Mean Christians // Judah Smith

here's what we're gonna do tonight and it has been a long time since I have been this excited and really pumped to approach a subject we're gonna talk about meme Christians tonight and what I mean I don't know if we should clap that's kind of mean but yeah let's talk about them that's mean but seriously I want to uh I want to address that tonight and so if you are not a Christian or a faith person that has to be kind of curious for you to because maybe you're like yeah like I I know a few Christians and maybe they're not that nice or I've run into Christians or I see Christians online and most of them are not nice and so you have your doubts about the ways of Jesus because of the people that claim to follow that way and they're just mean grouchy maybe judgmental rude opinionated and so I'd like to put on the table tonight what I believe is one of the primary reasons we those of us that claim to follow Jesus don't look more like Jesus and one of my one of my passions and it is such an ebb and flow and it is I have good days and bad days a lot of bad days is I want I want my demeanor I want my words I want my countenance I want my social interactions I want my tone to reflect the the kindness the compassion the care the love of Jesus I don't just want to attend church services and then blast my opinions online and marginalize people and make people feel small we that follow Jesus ought to be the most open armed open-hearted loving listening caring considerate group of people on the planet I wish I could get an A men I wish I could get an amen so here's what's gonna be counterproductive in the next few minutes if we just all listen through this filter I am so glad he's talking about this because I am going to share this or I'm going to think about that mean Christian here's what I'd like us all to do tonight to put our own meanness front and center to put our own rudeness crudeness ugly behavior towards other people all on the table and let's just ask ourselves a collective question tonight if maybe some of this material relates to us I have never seen what I'm about to share with you in Scripture until this last week and I really mean that I don't mean it sounds sensational although I do like sounding emotional and sensational but I I want to take you to a verse we read last week the title of the sermon tonight is when Christians start cutting ears off when Christians start cutting ears off and I want to talk about why we are still dealing with mean Christians why I'm still oftentimes participating as a mean Christian and I do not believe that's God's design and I think there are people in here who are like listen I would be so down for Church it's just that I've run into so many meme Christians and a lot of people here tonight or watching right now in Seattle or on the app are like I don't really know if I can keep doing Church at all because of when I say mean I mean all like the you know the judgmental the rude the condescending the belittling all of that kind of included in mean Christian and we should just make t-shirts like I don't want to be a mean Christian but whoa Judah you're so creative but um thanks man it's really important to me tonight that we really kind of enter this space as a collective and go all right what apply to me first of all to me to me because we can all join the fodder online we can all join the fodder on the streets and be like yeah yeah I hate mean Christians and manure King taught us anything you cannot eradicate hate with hate you cannot eradicate mean with me being mean towards people who are mean is completely not the answer so we got to be the difference we got to demonstrate the difference and we need a difference we need an antidote out in these streets ladies and gentlemen okay all right go with me to John chapter 21 John chapter 21 John chapter 21 when Christians start cutting ears off here we go John 21 and verse 20 John 21 and verse 20 if you have a Bible great no worries if you don't it'll be up on the screen so you can read along and also so you know I'm not making this up Peter turned and saw the disciples whom Jesus whom Jesus loved following them the one who also leaned back against him during the supper and said Lord who is it that's going to betray you and when Peter saw him he said Lord what about him remember Peters in pain he's gonna die martyrs death what I want you know what about about John Jesus says this if it is my will that he remain until I come , what is that to you you follow me we talked about that last week if you kind of want to unpacking of that that particular portion of Scripture and a lot of what this means you please check out last week's talk a little of verse 23 says so the same spread among the brothers that his disciple was not to die yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die but said if it is my will that he would remain until I come what is that to you so the same spread but it was the wrong same they they amongst church people they believe John was not going to die and yet clearly Jesus never said that John was not going to die now I would lie to suggest that the very reason this rumor spread is the very reason we are mean Christians and we'll try to explain