,660 and then there are not so quite beautiful moments. 139 00:05:58,660 --> 00:05:59,500 Is that true? 140 00:05:59,500 --> 00:06:01,420 So, you know, getting this baby picture, 141 00:06:01,420 --> 00:06:04,560 it's surrounded by, you know, baby crying, 142 00:06:04,560 --> 00:06:10,440 kids fighting, baby crying, 143 00:06:10,440 --> 00:06:12,860 poopy diapers, 144 00:06:14,380 --> 00:06:15,860 baby crying, 145 00:06:15,860 --> 00:06:20,940 laundry everywhere. 146 00:06:20,940 --> 00:06:23,800 Did I mention baby crying? 147 00:06:23,800 --> 00:06:27,140 Shari exhausted. 148 00:06:27,140 --> 00:06:29,000 I got permission to show you that. 149 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:32,080 Baby crying. 150 00:06:32,080 --> 00:06:36,780 Man, we live such filtered lives, 151 00:06:36,780 --> 00:06:41,380 or let me just say, we post such filtered lives. 152 00:06:41,380 --> 00:06:44,220 We post out there, we project out there, 153 00:06:44,220 --> 00:06:47,100 just what we want everyone to see. 154 00:06:47,100 --> 00:06:51,740 And the reality is, is that there are beautiful moments 155 00:06:51,740 --> 00:06:54,400 in the middle of our chaos, 156 00:06:54,400 --> 00:06:58,700 but there's also chaos that surrounds the beauty sometimes. 157 00:06:58,700 --> 00:07:01,820 And so we don't always post all of the, 158 00:07:01,820 --> 00:07:06,100 we post the good, but not always the bad and the ugly, do we? 159 00:07:06,100 --> 00:07:08,940 No, the chaos doesn't cancel the beauty, 160 00:07:08,940 --> 00:07:11,060 and the beauty doesn't erase the chaos. 161 00:07:11,060 --> 00:07:12,980 In fact, some of the most beautiful moments 162 00:07:12,980 --> 00:07:16,060 are happening right in the middle of our mess, amen? 163 00:07:16,060 --> 00:07:18,380 And that's not just true about parenting, 164 00:07:18,380 --> 00:07:22,060 it's true about life, and it's true about faith. 165 00:07:22,060 --> 00:07:25,580 Because if we're honest, we've learned how to filter 166 00:07:25,580 --> 00:07:27,940 more than just our photos, 167 00:07:27,940 --> 00:07:31,640 we have learned how to filter this thing called Christmas. 168 00:07:31,640 --> 00:07:35,260 We've learned how to filter this thing called Christmas. 169 00:07:35,260 --> 00:07:39,900 We reduce Christmas to a quiet night, 170 00:07:39,900 --> 00:07:44,900 a peaceful manger, a cute baby laying down in some straw. 171 00:07:44,900 --> 00:07:47,600 But when you remove the filter, 172 00:07:47,600 --> 00:07:50,420 Christmas is anything but calm. 173 00:07:50,420 --> 00:07:53,640 It's risky, it's disruptive, 174 00:07:53,640 --> 00:07:57,980 it's God stepping into a broken, chaotic, 175 00:07:57,980 --> 00:08:00,020 and volatile world. 176 00:08:00,020 --> 00:08:04,640 Christmas invites us all to slow down, 177 00:08:04,640 --> 00:08:08,000 to remember, and to feel wonder again. 178 00:08:08,000 --> 00:08:10,580 Have you lost your sense of wonder? 179 00:08:10,580 --> 00:08:12,680 Have you lost your sense of wonder? 180 00:08:12,680 --> 00:08:18,660 Christmas was never meant to stop what we can see. 181 00:08:18,660 --> 00:08:20,460 Scripture tells us this, it says, 182 00:08:20,460 --> 00:08:23,600 "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, 183 00:08:23,600 --> 00:08:26,880 and we have seen His glory." 184 00:08:26,880 --> 00:08:28,440 We have seen His glory. 185 00:08:28,440 --> 00:08:32,600 God didn't just reduce it to sending us a message, 186 00:08:32,600 --> 00:08:37,160 God came in flesh and bone and dwelt with us. 187 00:08:37,160 --> 00:08:39,460 Guys, that's an amazing thing. 188 00:08:39,460 --> 00:08:41,900 It's an amazing thing that God decided 189 00:08:41,900 --> 00:08:44,000 to come and dwell with us. 190 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:47,820 And when those angels appeared to Mary, 191 00:08:47,820 --> 00:08:51,100 to Joseph, to the shepherds, 192 00:08:51,100 --> 00:08:53,660 what was the first thing out of their mouth? 193 00:08:53,660 --> 00:08:55,460 Do not be afraid. 194 00:08:55,460 --> 00:08:57,700 I'm gonna tell you right now, I know myself well enough, 195 00:08:57,700 --> 00:09:00,620 if a host of heavenly angels appeared before Kevin O'Dea 196 00:09:00,620 --> 00:09:01,860 and said, "Do not be afraid," 197 00:09:01,860 --> 00:09:03,860 my first response would be, "Too late." 198 00:09:03,860 --> 00:09:06,460 (congregation laughing) 199 00:09:06,460 --> 00:09:10,480 But these hosts of heavenly angels appear before Mary 200 00:09:10,480 --> 00:09:14,240 and appear before Joseph and before the shepherds. 201 00:09:14,240 --> 00:09:17,160 And they say, "Do not be afraid," 202 00:09:17,160 --> 00:09:19,900 because the moments were not gentle. 203 00:09:19,900 --> 00:09:25,700 It was because the presence of God carries weight. 204 00:09:25,700 --> 00:09:30,360 Holiness carries weight. 205 00:09:30,360 --> 00:09:33,560 Glory carries weight. 206 00:09:33,560 --> 00:09:35,760 Christmas is not God, listen to this, 207 00:09:35,760 --> 00:09:40,240 Christmas is not God stepping into our manufactured, 208 00:09:40,240 --> 00:09:42,740 beautied, feltered life. 209 00:09:42,740 --> 00:09:46,240 It's God stepping into our messy chaos to redeem us. 210 00:09:46,240 --> 00:09:52,020 See, we love Christmas when it feels warm and familiar. 211 00:09:52,020 --> 00:09:54,180 And dare I say, we love Jesus 212 00:09:54,180 --> 00:09:55,940 when it doesn't cost us anything. 213 00:09:55,940 --> 00:10:02,320 We love Jesus when it doesn't cost us anything. 214 00:10:02,840 --> 00:10:06,680 And so I present to you this morning, this idea, 215 00:10:06,680 --> 00:10:10,940 this notion that I believe that we have filtered our faith. 216 00:10:10,940 --> 00:10:13,640 I believe that we have filtered, 217 00:10:13,640 --> 00:10:15,180 we have learned how to filter. 218 00:10:15,180 --> 00:10:17,880 We say out loud that God is good. 219 00:10:17,880 --> 00:10:20,100 God is good all the time, all the time God is good. 220 00:10:20,100 --> 00:10:22,200 And that's a true statement. 221 00:10:22,200 --> 00:10:26,060 But we only really say it when things are going good. 222 00:10:26,060 --> 00:10:30,200 We say we believe that God provides 223 00:10:30,200 --> 00:10:32,000 when the provision makes sense. 224 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:38,000 We say that God is with us when it doesn't cost us anything. 225 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:40,240 And what we've often done is apply our faith 226 00:10:40,240 --> 00:10:43,340 only in the places where it's easy, 227 00:10:43,340 --> 00:10:46,680 where it's comfortable, where it doesn't expose us. 228 00:10:46,680 --> 00:10:48,540 We keep the parts that look good 229 00:10:48,540 --> 00:10:50,980 and filter out the parts that look messy. 230 00:10:50,980 --> 00:10:54,560 But faith was never meant to be filtered, 231 00:10:54,560 --> 00:10:56,420 it was meant to be tested. 232 00:10:56,420 --> 00:11:00,920 Faith was never meant to be filtered, 233 00:11:00,920 --> 00:11:02,960 it was meant to be tested. 234 00:11:02,960 --> 00:11:04,000 And can I tell you guys, 235 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:06,260 I was laying in bed about four weeks ago 236 00:11:06,260 --> 00:11:08,100 and I was struggling with some things here 237 00:11:08,100 --> 00:11:09,240 going on here at the church. 238 00:11:09,240 --> 00:11:10,660 I was struggling with some people, 239 00:11:10,660 --> 00:11:12,000 struggling with some personal things. 240 00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:13,640 I'm just tossing and turning in bed. 241 00:11:13,640 --> 00:11:14,780 This is before the baby. 242 00:11:14,780 --> 00:11:16,340 I was tossing and turning in bed 243 00:11:16,340 --> 00:11:18,340 and I'm just wrestling with the Lord 244 00:11:18,340 --> 00:11:20,940 and I'm asking the Lord these questions 245 00:11:20,940 --> 00:11:22,980 as I couldn't sleep and I'm wrestling 246 00:11:22,980 --> 00:11:24,840 and just sharp as an arrow. 247 00:11:24,840 --> 00:11:29,860 I mean, just as illuminating as the angels appearing 248 00:11:30,180 --> 00:11:31,960 to the shepherds, the Lord said to me, 249 00:11:31,960 --> 00:11:33,620 "Kevin, let me ask you a question. 250 00:11:33,620 --> 00:11:35,120 "When the rubber hits the road, 251 00:11:35,120 --> 00:11:37,400 "do you believe what you say you believe?" 252 00:11:37,400 --> 00:11:39,860 And can I tell you, after that, 253 00:11:39,860 --> 00:11:42,800 there was no other word that could have come out of my mouth. 