A Sure Heart // Judah Smith

John 3:16 and for many of us who are Jesus followers and Jesus worshipers this verse really sums up all that God has done for us I have it memorized I've said this every service I don't mean to brag but it's obviously the priest of the pastor but John 3:16 says for God so loved I love that word so God didn't just love he so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever whoever I mean I we're building a community on whoever who ever you're welcome here whoever whenever wherever simply believes in Jesus receives Jesus once and for all sacrifice you will not perish God does not want you to perish but have eternal life that is what we are celebrating today that we are we are absolutely persuaded it is our gift from Jesus we will have eternal life though this life is a vapor though this life is like dust here today gone tomorrow it is fleeting we believe that at the end of this life begins eternal life that only comes in Jesus now this verse John 3:16 is so paramount and so foundational to our faith what we've been endeavoring to do is go to other chapter 3 and verse 16 passages in the Bible to help us further understand not only John 3:16 but the implications of what Jesus has done and I am so excited to share with you probably the other most famous 3:16 and it's 1st John 3:16 1st John 3:16 so go there with me if you have a Bible if you don't no worries we've got the sky Bible for your viewing enjoyment 1st John 3:16 by this we know love by this we define love by this we know the essence of love by this we know the highest definition of love that he laid down his life for us that he laid down his life for us comma prepare yourself these are high standards and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers we're brothers you can absolutely include brothers and sisters for the community of faith for those within our community in which we worship if he laid out his lives for us we ought to lay down by the way I love the word are we ought to lay down our lives I love the community language here John is actually writing to a church frankly a church he pastors it's very it's a multiple locations it's very divided John actually pastored a very divisive segregated separated church there was a lot of problems in the church that John pastored in fact many historians and scholars believe that once John passed away that sure City pastored kind of disintegrated and went to other communities it was a very challenging place to be in community and John says together as a community we ought to lay down our lives our lives let me tell you this and this is just this is free material this we have not even begun the sermon if we're gonna live a life like this laying down if you're gonna lay down your life and I'm gonna lay down my life we need to lay down our lives we're going to need each other to learn what it looks like and how we live a life that lays down our life but I got just a little a little side note if you lay down your life and I'll lay down my life we'll both end up being really encouraged so so as a community one of the big ideas today is that we're going to endeavor to live out the scripture and because Jesus has laid down his life we're gonna lay down our lives now this is great news because if you brought a friend today at church the theme of today's service is death so that's awesome you picked the perfect Sunday and in a moment we'll bring out snakes and cats and we will sacrifice them and just as a picture of what we're trying to communicate I'm kidding I'm kidding oh my word can you imagine um like don't imagine that that's weird you probably have a pet cat and you think your cat's nice but your cat EV is obviously is rebellious and of all animals cats was the one God made last and was like I don't know but um you know I mean he was like ah that probably wasn't necessary but oh man I'm allergic in case you didn't know highly allergic to cats and and I don't hold any offense except towards cats that's the one thing I'm offended at in this world so we're gonna learn today how to lay down our lives will you join me in prayer Jesus thank you for the moments we share we we we love you so much and just think that we can't even begin to truly even with our words describe how spectacular you are we're here today we pray that you'd help our thoughts wander towards you help our thoughts focused on you in these few minutes we share studying your story help us to grow in faith and trust in you we love you so much god I pray for anyone today who feels now offended because I offended them about their cat I pray you to help them also forgive and forgive their pastor thank you for great wisdom for coach and mr. John Schneider at the draft we love who we drafted this is so exciting bless our team help us to be the fastest the quickest the sharpest the strongest and the one that scores the most touchdowns in Jesus name Amen it's important amen have you ever had a favorite commercial and I know that might sound odd in the course if you're under 20 you're like what's a commercial it's this thing that happens when you watch something that's live not Netflix in YouTube but it's a it's it is commercials and and I grew up and I don't know if I ever had a favorite commercial maybe some of the Air Jordan commercials with mars blackmon those were probably my favorite commercials but it's been years since I've had a favorite commercial and I actually probably thought I would never have another favorite commercial and then Snickers came out with a commercial