that the very reason this rumor spread again is the very reason we are mean Christians it's better if we just do it that way okay something like I am NOT a mean Christian and I do not appreciate being included okay that was actually a mean attitude right there you see you did it okay so it's just better if we all just kind of own this ourselves okay let's all just put our arms around this and say okay I have been mean for those of me and for those of us that are Christian it's like okay I've been I've been a mean Christian if you've been a mean Christian once okay this applies to you a lot of you really don't want to accept this okay I could see it on your face I wish you could see it from my vantage point you're like no I'm not in I'm not in alright let's talk about love you know that's ironically what we're talking about okay um join me in prayer God thank you for the moments we share I ask that you would take what is really average and ordinary tonight and you'd make it extraordinary with your participation and we need you God I'm praying right now for those here at the Saban theater I'm praying for those at every location in Seattle watching I'm praying for those at any part of the world right now watching on the app I pray God you would experience us show us your love and Lord for the meanness that any of us struggle with we want to become more like you we need more kindness more consideration more compassion and more love in Jesus name and O God be with the Seattle Seahawks as we prepare for this NFL season please God please please PLEASE Super Bowls super boss amen do you remember going over to a friend's house when you were a kid remember that remember that you your friend invites you over maybe right after school you're like I can't wait to go over my friend's house or maybe it was the weekend you were having a sleepover and maybe I I grew up just I would really just go to friend's house in the neighborhood I grew up in a time where it my mom I would come home from school my mom wouldn't see me till dinnertime right I'd be out for three four or five hours and so I would go with a friend's house a lot but I can vividly remember probably around six or seven or eight years old it started to dawn on me that not everybody did it like the Smiths right when you grow up you think that you know whether it was your grandparents who raised you whether it was single parent or two parents you you think the way you were raised everybody was raised and so I remember going over to my but he's still still my friend went over to his house and I won't say his name and my mom said you can go over to that house for dinner and I can remember this is probably the first dinner I ever had at a friend's house we went over to dinner now what I'm expecting is what's missed it and what the Smiths do is we sit down at a table there is no kind of television on there is like a prayer that we pray everybody talks about their day you make eye contact you are respectful you look you can mom dad my sister Wendy nobody rolls their eyes watch your tone we're having good attitudes we're Jesus followers right like that was the Smith family I roll over to my buddy's house he's like it's dinner time I'm like all right like dinner time for me is like yeah let's go he's like nah man sit back down I said on the couch he said yeah dinner's coming to us I was like what okay side this is no word of a lot so we sit big dad sit back down on the couch we're watching an old old Zorro on Disney Channel old Zorro and I sit back down we watching Zorro and rin-tin-tin and I'm like okay and I cannot believe what I saw next his mom comes out of the kitchen with a TV tray unfolds it sets it in front of her eight-year-old son I mean I if I would have known cuss words back then I would have been cussing I was so shocked I was like what I'm watching this like I'm watching an alien this dude is like he's eight years old he's like watching Zorro his mom setting up a tray I'm like oh this is a trick we're gonna die today I don't get to do this I'm sitting there and I'm like mr. so so can I help you no enjoy your show am I in your way I'm like who's in charge around here right this is I promise you puts up the tray you're not gonna believe sets a little cloth over the tray and I'm literally like okay alright this this is a trick starts bringing out his favorite sauces mom I like Heinz 57 please I'm like so your this is his mom will serve him like a server at a restaurant and I'm like and she said now boys I have chicken or steak tonight I'm like we have a menu I promise you I was like can I have boss was absolutely sweetie I'm like looking at this guy and I'm like I hate my family man like this is unbelievable it gets better so we sit out we just watch Rin Tin Tin and Zorro and Mickey Mouse Club and and we're just eating steak and I'm trying all these different sauces he's like mom bring out the a1 as well and I'm like what world the ketchup and I'm like now I'm ordering stuff you know and he's like you want to go to my room I was like yeah I've never been to his room we go to his room we sit on his bed I can't I believe he he has a TV in his room now you think that's normal let me tell you something if I would have ever snuck a TV