Hillsong Church - Donna Crouch

[Music] welcome to church you look great how you doing this morning your way we survived all the food mother celebration gonna keep pressing in the are you good okay come on well let's see you get a room [Applause] [Music] come on let me hear [Music] yes sir [Music] yes listen asleep [Music] what every boats moving [Music] yes [Music] [Applause] [Music] yes [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] this [Music] yes you [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] yes [Applause] [Music] yes [Music] we're just [Music] Christ alone [Music] Rick [Music] soon [Music] the [Applause] yes you are [Music] Oh [Applause] [Music] through this [Music] the come on just our voices full of faith cries [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] come on up the readers need to raise the roof a little stir about spirits [Music] you love you go [Music] well we've come that you might be exalted in this place God God this feeling last 9:00 a.m. service of this decade guy you ready for all its ahead guy we just want to lift your name above all names today go welcome you worship you go thank you Jesus [Music] ah [Music] I need you more than me oh my besties [Music] wouldn't my the work you make me so help me breathe on my weightless for is to be like geez [Music] is your since to make my home you're [Music] Oh [Music] [Music] my your thoughts me [Music] would you have so her three hola [Music] to do that [Music] is yours [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] we don't laugh we lives for is to be like Jesus is your steers make my own [Music] you [Music] you [Music] is where there is no one there is Newtown live is new feeder kids carry on [Music] when we see that again where there is you there is new feeder the kid [Music] me of this [Music] Jesus [Music] oh Jesus come on make it a prayer this morning [Music] Jesus bring new cheese [Music] oh Jesus [Music] [Music] [Applause] Oh could you see [Music] [Music] today [Music] [Music] only see how again making your vessel [Music] you are [Music] Jesus Jesus [Music] we love your presents go oh it is awesome amok disservice [Music] if your holy s--t phrases go we've come to say thank you today go boy you're done what are you doing well Shapiro [Music] come on it's good just to sing praise [Music] why do you lift your voices [Music] you can be so late grateful Jesus [Music] [Music] we were way without hope [Music] to some share this [Music] parts to a virgin came the word from the throat of endless war to create a limiter was you praise the father this morning come on but joyful hearts [Music] [Music] [Music] to you did [Music] you No [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Kevin held its breath to the store smooth for me for the land pump until this moon turn and the dead rose from their tombs and they ain't Rizzoli well this so simple good and the church would sit together and this there is fear now this sure [Music] Jesus [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] come on can we really crash [Music] [Applause] [Music] come on let's really put our hands together [Applause] thank you father I thank you that everywhere we're gathered today every person in every room father I thank you for the open heaven over their life father I thank you that in Psalm 100 it says that know that the Lord he is God it is he who has made us and not we ourselves we are his people the Sheep of his pasture and father I thank you that you are out God and our 2020s not defined by 2019 is defined by a good God in heaven who loves us who's for us who has the last say over our lives and father we are so thankful father we're so thankful for everything you've done and Lord we take this moment to acknowledge you to acknowledge your goodness to acknowledge your faithfulness to acknowledge you have the last say when it comes to your people and over their lives and father we thank you for it in Jesus name and everyone said together amen man amen can you believe it I think it's the last Sunday of the year but they don't think it's the last Sunday of a decade it's gone fast going from forty to fifty felt like going a lot faster than it did from thirty to forty can anyone say Amen yes there's a lot more in the room that can say a bed yes well it's so great to have you in church you know we've got a lot to be thankful for already you can tell you've come ready to give thanks and to really just lean into everything that God has for us on this last Sunday and there's such a beautiful sense of the presence of God I'm sure everywhere we're linked it's the same and in my hand I'm holding a whole lot of prayer requests as we do every week and you know God is faithful the great thing about my job is if you hang around long enough with people you actually seek God answer the very prayers that we've prayed for and God is faithful and there's a few people here praising God will do and someone here praising God firstly that for a great twenty nineteen and they're really expectant for twenty twenty someone else praising God that they had a year of growth praising god here we go saving their mother and father having a new house extending their work contract and good health that's a good 2019 and someone else praising God for its kindness provision help and protection and someone else here thanking God for their connect group and in the church family but you know we've got people believe in God someone here I was just reading them they believe in God for a provision for a job someone else for a provision and to fall pregnant a lot of people here believing for health and for healing and for restoration and you know what I just want to pray that no matter how 2019 finished that it doesn't have the last say of your life God has the last say he has the last say not only over every one of these prayer requests but over every person's life so come on well we reach at our hand well we believe for every one of these and I want to believe over your life as we take this moment to pray and then we're going to sing one more time this beautiful declaration and we're going to declare it not just over the year that's been but we're going to believe it over the year to come in Jesus name and father I thank you in the name of Jesus over every one of these prayer requests father I think you're over every person's life and I declare that in Jesus name we are confident that the good work that you began father you will complete it because you are faithful we declare the name of Jesus we declare the power of your Holy Spirit that father you will have the say in Jesus name Amen [Music] to the snow for and the dead [Music] yeah who this to [Music] whoa [Music] now this [Music] yes [Music] Jesus [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] well just as you take your seats