C.U.P. - Confidence Under Pressure | Robert Madu | James River Church

[Music] do you have a Bible with you well if you got a Bible would you wave it in the air like it just do care come on some of your Bibles are glowing charged up your Bible today appreciate that I want to look at two passages of scripture today Hebrews chapter 10 I'm gonna look at verses 35 through 36 and then Matthew 26 36 through 46 how many have never heard me preach before I don't want to assume anything you've never heard me preach kiss your hand oh wow quite a few of you quick disclaimer I am a hollaback preacher okay so that means if anything I say is resonating with you come on you can holla Sh a man you can holler hallelujah you can say that was good you can stand up in the middle and go home that was for me you could also stamp her in the middle and go oh that was for you you needed that any one of those who work just helped me out today Hebrews 10 starting in verse 35 it says so do not throw away your confidence it will be richly rewarded you need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God you will receive what he is promised how many know that's good stuff right there Matthew 26 starting at verse 36 says then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane and he said to them sit here while I go over there and pray he took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him and he began to be sorrowful and troubled then he said to them my soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death stay here and keep watch with me going a little farther he fell with his face to the ground and prayed how many you know when Jesus prays we should probably pay attention to what Jesus prayed I love this verse because we are getting intimate insight to the personal prayer of Jesus Jesus prays throughout scripture in John 17 he prays but he's really praying for the disciples what we commonly called the Lord's Prayer is actually Jesus teaching his disciples how to pray but right here in the Garden of Gethsemane we are getting insight to the intimate prayer of Jay and he says my father if it is possible may this Cup be taken from me yet not as I will but as you will then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping couldn't you men keep watch with me for one hour he asked Peter watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation the Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak he went away a second time and prayed my father if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it may your will be done when he came back he again found them sleeping because their eyes were heavy so he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time Jesus prayed three times saying the same thing then he returned to the disciples and said to them are you still sleeping and resting look the hour has come and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners rise let us go here comes my betrayer can you say a man that is good stuff three times Jesus prays about this cup this cup that he wants to pass Cup come does anybody have like a cup like a cup of water anybody have a cup Oh Brendan you have once perfect how convenient and unplanned cup a cup become mmm you didn't put anything in this Cup did you okay no poison I'm good I want you really to get the context of what the cup was in biblical antiquity whenever they wanted to kill a king they would put poison in the Kings Cup hence the need for a cup Bearer so often the king would drink the cup and unknowingly die from the poison that was in the cup that's the cup they would want to pass what then would we say of a king who knew that there was poison in the cup but yet chose to drink it anyway that king would have to be confident in the fact that death would not have the final say oh come on I'm already preaching it here today that came to drink the cup that would kill him would have to be confident under pressure I want to preach today for 6 hours 3 minutes and 22 seconds from the title Cup that's my title makeup confidence under pressure confidence under prayer would you help me preach look at the person next to you get in their face get in their personal space and just say neighbor I'm oh don't be afraid to talk to your neighbor in church come on say neighbor you need a cup you need confidence under pressure oh that neighbor was stuck up find another neighbor find another neighbor come on say other neighbor you need a cup you need confidence under pressure come on let's pray father thank you for your word Jesus I know the grass withers the flower fades but your word will stand forever Holy Spirit speak to us today let us leave different than the way that we came in and everybody said amen let's just do a quick little sermonic survey how many you would say just by a showing of hands that you do well under pressure I'll see your hand oh come on that's a lot of hands good under pressure how many would say about your hands I do not do good under pressure don't put pressure on me let me see your hands awesome awesome okay so we just separated the champions from the chokers okay what I just showed you was a clip from one of my favorite movies in all the world is called The King's Speech and in that movie actor Colin Firth brilliantly portrays the life and the story of King George the sixth a man who in the 1930s desperately did not want to be king of the United Kingdom however circumstance pushed him into the position and the sheer weight of that public position exposed a private battle with a stutter a stammer that would occur in his speech every time he was under pressure and I'll be honest with you and full disclosure when I first saw that movie I cried like a baby then I bought the movie on blu-ray DVD and VHS and cried it can at home because that opening scene that opening scene when he's walking down the hallway and he steps up to the microphone with his palms sweaty lips parched heart pulsating with trembling trepidation and the whole crowd turns around with tiptoe anticipation looking at him with a face that says we hear what you got to say that scene is exactly how I feel every time I stand behind a pulpit to get ready every time I get ready to preach that portrays what I feel now I hide it real good cuz sometimes you