in my room I would not be here today you think I'm joking having a TV in my room growing up I might as well have a young lady in a swimsuit in my bedroom it was the same thing my mom was convinced if I had a TV in my room I will be watching Baywatch you are not having a TV he says sounds like what do you want to watch I'm like we can watch anything you know I'm like what I remember I walked home it was bedtime and I was like all right man see you tomorrow and I think the posture that I walked home with was something that kind of looked like this the Heinz 57 we got chicken and steak he's got a TV in his room to be honest we watch the Smurfs and I wasn't allowed to watch Smurfs because they were blue little demons I could go I could go further Care Bears that's the spirit coming out of their belly you can't be doing that can't be doing that no it's a couple of those Smurfs remember they were had bad attitudes Papa Smurf was satanic you know so we watched Smurfs back at that house so I'm just thinking all stuff and family we got scriptures on the wall we got one TV and I'm just like mom hey Sicily how was your time I'm like it was it was it was really good it was it was different we could do things different around here so then there's like this one time later I was like mom what if we did TV Tracy and we watch TV while we had dinner and my dad said who do you think you are I will remove you from this planet to make another one I mean ants that was welcome to Smith family but I remember how shocked I was to experience a different set of rules a different way of engaging see the truth is we all have a normal we all have a normal it's not normal by the way but we all have a normal and we think it's normal now every once why are you running to somebody who's like that was normal for me and you're like oh my gosh let's hug each other right like no way right no TV in your room like no talking during dinner and let's spoken to like you know like if you ever order with your mom you would have died like yes that's amazing but but but all of us have different normals I want to say it like this all of us have different ideals right and and and part of how our ideals are develop is in childhood we conclude like this is this is normal okay and they I would like to suggest there's this is not exhaustive but here's three primary ideals we have cultural ideas that come from for many of us maybe raised in this country maybe raised on the west coast and then we have childhood ideals as I mentioned and then for those of us that grew up in religious settings we have Church ideas or religious ideals now what we do with those ideals is we take them everywhere we go we take them everywhere we go and oftentimes it is subconscious it is also imperative for us to own the fact that we take these ideals and we take them to the story of God we take them to the story of Jesus and without even knowing it I remember the first time I heard a preacher say Jesus is not American and I was like that doesn't sound right that don't sound right of course he is in fact I can tell you exactly what kind of American he is yeah absolutely because that was my ideal and I you know you're all brilliant and you're laughing and everybody's watching laughing but but that that actually is a young man I was like wait Jesus Jesus doesn't speak English I mean he can but when he came he didn't and I was like oh okay right Jesus doesn't know about the Cheesecake Factory right and we immediately go oh yeah yeah for sure for sure I know that but we oftentimes hear things that Jesus says and we hear them through our filter of our normal our normal we see words and we translate them through our ideals right I mentioned this last week we see the word blessing and we translate that into our Western cultural ideals and blessing is often times if not most of the time in our brain I'm not saying that we're because we're so selfish and mean and ugly and nasty it's just normal for us to go blessing success career money and you seem to know that oftentimes the word blessing in the Bible doesn't mean that at all at all right we we see all kinds of different words in Scripture and we assume more specifically we listen to the teachings of Jesus and we think we are hearing what he's saying and here's what happens with these ideals and we all have them okay I deal to like noses we all got them okay it's just is what it is it's these ideals that we have and we hear the teachings of Jesus and I'll say it more specifically we believe that Jesus holds the same ideals we do right we're like Jesus is so pumped on my career and like he is but his main objective is not your career it's your heart so so what has been popularized and I'm not saying anybody's wrong for this but what has become popularized is we have taken the teachings of Jesus and we have used them to speak to our ideals that's dangerous and it leads us much like these ancient believers to assume jesus said something he didn't say and the reason we hear Jesus saying something he's not saying is because we want to hear what we want to hear when the preacher says blessing we want to say Amen hallelujah is mine because our ideal is I want a successful career and I want to appear successful and