Now And Then | Week 1 | ANDY STANLEY

[Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] you can take that picture I'll pose for this card just like high school a couple of weeks ago my son Andrew and I went to hear our favorite preacher Jerry Seinfeld and it was fabulous the sermon it was kind of like all over the place there wasn't really like a theme which was Kyle was hard to follow the theme of the sermon he did mention God a couple times and I wasn't even sure how that connected to the theme of the sermon but anyway during his incredible sermon he made one great point that I thought was so good we should do a whole series about it and he made the point that wherever we are we're never really settled where we are we're always thinking about what's next so wherever we are toward the end of wherever we are we say we got to go I got to go I got to go in fact some of you you're already thinking about you got to go and that was this point I thought that's true wherever we are we're never really settled we just always thinking about always thinking about what's next what's next what's next so um so this for the next few weeks the pack your bag series this is a series about how to prepare to get to where you got to get to from where you currently are that you just got to from where you recently were that you can't even remember okay so that's what that's what our theme is okay so let's go over this again Oh anyway the short version of pack your bags we're going to talk about for the next few weeks is how to prepare for what next now hopefully you have something coming up next that you are looking forward to you may be slightly nervous you may feel prepared I'm prepared but hopefully you got something coming up in the next few months or maybe the next year or maybe you've got a three year window and there's something coming out that you know you're looking forward to maybe you got somebody it's about to graduate from high school or graduate from college maybe you're about to graduate from high school or graduate from college maybe you're looking what's next for you is college or graduate school maybe you're about to get married you've got a wedding or your son or your daughter or grandson or granddaughter you've got a wedding in the future maybe your brother or sister older brother or older sister maybe I'm about to have a baby it's like wow that's that's you know how do I get ready for that maybe it's another baby and another baby can mean a lot things if you have to another baby that's three if you have four anyway so this can mean a lot of things okay so you got that coming up maybe you're about to start a new job or you're looking forward to a new job maybe a new school maybe you're on the verge of becoming empty nesters you know and you you're so excited about that you think and then y'all look at each other it's like can we handle that much time with alone you know so it's like you're excited about it on some of you retirement and as I don't mean retirement like in the next three months but the next big thing for you in other words you've kind of gotten to the empty nest thing in the next the next thing so for all of us hopefully for all of you there's something coming up that's the next that you're actually looking forward to you see it coming and you're excited and you're a little bit stressed about it and that makes perfect sense let me explain why whatever is next let me say this will steer set whatever's next means a transition a transition always means change and even if it's a good change it results in stress that transitions all transitions are always stressful even the one that you look forward to I mean remember the last time you had conversation with the mother of a bride-to-be remember how excited she was and how stressed out she was all at the same time right remember some of you the first that day that you took your firstborn child to school for the first time you know when that backpack was about as big as they were and you pointed them in the direction maybe as an older brother or sister or younger brothers sister and and and you sort of point them in the direction and you're looking so forward to your kids going to school it's what they're supposed to do if they didn't go that's a problem but even though you're looking forward to it it's what's next it's still so stressful um you know and your family is like our family there are some stories that are kind of like the legendary stories that you share among family members when you run out of things to talk about and so one of them in our family is the story of my wife Sandra's brother Jack her younger brother Jack going to first grade the very first day of first grade it's like one of those stories so you know his parents were nervous of course Jackie and Bob were nervous and they get in there and they sort of put him out of the car and he heads over you know wobbling around it goes to school of course you're nervous that whole day how's it going how's it going then you pick him up and get him home instead of asking this jack you know how does the first day of school and here's what he said they wrote it down he said there were many children gets better and I didn't learn to read you told me if I went to school I would learn how to read and I don't know how to read and so I'm not going back which means they had a second stressful day of trying to get Jack you know involved in elementary school so here's the questions are there really things are there things that we can do now to prepare for what's next I mean is this even possible the reason I ask the question or posed the question is because you know when you think about what's next it's like you're you're looking forward to it but since you've never experienced that exactly can you really even get ready and the answer is yes you really can't prepare for what's next that's what we're going to talk about for the next few weeks but during these few