when you say hire the person next to you around you [Music] if you run this time of year we have a normally have a lot of people who want to come and check out church may be thinking about Church in 2020 and look if you are new to our church and which firstly just want to give you a huge big welcome so just why don't we do that really welcome everyone maybe it's your first time with us and and Hillsong Church we're actually not a big church we're a small Church we just have lots of people okay and we and we do everything we can to help keep church small and so one of these we'd love to do is you are in you and you want to know a little bit more about church and meet some people look at at the end of the service why don't you go just out this door or out around the side here we've got a cafe there it's also our Welcome lounge oh we got team they would love to meet you I know it where everywhere where link we have a space like that so don't rush off make sure you come and we'd love to say hi and get to know you which would be great hey YUM can you believe this might be the last but give it a few more sleep so we're gonna have the first the first Sunday of 2020 is just around the corner and what's really cool is pastor Brian will be here next weekend I'm really excited about that also what he talked about during our Christmas services as we're wanting to receive an offering right across our church that's going to go towards really helping those that are in need in terms of the bushfires that we're having here and we're going to keep believing God for rain and keep believing God for his peace and his favor and his protection but also but we also want to really take a huge step forward and really helping people practically we've already done something in there during a Men's Conference towards that but Pastor Brian would love us to come ready next weekend to receive an offering it is tax-deductible as well and so if you can come ready for that that would be absolutely fantastic because we really want to make a real difference in helping people in a great time of need as that cool which would be great and the other thing is too we're starting together as a church pastor brian has a devotional it's called wisdom makes a and so we want to we want to that's why wisdom makes away and we want to basically do that together as a church so that will be starting Thursday morning you can download that already at you version or Brian C Houston comm and it'd be great for us together just to start the year on the same page which we're really really cool so Thursday Thursday is the first of the first 2020 in 1989 2020 felt like it was never going to come 2020 who can believe 2020 that's a radical number 2020 and so we want to do that together and really we really believe for an a really amazing year in 2020 filled with the power of the holy spirit and so let's be doing that together and lastly what I'd love to do is Paul why don't you quickly come up talk to us about summer camps summer camps can you believe that summer camps we just had Christmas know January few weeks times summer camps so tell firstly some accounts not too late to register but how could we also help all kinds of ways parents young people anyone out there summer camps they're going to be amazing kids voltage there's a day camp there's youth summer camps there's some of us if you're a young adult lots of time to read Joe info out of the desk but if you are able to every single year there is a couple of hundred young people from our campus alone that we help get to summer camp financially and our team's been amazing they've been volunteering and they'll be doing fundraisers but every single year church you're amazing and you donate and you help us get our young people to camp and so if you would like to there's a youth desk just outside we will be out there waiting if you're able to help in any way shape or form it makes a massive difference to young people's lives every single year thousands of young people's lives are impacted and many of them are because of your generosity because you helped them get to camp in the first place so we would appreciate it so much we'll be at the youth desk after great Paul fantastic a youth guys and our kids just do such an amazing job hey um we're gonna receive our giving now and on the screens there's different ways understand I saw that face up there on the screens there's different ways in which we can give and look if you're on you what you'll find quickly about Hillsong churches we're not a half to church we're a want to church and thank you so much for your generosity this year and thank you so much for the way that you've leaned in and really put God first in the way that you've given and on the way on the screens is different ways but I want to encourage us out of the scripture I just read earlier some 100 this is what it says know that the Lord he is God I love that it's he who has made us and not we ourselves okay we are his people the Sheep of his pasture you know it's a powerful thing when you understand that the Lord is God he is ruler he has last say he has all authority and it says here and obviously someone who's looking back over time that it's he who has made us and not we ourselves and then the psalmist says we are his people we're his people with his sheep in his pasture you know I learnt very early that God has the last sales in one year into my salvation in 1991 I met Jesus in 1992 Geelong had a major major major recession was a recession right across Australia but in Geelong pyramid-building society crashed and people lost everything literally literally everything I remember my brother and I had a mortgage were paying twenty one percent interest twenty one percent interest and in the middle of all that I'm sitting but opposite my boss and he's telling me I've lost my job and I'm just a new Christian and I remember stopping him halfway through and saying hey stop you are not second me today and he looked at me he's never met one of me before I've met Jesus while I was working for him and I said you know what God's closing the door because he's going to open a new door and as it's coming out of my mouth of thinking what are you saying but can I honestly say that that in that moment in that moment when I made that declaration I have to tell you that led to a series of events that where I ended up in Sydney and Here I am all these years later because of that moment where I was his sheep in his pasture with him building my life now married for kids and standing in front of you I want to encourage you there's a confidence that comes when you put God first when you honor God with your tithe you understand your circumstances do not have the last say God has the last say and that's why we can face our future with great confidence knowing God is