God Ruined My Life | Doug Wekenman | Vantage Point

this is the spot where god ruined my life this is the location where i made the change from living saved to living called and yeah there is a difference between those two things and i learned that right here in this location so it was october of 2009 i was a senior in college at the university of colorado right down there i had been having a horrible day because i asked a girl on a date and she said no and my best friend ethan who was also my roommate at the time also that very same day asked a girl on a date and he also got rejected and so i was sitting on the couch in the living room when ethan came home i was in a bad mood he walks through the front door slams the door clearly also frustrated and i said what's up man did you get rejected too awesome great welcome to the party let's go for a drive we were feeling emotional so where do you drive when you're feeling emotional to the closest mountain range and lucky for us the closest mountain range was right in our backyard and so we got in his 1999 ford explorer and we drove up this road and for whatever reason we pulled off to the side of the road right here we put on some worship music we climbed onto the roof of his car and for the next three hours we had the most life-altering conversation of my entire life so up to that point i had been saved for about a year and kind of sort of following jesus for about a year but for ethan and myself we both started reading the bible around the same time and we read a story in acts chapter 4 where the apostles said as for us guys we just we can't help it anymore we can't help but speaking about what we've seen and heard we've seen too much to go back in other words god has ruined us for our faith and we couldn't go back or forget this even if we wanted to and the only way from this point on is forward because this mission is real so there's an aviation phrase called the point of no return and it's the point in the journey where you no longer have enough fuel to go back and the only way is forward and so for me i just realized man this isn't this isn't a game this is real we stand on the brink of eternity at every single moment and this planet is full of human beings and both god and the enemy are both after their souls and jesus said go to the ends of the earth and tell as many people you can about the good news of the gospel and man from that night on it's like we couldn't go back anymore god ruined us for our faith and we we came up with this crazy idea we started dreaming out loud and we said how about after we graduate college we put all of our other plans on hold and we take one year out of our lives and we just take jesus at his word he said go to the ends of the earth and tell people about him and so what if we just took one year and we just traveled to all the ends of the earth and told as many people as possible about this gospel and this amazing grace and we got back down to our house we parked in the driveway and we shook hands in the driveway and we looked each other in the eye and said we are committing to do this we don't know what's beyond it but we know what we're doing the year after we graduate we're going to be missionaries for a year and we're going to tell people about jesus and we both kept each other accountable and we did it we traveled the world for a year and told a lot of people about the the grace of this amazing god and we made a film about it and and that sort of set a trajectory for us where every decision i've made from that point on i've basically made it as a ruined christian and so that's the challenge i have for you is to pray a very dangerous prayer and i know i made that sound really risky and to be honest with you it is risky but i promise you you will get to the end of your life and look back and you will be so grateful for all the dangerous prayers that you prayed and my prayer for you essentially is this god ruin me for my faith would you get me to a place of no return where i just can't help it anymore where i have to go and i have to to follow you jesus and i can't help but speaking about all these things i've experienced in this god that i know is real would you ruin me for my faith and you don't have to cross an ocean to do that you can cross the street to do that but regardless it's time to live not just saved it's time to live called god's placed you in your sphere as a light to a dark world essentially to to invite people to come home and experience what you have found also and when you start to live that way nothing about your life or your faith will ever be boring from this point on if you feel bored or stuck in your faith i promise you it's because you don't understand what it means to be ruined for this thing and so maybe you don't need the next new christian book to get out of that funk and maybe you don't need the next christian conference here's my question for you have you tried the great commission recently because i promise you nothing is going to make you feel passionate and alive and live fully awake like telling somebody else about this jesus who has saved your life this is the point of no return and the time is now jesus ruin us for our faith [Music] come on red rocks who's excited for church today oh come on shout it like the broncos are free and all and you're going to heaven forever one day and please help me welcome littleton and lakewood and arvada and park meadows austin texas brussels belgium the thousands of individuals and groups and watch parties in continents and countries and cities all over the world and all three got behind bars locations let them know let them know [Music] welcome home to quote travis tripp it's a great day to be alive amen it's a great day to be in church do you agree i hope so all right give somebody an air high five and you may