recently that has I I find myself a tickled frankly I can't get enough of this commercial every time it comes on I you should ask my I'm not gonna show it to you because I'd rather describe it to you I literally just want to tell you about it someone preach this message in LA they're like why don't you just show the commercial I'm like because you're not in charge okay because I just want to tell you about it cuz I'm so excited it's um I I think the Snickers has like an almond Snickers almond bar so they've put now which is healthy of course it put almonds in there snicker bar I love like I'm looking at my mom we grew up and we didn't have like all these nutrition like like protein bars anybody remember this and so before soccer games my mom gave me a payday payday was like our protein bar member packed with peanuts protein it's just hydrogenated oils and and all that and high-fructose corn syrup but man help me score goals so but anyways so Snickers was like a protein bar at one point and then we got smarter and realized that's killing America but Snickers has this commercial and it's apparently promoting their Snickers almond bar and oh man and I hope that this accent in no way offends you but but this is just how the commercial goes so don't blame me blame Snickers okay a guy's driving the car and his friend is riding shotgun and the commercial opens up and his friend looks at him and he's driving and just kind of an a real average moment in life and he goes you like Allemands and his friend goes what you're like almond I like almond and his friend goes I like almonds he's like now almonds my girlfriend loves almonds everywhere I say it's the elements and he keeps saying ailments ailments and I'm watch watch this commercial and I'm like this kind of hot and then this is the part that really gets me okay I'm so excited to share with you his friend this has nothing to do with my message his friend is driving the car the guy who says I like almonds and he just unbuckles his seatbelt opens a side door and throws himself out of the car and the car just keeps driving in it like hits the curb and the commercial ends and you should see my kids like dad what's wrong I'm agree wine that oh my god yes you like almonds I like almonds throws himself and I think I was I was like I was like trying to figure out why I like this commercial so much and then it dawned on me I don't have any friends that say almonds and frankly I like almonds or almonds it's not a big deal but I have felt like that man in that driver's seat anybody ever been there right you have one kid then you have two kids then you have three kids that's all about oh my gosh you have one day of rain you have a week of rain you have a month of rain I mean I just want to just abandon ship sometimes have you ever been there and that's why I think it's just therapeutic I just rewind that I'm like I don't know this man throwing himself out of the car really is therapeutic for me like it's really helping me cope with whatever it is I'm facing life can be a lot like that and without notice all of a sudden you're like I'm out I cannot handle this any more like it's it's too much it's overwhelming it can be something as arbitrary as a friend that's slightly annoying the weather that's not you know participating in your plans whatever it might be or it can be something very difficult it can be a loss of a loved one it can be a diagnosis it can be what seems to be pending divorce that you can't avoid and it feels like I would just like to abandon ship I would just like to get out of this I don't want to face this I don't want to deal with this if you haven't noticed this life is unpredictable like Judah we know I know it's kind of a commentary into the obvious here but this life's unpredictable this life is challenging and difficult I'm sure one of the reasons at least one of the reasons you've come to this facility in this building today and joined in community is because each and every one of us need more of God we need more help in our life we need more understanding we need more wisdom and of course one of the big ideas I hope that we all gather is that sometimes life isn't explicable it's unexplainable it is not fair it is not just it is not right and we come to a space like this to say god I need your help help me to trust you even in the midst of this season this season this is not a normal season this is not an easy season this is not a breezy season this is a challenging season and everything within my humaneness just wants to jump ship everything in my humaneness just wants to abandon the situation but I realize you you're asking me to walk through this though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for you are with me sometimes the hardest part of that scripture is walking through you want to get out of it you want to escape you want to run how many of us have got ourselves in trouble and dabbled into sin in the eye with the idea of I need to escape I need to get out of here I need to not face this not deal with this not go through this but I believe that our our Jesus our God his teachings are explicit and very very clear when it comes to challenging seasons we are to walk through how many no we don't have to stay in it but we can walk through it these are challenging days not only in our country but in our our world of course the Bible it predicted and prophesied that days such as these would come on the earth wars and rumors of wars and disease and pestilence and division and hatred and injustice and a lot