faithful amen amen let me pray for you as we receive our giving father I want to say thank you thank you that were your sheep it's you who have made us and that's our declaration and our confession Lord not just at the end of the year but the beginning of a new and so father I thank you for it in Jesus name Amen host if you could service that would be great and as they do have a look at the screens and see what's coming up [Music] [Music] hey tonight tonight we have one 6:00 p.m. service and Robert Ferguson's gonna be speaking and we're really really excited about that and he's really believing a move really move in the holy spirit tonight and just finish the year with just an absolute encounter with Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit so you don't want to miss a night tonight it's going to be absolutely awesome so that's at 6 p.m. in here and then next weekend we start back at our normal service times 8 o'clock teri and Julie there our service pastors in the epicenter 9 11 15 5 o'clock and our epicenter and then 6 p.m. here well are you ready for the preaching of the word why don't we all stand to our feet we all have great expectation because I looked over and Donna crouchers got missing in action so this my opportunities to worship leave for the last Sunday the last Sunday of 2019 hey come on why don't we put our hands together and give Donna a huge big welcome as she comes to bring the word [Music] good morning I decided not to do a runner no I I just went to the bathroom which I'm sure you can understand good morning I feel so privileged to be reading the word this morning on this last day of the decade last Sunday of the decade and I really do feel like God's put a message on my heart foot for me and for you so I'm excited about that and I'm excited to bring it so thank you Pastor Brian and Bobbie and Nathaniel and the team for putting me on the roster cuz I can't wait to get it out because God's Word is a word of life and good news and so can we pray this morning and thank you for being in church this morning look at you all and who is visiting our Smoky city from overseas I can see so many visitors interests and you're going to have this beautiful orange filter in or your Aussie photos in Sydney you'll have to put a whole lot of filters to correct it so please pray for our thirsty country and we're going to pray for the word but can we pray for our land and our firefighters and that rain we're just gonna stubbornly prefer an arn twee because we're not gonna shut up because we know that our God is good and he loves our country need loves our people so um father this morning we open up our hearts and we think lord I thank you for all these amazing people our children they're down a children's program our treasure chest and all our amazing volunteers that are working and serving everywhere and churches around Australia Lord that your good news will go out around this nation and so father as we open up our word Holy Spirit I know that you were going to walk amongst these rows and Lord amongst our children and youth programs in in treasure chests this morning Lord would you move amongst your church in Australia today and let the good news of Jesus Christ go out loud and strong across our nation and Lord yet again we lift up our land we lift up our firefighters we lift up our regional country areas our farmers and our Lord businesses in our country areas father we lift up hearts that are broken and hurting and tired Lord we lift up our Lord volunteer firefighters Lord and we ask that Lord you would bring the rain that we so desperately need father we ask that you would pour out your mercy and love on our land father and we ask this in the name of our beautiful Savior Jesus because we know that you are good and you run after the one and you see us Lord you see our land and you see the need father and we ask this in Jesus name in our church said this morning amen and amen thank you as you take your seats and thank you team for leading us this morning yes and good morning to Hobart Church of the air in the outback all around Australia and people joining us this morning on Hillsong Channel online campus and all of our Sunday links and cooing guy to long Launceston down in Hobart and Tokyo in Japan must be snowy and cold over there and beautiful so good morning to you all all right so this morning I am going to read you a chunk of verses if I may out of 2 Kings chapter 6 and 2 Kings chapter 7 so it will be on the screens and I've called this message I dare you to move or dare you to move because I'm not daring you but God's Word is okay and it's an amazing story about four men with a skin condition maybe leprosy but it really was just kind of skin condition okay and it's in 2 Kings so I'm going to pick it up in 2 Kings 6 verse 25 and then 2 Kings 7 verses 1 through 11 and then verse 16 so just buckle in for a minute as I get through these verses and then we're going to unpack it and just suck the life out of these verses because they are amazing all right he goes so chapter 6 says this about is it's a time in Israel's history that's a bit dark and yuck and it says this as a result there was a great famine in the city of Samaria and the siege lasted so that a donkey's head sold 480 pieces of silver imagine that like for lunch that's disgusting right and a cup of doves dung sold for five pieces of silver that's actually slang for like carob pod or something like that so it goes on and it just talks about how gross things have got in the city where where widows were eating their own children and the king was lamenting and he he couldn't do anything it was there was famine in this city of Samaria there was a siege and there was nothing coming in and nobody going out so it was it was a nightmare it was it was a mess this city was an absolute lockdown and devastation and famine we're going to pick it up in Chapter seven but Elijah the Prophet the man of God he says listen to this message from the Lord don't you love messages from the Lord don't you love that no matter what is going on that God is a good god there's always a word from God this is what Elijah the Prophet says this is what the Lord says by this time tomorrow in the markets of Samaria five courts of choice flour will only will cost only one piece of silver and ten quarts of barley grain will cost only one piece of silver okay so donkeys heads are selling for 80 pieces of silver and here goes not tomorrow prices are going to drop the officer assisting the King said to the man of God that couldn't happen even if the Lord opened the windows of heaven but Elijah replied you will see it happen with your own eyes but you won't be able to eat any of it now there were four men with leprosy sitting at the entrance to the city aids why should we sit here waiting to die they asked