take a seat welcome to red rocks [Music] can we show some love to our lead pastors really quick shawn and jill i for real i just love you guys so much and i know i say that a lot but sam and i really do just want to be like you in so many ways and you are the most authentic and humble and realist followers of jesus and leaders not just that i know but that i know of and do you agree i just love you and thanks for letting me preach because i love doing this love it if you don't know i i lead our red rocks location in austin and i wanted to bring you a report i guess that the story god is writing in austin texas is just absolutely incredible and miraculous right now and so much of it um is only possible because so many of you have sacrificed and prayed and given to make it happen and so i guess i just want to say thank you and i guess i just want to announce that god is just getting started with our church and we ain't seen nothing yet in our best days and craziest stories and wildest miracles are right in front of us and i believe that with all my heart and i get asked all the time for updates and from a lot of you and so i just want to invite you to keep up with your red rocker family in the great country of texas you can follow us on social media that's at red rocks austin on instagram between you and me we're trying to get to 10 000 followers so we can do the swipe up function so it's easier for people to register to get baptized you know what i mean and i'm so serious and so only do that i guess if you want people to get baptized [Music] i love you hey that song come away one of my favorite worship songs it is a throwback to the season of my life where i realized god was calling me for the very first time in those lyrics and invitation that are permanently just etched into my spirit that invitation uh from jesus where he just says come away it's not too late it's gonna be wild it's gonna be great it's gonna be full of me and if you're daring enough all you have to do is simply just open up your heart and let me in open up your heart and let him in because there is a calling on your life too the only question is do you realize it or not that's really the only question the two most significant days of your life the day that you were born and the day you find out why that moment that you receive a revelation from heaven that i am made on purpose for a purpose by a god who sees me and knows me and has saved me and is calling me and is writing me into a greater story than i could ever imagine and much like that day on the mountain was my day i'm praying today would be yours i want to read for you a story that has meant so much to me from acts chapter 4 starting in verse 1. [Music] the priest and the captain of the temple guard and the sadducees came up to peter and john while they were still speaking to the people they were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people proclaiming in jesus the resurrection of the dead they seized peter and john and because it was evening they put him in jail until the next day but many who heard the message believed and the number of men who believe grew to about 5 000 that's only taking into account the men so if you throw women and children in there we're talking conservatively like 12 to 15 000 people i mean this church is growing the next day the rulers and the elders and the teachers of the law met in jerusalem anus the high priest was there so was kaya fish john alexander and the others of the high priest's family they had peter and john brought before them and they began to question them by what power or what name did you do this this refers to a miracle from acts chapter 3. then peter i love peter john had a big heart peter had a big mouth but now peter with his big mouth is filled with the holy spirit and he says to them rulers and elders of the people if we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed then know this you and all the people of israel it is by the name of jesus christ of nazareth by the way if you hate confrontation like oh i hate conflict you're about to get some clammy hands this is about as awkward as it gets right here by the name of jesus of nazareth whom by the way you guys crucified you crucified him but god raised him from the dead by that name this man stands before you healed jesus is the stone you builders rejected which has become the cornerstone salvation is found in no one else for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved you don't have to believe that to belong here but you need to know we believe this with all our hearts there is no other name but the name of jesus he is the the truth and the life and the one and only way to the one and only god and once you begin to realize that like really realize it everything else just doesn't matter as much anymore and we're seeing that happen to peter and john in this moment when the sanhedrin saw the courage of peter and john they realized they were unschooled and ordinary men they were astonished they took note that these men had been with jesus but since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them there was nothing they could say and so they ordered them to withdraw from the sanhedrin and they conferred together what are we going to do with these men they asked everybody living in jerusalem knows they have performed a notable sign and they can't deny it we can't deny it but to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people we must warn them to speak no longer to anybody in this name and they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of jesus but peter and john replied which is right in god's eyes to listen to you or to listen to him you be the judges then one of my favorite verses in all of scripture as for us we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard amen i want to