More Than Yourself // Judah Smith

Luke chapter 7 in verse 36 we're gonna read a wonderful story and I'm gonna title this message more than yourself I'd like to submit to you for your consideration that in this life you are gonna need more than yourself Luke 636 is one of the Pharisees asked him Jesus to eat with him he went into the Pharisees house and took his place at the table and behold a woman of this city who was a sinner when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisees house brought an alabaster flask of ointment and standing behind him at his feet weeping she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment now when the Pharisees who had invited him saw this he said to himself if this man were a prophet he would have known notice he says to himself doesn't say out loud he he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him for she is a sinner jesus answered and said to him Simon I have something to say to you Simon probably kind of shaken out of his thoughts says say it teacher and Jesus introduces the most simple basic parable and all of his teachings it's very short he says a certain moneylender had two debtors one owed five hundred denarii which is about a year and a half wages and the other fifty which is about two months wages Jesus says now when they could not pay he canceled the debt above now which of them will love him more Simon I love this look how I'm sure he is like the question the one I suppose for whom he canceled the larger debt and Jesus like yep yeah that was my whole point it's kind of like two plus two equals four good talk with Jesus like what what oh okay all right cool and then Jesus it says in verse 44 then turning toward the woman so this gets more awkward Jesus is looking at Simon talking to him now he's gonna look at the woman and keep talking to Simon he says Simon do you see this woman I entered your house you gave me no water for my feet but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair you gave me no kiss but from the time I came in she is not cease to my feet you did not anoint my head with oil but she has anointed my feet with ointment therefore I tell you her sins which are many are forgiven but she loved much but he was forgiven little loves little and he said to her your sins are forgiven then those who are at the table began gossiping saying among themselves who is this that's the operative idea of this whole passage who is this this is an unusual story who is this who even forgives sins and he said to the woman your faith has saved you any times you says your faith has saved you it means you trusting me has saved you because you can't save you go in peace that word peace means completeness wholeness go now and live a whole life a complete life it's this passage that has provoked me of late in the last few weeks and so again I'd like to speak to you from the subject more than yourself will you pray with me Jesus we thank you for the moments we share as a community we recognize that apart from you this is just a a talk or a speech but with you it changes everything we could have an encounter with the Jesus we read on paper can be the Jesus we encounter in our heart in our mind and our soul meet us Lord speak to us and want to encounter you in a real genuine way and God thank you for giving coach Carole and the Seahawks all the wisdom they need to be the team that you want them to be because they are your chosen team in Jesus and help the Mariners Lord win another 800 games or however many are left in the season in Jesus name Amen how many of them watch this you're not gonna believe this how many of you have a dog can you raise your hand loud and proud how much of a dog city is Seattle one more time you have a dog raise your raise your hand okay this is amazing how many of you have a cat you're dismissed well seriously there's a lot of great churches man for people like you relax I've told you about the first dog we have I have not told you about the second dog our family I'll give you a little dog history for the Smith family my dad grew up and had 22 different dogs growing up that's a true story might be it might be a world record 22 dogs right and he's like the majority of the dogs were when they lived in Moscow when he said Moscow's like dad are we Russian he's like Moscow Idaho I didn't know I didn't know either okay so my dad's a dog lover now he married my mom obviously and and mom does not like animals okay that's not true that's an unfair statement my mom respects animals but does not prefer to house them yeah that's what I meant that's all I meant okay so we had this little Papillon and we called it popcorn and Papillon was in our life for about two years mom something like that and we named that little Papillon popcorn cuz it would jump real high jump real high jump right but but mom I came home one day mom gave it away that will be a trend by the way in this story a couple of years later I am begging for another dog I need another dog my dad had 22 dogs I just want one mom I just want one and so probably of my dad's doing he bought a a little puppy that was half German Shepherd half Husky beautiful dog go Huskies and I came home I never forget and here is this dog that's like what do you think I'm gonna get the best you're the greatest I mean you have never seen a more passionate dog lover in your whole life I know this is shocking for some of you who've heard me speak about dogs but I love dogs I wanted a dog and here is this dog and dad says what are you gonna name this dog and out the gate you should know it is very obvious I shouldn't have a dog because you know what I named this dog I named it a name that is so so so not okay I said I Lou the dog and I said dad let's name it buddy now