each other we will starve if we stay here you could just imagine them couldn't you these four old mates they're just sitting outside the city gates having a little chat with the brothers though they're going through their options just think about it here like this let's forget about but you know a couple thousand years ago there for old mates it is sitting here it's not actually leprosy it's it's a disease called mimosa it's some kind of skin condition they're not out there because they want to be they're out there because nobody wants them in the city they're unclean and they've been kicked out they're the least and the last and the most unwanted in a famine and a siege so here are four old mates having a chinwag for the tourists from overseas they're having a chat they're having a talk they're going through their options they here they have a chat they're going why should we sit here waiting to die they asked each other we will starve if we stay here but with the famine in the city we will starve if we go back there so we might as well go out and surrender to the aramean army if they let us live so much the better but if they kill us we would have died anyway so they're quite a logical Bunch with their terrible skin condition having been kicked out of the city where nobody actually wants them they might have lost everything but they haven't lost their ability to think and to use their intellect and to work through their choices even their life is looking absolutely disgusting for them right now incredible for men I would say so at Twilight they set up for the camp of the Arameans but when they came to the edge of the camp no one was there for the Lord had caused the aramean Army to hear the clatter of speeding chariots and the galloping of horses and the sound of great army approaching and the king of Israel had hired the Hittites and the Egyptian armies to attack us they cried to one another so they're panicked and ran into the night abandoning their tents horses and donkeys and everything else as they fled for their lives so when the lepers arrived at the edges of the camp they went into one tent after another eating and drinking wine and they carried off silver and gold and Clark clothing and hid it could you imagine the worst day of their life just became the best day of their they're like on the edges of the city nobody wants them they're about to die if they stay they're starving they're gonna die if they go back into a city with no food they're gonna die if they surrender to the aramean so they go blow it will go into the aramean camp they're only gonna kill us what have we got to lose and now they've got gold silver horses donkeys clothing going awesome we hit Powerball Lotto jackpot all in one it's an amazing story and finally they said to each other this is not right this is a day of good news and we aren't sharing it with anyone not just are they awesome men they're generous men they're incredible and we aren't sharing it with anyone if we wait till morning some calamity will certainly fall upon us come on let's go back and tell the people at the palace so they went back into the city and told the gatekeepers what had happened we went out to the aramean camp and they we went out to the aramean camp they said and no one was there the horses and donkeys were tethered and the tents were all in order but there wasn't a single person around and the gatekeepers shouted the news to the people in the palace all the people back in the city didn't believe them they believed it was a ploy to get them out of the city and they go on suss it out well in verse 16 then the people of Samaria rushed out plundered the aramean camp so it was true the five courts of choice flour was sold that day for one piece of silver and ten quarts of barley grain was sold from one piece of silver just as the Lord had promised and these people in this city go from an economy of scarcity into an economy of God's favor and provision and blessing and I believe this is a message and a word for our 2020 and the decade ahead in Jesus name some of us today and maybe all of us today in one area or another of our life might feel like in one area of my life I might feel like I'm one of those four lepers I might feel like I'm in a particular area or something that matters deeply to my life I feel like I'm the outcast or that area of my life I feel like that area of my life is that skin condition that I haven't seen the goodness of god I feel like I'm on the outside and yet it's an amazing story of God you see usually the strongest and the most victorious victors and leaders were sent to conquer enemy camp you sent your best out you didn't send your worst out you sent your greatest heroes out to conquer the enemy and they got the spoils and they enjoyed it first and here is yet again a beautiful story a beautiful picture of how our God works he sees the casualties of war and he sees the casualties of suffering times and it shows us that God's heart in the Old Testament and Jesus in the New Testament we've just celebrated Christmas and we see that our Savior didn't come riding on a beautiful white stallion merry beautiful white stallion no she was on a smelly donkey and she didn't stay in a 6-star hotel with beautiful clean linen no there was no room for her at the inn but fortunately the innkeeper at least made room for her in a stable where animals smelly animals with smelly animal poo was stabled and that's where our Savior was born born on the edges born with the marginalized born where Shepherds the outsiders were and that's how he to enter this world for the least and the marginalized and that's where he started his ministry we see it in the Old Testament with the lepers another example and we see it at Christmastime how he he chose to enter this world not with a political Kingdom wit but with a kingdom that started on the inside of the hearts of men women and children and God chooses to find the outsiders and the Forgotten the widows who were eating their children and the lepers who were kicked outside of a city and God chooses to send them into the aramean camp and chooses to bless them and to raise them up to bring blessing back into a city and it gives us a glimpse yet again of who our God is and how he really works our church amazes me I'm one of our pastors here and really people in our church just astound me as much as we you know pastors get the privilege to to help out really people bless me enormous ly I get to hear I'm not even at could the Christmas spec and being on the doors and at Christmas services just getting to hear people's stories of Emmanuel God with us you know you hear people's challenges and their tragedies and our prayer is always we take prayer so seriously every service that we pray that no matter what we can do humanly it's never going