got to fake it til you make it but the reality is they're preaching it can produce a whole lot of pressure the difference between sitting right there and standing right here is pressure you don't believe me let's announce you preaching next week a pressure cooker you understand people it is a statistical fact that the number one human fear number one is public speaking death is number two that means that means when giving the option to have a funeral or speak at a Funeral most people say give me the casket give me the casket I would rather have my hands like this then I have my hands like this especially to preach because understand when you preach or you speak you're not just giving a cute little talk you're not just up here saying random words when you preach the infallible incorruptible gospel you're standing before the people of God and you are subliminally and serendipitously suggesting to them that you have put your ear to the heartbeat of heaven so you're speaking on that behalf of the preeminent existed all-knowing all-seeing omnipotent all-powerful mighty God himself no pressure no pressure no pressure and before you leave the sermon early and go man Robert just complained about his call today what kind of servant was that no in fact the reason I stood to my feet to preach because I think there are people in this room watching online or at Northwest campus who would lift up your hand and say hey Robert I'm not a preacher and I'm not a public speaker but please believe I am under pressure does anybody know what it's like to be under intense pressure I believe that if the thoughts in this room could go on speakerphone you would be shocked at the pressure that is on the person sitting next to you pressure have you ever felt pressure pressure to perform pressure to fit in pressure to meet a deadline pressure to meet other people's expectations pressure to meet other people's unrealistic expectations pressure to meet your own expectations pressure to be a better husband pressure to be a better wife financial pressure family pressure have you ever felt pressure pressure can come from anyone sometimes people can say stuff and it'll just cause pressure pressure to get married oh you still single pressure to get a divorce oh you still with him and it's funny how people can say little statements and all of a sudden pressure come I sure would like to have some grandchildren one day and this is pressure all kinds of pressure can come into your life social media pressure to have the Pinterest perfect picture that you post that gets a whole lot of life can you just take one more I need a better life even it's funny all the ways that pressure can come into our lives I found this about pressure pressure is not prejudice pressure does not participate in sexism or classism pressure doesn't care where you are or who you are pressure is an equal opportunity employer pressure doesn't care your age what spectrum of life you're in pressure will hit a little kid in a junior high classroom it'll hit a CEO in a boardroom pressure comes for every body and how do you handle the pressure I felt it wasn't really incumbent upon me to preach this message because here's what I earnestly believe is that every single person has a call you have a purpose you have a destiny that God wants you to accomplish and the enemy cannot touch your call oh come on that's good stuff right there the enemy cannot touch your call he can try he cannot mess with your call however he can get your confidence and if he gets your confidence you'll never step into the effulgence of your call and the way he attacks your confidence is through pressure fact pressure is really the litmus test for confidence don't tell me you're confident until you are under pressure you don't know who you really are until you get under pressure come on I know you have a great jump shot in your backyard on your little raggedy toys-r-us goal but the question is could you make the jump shot if it was the NBA Finals the team was down by one thousands of people understand you planned the Golden State super Warriors team could you make the jump shot Dan I know you got a great putt game you can sink that 15-foot putt at putt-putt golf because you do it at the Masters when millions of people are watching you okay you don't like the sports let me bring it home I know you can love your spouse and be excited about your marriage when they get a job and your kids are doing a whale straight A's in school and kool-aid is coming out of your water fountain but can you be excited about your marriage when your spouse loses their job your kids are on drugs and acting cry cry can you still be excited I know you can worship when your body feels good and your health is intact look at you you drove yourself to church today I bet you did lift up your hands but could you lift up your hands when the cancer is spreading in your body and the doctor said they don't know what to do about that tumor could you still worship if we had to roll you in here with a wheelchair would you still be able to lift up your hands and say god you're still worthy of the glory and the honor and the praise in spite of what I'm facing Oh pressure will show you who you really are pressure is a producer and I know your faith is fine when God sends you flowers but I wonder how does your faith perform when you're looking at a fiery furnace can you say like the three Hebrew boys my God can deliver me my God will deliver me and even if he doesn't I'm not gonna bow down because my praise and my commitment to God it's not predicated upon the amount of pressure that's all me as a matter of fact you can turn up the heat because the pressure is actually producing something greater on the inside of me and I know what they end up but I'm gonna be better because I'm confident under pressure I'm preaching better than y'all are talking in here today pressure pressure this is this is for everybody because I think that pressure mounts up for believers more than any other group of people in the world first of all because we have an enemy how many know you have a real enemy who cannot stand you Satan is real demonic attack is real he cannot stand you just by virtue of the fact that you were created in the image of God put you on the hit list