Good morning, I just briefly want to
share something that completely changed... my morning. I rolled into campus this
morning, and I was just feeling a little weary and tired. So, thinking
through that weariness I'm like okay you know what, I need some coffee. I need some
caffeine and help me this morning. I decided to jaywalk over to McDonald's
and got me a nice mocha. They have really good mochas by the way, and as I'm there
I'm greeted by a stranger. This elderly man, he just asked how are you
doing? What was really cool about it was it seemed like he really wanted to
know how I was doing. It wasn't just like out of convenience or being polite, but
he gave me just the biggest smile, and as I left McDonald's with my hot mocha he's
like I hope you have a really good day. Those few seconds with someone who
was really genuine and saw me and wanted to know what was going on in my life
completely changed my morning. I had a boost of energy. I don't feel as tired
right now, and I was just like you know what, that was so honoring that he not
only saw me, but wanted to know what was going on to a stranger like me. I
just want to encourage you like those little things can not only give someone
energy, but that can make someone's day. That can trickle down to us seeing
others. That could trickle down to having a polite word or something where we can
actually speak life into someone else. So, I just want to share that with you that
a stranger completely made my morning, and so I pray that that encourages you
to continue to make someone else's day. I have the privilege and the honor to just
introducing our morning speaker. He is a husband, a father, a pastor, a
best-selling author, and he has a heart... for every member of the body to know
that you are gifted and you have a unique calling and purpose. Through
one of his movements, we are Church, he is developing this model where
believers to understand that... you have gifts and talents that only you
were created to do, and so I'm so excited to hear his heart. I'm so excited to hear
from this pastor, who is very familiar... with this place and loves this place.
I just know that he's going to have such a great word for us this morning, and is
going to encourage us with the great word that God has put on his heart for
this morning. So, can we have a great Wednesday morning
APU welcome to Pastor Francis Chan! Can you guys pray with me this morning.
Let's come into God's presence. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,
who was and is and is to come. You have existed forever and we've only
been alive a few short years. Your thoughts are not like our thoughts. As
high as the heavens are above the earth, so are your thoughts beyond ours. God we
have nothing to give to you that you didn't first give to us. What an honor.
What an absolute honor to come into your presence, and it's only because of Jesus.
Thank you Lord that we can speak to you right now.
Help us God! Open our eyes to what an amazing thing it is that we are speaking
to you right now God. Some of us take this for granted. We think it's no big
deal to speak to you, and you seriously listen. God open our eyes to how stunning
that is. How shocking. How impossible that should be. God, right now I pray that you
supernaturally, Lord, fill me. Make it so I am not afraid to say anything up here,
that I will say whatever you tell me to say, even if everyone hates me after. I
don't care. I want to know you. I want to say what you want me to say, Lord. I want
to please you, and if this is the last thing I say on this earth, Lord may it honor
you. God may I say everything out of love for these these students, Lord. May I
say everything to make the name of Jesus great, not mine or anyone elses. God
please lead this time through your... spirit, and I pray that this is not just
a bunch of words. Please God, please meet us in this room. Whatever it takes Lord,
whatever it takes. Wake us up to your holiness, your glory, your love, your mercy in Jesus
name Amen. Yeah I had one of the... greatest mornings this morning. That's
cool that you talked about your mocha, but mine was like from the start was
just insane. I woke up at like gosh 4:45am or something.Probably the same time
you guys did right? I was... just wired which is abnormal. I was wide... awake, and just excited to get into the
presence of God, and just to pray I actually spent the night over at Terry
Francen's house, and had a little slumber party. Just woke up and
just started praying. it's just one... of the awesome, amazing prayer times
where God you're just sensing... his presence in the room. He was just reminding me of... everything, since I was like a little kid.
He's reminding me of even my mom's death. Of when she died giving birth
to me, and here I was in a temple in Hong Kong. In this Buddhist temple, you
know, as a little kid and how He met... me there. How I started searching
for him there, and all these impossible things that happened in my life until now.
