Ever Since... — Endure — DawnCheré Wilkerson

well luke church are you grateful that we serve a god that revives dead things so whatever the situation is in your life that god is in control my spirit's already encouraged and i'm just so grateful how many of you love dough come on right now in the chat show some love dough is my family and i just want to reiterate what rich said we love you so much i'm grateful anytime i get to be with you and the gift on your life is phenomenal but it's who you are that sets you apart that speaks to people's spirits and thank you thank you thank you thank you for loving jesus for loving people and i'm looking forward to having this time together but i have a word on my heart and view church i'm ready to dive in so if you have your bibles why don't you grab them and turn with me you already know where to turn first peter chapter one because last week we kicked off a brand new study on the entire book of first peter and as we've looked to this book we have called this study this bible book study we've called it endure this is a season of endurance and i believe in the scriptures are gonna seed deep within your soul so that you don't walk away from the call of god on your life in this season but so that faith rises up and you have expectation for the future you know the book of first peter was written about 80 62 and last week rich kicked it off giving us the foundation of this book as he talked on the thought how to carry pain how good was that message was that not incredible i mean i've been saying it all week put some purpose on it put some purpose on your pain and today we could we pick up right where he left off he did verses 1 through 12 i'm gonna pick up at verse 13. we're going to take the second half of chapter one and god is gonna speak to us through his word this is what it reads it reads therefore with minds that are alert and fully sober set your hope on the grace to be brought to you and jesus christ is revealed as coming as obedient children do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance that just says he who called you is holy so be holy in all you do for it is written be holy because i am holy since you called your time as foreigners here in reverent fear since you call on a father who judges each person's work wait i'm gonna jump in sorry guys since you call on a father who judges each person's work impartially live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear verse 18 for you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors verse 19 with the precious blood of jesus a lamb without blemish or defect he was chosen before the creation of the world but was revealed in these last times for your sake through him you believe in god who raised him from the dead and glorified him and so your faith and hope are in god now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other love one another deeply from the heart for you have been born again not of perishable seed but of imperishable through the living and enduring word of god four all people are like grass and all their glory is like the flowers of the field but the grass withers and the flowers fall but the word of the lord endures forever and this is the word that was preached to you therefore rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit hypocrisy envy slander in every kind like newborn babies crave pure spiritual milk so that by it you may grow up in your salvation now that you have tasted that the lord is good man there's some good stuff in that passage of scripture there's a lot to digest there's a lot to apply today in our lives and as we come around this theme of endure as we look to the book of first peter i want to talk to you on this thought for the next few minutes ever since ever since will you bow your heads and pray with me wherever you are today lord thank you so much for view thank you for this community god thank you that even in this season of endurance god that you have grown this community through your grace god that people around the world are a part of this moment together that your word is speaking to us building us changing us because it's an imperishable seed so lord we just surrender this moment you have our full focus we put everything away and we look to you it's in jesus name we pray everybody set a amen amen you know the shared pain of 2020 is somewhat of an anomaly in recent world history we've all in 2020 had a shared experience that's truly extraordinary and you know we'll never forget this year and it's not just because of coronavirus because of so many other things that have been unearthed in the midst of this epidemic there is pain there is loss there is suffering there is division but all of these things that are going on in every one of our lives we can look back behind us at years that have passed and we can look forward at years to come and there will be many more defining moments in our life there are moments in our life where things take place things transpire and we are never the same after that moment as we recount our journey on earth our life is literally marked by these moments that we look back to that we remember they are turning moments ever since i met him ever since i had that idea ever since i took that leap ever since i had that one conversation ever since that one idea leapt into my heart ever since she left me ever since that heartbreak ever since my grief ever since that loss ever since the divorce ever since the doctor's report ever since everything fell apart life has not been the ever since and i don't think that i have to wait until the end of the message to tell you the truth for all of us as christ followers you see the truth is your life may be marked by many ever since moments of brokenness ever since moments of pain ever since moments of trauma but as christ's followers the ever