of hell he cannot stand your very presence has anybody ever gotten a job taking somebody else's position and that person was still working in the company and you walk by their desk and they stay at that stank face like oh that's the enemy that's his face because you took his job you took his position so we face pressure because of the enemy sending attacks but we also face pressure as believers because for some reason believers more than any other group of people feel this pressure to act like we're always okay like we're always good all the time believers are the only people that can be going through hell and you'll ask them hey how are you god is good yes he is all the time you wanna look at them and say ah I know God is good I said are you good oh come on the pressure to pretend like we're always good in fact I'm gonna do something's gonna be so cathartic for some of you would you do me a favor we just look at the person next to you get in their face get in their personal space and just say neighbor oh come on say neighbor god is good all the time say all the time God is good now look at that same neighbor and say neighbor newsflash I'm not God didn't that feel good just to say that right there I am NOT good all the time I am NOT God sometimes I'm annoyed sometimes I'm frustrated sometimes I'm anxious sometimes I'm worried sometimes I'm depressed sometimes I'm discouraged sometimes I don't like when Robert preaches because we makes me talk to my neighbor and I don't want to talk to my neighbor because I got so much pressure don't push me cause I'm close to that I'm trying not to lose my okay never mind something you don't know about sometimes it is it is the pressure of life coupled with the pressure to pretend you're okay that can make you explode or implode sometimes it is the pressure of life coupled with the pressure to pretend you're okay that can make you explode or implode how do you handle the pressure I was studying this and all kinds of illustrations but coming to my mind I thought about how every car made after 2007 has something called TPMS it's a tire pressure monitoring system and the reason that was implemented in every car at the 2007 it's because so many tires were experiencing blowouts on the road and I don't know anything about cars so I thought that a blowout would happen because there's too much air in the tire it would just pop like a balloon and that's sometimes the case but more often than not tires explode because there was not enough pressure in the tire so when the weight of the car hit the tire that didn't have enough pressure it would blow out interestingly enough the definition of burnout is when what is required of you is greater than the resources available to you than you burn out so found it intriguing that not enough pressure can stop you from getting to your destination and too much pressure can stop you from getting to your destination this is the paradox of pressure but how many know there is a certain level of pressure that you actually need some pressure is good for you and some people never step into their destiny not because their life is too complicated but rather because their life is too comfortable some of you always avoid the pressure and that's why you'll never get to the place that God has for you but every now and again you need to stop and thank God for the pressure come on your pressure will make you pray your pressure will make you cry out to God your pressure will make you mess up your Mary Kay and Mac makeup and worship God it pressure will make you empathize with other people that are going through things so you need a certain level of pressure but how do you know when the pressure is too much because the TPMS system will let you know when there's too little pressure in your car but it won't let you know when there's too much pressure I love the gospel of in Scripture because the Apostle Paul had a season of his life when pressure was too much look at what he says the same Corinthians chapter 1 8 through 10 and says we do not want you to be uninformed this is Paul talking brothers and sisters about the troubles we experience in the province of Asia we were under great pressure far beyond our ability to endure so that we despaired of life itself indeed we felt we had received the sentence of death that's Paul who wrote two thirds of your New Testament saying I had a whole lot of pressure and in this text we see Jesus dealing with a person so if the Apostle Paul and Jesus have some pressure okay how spiritual you are you could have floated in here and had communion for breakfast please believe you can't experience some pressure and are you gonna cope with the pressure which is what society will tell you to do or can you be confident under pressure very practically I'm gonna give you points and I'll rarely have points so this is awesome please take some notes I want to give you four things that you have to have if you're gonna have confidence under pressure number one you want confidence under pressure you to have a preview a preview somebody say preview I am an avid movie watcher I love watching movies I could have watched all of that movie here today I love watching movies and one of the struggles about being an avid movie watcher and going to see a movie with a person that's not a movie watcher my wife is it's very frustrating because if you're really a movie watcher you understand if the movie starts at 7 o'clock you need to get to the theater at 6:30 what a movie watching people like you've got to be there at 6:30 you need time to get in line get your popcorn tell the person behind this don't fill up all the way just about almost to the top so I can put butter on the popcorn shake it up put more butter so it's evenly sprinkle about evenly spread throughout the popcorn I got to get my drink get to my seat sit down and I got to be there in time for the previews people who are not movie people annoy me cuz they want to get to a seven o'clock movie at 7:30 and you're looking frustrated they're like why it's just the previews and what you mean just the previews I want to see the previews because the only thing better than going to see a movie is going to see what movie you're going to see next while you're going to see a movie I want to see