of pain on this planet and of course the question we've been asking in this collection of sermons is in this unstable world world this unpredictable life where do you find your security where do you find your confidence I dare say that if we don't find a transcendent security and confidence like the man driving his car in the Snickers commercial we actually will end up escaping we will end up hurting ourselves and hurting others because life is too much for you to bear on your own it's too much for you to carry all by yourself I don't believe you were even designed to carry the pain and the problems and the challenges and the injustice --is of this life on your own we weren't even designed for death the weren't even designed for this idea this person is gone I had the privilege of being it pastor dick Iverson's funeral just a couple of days ago and was actually asked to say a few words which I was honored and it was an amazing two our celebration of a hero a man who believed in my mom and dad and my mom and dad wouldn't he came to Seattle in 1992 to start this church if it wasn't for pastor dick Iverson who in 1972 believed in a really young couple that had just come from Idaho straight out of Bible College my mom never graduated dad stole her out of college and and got in their Volkswagen Karmann Ghia and drove to Portland Oregon in 1972 and there they met Pastor Iverson who believed that God could do something great with their life this church wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for Pastor Iverson in 88 years young passed away graduated into heaven I'm sitting next to pastor Frank DiMaggio who's really like an an uncle to me and he looks at me he goes I just can't get my head around it I said around what pastor Frank that pastor Iverson is gone I just can't get my head around it this life is so on predictable so challenging where are you where am I gonna find that confidence how do we get up next morning when that person is is gone how do we get up next morning when that situation fell apart that relationship no longer exists how do we get up in the midst of pain and challenges and keep putting one foot in front of the other and keep living a life that's full of faith and the expectation of good how do we do it so we're doing our best to understand what Jesus has done because I would like to announce that the transcendent truth in the universe is that there is a God he is good he is so good and loves you so much he put on skin and bone and came and lived amongst us approximately 2,000 years ago and he was sinless and because he was sinless he could pay for your sin and he could pay for my sins so if we simply believed his once and for all sacrifice we can be made right with God forever and ever and so the big idea in the universe and the world today that no matter what you face for it rains on the just and the unjust bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people it's the world that we live in but for those of us that have received Jesus and believed that we are now right with God and we're forgiven for ever it is that truth that we're called to hold on to when times get tough it's that truth that enables us to get up again and face another day not just face another day not just survive and get through but face another day with the expectation that God is good and what's ahead of me is good it's the kind of people we're supposed to be so how are we going to do that well first John 3 and verse 19 right after 316 says we shall know that we are of the truth and notice and reassure our heart before him I love that statement reassure our heart that speaks of a confidence deep on the inside on assurance on the inside in this passage we're told that if we will do the particular statement the kind of the main theme which is lay down our lives only in response to Jesus who lay down his life if we will lay down our life we will reassure our hearts we will reassure our hearts this laying down your life is comes with a guarantee that if you will live this life of continue letting your life go to find life you'll have a confidence and uninsurance so wherever this sermon goes now this morning's we talk about you dying to yourself I want you to remind yourself that the blessing that comes with laying down your life is you'll have an assurance in your heart in this life and I don't know about you but we have never needed assurance in our heart more than today the Bible says we're to lay down our life of course this is consistent with the teachings of Jesus it was Jesus quoted as saying whoever loses his life for my sake will find it that is by definition the paradoxical teachings of Jesus which teach us that you've got to let go to find you've got to lose to find Jesus taught you got to die to live the way up is down the greatest is the least the one who's in charge is the servant the one who's most important is the one who serves it's the teachings of Jesus that only was it his teachings it was his lifestyle it was how he lived it was how he socially interacted with people we're here today under the premise of Jesus and his teachings again I want to remind you his teachings are you lose to find you die to live is there person here today that doesn't want to find life that doesn't want to live life to the fullest I'd like to put in front of you for your consideration the teaching of Jesus but if you want to find your life if you want to find that assurance that confidence that security that fulfillment that satisfaction that you trust God in such a way that