weeks as we talk about how to prepare for what's next there are two things that you have to keep in mind because these are the things that if you don't keep in mind you'll lose a little bit of perspective and these things throw people off constantly in fact you'll be able to identify with at least one of these two things the first thing is this that regardless of what else you're packing for whatever's next for that new job for the new school for the new move the new city marriage you know whatever it is whatever whatever you're packing just remember along with everything else that you that you're packing for what's next you pack you okay this is really important wherever you go there you are okay this may be the most important thing you hear for a long time wherever you go there you are and here's why that's important in our minds we fool ourselves and trick ourselves into thinking well once I get out of the house once I get into school once I'm married once we have kids once the kids grow up once the kids are gone we think somehow a new view and a new do is going to be a new you that somehow once I'm in a different environment different perspective and I kind of find myself and remake myself and transform myself a new view a new do does not result in a new you you are still the same old girl you used to be you are still the same old guy you used to be you're still the same Bob Seger said a long time ago you're still the same right same ethics same morals same strength same weaknesses right same basically you're just still the same you just took yourself with you okay second thing to keep in mind okay because it gets tricky is that there is no necessary correlation there is no necessary correlation between knowing what's next and being prepared for what's next there's no necessary correlation between knowing what's next here comes graduation here comes marriage or from the first child second child here comes a new job here comes a new city there's no correlation necessary correlation between knowing what's next and being prepared for what's next now if you don't think that's true you know the proof is every single Saturday and Friday and inside these as well but most Saturday's all over this country all over the world young men and women get together and they get all dressed up and get their families there and they take these vows and they say I do and all of us who are a few years on the other side of I do know that I do doesn't mean you can it just means you plan to but you don't know if you can do or not so you're having to can do right but there's but there's this thing in me that's like well since I know what's upcoming next I'm prepared for what's coming next that's not the case at all by the way not only are you not sure you can do you're not so sure he can do is you can do either and the point being that way better than a promise way better than a plan is preparation that preparation for what's next preparation for what next Trump's a plan and Trump's a promise every single time and that's why this series is so extraordinarily extraordinarily important if you've got something coming up next so the good news is we get a lot of help and today we're going to get a little help from a guy named James James had a famous brother his brother was Jesus and so in our New Testaments there is a document written by James the brother of Jesus and he weighs in on how to prepare for what's next in fact at the end of what he writes and this is from the first century at the end of what he writes he makes this promise this is the tale and this is where we're going to end up today he says if you do what I've just suggested that you do you will be blessed in what you do if you do what I'm about to tell you to do and the next season you will be blessed in what you do there's something you can do in this season that will set you up for success in the next season now this is as you're going to find out in the next few minutes this is a really big deal for me personally I'll tell you why when I began to teach you know many many years ago I love this passage because the because of the illustration in this passage I love this passage but when I was much younger and we teach this passage I would say you know what James the brother of Jesus says the New Testament says the Bible says therefore we ought to do this but now having gone through many many transitions in my personal life and having had the privilege of being taught when I was young what I'm about to teach you that James teaches all of us and having experienced the benefit of I can tell you from personal experience that what James says at the end is absolutely true you will be blessed in what you do if you do what he suggests that we do so this is a really really big deal he wrote this in the first century brother of Jesus it's kind of cool to know that James was not one of Jesus disciples in fact James didn't really thought James kind of thought his brother was crazy and then when his brother died he thought probably what a waste and then he met his brother on the other side of the crucifixion well I was wrong and James became the leader of the church in Jerusalem James believed that his brother was his Lord what would it take for your brother to convince you okay you get the point so anything James says we should take seriously so here's what he says and these are familiar words perhaps if you were raised in church he says this do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves do not merely listen to and the reason he says listen to is back in the first century that was not a Bible people did not have personal copies of Scripture and the only way they would ever know about what Scripture taught they had to listen to it they would go to homes and small groups and homes you know around Jerusalem and Galilee wherever there was a church and if they were Jewish they were accustomed to going either to the temple or perhaps if