the baby out I want to see the previews the previews are awesome the previous of the only thing I have to hold on to while I'm waiting for the premiere day previews are good if it's a real good preview who you'll be on the edge of your seat watching the preview and they'd be like oh I cannot wait to see that and all of a sudden it'll go coming fall twenty thirty like twenty thirty at least I can hold on to the preview until the premiere date God will give you a preview of your promise a prophetic preview of your promise and sometimes before that promise comes to pass it'll be a long time before the premiere day and a lot of pressure will mount up between the preview and the premiere day and you gotta hold on to the promise the preview that God gave you before that comes to pass because you gotta go I know he showed me this it's gotta come to pass oh and the pressure is mounting up hold on to the preview I could take you throughout scripture and show you so many people thought the Bible God gave them previews prepay bruh ham and Sarah got a preview coming to a woman dear you Oh Tom there's CBS looking for dentures and diapers it took a long time for it to come to pass pressure mounted up they had to hold on to the preview Joseph he got a preview God says I'm gonna make you the ruler your brothers are gonna bow down to you but he had to go to the pit and to prison and it was in the pit in the prison that he had to hold on to the preview hold on to the promise that God gave him and said I know this has got to come to pass some of you right now you're in the in-between stage of a premiere date in the preview and God says hold on to the preview because that's what you got to hold on to when the pressure is mounting on number two number two you really gonna have confidence on the pressure you don't just need a preview you also need a place you need a place James River Church you need a place where you can connect with God and God can connect with you I love it this is a church of Prayer some of your the best thing you can do is get plugged into the prayer meeting on Wednesday night you need a place where you can connect with God and he can connect with you as a matter of fact the place is often where you'll get to preview it's in God's presence that he'll give you a preview of what he's gonna do in your life can I show it to you in the text I thought this was profound because if you just looked at Matthew and marks account you will erroneously conclude that Jesus just stumbled into the Garden of Gethsemane and was under pressure and all of a sudden he started praying because he was under pressure but I love Luke's account because Luke 22 shows us something different if you read it too fast you'll miss it it says Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives and his disciples followed him on reaching the place he said to them pray that you will not fall into temptation he was drew about a stone's throw beyond them knelt and prayed father if you're willing take cup from me yet not my will but yours be done first 39 did you see it Jesus went out as usual as usual in other words this was not Jesus first time to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane he had been there to pray before in other words Jesus is saying I'm not allowing the pressures of life to mount up and those pressures then push me to find the place he says no I already have a regular place that I connect with my father that's gonna sustain me when the pressure comes against me I'm preaching better y'all are talking you need a place don't wait for the pressure to come to find a place you need a regular place before the pressure but God can fill you up before the pressure gets there some of you have a 9-1-1 relationship with god means he's gonna hear from you but only when it's emergency and that's good how many know there's a difference between being a 911 and being a psalm 91 one believe her come on somebody you know what Psalm 91 one says it says he who dwells and who dwells who stays who is consistent he who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty I will say of the Lord he is my rock he is my refuge when you got a place Oh God says I got protection for you if you'll find a place come on we just talking have you ever been there before have you ever had your devotion your quiet time one morning and it was the exact thing you needed for the day you faced like you got that one in the red bless them that curse you and you got to your job and you're like my boss better be glad that I had that needs no interpretation but thank you but I had a place you need a preview you need a place but you also need something else and I thought this was profound can we look at Matthew this gospel right at the front of that verse I think is verse 36 it says then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane they said to them sit here while I go over there and pray it says he took Peter and the two sons of zebedee along with him do you read that said Jesus had all of his disciples they get to the place he bin says Peter James John you three come with me then he goes a little further to pray oh did you read that Jesus with all of his disciples he gets to the place says Peter James John you three come with me and then goes a little bit further to pray you missed it Jesus was with all of the disciples then goes Peter James John you three come with me and goes further to a place to pray can you see the other disciples oh Jesus you want us to come no I was clear Peter James Chuck you three come with me oh Jesus you sure oh yeah Peter James John you three come with me what is Jesus teaching us when you're under pressure he's actually teaching us something profound that often when the pressure is greater your circle has to get smaller come on somebody when the pressure gets greater sometimes your circles got to get smaller you've got to be selective with who you allow to see you and who you connect with when you are under pressure come on confidence in the word confidence is the word confide and you got to make sure you have the right people around you when you are under pressure because when you're under pressure you are not yourself come on can we be honest when you are under pressure you are vulnerable and everybody