254 00:11:42,800 --> 00:11:46,240 It was a stark, halting, stopping question 255 00:11:46,240 --> 00:11:49,780 that said, "Kevin, when the rubber hits the road, 256 00:11:49,780 --> 00:11:52,840 "do you believe what you say you believe?" 257 00:11:52,840 --> 00:11:54,440 And friends, I'm asking you today, 258 00:11:54,440 --> 00:11:57,840 do you believe what you say you believe? 259 00:11:59,580 --> 00:12:03,780 Do you actually believe what you say you believe? 260 00:12:03,780 --> 00:12:07,720 I wanna briefly look at two stories in scripture today 261 00:12:07,720 --> 00:12:09,920 to kinda build a foundation of where we're going. 262 00:12:09,920 --> 00:12:11,700 And the first is gonna be in the book of Mark. 263 00:12:11,700 --> 00:12:13,300 And so if you have your Bibles today, 264 00:12:13,300 --> 00:12:16,500 you can open to the book of Mark chapter nine. 265 00:12:16,500 --> 00:12:18,900 And I wanna read a story that's kinda hidden in here. 266 00:12:18,900 --> 00:12:20,700 We don't talk much about this story, 267 00:12:20,700 --> 00:12:23,880 but I want to read this story 268 00:12:23,880 --> 00:12:25,100 and I wanna tell you before I read it, 269 00:12:25,100 --> 00:12:27,780 the reason I'm drawing from this story 270 00:12:27,780 --> 00:12:31,020 is because I believe that the humanity 271 00:12:31,020 --> 00:12:34,420 in this father's heart, the humanity in his response 272 00:12:34,420 --> 00:12:38,080 is something that all of us can relate to. 273 00:12:38,080 --> 00:12:40,160 It's something, I'll tell you, there's nothing, 274 00:12:40,160 --> 00:12:42,220 there's nothing more that speaks 275 00:12:42,220 --> 00:12:43,600 when the rubber hits the road 276 00:12:43,600 --> 00:12:45,920 than when somebody messes with your kids. 277 00:12:45,920 --> 00:12:48,060 There's nothing more, when somebody messes, 278 00:12:48,060 --> 00:12:50,340 I was sitting with somebody just yesterday 279 00:12:50,340 --> 00:12:52,100 and they say, "Listen, if somebody hurts my kid, 280 00:12:52,100 --> 00:12:54,340 "another human being comes out of my body." 281 00:12:55,440 --> 00:12:58,000 When the rubber hits the road, 282 00:12:58,000 --> 00:12:59,540 if somebody messes with your kid, 283 00:12:59,540 --> 00:13:04,540 well, this father has a kid who is on the verge of dying. 284 00:13:04,540 --> 00:13:05,940 Let's read, it says this. 285 00:13:05,940 --> 00:13:07,740 "When they came back to the disciples, 286 00:13:07,740 --> 00:13:09,540 "they saw a large crowd around them 287 00:13:09,540 --> 00:13:11,820 "and scribes questioning and arguing with them. 288 00:13:11,820 --> 00:13:15,020 "Immediately, when the entire crowd saw Jesus, 289 00:13:15,020 --> 00:13:18,600 "they were startled and began running to greet him. 290 00:13:18,600 --> 00:13:21,900 "He asked them, 'What are you discussing with them?' 291 00:13:21,900 --> 00:13:23,460 "One of the crowd replied to him, 292 00:13:23,460 --> 00:13:27,440 "'Teacher, I brought you my son possessed with a spirit 293 00:13:27,440 --> 00:13:29,540 "'which makes him unable to speak. 294 00:13:29,540 --> 00:13:33,000 "'And whenever it seizes him, intending to do harm, 295 00:13:33,000 --> 00:13:36,500 "'it throws him down and he foams at the mouth. 296 00:13:36,500 --> 00:13:39,480 "'It grinds his teeth and becomes stiff. 297 00:13:39,480 --> 00:13:42,080 "'I told your disciples to drive it out 298 00:13:42,080 --> 00:13:43,720 "'and they could not do it.' 299 00:13:43,720 --> 00:13:47,960 "He replied, 'Oh, unbelieving, faithless generation. 300 00:13:47,960 --> 00:13:49,820 "'How long shall I be with you? 301 00:13:49,820 --> 00:13:51,600 "'How long shall I put up with you? 302 00:13:51,600 --> 00:13:53,820 "'Bring him to me,' says Jesus. 303 00:13:53,820 --> 00:13:55,660 "So they brought the boy to him. 304 00:13:55,660 --> 00:13:58,340 "When the spirit saw him," meaning Jesus, 305 00:13:58,340 --> 00:14:01,200 "immediately, it threw the boy into a convulsion 306 00:14:01,200 --> 00:14:02,340 "and falling on the ground, 307 00:14:02,340 --> 00:14:04,900 "began rolling and foaming at the mouth. 308 00:14:04,900 --> 00:14:07,300 "Jesus asked the father, 309 00:14:07,300 --> 00:14:09,440 "'How long has this been happening to him?' 310 00:14:09,440 --> 00:14:12,080 "He answered, 'Since childhood. 311 00:14:12,080 --> 00:14:15,680 "'The demon has often thrown him both into fire 312 00:14:15,680 --> 00:14:18,380 "'and into water, intending to kill him. 313 00:14:18,380 --> 00:14:19,860 "'But if you can do anything, 314 00:14:19,860 --> 00:14:21,960 "'take pity on us and help us.' 315 00:14:21,960 --> 00:14:24,660 "Jesus said to him, 'If you can, 316 00:14:24,660 --> 00:14:31,460 "'all things are possible for the one who believes.' 317 00:14:31,460 --> 00:14:34,660 "And immediately the father of the boy cried out, 318 00:14:34,660 --> 00:14:39,140 "'I do believe, help my unbelief. 319 00:14:39,140 --> 00:14:43,440 "'I do believe, help my unbelief.'" 320 00:14:43,440 --> 00:14:46,040 Guys, can I tell you, this father, 321 00:14:46,040 --> 00:14:49,920 it says that this boy was wrestling with this spirit 322 00:14:49,920 --> 00:14:52,720 since he was a child, since he was young. 323 00:14:52,720 --> 00:14:55,280 He's contending, and I wonder how many of us 324 00:14:55,280 --> 00:14:58,880 have been wrestling with things for years and years and years 325 00:14:58,880 --> 00:15:02,560 not bringing it to the one who can do anything about it. 326 00:15:02,560 --> 00:15:06,360 This father is here, and he goes to the disciples 327 00:15:06,360 --> 00:15:07,700 and says, "Cast this demon out." 328 00:15:07,700 --> 00:15:09,600 And Jesus says, "Bring him to me." 329 00:15:09,600 --> 00:15:13,140 And he brings them to Jesus, and the response to Jesus is, 330 00:15:13,140 --> 00:15:15,440 "If you could do something, would you do it?" 331 00:15:15,440 --> 00:15:18,180 And I wonder, even when we get the strength enough 332 00:15:18,180 --> 00:15:21,480 to bring our situation, to bring our problem to Jesus, 333 00:15:21,480 --> 00:15:25,180 if it's laden or cushioned with, "If you think you can, God." 334 00:15:25,180 --> 00:15:28,260 But anything's possible. 335 00:15:28,260 --> 00:15:31,580 Everything's possible for those who believe. 336 00:15:31,580 --> 00:15:32,960 That's what the word of God says. 337 00:15:32,960 --> 00:15:35,000 That's what Jesus says to us. 338 00:15:35,000 --> 00:15:37,660 And then the father responds 339 00:15:37,660 --> 00:15:40,400 with such a humanistic response. 340 00:15:40,400 --> 00:15:44,800 He says, "I believe, but help my unbelief." 341 00:15:44,800 --> 00:15:47,400 And I don't believe that that was a contradictory, 342 00:15:47,400 --> 00:15:48,940 or hypocritical statement, 343 00:15:48,940 --> 00:15:51,200 because I believe that was a human statement. 344 00:15:51,200 --> 00:15:54,520 It was saying, "I believe, but there's areas of my life 345 00:15:54,520 --> 00:15:55,440 "where I don't believe. 346 00:15:55,440 --> 00:15:57,440 "Would you help my unbelief, Lord?" 347 00:15:57,440 --> 00:15:59,120 And I wonder if there are people here 348 00:15:59,120 --> 00:16:02,280 who believe just yea far, and if you would just cross over 349 00:16:02,280 --> 00:16:03,820 to the other side of belief, 350 00:16:03,820 --> 00:16:07,000 if your faith would just increase and strengthen today, 351 00:16:07,000 --> 00:16:09,120 I believe God would meet you in the middle of your mess, 352 00:16:09,120 --> 00:16:11,920 in the middle of your chaos, and change your situation. 353 00:16:13,420 --> 00:16:17,960 I believe, help my unbelief. 354 00:16:17,960 --> 00:16:19,460 Help my unbelief. 355 00:16:19,460 --> 00:16:22,140 Oh my goodness. 356 00:16:22,140 --> 00:16:27,700 It's not weak faith to pray this prayer. 357 00:16:27,700 --> 00:16:31,780 The father doesn't pretend. 358 00:16:31,780 --> 00:16:32,740 He doesn't perform. 359 00:16:32,740 --> 00:16:35,480 He cries out, "I believe, help my unbelief." 360 00:16:35,480 --> 00:16:38,960 This, I believe, friends, is honest faith. 361 00:16:38,960 --> 00:16:41,220 The father, listen, the father doesn't say, 362 00:16:41,220 --> 00:16:42,920 "Hold on a minute, Jesus. 363 00:16:42,920 --> 00:16:46,020 "I'll come back when I've got faith enough." 