you think it's tough what's wrong with buddy I'll tell you what's wrong with buddy buddy is the term we use when we can't remember people's names and that's what I named this dog it's a true story I had a friend who recently named his dog Kevin I'm like nah man that is too human you can't be running around he goes to the dog park he's like Kevin people like really man got a cat named Sarah - whatever happened to Rover you know mean kill her even but but Kevin so but I named the dog buddy his name his name would be buddy now buddy would last in our family for one month oh oh oh really okay you're gonna judge me all right god bless you know so so it is what it is I got to own that we were not at the Smith family was not designed people asked me today do you have a dog I'm like I kind of have three dogs Zion Elliott and grace right like it's full-time like I I don't know if I need another child at this point in in in in so buddy lasted a month and the reason buddy last of the month is because the first couple of days I was all-in I was like buddy's my man buddy I am gonna train you I'm gonna raise you you're gonna be like Lassie right but cooler cuz you're a husky right I was so pumped on buddy every day I'd come home right watching Fresh Prince of bel-air and Saved by the Bell and me and Buddy right living the dream it's amazing but a couple days in buddy like buddy had to go to bathroom and and sometimes he would do it in places that my would not be right so like one Sunday morning he pooped in his kennel and rolled in it and I was like I can't this is not for me my mom cleaned that kennel I had no idea that was the beginning of the end fast-forward a few weeks I come home it's 3:30 Saved by the Bell right and I'm sitting there mom's in the corner working on the Macintosh remember the original Macintosh yeah no I'm talking about and mom's working on it and then also mom says something that kind of caught me off guard she says she says you'd I have something to tell you and immediately I was like man something bad has happened and she's like you remember that ultralight Easton Little League baseball bat you wanted it's not a big deal it's not the point of the message I was a little league all-star that is not important right now let's keep this thing on about Jesus but mom says I bought you that bat now I didn't grow up in a family where we're and it's cool that's what you do with your family like kids just come home from school because they came home from school mom buys them a present like that's not how it rolled in the Smith family it's like Christmas is Christmas all the other days like you you you you gonna have like your birthday yeah we'll get you a gift but you don't just get random gifts okay not growing up so so when mom said I got you the bat I checked the calendar I was like what is today why would you so she hands me the bat I get up from the couch right and I'm watching Zack Morris and Slater I get up from the couch I don't even care about Saved by the Bell now and I'm holding this bat and I'm like mom thank you in my mind I'm like somebody did something to my mom right like this is not normal she's like you like the bat I said I love the bat thank you she goes good because I traded it for the dog that's a real story welcome to my life man but here's the sad part a story is I was like yeah that makes sense though and you know what the bat doesn't poop if I could just be honest so oh it's like it's a fair trade what's amazing you said you do what is the point of this story I don't really know but haha but the point is story is that sometimes even like and I don't mean insult your intelligence but like my little dog buddy we start off we start off in our journey of faith with so much passion that no matter what happens I love Jesus I mean this is gonna be incredible it's gonna be awesome and maybe even a few weeks in you realize that man sometimes putting your faith in Jesus and following Jesus it requires some responsibility some challenges some difficulties now all of a sudden you know maybe some people in your social circle are like I don't know about you man you're one of those fanatical faith people now and all sudden it's costing you a little bit of social equity and you're starting to go man I don't know and naturally what happens in our faith journey wherever you are in that spectrum is sometimes we we lose a little bit of our passion we lose a little bit of our desire it's amazing how fast I lost my passion for buddy and replaced him with a bat it is amazing how sometimes man you can have a great week and you just feel such passion for Jesus and then there are those days and sometimes their seasons and hopefully not extended seasons where you feel like your desire for God is just waning it's just lessening and sometimes you kind of search within yourself like man what's going on like I used to be real passionate about Jesus and I've had maybe an extended season and maybe you're sitting here right now and you're like I haven't really told anybody Judah but I've been feeling like that for quite some time I've been feeling like man I and maybe your thoughts have led you to conclude that this is the new norm this is the norm but actually people of faith you just kind of faith it every day and you rarely feel it and don't have much passion and desire but but you know what this is the right thing to do ever been there it's the right thing to do come on honey get the kids come on get in the minivan why we're going to church it's the right thing to do it's the right thing to do come on let's read our Bible why it's cuz it's the right thing to do and I want us I want our family and our kids to have a good worldview and some moral compass to help them as they go on into college