you lay down lose your life you die to your own plans and your own self and in that you will find life and life more abundantly more abundantly this is the teachings of Jesus it is why John when faced with a divided congregation and a divided church essentially there's much more to it but essentially John's church that he's pastoring at this point is divided amongst Jews and non-jews to be honest John's greatest hurdle and challenge was a value based on ethnicity it's amazing to me how a lot of that still hasn't changed in our world that for John his greatest hurdle was not actually simply trusting the sacrifice of Jesus it was trusting someone who didn't look like you trusting someone who didn't have the same ethnic background as you and yet today when you look at the global landscape we seemed to be almost just as divided still craving what a heavenly family would look like still craving what a community could be that was not based on background income social status or ethnicity but was based on the fact that we are forgiven and we are loved and we are graced by God so John pleading with this congregation he's attempting to remind them that if Jesus let his life go and by the way how many know nobody took Jesus life he laid it down of his own accord he chose to die he was not murdered he chose to lay down his life John pleading with this congregation maybe in a way that I am called to plead with you today that if Jesus has laid down his life for us can we not also lay down our life for one another now you have to know and I want to be really concentrated with the interpretation of Scripture here because if we leave it in its context John is almost surely specifically dealing with the ethnic divide within his own church he's actually saying probably more specifically he's saying the Jews and the non-jews if you are Joe and you only want to lay down your life for fellow Jews come on No Jesus died and laid down his life for all people for there are all his children and for the non-jews that didn't want to care for the Jews in the church he's saying you too though you have been marginalized and overlooked need to lay down your life for the Jews and I wonder if that would apply to us today that when it comes to maybe different cultures and ethnicities and backgrounds that maybe you don't understand or have been hurt by I wonder if just maybe the application based on the context of this verse is for us today in 2018 for the people group that you are uncomfortable with that God would say within your own community of faith you are called not just to tolerate you are called to lay down your life for we're not attempting just to get along in church home we're attempting to be the family of God this is what God wants of us why because he lay down his life for all of us we ought to lay down our life for one another and I love how John gets specific because he starts first in the community he says let's just start with the church you're a part of it's there we learn to lay down our lives for one another well that is not a small thing that is not a light thing that is not a little thing that is a challenge that frankly can only be answered and fulfilled by the grace of God and the empowerment of the Spirit of Jesus which I believe is amongst us and upon us for all who believe and receive Jesus I want to read this verse to you again in first John 3:16 by this we know love that he laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers and the sisters now what I'd like to do for the next remaining minutes that we have is to try to make sense of this phrase lay down our lives what does it mean to lay down our lives because evidently this is a very significant part of our lifestyle it is supposed to typify and define how we live not only amongst co-workers and the community in the neighborhood but specifically as a community we are with each other to lay down our lives so I looked it up in the original language and I was hoping to find something different than what I actually found in fact it was one of those moments where you're studying your Bible and you're like there's got to be somebody else who believes this means something else so I looked at almost every single scholar and theologian that that I love and respect and have a couple of people that helped me with research and unfortunately we only found one meaning and if there was other meanings I would go with those but lay down our lives unanimously scholars theologians writers and thinkers believe it simply means to die so there you have it I can't change that lay down our lives means dot I looked for every other meaning like like have a selfless attitude no it means to die it literally means to die so I'm looking at this and I'm like ok late analyze means to die can't make it it's just that's what it means and of course initially we have to recognize that for some believers literal death is what will happen meaning they will die for fellow believers they will die for a fellow human they will actually step in front of a bullet they will make sure that this person lives well themselves drowning that actually is a real thing that there are believers that in the past as you read church history who have given their actual lives for the faith and the love of Jesus now for the rest of us who are still alive it has to also have meaning though the only meaning cannot just be martyrdom the only meaning cannot just mean dying instead of someone else it has to also have meaning for those of us that remain alive what is lay down our lives