364 00:16:46,020 --> 00:16:49,060 He brings what he has, and sometimes, 365 00:16:49,060 --> 00:16:52,000 I want you to understand, sometimes we just need 366 00:16:52,000 --> 00:16:55,160 to have the courage to bring what we have. 367 00:16:55,160 --> 00:16:57,940 There's not this bucket of faith over here that it says, 368 00:16:57,940 --> 00:17:00,540 "Now God says you better have your bucket of faith full 369 00:17:00,540 --> 00:17:01,840 "before you come to me." 370 00:17:01,840 --> 00:17:04,680 No, he says, "Come and bring me what little you have, 371 00:17:04,680 --> 00:17:06,380 "and I'll take care of the rest." 372 00:17:06,380 --> 00:17:08,520 And let me tell you, in moments when my faith 373 00:17:08,520 --> 00:17:11,120 is like a mustard seed and I show up and God does something, 374 00:17:11,120 --> 00:17:14,020 it bolsters my faith bigger than anything in the world, 375 00:17:14,020 --> 00:17:16,460 and guess what, it tells me that my God, 376 00:17:16,460 --> 00:17:18,960 the God who breathes stars, the God of the universe, 377 00:17:18,960 --> 00:17:21,220 will do what he says he will do. 378 00:17:21,220 --> 00:17:23,520 He accomplishes what he sets out to do, 379 00:17:23,520 --> 00:17:26,940 that his promises surely are yes and amen. 380 00:17:26,940 --> 00:17:27,940 Amen? 381 00:17:27,940 --> 00:17:29,340 Do you believe it today? 382 00:17:29,340 --> 00:17:33,380 We have this false idea that faith requires us 383 00:17:33,380 --> 00:17:36,540 to have our act together, but faith requires us 384 00:17:36,540 --> 00:17:38,820 to lean on a holy God. 385 00:17:40,120 --> 00:17:43,120 Real authentic faith says, "I believe, 386 00:17:43,120 --> 00:17:45,620 "but I'm struggling right now." 387 00:17:45,620 --> 00:17:49,360 Authentic faith says, "I believe, but I'm scared." 388 00:17:49,360 --> 00:17:51,600 Can anybody relate to that? 389 00:17:51,600 --> 00:17:54,720 The real faith says, "I believe, but God, this is hard." 390 00:17:54,720 --> 00:17:57,700 I remember when Shari was in the hospital with Hadassah, 391 00:17:57,700 --> 00:18:00,400 and we were having Hadassah, and Hadassah came out, 392 00:18:00,400 --> 00:18:03,460 and the doctors came in, and I heard the doctor say, 393 00:18:03,460 --> 00:18:05,700 "I heard a word," and it said, 394 00:18:05,700 --> 00:18:08,380 "I don't think she's gonna make it." 395 00:18:08,380 --> 00:18:10,680 And when the rubber hit the road in that moment, 396 00:18:10,680 --> 00:18:13,340 I can't tell you, it was not my flesh that kicked in, 397 00:18:13,340 --> 00:18:15,280 it was the Spirit of God that kicked in 398 00:18:15,280 --> 00:18:17,220 that allowed me to go, "God, you're sovereign. 399 00:18:17,220 --> 00:18:18,120 "God, you're sovereign. 400 00:18:18,120 --> 00:18:20,120 "Whatever happens in this moment, you're sovereign, 401 00:18:20,120 --> 00:18:22,120 "and I trust you." 402 00:18:22,120 --> 00:18:24,520 Let me tell you where that type of faith comes from, 403 00:18:24,520 --> 00:18:26,400 by spending time in God's word, 404 00:18:26,400 --> 00:18:28,620 by knowing that I have a faithful God, 405 00:18:28,620 --> 00:18:30,620 a God of the universe, a God who breathes stars, 406 00:18:30,620 --> 00:18:32,620 by spending time in knowing that this God 407 00:18:32,620 --> 00:18:35,600 actually knows my name, and even if he doesn't answer 408 00:18:35,600 --> 00:18:38,600 on time, I know that he is still good. 409 00:18:38,600 --> 00:18:40,740 Even if he doesn't answer when I want him to, 410 00:18:40,740 --> 00:18:42,140 he's still good. 411 00:18:42,140 --> 00:18:45,540 He is sovereign. 412 00:18:45,540 --> 00:18:48,280 I remember the moment in the service here, 413 00:18:48,280 --> 00:18:51,040 when I thought that I legitimately thought I had cancer, 414 00:18:51,040 --> 00:18:52,920 it was on a paperwork that I had, 415 00:18:52,920 --> 00:18:55,080 and I stood right here talking about Elijah, 416 00:18:55,080 --> 00:18:56,340 right in front of all of you, 417 00:18:56,340 --> 00:18:58,920 and I poured water out on the floor, and I said, 418 00:18:58,920 --> 00:19:03,480 "I'm believing that God is going to take this cancer away." 419 00:19:03,480 --> 00:19:06,220 And here I stand before you, and I don't have cancer. 420 00:19:06,220 --> 00:19:07,820 God is a faithful God. 421 00:19:07,820 --> 00:19:09,000 He is faithful. 422 00:19:09,000 --> 00:19:11,060 He moves, but boy, it takes a step of faith 423 00:19:11,060 --> 00:19:12,300 to go in front of people and say, 424 00:19:12,300 --> 00:19:15,200 "Hey, I believe that's what God says." 425 00:19:15,200 --> 00:19:16,660 But here's the thing. 426 00:19:16,660 --> 00:19:18,440 This is where the rubber hits the road. 427 00:19:18,440 --> 00:19:21,100 Even if I had cancer today, he's still good. 428 00:19:21,100 --> 00:19:24,260 Even if I was in heaven with him today, he is still good. 429 00:19:24,260 --> 00:19:27,380 Just, his goodness is not determined 430 00:19:27,380 --> 00:19:29,420 based on whether or not he answers you 431 00:19:29,420 --> 00:19:31,540 in the way you want him to answer. 432 00:19:32,920 --> 00:19:35,160 He's good regardless. 433 00:19:35,160 --> 00:19:36,200 He's a good God. 434 00:19:36,200 --> 00:19:38,240 So somewhere along the way, 435 00:19:38,240 --> 00:19:41,700 what we've done is we have separated the chaos in our life, 436 00:19:41,700 --> 00:19:44,360 the mess in our life, the problems in our life, 437 00:19:44,360 --> 00:19:46,680 and we put them in a category over here, 438 00:19:46,680 --> 00:19:48,680 and then we walk over on the other side, 439 00:19:48,680 --> 00:19:51,300 and we put the Lord over here on this other side, 440 00:19:51,300 --> 00:19:54,760 and the two become separate and disconnected. 441 00:19:54,760 --> 00:19:57,780 And what that does is produce a fake life. 442 00:19:57,780 --> 00:19:59,360 When we walk into a place like this, 443 00:19:59,360 --> 00:20:01,720 and we smile, and we have everything together, 444 00:20:01,720 --> 00:20:04,960 we put that filtered version of our lives out for everybody, 445 00:20:04,960 --> 00:20:07,600 when the truth of the matter is we are wallowing 446 00:20:07,600 --> 00:20:10,120 in the chaos, in the mess of our lives. 447 00:20:10,120 --> 00:20:12,500 And God wants to get ahold of that. 448 00:20:12,500 --> 00:20:14,760 God wants to get right in the middle of that, 449 00:20:14,760 --> 00:20:16,240 but we don't let him because guess what? 450 00:20:16,240 --> 00:20:17,320 All we're willing to present 451 00:20:17,320 --> 00:20:19,320 is the filtered version of ourselves. 452 00:20:19,320 --> 00:20:25,980 Let's turn over to Luke chapter three. 453 00:20:25,980 --> 00:20:28,740 (paper rustling) 454 00:20:28,740 --> 00:20:35,840 We separate our problems and our chaos from the Lord. 455 00:20:35,840 --> 00:20:39,900 And I don't know if it's because we don't believe 456 00:20:39,900 --> 00:20:41,320 that he's a part of it. 457 00:20:41,320 --> 00:20:43,220 I don't know if it's because a lot of times, 458 00:20:43,220 --> 00:20:46,100 at least in my life, the chaos and mess, 459 00:20:46,100 --> 00:20:48,620 a lot of time is the genesis of it starts with me. 460 00:20:48,620 --> 00:20:52,380 It starts with my stupidity, or me being an idiot, 461 00:20:52,380 --> 00:20:53,680 or me doing something wrong. 462 00:20:53,680 --> 00:20:55,520 And so we separate it because we're saying, 463 00:20:55,520 --> 00:20:57,140 "God, I don't believe you can touch this 464 00:20:57,140 --> 00:20:59,180 "because it was something that I did." 465 00:20:59,180 --> 00:21:01,460 But can I tell you, I believe that God wants to be 466 00:21:01,460 --> 00:21:02,900 in the middle of all of those things. 467 00:21:02,900 --> 00:21:07,900 And sometimes, sometimes God is prepping you beforehand 468 00:21:07,900 --> 00:21:10,020 because he knows all things. 469 00:21:10,020 --> 00:21:14,600 He's prepping you beforehand to engage the chaos 470 00:21:14,600 --> 00:21:16,780 that's surrounding your life. 471 00:21:16,780 --> 00:21:20,580 Let's look at chapter three of Luke, starting in verse 21. 472 00:21:20,580 --> 00:21:22,560 "Now when all the people were baptized, 473 00:21:22,560 --> 00:21:24,700 "Jesus was also baptized. 474 00:21:24,700 --> 00:21:27,520 "And while he was praying, the heaven was opened. 475 00:21:27,520 --> 00:21:30,600 "And the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form 476 00:21:30,600 --> 00:21:33,080 "like a dove, and a voice came from heaven, 477 00:21:33,080 --> 00:21:35,780 "you are my son, my beloved in you. 478 00:21:35,780 --> 00:21:38,220 "I am well pleased and delighted." 479 00:21:38,220 --> 00:21:41,200 Jesus has been baptized. 480 00:21:41,200 --> 00:21:42,920 Have you ever been here at a service 481 00:21:42,920 --> 00:21:45,320 where we baptize someone and they come out of the water 482 00:21:45,320 --> 00:21:47,480 and they do this motion right here? 483 00:21:47,480 --> 00:21:49,900 It's because God has done something incredible 484 00:21:49,900 --> 00:21:50,860 in their life. 485 00:21:50,860 --> 00:21:53,680 They are dead to the world and alive in Christ. 