experience and marriage and future you know I want to have a well-rounded family so it's it's the right thing to do many of us have concluded that following Jesus is something you do that doesn't it's not filled with a lot of passion and desire it's just kind of faith and it's the right thing to do and I want to be a noble moral good godly person and so that's what we're going to do I would like to put before you for your consideration that I actually after my reading of Scripture particularly New Testament in the life and Ministry of Jesus I would like to maybe argue otherwise oh there's going to be days where you preachers you just say you don't have to fake it but sometimes you got to faith it they're gonna be those days but if those days are starting to pile up and it's been a long time since you have felt that passion in your soul and in your guts I read the story of Jesus as the story continues in the universe and I see time and time again these overwhelming circumstances and stories and incidents where there is profound passion and awkward devotion and adoration and if you're like me it provokes it's provoking you read about this woman and you're kind of like wow like this story can't not be awkward it can't not be awkward I love how some of us have been in church for so long we read stories like this oh this is this I love this story I started reading this a few minutes ago and you're like oh this is such a beautiful story yes but we were awkward an uninvited prostitute shows up at a holy man's house who's hosting the leading candidate from Esiason and he's trying to decide if he is gonna side with him and a woman of the night if you will who's probably not wearing a denim skirt shows up uninvited that alone is like whoa hey we're good no thanks no no I'm not here I'm whoa she it gets worse she is so overcome with emotion she is weeping and wailing tears are coming out of her eyes and she's using her tears as a cleaning agent for Jesus feet I love stories like this because in Christendom and maybe you haven't been in church for a while but for a lot of us Christians we read stories like this and like now now wait for this this Pharisee what a bad man he judges her he should accept her except it was your home and you had set up the dinner and everyone and I actually studied the posture they would have been laying on their side with their feet kicked out it would have been like the spokes of a bicycle wheel from top they're all kind of laying around it's kind of a cool moment like Jesus has definitely been outspoken about the Pharisees and their issues but one invited him over and he said yes so Simon's already like this is kind of cool and here comes the most awkward social interruption ever she's weeping and I love this part of the story because there's no indication that Jesus looks at her until the Bible indicates he specifically does which leads me to believe that Jesus is laying on his side with his feet kick back she's right here weeping wiping his feet dirtiest part of his body in antiquity and then pouring her perfume and Jesus is not even looking at her he's just looking at everybody at the table Amen you get can you pass the can you pass the hummus I think that's why Simon's like he doesn't say anything cuz Jesus doesn't say anything like it's just happening he's like what are we just gonna pretend like this isn't happening so it doesn't say it out loud he says in his head he's like if he knew what kind of wood is this this is route and all the sudden all of a sudden if you're honest who can you relate with more in this story Simon or the woman and when I get honest with myself alone when I'm not publicly speaking on a stage to our whole church I admit that more often than I'd like to admit I relate with Simon more his demeanor his disposition I seem to relate to but the radical nature of this woman is like this is wild this is gee this provokes me now the reason I compare that is because Jesus will in a few minutes in a few moments he'll say Simon look at her look at you look what she did look what you didn't do look what she and I wonder if God in this passage wants us to say hey how does your devotion how does your adoration how does your worship line up with this wild woman who is consumed with Jesus I wonder if maybe we're supposed to be a little more like her and a little less like Simon he said with you that's pretty obvious it's true I think the point is that this gratitude and attitude that this woman has we're supposed to learn from by no means am I suggesting today that every day for you and Jesus is gonna be an alabaster box kind of day and every day right no but but I think the point is where is the passion where is the desire where is the devotion where is the adoration what is the last time you said to yourself with nobody around Jesus Jesus is so amazing I believe that is supposed to be a prominent part of our spiritual Ernie why is this woman like this right that's that's an operative question why is she like this what has happened to her why is nobody else at the table doing what she's doing what has happened to and I wonder if we can investigate why she's like this we could learn to be a bit more like this I think locked up in this passage or clearly put in this passage is maybe a key to your waning passion and desire for God can I say this if you've never had your desire or passion for God kind of decrease you've been saved for 18 minutes but for the rest of us endeavoring to follow Jesus there's gonna be days and sometimes they're seasons where it's like god I want to love you but it's been a long time since I've felt real passion to to worship you and adore you I think I think I think we can learn from this woman my first observation of why I