I Will See... // Vision Sunday // Ps Jonathan Lambert

[Music] [Music] it's remarkable what god has done in nine years and it is the yes of every dream team member every small group leader everyone who's given in an offering everybody who's sacrificed in a legacy season shout out to the ones that have stuck around that you you planted a seed of faith years ago and you're here today to watch how god has grown and developed and created the church that we're sitting in that we're broadcasting to so today is less of a sermon and more of a state of the union we'll call it a mandate if you can still handle that word there's a lot of mandates out there i know that it probably sends chills up your spine it makes you want to vomit but a mandate by definition is simply a commissioning to do or to become and today i'm really hoping and praying that whether you've been on the ride for nine years nine months or maybe tonight will be your very first welcome to church party that something is stirring in your heart that something as a result of today the holy spirit will call you to a new level of serving that you'll be ready to go all in building his kingdom not just in the context of this church but outside the walls of the church through your family and your business in your neighborhood that something will awaken in your spirit today for your life and beyond i believe god's calling us to step into something new psalm 27 13 i remain confident of this that i will see the goodness of the lord in the land of the living i will see come on say it with me i will see say it like you mean it i will see this is not just a memory verse it is our mandate a commissioning statement a prophetic word over our church that we will see the goodness of the lord in our lives i joke last week about getting it tattooed on my lower back and to be honest i've been thinking about it more seriously this week so there's a chance it'll happen when it does i'm going to wear one of those shirts that just comes to the top of your belt do a little bend over to get something you can see it peek out at you just as a little treat hey we could all get them together we could do like a small group or something maybe we could get it designed and then we'll just we'll have a bit of a club or like an i will see gang okay anyways hey for just a couple of minutes today i want to take a look at the origin of psalm chapter 23 or 27 13. um i think it's important for us to fully understand the context of what the psalmist is saying that we know where it comes from and the spirit and situation from which it was given it was written by king david before he was king david he's just dave and there are various theories and ideas on exactly when the most prevalent one i found was that psalm 27 corresponds with first samuel chapter 21 and 22. david had been called and anointed by god to be the future king but he was dealing with an erratic unpredictable violent jealous leader in king saul david had actually been hired to be a musician in the palace king saul was uh um slowly losing his mental faculties and there was something about king david playing his harp that calmed him down and settled the atmosphere and so as you can imagine king david or david who's been anointed to be the future king when he gets the call from the palace offering him a job as a mission as a musician he would have been pretty excited i mean to be serving as a musician in the palace after all is a significant step towards the destiny that god's got on his life he's now in the palace i mean you're just a promotion away from being in charge well as as good as it would have seemed like things were going one day david was playing his harp and saul freaked out grabbed the spear chucked it at him david dodged it happened again he's playing his heart saul chucks another spirit david before you know it there's a full-on manhunt trying to capture david run him down and kill him and david instead of stepping into his calling is now on the run for his life this is not ideal remember he's he was anointed to be king and now they're attempting to kill him david's running and in the process he's getting further and further from the palace that was his destiny that was his future all the way to the point where we find him at the end of mid chapter 22 of first samuel hiding in a cave the damp dark shadows cold musty it's the cave at adulum and this is the spot where david wrote the words i will see the goodness of the lord in the land of the living can i offer you just a little bit of encouragement today that you might not be where you thought you'd be it might even feel like there are some things in your life that have been drifting in the wrong direction it might feel like you're getting further and further away from what you thought was the goal or from the dream that god put in your heart the destiny that you saw it might be that today in this moment you're not where you feel you should be or where you you could have been and where you wanted to be i i get that i get it i did not anticipate celebrating our ninth birthday as a church with reduced capacity i did not understand that in 2021 a primary function of pastor would actually be like mediating between christians who hate each other because they're majoring on the minors i didn't realize that i didn't think that we'd have multiple campuses closed down due to covid i didn't i didn't think we'd be here either you know what i'm realizing that god's call is not circumstantial that romans chapter 11 verse 29 says that the gifts and call of god in your life are actually irrevocable that means you can't trade him you can't upgrade he'll he'll never take him back like the calling that