486 00:21:53,680 --> 00:21:56,180 I want you to picture Jesus coming out of the water, 487 00:21:56,180 --> 00:21:58,040 but not only has he come out of the water, 488 00:21:58,040 --> 00:22:02,980 the audible voice of his dad came down and said, 489 00:22:02,980 --> 00:22:05,740 "I am so proud of you, son." 490 00:22:05,740 --> 00:22:08,820 Can you imagine what type of cloud nine, 491 00:22:08,820 --> 00:22:10,680 what type of faith foundation, 492 00:22:10,680 --> 00:22:13,520 what type of Superman moment that was for Jesus 493 00:22:13,520 --> 00:22:14,520 coming out of the water? 494 00:22:14,520 --> 00:22:16,640 I mean, it was like, let's go time. 495 00:22:16,640 --> 00:22:20,960 I mean, he was ready to roll, so full of the Holy Spirit. 496 00:22:20,960 --> 00:22:23,320 And you have had that experience before 497 00:22:23,320 --> 00:22:24,800 if you've been baptized. 498 00:22:24,800 --> 00:22:27,420 And then for some reason, it loses its luster. 499 00:22:27,420 --> 00:22:31,040 But boy, every day we can wake up with that type of momentum, 500 00:22:31,040 --> 00:22:32,040 that type of power, 501 00:22:32,040 --> 00:22:35,200 because the Holy Spirit of God dwells inside you. 502 00:22:35,200 --> 00:22:36,900 So Jesus comes out of the water. 503 00:22:36,900 --> 00:22:37,880 Can you picture it? 504 00:22:37,880 --> 00:22:40,080 He's there and his dad, it wasn't, 505 00:22:40,080 --> 00:22:43,480 I believe, I think maybe God is saying, 506 00:22:43,480 --> 00:22:46,340 I think maybe my dad's, no, the voice of God. 507 00:22:46,340 --> 00:22:51,060 This is my son with whom I'm well pleased. 508 00:22:51,060 --> 00:22:52,520 So let's see what happens next. 509 00:22:52,520 --> 00:22:54,240 What is he about to do with this? 510 00:22:54,240 --> 00:22:55,840 Boy, I bet he's about to, man, 511 00:22:55,840 --> 00:22:58,360 to me, it's like, let's go feed the multitudes, right? 512 00:22:58,360 --> 00:22:59,640 Let's see what happens. 513 00:22:59,640 --> 00:23:00,760 Where does God lead him next? 514 00:23:00,760 --> 00:23:02,680 Let's see chapter four, here we go. 515 00:23:02,680 --> 00:23:05,720 Now Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, 516 00:23:05,720 --> 00:23:07,400 would you say full of the Holy Spirit? 517 00:23:07,400 --> 00:23:09,000 Full of the Holy Spirit. 518 00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:10,820 Very important. 519 00:23:10,820 --> 00:23:15,360 Returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit, 520 00:23:15,360 --> 00:23:16,880 say led by the Spirit. 521 00:23:16,880 --> 00:23:18,440 Led by the Spirit. 522 00:23:18,440 --> 00:23:19,700 Into the wilderness. 523 00:23:19,700 --> 00:23:24,700 Into the wilderness. 524 00:23:24,700 --> 00:23:27,740 Oh, it doesn't stop there. 525 00:23:27,740 --> 00:23:32,700 Into the wilderness for 40 days, 526 00:23:32,700 --> 00:23:34,540 being tempted by the devil. 527 00:23:34,540 --> 00:23:42,640 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, 528 00:23:42,640 --> 00:23:47,520 was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. 529 00:23:48,820 --> 00:23:51,240 You know what this tells me, guys? 530 00:23:51,240 --> 00:23:54,640 Sometimes the Holy Spirit of God is leading you 531 00:23:54,640 --> 00:23:56,340 into those dry places 532 00:23:56,340 --> 00:23:58,860 because he wants to do a work in your life. 533 00:23:58,860 --> 00:24:03,700 But I want you to notice something about Jesus. 534 00:24:03,700 --> 00:24:06,000 He was full of the Holy Spirit. 535 00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:08,820 God never sends us ill-equipped. 536 00:24:08,820 --> 00:24:11,020 He never sends us empty. 537 00:24:11,020 --> 00:24:13,380 He never sends us alone. 538 00:24:13,380 --> 00:24:16,860 And some of us need to stop looking at our situation 539 00:24:16,860 --> 00:24:18,980 and start putting our gaze on Christ, 540 00:24:18,980 --> 00:24:20,740 our graze on the Holy Spirit, 541 00:24:20,740 --> 00:24:23,900 and start listening to what he's telling us to do. 542 00:24:23,900 --> 00:24:26,460 Listen to his words, allow his truth 543 00:24:26,460 --> 00:24:29,940 to eradicate the lies we bought into 544 00:24:29,940 --> 00:24:32,660 and to go into that wilderness situation 545 00:24:32,660 --> 00:24:34,740 ready for the temptations that are gonna come 546 00:24:34,740 --> 00:24:36,440 because you're an overcomer. 547 00:24:36,440 --> 00:24:39,460 With the Holy Spirit, you're an overcomer. 548 00:24:39,460 --> 00:24:40,940 So Jesus was tempted. 549 00:24:40,940 --> 00:24:42,700 What was he tempted with? 550 00:24:42,700 --> 00:24:44,580 He was tempted with fleshly. 551 00:24:44,580 --> 00:24:46,500 He was tempted in his flesh. 552 00:24:46,500 --> 00:24:49,500 He was tempted to eat when he said, 553 00:24:49,500 --> 00:24:51,140 man won't live on bread alone. 554 00:24:51,140 --> 00:24:53,220 He was tempted with worldly treasure. 555 00:24:53,220 --> 00:24:55,500 He was tempted with power. 556 00:24:55,500 --> 00:24:58,940 Any of this sound familiar? 557 00:24:58,940 --> 00:25:03,460 How do I overcome all of these temptations? 558 00:25:03,460 --> 00:25:05,600 Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit. 559 00:25:05,600 --> 00:25:12,820 The Word of God, my Bible says, draw near to God 560 00:25:12,820 --> 00:25:14,900 and he draws near to you. 561 00:25:14,900 --> 00:25:17,340 How do I become full of the Holy Spirit? 562 00:25:17,340 --> 00:25:19,740 Holy Spirit, would you fill me up? 563 00:25:19,740 --> 00:25:24,740 Is it this the God who says 564 00:25:24,740 --> 00:25:28,500 a father who loves a child would not turn away? 565 00:25:28,500 --> 00:25:31,060 Like if he's asking for bread to give him a stone? 566 00:25:31,060 --> 00:25:35,560 No, you have a God that says, ask and you shall receive. 567 00:25:35,560 --> 00:25:38,300 Fill me up, Holy Spirit. 568 00:25:38,300 --> 00:25:41,520 I'm in the middle of this thing. 569 00:25:41,520 --> 00:25:43,120 Fill me up, Holy Spirit. 570 00:25:43,980 --> 00:25:45,980 I don't think, I think, I think, 571 00:25:45,980 --> 00:25:48,240 I think all of heaven probably rejoices 572 00:25:48,240 --> 00:25:50,220 when a believer says, fill me up, Holy Spirit, 573 00:25:50,220 --> 00:25:51,580 because game on. 574 00:25:51,580 --> 00:25:53,700 Game on. 575 00:25:53,700 --> 00:25:57,220 But you can't be full of the Holy Spirit 576 00:25:57,220 --> 00:25:58,620 when you're full of yourself. 577 00:25:58,620 --> 00:26:07,300 Yeah, I didn't hear an amen on that one. 578 00:26:07,300 --> 00:26:09,880 I was gonna let it, gonna let it resonate. 579 00:26:12,640 --> 00:26:15,780 The Spirit of God did not lead Jesus into comfort. 580 00:26:15,780 --> 00:26:18,120 See, we have this misnomer, 581 00:26:18,120 --> 00:26:19,920 I don't know where this comes from. 582 00:26:19,920 --> 00:26:23,320 Get saved, give your life to Jesus, 583 00:26:23,320 --> 00:26:27,860 and everything's gonna be a basket of roses, 584 00:26:27,860 --> 00:26:31,980 a field of tulips, sunny days and bright rays. 585 00:26:31,980 --> 00:26:33,420 It's gonna be good. 586 00:26:33,420 --> 00:26:35,200 Sweet baby rays barbecue sauce. 587 00:26:35,200 --> 00:26:37,160 It's gonna be so good, sweet and tasty. 588 00:26:41,700 --> 00:26:43,940 Oh no, salvation is the first step. 589 00:26:43,940 --> 00:26:50,520 Boom, death to life, praise God. 590 00:26:50,520 --> 00:26:52,700 Now let's call off all of that stuff 591 00:26:52,700 --> 00:26:54,900 that's been leading you the wrong direction. 592 00:26:54,900 --> 00:26:58,380 And that takes a lifetime. 593 00:26:58,380 --> 00:27:00,940 That takes a lifetime. 594 00:27:00,940 --> 00:27:07,120 A great teacher never gives a test 595 00:27:07,120 --> 00:27:09,580 without first equipping the student to pass it. 596 00:27:09,580 --> 00:27:11,340 Jesus wasn't in the wilderness empty, 597 00:27:11,340 --> 00:27:12,820 he was full of the Holy Spirit. 598 00:27:12,820 --> 00:27:16,180 He had what he needed before the test ever came. 599 00:27:16,180 --> 00:27:19,040 And when God draws us to the wilderness seasons, 600 00:27:19,040 --> 00:27:23,260 and some of you right now are in a wilderness season, 601 00:27:23,260 --> 00:27:28,980 where the pressure is real, where your faith is tested, 602 00:27:28,980 --> 00:27:31,700 where your obedience will cost you something, 603 00:27:31,700 --> 00:27:35,540 he never sends you alone, ill-equipped or empty. 