use that story to explain the title of this sermon which is this god ruined my life god ruined my life let's pray jesus i pray boldly that for anybody daring enough you might just ruin their lives in the best way possible today we give you permission to go straight to the most hidden places and spaces of our hearts and souls have your way in jesus name amen scott i love you come back in 15 minutes you can come back whenever you want this sounds way better when you're up here so that's my buddy i got upgraded to first class on a flight a few weeks ago i just thought you should know kind of a big day for me and uh just to clarify did not purchase that ticket it was a free upgrade it was a free upgrade you might be listening going i wouldn't care if you did purchase that why are you saying this well there are some in the greater christian community with strong opinions about pastors and what they can and can't spend their own money on and sneakers and oh i'm stirring the pot if you haven't noticed i'm rocking my 65 coal special nike air monarchs the ultimate dad shoe say something say something i'll say something first class is awesome okay i just found that out first class is awesome and the awesomeness begins at the gate ladies and gentlemen we would love to begin our boarding process at this time for our premier elite star alliance business class first class passengers mr wagonman how are you thank you for flying united today anything we can do to make your 30-foot walk from here to your sky throne a little bit more enjoyable please don't hesitate to let us know a hot towel even a piggyback ride you'll be pleased to to know that our first class seats are actually the massage chairs you'll find in the sky mall catalog in the seat compartment in front of you may i please see your ticket sir i can help you uh locate the seat number on that ticket and then i can even i can take you straight to the seat and that's where i say you know what thank you but there's no need i actually have my seat memorized it's one a but thank you and i got to sit down in that pre-reclined chase lounge and give everybody walking past me that look and you know the look i'm talking about i have received this look before the look that says yeah you keep walking straight back to that economy section good luck fitting that carry on and finding some overhead compartment space right that's where i make eye contact with the flight attendant these amateur flyers you and me we we're seasoned can we just close that curtain i don't even want to see back there i don't want to see it i didn't really do this i'll take a filet mignon by the way medium rare and something cool and refreshing in one of your finest goblets thank you right it's where the flight attendant kind of looks at you like calm down buddy there's no meals first of all on 90-minute flights and second i'm looking at you i see your basketball shorts and your beanie and your nike monarchs you didn't buy this ticket you're a free upgrade know your place and calm down i got all this with a look but that's where as a pastor i just flip it on him and use it to evangelize you know speaking of free upgrades can i talk to you about salvation how'd you like to be upgraded to heaven forever by the free grace of jesus who knew no sin and became sin so you could have first class for eternity this didn't really happen it didn't but it might next time and in jesus name there will be a next time you know the ultimate experience i guess would be to fly first class on emirates airlines have you seen this that's a studio apartment in the sky you guys shaq don't know what to do with that kind of leg room can you imagine a 14-hour international flight right there unlimited meals and movies and drinks in a bed to sleep in imagine waking up at your destination just rested and relaxed and rejuvenated and restored with energy and no jet lag like i can't even begin to fathom what that would be like i'd probably be so excited this was happening to me in the first place i would get less sleep in that bed than i would back in seat 183 g you know what i mean just be like the cur like the covers pulled up to right here just so giddy and excited i don't want to miss this i don't want to miss a second i don't want to close my eyes you know what i mean i don't want to fall asleep cause i missed first class baby and jason i don't wanna miss a thing cause even when i drink i swear i'm done i just wanted jason to know i can hit the high note guarantee you there's somebody at arvada right now going is that is that stephen tyler and why is homeboy not on the worship team what's going on not stephen tyler ma'am just your friendly neighborhood pastor trying to make a difference you guys are loving these jokes it's don't distract me i will misbehave i'm long-winded to begin with and i'm on a clock so back to the sermon first class there are about infinity upsides to an experience like that there is however one downside and the downside is this that experience would forever ruin flying for you like you never be able to go back you know what i mean and i guess that's what i mean when i say god has ruined my life and i i can't go back anymore i've heard too much good news i've experienced too much of the heights and depths of his agape unconditional love i've seen too much of his goodness and grace in my life personally and i can't go back like regardless of what comes my way i can't walk away even if i tried i am now forever ruined for the gospel of jesus much like peter and john in acts 4 20. from this moment on i just i can't help it anymore but speaking about what i've seen and heard this is the point of no return and i can't go back and that right there by the way is the difference between living saved and living called and that happened for me during one conversation on flagstaff