to be enough that God you would be with us Emmanuel that you will be with us and amongst us in the midst of our real mess and he said he would be I remember one family that I met at the beginning of this year and their courage has inspired me personally all year they lost family members to they literally lost through tragedy family members to domestic family violence they lost three family members guilt and yet when I met them they were full of full of story of the breakthrough of God I'm in the midst of tragedy and they had sat in church just like you're sitting in church today worshipping God and praying to God for breakthrough in a particular area of their family and believing God for breakthrough in the courts to do with children and just four years and and in more recent times had seen against all legal council an absolute miracle and turnaround in in that that family situation and they have inspired me no end personally that rather than of course dealing with in enormous loss and tragedy still see the goodness of God in the tragedy and move on with with life and move on for the sake of these children just to see life continue and people astound me in their willingness to chase me God chases and chase after Emanuel God you are with me you are with us and that's what these lepers teach us today and not just that but they come back and they share their spoil with everybody else I love that next weekend we're going to mark this new decade as a church family doing what we can and being generous to bless and as a church family share what we can with the victims of bushfire and the fire brigade and however the church sees fit wherever that should go so can I share with you a few things this morning from these lepers that we can learn is that okay what can we learn from the lives of these men from thousands of years ago we'll never know their name but their lives scream victory and faith and courage and resilience and I pray it encourages us this morning in trying to maybe pack away some of the challenges of the year or maybe even the decade and set our sails for everything that's ahead cuz think about it where are you going to be in 10 years time 10 years time we'll have well and truly McDonald's seniors card it's not a bad jump proud to UM talk about but I'm gonna have it because they up the age but I'll be well into my 60s in 10 years time hopefully some of you are going to be married with children in 10 years time some of you going to be well and truly retired in 10 years time some of you will be out of your teenage years finally in 10 years time where will you be I want to encourage you don't just give God a year good God give God a decade give god room give god room to redeem give god room to heal redeem restore because that is his nature just give him room give him room give him time because his nature is good can you say Amen this morning okay he goes what can we learn and apply church of the air Carine gauge along down in Hobart this morning online what can we learn and apply from these amazing for men number one you are not the sum total of your feelings this morning you are not the sum total of your feelings how did these lepers feel well it's really clear in the Bible here they were hungry they were lonely they were forgotten they were unseen and they were facing death however it did not define who they were they were kicked out like I've already said they were unseen and forgotten and yet they weren't forgotten by God it's it's really clear that Christmastime in this time Christmas a new year is a very very vulnerable time for a lot of people there's a family lawyer in our church that I chat to every now and then and just before Christmas I was talking to her and I said oh is it a quiet time for you right now she has a practice in the city and I said is time for you right now and she said oh no no no it truly is the crazy time of year she said I have holidays early because December January is out of control for for family law she said December January couples walk in and go that's it we're getting a divorce she said it's a crazy time of year I said why she said because that people just decide Christmastime that pressures to great family get-together everybody's in each other's faces that's it checking out she said it's crazy it is a crazy time of year so there's so much pressure we we can be faced with at this time of year um researchers say Lich and I have researched this for this message researchers say if we get on Facebook and social media and allow ourselves to envy and compare our lot to other people's lot this is not young people this is all of us with swipe left swipe left if we envy and compare okay don't look right don't look left everybody just looks straight ahead we will get depressed if we allow ourselves to compare and envy it's a vulnerable time of year who's having a staycation we are okay don't compare to everybody's time in Hawaii it's fine to have a staycation okay if we find ourselves having a little comparison getting a bit down about my life versus their lot let's just let's just get outside or do something else because it is a guaranteed formula for depression you know Jesus in Hebrews 2 verse 18 the Bible says that he himself has gone through suffering and testing and he is able to help us when we are tested Jesus himself is familiar with everything that we feel Church this morning we're not a sum total of what we feel I'm gonna go a little bit deeper here a leading neuroscientist in Euro Plus city who actually met a number of years ago and our church at out la la Church I won't say his name but he's a Christian man he says and he's come out here he says the brain is the wonderful thing but you are not your brain your brain is an organ it does a great job your brain produces emotions but you are not your brain you know when people fall in love he doesn't say this but you know when people fall in love that first euphoria I'm in love and you're like oh they're in live wait till it wears off like I'm in love we're getting married it's like awesome where do you wake up you are not your brain just like you are not your liver he literally says that you are not the sum total of your feelings you might be sitting here today or listening you know through the screens or watching online and going well because this happened and because that happened because she dumped me because I feel really sad that equals zero that is the sum total of my life no it is not that is what you feel what we feel I'm not a psychologist clearly I'm a pastor but if I could shrink it really simply we all have experiences we have physiological responses to those experiences and we all have to process that which means we have behaviors and beliefs we have experiences they have physiological responses in our body we have fight flight we have