Judah Smith — VOUS Conference 2019: I Was Wrong

so I'm gonna read this passage and then we'll get started says in Luke 18 it says he told us next story Jesus now to some who were complacently pleased with themselves over their moral performance what a cool statement I mean not cool to do that but a cool statement over their moral performance and he looked and they look down their noses at the common people so Jesus seen this this problem he he tells the story he says two men went up to the temple to pray one a Pharisee the other tax man the Pharisee posed and prayed like anybody grow up skating skateboarding worst insult ever was you're such a poser no you know that doesn't resonate cuz I'm 40 okay so you mean owning that people like what is he talking about thanks for laughing it doesn't mean a lot so he posed and he prayed like this is it all God I thank you I'm not like other people robbers crooks adulterers or heaven forbid like this tax man he says I I fast twice a week I tithe all my income like who's he talking to himself for the Lord you know meanwhile the tax man slumped in the shadows his face in his hands not daring to look up said God give mercy forgive me a sinner then Jesus says this is amazing he says you know it was the tax man not the other that went home made right with God listen to this this is the words of Jesus now if you walk around with your nose in the air you're going to end up flat on your face but if you're content to be simply you simply yourself you'll become more than yourself in that amazing I want to I want to speak from the subject I was wrong I was wrong I was wrong I was wrong three of the most powerful words in the world if put together I was wrong do you mind come coming back to play the piano at the end would that be cool because I'm gonna tell jokes and if you're playing softly they will not land at all so thanks man such a good guy like we've never met you know but he's a good guy I was wrong I was wrong will you pray with me Jesus we acknowledge the fact that this actually isn't a TED talk and those are great this isn't actually a speech this isn't just an in SPO the point where we need to hear from you then so we're asking that you would do something in this room that cannot be done unless you do it so we welcome that we thank you for what you're doing in vous Church we thank you for what you're doing in each and every Church represented in this auditorium God thank you thank you thank you for what you have done for us and help the Lakers Lord in Jesus name and everybody said Pastor Mike you're a good man you're a good man three days ago my wife and I got in a fight and we fight a lot there it is I said it the reason for that is Chelsea still learning to allow me to shape her and mold her like Judith don't start making these jokes they've been made seriously Chelsea's on a journey and I understand that we've been married 19 years right thank you coming up on 20 writes our 20th anniversary terr year to plan so really looking forward to all the plans you got babes gonna be incredible 20 years so I guess I thought by the time I was 40 20 years pastor rich then we would stop fighting but I'ma be honest with you we've been fighting a lot lately we really oh oh now you're gonna get quiet okay suddenly you're like dude I think he's serious yeah I don't think he's was joking but yeah it's just one of those seasons where there's just been a lot of challenges we met with our we have marriage coaches that help us in our marriage and I went there so excited that finally these marriage coaches would tell Chelsea how she needs to submit and like yield it didn't really go well but um yeah so we're close to going to bed and something just frustrates me Chelsea says something and I overreact now part of my spiritual gift is overreacting I love Christian jokes but seriously I overreact a lot recently I had I I avoid the dentist at all cost I would rather do math than go to the dentist okay and I had this toothache I've avoided it for two years I know I know oh oh and you don't have problems how much sin have you been avoiding for two years he'll start start doing that I love preachers you avoid sin like I avoid - thanks touch three people and say don't avoid it anymore you know but no don't do that that's just teasing so turn your neighbors say what are you hiding no don't do that I'm kidding I'm kidding turn about it tell me now oh man that reminds me have you ever brought a new person to your small group have you ever done this this is these are my favorite moments right and everybody who's been around Christianity long enough knows that when you get in a small group and everybody asks like hey how are you doing you'll actually answer it legitimately you're like oh man God has been faithful tough season but I'm getting through the Red Sea going into the Promised Land and I know that God's gonna make me lie down in green pastures and lead me beside still waters he's the lion he's the lamb beginning and God's faithful don't even know what we're talking about but you bring that friend who's like so broken so desperate doesn't really like religion but just on a whim was like dude I'll do anything to fix my life and the group leader goes and how are you doing oh my life sucks I've been you know you're like no we don't actually like share we're Christians we invented the unspoken do you