It was just me and... Him in this little room and just talking and I mean two hours went by. Where I'm just blown away,
just thanking him for everything. Just all through my life, miracle after,
miracle, after miracle. Going God this is... so good. This is so good, so good being
with you. Man, as I think about that... I go gosh, do you have times like that?
where it's just you and Him? It's not prayer. Isn't just close your eyes and go
through a checklist of things, but like a person.He's a real person,
and you have this interaction with Him and you know Him. Is that what your
life is about? Saturday morning, Saturday morning, I woke up and
same routine in my house. First thing, I do is go right out the sliding glass
door of my bedroom, and I built a little shed, a little Home Depot do-it-yourself
shed thing. I just go in there, and I pray. I just went in the shed on
a Saturday morning. I'm just there by... myself. I'm going
I mean I'm beside myself. I'm... crying. I'm like groaning, going "God, I
can't believe I get You all to myself." "It is You and me in this room."
It's just the best! My concern is some of you are
listening to me right... I'm going, "that's weird.
"I've never done that." I'm going... listen what is your faith all about?
Is it about a person and knowing this... person of God, and going this is
everything. Because I feel like we were all taught, when we came to know Jesus,
"hey, this is not a religion it is a..." "relationship." But then everything else
were taught afterwards almost... contradicts that.
We get into churches that are more about you knowing a bunch of stuff,
or not doing a bunch of bad... things, or a church that is about doing
miracles. These are all great things, but pretty soon we start getting focused
on all these other issues, and it distracts us from knowing Him. This
book from cover to cover is about... knowing this person of God. Where you're
going "God, I could just stay here with..." "you all day. It is this so good knowing
You. It is so good being with you." This book is about Adam, right? Could you
imagine being the first person, looking at the One, who just made you? Just try to
imagine that. You were just created. Someone looks at you, and says I made
You. What in the world goes through your... mind? You're going "what am I?" Then someone in front of you goes "I... "made you. I breathed life into you. You
were made to know me." Can you imagine what would go through your mind? This
thing that you realize is called a mind. whatever, it's like "You're my Creator,
and I can walk with you right now." Then He creates Eve and the
two of them are walking in the garden. What is that like?
He goes "look, I've made all of this for..." "you." So, you and your wife, you're
walking in this garden with the one who... made you. Like nothing can get to you.
He's there to protect you, to love you, to... have fellowship with you. Man, is there
anything, anything in you screaming going "I am so jealous of that? I wish I was
there. I wish that was me." What would... that feel like to walk with the Creator?
See, that's what this book is about. That's why it was so fascinating,
when you have people like like... Abraham, who was called a friend of Him, a
friend of God. Then you have Moses that... would go on the mountaintop and actually
be with Him. Everyone was like "no way you're..." "gonna go up that mountain? You'll die. No
man can go into that type of presence." Then Moses he's like,
when God says "look I'll give you the..." "Promised Land.
I'll give you this amazing land you know." "I'm not gonna go because I might kill
you, and all your people because they're..." "really bothering me right now. Moses says "no, don't you go sending..." "me. I don't care. I don't care about some
land flowing with milk and honey. If You..." "don't come with me, I don't want to go
because it's your presence that I want." "I want You as a person, God. I want You
there. I've got to have You there." This book is about David, who uses
this language that's like an addict. Some of you were addicts. Some of you guys have... parents who are addicts. Some of you have
friends who are addicts. Where.... their mind almost doesn't
make sense. Where they're willing to lose... their family, because they want this drug
so badly. You're going "how can you give..." "everything up for this one thing?" But
right then it's just this addiction that... overcomes them, and they give everything
up. That's the language I see in... David, when he's going "I'm in a dry and
weary land where there's no water and..." "yet my soul thirsts for You. I just want
You. I know I'm starving to death. I'm..." "dehydrated. I'm about to pass out, but I
want You." Like some of these addicts, wants this drug. It's that type of
language. It's just the one thing, the one thing maybe You'd give me anything on
the earth. It's just the one thing I ask. He says "I just want to dwell in your
house all the days of my life. Every day..." "I just want that time with just You."
That's it. If I could have one thing I... gotta have that. Then you get in the New
Testament, and you've got people like... Paul who saying "look for me to live is
Christ, and to die will be awesome." "Because that just means I get more of Jesus.