meanwhile we're still breath in our body and we have yet to transfer into eternity with God what does it mean to lay down our lives and of course it still means to die so the next question is died - what what do we died - what do we died - how do we understand now when interpreting Scripture and understanding scripture context is essential you've got to keep it where it is and oftentimes what I'll do and trying to understand one verse is I look at all the verses around it right we try to understand somebody go to a family reunion and you will you know talking about you're like oh bro now I know why you got that weird side bro I I met your aunt I met your uncle I met Wu man good food weird family you know like that's what you do you go to the cul-de-sac you go to the community and you look at all the brothers and sisters and uncles and aunts around the verse look at all the verses before and the verses after because oftentimes even in the immediate verses around it the scripture will explain itself God will explain himself now in verse 12 of 1st John chapter 3 it says we should not be like Cain we should not be like Cain who was of the evil on a murders brother why did he murder him because his own deeds were evil and his brothers were righteous now look what it says in verse 15 everyone who hates his brother is a murderer and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him now by this we know love and it goes on so it becomes clear to me that the first thing for those of us that remain alive and breath in our body we are and I've got three points today which is a gift to all the sequential people in the row we're first supposed to die to hate we're first supposed to die this isn't my this is this is right there in the Bible the word hate is used and the story were given is the first story of murder in the Bible and it's some it's an interesting story because it escalates very fast Cain and Abel in Genesis chapter 4 I believe it is we're not told a lot they're the first children of Adam and Eve and we know that that that Abel works with the sheep and animals and Cain works with the ground the fruits and vegetables and and they come to worship God kind of a church service if you will and Abel brings the best of his herd and Cain brings kind of the the middle of the pack fruits and vegetables God making a point says I accept Abel because it's first and I'm first I don't accept Cain's because it's not first and I'm first and I want what's first it's it's really the teaching of the firstfruits that was actually paramount amongst the people of Israel and still speaks volumes to us today about keeping God first something happens in Abel's heart and escalates very fast excuse me in Cain's heart toward his brother Abel Cain now starts to despise his brother from best we can tell there's not a lot in this story in Genesis chapter 4 but some of the comments made in the New Testament it is I think safe to say that Cain has a bad case of envy and he doesn't like the fact that his brother is blessed and evidently he is not it gets so bad so fast Cain kills his brother Abel and murders him now I take that too first John 3:16 and I go Lord what are you what are you trying to say I think one of the first observations we can make when it comes to dying to hate when I say die to hate most likely your mind your emotions go - I don't have hate in my heart Judah I'm not a racist Judah I don't I don't I'm not I'm not a bigot I don't think I hate anybody fair but if you go to the story of Cain and Abel you're gonna get convicted really fast because Cain and Abel Cain wasn't saying Abel I don't like you because you don't look like me I don't like you because you're from a different continent or country or background no he's my brother notice the language that John is speaking to who the brothers and sisters in the church and he's saying the first act of hate was what it was jealousy it was Envy and it is amazing to me how easy you and I slip out of the Edyta of hate I'm no I'm not a hater ma'am I'm not a hater I don't get online and tell people they're ugly and I don't like you and you should quit and you know I just I'm not a hater I'm a lover but John says we are to die to hate and all of its sneaky forms like envy jealousy are you serious they still got a job and I got laid off John is saying that can quickly turn in to hate I looked up the word hate here and it means to the test it means to despise now prepare yourself for this it means to avoid oh my dad used to say son your heart needs to be in a place every day that you could walk into any room with any person you've ever known or ever met and you would be able to walk up shake their hand say hello and be kind is there anyone you're avoiding is there any people group that you avoid oh gosh there they are Bible says no we we actually died to that we actually don't get to do that anymore we actually have relinquished the rights to harbor a detesting attitude we are not allowed to think and hope for ill-will towards people we of all people on the planet as Jesus followers and God worshipers a part of church home we're saying collectively as a community we die to hate we can't do it not allowed won't tolerate it not in our lives not in our families lives it's not who we are we have died to hate if you're blessed we're blessed well that's what makes a team great by the way that's what makes a team great by the way when somebody else scores the points and you can celebrate as if you scored the points we're a family we're a team we've died to