they lived far away from the Judy or Galilee they would go to a synagogue so they were accustomed to sitting in some sort of environment and listening to someone teach the scripture now for us we could change this word we could say do not merely read the word and so deceive your self so here's here's the trick here's what he's saying he's saying do not fool yourself into thinking that if you've heard it's going to make any difference if you think hearing it makes a difference if you think listening to it makes the difference you deceive yourself and this is a big deal especially for us church people and especially for any kind of religious person even if you're not a Christian you're some other part of some of the religion there is something in us and I get this there's something in us that thinks since I was in the room I'm a better person since I showed up for small group I'm a better person since I have participated in the conversation I'm a better person since I've been to church you know three weeks in a row I there's something I'm a better person and it's true it's great to be in a circle it's great to be in a row James says don't allow that habit you have of listening and hearing or maybe even reading don't allow it to deceive you because hearing and listening doesn't get the job done you'll give yourself credit when I was in church I was in church I don't miss church I really miss church I really miss small group great great great James says but don't fall into the trap of thinking that's what makes the difference well what makes the difference he says I'm glad you asked do what it says it's not enough to listen it's not enough to hear it's not enough to be convicted and one of the things that us Americans and I'm probably Europeans as well but just peeking for Americans and I think a lot of Canadians is the same way there's something in us that when we're in an environment like this or we're watching at home and somebody like me says something very convicting or that you know kind of gets right up in your face and there's something in you that's like ah you're right we confuse that well we don't confuse it that for us that's kind of a religious experience in fact for some of you the point of going to church is to feel bad about yourself because you feel like that's a religious experience today was great I felt terrible about myself and since I felt terrible about myself I think I get credit with God see you next week James is going where did you get that the goal isn't to feel bad about yourself the goal is it to here the goal isn't to know I ought to I ought to I ought to James says you need to do something with what you've heard so he says this anyone that would be you and me anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says anyone that listens to the word but does not do what and then he gives us one of the greatest illustrations maybe the best illustration and all the New Testament maybe are all thought the entire Bible anyone who hears anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says this is so amazing is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and after looking at himself or herself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like here's his point he says to listen to scripture or to listen to the truth taught and to not do anything with it is like getting up in the morning looking in the mirror going oh that's horrible and then getting dressed and going to school going to we're going to coffee going to whatever you're going to and forgetting what you saw in the mirror when we look in the mirror we are reminded that something needs to be done he says if you look into the scripture are you here the scripture and don't do anything with what you hear it's like seeing something but not doing something which is something none of you would ever do when it comes to a real mirror when you see something you do something and you know why because a mirror requires a response doesn't it in fact I know how long each one of you stands in front of the mirror every single morning of the week I do you stand there until it gets better that's how long you stand there you do not leave in fact some of you thought it was better you were ready to go you're at the front door or the back door and you glance in the mirror and you're like it's not quite better enough and you were late for school you were late for work you were late for an appointment you were late for breakfast you were late for coffee because it wasn't quite better enough and you went back and you changed something you had on or you went back and you fixed something or you pulled it back and you tied it back and you side this is a hat day this is hat day okay because that's what amira does a mirror requires a response so tomorrow this is what all of us are going to do tomorrow we're going to get up and we're going to look in the mirror and we're going to feel convicted about what we see and then we're going to do something about it now here's the interesting thing and this is true for all of us this is a Christian thing this is just a people thing okay your thing getting your hair right has far less to do with the direction and the quality of your life and getting your behavior right getting your makeup right has far less to do with the direction and the quality of your life than getting your behavior right getting what you have on right and getting your outfit all coordinated and you know looking good is important but it has far less to do with the direction and quality of your life and getting your behavior right in fact let's just be honest on the day or the night or the evening or the weekend or the week that you created your greatest regret I bet you looked good I mean that was part of the problem right you look too good and you saw somebody else that looked too good I mean I mean everything looked good and you created a regret in fact chances are even if it's not a