he's placed on the inside of you is your calling today tomorrow the day after is your calling and the plans and purposes of god are not influenced uh by a pandemic if they're not influenced by pain on even on our church if god has called us to be a life-giving church that does not change because circumstances change we have to change and evolve so we can continue to be life-giving in a world that looks different than it did nine years ago we are still going to be a thriving church with multiple locations having influence in our city and beyond bringing hope to hopeless people and that's going to happen regardless of the circumstance god doesn't need you to rethink his goal for your marriage because you've had a rough patch god's plan for your business does not change because your business has gone through a tough season he still has a plan god's plan for your health is still that you would be healed and whole god's plan for your family and your relationships is still that you'd have unity in your home and that that that you'd be growing in faith god's plan for your ministry god's plan for your children god's plan for your dream those things don't change because the circumstances are different irrevocable call so how does david stay so confident when life is crazy in the face of misfortune and adversity and chaos i think not only can we learn personally but i i believe that there are some thoughts in this text as david was writing this psalm that can tell us who this church is going to be as we move into the future three thoughts on what we see as a church number one we see a church that builds we are a church that builds first samuel chapter 21 verse 1 says david went to knob to him elect the priest him elect trembled when he met him and asked why are you alone why is no one with you i want you to catch that david went under intense pressure and a difficult situation when somebody is literally hunting for his life he runs to the presence of god he runs to the tabernacle to see the priest this is an old testament picture of the church and i'm telling you the church has never been more crucial than it is right now david in his distress runs full out into god's house a place of hope a place of healing and a place of refuge we've got to build that kind of church so people have somewhere to run in psalm 27 the earlier verses specifically 4-6 david speaks about the church he says one thing i ask from the lord this only do i seek that i may dwell in the house of the lord all the days of my life to gaze on the beauty of the lord and to seek him in his temple for in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me at his sacred tent i will sacrifice with shouts of joy i will sing and make music to the lord come on david loves the church a couple of words that stick out he says keep me safe hide me talks about being set upon a rock and his head exalted but then he says even though my enemies surround me they're still there the presence of god will will not rescue you from trouble but the presence of god will be a refuge for us in trouble and the world needs refuge like david when the pressure's on everybody runs somewhere and the truth about running is that you what you run to will run you what you run to will run you you got to be careful if you run to culture thinking that's going to make everything better ultimately you will be a slave to the culture that you've submitted yourself to if we run to the approval and affirmation of other people then you will be run by how other people think about you and view you if you run to your your investment portfolio and your bank account then you will be run by the ups and downs in the market if we run to government officials and health authorities and think that that's going to make everything better then your sanity and your inner peace will go up and down with every new announcement and every new wave no no we've got to run to the presence of god in the house of god this is meant to be a refuge for people in trouble you're in trouble run to the house david was so convinced of the significance and the importance of the house of god that in first chronicles chapter 22 verse 5 he says this my son solomon is young and inexperienced and the house to be built for the lord should be of great magnificence and fame and splendor in the sight of all the nations therefore i will make preparations for it so david made extensive preparations before his death listen he invested in the future of god's house because it wasn't just about him it was about the next generation this listen this search is not just a one and done we got this building and we're just going to sit back and ride the wave no no no we are building a generational church and long after you and i are gone people still need to be able to run into experienced churches all across the country to find refuge from the pain and torment and hurt and despair that the world throws at them long after we're gone people will still come through these doors and find freedom long after we're gone people will still step into experienced churches and be empowered to make a difference in their world and step into their god-given calling we cannot stop building the house of god [Applause] and so we are a church we see a church that builds it's expansion time in our tenth year we are going to expand we're going to reclaim the territory in the north and re-launch a north campus this year we have strategic vision like we're shared in the video for small towns and communities that don't have the resources of a major city center we were leaving for new doors new spaces new places new people new testimonies new families turned upside down and new cities reached we