remember that yeah I got an unspoken all right hey Lord we pray for Jared's unspoken whatever it may be we got an idea what it might be secret sexual sin mr. unspoken all right so every time I was a youth pastor for 10 years every time the guy was like unspoken we're like we get it Jared's been up to so I avoid the dentist at all cost I do and I overreacted I started texting people I'm getting my tooth pulled pray for me so I started texting people there's people in this room I did I text them as I pray for me I'm keating my tooth pole today this is so serious I got to the dentist and she's like oh you just have a little extra pressure in your bite we'll just shave it down and you're good to go and I'm like wait we don't need to remove my tooth and I'm like how will I face my friends it was nothing oh man well I'm good to closing prayer if you guys are love you guys so much man [Applause] all right so Chelse and I get in this fight and I'm frustrated and one thing about me when we get into a fight I want to finish the fight but the fight is not finished until I have had my say and I say it's finished so we're laying in bed and I'm like babe seriously I just it drives me not and she finally she says she says you just just go to bed and I know enough Scripture to be like really the Bible says don't let the Sun go down on your wrath your unbiblical to be honest I definitely didn't say that but I thought it she says just go to bed you're emotional we'll talk about it in the morning it's my least favorite I feel like it's passive-aggressive she's like I'm under control you're out of control and I'm like and I was so proud of myself this is where I insert self compliment I I rolled over and I went to bed yeah because I'm a self-control man appreciate that thank you means a lot so I roll over I go to bed wake up the next morning super early to see God preacher's this is my favorite I was up early this morning praying for you Church my favorite was up so early before the sunrise that's when I rise it wasn't that early but so we wake up and some kind of reviewing like the night that was right and it dawns on me it's very uncomplicated and it dawns on me that the dhole fight could have been avoided or at least resolved if I would have simply just admitted this simple as this I was wrong because I was and the whole reason I wanted to keep fighting and we've been mayor for almost 20 years as it is after 20 years I'm a grown man I'm 40 and after 20 years this guy still struggles all alone with his wife in our bedroom I still don't want to say those words I would rather go well you know what you have misunderstood what I'm trying to say what are you trying to say I'm trying to say that's my favorite cuz I'm emotional by the way it's amazing what you can get away with when you're fighting with your spouse and you go emotional I do that sometimes but I uh I just didn't want to say I was wrong and I woke up the next day and emotions kind of evaporated and I just had a moment of self talk you you really couldn't you couldn't tell your wife you were wrong and so I think she was Chelsea's always up before me she's always somewhere reading her Bible and so I think I found her and I said hey babe about last night and she's like I'll let's talk about it later I was like no let's talk about it right now and I think she prepared for the worst she's like here we go and I'm like hey I I was wrong I was wrong and it went great except you know when you finally admit that you're wrong what you're looking for is someone to go wow thank you for being so humble that's what I love about you in our marriage and that's where you walk away and you're like it is amazing how humble I am but I was like babe I was wrong when she said something like thank you for admitting it I was wrong I was wrong is that so hard to say I was well what is it about the human condition that craves being right only we just crave it it's insatiable isn't it we just want to be right we want to be right that we can be right and yet so wrong you know you ever run into somebody one of your distant relatives that is always right put always wrong at the same time we sit our makeup to correct people inject I was in a conversation recently in in in in in we were talking and this person challenged me on something in in my life and I had the perfect rebuttal it was so good and it was objective not subjective most of my arguments are subjective I can't prove him I just feel him but this one like I had proof and I was this close to going Bam Bam Bam Bam what say something but then it occurred to me nobody likes that person but this is a conundrum to me because socially and relationally nobody wants to be friends with the know-it-all right like nobody right we all have one of those friends if you don't know if you have one of those friends you is that friend you know the friend is always like well actually it was 1991 that when that happened you're like bro I said 92 close enough ballpark always accurate always right deference is a beautiful thing innit yeah you probably write it amazing those are the people were drawn to the people who are like when you share information instead of gold well actually they say wow that's so interesting I've never seen that before wow you're so smart that's incredible thank you for sharing that you must read a lot think of all those people that you