when I walk into a room I want people to be impressed with me and so we take the teachings of Jesus and make it mean oftentimes just that but but but Jesus is Jesus is a person not just a dead teacher that all we have left is his words please hear me now and I promise we're gonna get somewhere and it's going it's we're gonna pick up the pace we're gonna pick up the pace some of Judah we get it you keep going over this I got it we we have these these ideals okay all right all right all right here's the truth okay i'ma tell you the truth your ideals are supposed to be dish corrupted frequently by the words of Jesus they should be if they're not and oftentimes I have it extended seasons where they're not that is when the alarm should go off like if it's been a long period of time you consider yourself with Jesus worship or Jesus follower and you can't member the last time you were like oh whoa that's not what or is the teachings of Jesus always fitting your ideals yep that's the way I was raised yep that's the way it is in this country yep that's that's how the church is when's the last time you were like oh man I'm I'm so wrong about that that's that's why I'm so off about that it's supposed to be disruptive so so Jesus says to Peter what if I want John to live forever what if I want John to live until I return what is that to you you follow me now listen even in ancient time living forever was cool okay living forever was like what white right and so we wanted to hear these early Jesus followers wanted here right it was cool it was sensational it was like yo did you hear about John he's not gonna die in fact Jesus is gonna return before John passes he's never gonna pass away and all the sudden a rumor a teaching about a disciple spreads rapidly amongst the believers why because that's what they wanted to hear that's what they wanted to hear and in some cases that's what they feel they're supposed to hear oh okay okay and everybody was like yeah yeah that's what that's what it means that's what it means you know sometimes we can be collectively wrong too sometimes we can be we can all agree on something be like no that's not that's not right so the right of the Gospel of John now here's what here's what happened historically the timeline is not perfect but if you do some research you'll discover something this story this story actually happened John is one of the 12 disciples that follow Jesus for three-and-a-half proximate three and a half years John is the youngest disciple for best we can tell okay John was like the baby amongst the twelve he's kind of he relates to Jesus so much like his son he leaned up against them at the Last Supper who's gonna betray you like John is like the lovable like artistic like creative all heart like oh you know he writes that way right it's John right Shawn here's what happens all the disciples are dead approximately at the conclusion of this of this Gospel in this letter all the disciples are dead except John John has started a church in Ephesus it goes okay this church in Ephesus is now watching and then hearing rumors John's getting old and now the church is getting scared John's getting old and they're like wait he's not he's not supposed to die he looks he looks like he's gonna die what's what's gonna happen and from best we can tell this rumor was still very strong amongst the church in Ephesus that John had started it gets worse Jesus never said what they claimed he had said and spread that he had said John dies and the churches in shock and we have record that some of the church members concluded John did something wrong that's what it was John did something wrong hear me now here's one of the indicators of an unhealthy approach we and we still do this in the church one moment a spiritual leader is a hero and when things do not deliver the way we wanted them to be delivered and what we believe the scripture teaches we demonize the same spiritual leader that we used to make a hero and we do this my brothers and sisters I got friends who used to stand on platforms and Christians won't even talk to them anymore they go from hero to that wasn't what was supposed to happen and now the the the rumor we can read and historically is that some of the believers in Ephesus were like John John John John did something wrong that's why he died see there was something wrong in John and that's why he died and suddenly please hear me the church went into a tailspin because Jesus said he was gonna live forever one scholar believes that the writing of John that actually John's writings were all put together after his passing he wrote it all down then after his passing it was compiled one scholar believes that the parenthesis that we read that Jesus actually didn't say that was actually inserted by the compiler because there was so much despair and distraught believers in Ephesus because they knew what Jesus said John was wrong he's a bad guy and that's why he died and where's God now whoa and here's here's what's happened we take our ideals we take our ideals we superimpose them on the teachings of Jesus and then when things do not happen according to what we claim Jesus said despair sets in in communities people get disillusioned and wait for it Christians