since moment that we point back to that overshadows every other ever since moment is the cross and the resurrection of jesus christ that is an ever since moment that is the turning point the crossroads of our life as christ followers and no longer do we look back in the past and say ever since this i've been broken but we say ever since i met the one who is able to heal i have been restored i have been redeemed i have been set free i've been given a new beginning i've been given a hope i've been given a new perspective ever since and the ever since moment of the cross and the resurrection and salvation that is given to us freely but at a high cost is the ever since moment that you and i can point back to every time the devil tries to point his finger in our face and try to make us believe that ever since something else happened we will never be the same no friends that's not the truth for your life ever since you've surrendered your life to jesus the message of the cross and the resurrection breathes healing power into every other moment of your life see ever since the cross every disappointment holds divine redemption because of the cross all of my pain now has a living hope and this is where we see the church in first peter this is the early church and they are literally at the crossroads of history they are in an ever since moment they are at the hinge of history see because when jesus came on the scene two thousand years ago jesus changed history once and for all he is literally the hinge of history the early church was in the middle of this upheaval where everything that they had known has been changed because of this man named jesus and jesus walked on the scene as the hinge of history and he opened up a door that the world didn't even know existed they had lived their life just trying to measure up trying to be good trying to be noble trying to be respected trying to have everything together just like so many of us fall into the trap of doing but jesus came with a message of redemption and hope that couldn't be received it could only be received and jesus being the hinge of hope opened up a door that had been blocked through all of history where jesus through the price of calvary said now i will be the door that opens up to give you access into the presence of god and ever since jesus was willing to go to the cross you and i have the opportunity to walk into the throne room of heaven to have access to the father and to be able to live in right standing with him now when first peter the apostle paul is describing to the early church what we find in this new path that jesus opened up for us the first 12 verses that rich unpacked last week was explaining to us the gift of salvation the hope that we have that never tarnishes that never fades the faith that we can put on even our pain and our suffering and our frustration but now the second half of chapter one is explaining to us how our behavior is changed because of that belief you see we are christ's followers and the way that we live our life is different from the world around us we learned last week that we are elect exiles that we are not a part of this world we're just passing through we know where our home is and we have a home because jesus decided to open up the door to a brand new life to an eternity that is secure you can see peter being so blatant about trying to push us to understand the hinge of hope that we have in jesus you notice in that large passage that i just read that every single part of it starts with a hinge therefore but since he's not going to tell you what to do before he explains to you that your behavior hinges on your belief don't get it twisted because your efforts are empty if you're just trying to measure up with what you do hear me today god doesn't want your behavior he wants your belief and your belief in him will intrinsically change your behavior so peter is saying it over and over again trying to get it through to us that your behavior hinges on jesus that your behavior hinges on that ever since moment it is ridiculous to talk about behavior before you first talk about belief there's a lot of people yelling and screaming at people who don't follow jesus telling them what's wrong with their behavior friends that will never turn the world upside down with the message of christ what will turn the world upside down with the message of christ is to tell them the real story that god so loved the world that he sent his only son and that he paid everything so that we could have access to relationship with our creator that's what the world is looking for it's only when we're changed on the inside that the outwardly actions start to transform without salvation there's no reason to obey without the grace of god behavior is pointless see we gotta point back to that ever since moment ever since salvation you need to first of all understand you find a new call to action this is what peter is trying to get across to you and i yes there's a call of god on your life yes there's an invitation for more yes god will change your actions but it hinges on that ever since moment and as you look to salvation you and i find a new call to action verse 13 says this therefore there's that hinge with minds that are alert and fully sober set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when jesus christ is revealed that is coming as obedient children do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance i love the way the passion translation says it it says it this way prepare your hearts and minds for action come on right wherever you are you say that with me prepare your hearts and minds for action we have vision sunday coming up in a few weeks and that's the time that all of us as christ followers committed to this community called vu that we re-sign up for the call of god on our life that we re-sign