relationship regret when you create when you did the dumbest thing you've ever done when you started that season of your life you wish you could go back and relive and unlit and redo I guarantee you you look just fine and nothing to do it's because you know why that morning the morning of your greatest regret you looked in the mirror on the wall and that mirror required a response and you responded and yet you made a decision or a series of decisions that you knew you shouldn't make which is the equivalent of looking in the mirror and going I know what I should do I'm just not going to do it now here's the interesting thing because we deceive ourselves this is why this is such a powerful teaching we deceive ourselves no one gets credit no one gets credit for looking in the mirror in the real world in other words if you get up tomorrow and you look in the mirror and you think wow that is horrible that's horrible and then you just get dressed and go to work and your boss comes up to you and says hey there is no way you can go in there and talk to clients looking like that and you say to your boss but I looked in the mirror then your boss will look at you like you're crazy why because in the real world we don't get credit for looking in the mirror right but in the realm of our personal behavior in the realm of our personal development we do that all the time we sit under teaching we read we listen to somebody say something and we think oh oh it's that back if some Christians would kind of have this thing we even do it out loud we go uh I have a friend who's brand new Christian years ago he called it the Christian move he said what is the Christian move why do they do that I didn't even know what he was talking about I said well he khatma he said sometimes in your preaching people go hmm he said do I have to do that I said yeah if you're gonna be a Christian you got to do that that's that's just part of the thing but there's something in this it's like oh that's so convicting well what are you going to do nothing just come back next week for another dose of conviction isn't that the point and James says if that's your pattern if that's your pattern you are deceiving yourself it's obvious what you should do you're just not doing now here's the thing if you are in the habit this is how it connects to our series if you are in the habit of seeing something but not doing something if you're in the habit of seeing something but doing nothing now guess what when you move into that next season when you are apart or do you step into what's next you will see something and do nothing then as well because I have it now of doing nothing with what you hear and what you see will be the habit you carry with you into the next season which means you won't be prepared the James doesn't stop there fortunately he says but big contrast but and now he introduces the habit now he introduces the first habit we're going to look at in this series that prepares us that prepares you that prepares me for what's next and this is so fabulous he says but whoever again that's all of us but whoever looks intently and the Greek term here the idea here is you're walking along and you notice something and you stop and you get down on one knee and you gaze intently you look at this thing until you figure out what it is this is a glance this is a stop and stare he says but whoever looks intently into the perfect lawn I have explained this but this is so incredible when Jesus was doing his earthly ministry one day someone asked him Jesus what are the what are the what's the greatest commandment this was a common question for first century Jews and first century Jews all had the same answer to this question if you ask a first interview what greatest commandment generally speaking they were taught to say love the Lord your God with all your heart soul mind and strength or some variation of that Old Testament idea so they asked Jesus this question and Jesus created a new idea he said in fact my friend Scott McKnight calls us to Jesus Creed because Jesus created this they said Jesus what's the greatest commandment he said well the greatest commandment is love the Lord your God with all your heart soul mind and strength and of course everybody's nodding and he went and everybody stopped and your neighbor as yourself these are the greatest - not greatest - like number one and number two like in sequence the greatest - they go together well that was like a game-changer showstopper I mean you just took 631 commands are reduced it to two but he wasn't done this is so powerful on the last night of his life before he was crucified he gathers with his disciples they'd heard him teach this so many times and he says guys tonight I'm giving you a new command - which they thought wow well we have 631 so this is mean we have 630 - or you reduced all those down to two so now are we going from two to three to which Jesus would have said no we're going from two to one and Jesus did something that was so heretical so blasphemous if it hadn't been their last night together they would probably have all got nothing walked out except Judas had already gotten up and walked out so they're kind of wonder what's going on and Jesus says here it is from now on I want you to love one another the way I have loved you these are your marching orders if you forget everything else if you forget 631 if you forget - I want to I just want to this is the one command this is my command this is the law of Jesus you are to love one another not the way you've been loved not even the way you want to be loved that's the golden rule this is the Platinum rule you are to love one another the way I have loved you and no doubt they thought to themselves those occasions when Jesus loved them well they had no idea because a few hours later he would be arrested he would die for their sin he would rise from the dead and he would say not that what I'm talking about so when James