individualism which oftentimes leads to jealousy envy and strife which is forms of of hate and to testing people I'm looking at this passage and I'm like Lord clearly I believe we're supposed to die to that attitude that absolutely consumed Cain we got to die to that let that go because of what Jesus has done and then and then it says verse 17 in in all the smart men and women that I read who are scholars and writers they said verse 17 is is kind of the explanation of what first john 3:16 says it's it's it's it says for instance if anyone has the world's goods in the church and sees his brother in the church in need look at this yet closes his heart against him how does God's love abide in him John is saying Church there are people here you're closing your heart to people we died not only to hate and that spirit that consumed Cain but we have died to the right to turn our heart off towards people you don't get to close your heart off you ever been in a metropolitan center and it's like six or five or seven like New York City or London and everybody just pulls down there like iron curtain in front of their shop you ever been there they just like it's like and before you know you'll be in London New York and before you know it like a whole street you were just on it was all busy everything shoo shoo shoo it's like well I guess this streets closed we do that with our heart we do it with our heart we close our heart off from people nope and we reserve the right to ignore empathy and compassion and mercy for oftentimes convenience or our personal opinions oh I'm gonna give you money I know what you'll do with the money yeah I worked hard for my money all you want is handouts the gift of suspicion it's not a gift a lot of us Christians have it have you noticed someone walks up to you in church hey man I could really use some help okay talk to God that's what was happening John's Church he's saying we got people hurting in the same church service and and you got relationship no by the way John is not saying everybody in the church knows everybody but we're hoping that everybody knows somebody and the somebody's you know if they're hurting and you got some extra cash Johnson did it ever occur to you that maybe you should help him out we have been here seeing songs about Jesus and we can't even help somebody pay their light bill John's like what's wrong with a church we're supposed to die to a closed heart our heart now stays open and sometimes that's really hard that's why it says lay down our lives our lives because sometimes when my heart wants to shut down I need you to say no no no it's not shutting down don't put your wallet away you're gonna be a blessing what does this mean it means we're not supposed to be stingy we don't get to close our heart the server was bad let's get out of here I'm not leaving a tip no we don't get do that anymore we don't get to do it anymore we just don't it's not okay we're generous people and by the way sometimes generosity expresses itself towards other people who are mean and ugly I'm gonna bless your ugliness you've been so mean to me today I'm gonna give you a big tip we're generous to the core we're not stingy we're not exclusive we're not the community that says proven you want my respect earn it it's not that we are did we earn Jesus respect did we earn his sacrifice did we earn his care did we earn his love no you got my respect you're a human being you got my respect while you breathe you got my respect no we've died - a closed heart and all of the stingy attitudes that go with that and they've become cliches we've actually taught our children you guys your earned respect that's fine I understand what you mean but that is not the attitude that we carry nor is it the attitude of the early church we are called to be the kind of people hey maybe you don't even deserve my respect but you got it because Jesus did the same for me I want to bless you well there's boundaries some cases I want to make this clear that in in in in some cases there is so much pain so much hurt and abuse I understand there are legal boundaries and sometimes you actually need to not go into a room with particular people and I want to make that abundantly clear I'm speaking generally if you if you could understand that and I understand that sometimes even there's literally legal things that have to happen you need to steer clear of certain people who have hurt you your family your children I completely understand that but generally speaking I hope you hear the heart of the scripture and the heart of Jesus that we are not to close our heart off to one another where to keep an open heart for God has an open heart towards us and lastly and in conclusion I'm looking at this passage and I'm seeing that hate is being addressed in my own life and I'm seeing this idea of a closed hard and I mean if you don't feel challenged by this you know you're either Mother Teresa or you're really good at lying at yourself you know lying to yourself but but like the everyone in the rooms got to feel like whoa I've had my bouts with envy jealousy I've definitely shut my heart off to certain people individuals this is a it's a tall task it is God will enable us to do that number three not only are we to die to hate and die to a closed heart but I think one of the big ideas in conclusion of this passage is we are to die to the idea of my life this is my life now I want to remind you as we conclude that remember one of the blessings and promises that come with laying down our lives is an assurance