can't see that make sure you got the right people around you when you're under pressure not just a preview not just a place but the right people around you when you're under pressure because when you're under pressure you not yourself you don't believe me give us a scripture for that Robert I'll give you some scripture come on you remember when Jesus how is it that the same Jesus when the disciples were going crazy on the boat hurricane jesus is asleep in the boat and the disciples awakened Jesus up in our hurricane going Jesus don't you care we're about to die now is the same Jesus who was going to the disciples and wakened them up saying hey don't you care I'm about to die how is the great comforter now needing comfort that's when you're under pressure you're vulnerable and there's a difference between a hurricane hitting your boat and a hurricane hitting your heart when you're under pressure make sure you have the right people around you who are not going to prostitute your moment of pressure and get over on you because you're vulnerable and they'll use it to manipulate you that's what happened to Sam said he was under so much pressure and Delilah used it against him you need the right people in your life when you're under pressure saying culture never let them see you sweat that's cultural it's not biblical because Jesus sweat it drops the blood so Jesus saying you can let them see you sweat just make sure it's to write them you need the right people around you but then did you see what the people were doing he shoulda picked all 12 them because even the three that he chose the one moment he needed them what are they doing great man of faith and power sound asleep that's what you want look at the cybers go really dudes the one time Jesus needed you you're falling asleep maybe Jesus teaching us another principle and when you're under pressure you need the right people but ultimately people cannot be your source of power God will never put your power in other people come on the disciples falling asleep on Jesus is a picture of the fragility of humanity how many know people will let you down have the right people around you but ultimately don't put all your trust all your hope and people how many know you better have some supernatural power when you're under pressure you better have another source you can - that's good news because some of you you can let people off the hook that have fallen asleep on you and say that's cool go to sleep go to mattress giant get you a nice comfortable mattress I'm good because ultimately you are not my source of power I have another source of supernatural power that's gonna sustain me when I am under pressure oh come on somebody who knows you got some power give God I gotta hurt I got a hurry one last thing I want you to see this Jesus knew where his power came from he knew where his source was and look what happens and Luke 22 and only Luke says this what you see something that I never saw Luke 22 verse 42 it says Jesus praise his father if you're willing take this cup from me yet not my will but yours be done no verse 43 an angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him and being in anguish he prayed more earnestly and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground did you see verse 43 the Bible says an angel appeared to Jesus and strengthened him and then he prayed and sweated drops of blood I'll be honest with you I've studied the Bible for a while I'm a preacher of the gospel I went to Bible College I'm a seminary dropout but somehow I missed verse 46 where did this angel come from how did I miss that an angel showed up in the Garden of Gethsemane and strengthened Jesus for whatever reason I missed this angel showing up giving strength to Jesus I'm gonna be honest I'm mad and Mel Gibson oh yes because I watched The Passion of Christ a few times and nowhere in the Gethsemane scene did I see a angel shut up and give strength to Jesus I saw the little bald-headed demonic character with no eyebrows I saw a little snake but where was the angel that showed up I just went straight to the drops of blood he was sweating and I felt the Holy Spirit speak to me and I felt like God said that's what's wrong with somebody in my people he said you're so busy looking at the sweat that you totally missed the angel came and gave some strength and so many times where you're under pressure you're so busy worried about what's on you that you don't even realize that still standing that you're still here that you still have your right mind come on somebody needs to change our perspective don't just look at the sweat you need to look at the strength that God is giving you in spite of the pressure that's on you come on somebody how many are faithful that God will give you strength he will send supernatural power even when you're under pressure come on someone that knows where your strength comes from would you give God some praise let you know that he is your strength your rock your Redeemer [Applause] I know where my strength comes from oh my goodness it's so simple but it's so profound you've been so busy looking at the sweat gene even realize you got strength you're so busy looking at who left you didn't realize that God still has you standing that he mended your heart together in spite of what they did to you I can't take another thing if one more thing goes wrong and one more and a few more things went wrong and look at you you still are standing still here sometimes you just got to change your perspective from looking at the sweat and say I'm gonna look at where my strength where my help comes from

Channel: James River Church

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Keywords: robert madu, trinity church cedar hill, trinity church, robert madu church, robert madu sermons, robert madu cup, robert madu cup confidence under pressure, confidence under pressure, confidence in the lord, robert madu james river church, sizzlin summer james river church, matthew 26, luke 22, james, river, church, james river church, best sermons, best, sermon, sermons, confidence, under, pressure, god, jesus, robert, madu, church online, online church, christian, encoruagement, inspiration

Id: GTtayX2VCL8

Length: 34min 2sec (2042 seconds)

Published: Mon Jul 16 2018