says look whoever looks intently into the perfect law he's not talking about 631 Commandments I don't even think he was talking about - I think he boiled it down as Jesus into this one idea the law says the thing that we're going to look at intently the thing we pause and stare at is this idea that I'm supposed to love you and I'm supposed to respond to you and I'm supposed to love you and I'm supposed to respond to you the way that God in Christ responded to me and then James says something incredible he says and when you do that and when I do that we will experience freedom that the promise of gazing intently into Jesus perfect law and doing it not just memorizing it not just groaning on the inside but doing it is the promise of freedom that seeing and doing now listening and doing now results in freedom later now the reason I'm so passionate about this and the reason I just would love to grab everybody by the collar and say you just you just got it you know if you don't trust James trust me if you don't trust me trust James in such a big deal it's because when I was a kid this is this is the kind of stuff I was taught if I would give you a couple examples when I was a kid I was taught something I've been trying to teach some of you for 20 years and you know a lot of you latched on to this others of you just still don't trust me and I understand that I have people who do what I do do crazy things sometimes but when I was a kid I was taught and these are my words not the words they use because I had to you know make it memorable for me I was taught this is how you manage your money give first live second I mean give first save second live on the rest you to give you save and you live now you know when I was making three dollars and 82 cents an hour at winn-dixie when I was a 16 and 16 years old you know and the whole idea I've taken a percentage of my hard-earned money and giving it to the church because that's what we you know that we didn't have lots of nonprofits back then you just give it to the church I mean that that didn't seem very liberating I didn't when I started working at the plaque company you know when I started working at the plaque company where I'm setting ties and burning my fingers and staying up all hours you know trying to get all these orders ready the whole idea of just giving a percentage of my money off the top give first save second level arrests that didn't liberating in fact liberating sounds more like live spin whatever I have on me if there's any left over save and if I really feel guilty or meet somebody who's really in need and I can't drive off before they get to my wind she's my window maybe I'll give something okay or maybe on Christmas or maybe some special you know offering at church that's seen liberating but I decided to do what I was taught to do and so from the very beginning I've always given first stage second and lived on the rest and you know why we do this the reason we give it's not so we can get in fact if you go to a church where the pastor says you know give the church money and God will give you tenfold let me tell what to do you need to walk up to your pastor so you look why don't you give me ten and see if God will give you 100 just see how that goes with your pastor okay that is listen look up here the reason you know why we give we give this is I mean this is complicated I'll go real slow you may want to write this down we give money away because it helps other people oh man how did you come up with that by yourself yeah we give our money away because it helps people and why do we give money away because your heavenly father come on sent his son to give his life away and Jesus and now I want you to do for others what I've done for you so you give first stage second level arrest well you know what you know what the results of this has been after years and years and years and years and years and years of doing this financial freedom because when you live like this you stay out of debt you don't even have to decide to stay out of debt you just stay out of debt this so this so creates a template for how you manage all your money at the end of the day you end up with financial freedom James says that's what I'm talking about and you know why it made such a difference in my life because I heard it because I did it you say Andy are you bragging no I'm not bragging here's why you brag about things that you've done that nobody else has done and nobody else can do I'm just telling you what I've done that every single one of you could do every one of you ought to do it because it's a demonstration of God's love for you through how about you know this one we all heard this one forgive you know were suppose infer give I mean this is not this isn't liberating in fact forgiveness feels like you're being punished it's like I'm being punished and I'm letting the guilty person go free if I forgive I'm letting you off which means I don't get paid back and I'm letting you go that that's not liberating but for anybody listening or anybody watching who's ever really forgiven somebody for something they did that really hurt you were injured you you know this is true don't you forgiveness leads to liberty forgiveness is liberating why do we forgive because the Bible tells us to know we forgive because God in Christ forgave us and we are to do for others with God through Christ did for us it's that simple about this one this was tough and growing up sexual purity is like that's not liberty that's the opposite of liberty right and by the way do you know why we should be sexually pure do you know why we should be so careful and how we manage our sexuality it has nothing to do with getting God to love you or you know not punish you it has everything to do with other people because when you exercise sexual self-controlled you know what you're doing you're honoring someone else and not only are you honoring them you're honoring every single