like to be around just like that those are the people were like that's so good around you because when I talk you're do you listen and you're like wow are you on the internet a lot we what we crave we avoid and friends why are we doing this we actually the friends we like are the ones who are like a man my bad that was dumb I don't know wise and shaman idiot you're like how you're not trying to are we get over here I love you so much and yet it's a problem for us I was I was wrong our culture today is an interesting place because we don't like right and wrong we've replaced right and wrong with different hey you're not right you're not wrong you're just different like a you believe in gravity I don't neither one of us are riding wrong we're just different oh yeah you sure yeah yeah oh okay well this logic doesn't hold water at all yeah I just I was talking to a friend recently and he said I don't know if you were wrong I just think it's your journey and your journey is your own and we're all different and I was like now that is the definition of a slippery slope we don't like wrong I'm not wrong hey my point of view is just different ladies and gentlemen there is a thing in the universe one of them is called right the other is called wrong I didn't make it that way God made it that way and I actually think for our future enjoyment if we're going to improve our journey on the planet we actually need to assimilate the humble posture or even just add it to your language I was wrong let's use our imagination for a moment think back the last hundred years just the last hundred years just the last hundred years can you imagine if every person who was wrong in the last hundred years let's say just in this country in the last hundred years every one of the people who are wrong simply admitted hey I was wrong how much catastrophe and carnage would have been avoided hey thanks for coming to this rally this rally is wrong I am wrong it is dismissed go your separate ways that's on me my bad this is not good can you imagine how much would have been avoided if we could just say I changed my mind was so wrong sorry I was wrong so Jesus has his audience in Luke 18 are these people who don't think they're wrong and the reason they don't think they're wrong is because they've added up the score and they feel like they have more right in their life than other people do so they've concluded they're not wrong and now they walk around town acting like they're better than other people that doesn't sound like Christians does it we need to pray for those people in our country oh my lord have mercy on them am i right don't judge them Lord because we've done the same thing I know I have we keep score and we have rated wrongness as a scale we put it on and so the Pharisee who would have been an elite Jew is in the temple praying next to what is now a non Jew tax collectors with Jewish people who cheated their own people out of their own money and so they considered them non-jews and quite frankly shouldn't have been in the temple and Jesus is telling a story that is outlandish tax collectors didn't go to the temple to pray because they weren't welcomed to the temple but in Jesus temple they're welcomed so that's another story so he says he says two men went to the temple to pray and the Pharisee prayed a prayer that sounds like the human condition he in a crazy while he's praying it seems to me he actually looks over to the man that he's better than and while he's praying he goes Lord thank you I'm not a robber and a thief and a bad person and oh whoa and I am NOT like him thank you Jesus and that's the Richard Stallman about last last night one of the reasons we don't say we're wrong is because we compare our wrongness to other people's wrongness and we'll I hey I didn't murder nobody shoot it's not illegal like are we still doing that every successive generation keeps falling for this oh man well I thought I was bad till I met that guy who what and it simply because Jesus Jesus wrote this story by the way this is history he wrote it he authored it he says and the tax collector couldn't even lift up his eyes had his face in his hands the one guy is looking around the other guy is looking nowhere well that's a lesson isn't it he says his prayer is broken like this he prays he's like I'm I'm bad at mercy sinner thank you like it's it's not even a good prayer but it's actually perfect it's basically we have two guys one that can't say he's wrong and the other who is willing to say I'm wrong I'm wrong so which one am I most of the time which one am I which one are you I love parables because it to me Jesus always seems to be kind of alluding to like in my story who do you identify with and don't identify with who you wish you could identify with that's called inspirational identification we need realistic identification on a normal average Monday which one are you the only one that just keeps getting encouraged by other people's deficiencies oh I'm the only one as ioann but that person oh really I didn't hear about them really they oh that their marriage is over yeah it's bad Wow oh wow and why in the deepest sickest secret part of my soul does a little twinge that goes I still have my marriage which one are you I was wrong I don't I don't want to say I was wrong I just I'm different no you you're wrong so so I I tried to look around the