think she's like this is what kind of Jesus does she know well I get ask yourself what about Jesus does she know that the people at the table don't know what has she heard about Jesus what has she seen in Jesus what has she experienced about Jesus think about the drastic response of this woman who has everything to lose in this social environment she is not accepted in this space she is uninvited in this space she's not to be in this space this is a holy man's house by definition this is a holy dinner but she is so overcome by adoration and passion and desire and devotion and gratitude that she clearly is not aware of those things she is so passionate about Jesus like is this fair to say do you ever stop at a moment like this and go does she know something about Jesus that I don't know is there a Jesus is there portions of Jesus that this woman saw that I'm not aware of I think it a step further I'd like to ask a question I wonder are we when we tell the story of Jesus when we talk about Jesus are we making him great enough are we making him good enough I'd like to answer my own question no no no no oh the Bible says that all eternity will be filled with the unveiling and unraveling of his goodness his grace his mercy his essence his beauty his majesty no he he he he's inexhaustible that's how beautiful he is it's funny moments like this we're like you know Judah every Sunday seems to be focused on Jesus oh yeah we don't have enough days in our lifetime to focus on Jesus so we'll carry it over into eternity do we know the goodness of what had she heard about Jesus she's been rejected by the the institution of the church she had been rejected by the establishment these holy men didn't want her around they had marginalized her overlooked her and rejected her but what she heard about Jesus or what she saw about Jesus put her in this place wailing over his feet and you're like wow translate that to 2018 in a minivan taking your kids to soccer practice right and it's like I love you lord help me with these kids Jesus everybody got the Capri Suns all right I got to drop you off Billy I drop you off first Amanda they were about you know like it's just like and you read these passages you're like oh that's so cool I I'm I do errands with my kids so I I don't know if I can but I wonder if even in the midst of driving kids to soccer practice that you and I could have moments with Jesus I'm just going wow look at in your rear-view mirror going I know all their nose running right now but thank you that I got three little noses in this family that can run and God thank you that you saved me and I just love you and it may not look like this outlandish act of worship but it can be the same heart posture and I wonder if this passage exists to provoke us hey where where is this in our life and if it's maybe not there as much do we know the Jesus that she knows oh he's so good he's so wonderful he's so gracious he's so different she's that devoted and then as we look further in the story it's interesting she's this woman's given a title not only woman of the city or a woman of the night but she said to be a sinner to two times Bible says she was a sinner and then Simon member in his thoughts to himself this is an exceptional key in this whole passage he says to himself in his mind if Jesus was a prophet he would know what kind of woman was touching him illegal according to the law for a woman like this to touch a man for there's no what Simon Says in his mind for she is a sinner now when you see that term it's hard to understand its historical context here because historically when it says sinner it's not saying all since the term center became a title for anyone who had blatant obvious ways of sinning or a lifestyle of sin this is very interesting you would not be called a sinner if you did some of the little sins you know I mean the ones that the establishment winks at hey man you had one too many glasses of why you good you good you good you're not a sinner cuz your sins are small your sins are secret but this woman she is a sinner now what does Simon doing well if I could be so bold I think he's doing what we all do we categorize people secretly in our hearts and minds and that categorizing that is not from God nor is it from the life and Ministry of Jesus sabotage is our passion and desire for God and here's how I'll explain simon says to himself she is a sinner now by putting her in a lower category he's putting himself in a higher category here's the problem when you subtly put yourself in a higher category from someone else you begin to whittle away at your need for a savior for if I am in a higher category to be honest I have done a little bit of work to save myself and why would you need a Savior if you don't particularly feel the need to be saved for I'm a good man a nobleman Oh oh-oh-oh sinner categories categories categories that now all of us are smart enough you've been in you've been in church long enough nobody walks around says hey man I'm better than you you need to know that the reason I'm better than you is because I go to church more than you I know more Bible than you I pretty much smell better than you and I don't cuss so I'm better than you no problem we're all saved brother we're all gonna go to heaven you seem to know you're here I'm here god bless let's talk soon no one does that but we'll go to coffee with people and say it in our hearts just like Simon oh this sweet new believer here at church home oh they are so sweet got a lot of sanctification to do you're so cute oh how cute oh my gosh you still use dirty words [Music] and then we go home and we're like I can't seem to get my groove back with the Lord because without even knowing it you are suddenly setting yourself up