one of their future relationships by not becoming a regret by not becoming a regret you are honoring their next relationship and you are honoring them and jesus said that's all I'm asking you to do is I want you to do for others what I have done for you I want you to love the way I've loved and besides in the end of the day you don't you discover you discover the sexual purity actual paves the way actually paves the way to intimacy the sexual purity paves the way to intimacy there is a payoff there is Liberty there is freedom because eventually everybody understands whether you admit it or not and this is where our culture needs such a wake-up call the exclusivity exclusivity exclusivity is what leads to romance not experience experience does not lead to romance exclusivity leads to romance and where there's exclusivity and where there's romance in a relationship there is Liberty and I could go on and on and on and on and James is right that when we stop and stare in days and to find our reflection in the mirror of this incredible law of Liberty and we stare at it and gaze at it long enough to decide what we need to do about it then we do something with it it makes a difference because looking and making the adjustments now is what creates Liberty later and you know why come on because the seasons of our life are connected that's why when you say we know what this is what I'm doing now but when I move now they're connected well you know this is what I'm doing now but once I'm married no they're connected well this is what I'm doing at but once I get out of the house and get to school now they're connected so here's what he says the whole verse but whoever looks instantly into the perfect law that gives freedom and continues in it not forgetting what they have heard or read or so listen to not forgetting not forgetting not forgetting but doing it then the payoff and the promise they will be blessed in what they do now there's a little Greek thing going on here that I just want to make sure you understand because this is so important James is not saying that what you do will be blessed it's way better than that what James is saying here is that you personally will be blessed in the doing you will be blend the word blessed simply means happy that you will be happy you will be fulfilled in the doing of what God has called you to do the payoff is what happens in you in your response to what God has called you to do in other words the habit of doing the habit of doing will make you happy that there is personal fulfillment in responding to what we see in the mirror isn't it true in the morning when you wake up and you're erect and then by the time you're done it's like alright you know I mean isn't there personal fulfillment when you respond to what you see isn't it awful when you forget to respond to what you see in the same way James says look there is extraordinary fulfillment there is extraordinary happiness there is a blessing in responding to what we see in the mirror of God's Word and in fact many of you who made this may be new to you first time it's like I didn't get it that way growing up I didn't understand it I'm telling you you are sitting around in fact you may be sitting with someone right now who would say you know that's my story when I finally surrendered my life to Christ when I finally said god I'm going to look and I'm going to make adjustments I don't care I'm just going for this you asked him they would tell you there's extraordinary it's not that everything turned out fine it's not that everything they did was blessed they would tell you there was something so fulfilling when I began to do what I knew I needed to do just the process filled me up and that's why this habit it's such great preparation for what's next because being a doer now being a doer now is preparation for being a doer later even when the dues change because here's the trick you think well once I get to college it's a different season it's you know it's a bunch of different dudes yes but if you're not doing now you won't do then well I'm single and you know once I'm married all the rules change and it's a bunch of different dues yet but if you're not doing the dues of single now you're not going to do the dues of marriage later who do you think you are again a new view a new do does not make a new you you're still the same person you need to be this is why the best preparation the best preparation for what's next is to do what God has called you to do in this season because it sets you up to do what God will call you to do in the season that follows now again I'm so passionate about this because I was brought up and like some of you weren't I realized but I was brought up with very very practical Bible teaching I mean my dad would open the scripture and teach the scripture there was always a do and it was so clear one of the things that he said over and over and over when I was growing up is obey God and leave all the consequences to him obey God and leave all the consequences to him in other words you just do the doing and don't try to control the outcomes and don't worry about the outcomes you just do and then you look into the next season get to the next season and you'll see what God did he would say this God takes full responsibility this is such a big idea God takes full responsibility for the life that is wholly devoted to him that is you days and you make the adjust and then you wait and see what God will do my dad's father died when my dad was 17 months old so we never knew his his biological father and his grandfather his father's father had a big impact on him and he my dad I grew up hearing all these things that my great-grandfather told my dad and the one that you know I'll never forget and my dad probably told me this started telling me this when I was like 8 or 9 or 10 I was super young he would say Andy my granddad told me he said Charlie if God tells you to run your head