and a confidence in our heart no matter what's going on so remind yourself as we conclude here with some challenging comments we are dot we are to die to my life so my life tutor nobody tells me to live my life is my life bro i'ma get mine while the getting's good I can't live your life you're alive you're likely to affect my life I am my own man I will not be dictated in term about anybody else I will not be told what to do this is my it's my moment it's my time it's my life i'ma do what I think is right the Bible says for those of us that have accepted Jesus and the fact that he laid down his life for us then we're actually to lay down that attitude that says this is my life Galatians 2:20 look out says in the message indeed indeed I've been crucified with Christ how radical is this my ego is no longer central whoa it's no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion I'm no longer driven to impress God Christ lives in me the life you see me living is not mine it's not mine but it is lived by faith in the Son of God why because he loved me and he gave himself for me I have died to my life it's not my light and by the way that's the key to die him to hate that's the key to die into a closed heart to remind yourself he loves me and he gave himself for me he loves me and he gave himself for me so I can give myself to others and even those I don't understand those I don't totally connect with I can lay down my life and I end with the story and I'm done Kylie's playing the piano softly I raised her and she's not available to date you sir so sorry kind of but I meant it there's this there's the story that happens 2,000 years before the birth of Jesus and it's with the man Abraham maybe you've heard of him father Abraham had many sons many sons and father Abraham Abraham is a nobody that God makes a father of many of Nations and father of millions and you know the story of Abraham Abraham and his wife Sarah that they get old and age and and they can't have kids and God says I'm gonna give you kids that promise of promise and and and Sarah laughs but then God says you laughs no I did yeah you did okay anyways and God's gracious and then he gives them this boy Isaac then Isaac is everything Abraham and Sarah ever worn it and then Genesis 22 happens where the Bible says Abraham is tested by God now I want to remind you the Torah and the entire Old Testament I fundamentally believe is one giant neon sign pointing us to the need the desperation of a messiah who is the person of the Lord Jesus Christ so if you want to understand the Old Testament look for Jesus he's in the whole hotel and he's here in this story Genesis 22 a morning comes upon the morning happens and comes upon Abraham and God says Abraham Abraham I want you to take your son your only son the one you love and I want you to take him to a mountain which I'll show you and there you will sacrifice him to me kind of an unusual story that unfolds and if you're wondering today if God wants you to kill your children the answer is fundamentally no that's not the point of this story and it's the story plays out you will see that God does not truly want Abraham to kill his son the story goes he wakes up early the next morning he gets eyes and gets his servants and they go and as they're traveling some three days later finally God says that's the mountain go there Abraham says to his servants naturally you would imagine say you stay back my son and I are gonna go we're gonna go up there worship listen to the words of Abraham he says and we we will come back we will come back so abraham believed that his son wouldn't die and go up to this mountain and abraham and the son of promise and it's tough to determine but most scholars believe Isaac's probably in his 20s maybe late teenage I read one scholar who believes he's probably 30 and Abraham is well advanced in years though he will live much longer he is still well advanced in years and it's on this mountain they begin to build an altar and the scripture doesn't give us details about this so I'd like to use our imagination they're there on this mountain how long does it take to build an altar an altar which in those days was typically about four feet three feet sometimes as high as five feet tall dirt rocks as they're building this altar what's the conversation like until finally Isaac says to his dad dead we got the wood got all the preparations got the night where is the the animal for the sacrifice and Abraham makes a prophetic statement that would ring through the corridors of history for some 2,000 years before the fulfillment of Jesus he says God will provide for himself the sacrifice I just want to know how this went down we're talking about dying to my life dying to this life is mine Abraham finally comes to this moment where he's got to tell his son you're the sacrifice how does that happen they're finally done building the altar probably a little dirty probably a little sweaty and i6s what do we do now dad he says well son um a few days ago God woke me up and God told me to do something for him yeah what was it that I don't know how to tell you this son but you're the sacrifice what you're the sacrifice what do you mean dad that's crazy I know it's crazy son I believe that God's gonna do a miracle I don't understand it I don't know what we're doing and the Bible makes it very clear that not only did a Isaac not understand it but Abraham didn't understand it all and I'm gonna tell you something in this life when you start following Jesus and worshiping Jesus if