I'll actually see Him." It's... this obsession, and somehow in church
we've turned it into something else. Suddenly, we're not producing people who
are lovers of Jesus. We have people that... will fight for different causes and
that's a good thing, but the end of the day Jesus says "look
there's only one thing that is necessary." "There is only one thing that's necessary. The greatest commandment, greatest is to love the Lord your God
with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind,
all your strength, that's the... greatest commandment. It's the one thing
that's necessary. It's the one thing that David's after, and my concern is that it
could be the one thing that's missing here. That you can become these brilliant
activists doing all sorts of things, but at the end of the day. It says in Matthew
7 there's going to be people who'll say... "Lord didn't I do this, didn't I do this,"
and it says God will say "depart from me..." "I never knew you." Who are you? Do
you know Him? Are you enjoying Him? Because I am Telling you Satan will do
everything he can to distract you. Everything he can to get you busy with
good things, so you neglect the most... important. He'll get you in all sorts of
traps, because he doesn't want us to have fellowship with God. In Psalm 73, I was
thinking about this passage when I was... sitting there. The psalmist says "truly
God is good to Israel, to those who are..." "pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had
almost stumbled, my steps had nearly..." "slipped." Why? Because "I was envious of the
arrogant when I saw the prosperity of..." "the wicked." He goes I know God's
good. I know God. I love Him. I've had... these times, but he goes I almost blew it.
I almost blew. I almost threw my whole... life away, because I looked at
someone else. I looked at their life, I... started to envy something that was
wicked. This is going to happen in your life. You guys, this happened to me Monday
night. Satan got the best of me just this Monday. You got to understand, this has
been the best year of my life. This has... been the best year of my life. I'm having
so many mornings like this. There's everything... else. I turned 50 about,
I don't know, couple months ago. And I... told my my friends "I don't want
a party. I know I'm 50. I don't want a..." "party. If you can do one thing for me,
would you fast and pray on that day?" "Okay? Just out of your friendship for me.
Would you fast and pray for me, and pray..." " for this next season of my life.
Four things: one I want to know Him. I want..." "to know Him, like better than I've ever
known Him, if there's more to..." "experience, to feel, to sense His
presence. I've just got to get so close..." "to Him. Two, just ask God to
the point where I'm disgusted with sin." "Because sometimes sin still is glamorous
to me, and I don't want that.Get it out..." "of my life. I want to be so pure. Three, I
want to be bold. I don't want to come to..." "a place like this and I go 'oh I hope they
like me after.' Just to have none of..." "that, and go if you hate me great. As long
as You love me, and You love what I said..." "that's what I want to be. Give me that
type of boldness. Then Four, I just..." "want to hear His voice and know where
He's directing me. What he's calling me..." "to do." so I've had my church fasting and
praying for me that night on my 50th... birthday. They came together at night
laid hands just prayed those... things. Then they gave me a calendar. The
present was a calendar for the rest of... the year, and every day there's a name
on that calendar of a different person... in the church that's fasting and praying
for me that day. So, like right now... someone's fasting and praying for me
back home. It's like "dude that was..." "the greatest gift ever." So, I just feel like, man I am on fire. Yet Monday night, my mind was out of
control. I almost slipped. My prayer shed. Okay let me back up. When I moved into the city I bought... this house, because there was this cool
deck in the backyard, going from the... second-story just out. I thought "oh,
that's where I'm gonna spend my time... with God." But it was all rotted out, and
so I thought "man, I got to tear this..." thing down, because I don't want any of
the kids stepping on it." They could fall through. They
could die. You know? So, I tear it down to... build another one, and the city inspector
calls or comes to the door. Says, "I see you knocked down the deck." I go "man, that thing was dangerous I'm..." "putting a new one up. Some friends are
coming over." He said "well, you don't have..." "a permit for that." I go "well, there used
to be a deck here." He goes "well, "there's no proof of that now." I go
"there's a sliding glass door that walks..." "off the edge that..." and he goes "well, you
shouldn't have torn it down. You can't do it now." I'm like "what do you mean I can't do
it?" He says "well, there's a new rule." I'm.. like "you've got to be kidding me."