stress we can't sleep you know we have you know you know all kinds of things go on we we have behavioral responses you know we we need help sometimes with counseling to unpack and put together different beliefs just because you got dumped just because somebody walked out on you doesn't mean you're a terrible human being and you should evaporate from the earth somebody might have done you the biggest favor so you can get on with the life you actually deserve you know sometimes we need to reorganize our beliefs you are not a sum total of what you feel can you say it with me I am NOT a sum total of what I feel these lepers did not live out a sum total of what they felt because what they felt was terrible but they still had will they still had each other as to have choices I still had a mind they still have determination they still had options as terrible as they felt as starving as they were as excluded as they were they still had stuff going for them and they activated that and look what happened you are not a sum total of what you feel and I'm saying this emphatically because we live in a culture that has gone too far this way this is what I feel therefore I'm checking out therefore I'm nothing therefore I'm giving up on church therefore I'm giving up on my marriage no my friend you are not a sum total of what you'd feel it gets better some 139 says this about you and me God says thank the psalmist says you made the delicate inner parts of my body and you knit me together in my mother's womb thank you for making me so wonderfully complex Oh sometimes I don't think thank you why did you make me so complex do you think you were just your brain with emotions you have experiences and physiological reactions that has beliefs from that no there is more to you than your brain there is you gods the psalmist says thank you you knit me whereas I was being formed in utter seclusion it says I'm wonderfully conflict complex complex wonderfully made it gets even better I'm gonna read you this this is the best part and I don't want to steal power sir Brian's Thunder next weekend even better than this as believers Jesus said this I'm gonna give you another Savior in John 14 verses 15 and 17 the Holy Spirit of Truth who will be to you a friend just like me and he will never leave you the world won't receive him because they can't see him or know him but you will know him intimately because he will make his home in you and will live inside you goes on in verse 15 verse 20 and I will send you listen to this the divine encourage ur from the very presence of my father and he will come to you the Spirit of Truth emanating from the father and he will speak to you about me church look this way to all of our locations that are linking this morning in here at Hills we are not on our own we are not at the mercy and victim of what I feel Jesus said he will give us his very holy spirit the divine encourage ur his very presence that I can bring my feelings to I can submit Who I am and what I feel to him and do you think the Holy Spirit is just gonna sit there and go yeah it stinks doesn't it yeah you suck you're hopeless I don't think so he's able to see all he's able to no more he's able to whisper in the dark times he is able to give us a glimpse of the future is able to reveal what's so much more than what we know can I encourage you this morning I've spent so long on this point but maybe we needed it a little bit more you are not the sum total of what you feel they are a part of us but they are not all of us amen acknowledge them work through them own them if I put up Google Maps just a picture up here feelings help us you are here the question is where do you want to go they helped us navigate where we are but they don't define who you are you are a human being uniquely made in the image of God do not let your feelings define the sum total of who you are in Jesus name Amen number two number two number two decide where our focus will be like I said these four men with leprosy they didn't have much but they had choices and their choices allowed them to enter a miracle and they actually did something and with this new decade that we are about to enter into this week a new year and your new decade it's really tempting to go well what am I going to focus on what am I going to focus on I've got a book here and it's a book my grandmother left me and it's called the outline of the history of the world and it was published in 1920 and there's two books to it imagine the outline of the history of the world being in two books that is insane because right now your little phones that you're holding right now hold so much more history that if you printed it who knows how big that would be and my mum tells me that when she was a little girl and there was she was sick she was allowed to read these books but a lot of us when we get down with those feelings we can curl up in a little little chair over here and we can open our little story book called Once Upon a Time and we can tell ourselves little stories and create little narratives of once upon a time I went to church and I gave it a go but it didn't work and once upon a time I gave friends ago but it didn't work so I retreated and once upon a time and we have once upon a time narratives in the back of our head that we can create for ourselves and magnify and live in all of us in this room are facing battles everybody in this room I don't know any perfect person in this church and there are none just two heads up if you're looking for a perfect Church you've come to the wrong one because that none of us are aired right you agree yeah we're just we're all people on a journey following Jesus helping each other out but we can get caught up in these narratives and magnify and focus on stuff do you know there's an expiry date on blaming people and things for us all let's not snuggle up in little chairs reading little stories there are a hundred years out of date when the world's moved on and life has moved on magnifying the wrong kind of stuff because Bible gives us really clear instructions what we're to magnify Bible says some let me read it to you Psalm 103 this is 1 into 1 Psalm 103 says with my whole heart my whole life and with my innermost being I will bow in wonder and love before the holy God Yahweh you are my soul celebration how can I ever forget the miracles of kindness you've done for me how could I ever forget I got to magnify or God's done if I jump into the New Testament in 2 Timothy 1 verse 6 the ancient Apostle Paul writes to Timothy that troubled Timothy this is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you he writes to Timothy and he said I want to remind you to fan into flame the gift they word the Greek word it is an ominous echo and it means to repeat something to repeat the memories I want you to replay