up for god whatever it takes i'm an elect exile i'm passing through this earth and i'm going to use the breaths that you've placed in my lungs i'm going to use the abilities that you've given me to build a local church to be a part of the kingdom of god it's a time for us to sign up it's a call to action but friends the call to action did not start in 2020 it goes all the way back to the early church and peter's saying to you and i hey there's a vision before you the harvest is plentiful the workers are for you we don't need to pray for the harvest we need to pray that you step into the action that god is prepared for your life it's a call it's a call to action and that call to action hinges on that ever since moment why do i give my life away for the cause of the gospel why is it not work to me but it's a calling why is it something that i understand goes far beyond just my day-to-day and is impacting the world around me more than i can see or more than i understand it's because this hasn't been our idea and it has never been our idea from the beginning we've been called by the loving hands of god we've been called to be a part of the action if you think about peter i mean he's writing this letter right but peter he had some trouble like he had some trouble with his behavior and he had some trouble with his belief you look at his life i mean he he had some trouble on both sides of his life but he had an ever since moment peter had a hard time behaving and he had a hard time believing but one encounter with the power of the holy spirit changed him forever and we see him deny that he even knows jesus in jesus's most painful moment and the moment that jesus needed peter the most we see peter turn his back on jesus and act like he doesn't know him and just 50 days later we see peter under the power of the holy spirit step out before thousands of men and women and start to testify about the power of the resurrected king we see him boldly proclaim to jerusalem that they have missed the messiah that they have rejected the one true king we see him begin to speak life and faith boldly his behavior has changed his belief has changed all because he had an ever since moment where jesus was resurrected and the holy spirit filled him with boldness and power and friends as peter began to prophesy as he began to speak he didn't speak looking back at that ever since i denied jesus moment he didn't speak with authority looking back on an ever since jesus was crucified no he spoke with power and confidence and authority from an ever since jesus was resurrected to new life ever since the holy spirit filled me now i walk in power why because i have a call to action his life could have been marked by his denial instead the ever since moment of the resurrection and the power of the holy spirit overshadowed his past behavior overshadowed his disbelief friends it's time to put away the labels it's time to stop looking back at your mistakes it's time to stop looking back at the things that have marked you hindered you held you back from the call to action if you've been wondering if you're called hear it straight from the scriptures god knows your name he created your purpose and today if you will obey and step into it he is waiting to use you god empowered peter peter had to look past all of the other ever since moments and he had to choose to respond to the call to action the holy spirit has poured out grace upon us just like the holy spirit has poured out grace on the early church it empowers us there is an abundance of grace for you and for me peter's behavior now reflected his belief it's called holiness peter says in his letter be holy verse 15 peter speaks to you and i but just as he who called you is holy so be holy in all you do for it is written be holy because i am holy see your holiness hinges on his holiness your holiness is dependent upon the one that you entrust your life to holy is not a word that we use every day but we need to bring it back in 2020 we don't use the word holiness very often you're not gonna throw that word around in everyday conversation in the cubicle or in the car that man as christ followers we should be using this word a lot to follow jesus is to be holy what does holiness mean it means to walk like jesus to follow him and and why why is holiness important and why is this a part of the process of sanctification why why do we need to hold to this word holiness and allow it to shape our behavior well first of all it's your influence see as you reflect jesus you're able to shine the light of jesus to the world that is desperate and broken and hurting your influence is dictated by your holiness but also your intention every single one of us here on earth our intention should be holy our intention should be god i want to be shaped in your image i want to be like you i want to reflect your light i want when people look at me they don't see me they're able to see a love that they can't describe or explain you know at vu we wear these little bracelets that we give out since day one five years we've been giving wwjd bracelets and uh this bracelet if you're wondering it's a call to holiness this bracelet is a call to holiness in the day-to-day because holiness is allowing the holy spirit to show you what jesus would do is surrendering your life to him i'm no longer keeping the law i'm obeying the father and this bracelet is pointless if i don't know jesus i can wear the bracelet the bracelet isn't the thing that holds the power it's the thought and the intention behind it that allows me to look at my life in a different light but let me tell you wearing the bracelet doesn't allow you to know what jesus would do wearing the bracelet does not allow you to have the mind of christ i can try my best to figure out what jesus would do i can get the best legal experts i can get world