I bought this house for this deck. He goes "well you shouldn't have torn it down, yet
you should have called me first." I'm like "okay sorry! What do you want?"
He's like "you can't do it." So I'm ok, ok, ok. That's
thousands of dollars why I bought the house. (Laughter) Then I built a
little closet in my garage, and so I go my garage. I used to go in my garage in
the mornings, and just get my time alone. I've got seven kids and other people
living in this little house. And so I... want quiet. So, I'm in the
garage. Well one day the inspector comes... by when the garage doors open "you're not
allowed to have a closet in the garage." I got to tear it down. You seriously? What are you doing? You
wait until my garage door opens, and go "Oh, there's a closet their." What in
the world? Do you do this to everyone? So then I look up, what are the
regulations for a shed. What is... legal in my city ten by twelve. I build
one exactly ten by twelve. City inspector... calls "you can't have a shed." I go, "it says
in the rules I can have a shed." I just... need a place to pray. Dang it. He goes "well, any other Street in
Daly City you can have a shed, but not on..." "your Street. Because it's on the coast."
So, Monday I'm losing it. I'm on my computer in my
bed, and I'm googling "do I have to allow the..." "inspector in." okay? I'm
reading this whole thing and it's saying "no you don't have too." He needs a search
warrant or whatever else. Then... in my mind I'm just thinking
about all these scenarios, and I'm so embarrassed to admit this. I typed in
"what happens if I hit a city inspector?" no, because I'm thinking like "I'm gonna
hit this guy." I mean, I'm so angry. I'm... thinking I'm picturing myself like just
following him down the stairs, and just... pretending like I fall and just
cracking his head against the wall. I'm envisioning this, and then I think "no, no
no, no outside" because it's concrete. "I'll just slip on the top step and fall on him
and I'll just accidentally cram his..." "head." This is what I'm thinking.
I'm thinking "he'll get up and take a swing," "and then it's self-defense". I'm
going to destroy this guy. This is... what's going on in my head. I literally
have it typed on my computer "what happens if I hit a city building
inspector?" But then this is how evil I am. I was about to hit
enter, then I thought "no, but if I hit him," "and they find this on my computer,
they'll know." So, I didn't hit enter. So I... don't know what happens. This is Francis, who had such a great quiet... time, and it is insane how
he gets in your head. And suddenly I'm... fantasizing about just pummeling this
city inspector, and I'm going "what just..." "happened?" What is going on in this
stupid head of mine. I just... immediately texted one of my
friends who a contractor, "dude," "would you handle this for me please?
I just need help. I'm fantasizing about... "murder." (Laughter)
This is out of control, and I say that... because it's amazing how Satan
will try to get in there. Some of you... guys know exactly what I'm talking about,
and you let these thoughts get out. You're like "what is going on in this
head?" That's why I had to say that.... publicly. So, now I can't do it because
they'll show the video. "Hey, he... "premeditated." You know? It's
insane this world we live in, that's why he goes "gosh, I see this
and it just seems so appealing for that..." "moment." He goes "I almost slipped
because I'm looking at other people that..." "get away with this stuff." But then at the
end he says "but then I entered into the..." "sanctuary of God, because when I tried to
understand this it was wearisome." "But then I went into the sanctuary of
God and I discerned there." He goes "man, "I almost blew it, but then I got back in
the presence of God. I got back into... "heaven and I thought 'oh this is so not
worth it.' The punishment, the everything it's... so not worth it. He goes on and he starts saying... "you set them in Slippery places.
You make them fall to ruin there, and how..." "they're destroyed in a moment." He goes, "I was brutish. I was ignorant. I was..." "a beast towards You. he goes "nevertheless
I'm continually with You. You hold my..." "right hand. You guide me with your
counsel, afterward you'll receive me to..." "glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And
there's nothing on earth that I desire..." "besides you. My flesh and my heart may
fail, but God is the strength of my heart, and..." "my portion forever. For behold, those who
are far from you shall Perish;" "you put an end to everyone who is
unfaithful to you. But for me it's good..." "to be near God; I have made the Lord God my
refuge, that I may tell of all your works." He just calms down again and goes "oh God,
I almost blew it. You know what? What do I... "want in heaven but you?