will build we're going to build our first samuel chapter 21 verse 8 says now david asked to him a leg do you have a speared or a sword here i haven't brought my sword or any other weapon now i thought this was a great ministry idea i threw it out there in the earlier service i'm just throwing it out there again today if anybody feels called to start an armory in the church we can stockpile wouldn't that be great if we just had all our own weapons i mean there's a there's a precedent for it right here so if you're feeling that leading come chat with me the priest replied the sword of goliath the philistine whom you killed in the valley of ela's here it's wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod if you want it take it there is no sword here but that one david said there is none like it give it to me not only do we see a church that builds we see a church that battles you might remember goliath from the time david rolled up with a stone in a sling took him out hit him in the head then chopped his head off with this same sword now david on the run does not have a weapon goes into the presence of god and finds a weapon retakes goliath sword now i love that story but it's always been a little bit disheartening that even after the triumph over goliath david finds himself in another battle and the truth is none of us have this none of us have the luxury of just killing goliath and going home it doesn't work like that that's not how life happens we are in a war and and understand of course that we don't just go from battle to battle to battle to battle when we've got jesus we go from victory to victory to victory to victory but we're in a war we're warring for our children and we're warring for our children's children we're warring for our city and our nation we're warring for unity we're warring for peace we're warring for people who are far from god and don't know that there is a place of refuge they can run to we are in a war and for some of you i know even just getting up and showing up today was a war jumping on the feet like i mean there's an internal battle should i shouldn't i it's a war i'll be encouraged though today's battle is evidence of yesterday's victory you live to fight another day you made it through the last battle you're here and the reward for victory is a new battle but that comes with a new opportunity you kill goliath and it's on to the next and at ec we are not going to be surprised when we face battles we are not shocked when there's opposition we are not looking for the quick way out we will not quit we will not give up we are in this all the way and the truth is our future will be more demanding than our past because it's greater than our past there will be new battles we have a decision to make are we going to bow out or will we battle i will see is a prophetic declaration that this church will build on our battles listen the first time around all david needed was a sling and a stone but now he's not just up against one man he's up against an army and you know what happens he's not just up against an army he's up against a nation and god is calling him to build a nation if you want to keep playing with slings and stones then you can keep keep in like the small-minded little fights that don't change nations but man i'm ready to up the ante i'm ready for the heavy artillery i'm ready to step into the ring i'm ready to believe that god is equipping us now with everything we need to be part of a nation-changing culture shifting movement when david david what he got from a battle with goliath is what he needed for the war for the nation and your past is producing your greatest weapons you just got to be willing to go back and grab them david's building a kingdom he's not running from his calling he's running to the very places he needs to see the plan of god unfold he's getting ready to face armies he's building and establishing a kingdom experience church we're getting ready to take the nation and we can't fight to tomorrow's fight with yesterday's weapon we're going to build on the battle every battle every lesson we're going to take every weapon every tool everything we've learned every bit of confidence we've gained the perspective we've got the character that's been developed and we will battle we will build we will battle we will not back down and finally first samuel chapter 22 verse 1 says david left gath and escaped to the cave of agilem when his brothers in his father's household heard about it they went down there to him all those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him and he became their commander about 400 men were with him we see a church that builds we see a church that battles and we see a church that bonds they came together they came together i don't know it just says they heard i don't know what they heard i don't know if they heard about his resolve i don't know if they heard that he was on the run i don't know if they heard him singing in the cave i don't know what they heard but but david went from being alone in a dark cave to being surrounded by a group of people that's so powerful to me because listen anybody will gather around you when you're reigning anyone will gather around you when life's going good and you're on top and you've got everything and all this stuff everything's clicking in your world every anybody will gather around you when you reign it's you gotta look for the people who will gather around you when you run and that's who we're going to build with we're going to build with the runners we're going to build with the people who will show up in a cave and say hey it's crazy out there but we're going to run together and believe for god's best