to trust yourself I trust myself I would like to suggest first of all that this woman knows exactly what category she's in and she is forced to own it and she's in one of the categories God instituted not man and that is lost two categories in Scripture essentially lost found sinner saved and this woman is in one of those categories and she knows it is there any question in her life of whether or not she's bad now she's like I'm bad I am really bad everybody around her is like well that's the truth but look what it does for her guess who needs a Savior someone who's really bad so she runs into the proper holy dinner party like somebody who's grateful on an extreme level and her passion is palatable her passion is awkward it's overwhelming whoa you're using your hair it's a legal to let down your hair what are you doing I don't I didn't even consider you were watching you don't understand I never met anybody like this nobody ever forgave me cared for me loved me I worship Him whoa all of a sudden you look at this woman and you go I think we're all lost and broken but over time we lead ourselves into this thinking that well based on some of my behavioral improvements I've actually well I do have some pretty good qualities and that others don't have so I must have a little bit of something to do and that by definition according to scripture is heresy heresy it's heresy it's not it's not true it's completely counterproductive to the gospel the gospel says for God so loved the world the world that any treatment on this verse has to lead you to one conclusion the word world means broken system we know based on Scripture interpreting Scripture it's not that God loves the broken system the point is he loves the broken people in the broken system and he loves them how much so loved which leads me to a conclusion that I'd like to put before you that I think is essential to your worldview and essential to your theology that is your view of God and here it is I'll leave it before you we all have to own this I believe that God loves very very bad people very very much now that I want to let that sink in you said you know how do you know that right here I know it from personal experience God loves very very bad people very very much in fact you will find that the only people Jesus has problems with are people who don't think they're very very bad those are the people Jesus like really because you don't think you're very very bad you're very very mean but anyone who says hey I am Humpty Dumpty I've had a great fall I'm in pieces out here in these streets Jesus is like cool because I'm a savior that's what I do I'm God I'm creator I'm designer I'm Savior I've come to restore humanity and the earth as we know it but if you're walking around like I'm good you'll add a little bit to my resume but I'm good Jesus was like cool because God loves very very bad people very very do you notice the posture change in this story Jesus pivots in the story he's talking to Simon laying on his side he's talking all the guys and then he says and looks at the woman he says Simon I have something to tell you don't miss his pivot don't miss his posture because it's telling you something about our God he still talks to the religious elite but his face is towards the very very bad people and there's something in that message and I just like to say something's happening to church home were involved in that pivot the church has to pivot the church has to turn with Jesus the church has to say we're not responsible to to to only deal with the religious individuals we can still speak to the religious individuals while facing a very very bad broken world Jesus turns [Applause] and then he makes the all-important statement in the key to passion and desire for God he says um in fact I don't know if we had that in the message Bible guys it's it's it's beautiful but he says she um she had lots of sins now remember Simon doesn't think he has lots of sins Simon doesn't think he has lots of sense by the way I love you more take the truth when I said very very bad people very very much don't tell anybody don't look to your left here right did you think about other people that's the problem well that's the truth my neighbor whoa oh man you should hear my uncle story but what about your story aren't you living proof that God loves very very bad people very very much Jesus says see this woman looking at her Simon you see this woman she loves a lot because she's been forgiven so much do you feel like you've been forgiven much or were you pretty good along the way that pretty good along the way might be the single thing sabotaging your passion and desire for God sometimes I wonder if we should bring back the old hymns I was wretched I was blind I once was lost but now I'm found was blind now I can see that's some good gospel singing you know by no means am I suggesting that we walk around like we are worms that's not the point is message that we walk around in Cabana I'm a sinner I'm terrible I'm the worst I'm broken I'm a nightmare I'm a train wreck no that's it's but we walk around with a gratefulness of our righteousness because we know it's none of our doing ha ha did not earn this right standing with God not even a half percent was me zero percent this is love not that we loved God but that he loved us and gave us gave himself as a propitiation for our sins mean he took our place no it was all Jesus it was all Jesus can you see this woman can you see the key to her passion she trusts herself 0% to save herself do you see it there is no trust in herself in any way shape or form that she can save herself it occurs to her obviously that she without Jesus he's a nightmare broken lost and doomed and watch what she does watch what she does she