over and over I want you to remind yourself over and over and over over and over the good memories of God Timothy you're down right now and you're stuck but I want you to start to replay over and over and over the great memories of God I don't want you to magnify your little Sookie chair over here and the stuff that we can get down about and our bad sad feelings and comparing everybody else's lot when I swipe left and swipe right I want you to get back to replaying the goodness of God and then to find the greatness of God I want you to magnify that kind of stuff not magnifying me not magnifying them not magnifying his mistakes I want you to magnify God 1 Thessalonians 5 verse 8 it says always be joyful never stop praying be thankful in all circumstances not for all circumstances you've got to fight in all circumstances rebuke circumstances but be thankful in all circumstances and you know modern psychology is catching up I read an article this week from the center for positive psychology from the University of Melbourne and this is what they said we've got to learn to practice the habit of gratitude give thanks to the Lord for he is a near old wisdom and here is modern psychologists saying learn to practice the art of being grateful it is not the cure-all but it is it is something that actually helps rewire this brain of ours and write this down like yeah yeah it's a bit positive for me at the end of the year well okay feel free to go spend thousands on some counseling but here's just a little tip here's a little habit that we could do for free if we just spent 10 minutes a day here's some benefits if we learn to do what the Bible says and magnify the goodness of God we have better emotions increased satisfaction and well-being optimism as of connectivity to others increases we have more positive relationships our sense of resilience increases we cope with stress better hello our family might like us and mental health increases our ability to cope with the trauma and PTSD increases how do we do it send a note an SMS visit somebody and say thank you journal and write down things daily we're thankful for or think about things I could be grateful for every day just think about things I could be grateful for the grandkids that were unwrapping the present the card that my beautiful father-in-law Trevor sent me on Christmas Day and I put it in the most beautiful position because I loved the words that he wrote and I treasure it gratitude focus on gratitude his for lepers focused on what they had they could move they could make a move I won't elaborate but know the power of we not me there was for not one I think we're all craving for not just shallow activity but true community can I encourage our saw to dive deeper into true biblical community this church doesn't exist for you and God this church exists for us to be a true biblical community and it's messy and it takes work and it's vulnerable and please don't expect more of people than you expect of yourself yeah but we crave community so dive in don't pop in dive in yeah it's so much better x2 42 to 44 x4 32 to 35 and the last thought is this develop god-given grit do you know how a pearl is formed they don't even put a thing of sand in it's just a parasite a parasite gets in that Oster and that Nara that luster that comes out a beautiful pearl is just developed because of this irritation and this quality of grit or resilience is available to its all the good news is grit is not a strengths finder quality it's not a talent or a gift it's for the ordinary everyday person it's a choice it's not a feeling you can be sad and in trauma but be developing grit feelings not great feelings are a part of life these guys didn't have great feelings but they still had resilience and grit Jesus didn't feel great going to the cross be her grip so however this year is panning out and we celebrate with people who are celebrating from it for those of us that trying to resolve the loose ends doesn't mean you can't victoriously depart the year and step confidently into the new year amen because the feelings actually got nothing to do with it it's just part of our human experience that do not define us there are part of us and I'm not trying to be dismissive at all but grit it's a choice it's a decision and it's made in the ordinary and the difficult of life and it's just the ordinary everyday decision but the good news is this about grit this for men go in this crazy story they go this isn't right this is a day of good news this is so flippin awesome let's go back and tell everybody and this is our God's kingdom in the midst of this disaster they're like this is such fabulous news and then we jump into Isaiah again a prophet called in troubled times and he says in Isaiah 40 verse 9 o messenger of Zion a messenger of good news shout from the mountaintops shout out louder Oh Jerusalem shouting do not be afraid tell the towns of Judah your God is coming jump over a few verses more 52 verse 7 of Oz ayah how beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news the good news of peace and salvation the news that the God of Israel reigns and then Jesus in Luke 40 Luke 4 verse 43 Jesus said I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God in other towns too because that is why I was sent the good news of Jesus Christ is not just spiritual good news it is good news for our bodies it is good news for our minds it is good news for our families it is good news for our environment can I say that in the day we're living in it is good news for our economy these lepers they entered they left an economy of scarcity and entered an economy of God's provision can I speak that into people with professional careers and people with businesses regardless of what is going on that we take I am entering into God's economy for our families in Jesus name Amen the God's kingdom has come and his kingdom is a kingdom of good news may we not shrink it to just a spiritual experience may we expand his good news to all of our life can you stand with me this morning there are other things but I will leave it at that this morning I remember on our anointing service if I can say this this morning anointing service a couple weeks ago I'll never forget it this is why it was my birthday and for us that was a big day something we've been believing for breakthrough or year it didn't work out and it was the end of end of something that we needed to walk away from external to our family it wasn't that was something else Pastor Brian preached on um complacency and passion do you remember that and it was the anointing service at night was my birthday and I was really sad I was just the feeling you know when feelings overwhelm you it was the anointing service I was sitting over there and Stephen said you need to go and pray with people for a