through a brick wall you start running and trust God to make a hole I heard that my whole life growing up if God tells you to run your head through a brick wall you just start running and trust God to make a hole we know what James is saying they say look sometimes what you hear what you read will make sense sometimes what you hear what you're read all seems totally impractical sometimes what you reading what you hear will sound so old-fashioned sometimes what you hear and what you read will just seem like it is you know some other generations content or some other generations application but if God tells you to do it just start running and when you step across the line into that next season there will be liberty you will be blessed and what you do and so I'm just telling you this season of my life and this stage of my life having gone through a bunch of transitions I am such a thoroughly satisfied customer and my temptation is to say I can't imagine where I would be if it hadn't been for this teaching the problem is I can't imagine where I would be I have a feeling I know exactly where I would be if I just been a hearer only and the reason I say that and I bet you can identify with this I love you is my greatest regrets in life and I have them just like you do my greatest regrets in life are all associated with hearing and not doing and your greatest regrets in life are associated with hearing and not doing your greatest regrets in life are associated with somebody tried to tell you and you didn't want to hear it so you wouldn't have to do it so if you're not doing now you probably won't do later which means you won't be prepared for what's next because doing not hearing is what makes all the difference now the interesting thing and this shouldn't shock us is Jesus taught the same thing but he taught his in the Verte and the you know he his version was a parable a very familiar parable but I'm just going to read you real quickly just the first half of it because many of you know this here's how Jesus said the very same thing therefore anyone which is all of us therefore anyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice that is anybody who hears and does is like a wise man who built his house on the rock and the rain came down the floods came out the rains came down and the floods came out and some of us remember the hand motions in the song don't we and the rain came down and the streams rose in the winds blew and beat against that house yet it did not fall why because it had its foundation on the rock you know Jesus was teaching you and me that the way you lay a solid foundation for your life is by being a doer not a hearer and when things get tough and when things get difficult and when things aren't working out your life will not fall down one of the heartbreaks of my life as a pastor is when I talk to people or hear about people I get lots of mail and email or somebody comes to our church and talks to one of other pastors or leaders and if this is your story come on in where this is in no way that's telling you that we're not open and welcome to your stories but I'm just telling you the heartbreak is the stories that could have been avoided but somebody wouldn't do even though they'd heard James is pretty clear you'll be a doer now you'll be a doer later so two questions in brown what are you doing now that you shouldn't be doing that you tell yourself well I won't do that later what are you doing now that you shouldn't be doing and you're telling yourself well I when I when we once we what are you doing now that you shouldn't be doing that you've told yourself well in that next season I'll stop or hear about this one what are you not doing now what are you not doing now that you should be doing and you tell yourself that you'll start later can I just be real direct James says you're deceiving yourself Jesus says your life may come tumbling down have you ever seen someone's life come tumbling down we all have do you know what all the lives that came tumbling down have in common they knew they'd heard they'd listened somebody had said something and you know what else they have in common the people who loved those folks the most saw it happening and couldn't do anything to stop it and every single person whose life came tumbling down at some point along the way was confronted with a mirror that required a response and they said yeah I ought to I should I know I need to think about that yeah somebody yeah I think you're right but not now not now not now so my friends doing not hearing it's what makes a difference and doing not hearing will determine if you're prepared or what's next so what do you need to do Heavenly Father thank you for preserving this ancient text that it's as if it was written yesterday it's as if it was written for all of us and father for those here today they're not Christians necessarily but this is curious this lands with them like it lands with all of us and would you give us the courage and that's what we need father we need courage would you give us the courage to stare intently into that very thing that makes us the most uncomfortable until we're willing to change would you give us the courage to lock in on that truth that thing our mom has told us our dad always told us that one verse that keeps rattle around in our head that advise somebody we respect gave us would you give us the courage to just gaze intently and just keep our focus there until we are willing to do something about what we have seen and so on behalf of all of us I just confess that your word requires a response would you give us the courage to respond in Jesus name Amen thanks for being here we'll see you next week for part 2 of pack your bags

Channel: North Point Live

Views: 33,930

Rating: 4.8540144 out of 5

Keywords: andy stanley, packing, moving, transition, north point, online

Id: KmpYibBu00s

Length: 41min 19sec (2479 seconds)

Published: Tue Aug 08 2017