pours her alabaster box which is full of perfume I would like to suggest that the perfume was key to her occupation for if a prostitute does not smell good that could hurt business she takes her whole livelihood and potential income and she says I'm burning the boats with my old life why because the holy men sat around a holy table and told her how bad she was no because she heard about the goodness of God in the person of Jesus she she look how very very grateful she is because now she's very very forgiving and she was very very bad I think that's the key that we walk around saying man I'm righteous and the fact that I can say I'm righteous is so outlandish I didn't do nothing to be right I was so wrong I was double wrong I had turned my back on Jesus but Jesus didn't turn his back on me and now because he chose me and save me I'm all-in I'm all-in I'm all about nothing back you are gonna determine my livelihood you're gonna determine my occupation you're gonna determine the trajectory of my life I'm all in my others sit at a table and our religious critics I'm gonna be on my knees telling you you're the only one that can save me and I end with this story Jesus tells another parable and it said that Jesus had a reason for telling this parable in what is Luke chapter 18 same book written by dr. Luke he says he also told this parable to some who please hear me trusted in themselves that they were righteous that will be your greatest obstacle in passion and desire for God the number one sabotage of desire and passion for God is when we trust even a little bit in ourselves that we made ourselves right with God no nothing nothing could be further from the truth so Jesus tells this story he says by the way these people trust they treated others with contempt they treated other others with contempt can I give you just three signs and I didn't add this this is bonus material and the 8:30 but can I give you three signs that I see in this passage by simon and then we're gonna get to Luke 18 this is how you know that you are trusting yourself and you have contempt with others notice notice simon number 1 Simon was really opinionated really opinionated people sometimes we give ourselves away because the reason we're pinning it is because we have started to trust in our own performance Oh church can I appeal to you as a fellow Jesus follower so much pain has been produced by opinionated Christians I wonder sometimes if we need to put our opinions away and just listen and love but I think sometimes it's clappa but I think sometimes the pit' look how opinionated Simon is look how dogmatic Simon is and then it noticed the people at the table in verse 49 of Luke 8 and we're gonna jump to Luke 18 they they're gossiping they're know-it-alls and I think one of the signs when we start to trust ourselves even a little bit as we become very opinionated Jesus followers we become know-it-alls can I share Scripture with you that just challenges me to my core I think it's first Corinthians chapter 6 I've never seen this verse before and that sounds weird to say but it's true look at this we never really know enough until we recognize that God alone knows at all like that should put every Christian in a posture of I don't totally know man but God does and I love you and I love you our posture should not be know-it-alls and you know what know-it-alls do they typically gossip and they talk about each other well you know you heard about well you know I heard about and boy it's so destructive to authentic community this isn't a church service we're building we're building community we're interconnecting each other's lives to love care serve speak well herbally the best and wash each other with encouragement it comes from the truth of our saving power of Jesus Christ that leads us now to Luke 18 and you can see these people who are carrying themselves as opinionated know-it-alls gossips looking down their nose at others and Jesus says I want to tell you story he says two men went up into the temple to pray one a Pharisee the other tax collector and the Pharisee standing by himself prayed thus god I thank you that I'm not like other men watch the categories I'm not like other men you know extortioners unjust adulterers or even like here comes the comparison even like this tax collector I fast twice a week I give tithes of all that I get Wow the tax collector standing afar off will not even lift his eyes to heaven but beat his breast saying God be merciful to me well God be merciful to me I know who I am I'm a sinner and listen to the explanation of Jesus in fact if we could do that in the message Bible look at this explanation and the message it's such a beautiful treatment of the original language Jesus says this this tax man not the other man went home made right with God here it is if you walk around with your nose in the air you're going to end up flat on your face I'll say it this way you gonna end up flatlining in your desire for God walking around categorizing yourself just above others and you wonder it's like I'm living in a vacuum I can't find my passion my groove my adoration my desire that worshipful heart I had when I was young more new to Jesus but he says but if you're content please hear this the words of Jesus if you're content to be simply yourself do you know what humility is it is you being simply yourself whatever people say of you whatever you think of yourself the point here is that we live in the truth of who we are in the context of the gospel and Who am I oh I'm broken without him I'm lost without him I'm a wreck without him that's who I am without Jesus and if you'll be content to be simply yourself here's the gospel you will become more than yourself you will become more than yourself the