leaders i can check the latest horoscope i can talk to great life coaches friends none of them can tell you what jesus would do it's when you have the mind of christ it's christ in me the hope of glory it's the holy spirit empowering me counseling me comforting me showing me day by day what the spirit wills for my life what would jesus do well what jesus would do and me having the spiritual eyesight to see hinges upon my belief it hinges upon my surrender it hinges upon what i seek i'm not seeking to just measure up to the law i'm just not just seeking to be respected by people i'm not seeking to have the right title i'm not seeking to be renowned i'm seeking his heart therefore my belief dictates my behavior peter goes on to say don't conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance see evil desires aren't just bad things evil desires can be good things that you try to make god things that's evil our desire is pointed toward one god our hope and our trust the anchor of our soul is pointed towards one and we see time and time again in the early church that they tried to go back to the law because it was easier to just abide by the law and to try to do things because it was so clean cut and clear that it was to work out the messiness of a personal relationship with jesus and i want to encourage you just like peter encouraged the early church friend please don't go back to just trying to live a holy a moral good life that is the law but be committed to work out the messiness of allowing the holy spirit to transform you inside out be willing to say i'm gonna walk by the spirit i'm gonna seek you daily i'm gonna respond to this call to action you can get so busy just trying to give a good life just trying to live right that you can miss out on being spirit-led and having an intimate relationship with jesus we see this in second thessalonians it says you're not busy you're a busy body you're not busy you're caught up in the wrong things that are stealing your attention they're stealing your emotion they're stealing your effort see we have a purpose that transcends this past week i was cooking in the kitchen and wild was with me my 11 month old son and through a series of events wilde burned the tips of his fingers and it so stunned me he was crawling around the bottom of our oven it wasn't open or anything but somehow he touched it and there it was unprotected he burned himself and he started to weep and i picked him up and it so stunned me that my mind was not prepared for action as peter said and as he started to cry i'm holding him and i started to cry and now i'm crying telling him that i'm sorry and we're both crying but he's still hurting and as i'm crying it it occurs to me don cherie tears are good but they're not helping him the way he needs to be helped right now you need to actually help him with his wound you actually need to do something about the pain in his life and what peter is calling us to is a call to action to be the church you see i couldn't heal what i couldn't heal wild but i can help him i'm not the healer but i know the one who is the healer and we're surrounded by a world that is broken that is crying that is wounded and we're not the ones as the church the body of jesus christ to say i'll tell you how you burned yourself no we're the ones that say i'm here to help i've answered the call to action i want to tell you about the one that i know i was broken i was bruised that was hurting i was lost but he found me and he healed me and he restored me and ever since i have never been the same again and i want to speak to you in your homes today it is not enough for us to be a spectator in what is going on in our world today it's not even enough for tears to fall down your face it is time for the body of christ to rise and say i can help but even better than that i know the healer i know the one who brings freedom i know the one who ever since you meet him he will overshadow every other ever since moment in your life and right where you are right now i just want to pray for you because i believe there are people i want to pause in this message i believe there are people that that you are called to action today that the holy spirit is awakening your soul and it can't wait another minute you need to respond right where you are you need to say holy spirit use me holy spirit use me come on right there where you are show yourself away with god i want to pray for you god i pray that you'd awaken the church god that we would be called to action that we would realize our behavior is having implications on the world around us lord that that our inability to see the pain and respond lord is leaving people helpless and hopeless that you have called us lord to bring your love to right now i pray that you would do what only you can do i pray that you would do it only you can do thank you jesus hallelujah hallelujah we put our hope in you lord [Music] my anchor to the ground [Music] never let you down maybe you're the person today like just as wild was in such deep pain he couldn't help himself today can be an ever since moment today can be a moment that you realize that god has not left you for one minute you may be in a hospital bed with a bad report today god wants to meet you right where you are he wants to give you hope he wants to comfort you he wants to give you faith and peace maybe you're going through a deep heartbreak even now god wants to meet you where you are he wants to surround you with a community see ever since i met jesus i have a call to action but secondly ever since jesus we find a new perspective on god go ahead and write that in your endure journal ever since salvation ever since jesus i find a new perspective on god in verse 17 peter says this since you call on a father who judges each person's work impartially see jesus is the judge want