Bible to look for wrongness and I want to talk about four kind of ways we get it wrong and I see it in Scripture and then I'll I'll I'll be done pastor rich had four points I have four points this is my gift to my friend pastor rich who was the clearest preacher ever and I am following his example for four kind of ways we get it wrong number one I was wrong comma I sinned that's where it all starts that was wrong how I sinned ah now we don't we don't like the word sin in our culture and I can totally relate that's not a shock to me oh you know people don't want to talk about sin who does who's like I love the term sin it's so great so clarifying so therapeutic know it's like sin sin no let's not say sin let's say different let's let's say not your best day let's let's say sin so let's talk about sin but the Bible says all have sinned and fall short of God's mark or standard that sin sin is a mark excuse me sin is missing the mark set by God now here's the universal reality here's what's true about are you there's a God he is the creator of heaven and earth he speaks things into existence he says ocean in the ocean goes here we are he says stars stars like we've arrived right and so he made everything and inherently he has a standard that is consistent with his character his standard comes from the essence of who he is he is pure he is holy he is faithful he is true he's all-powerful so he sets a mark he the centerpiece of his creation is brought into motion he and he invents he creates he designs Adam then Eve they start having babies but before then he puts them in utopia he puts them in a garden everything is perfect but he inserts freewill so that their love is not force but it's a choice and man the centerpiece of the creation elite among all of the designs and creation of the earth is given a choice now God always stacks the odds in our favor by the way how many trees could they eat up pretty much all of them except one in case you want to know how good god is he could have made all the trees you can't eat it but you can either one and they walked by all these orchards like here's our tree instead all the trees except one and what is our nature do we got all this to enjoy and we like is this I'm not gonna eat it I just want to look at it so what happens remember we're eternal beings made in His image for God has always been and always will be makes us we have a start but we will not have an end we will not have an end that's on this earth is not an end it's the beginning to forever God never made Adam and Eve to die he made him to live forever but the moment they missed his standard all the sudden what came into play eternal torment now man for man woman for wound will have to pay the penalty for missing the mark for God is consistent with his character it's called justice so when we err in mister mark well there has to be repercussions and we have to pay for missing the mark I was wrong I sinned and now what sin plays eternal torment and so God sets in motion Redemption so that the centerpiece of Chris creation who would never be able to pay for their sins eternally would be tormented forever and ever without end he said no put on skin and bone paid the price we could not pay hung on the middle cross between two thieves and said it is finished was buried in a rich man's grave rose again on the third day resurrected elevated into heaven and seated at the right hand of God on high that's what he's doing and the earth is his Ottoman and now forever set in motion his eternal torment can be turned into eternal ecstasy eternal bliss if we will simply accept the gift but we have a world today that is being told about Jesus and it does not make sense because I'm not wrong I'm just different you're not right I'm not wrong we just have our own journey and then we bring Jesus and we say here's his story and the world goes why don't my sin why do I need Jesus oh wait oh so you're saying Jesus will improve by portfolio okay the problem is we're telling people yeah this is gonna be great but Jesus by nature is disruptive and so people are like yeah I'm down for sure this is cool look at this this this gschool saamiya via volunteer we forget to tell him he he did he throws stuff around at the temple and stuff he like he like gives you dreams and like wakes you up and stuff and this won't let you do everything you want to do and he's got a plan and and and and then when things go bad people are like I'm like Jesus my life hasn't got much better oh we forgot to tell you that Jesus like he saved you from eternal torment yeah yeah no I get that but I still haven't got the job I wanted how do we say this um isn't it enough that he paid for your eternal torment we're not and my the only one I don't feel like I'm prepared for forever I'm busy asking for forever to help me today and that's why the script says these light moments here to that person hello it doesn't bother me at all seriously I got three kids it's white noise I feel like you're getting embarrassed it's probably your mom you should answer it yeah hey yo mom I'll call you back don't you dare call me back these light momentary afflictions are producing for us a far exceeding way to glory well I got that's a great scripture that's a frustrating scripture so so so we could go on I I was wrong comma I I sinned I missed the mark and I will miss the mark and I'm missing