now that the the the group that gathered around him in scripture i mean sometimes they get a bad rap like they're misfits you read about them they're in distress you know their lives weren't easy there have been some problems they're unhappy they're in debt might think that they're overdrawn stressed from past failure no success discontented that they're hurt they've been wronged they're unsatisfied with where they are how things are they're desperate you know when i when i read those words i think man somebody distressed this is unconventional by the way you wouldn't look for those types of people to build an army but when you can see prophetically you realize that distress is actually just battle tested oh that you've you've been through some things and you've lived to tell the story then i want some battle tested people running with me i want some people who've been in the trenches and who know what it is to get dirty and know what it is to get on their knees and get into some warfare prayer because you're just not sure if you're even going to make it to tomorrow i want some battle tested life hasn't been easy i got a testimony i got a story it's a little bit ugly but i'm here to run that's what we're looking for battle tested the people who are in debt man they're the people of great faith they risked it all on a chance i want to run with the people who have enough faith to say god i have no idea but i'm gonna try god we don't know how we're gonna expand but we're gonna try god we don't know how to how to see thousands of people get saved but we're gonna try god we don't know what it's gonna take to fill the saddle dome but we're gonna try god we're going to go we're going to be big faith people i want some discontented people who look at the way of the world and say there's got to be a better option we've got to be more creative we've got to come up with some solutions where are the entrepreneurs at that'll step into the ring and say i'm gonna take my god-given creative ability and we're gonna build his kingdom we see a church that bonds around christ's vision that nobody should perish so i'm calling today all of the battle tested all of the big faith all of the entrepreneurs creative people ready to think outside of the box listen the world is changing and the church cannot afford to change with it we got to change ahead of it we got to set the tone we got to set the culture we got to innovate and create because the way it's been done and the way we got here it's not going to be the way we get there we've got to keep going the mission remains but our methods are going to change oh the battle tested the faith-filled and the entrepreneurs we will see the goodness of the lord in our city i want you to stand with me for a moment please nobody leave i was praying a few weeks ago and i believe the holy s spirit kind of downloaded into my heart what i've just been calling the i will see declaration and you're here in the room today you're watching online i want to give you an opportunity to receive from this and let it let it speak to your heart maybe stir up some faith for what's going on in your world right now and ask you if you're comfortable just close your eyes you can even lift a hand and get ready to receive and we're gonna we're gonna share and step into these things together i will see these are prophetic words describing a future not yet realized a vision a picture a story that is yet to be written and a testimony yet to be shared i will seize a conviction held by dreamers the ones who dare to live beyond themselves and believe for age-old promises to be fulfilled i will see is the boast of seekers those knocking on the door of a miracle the ones not content with status quo who know that a supernatural future belongs to those who never give up i will see is the heartbeat of this church unshaken in times of trouble and overflowing with life we are god's plan for humanity the church is generous and passionate it embodies the mission of jesus to seek and save the lost running full force in the direction of all who need him i will see is the mission statement of those committed to lifting the oppressed caring for the poor honoring the widow and championing the cause of christ at home and around the world it is doors open arms open hearts open ready to make space for every story every life every prodigal returning into the arms of the heavenly father i will see is the commitment to keep praying impossible prayers to keep lifting up our voices and raising up our hands come on lift your hands all across the room and pushing back every argument that sets itself up against the knowledge of god i will see is the belief that heaven still touches earth that miracles still happen that cancer will disappear and sickness will be healed and mental health restored and addiction broken and lives transform i will see is faith that plunders hell and populates heaven i will see is the battle cry of the warrior full of strength and resilience determination and faith the one who knows that even when evil advances the lord is our stronghold and salvation when enemies rise up and adversity closes in then uncertainty is all around we are steadfast because he who called us is faithful i will see is a promise to future generations that we will live now and sacrifice now and fight now so they can know the fullness of life that jesus came to offer this is a bold declaration that our children and our children's children will serve the lord and build his house i will see the goodness of the lord [Music] you

Channel: Experience Church

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Length: 25min 51sec (1551 seconds)

Published: Mon Sep 27 2021