get meme Christians give me and it gets all the way back I'm just assuming you're quiet because you're thinking about it you go all the way back to you heard through your ideal not through his so you heard well what if I wanted to live forever you heard he's gonna live forever cuz who doesn't want to live forever you know who doesn't want to live forever I'll take you to another story in Luke's Luke's Gospel in chapter 22 listen to this words of Jesus teachings of Jesus Jesus said to his disciples when I sent you out with no money bag or not sacré sandals did you lack anything they said nothing he said all right things have changed now let the one who has a money bag take it and likewise a knapsack let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one Jesus words before I tell you the scripture must be fulfilled and he was numbered for the transgressors for the transgressors for what is written about me has its fulfillment watch this and they said Lord what they pick up on we got two swords Jesus says it is enough when he says it is enough he clearly does not mean that two swords are enough to defend 12 guys in what world are two swords enough he says it is enough now they heard swords and their ideal concludes Jesus means it is time to get weapons right this is wild now fast-forward just a few more verses a change of scene and somebody actually uses one of these weapons it says while he was still speaking verse thirty forty seven there came a crowd the man called Judas one of the twelve was leading them he drew near to Jesus to kiss him jesus said to him Judas would you betray the Son of man with a kiss and when those who were around saw him they would follow they said Lord shall we strike with the sword shall we strike sore [Laughter] these are the same guys who walked actual streets with Jesus for three and a half years can I ask you a question has there ever been an inkling while walking with Jesus that there was going to come a time he was gonna want these guys to start slicing and dicing people with swords has there has Jesus even remotely come close to that hey anybody got a knife just keep it on you you never know like but they listen they've been walking with me for three and a half years the moment he says sword they go I know what that means let's go let's go and you know why because we know categorically many if not most of the cyclists were very hung up on Israel overtaking Rome literally literally we know that in Acts chapter 1 Jesus is resurrected and in his resurrection form the disciples are like his is this the time are we gonna take down we're home let's go and he's like no I got to go another glad way come back we're not ready so we know they're in that might that's their ideal by the way that's their childhood ideal that's their synagogue ideal that's their cultural ideal someday Israel is going to take over Rome and Jesus represents whose ideal his know there's Jesus says sword they go sword trigger word buzz word let's go they got we got to Auto something by the way where did those swords come from Jesus we have been waiting for this I got two and he goes it's enough a scene or two later Peter pulls out of sorting Shh cut some ear off now we got Christians cutting people's ears off why would ask for us what Jesus said what we get we got Christians hurt hurting people in the world historically I love friends who tell me like hey man I'm cool it's your past and everything I'm not really down with Jesus Christianity all that because so much pain war abuse control slavery has been done in the name of Jesus and I go good on you for understanding our history and I don't blame you for that but just give me a shot to tell you a redemptive story and what we're attempting to do in these streets all of it there has been whole nations and people groups oppression murder horrific things done in the name of Jesus this isn't new this isn't new mean Christians not not a new thing not a new thing there's been whole mean Christian empires because sword means grab your sword and start cutting people yeah does that look anything like Jesus the Jesus you read about in the four Gospels at all is there ever a moment you're like yeah no Jesus is not hurting people Jesus is so when he says sword does he mean literal sword or does he mean a fights Brewin a war is about to break out and we immediately think it's natural we immediately think it's physical and we immediately want to do what we've been dreaming to do and Jesus has got cuts his ear off and the plan doesn't go like the disciples thought at all Jesus picks up the ear of his their arch enemy and he puts it back on his ear on his head can Jesus like put that away Peter he's like a couple verses ago you said go sell our jackets and get more but you said sword right you said I heard sword what do you mean when you say sword not what you mean when you say sword how am I supposed to know that I hear blessing and I think bank account gods like I don't Oh what was bank account like in the list so here's what happens we hear words we hear teachings it sets our expectations through our deals and God doesn't deliver that's why I did all my golf course that I kicked my driver that's a true story don't you judge me you mean