the mark I I was wrong I was wrong I was I was born selfish I was wrong number two I was wrong I failed you I was wrong I failed you I didn't follow through with you I didn't do what I said I would do I was wrong I failed you Peter much has been made of Peter as it should be he seems that all the 12 disciples to get the most air time has the most lines as the moat right like we see we see Peter on camera a lot Peters probably the only disciple over 21 years old and in Peters constantly sticking his foot in his mouth and Peter definitely is the guy for you remember right before Jesus goes on trial his death and crucifixion Peter is the guy saying I will never first thank you never oh you got you're my man let's go Jesus goes actually the next few hours are gonna be pretty tough for you you're not gonna do it once not gonna do it twice gonna do it thrice I just I just wanted to say thrice like we're laughing about Peter denying Jesus three times like come on Judah let's keep this serious Peter denied Jesus three times the last times like the worst he literally it's like a junior high girl at a bonfire she's like hey are you and if you look at the language it literally means I hope that God would damn me if I know Jesus that's what he says I pray God damns me if I know Jesus and this Junior High girls like alright isn't marshmallow so so Peter denies them and then there's this story if you remember I call it the beach scene it's where Jesus is a chef he fixed Peter breakfast and some of the guys remember Peter goes back to his old work his old occupation his old job which is a fisherman he goes back there and we find in other Gospels other than Mark we see this story played out Jesus like do you love me do you love me do you love him here it's like yes you know you know and they liked your story they hug it out it's amazing so then why in Peter's telling of the story does he leave that scene out see the Gospel of Mark is actually Peters story mark is - Peter what Timothy was - Paul mark records the Gospel according to Peter's take so when you read mark you're reading Peters story have you ever considered here is the final verse about Peter in Peters telling of the story here it is mark 14 72 we can put it up on the screen and immediately the rooster crowed a second time and Peter remembered how Jesus has said to him before the rooster crows twice you will deny me three times then he broke down and wept like if I'm mark I'm like man Peter thank you for opening up man appreciate that now as you know me as a store it had to be awkward mall and then like as the resurrection gets told and stuff I can imagine mark being like hey so when do you want to put the beach scene in it's one of my favorites it's like you and Jesus and what it will do for our readers is it will show them restoration Peters like nah Mark's like so just so you know what we're putting out there this is the last verse about you in your story why why is that the last thing you want people to hear Peter because I failed him what are you saying Peter I want people to know it's a healthy thing to admit they were wrong and they failed somebody you ever talk to somebody and they're like yeah but everything before the but doesn't matter I only listen to what's after the but Peter has no but in his sentence and he wept bitterly but later on the beach Jesus shall restore him and he will be used as a pillar in the future expansion of the church Wow it's like Peter once and for all for all of us steps up and says I was wrong I failed him wouldn't it be refreshing if we started living like this in the church when we failed somebody I'm talking about something petty like a coffee appointment let's get real practical you set up a 3:30 coffee appointment on Thursday with your friend at Starbucks and you just don't show and you're sitting there it's like 335 350 4:15 4:30 run a little fast forward now you your church together and you find this person like wouldn't this be refreshing if they said I am so sorry I actually I totally forgot I did not value you enough to write it down and make sure I was there I forgot I was wrong I'm gonna work on that I just want you to know I love you I respect you will you forgive me honey make that person your friend fast because that's not normal hey 3:30 Thursday coffee where where are you oh yeah oh man right for sure appreciate hey something came up what happened was in traffic a man I'll be there next time I'm talking about church now personal response actually it's it's cool and I I see that you don't have time for me that'll have time what do you say oh so this is my fault will you weren't there I had an emergency oh okay so well let's get together again I don't know you good now are you good you know you don't want to be my friend or you too good for me I've been in church a long time ladies and gentlemen I have had this conversation i text you you never text back well I what happened was would you just be refreshing if we just was in a church everybody's like that's on me how was wrong cuz everything yeah it's totally wrong you were okay okay Cecil I was wrong I failed you number at number three I was wrong about that person I was wrong about that person so quickly it acts there's the story where Paul he's a pretty considerable figure in the New Testament writes more than half of it it's fired by the Holy Spirit he's