604 00:27:35,540 --> 00:27:38,340 And this, my friends, is the true essence 605 00:27:38,340 --> 00:27:41,800 of Emmanuel, God with us. 606 00:27:41,800 --> 00:27:45,240 We sing that song, Emmanuel, God with us, 607 00:27:45,240 --> 00:27:47,820 and in my mind I picture a little cute baby laying 608 00:27:47,820 --> 00:27:49,860 in a manger and it's, oh God is coming, 609 00:27:49,860 --> 00:27:51,960 he's here and he's crying, oh he's so sweet. 610 00:27:51,960 --> 00:27:56,960 No, Emmanuel, the king, God with us 611 00:27:56,960 --> 00:27:59,900 in our situations and in our chaos. 612 00:27:59,900 --> 00:28:04,260 God with us does not mean God rescues us from hardship, 613 00:28:04,260 --> 00:28:07,560 it means God meets us in the hardship. 614 00:28:08,400 --> 00:28:10,180 When the rubber hits the road, 615 00:28:10,180 --> 00:28:14,040 what we are full of is what will come out. 616 00:28:14,040 --> 00:28:16,880 And I've talked to some of you and I have squeezed you 617 00:28:16,880 --> 00:28:19,200 and what came out was not the Holy Spirit. 618 00:28:19,200 --> 00:28:23,080 Am I telling the truth? 619 00:28:23,080 --> 00:28:26,520 And some of you have squeezed me and guess what? 620 00:28:26,520 --> 00:28:28,300 It's not always the Holy Spirit. 621 00:28:28,300 --> 00:28:33,400 And when we do that and when we encounter that thing, 622 00:28:33,400 --> 00:28:35,320 depending on your relationship with the Lord, 623 00:28:35,320 --> 00:28:37,680 you'll be able to suss out, this is not the Holy Spirit 624 00:28:37,680 --> 00:28:39,820 coming out in your response. 625 00:28:39,820 --> 00:28:44,680 Justin is building a lot to his house, 626 00:28:44,680 --> 00:28:48,540 Justin and Jessica, they are just piling on the bricks 627 00:28:48,540 --> 00:28:49,480 and all of that stuff. 628 00:28:49,480 --> 00:28:52,720 And I was having lunch with Justin the other day 629 00:28:52,720 --> 00:28:54,800 and he was telling me he had to meet the plumber 630 00:28:54,800 --> 00:28:57,160 and they were telling him that the plumb line, 631 00:28:57,160 --> 00:29:00,300 the water line was so thin that he kinda laughed 632 00:29:00,300 --> 00:29:01,560 and the guy laughed and said, 633 00:29:01,560 --> 00:29:02,840 you're adding all this square footage, 634 00:29:02,840 --> 00:29:04,920 there's no way that that small pipeline 635 00:29:04,920 --> 00:29:08,160 is going to sustain what you guys are adding on to the house. 636 00:29:08,160 --> 00:29:10,540 And so Justin was faced with a decision, 637 00:29:10,540 --> 00:29:14,340 continue to move forward with a small pipeline 638 00:29:14,340 --> 00:29:17,960 or bite the bullet right now and unearth that pipeline 639 00:29:17,960 --> 00:29:20,240 and get something bigger, get something bigger. 640 00:29:20,240 --> 00:29:22,880 What do you think is the better choice? 641 00:29:22,880 --> 00:29:25,320 Get something bigger, bite the bullet now. 642 00:29:25,320 --> 00:29:27,400 Here's the thing, some of us are praying for God 643 00:29:27,400 --> 00:29:30,760 to do more while refusing to increase our capacity 644 00:29:30,760 --> 00:29:31,760 for him to move. 645 00:29:33,280 --> 00:29:35,880 See, faith has a pipeline. 646 00:29:35,880 --> 00:29:38,960 And the question isn't can God pour out more, 647 00:29:38,960 --> 00:29:41,080 the question is can you actually contain 648 00:29:41,080 --> 00:29:42,280 what he's pouring out? 649 00:29:42,280 --> 00:29:45,400 Pressure doesn't create the cracks, 650 00:29:45,400 --> 00:29:48,200 pressure reveals where the lines are too thin. 651 00:29:48,200 --> 00:29:50,760 And so here's my question today, saints, 652 00:29:50,760 --> 00:29:53,560 what might it cost you later if you're not willing 653 00:29:53,560 --> 00:29:55,520 to increase your faith right now? 654 00:29:55,520 --> 00:30:01,440 What type of cost are you passing off or deferring 655 00:30:01,440 --> 00:30:03,960 to a later moment, 'cause I'll tell you right now, 656 00:30:03,960 --> 00:30:05,680 if y'all would have done those pipelines, 657 00:30:05,680 --> 00:30:07,000 something's gonna happen in the future 658 00:30:07,000 --> 00:30:10,480 and that's a lot more mess to unearth 659 00:30:10,480 --> 00:30:12,520 once you've built something on top of it. 660 00:30:12,520 --> 00:30:16,180 Can I tell you that God wants to do something big 661 00:30:16,180 --> 00:30:20,540 in your lives, but he is demanding an increase in your faith. 662 00:30:20,540 --> 00:30:26,720 He's demanding an increase in your faith. 663 00:30:26,720 --> 00:30:30,460 James tells us faith without action is dead. 664 00:30:31,360 --> 00:30:33,280 Faith without action is dead. 665 00:30:33,280 --> 00:30:37,000 Listen, everyone wants to see the Red Sea split, 666 00:30:37,000 --> 00:30:39,640 but don't nobody want to be right there at the water. 667 00:30:39,640 --> 00:30:44,620 Everyone wants Jericho to come tumbling down, 668 00:30:44,620 --> 00:30:48,080 but nobody wants to be the one that has a shout. 669 00:30:48,080 --> 00:30:50,960 Everyone wants a Goliath to be defeated, 670 00:30:50,960 --> 00:30:53,900 but don't nobody wanna be the one running out 671 00:30:53,900 --> 00:30:55,240 with the stones. 672 00:30:55,240 --> 00:30:59,000 Everyone wants a resurrected experience, 673 00:30:59,000 --> 00:31:01,960 but we're not willing to be crucified with Christ. 674 00:31:01,960 --> 00:31:07,520 Faith is not proven after the miracle takes place. 675 00:31:07,520 --> 00:31:10,600 Faith is proven when your belief leads to action 676 00:31:10,600 --> 00:31:14,560 and is met by the power of a star-breathing God, amen? 677 00:31:14,560 --> 00:31:18,760 But what stops us is that when we come upon obstacles 678 00:31:18,760 --> 00:31:22,080 in our life, we end up running to everyone 679 00:31:22,080 --> 00:31:25,940 and everything else, despite the Word of God. 680 00:31:28,600 --> 00:31:31,120 I've learned something about running the school. 681 00:31:31,120 --> 00:31:34,060 We get about 15 minutes to meet new kids 682 00:31:34,060 --> 00:31:35,480 who come into our school. 683 00:31:35,480 --> 00:31:38,120 We sit down with them, we tour the school, 684 00:31:38,120 --> 00:31:40,240 we ask them some questions, but do you know 685 00:31:40,240 --> 00:31:43,200 where I really find out about the students at our school? 686 00:31:43,200 --> 00:31:45,600 Is when I let them go eat lunch in the cafeteria. 687 00:31:45,600 --> 00:31:51,200 Because what happens is it's a brand new kid 688 00:31:51,200 --> 00:31:53,600 in a brand new environment in a brand new season, 689 00:31:53,600 --> 00:31:58,520 and within seconds, the troublemakers find the troublemakers. 690 00:31:59,400 --> 00:32:01,160 Isn't that interesting? 691 00:32:01,160 --> 00:32:03,000 They don't know names, they don't know history, 692 00:32:03,000 --> 00:32:06,700 but instinctively, they end up at the same table. 693 00:32:06,700 --> 00:32:12,600 When the pressure hits, we don't drift toward what's right, 694 00:32:12,600 --> 00:32:14,120 we run toward the familiar. 695 00:32:14,120 --> 00:32:16,720 Spiritually, we do the same thing. 696 00:32:16,720 --> 00:32:19,440 When the rubber hits the road, we don't run to the Word, 697 00:32:19,440 --> 00:32:21,240 the gift of the Word that we've been given, 698 00:32:21,240 --> 00:32:24,360 we don't run to this Word, we run to the crowd. 699 00:32:24,360 --> 00:32:26,020 We run to the group text. 700 00:32:26,020 --> 00:32:28,260 We run to the people who will agree with us 701 00:32:28,260 --> 00:32:30,400 because it feels so much better to get a pat on the back 702 00:32:30,400 --> 00:32:33,720 than to hear what God has to say about a situation. 703 00:32:33,720 --> 00:32:35,480 Scripture says in Romans 10, 704 00:32:35,480 --> 00:32:39,080 faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ, 705 00:32:39,080 --> 00:32:41,440 not the Word of your group text, 706 00:32:41,440 --> 00:32:43,240 not the Word of your friends, 707 00:32:43,240 --> 00:32:45,740 not the Word of the social media post. 708 00:32:45,740 --> 00:32:49,240 It says it comes by the Word of Christ. 709 00:32:49,240 --> 00:32:53,240 I love the phrase, let's put truth on the table. 710 00:32:53,240 --> 00:32:55,760 In every situation, when you're in a conversation, 711 00:32:55,760 --> 00:32:57,660 I invite you to interject, 712 00:32:57,660 --> 00:33:00,440 okay, let's put truth on the table. 713 00:33:00,440 --> 00:33:03,240 What does the truth say about this situation? 714 00:33:03,240 --> 00:33:06,400 What does the truth of God's Word say about this situation? 715 00:33:06,400 --> 00:33:07,240 Let me tell you something, 716 00:33:07,240 --> 00:33:09,280 nothing will shut up gossip more than saying, 717 00:33:09,280 --> 00:33:11,080 let's put truth on the table. 718 00:33:11,080 --> 00:33:14,640 Let's put truth on the table. 