Christian but how you doing struggling why because God's Word says and look at my life oh Jesus says doesn't he yeah do you think he means what we think he means yeah of course he's American horse yeah of course he does Jesus says he knows we need like houses and stuff and in like great bodies and good jobs and things and that's what I get concerned I actually think we got a lot of mean Christians because a lot of Christians are hurting because they are reading the teachings of Jesus through their ideals and setting expectations that newsflash may never and most likely will not be fulfilled and so you're like remember what happened to Peter after Jesus had put your sword away Peter was like I'm out I'm exhausted you you did not fulfill my ideal I'm going back to my old job that's called normal that's the trajectory of me and Christians I'm done with the church I'm done with the church don't worry it doesn't work for me okay here's here's the crux of my message here's my this is the climactic conclusion we are running a grave risk right now in Christian communities in this country we are separating the teachings of Jesus from the person of Jesus and as a result there is no way we are going to get his story right we have removed please hear me the teachings point to the person the teachings are not an end in themselves please hear me now when all you know is the teachings and you don't know the person you'll run it through your ideals and you'll end up being disillusioned and you will become a mean Christian what thanks thanks for clapping I know it doesn't feel good but it's gonna end good it's gonna end good it's gonna it's gonna end good so we have to salat isn't it we have to well we have to know Jesus if we don't know Jesus but we adhere to his teachings we might use them to abuse people because see you see the disconnect the disciples had they considered the three-and-a-half-year lifestyle of Jesus how he ate how he walked how he talked his schedule his patterns his demeanor his countenance they would have taken the word sword and put it up to the person and said body of work sword must mean something different body of work blessing must mean something different body of work living forever till I come I that could mean so but okay alright alright I'm at a the truth Jesus teachings have more meaning they have so many multiple meanings you and I are doomed to think that we can exhaust the teachings of Jesus that's what it means I'll send you the scholars you say well I think it means this I'll send another scholar say well I think it means this it could be there all right or all wrong so then here's my question why are the teachings of Jesus so cloaked I had this question for years I mean Jesus is always he's talking in metaphor he's like hey last time I sent you out I said don't take nothing just get out there love people now I say get get get a money back trade you trade your Parker's in for swords it's on and the guys are like wow he's turning the corner here we go right I mean all the all the parables Jesus uses right harder for a rich man into the kingdom of heaven I have a needle and I have a needle was an actual gate in the city and they're like okay I got I got preachers who told me like hey you should shouldn't preach on the parables because they're too it too hard too hard to interpret and I'm like we should probably have a go but like what so what why did he cloak it why did he say sword when he he knows that we don't always think about sword the way he thinks about sword and when he means sword and how what's the point can I tell you what I think the point is that you can't take his teachings away from his person he made it in such a way that you got to go hey Jesus I read it I really did I read it I read it you're a great writer um I have a few questions Oh for real like book of Revelation you know like uh can I get some help oh you you want me to teach you about me yeah yeah this book is about a person it's not the end Jesus says to the Pharisees you read the Bible and you think your Bible knowledge is the end he said it points to me and that's where you have erred so we have so taken the teachings we have forgot that you got to know him or without knowing him and merely having his teachings I am convinced you gonna be a part of the mean Christian army cuz you're gonna be like well that's not what the word is that it's not what the word says and we have people quoting Jesus with a tone he never used what is that well Jesus is the way the truth and the life so you better turn what what's that that's the teachings of Jesus sounds like you're yelling at me I am you need to repent you're confusing me why cuz I I heard Jesus was like a really nice guy way more than nice he was had this deep love for humanity and you taken his words and you're using them and I'm feeling a lot of meanness do you know him so Peter why do Christians cut ears off I don't know and they keep making Jesus you need to live by my ideals and Jesus has a lot of wonderful amazing things but one thing he's not he is not made in your image you are made in His image that's the order right right like so Jesus has remember that scripture and Isaiah and I'm taking Lilla context but he says oh my ways are