to tell somebody out there you're not the judge and god judges impartially meaning he's not looking to the left or the right to see what you think about his judgments he's just what he says is right and true he says live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear for you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors but with the precious blood of christ a lamb without blemish or defect he was chosen before the creation of the world but was revealed in these last times for your sake through him you believe in god who raised him from the dead and glorified him and so your faith and hope are in god see because of his because of the salvation that we've received i have a new perspective on the love of god and i have a new perspective on the reverent fear that i have of the god that i serve the way that i view god hinges on my belief and my belief will dictate my behavior will dictate the way that i see god i'll never forget being in london as a college student and hearing nelson mandela speak it was an incredible moment this is a man whose life is marked by humility sincerity leadership love faithfulness and as he spoke thousands of people were there but friends there was a lean in that was palpable it was a moment that no one wanted to miss that everyone was aware of who was speaking and how important that moment was his presence changed the room and as we put our faith in our trust in jesus as we find the anchor of faith in him well gives us a new perspective of the god that we serve and we're able as peter says in the same breath he says father and in the same breath he says live in reverent fear how do those two things go together father but reverent fear man you you feel like maybe those two definitions that is there some dissonance there um are are they contradicting one another friends they don't contradict one another at all in fact those two definitions and perspectives of the god that we serve they complement one another because the god that we serve he's intimate he knows every thought before you speak it he numbers the hairs on your head but in the same breath in the same moment he holds the universe in his hands he is great and he is holy and as peter explains that he's father but that we should live out our time in reverent fear he goes on to say because you know that this gift of salvation wasn't bought with silver or gold this gift of salvation was bought at a precious price that jesus that he didn't have to die for you he didn't have to die for me that god doesn't need us he wants us he is god and yet he is close to us today yet he sent his only son to give everything for us that jesus who is spotless without sin without blemish was surrounded by guards surrounded by those that were called to protect that he was taunted that he was tortured that he was tormented that he was led through the city and made fun of and then he was nailed naked upon a tree humiliated and murdered for me for you sometimes we need to think deeper about the price that jesus paid because you as you think about the price that he paid you can't help but be in awe of the god we serve there's a reverent fear of god you did this for me and you are so great you allow every blade of grass to grow but yet you hold this whole earth in your hands there's there's a reverent fear of a god that knows my every thought but yet is able to hold everything else and more and this fear should lead us toward him not away from him people that are turned off by a god that they fear haven't thought long enough because if i'm gonna sell out to one if i'm gonna lay down my life for one if i'm gonna give every breath that i have to one he needs to be great he needs to be worthy and friends he's more worthy than any song we could ever sing he's more worthy than anything that we could ever bring to him but all he wants is your life all he wants is this moment all he wants is your surrender i put my faith in jesus i put my trust in jesus he's my anchor and he's my father jesus has opened the door to the father but i also stand in reverent reverent fear he's tender but he's awesome you can have confidence and healthy fear at the same time when i'm driving i'm confident of my ability to drive but i also have reverent fear of the engine that i drive and the people around me that are precious as a mother i have a confidence that i'm the right mom for my children but i also have irreverent fear that god has entrusted this role to me as a wife in my marriage i have confidence that what god has started we will be able to carry out but i also have a reverent fear that if either one of us choose to neglect what god has entrusted to us that it will erode so you can have confidence and you could have a holy fear at the same time ever since i met jesus i have a new perspective on god but friends hear me it is changing day by day as i grow in verses 23 through 25 and then chapter two chapter two verses one through three peter lines out for us how we grow as we seek god he says for you've been born again not of perishable seed but of imperishable through the living and enduring word of god for all people are light grass and all their glory is like the flowers of the field here it is the grass withers the flowers fall but the word of the lord endures forever and this is the word that was preached to you he says in verse 2 he says like newborn babies crave pure spiritual milk so that by it you may grow up in your salvation now that you have tasted that the lord is good peter reminds us that our new identity is rooted in the imperishable seed of the word of god jesus is the word made flesh so this behavior that is changing me it's not just a temporary change but it's been seeded by the imperishable seed of the word of god it's not a seed like a blade of grass that will die it's not a seed like a flower that will