mountain in boulder when i realized what had always been true god is real jesus saved me and i'm called to spend the rest of my life living like i actually believe it right and so are you and whether you cross an ocean or across a street not just for a year-long mission trip but for every decision and moment of my life even after that whether you're a pastor or a parent or a pilot or a president or a pediatrician or a politician or a professional pickleball player we are all called to live our lives in a way that preaches the message of jesus this is the whole point of colossians 3 17 in whatever you do christian whether word or deed whatever sphere god has placed you in wherever it is that he has called you to your destiny is to spend the rest of your days doing it all and living it all for the name of the lord jesus amen and you can call this going all in for your faith you can call this god ruin me for the gospel call it whatever you want i'm just praying you say yes because i know now more than ever what our world needs is alive and awake followers of jesus christians who are daring enough to to say like to open up their hearts and pray that prayer god ruin my life in whatever way you have to oh in the best way possible amen so today i just want to give you three ways god ruined my life who wants four ways we'll see two hours from now at the end of this we'll see how i'm feeling this is your first week you're so panicked right now fear not friend welcome to red rocks where we believe church should be enjoyed and not endured amen three ways god ruined my life here we go number one god ruined my excuses god ruined my excuses god wants to ruin all the reasons by the way you believe he can't use you and you better believe peter and john had their reasons can i remind you of verse 13 when they saw the courage of peter and john and they realized they were unschooled and ordinary men they were astonished and they took note these men have been with jesus so what was their excuse ordinary and unschooled i wonder if you ever feel that way god why would you use me i am so much less qualified than the other people around me like what's your excuse i'm not i'm not talented enough right i'm not educated enough i'm not pretty enough or prepared enough you want to hear mine between you and me and the thousands of people watching this right now i'm not old enough or experienced enough to do what god is calling me to do right now in this season not a day goes by i don't think about that right there those fears don't get me wrong i believe god can do it i just don't always believe he can use me to do it i wonder if you can relate to that maybe your excuse is your past right oh i've done too much i've seen too much i've gone too far if this church only knew if god only knew my resume then what oh i've i'm too messed up i've made too many mistakes are you on qualified church you want to hear the ultimate leveler right here the question is not are you qualified or not you guys the question is do you know jesus is calling you or not because come on you know the quote god does not call the qualified he what he qualifies the called and the moment you realize you're called i'm sorry to say i'm also thrilled to announce from that moment on you forever forfeit any and all rights to your excuses are you unqualified welcome to the party moses had a speech impediment david was an adulterer paul was a murderer noah was an alcoholic mary magdalene a prostitute so was rahab jonah was fish food and peter and john are ordinary and unschooled knuckleheads but they knew they were called and that was everything that was the difference maker they had been with jesus and if i could remind you of verse 4 they preached and the church grew to 15 000 people that day because these guys with all of their excuses steven furtick once said it's almost as if being unqualified is god's favorite qualifier i mean correct me if i'm wrong he only uses broken people to do big stuff i say broken people like there are other kinds of people god just ruined your one day mentality excuse oh man he just i mean your one day when i'm less broken and struggle less and i'm more usable then i'll be used that mentality that excuse i mean he just stripped that like straight from you like he's von miller and punted that thing as far as the east is from the west i'm here i'm here to say welcome to the club of ordinary and unschooled welcome to the club of the unqualified can you just shake hands with your weaknesses today and be reminded that your perfection was never a pre-wreck in the first place that it's actually in your weaknesses his power is made perfect i don't know if you feel like you're ever walking through life with a limp you ever feel like people are staring at your limitations i got news for you they probably are i'm here to say who cares it's not for the reasons you think people are drawn to your limitations because they make you relatable in psychology this is actually called the pratfall effect that the more imperfections you have i hope this is good news for somebody other than me the more imperfections you have the more flawed you are the more human you become the more likable you are what if the news was this good what if your brokenness is actually the reason god wants to use you and what if that limp you feel like is slowing you down what if that's the thing that actually makes you followable it's almost as if jesus is saying hey you the flawed one come away with me i've got so much in store for me and you i just have i just have one requirement oh perfection no can we drop that i took care of that talking about that excuse you're carrying you need to drop that because where we're going that can't come oh you think you're you think the thing holding you back is your struggle it's not i'm here to tell you it's