higher than your ideals my thoughts are higher than your childhood normal traditions remember what Jesus says in Matthew's Gospel he says you have taken God's story and you have voided it out with your man-made ideals or traditions and now you are using my story to inflict pain on people don't be mean Pharisees don't be mean Sadducees alright so have you thought I'd this thought already I bet you have here's the thought I had well if Peter is cutting ears off and he got three and a half years with physical visible Jesus I'm doomed right I don't know why I'm standing like this like what am i what am i a soccer coach like how cool is this dance hey boys and girls lately hey so you know like you start you start like sometimes I distract myself but can I can I take you to ascription I and I will do it Acts chapter one guys if that's okay Acts chapter one and I'm ending I'm ending right here so when they had come together this is the resurrected Jesus and there he's about ready to levitate and disappear here listen what they said Lord is it time are you gonna restore the Kingdom of Israel this most likely means are is Israel gonna take over Rome how are we gonna do it is it time that's our ideal he says it's not free doing all the times and seasons the father has fixed by his own authority and he says this please hear me you're coming into a new era Jesus says what's what I mean it's gonna be defined by my spirit not my physical visible form but my spirit form and it's going to give you a power Dunamis is the word it's dynamic power and the spirits gonna come upon you and he's gonna live in you I am going to come upon you and live in you in spirit form not just walk with you in physical form and what's going to happen to you is you are going to be able to tell my story accurately to places like Jerusalem Judea and Samaria the spirit my spirit is going to teach you what I mean when I say what I say my spirit is going to filter through your ideals is going to I should say disrupt your ideals and this spirit my spirits going to help you know me not just my words but me for my words lead me lead you to me so now Jesus says it's better that I go for when I go the helper were come which is to say my spirit form will come and the Spirit will be upon you and in you and now we have what Peter did not have we have the spirit form of Jesus in us and upon us saying this is who I am you want to know me I'm here I'm with you I'll give you dreams I wake you up in the morning I'll speak to you in the midnight hour I'll walk with you to the watercooler I'll give you hints I'll give you a sense of my love you'll feel me at times I'm going to walk with you and I'm going to keep you in accuracy as opposed to but see we have to know that this is available right that his spirit form now is with us and a upon us and so now don't sell yourself short don't sell yourself short when you read this read it with him when you listen to this listen with him don't overwhelm yourself if some of you can't if you say I read too much my mind is jumbled don't do that read a verse read a line read it and let let let the spirit form of Jesus start prompting you say things now now some of your friends who are here like ok it is again a little creepy I don't like being Christians but y'all are weird you know but like in the morning at night whenever you have in a moment thinking about scripture and say Jesus I need to know what that means I don't have time to go into all the scripture references but Jesus said the Spirit is gonna come and he's gonna glorify me the word glorify means he's going to show you the essence of who Jesus is you always know the Spirit is working in your life when you become more and more aware of Jesus more aware of Jesus so I want you to think if you were walking with up the 12 disciples and Jesus said something this happened oftentimes someone would get up the courage in the group to go Jesus what does that mean and oftentimes his response would make it even more cloaked and the point was stay close watch work with me walk with me work with me watch how I do it now what I said and what I do do they seem inconsistent then maybe you're filtering it to your ideal and not mine what would I mean when I said sword what would I mean when I said there's a battle coming what what I mean but maybe there's gonna be a spiritual war for my weapons are not carnal but they are mighty to the pulling down of strongholds Jesus you don't want us to fight with people physically you want us to understand there's a war in the unseen realm spiritually and we're gonna need each other and we're gonna have to trust each other and we're going to learn to talk to you because it is an all-out war [Applause] the only way we're gonna get nice and nice is it's a cheap word but you know let's at least start on that level just can we just is it is it is it too elementary to say I I just want to be one of those community leaders who's like I'm just looking for some nice Christians these days how's that who just played nice with each other and are nice to people that don't care about Jesus or know Jesus I'm looking for like courteous Christians anybody with me like I just would be nice just Christians you say please thank you how are