wither and fall no it's the imperishable seed it can't be destroyed that's why it's so important for you and i to look to the word of god that's why it's important to take your indoor journal out tomorrow and to read first peter why because what you're reading is imperishable it's bringing eternal change in you it's shaping the way that you think it's shaping the way that you act it's changing you because it never changes he says that you've been rooted in that imperishable seed but hear me but that seed grows in you as you crave pure spiritual milk what is this pure spiritual milk well again it is the word of god can i ask you something in your behavior today in 2020 what are you craving what are you longing for it says pure spiritual milk i know as a mom with young kids that if i give my kids old milk they will get very very sick that it's actually dangerous for them to drink old milk but peter tells you and i crave pure spiritual milk what is he saying to you and i saying keep your focus on the future keep your focus on where you're going that you're an elec elect exile that you are moving through this earth and the only way that you can move through it with the strength to endure what you're facing is when you let the imperishable seed take root and when you crave that which will nourish and feed your soul see the way that we live our perspective on god should shape every part of our behavior we shouldn't look like everybody else this past week i was traveling and i was able to be with rich's grandmother bonnie wilkerson bonnie and her husband john who's in heaven now they're in ministry for many years she's a hero in my life she's a woman of faith she's a woman who has endured and now she is 90 years old 90 years young her smile lights up the room and i went to see her you know the truth is that bonnie can live anywhere that she wants she has kids that adore her but she's chosen at 90 years that she wants to live in a retirement um community filled with people who have given their lives away for the sake of the gospel she is surrounded by elect exiles she is surrounded by people who have chosen the path that she chose decades ago she can live anywhere she chooses to live in this small apartment that she keeps spotless and as i walked in and got to spend just some time with her i treasured every single minute because her life is marked by the love of jesus you want to talk about holiness there's a deep humbleness in her attitude the humility of her life would blow you away but the holy spirit has led her life and and as you talk to her the love of jesus pours out she's been retired for years but friends she's continued to stay the path of answering the call to action and as i sat with her i was blown away here i am in this one bedroom apartment that you would look around and go wow this is this is meager but this is shows you what she values she's still committed to her daily bible study she's still committed to prayer she worships every single day she writes letters to prisons she takes the time to live beyond herself and you say to me don sri what does that mean like what do you mean why doesn't she have a better place friends that place is beautiful that place is spotless she keeps it pristine but when you walk in it's very clear to you that she knows who she is that she has a perspective on god that has shaped her behavior in the here and now and she is not living for now she has an apartment here on earth but friends she's got a mansion in heaven she has a mansion in heaven she's been soaring up treasures she's been storing up treasures but friends that's not why she's done it all because just as rich preached last week though she has not seen him she loves him she loves him and her life is reflected in it and her call to action didn't end when she retired and it didn't end when her husband went to be with jesus she wakes up every day with a call to action that i need more of jesus then i need more of who he is ever since she met jesus what the world calls lack she calls more than enough ever since she met jesus what the world says is broken she knows it's just a work in progress due to the hands of god she's been through so many seasons seasons of loss seasons of grief seasons of disappointment seasons of brokenness but when you talk to bonnie wilkerson she doesn't point back to any of those ever since moments she points back to ever since moments that are found in the presence of a loving faithful incredible god and it's that face that continues to drive her forward it's that faith that continues to allow her to believe i put my trust in jesus my anchor to the ground oh friend he's a shore foundation what are you living for you need you need a new perspective you need a new perspective on the god he is close but friends he deserves your all and your wonder he deserves your reverence he deserves your leaning he deserves your full focus and intention today right now i just want to take a moment i want us to focus on jesus god we put our faith and our trust in you i put my hope in jesus i put my faith in jesus some of you today you need to lay your pain at the feet of jesus today some of you you need to allow the holy spirit to change your perspective from the inside out from the inside out god's called you to go all the way [Music] he's called you to go the distance you know what i was thinking though that song we used to sing as a kid your family we would sing all the way could we just think part of that because i think there are some people they don't know if they have the faith to go all the way i just feel that in my spirit today that that what you need to speak over your life is all the way i'm going all the way there's no turning back let's sing that together [Music] i'm going all the way all the way [Music] no turning [Music] no matter what i'm going all the way [Music] [Music] going all the way [Music] oh [Music] [Music] going all the way [Music] see ever since ever since you surrendered your life to jesus it's not your strength that keeps you it's his strength and as long as you just keep entrusting your life to him the broken pieces the pain the confusion the wounds in your life he will keep showing up with exactly what you need he's gonna carry you through as long as you keep pointing back to that ever since moment peter encourages us he says listen ever since salvation you have a new call to action ever since salvation you have a new perspective on god but friends lastly ever since salvation peter speaks to us and he says you have a new grace for others verse 22 says now that you have purified yourself by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for others love one another deeply and from the heart now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth that's talking about the act of salvation it says so that you can love others friends the gift of salvation has been given to us so that we can love others it's impossible to separate the gift of salvation from the community that god has placed us in it's impossible to say god i just like your face but i hate the body no friends we've been given the gift of salvation so that we can love so that we can endure together so that we can look back at the ever since moments and find the strength that we need for our journey ahead and when he says that word deeply oh that word deeply means to strain sounds like enduring it means for every muscle in your body to be utilized as you love friends we need you to strain to love not strain to judge not strained to figure out your own ideas or your own wisdom we need all your energy in 2020 to be pointed towards loving others around you the only way we can endure together is if we choose to love if we choose to put it on as it is the perfect bond of unity there are roadblocks to relationship but friends we can't allow those to hinder the love peter says abandon every form of evil deceit hypocrisy feelings of jealousy and slander why is he telling us to get rid of these things that aren't even necessarily behaviors but our motivations and feelings and attitudes of the heart because all of these things are roadblocks to love they get in the way of us being the church and i love that you're watching in your home but there will be a day that we will gather corporately and god forbid that you have the opportunity together corporately in the future but you say you know what it's a lot easier just to watch from here it's a lot easier just to receive the word friends community and the body of christ is not just about content the body of christ is also about community that you work out your salvation when you choose to love when you choose to get into the messiness of community and what peter is saying to you and to me is that we have to work this thing out that our belief that it should be marked in loving others that it should be marked and enduring together i'm going to pray for you but i want to close with this we know that peter had a personal relationship with jesus before he ever wrote the book of first peter i want to remind you of what jesus said to him luke chapter 22 jesus says to peter i've prayed for you peter that you would stay faithful to me no matter what comes remember this after you've turned back to me and have been restored make it your life mission to strengthen the faith of your brothers spoke over peter what he would spend the rest of his life doing but friends that imperishable seed that was planted in peter's life oh it didn't die the day that he breathed his last breath i bet peter never dreamed that the imperishable seed of the word of god and relationship with jesus within him would be speaking to a community in miami in 2020 that's the power of having an ever since moment and walking out your faith peter's life wasn't marked by the ever since moment of rejecting jesus peter's life wasn't marked by the ever since moment of tragedy peter's life was marked by the ever since moment of surrendering his life to his savior and being filled with the power of the spirit and friends your ever since moment is not your pain your pain is perishable but your purpose is not and i prophesy over you today that from this moment forward your life is not marked by your brokenness but by the healer that you surrender your life to your life is not marked by what you did but by what he did for you we put our faith and our trust in jesus right where you are i want to pray for you there are those of you that have not put your faith and trust in jesus right now this is your moment make him your lord and your savior pray after me say jesus i give my life to you i believe in you forgive me i want to walk with you i want to talk with you i love you in jesus name come on and everybody said and many many men amen well hey i'm so grateful for those of you that made that decision that this is a community that's committed to the journey and we're going to walk this out with you i'm going to pick you to the culture room in just a moment dakota and minuscule they're going to give you some next steps but what i do want to remind you view churches is that we're in this together you are not alone let's point back to those ever since moments together week after week the best is yet to come

Channel: VOUS Church

Views: 19,447

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Keywords: vous, vous church, rich wilkerson, rich wilkerson jr, dawnchere wilkerson, miami, church, live stream, worship, church live, live stream church, sermon, miami fl, miami chuch, preaching, the gospel, good news, the message of jesus, jesus, endure, ever since, doe, doe jones, collection of talks

Id: 6HZo9PSo8tc

Length: 56min 9sec (3369 seconds)

Published: Mon Sep 28 2020