got this buddy named Barnabas Barnabas has a cousin named John Mark Paul and Barnabas are going to double back and go back to some cities where they have started churches to kind of just say hey how you guys doing and Barnabas goes perfect let's take my cousin John Mark Paul goes excuse me Barnabas Barney's like a job mark you know john john mark guy with two names two first names John Mark and Paul goes no that guy was a deserter back in the day a few years ago if you don't remember cuz he's your cousin he wasn't there for us he needs to be a man he needs to step up so no I don't want John mark on my tour a Barnabas is like that's ridiculous and the Bible says their disagreement was so strong it is actually one of the strongest disagreements recorded in all of the New Testament part of this goes fine I'm taking John Mark and we're going this direction and Paul goes fine I got a new friend his name is Silas a much better name than Barnabas and Silas and I are gonna go over here a few years go by Paul gets older I hope that getting older means getting better kinder sweeter more gracious Paul's close to death and he writes this second Timothy 4:11 sis Luka alone is with me hey kit mark this is John Mark get mark and bring him here he's he's gonna be really helpful oh hey Paul did you have a change of heart yeah I was I was wrong about John Martin I was wrong about John mark where's the last time I think we should all in our lifetime at least have one of these John Mark moments I mean there's got to be at least one person in your life that you finally conclude you know what I was wrong you're the problem is not with you the problem is with me I was judgmental I didn't see you for who you were I was selfish I didn't like you you threatened me I felt comparison with you I felt competition with you so I wrote you off I took a snapshot of you and said that's who you are I was wrong about that person I believe in boundaries there are people you you you actually don't need to have a relationship with again there's there's but but but that can't be everybody now what now the way I roll man once I cut you out you're out that's Jairo yeah you're out yeah let's go let's go just me and my guys let's roll cool cool all right yeah cuz that's that's what it's about yeah whoo-hoo John Mark now man I like John Mark that's a poser I like John Mark that was the term used in 88 but the point is what if you're wrong about that person what if you're wrong about that person lastly I'm done I'm I'm done number four in conclusion isn't that refreshing in conclusion 67% of you re engaged in conclusion I can breathe again in conclusion I was wrong about God I was wrong I I was wrong I I sinned I was wrong I failed you I was wrong about that person I was wrong about you but what if we had a church that could admit when they were wrong about God I was wrong I I didn't I had never seen that part of God I was wrong so there's this eloquent young preacher in the First Church the early church his name is Apollo's Acts chapter 18 records that Apollo's is growing in popularity and his audience is growing he's eloquent in his speaking he's powerful he's well-versed in Scripture but there's this interesting it says but he only knew about the baptism of John we're not entirely sure what that means by the way there's a lot of discussion about it amongst scholars and thinkers and writers and readers but but but the this couple priscilla and aquila show up to one of his meetings and Apollo's is just doing it right he's just and people he's preaching him priscilla and aquila are sitting there and they're going if that's right and what unfolds between these three people I'm just gonna put it out there for you and ask could we do this in the church could we do this in the church so priscilla and aquila are listening to a preacher and they're going that's not actually accurate and so the service gets over and priscilla and aquila hey Apollo's we've heard about you hey would you you want to go out to eat what one one scholar he's like I'm pretty sure they would have shared a meal together and privately with no one around priscilla and aquila been around the Jesus Movement a little longer sad Apollo's town eloquent sharp young preacher got a huge podcast and they have a conversation must have gone something like hey a couple of things you could add to what you're saying and we have no record that Apollo sat there and said excuse me who do you think you are I'm a man of God do you see how my ministry is growing you can't challenge me the Bible says he went on to Ephesus and he was greatly effective can't make a couple of observations I was wrong about God I was wrong about God I was wrong about God first of all number one every single person in here in this room is wrong about God right now in real time you're wrong about God am i totally wrong No relax but you saw him wrong you some row hyah yeah not different wrong why'd you see God differently no you you get to see God the way he says to see him I see God like this if God doesn't want to be seen like that you made it up that's wrong every single one of us right now collectively in this room are wrong about God now if we all own that I don't know why I just feel like that what are we doing we all not shoot us that would just level everything well the only person who's like five years from now I want to look