you what's your name that's what I'm looking for Christians who are on Twitter like hey let's not talk on this form let's meet up for coffee you know scratch that I'm looking for pastors who don't post arguments with other pastors publicly that's what I'm looking for that's what I'm looking for we got pastors publicly arguing their doctrines in front of the world when people are out on these streets dying who has time for this I'm just asking pastors everywhere and maybe Pastor stop listening to me a long time ago but I'm like can we got to get this together we gotta tone that Jesus never Kerry and we fighting each other in public I'm looking for pastors who play nice with other pastors pastors who walk with Jesus and so they understand that his words go with his demeanor and they go with his tone and they go with his body of work and they go with his lifestyle and you gotta you gotta you gotta filter it through that right can our tone change now if you're not a Christian here you should be saying Amen let these Christians know can are I'm done I need I need it I need to stop I'm in these bootcut jeans but i'ma stop okay I'm 40 I'm getting more honest we we got it we we got a god help us I gotta be careful I'm gonna end being mean to pastors when I'm talking about me and Christian so it's like all right Julie you you bout to totally self-destruct right here in them and here sermon so but um I think you know man I think I think people are hurting so bad they're hoping to run in to some people that look like Jesus and I think we got a shot I think we got a shot Christians overwhelmed the Roman Empire with their love and the Roman Empire became a Jesus following Empire in less than 200 years cuz we just kept being loving we weren't mean I think we got whole cities that are broken and hurting feel empty feel like that tried everything and are we living by the same ideals or we living by Jesus ideas wanting to walk in his footsteps I think I've said enough tonight but I feel passionate about this can I pray for us I pray for me we need this Jesus I never I've never seen anybody like you I never met anybody like you nobody nobody even comes close and I just want to say I'm really sorry for extended seasons in my life where I made you in my image and didn't let you continue to change me into yours we um we don't want to be a church that lives through our own ideals and here's your teaching through our own ideals we want your ideals so we're gonna have to be around you gonna have to listen to you gonna have to feel you so we want that and god i'ma pray this crazy prayer for any of us that are willing today God we're just gonna one more time just let you know that everything in our life is subject to your correction and your change disrupt every thought perspective worldview that I hold that you don't disrupt it we want to become kinder sweeter more loving more passionate more resolute to walk these streets like you that's what we want listen we want you here today and you say Judah I would like to become a follower of Jesus all that is required is acceptance all that is required is receptivity and to accept what well the person of Jesus and the gift that he offers and what he offers is himself and what he offers is total and complete forgiveness for the air the wrong and the sin that each of us have committed if you'd like that free get to forgiveness and begin your journey with Jesus I'm gonna welcome you to do that right here right now wherever you are watching the Seattle wherever you are watching on the app you're right here at the Saban theater if you'd like to make this decision to receive the forgiveness of Jesus and begin following him on the count of three I'm gonna ask you to lift up your hand and put it right back down one two three if that's you just shoot your hand up all over your arm thank you thank you for those raising their hands in Seattle for those raising their hand maybe even just watching this on a phone thank you you are forgiven now forever and Jesus we thank you for that we thank you for that they're learning this moment of reflection in this moment of worship I pray that we would feel you I pray that the spirit form of Jesus would begin to change us bring us close to you speak to us prompt us in Jesus name Amen hey everybody thank you so much for watching our YouTube channel to be honest it really means a lot it's kind of overwhelming to consider that you take time out of your life to listen to us tell the story of Jesus if you haven't already you can subscribe right here to the channel and get more of God's incredible love for you and his story of grace again I can't say it enough thank you so much for watching and hopefully we can do this again real soon

Channel: Churchome

Views: 36,734

Rating: 4.8354115 out of 5

Keywords: Churchome, Judah, Judah smith, church, message, anxiety, depression, how to, elevation, Steven, Hillsong, oceans, sermon, the city church, church home, Chelsea smith, bobby Houston, td jakes, pastor, pastor preaching, carl lentz, Jesus, conference, guest speaker, sermon jam, worship, Justin Bieber, la Hillsong, Selena, preaching, Judah message, performance

Id: -tfC6UdC3YE

Length: 54min 39sec (3279 seconds)

Published: Tue Sep 10 2019