your vantage point of that struggle because from your perspective you see you see a setback and you know from your perspective point of view vantage point and by human power sure probably it is but i serve a god who works all things together for the good of those who love him and i have a savior who takes anything that satan uses for evil and flips it and uses it for our good and somehow rewrites the story in a better way than we could have imagined in the first place so what you see as a setback god from his vantage point actually sees as a set up for an underdog story where he's about to get a whole lot of glory what's my proof john and peter what are their setbacks ordinary and unschooled what happened the sanhedrin takes notice of these knuckleheads and concludes here's this this is their conclusion there must be something about this jesus because it ain't these guys it's genuinely one of my most sincere prayers for this church that people far from god would walk into any of these rooms or tune in online and feel something so undeniable and real and conclude there must be something about this jesus because it ain't these guys are you flawed are you broken are you a little bit messed up good more glory for god when he uses you regardless farewell excuses they just got ruined amen number two god ruined my vice god ruined my vice let me bring your attention back to peter really quick because he is now with a lot of boldness and courage in front of some of the most powerful men in the world preaching some truth they don't want to hear and he's doing i mean he's fearless right now and he is he's living this thing out is he not he is watching god multiply the church exponentially right before his eyes but can i ask you this question was that always peter can i remind you of what happened just two months before this let's rewind the clock a little bit shall we jesus is in his grave apparently dead peter has denied him not once not twice but three times i mean by the way how duplicitous is every human heart when just a couple nights before this he was at his final dinner with jesus making some pretty bold promises jesus i don't care what comes our way i am i am standing by your side until the very end i give you my word until push comes to shove and he fails and he flees with all the other disciples and now peter is excusing himself from jesus's table he's tired of messing up he's exhausted he's embarrassed so he hedges his bets in the name of logic and he reasonably concludes i am no longer worthy and jesus no longer needs me and so peter goes back to the one thing he's familiar with the one thing he can control fishing i wonder what fishing is for you where do you run when you don't run to jesus where do you go to escape what do you use to medicate what is your vice and can i be so bold as to then ask you this question has fishing worked for you yet because peter's up all night and doesn't catch a single fish you ever think about that that's a professional fisherman the fish bite at night not a single fish he grew up on the water probably learned how to fish in that cove peter knows where the fish are not a single fish is that a coincidence is that the wrath of god or is that the is that the grace of god whose mercies are new every morning because at breakfast time jesus shows up at the place of peter's vice and cooks breakfast for him on the beach but not before he walks to the shore and he sees peter and the boys out fishing and he yells to them a very strategic word he goes children children have you caught any fish all night now that word children that is a what is that that is a covenant term right that speaks to peter's identity first thing jesus wants to do after conquering the grave is make sure peter knows who he is so he goes and finds peter at the place of his vice to remind him that your identity peter is not predicated upon what you do or do not do but what i just did for you so can i say again children friends peter have you caught a single fish all night peter says no i ask again has fishing worked for anybody yet because peter sees jesus and for the second time in his life he jumps out of the boat that he's in in order to get to him and they have breakfast on the beach with each other i've had my fair share of vices throughout the years church and can i just tell you first things first god's not mad at you for yours and maybe that's all you need today god's not mad at you maybe all you needed was to show up and experience the truth and what he actually thinks and believes about you he's not mad at you i think god knows better than any of us how hard and scary it is to be a broken person on a broken planet without one he's not mad at you for your vice but he might ruin it god has been known to break your fingers to get your hands off of what is killing you and calling it grace and i think a lot of us have been in a a pete kind of season recently if you will where maybe you've been through it and maybe you've messed up except this time you know better like for the thousandth time you know better and so you too are are tired of like taking four steps back it seems every single month and you two are tired of messing up and you're exhausted and maybe a little embarrassed and you too much like peter are hedging your bets in the name of logic and reason which by the way the gospel is not and you are intellectually concluding i'm no longer worthy anymore and jesus doesn't want or need me anymore and what you're doing now is you're running to a ton of different vices and you are trying to sin in the same way you used to except it's not it's not doing for you what it used to do for you and it's frustrating you and i'm here to tell you jesus might be ruining you for something better and something more i used to drink all the time and not in a social way i'm not