719 00:33:14,640 --> 00:33:16,700 When belief is tested, 720 00:33:16,700 --> 00:33:19,160 the question isn't what you say you believe, 721 00:33:19,160 --> 00:33:22,140 it's where you run when it costs you something. 722 00:33:22,140 --> 00:33:26,360 Some of you know this story, this is a boy named Ryan. 723 00:33:26,360 --> 00:33:28,960 And Ryan is a student at LCA 724 00:33:28,960 --> 00:33:31,100 and he is in kindergarten readiness right now. 725 00:33:31,100 --> 00:33:33,780 He's been with us for about three years. 726 00:33:33,780 --> 00:33:37,900 And Ryan two weeks ago was diagnosed with leukemia 727 00:33:37,900 --> 00:33:40,640 at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital in ICU. 728 00:33:40,640 --> 00:33:43,580 He's laying there and his parents are there with him. 729 00:33:43,580 --> 00:33:44,800 Parents are in that room 730 00:33:44,800 --> 00:33:48,180 and Ryan starts to mumble something on that hospital bed 731 00:33:48,180 --> 00:33:50,600 and they can't quite make out what he's saying. 732 00:33:50,600 --> 00:33:52,800 And so they go over to him and it's, 733 00:33:52,800 --> 00:33:53,940 Ryan, are you hungry? 734 00:33:53,940 --> 00:33:55,020 Ryan, are you thirsty? 735 00:33:55,020 --> 00:33:56,200 What is he saying? 736 00:33:56,200 --> 00:33:58,360 They're just mumbling, he's mumbling some words. 737 00:33:58,360 --> 00:33:59,360 What's going on? 738 00:33:59,360 --> 00:34:03,640 And right there in that hospital room, 739 00:34:03,640 --> 00:34:06,600 on that hospital bed, this little five-year-old 740 00:34:06,600 --> 00:34:08,960 with leukemia is mumbling this, 741 00:34:08,960 --> 00:34:12,220 even when I don't see it, you're working. 742 00:34:12,220 --> 00:34:16,200 Even when I don't feel it, you're working. 743 00:34:16,200 --> 00:34:24,820 Oh, that God would increase our faith. 744 00:34:25,820 --> 00:34:29,380 That up out of our spirit in situations 745 00:34:29,380 --> 00:34:33,120 that we don't understand, that are not familiar, 746 00:34:33,120 --> 00:34:36,220 the first thing out of our mouth would go, 747 00:34:36,220 --> 00:34:38,260 God, even though it doesn't look like it, 748 00:34:38,260 --> 00:34:39,220 it doesn't feel like it, 749 00:34:39,220 --> 00:34:42,900 I believe you are who you say you are. 750 00:34:42,900 --> 00:34:45,820 It's not just a lyric, this, 751 00:34:45,820 --> 00:34:48,220 even when I don't see it, you're working. 752 00:34:48,220 --> 00:34:53,220 It's surrender, way maker, miracle worker, 753 00:34:54,100 --> 00:34:57,980 promise keeper, light in dark places. 754 00:34:57,980 --> 00:34:59,440 I believe he is. 755 00:34:59,440 --> 00:35:02,900 But when you're standing at the crossroads 756 00:35:02,900 --> 00:35:04,320 and you don't see the way, 757 00:35:04,320 --> 00:35:07,680 when the only way out is a miraculous move of God, 758 00:35:07,680 --> 00:35:10,260 when every promise of God seems to be in question, 759 00:35:10,260 --> 00:35:12,340 and when you find yourself in the darkest places 760 00:35:12,340 --> 00:35:15,980 you've ever been, that's when your belief is exposed. 761 00:35:15,980 --> 00:35:20,860 Faith isn't believing God will do what I want. 762 00:35:20,860 --> 00:35:24,380 Faith is believing he can, even if he chooses not to. 763 00:35:24,380 --> 00:35:30,240 So this is how I wanna close. 764 00:35:30,240 --> 00:35:31,780 I want us to get real for a minute. 765 00:35:31,780 --> 00:35:35,240 Can you guys come into my kitchen table right now, 766 00:35:35,240 --> 00:35:36,160 metaphorically? 767 00:35:36,160 --> 00:35:38,380 Come have a seat at the table. 768 00:35:38,380 --> 00:35:39,220 We're gonna talk real. 769 00:35:39,220 --> 00:35:41,860 We're gonna get real honest right now, okay? 770 00:35:41,860 --> 00:35:43,500 And here it goes. 771 00:35:43,500 --> 00:35:45,380 'Cause I believe this is for everyone. 772 00:35:45,380 --> 00:35:50,080 Christmas has a way of exposing the pressure points. 773 00:35:50,080 --> 00:35:51,720 (gentle music) 774 00:35:51,720 --> 00:35:53,320 And I want us to understand today, 775 00:35:53,320 --> 00:35:54,600 if you forget everything I say, 776 00:35:54,600 --> 00:35:55,800 I want you to understand this. 777 00:35:55,800 --> 00:35:58,900 The world has advice. 778 00:35:58,900 --> 00:36:00,920 The word has direction. 779 00:36:00,920 --> 00:36:04,400 Do you believe what you say you believe? 780 00:36:04,400 --> 00:36:07,440 Some of you in this room, you're sitting next to somebody, 781 00:36:07,440 --> 00:36:08,800 somebody in this room, 782 00:36:08,800 --> 00:36:11,960 you're dealing with grief this season. 783 00:36:11,960 --> 00:36:13,200 What does that mean? 784 00:36:13,200 --> 00:36:15,440 There's an empty seat at the table this year. 785 00:36:17,200 --> 00:36:20,200 There's a familiar voice you no longer get to hear. 786 00:36:20,200 --> 00:36:24,480 There's a name that you no longer get to text. 787 00:36:24,480 --> 00:36:25,920 And when the rubber hits the road, 788 00:36:25,920 --> 00:36:28,540 the question isn't, do I miss them? 789 00:36:28,540 --> 00:36:31,880 The question is, do I believe God is still near 790 00:36:31,880 --> 00:36:34,280 when my heart is broken? 791 00:36:34,280 --> 00:36:35,900 And this is what the world says. 792 00:36:35,900 --> 00:36:38,620 Numb the pain, distract yourself, 793 00:36:38,620 --> 00:36:40,300 move on as quickly as possible. 794 00:36:40,300 --> 00:36:42,700 But this is what the word says and gives direction. 795 00:36:42,700 --> 00:36:46,440 It says, the Lord is near to the brokenhearted 796 00:36:46,440 --> 00:36:48,500 and saves the crushed in spirit. 797 00:36:48,500 --> 00:36:54,240 So the Lord says, sit with me, bring it to me. 798 00:36:54,240 --> 00:36:57,040 Let me heal what you can't. 799 00:36:57,040 --> 00:37:01,480 Some of you in this room, you're sitting next to each other, 800 00:37:01,480 --> 00:37:03,360 your marriage is unraveling. 801 00:37:03,360 --> 00:37:06,880 And it may be plastered with a smile in front of all of us, 802 00:37:06,880 --> 00:37:09,120 but you know your marriage is unraveling. 803 00:37:09,120 --> 00:37:11,100 There's problems at home. 804 00:37:11,100 --> 00:37:13,780 There's arguments that have been unsettled. 805 00:37:13,780 --> 00:37:15,800 I'm getting real with you guys this morning. 806 00:37:15,800 --> 00:37:17,880 And when the rubber hits the road, 807 00:37:17,880 --> 00:37:21,520 the question becomes, do I believe God can heal 808 00:37:21,520 --> 00:37:26,520 what seems irreparably damaged, or do I quietly give up? 809 00:37:26,520 --> 00:37:31,000 The world says, protect yourself. 810 00:37:31,000 --> 00:37:32,440 Walk away when it's hard. 811 00:37:32,440 --> 00:37:34,940 Do what makes you happy. 812 00:37:34,940 --> 00:37:37,280 But this is the direction from the word of the Lord. 813 00:37:37,280 --> 00:37:40,040 It says, is anything too hard for the Lord? 814 00:37:40,040 --> 00:37:43,880 Is anything too hard for the Lord? 815 00:37:44,760 --> 00:37:47,760 Some of you are dealing right now in this room 816 00:37:47,760 --> 00:37:50,660 with fractured relationships. 817 00:37:50,660 --> 00:37:53,420 And when the rubber hits the road, the question becomes, 818 00:37:53,420 --> 00:37:56,480 do I believe obedience still matters 819 00:37:56,480 --> 00:37:59,680 even when reconciliation's gonna cost me something? 820 00:37:59,680 --> 00:38:02,240 The world says, cut 'em off. 821 00:38:02,240 --> 00:38:04,720 Be distant. 822 00:38:04,720 --> 00:38:06,640 Protect your peace at all costs. 823 00:38:06,640 --> 00:38:11,560 But the word says, Jesus says, blessed are the peacemakers. 824 00:38:13,920 --> 00:38:17,520 Some of you in this room right now, literally, I know, 825 00:38:17,520 --> 00:38:22,520 at least two people, are carrying a medical diagnosis. 826 00:38:22,520 --> 00:38:27,120 You've been carrying an ailment for a long time, some of you. 827 00:38:27,120 --> 00:38:29,460 And you're sitting there going through Christmas 828 00:38:29,460 --> 00:38:30,720 with a smile on your face, 829 00:38:30,720 --> 00:38:33,720 but you've got this looming, weighty thing. 830 00:38:33,720 --> 00:38:35,940 And when the rubber hits the road, the question becomes, 831 00:38:35,940 --> 00:38:39,080 do I believe God is still with me in the valley, 832 00:38:39,080 --> 00:38:41,840 or do I just believe it when I'm on the mountaintop? 833 00:38:41,840 --> 00:38:46,280 And the world says, panic, spiral out of control, 834 00:38:46,280 --> 00:38:48,080 assume the worst. 