other translation says and God will exalt you'll be exalted you'll be able to do things you wouldn't been able to do on your own but by the grace of God it is not by might it's not my power it's by my spirit says the Lord the spirit of Jesus will take your life places you couldn't have dreamed of drawn up or imagined or planned God will order your steps he'll lead you he'll take you places you thought you could never even prayed for you never even asked exceedingly abundantly above all you can ask think or imagine I'm talking about the abundant life Oh everything's not gonna be smooth and easy but God's got a plan that will blow your mind if you'll simply just say Oh God I'm just I'm just me and if it wasn't for you I got a laugh can only imagine where I'd be what I'd be doing but you tells me I don't know why you chose me but you chose me and I accept that choosing and I am righteous I shouldn't be right I'm so not right but you made me right so here's my life and all the sudden he makes you more than yourself all you're gonna need more than yourself out there have you noticed how wild and crazy this world is how broken this world is how much division and pain in this world we need a community full of people who are living beyond themselves with a passion and desire that you didn't manufacture but a passion and desire that comes from the posture of this humble woman Oh God believe here's what happens I promise I'm gonna I'm summarizing I'm done here's what happens there's an attitude that settles over your life like a weather pattern that won't quit and here it is and it is powerful it's called gratefulness and it settles in and it becomes your consistent attitude and outlook it becomes maybe the truest outlook you can live with in your whole life all of a sudden through the filter of Jesus what he done what he's done and who he is all of a sudden your whole life turns into so blessed I'm telling you the only thing and I didn't mean to say this but the only thing that got me through when my dad graduated to heaven at 60 years old the thing that transformed my heart posture and kept me going was this I had a dad for 30 years of my life who was a great man I am grateful I am grateful and that is a transcendent posture and attitude so grateful we're so blessed you've heard me say this before but I got a challenge with one of my friends we have to say we're so blessed 20 times a day we're so blessed look at our lives we're so blessed I wonder if today even today right now you could get your groove back you get that passion that twinkle in your eye that's skipping your step and it's not complicated no no no no it's not complicated it's just the recognition of what is actually true and what's true I'm actually not Simon it's not who I am this woman that's who I am number one the Pharisee says I thank you I'm not like that other man Oh sir Oh sir you are this man and that's where you've missed it you are this man and this man is you you are both broken and lost in the moment you go oh Jesus thank you telling you adrenaline shoots through your veins and I'm gonna make a prediction we're going to need this passion for our future we're gonna need more than it's the right thing to do to fulfill the mission that God has for this community we're gonna need this passion I'm gonna need this devotion we're gonna need this adoration come persecution challenges hurdles obstacles we're gonna need this passion that says no no I'm grateful I'm so honored to be a part of the family so honored to be a part of his house so honored to be in community so honored to be a missionary in Seattle whoa I believe your best days all right heavy [Applause] we pray with me Jesus I sent you in this room essentially walk in the aya ways of this auditorium for you love so much every single person in this room God we're overwhelmed with a good theme that our God loves very very bad people very very much thank you for look at our lives we know it's true we know it's true if you're here today and you said Judah I want to follow Jesus man I want to receive the forgiveness that only Jesus offers then I'm gonna ask you to respond with everyone's eyes closed at this moment because this decision ultimately starts between you and God but if you'd like to make this decision of your own free will to receive the forgiveness that only Jesus offers and begin your journey of following him today is your day I don't want you to feel any pressure but if you know that you know that Jesus is God he's the only one that can save you I'm gonna ask you to respond on the count of three when I get to three I'm gonna ask you to slip up your hand and put it right back down you know who you are God loves you so much 1 2 3 or that she would you shoot your hand up all over the auditorium so that's me that's me that's me thank you thank you thank you beautiful anybody else is some of them thank you anybody else Jesus I thank you for every hand which represents an eternal soul and we thank you so much for your grace your goodness and your love and once again god I pray for church home from Seattle to LA I pray Lord that gratefulness will settle in over our lives in light of all that you've done and who you are in Jesus name in Jesus name if you're physically able or willing would you stand with us and let's sing out our devotion our love and our passion for Jesus come on church whoa buddy you guys see it's the subscribe button if you press on it you subscribe to our YouTube channel then you get to watch it and we get to have fun and we need to be fresh I love you subscribe

Channel: Churchome

Views: 29,060

Rating: 4.9465647 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: grztiCtY29k

Length: 49min 3sec (2943 seconds)

Published: Mon Jun 04 2018