talking about i'm talking about a fishing kind of way my body's like allergic to alcohol now tobacco speeds up my heart rate makes me anxious pain pills give me crazy nausea i remember a year or two into following jesus when i started to realize my pursuit of fulfillment and happiness in the world of sexual immorality and pornography and hookups was no longer delivering on the same magic and fulfillment that it used to and it drove me so crazy i was like why is this not working any it's almost as if i've tasted something better it's almost as if i i just flew first class on emirates airlines and i'm now realizing so this is the holiday at sea and i've been over here far too easily pleased making mud pies in islam this is the more that jesus has for me as frustrated as i am it's almost like i can i can discern with faith that there's somebody out there who is directing and protecting me and cares that i i be reminded that he's calling me right i wonder for you what is that one thing nobody else knows about that one thing that don't come up in group oh i'm going there i dare you to ask jesus to ruin it for you how terrifying is that prayer by the way well i can't do that because i i mean i kind of need this to work or else where do i where do i go if this doesn't this doesn't work and if our boy pete was here he would he would tell you you jump out of the boat and you swim back to the shore to the god whose mercies are new every single morning and you have breakfast with your creator and maker and savior you guys jesus is cooking breakfast does that sound like a god who's mad at you by the way or god who is inviting you into something more hey it's not working come away with me it's not too late it's going to be wild and great and full of me if there's anybody listening to this right now and you are struggling with or drowning in addiction i have been praying for you all week and if you don't have faith borrow mine it's never been stronger or higher for you and your situation than it is right now i believe i believe your present vice is going to be your future vantage point i believe a day is coming where your testimony will be the key that unlocks somebody else's prison and the lens that gives that person some brand new vision so i want to speak that over you in faith you stay in the fight because you will see a victory and jesus has more for you yet so you keep coming because a day is coming where you will tell this church stories about how you used to be an addict out at sea fishing for something until your savior showed up on your shore and yelled my child and that view became your new vantage point i believe that with all my heart [Music] but i wonder if you're daring enough to pray that prayer because i've heard it said the holy spirit is much like a gentleman he only goes where he's invited i feel like that is especially true with this this is an invitation only kind of thing most of the time jesus ruin my vice because this is kind of working it also happens to be the very thing keeping you from having breakfast with god on the beach ruin my vice amen and last but not least god ruined my plans for me i mean this quite literally like i had a lot of plans i was a biochem major in college really using that a lot now medical school dreams my dream i wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon for a professional sports team and until one conversation in boulder that's why when people ask me what happened i always say god ruined all my plans but in the best way possible and it wasn't like on that night um god changed and called every audible in my life it was more like he just finally got me to open my hands around my claimants and i'm not saying if you're dreaming of being a doctor he's going to make you a pastor there's probably people listening to this you dreamed of being a pastor and now you're a doctor or you dreamed of being a firefighter now you're a firefighter i mean there's very little rhyme rhythm or reason with god in how he does plans he only does weird plan stuff okay i think he just wants your hands open and if you're a type a and you're hyperventilating right hyperventilating right now at the idea of god being this loose cannon enneagram seven type who just does everything spontaneous and hates plans breathe out and relax that's not god he loves plans he's got a strategy and a god of systems he just wants your hands open because can i remind you what scripture says that we we plan our ways but god is the one who establishes our steps in jeremiah 29 11 the most famous tattooed verse in all of history it does not say michael for i know the plans you have for you god says for i know the plans i have for you so can you open your hands because man for some of you you'll do that and god's going to come in and ruin all your plans in a few years from now you will be so glad and so grateful from your vantage point in the future looking back oh my gosh god thank god you ruined all my plans in the best way possible you know for some of you he just wants to add some purpose into your plans but it can only do that if you have open hands in the first place promise for all of us whatever your plans are he wants you to be a ruined christian and a ruined follower of jesus who lives not saved but called as you execute said plans because i'm telling you we need ruined followers of jesus in our in our hospitals as doctors in our pharmaceutical industry we need ruined christians teaching in our schools we need ruined christians parenting and raising the next generation we need ruined followers of jesus who understood what peter and john began to understand in acts 4 12 that salvation is found and nobody else for there is no under other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved because when you start to realize that the outcome is found eight verses