835 00:38:48,080 --> 00:38:50,560 But the direction from the word says, 836 00:38:50,560 --> 00:38:54,640 even though I walk through the valley, you are with me. 837 00:38:54,640 --> 00:39:01,320 Some of you are under financial strain this morning. 838 00:39:01,320 --> 00:39:03,320 And you got up here and you heard Barbie mention 839 00:39:03,320 --> 00:39:05,600 about tithing, and you questioned whether or not 840 00:39:05,600 --> 00:39:07,100 you could give, some of you just said, 841 00:39:07,100 --> 00:39:08,440 I'm not even gonna try to go there 842 00:39:08,440 --> 00:39:11,400 because my bills are too high, my credit cards are maxed. 843 00:39:11,400 --> 00:39:13,640 I don't know how I'm getting gifts for the kids this week. 844 00:39:13,640 --> 00:39:14,900 I don't know, I don't know anything. 845 00:39:14,900 --> 00:39:16,240 I've been trying different ways, 846 00:39:16,240 --> 00:39:18,520 I've been moving stuff around, I lost my job. 847 00:39:18,520 --> 00:39:21,040 Financial strain is a real thing for some of you 848 00:39:21,040 --> 00:39:22,720 in this room right now. 849 00:39:22,720 --> 00:39:26,720 But when the rubber hits the road, the question becomes, 850 00:39:26,720 --> 00:39:28,880 do I believe God's my provider, 851 00:39:28,880 --> 00:39:32,240 or do I live like everything depends on me? 852 00:39:32,240 --> 00:39:34,760 The world says, hoard it, worry about it, 853 00:39:34,760 --> 00:39:36,360 and control everything. 854 00:39:36,360 --> 00:39:38,360 This is what the directive of the word says, 855 00:39:38,360 --> 00:39:40,680 seek first the kingdom of God, 856 00:39:40,680 --> 00:39:43,080 and all of those things will be added to you. 857 00:39:43,080 --> 00:39:45,440 Do you believe what you say you believe? 858 00:39:45,440 --> 00:39:46,440 Do you believe what you say? 859 00:39:46,440 --> 00:39:48,280 Some of you, listen, some of you, 860 00:39:48,280 --> 00:39:50,800 none of those things relate, but this one's gonna hit home. 861 00:39:50,800 --> 00:39:53,360 Some of you are just plain exhausted. 862 00:39:53,360 --> 00:40:00,160 Because you have been running and running and running, 863 00:40:00,160 --> 00:40:03,120 you've been chasing them kids, you've been going places, 864 00:40:03,120 --> 00:40:05,040 you've been running to try to prove yourself, 865 00:40:05,040 --> 00:40:08,320 work is demanding, the pressure is so big, 866 00:40:08,320 --> 00:40:09,780 and when the rubber hits the road, 867 00:40:09,780 --> 00:40:11,160 the question becomes, 868 00:40:11,160 --> 00:40:14,360 do I believe God actually renews strength, 869 00:40:14,360 --> 00:40:17,200 or do I just keep pushing until I break? 870 00:40:17,200 --> 00:40:21,080 The world says, push harder, keep proving yourself. 871 00:40:21,080 --> 00:40:24,080 Don't slow down, the directive from the word says this, 872 00:40:24,080 --> 00:40:27,800 those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. 873 00:40:27,800 --> 00:40:30,100 Some of you need to enter a waiting season. 874 00:40:30,100 --> 00:40:34,980 Rest is not weakness, waiting is worship. 875 00:40:34,980 --> 00:40:37,760 Now let me talk to another, 876 00:40:37,760 --> 00:40:39,760 I'm getting real real today, right? 877 00:40:39,760 --> 00:40:43,040 Can I keep going? 878 00:40:43,040 --> 00:40:46,620 Let me talk to another very real struggle in the room. 879 00:40:46,620 --> 00:40:48,640 Some of you are just tired, 880 00:40:48,640 --> 00:40:52,000 you're not just tired and hurting, you are uncertain. 881 00:40:52,000 --> 00:40:55,460 You don't know what decision to make, 882 00:40:55,460 --> 00:40:58,080 you don't know if you're in the right role somewhere, 883 00:40:58,080 --> 00:41:00,120 you don't know if it's the season, the assignment, 884 00:41:00,120 --> 00:41:01,980 the position is where God wants you, 885 00:41:01,980 --> 00:41:04,440 and the insecurity creeps in and you say, 886 00:41:04,440 --> 00:41:06,020 what if I mess up? 887 00:41:06,020 --> 00:41:08,560 What if I miss God, what if I'm not enough for this? 888 00:41:08,560 --> 00:41:12,940 And the world says, trust your instincts, follow your heart, 889 00:41:12,940 --> 00:41:15,640 choose the next opportunity that comes along. 890 00:41:15,640 --> 00:41:18,080 But the directive from the word says this, 891 00:41:18,080 --> 00:41:20,960 trust in the Lord with all your heart. 892 00:41:20,960 --> 00:41:22,980 Stop leaning on your own understanding 893 00:41:22,980 --> 00:41:26,040 and all your ways submit to Him and guess what He'll do? 894 00:41:26,040 --> 00:41:28,620 He'll make every straight, every path straight. 895 00:41:28,620 --> 00:41:33,000 And what about this? 896 00:41:33,000 --> 00:41:35,760 Some of you have been praying and praying and praying, 897 00:41:35,760 --> 00:41:38,320 and God has either been silent 898 00:41:38,320 --> 00:41:39,960 or God's just flat out said no. 899 00:41:39,960 --> 00:41:45,820 What if God's answer is no? 900 00:41:45,820 --> 00:41:47,700 What if He is silent? 901 00:41:47,700 --> 00:41:49,820 What if His answer looks different from you? 902 00:41:49,820 --> 00:41:51,920 Some of you are here, listen to this, 903 00:41:51,920 --> 00:41:56,000 some of you are literally watching God answer 904 00:41:56,000 --> 00:41:59,160 the same prayer you have for other people 905 00:41:59,160 --> 00:42:00,520 that you're connected to, 906 00:42:00,520 --> 00:42:02,700 and He's not answered that prayer for you. 907 00:42:04,060 --> 00:42:07,700 And you're sitting here going, what about me? 908 00:42:07,700 --> 00:42:11,800 And you're carrying this quiet prayer inside you. 909 00:42:11,800 --> 00:42:15,180 There is a faith that trusts God when He opens doors, 910 00:42:15,180 --> 00:42:17,780 but can I tell you there is a deeper faith 911 00:42:17,780 --> 00:42:22,880 for those who will trust God when He doesn't open the door. 912 00:42:22,880 --> 00:42:25,660 Who has greater faith, the one who prays and receives 913 00:42:25,660 --> 00:42:27,580 or the one who prays doesn't receive 914 00:42:27,580 --> 00:42:29,040 and still keeps showing up 915 00:42:29,040 --> 00:42:31,300 because they believe that God is still good? 916 00:42:31,300 --> 00:42:33,880 (gentle music) 917 00:42:33,880 --> 00:42:39,300 Paul prayed and God said no, my grace is sufficient. 918 00:42:39,300 --> 00:42:41,560 Habakkuk didn't get the answer he wanted 919 00:42:41,560 --> 00:42:42,680 and he still rejoiced. 920 00:42:42,680 --> 00:42:46,360 Job lost everything and still trusted God. 921 00:42:46,360 --> 00:42:49,540 Listen, faith isn't trusting God because of the outcome. 922 00:42:49,540 --> 00:42:52,560 Faith is trusting God in spite of the outcome. 923 00:42:52,560 --> 00:42:58,520 And so this morning, would you stand with me this morning? 924 00:42:58,520 --> 00:43:00,560 This morning, this is what we're gonna do. 925 00:43:00,700 --> 00:43:02,500 (gentle music) 926 00:43:02,500 --> 00:43:06,920 If you are struggling, faith without action is dead. 927 00:43:06,920 --> 00:43:10,380 Say that, faith without action is dead. 928 00:43:10,380 --> 00:43:13,380 Today's call is an increase in faith. 929 00:43:13,380 --> 00:43:17,180 Without faith, it is impossible to please the God 930 00:43:17,180 --> 00:43:18,620 you say you believe in. 931 00:43:18,620 --> 00:43:21,780 And so if you are here and you are struggling with grief, 932 00:43:21,780 --> 00:43:23,620 I want you right here in front. 933 00:43:23,620 --> 00:43:25,820 If you're here and your marriage is on the rocks, 934 00:43:25,820 --> 00:43:27,340 I want you right down here, right here. 935 00:43:27,340 --> 00:43:29,320 If you're struggling in a relationship, 936 00:43:29,320 --> 00:43:30,760 come on down right here. 937 00:43:30,760 --> 00:43:32,960 The God of the universe wants to meet you today. 938 00:43:32,960 --> 00:43:36,100 If you're fearful at this Christmas time, get down here. 939 00:43:36,100 --> 00:43:39,640 If you have a medical diagnosis, come on down right here. 940 00:43:39,640 --> 00:43:42,380 If your finances are all in shambles, 941 00:43:42,380 --> 00:43:43,600 come on down right here. 942 00:43:43,600 --> 00:43:45,100 Meet this great, glorious God. 943 00:43:45,100 --> 00:43:48,140 If you're exhausted this morning, come on down. 944 00:43:48,140 --> 00:43:49,500 Meet your glorious God. 945 00:43:49,500 --> 00:43:51,620 If you're uncertain today, 946 00:43:51,620 --> 00:43:53,580 come down and meet this great, glorious God. 947 00:43:53,580 --> 00:43:56,580 If God has been silent, if he's not answered a prayer 948 00:43:56,580 --> 00:43:58,000 that you've been believing for, 949 00:43:58,000 --> 00:43:59,700 come on down here right now. 950 00:43:59,700 --> 00:44:03,860 I believe that this way maker, this miracle worker, 951 00:44:03,860 --> 00:44:07,100 this promise keeper, this light in the darkness 952 00:44:07,100 --> 00:44:09,520 will literally meet you right now. 953 00:44:09,520 --> 00:44:10,500 Now let me tell you something. 