back on how I saw God and go what were you thinking is that okay can I mean we can just I changed my mind I was wrong I don't see him like that what's amazing is it goes on and says and when Apollo's after his dinner with priscilla and aquila which was kind of gracious and can we give Priscilla anteclo some credit Apollo's was a threat to their ministry Apollo's was younger good-looking sharp eloquent effective and priscilla and aquila we're not as young and they could have sat there and said we don't let this guy be wrong so we can have a better ministry and be right instead priscilla and aquila completely squashed competition in comparison discreetly carefully lovingly pulled Apollo's aside so that he could be even a greater tool to build the Church of Jesus Christ Oh God give us some leaders like that who don't go online to call out other preachers that's not the spirit of the New Testament that's not the spirit of the early church where are Priscilla and where is Aquila where are those who care more for the greater good than your little individual platform yeah man I'm 40 i'ma tell you the truth we got no business arguing is with each other in a public symposium this is no good for our message this is no good for our movement this is no good for the story we're trying to get out on the streets we gotta be in this together you and me we gotta be in this together don't tweet me don't Facebook post about me somebody call me let's talk lastly um some ending I got really worked up there I'm not gonna lie and just so you know no one's like said something mean online about me I don't I'm not aware of that someone's like how do you deal with Christmas I'm like I avoid it so unless we can talk priscilla and aquila I can't I can't do that but um did you notice how effective Apollo's was and yet he was still wrong about God on some stuff you know another little trick is we got now I'm freaking on picking on preachers for some we got preachers rolling around thinking that their results is proof that they have everything right about God and that's why I went priscilla and aquila come knock on you like excuse me have you seen my reach okay oh so you didn't know that you can be wrong and still be effective that's every preacher since Jesus God's Idol that's not actually accurate but I love you here comes a whole bunch of people to the altar call this is what God does he works with incomplete broken people who only have a piece who only know apart but he uses the city ways for when we are weak then we are strong and the power of Christ rests upon us I was wrong about God but God still used me Wow woo so this stay standing for crying out loud we all um we all got some stuff wrong about God and I think that's why Peter writes and he says I want you to grow in the Grace and the knowledge of God that word grow is the operative word and it literally means you're going to change your mind about God but if we're not careful we are stuck the culture continues to grow and change but the way we see God oh there are some absolutes the fundamental foundations of theology and doctrine please don't misunderstand what I'm saying but where is it in the church where we celebrate believers changing their mind about God I don't think that anymore I think this and notice Peter says grow in the Grace and the word knowledge is not information and data it's intimacy and you know the verse before 2nd Peter chapter 3 I think it might be that verse 17 and 18 the verse before 18 which has grown the grace song verse 17 is like don't get swept away with all this incorrect stuff about God which tells me that we will if we don't sustain holding your ground for God means growing if you're not growing you're susceptible to be swept away in false notions and doctrines and and and we grow we grow we grow in grace which is the essence of Jesus grace the gift of Jesus the gift of forgiveness our focus is Jesus our focus is not ourselves we grow in focusing on Jesus we grow in making it about Jesus we grow in talking about Jesus we grow in thinking about Jesus we grow in writing about Jesus we grow in singing about Jesus this is how we grow in grace it's about Jesus Jesus is the essence of grace the personification of grace and grace is the gateway to intimacy it's the way to intimacy a lot of us lack intimacy with Jesus because we're focusing on ourselves our self performance how I can improve how I can get better how I can grow nothing inherently wrong with that I'm just telling you the pathway to intimacy is focusing on Jesus turn your eyes upon Jesus look full in his wonderful face it has always and will forever be about Jesus he is the centerpiece of the universe he is the fullness of the Godhead in bodily form it is always about Jesus for him through him by him let's talk about Jesus church let's sing about Jesus church let's go to coffee about Jesus church let's paint about Jesus church let's design about Jesus church it is all about Jesus come on let's lift our hands and lift our voice and let's tell our King how much we love him

Channel: VOUS Church

Views: 58,094

Rating: 4.8991594 out of 5

Keywords: vous, vous church, vous conference, rich wilkerson jr, sermon, conference, miami, no one else is coming, faith, church, rejection, evangelism, people, love, judah smith

Id: S5hLiCs-rIE

Length: 55min 10sec (3310 seconds)

Published: Thu Aug 15 2019