after that in verse 20. as for us i've now reached the point of no return and i can't help it anymore but live this way i'm ruined for this thing i can't help but speaking about the things i've seen and heard i've experienced too much of his love i've tasted and seen too much of his goodness and grace and i can't go back and it might not be easy and yes it might be the road less traveled but the best place to be is right smack in the middle of god's will even if his will is straight into the unknown because can i say that safety is overrated safe is overrated can i also say that safety's a big idol for a lot of us you don't have a safe god you have a good god after jesus has breakfast breakfast with peter he says he says this to peter he says peter do you love me by the way that was the only qualifier he was looking for peter do you love me peter says yeah he says then feed my sheep build my church and be ruined for the great commission peter because there's people there are souls who need to know what you know and i've been studying something this week called the bystander effect you might know what this is the bystander effect means in an emergency situation the more bystanders who are present the less likely it is for the person who needs help to actually get the help because the more people who are there the the ownership of the outcome sort of gets diluted and spread across more shoulders so everybody just concludes somebody else will do it somebody else will do it somebody else will share jesus with that person right somebody else will invite that person to church because the great commission by definition is this massive movement of building the church to the ends of the earth and because it's a massive movement by definition we risk the bystander effect you probably feel it in your faith when it comes to the great commission somebody else will do it somebody else will talk to that person somebody else will pray for that person somebody else will go and get them but i was in denver a few weeks ago i checked into a hotel and the lady at the desk in the hotel who was checking me in she was kind of grilling me with some questions interrogating me what's your name where are you from what's your story what's your angle what are you doing here and i said i'm doug i'm a pastor in austin red rocks church but that's also here and big family church is and so i'm back here just for a few days and and her whole demeanor changed and she she looked at me and she said [Music] she said my uh my son lives in austin [Music] she said his name is uh it's justin he owns a bar downtown in austin she said we will uh will you go get him because if you don't i don't think anybody's gonna go get him if you feel awkward imagine how i feel right now and this massive movement became my personal purpose just like that will you go get him because you go to work different when you think that way you know you go to the grocery store different so church can i ask you what she asked me will you go get them the person in the lobby who's clearly here for the first time will you talk to them so and so who we haven't seen around here lately will you will you text him will you reach out to them will you be ruined for people and take the great commission personally again because my fourth secret point is this god has ruined my season tickets god has ruined my season tickets and i pray today in jesus name that he ruins yours too because you're when you're when your season tickets are ruined you can't be a spectator anymore that's what i mean by that can you live called and not just saved can you trade in your season tickets for a jersey and get out of the grandstands and off the bench and into the game because we need you can you can you do it can you sacrifice can you give above and beyond can you can you pray for her can you go get him can you take building our church personally can you make this massive movement your personal purpose because i'm telling you god is calling you it's not just the pastors and the missionaries god is calling you the only question is do you realize it or not and the moment you do i dare you today i dare you to pray god ruin my excuse take my excuse from me ruin my vice if you have to ruin all of my plans if you must i don't care anymore jesus i just want you and i want more people to have what i've already found because life is a mist it is so short here today and gone tomorrow and eternity is too real and i've seen too much and i've tasted too much of your goodness and grace i've heard too much good news and i've passed the point of no return i can't go back and i'm telling you revival happens corporately when followers of jesus get ruined for the good news of jesus individually amen red rocks where you stand [Applause] god we love you so much and i just pray on behalf of anybody here who is bold enough and daring enough who just feels that urgency but more so than that just this invitation to the road less traveled into the unknown whether you change all the details of their lives or you just add purpose to what they're already doing jesus will you ruin us for our faith will you bring all of us collectively as a church body as an army past the point of no return that even today we would have tasted and seen too much of your goodness that we would know this is too real and we couldn't walk away regardless of what comes our way even if we tried we are sold out we are all in we are ruined for the gospel of jesus and it's in that name of jesus the most powerful and beautiful and wonderful name in the universe that everybody said amen red rocks church let's worship [Applause] [Music]

Channel: Red Rocks Church

Views: 1,685

Rating: 5 out of 5

Keywords: redrockschurch, Red Rocks Church, RRC

Id: bAR1hD8jgug

Length: 47min 23sec (2843 seconds)

Published: Sat Oct 02 2021