you're gonna prepare yourself to understand it all you're gonna be sorely disappointed because they're going to be seasons and mountains God's gonna call you to climb and ask you to do things that in the moment do not even make sense they don't add up there's no mathematical equation that can make sense for the season you're going through my success are you serious and I would like to propose that Isaac does not get on that altar because his dad forces him how can a man advanced in years force a strong young man to lay on the altar no I think at some point Isaac finally said go ahead dad son go ahead where's the rope go ahead some of you should yeah dad let's obey God Isaac gets on the altar Abraham holds up the knife or prepares himself and immediately God didn't want Isaac for he would send his own son immediately he steps and he goes no Abraham no no no no no now I know now I know you love me more than anything I know I know and the Bible says and Abraham looked and there was a ram caught in the thicket which of course is a picture of Jesus and the crown of thorns that was on his head and it was the substitute the sacrifice and the Bible says and they sacrificed the animal instead of Isaac instead of Isaac instead that's the gospel instead Jesus died instead of Bill instead of Amanda instead Sarah instead of Michael that's the story of Jesus but can I ask you a question how much confidence in God did Abraham and Isaac come down that mountain with can you imagine they came down that mountain you look at the life and trajectory of Isaac all he was blessed he trusted God God gave him provision after provision after provision well you know what I would like to propose it gets all the way back to trusting God in a moment to say this isn't my life this is about God it's not about what I want when I want it I'm gonna get on this altar and trust that God will give me life that's the message of Jesus so if you're in season right now and it seems like the knife is lifted over your life and you're asking yourself where is God what's going on why won't he deliver I'm telling you God is right on time and I say that tongue-in-cheek because he's right on his time his time oh boy can you imagine Isaac and Abraham Isaac knew this is not my life anymore this is not my life my life has been offered to God and all Isaac wasn't supposed to die Jesus is to die so that we can live but in response to what he's done we too are to surrender this isn't my life sir if God asked you to quit you gotta quit ma'am if God asked you to make that sacrifice and move to that City and trust God you gotta go listen if God told you to pray over your children release them to him if God told you to tell your 20 year old that he has got to be the missionary God's called in the big you got to let him go please hear me I'm talking to somebody you got to let him go you got to do what God told you do I know it doesn't make sense I know you can't comprehend I know it's just ridiculous but God can do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can think imagine or even understand or comprehend I'm telling you whatever you do get on that altar and say God it's it's not my life anymore it's no longer I who live but Christ in me that life is the secure life it's the confident life oh man it's the life of peace and joy that is transcendent amongst situations and circumstances let me pray for Jesus I thank you so much for the moments that we share as a community God thank you for what you're saying thank you for what you're doing we trust you we declare today church home dies to hate church home dies to a closed heart and church home dies too my life is yours let us lay down our lives for the brothers and sisters we thank you for that Lord if you're here today you said Judah I'd like to follow Jesus I want to be a follower of Jesus I want to pray for you know you know who you are whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life on the count of three if you want to follow Jesus and receive the forgiveness that only Jesus offers I'm gonna ask you to lift up your hand and put it right back down you know who you are one God loves you too you'll never be the same three if that's you all over the room said you too I receive I receive and I believe thank you beautiful beautiful anybody else gotta thank you for every single hand raised in this room and every single heart it represents thank you we are saved we are secure we are forgiven we are loved and we are yours their Lord for our entire church we again offer ourselves and we say Lord not what we want but what you want your kingdom come and your will be done here in and through our lives in Jesus name if you're able would you would you be willing to stand with us and for the next few minutes we're gonna sing out what we believe to be true about our God Hey we hope you loved it we hope you had a good time there's more for you if you want to subscribe grace what do they do and if you want to see more videos you click right over here perfect we love you goodbye

Channel: Churchome

Views: 36,125

Rating: 4.8510242 out of 5

Keywords: Churchome, Judah, Judah smith, church, message, anxiety, depression, how to, elevation, Steven, Hillsong, oceans, sermon, the city church, church home, Chelsea smith, bobby Houston, td jakes, pastor, pastor preaching, carl lentz, Jesus, conference, guest speaker, sermon jam, worship, Justin Bieber, la Hillsong, Selena, preaching, Judah message, performance

Id: WX9OYK9re5s

Length: 53min 8sec (3188 seconds)

Published: Mon Apr 30 2018