moment I wanted to sit in my chair and get out my book my magnifying glass and feel sad and I was like no don't want to I feel sad he said you need to go and pray for a mom up there and one ATTC I met her in the coffee queue I went no I feel I feel sad he said go you know what I did in feeling sad I got off my backside and I started walking you know as I started walking Satur fill hose direct suck I feel holy spirit I didn't feel Holy Spirit all day in my seat as I started moving I thought flip I feel God is with me I found this mom and I introduced myself and I said Steven told me about you he met you in the coffee queue I found his story and I met her family and we started praying what an amazing mom ah she was awesome it made my day but didn't happen as I stayed it happened as I went get moving get moving get up from the city gates and get moving amen amen go back to the city where this famine don't sit and worry about what we've lost paralyzed with fear let's go let's move forward we need each other in Jesus name can you say Amen can we lift our hands come back we need you to lead us amok this moment when we see cross alone [Music] we made sure in the same [Music] heeey [Music] when you see Christ [Music] [Music] yes [Applause] [Music] so we just lift our hands this morning and truly make him Lord truly magnify him above we thank him for the good things we we celebrate him we magnify Jesus for the [Music] typically whatever heartbreak whatever setback come on church this morning let's magnify our Savior algae but we are here but he is good that his character can't be relied on but he will Bend he will redeem he we were so that he does see us and just see a city outside and he finds a minute I see you as Marty and I [Music] [Applause] the greatness you know the least in the last year money in my hands and I'm able to see you go into a new economy of blessing and goodness in Jesus mighty name amen I'm gonna pray a prayer this morning and it's a prayer for people to decide to put Jesus as number one in your life this morning and maybe over this year Christ has lost his place in your life he's not he's not number one is not Lord and Savior maybe you've never known that Jesus could be Lord of your life well I'm inviting you this morning to make a decision to put Christ back in your life you know the amazing thing about Jesus is he you know that the whole thing about a city is quite amazing last year our family got to go to Israel and we went to Jerusalem and Jerusalem is his big city with the big wall around it and outside the city is where Jesus was crucified he went outside of a city to a garbage dump where he allowed himself to be crucified so that we could come into his family he allowed himself to be excluded and to be a sacrifice for all of humanity and all our mistakes that's why he came to earth that's what Christmas and the the birth of our Savior marks and celebrates so that we could become part of God's family and all he asked us us to do is acknowledge and receive his gift of forgiveness and life and I'm gonna pray a prayer this morning and if this morning you want to give your life back to Christ why not this morning finish your year with the greatest decision of your life and enter this new decade with Jesus in the middle and walking with God in the center of your life it is the wisest smartest decision you know what there's no sin no mistake that is to grow that will keep you away from his love because he loves you he made you his for you he's not beating you up you're no different to any person in this room we've all made mistakes we've all sinned we all feel unworthy because we are unworthy we don't deserve this it is a gift of grace the love of God and Jesus has paid the penalty so I'm going to ask everybody to close your eyes if you wouldn't mind and I'm gonna pray this prayer and I'm going to ask you to pray it with me just and God knows he knows if you were praying this for the first time or reconnecting back to him that's prayed together dear Jesus this morning I'm asking you to come into my life and be my Lord and Savior I've made mistakes but today come into my life and wash me clean I want to do my life with you in the very center and I want to know you for real as my savior and as my friend so thank you that right now you hear my prayer and that I am forgiven I'm loved and I'm a child of God and I'm forgiven amen and amen well done Sam why don't get ready come up for those people that have prayed that prayer to give your life's back to Jesus or maybe for the fifth that I know there'd be many people for the first time ever ever through all our locations and here in this room please in our foyers we've got this gift of a New Testament Bible take it as a gift from our church and even if you didn't pray that prayer but you're curious please take it as a gift from our church because we're so pumped can we congratulate people again amen thanks n can we put our hands together really thank Donna what a great message as we finish the year's or start a new one but I want to pray for everyone everywhere as we go and look don't forget tonight we're really believing that tonight really will be the cap caps capping stone of 2019 really blamed for a real presence of God and Roberts gonna be bringing the word it's gonna be awesome but I want to pray and I want to believe as we leave this year the 2020 will be a new start line for you with fresh hope and fresh vision maybe some of the old things that you've been believing God for that's going to be fresh faith and just a fresh expectation around some of those old promises that you'll know the goodness and the grace of God and as Pastor Brian's been talking about that you'll encounter the Holy Spirit in such a fresh way amen come on will you receive it father I want to say thank you for what you've done today father we thank you for the message father we thank you for your word and as we go farther we go understanding that father that you're a faithful God and I'm praying that Lord as we leave this service fathers are we going to the week that's ahead father I thank you for your grace in your goodness in your favor that's already gone before us father I thank you and I pray for a fresh start line over every life over every circumstance of every promise of every situation and father we thank you for it we thank you for your Holy Spirit may you breathe afresh father over every person's life and father we thank you in Jesus amen amen amen god bless you we'll see you tonight [Music] instead [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] the great day you see in China [Music]

Channel: Hillsong Church

Views: 20,373

Rating: 4.869565 out of 5

Keywords: jesus, hillsong, praise, worship, Donna Crouch

Id: Yx7KgxFw-k0

Length: 89min 58sec (5398 seconds)

Published: Sat Dec 28 2019