954 00:44:10,500 --> 00:44:11,860 Let me give you the truth. 955 00:44:11,860 --> 00:44:17,260 I'm gonna use the financial group as an example. 956 00:44:17,260 --> 00:44:22,540 You may walk out of these doors as broke as you walked in, 957 00:44:24,780 --> 00:44:28,940 but the God of the universe will render to you a peace. 958 00:44:28,940 --> 00:44:32,400 And he will say, the truth of the matter is, 959 00:44:32,400 --> 00:44:34,620 is that I own the cattle on a hill 960 00:44:34,620 --> 00:44:36,940 and I'm gonna take care of your need. 961 00:44:36,940 --> 00:44:41,040 All you need is to have faith enough to believe. 962 00:44:41,040 --> 00:44:42,800 And you can apply that across the board 963 00:44:42,800 --> 00:44:44,900 to any one of these situations. 964 00:44:44,900 --> 00:44:51,400 Now let me have your eyeballs up here for just a second. 965 00:44:51,400 --> 00:44:52,500 I know you've been given something. 966 00:44:52,500 --> 00:44:54,160 I want you to just hold it in your hand for a second. 967 00:44:54,160 --> 00:44:55,000 Look right here. 968 00:44:55,000 --> 00:44:58,940 And those out there who are not up here, 969 00:44:58,940 --> 00:45:00,240 you can begin to pray. 970 00:45:00,240 --> 00:45:05,460 Jesus came to earth at Christmas 971 00:45:05,460 --> 00:45:10,040 to save us from the problem of sin. 972 00:45:10,040 --> 00:45:10,880 That was our issue. 973 00:45:10,880 --> 00:45:12,780 We had sin, we were separate from God. 974 00:45:12,780 --> 00:45:14,700 That was the first coming. 975 00:45:14,700 --> 00:45:18,020 But can I give you a promise that the word says? 976 00:45:18,020 --> 00:45:21,360 Somebody here struggling with grief, uncertainty, 977 00:45:21,360 --> 00:45:23,740 relationship things, tears, all this stuff. 978 00:45:23,740 --> 00:45:25,840 Can I give you a promise that the word says? 979 00:45:25,840 --> 00:45:26,880 Look at the screens, guys. 980 00:45:26,880 --> 00:45:29,100 This is a promise that we get to rejoice in 981 00:45:29,100 --> 00:45:31,140 because he's not just coming the first time, 982 00:45:31,140 --> 00:45:32,340 he's coming a second time. 983 00:45:32,340 --> 00:45:34,260 And this is what he says. 984 00:45:34,260 --> 00:45:37,180 I'm gonna wipe every tear from your eye. 985 00:45:37,180 --> 00:45:39,040 There's gonna be no more death or mourning 986 00:45:39,040 --> 00:45:43,620 or crying or pain for the former things have passed away. 987 00:45:43,620 --> 00:45:44,740 Now let me ask you something. 988 00:45:44,740 --> 00:45:46,360 Do you believe he's gonna do it? 989 00:45:46,360 --> 00:45:48,700 Do you believe that he's gonna come back a second time? 990 00:45:48,700 --> 00:45:50,660 Do you believe that all of that's going to happen? 991 00:45:50,660 --> 00:45:51,580 And here's the thing, 992 00:45:51,580 --> 00:45:54,960 this great glorious God can give you a peace this morning 993 00:45:54,960 --> 00:45:57,620 that matches this verse in the situation 994 00:45:57,620 --> 00:45:59,160 and the chaos that you're in. 995 00:45:59,160 --> 00:46:03,540 Increase your capacity to receive. 996 00:46:03,540 --> 00:46:05,600 So here's what I want us to understand. 997 00:46:05,600 --> 00:46:08,060 You say you're walking through grief, 998 00:46:08,060 --> 00:46:09,860 you're walking through a marriage problem, 999 00:46:09,860 --> 00:46:12,040 relationship fear, medical diagnosis. 1000 00:46:12,040 --> 00:46:13,740 Go ahead and turn off those lights. 1001 00:46:13,740 --> 00:46:17,060 I want you to understand something. 1002 00:46:19,860 --> 00:46:23,780 This is a glow stick and it does nothing. 1003 00:46:23,780 --> 00:46:28,780 It serves no purpose unless what happens, 1004 00:46:28,780 --> 00:46:30,820 unless it's broken. 1005 00:46:30,820 --> 00:46:33,480 Go ahead and break your glow stick. 1006 00:46:33,480 --> 00:46:37,480 (gentle music) 1007 00:46:37,480 --> 00:46:40,060 (gentle music) 1008 00:46:40,060 --> 00:46:55,080 Do me a favor, Rich, hand me that glow stick that's there. 1009 00:46:55,080 --> 00:46:56,560 I want a good glow stick. 1010 00:46:56,560 --> 00:47:00,520 I have another one on my seat you can have. 1011 00:47:00,520 --> 00:47:02,360 You got one up there, okay, I got a glow stick, okay. 1012 00:47:02,360 --> 00:47:03,200 Hold him up. 1013 00:47:03,200 --> 00:47:06,780 (gentle music) 1014 00:47:06,780 --> 00:47:10,580 Listen clearly, guys. 1015 00:47:10,580 --> 00:47:13,260 The light of the world, which you've been called, 1016 00:47:13,260 --> 00:47:17,340 the light of the world is Christ meeting you 1017 00:47:17,340 --> 00:47:18,800 in your brokenness. 1018 00:47:18,800 --> 00:47:23,740 Out of your chaos and your brokenness, 1019 00:47:23,740 --> 00:47:26,560 he creates something beautiful. 1020 00:47:26,560 --> 00:47:31,020 So understand, listen to this, this is good, okay. 1021 00:47:31,020 --> 00:47:35,940 The God of the universe has trusted you 1022 00:47:36,860 --> 00:47:38,860 with the chaos that you're in. 1023 00:47:38,860 --> 00:47:41,620 Are you with me? 1024 00:47:41,620 --> 00:47:43,260 Because he says, I am with you. 1025 00:47:43,260 --> 00:47:45,460 He hasn't forsaken you. 1026 00:47:45,460 --> 00:47:51,940 So count it all joy when you face tribulations 1027 00:47:51,940 --> 00:47:56,900 and trials of any kind, because he's doing a work in you. 1028 00:47:56,900 --> 00:47:57,740 Why? 1029 00:47:57,740 --> 00:48:00,560 So that the light of Christ could be proclaimed 1030 00:48:00,560 --> 00:48:02,060 to a dying world. 1031 00:48:02,060 --> 00:48:05,700 And he only can do that if you're willing to be broken. 1032 00:48:05,700 --> 00:48:08,100 Amen, amen, is that good? 1033 00:48:08,100 --> 00:48:12,140 So today God wants to be your way maker. 1034 00:48:12,140 --> 00:48:14,600 Listen, real quick, and I'm done. 1035 00:48:14,600 --> 00:48:16,940 You can turn on the lights. 1036 00:48:16,940 --> 00:48:22,060 Christmas isn't a story about people 1037 00:48:22,060 --> 00:48:24,040 who had it figured out. 1038 00:48:24,040 --> 00:48:26,160 It's a story about people who believed God 1039 00:48:26,160 --> 00:48:27,440 when the rubber hit the road. 1040 00:48:27,440 --> 00:48:32,380 Mary believed God when her reputation was on the line. 1041 00:48:32,380 --> 00:48:35,300 Joseph believed God when he had to be obedient, 1042 00:48:35,300 --> 00:48:37,380 when he wasn't obedient, when he wasn't sure. 1043 00:48:37,380 --> 00:48:40,340 The angels declared truth and fear and in darkness. 1044 00:48:40,340 --> 00:48:44,380 The shepherds believed God even to leave what was familiar. 1045 00:48:44,380 --> 00:48:46,380 Do you understand what I'm saying to you? 1046 00:48:46,380 --> 00:48:48,980 None of them had certainty. 1047 00:48:48,980 --> 00:48:52,780 None of them had control, but all of them had one thing. 1048 00:48:52,780 --> 00:48:55,780 They all had great faith. 1049 00:48:55,780 --> 00:49:00,000 And you have a great big glorious God 1050 00:49:00,000 --> 00:49:03,340 with whom it is impossible to please without faith. 1051 00:49:03,340 --> 00:49:05,300 And so my prayer for you, my friends, 1052 00:49:05,300 --> 00:49:08,300 is that your faith in this season would increase, 1053 00:49:08,300 --> 00:49:11,600 that you would begin to truly believe God 1054 00:49:11,600 --> 00:49:13,460 for all of the things in the chaos, 1055 00:49:13,460 --> 00:49:16,380 that you would not separate God from your mess, 1056 00:49:16,380 --> 00:49:18,980 but you would just say, God, here I am, 1057 00:49:18,980 --> 00:49:22,500 messed up from the floor up, come into my life, 1058 00:49:22,500 --> 00:49:24,460 and change everything. 1059 00:49:24,460 --> 00:49:27,840 And so today as a testimony of faith, 1060 00:49:27,840 --> 00:49:31,580 as a statement of faith, we're gonna declare 1061 00:49:31,580 --> 00:49:34,420 that he truly is in every one of your situations 1062 00:49:34,420 --> 00:49:37,300 a way maker, a miracle worker. 1063 00:49:37,300 --> 00:49:38,300 Is he a promise keeper? 1064 00:49:38,300 --> 00:49:39,580 He sure is. 1065 00:49:39,580 --> 00:49:41,040 He's a light in the darkness. 1066 00:49:41,040 --> 00:49:41,940 Come on, let's worship. 1067 00:49:41,940 --> 00:49:42,880 Church, let's worship. 1068 00:49:42,880 --> 00:49:45,060 Come on, let's worship like God's gonna move today, okay? 1069 00:49:45,060 --> 00:49:46,200 Let's go, come on. 1070 00:49:46,200 --> 00:49:48,260 you