There's nothing on earth I desire..." "besides You, because God I'm sorry. I was
envious. I almost fell. man, I knew you..." "were good, but I almost blew it. I'm
back in that right place again." I go "oh yeah there's nothing I want
it's just enough to be with you.My... question is, is that enough for you?
Are you enjoying these times with Him? Because my concern is I feel like we've
created a generation that's so dependent... on all this other stuff in order to
worship. Like if Hillsong... UNITED was here tonight you know and
John Piper or whoever you're into TD... Jakes, whatever Is gonna be here,
this place would be packed. What if someone says "we're just
going to come in there and we're just going to..." "pray and then Terry's going come up.
He's going read two chapters from the..." "Bible. Like God's actual words, and we're
all just going tremble at it. Then we will... take a piece of bread and we're going to
take a cup, and we're going to drink of it. And remember His Son that was tortured. It's going to be awesome. How many people would show up to a
house just to hear the Scriptures read? how many people wake up in the morning
just to be in the presence of God? And go... "no way, no way, no way." At what point
does it become evil when we need all... these other things. This Sunday I had
my 13 year old daughter with me, and I'm... like "honey, if I said 'we're gonna
have a party for you' and I'll make a..." "cake and that's it.' How many of your
friends would show up to bring you... presents?'" She goes "maybe two." I go
"well, what if I rented out Dave &... "Buster's and I said 'you know what
unlimited video games, food. How many...'" "would show up?" She said "probably my whole
school." I go "and how stupid would it... "be if I looked at you on that day at Dave
and Buster's." And go "see look at all the..." "friends you have." I said "you know what
hone,y if you you were just in a room..." "with nothing but you. I would find you
and celebrate your birthday with you." "I would bring you a gift because
you're worth it to me, because I want you." "I actually want those parties where it's just
you and your real friends. And we really..." "get into it. I don't want to make the big fiasco that draws all of..." "these people. They go "wow, look at all
these worshippers you have." Man, it's time... for your generation. I know some of you
know what I'm talking about. I'm praying... that you start something new. Where
people are in awe of this book again. It... doesn't matter who reads from it. Where
people actually don't walk away from... services like this and go "I didn't
really like the worship today." Man, isn't that crazy? That's like a
normal sentence walking out of a church service. "I didn't really like worship." Did
you ever even think that it wasn't for you? Seriously! Do you think those angels
in heaven? There's four living creatures... right now, that are looking at God going
"holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty..." "who was and is and is to come." It says "day and night they never stop..." "cease. They never ceasing "holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty who was and is..." "to come.
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty..." "who was and is and is to come." I doubt
there's ever a day where one of them... goes "worship wasn't that good today. I
didn't really like it." You know? I'm serious. You guys, how
screwed up are our minds from this type... of thinking where we've got to get back
to just the simple book. The simple... communion, where we flock in our dorm
rooms and in homes everywhere. And we're... just excited to be with brothers and
sisters coming in the presence of God. Going " No way we get to speak to Him.
Are you kidding? We get to speak to Him." "No way. Someone's going to read from the
book, and we're just going to tremble at His..." "book. Wait, we're just going to break a
piece of bread." "Remember his son that was tortured for
me. This is going to be insane. What? We're..." "just going to say holy, holy, holy is the
Lord God Almighty, who was and this is..." "to come." Just say it over and
over, and over again to Him. I want to be..." "there. I want to be there. I actually
don't want Dave and Buster's. I actually..." "don't want all the other stuff, because
maybe less is more than that there would..." "be a generation, I'm praying that it'd be
you, of people that just can't wait to..." "wake up in the morning and be alone with
Him. And go "God, it's enough just to have..." "You" Then we create these new
gatherings where it's enough, just the..." "Word of God, just communion."Oh my time
is over. I told Terry "I want to be..." "here all day. I have so much to say." God I
just pray that you take what was said... burn in their hearts by the power of
the Holy Spirit, in Jesus name, Amen.
