The Truth About Faith // Judah Smith

hey Church we want to invite you to join us on the six-week journey it is one of our favorite things we get to do every year as a church we all go on the same journey together for six weeks from city kids to youth culture all the way on up to us grown-ups we get to do together and we love it and we're doing the theme this year on trusting Jesus and what happens when we believe and believe him in the most ordinary times and the most difficult and challenging times so I think we certainly enjoy preparation of the material in the content studying Hebrews chapter 11 so hey if you've ever had the inkling that you want to trust Jesus more these six weeks are gonna help all of us grow in that and one of the things that makes it so exciting and come to life is by joining a group so maybe you don't have a group to join but you can start one either way a group is what makes the journey really go somewhere so we can't wait to see you love you [Music] today begins what we call every year the six-week journey it's pretty obvious what it is it's six weeks where we journey around a portion of the story of God Scripture and we learn more about Jesus we certainly learn more about each other well the big idea behind the six-week journey is that we build relationships with each other and so if you don't know we have an app we have a technological platform an application that you can download for free and on there is an enormous amount of content over the next six weeks around what it looks like to trust Jesus and trust God and live this life you may not know we've got six hundred and forty some groups all around the world some that speak different languages and different continents it's pretty awesome we have nearly ten thousand people in small groups and why I'm excited about that is because oftentimes in a room like this you can slip in and slip out but if you meet four or five six seven eight people at a cafe you get talking about where you're really at in terms of God and by the way you say Judah I'm not even comfortable saying I believe in Jesus no worries at all everyone is welcome here and we're all on a journey can I get a witness so here at the Saban theatre or as Matt google.maps pronounced it seven how weird is that turn left for sipping theater I'm like I don't think I don't think that's anyways here at the Saban theater for Alabama fans the Saban theatre as a great National Championship game but anyways that was so thrilling for me I must say it was great to see the orange beat the Crimson but that's old news anyone from Alabama here two people three people it's awesome that's when you know you got a good church I'm kidding come on relax I love you guys so much so over the next six weeks what would you even just just consider it you can you can download the app a church home and and you can check out the different groups there's absolutely no pressure but there's probably a crew of people meeting kind of where where you're staying at and it'd be pretty cool for you to start a conversation and learn more you know one of the primary ways we grow spiritually is actually when we get together and talk about it not just when you listen to a speech or you sing some music but we need to process with each other and so I'm pretty passionate about that for the next six weeks you're gonna have to bear with me I am gonna be wearing my cords and I'm also gonna be telling you to join a group and join the conversation it's gonna be great go with me to Hebrews and Hebrews chapter 11 is where we're gonna spend the next six weeks and we've entitled kind of a theme of the next six weeks is what happens when you believe what happens when I believe when we really begin to trust God we really begin to trust in Jesus and so we're gonna Hebrews chapter 10 and in in my cousin John is here from Seattle he oversees church home church home college got a great college help you learn more about God and prepare you for whatever is in front of you for the rest of your life and John is the smartest part of the Smith family he also held the state record in Oregon for the most three-pointers in a high school basketball game true story we went 9 for 10 in a high school basketball game you know our family's pretty athletic but um John walked into a room I was studying back here I just kind of unloaded on him because I'm seeing something in the Bible story unlike I've ever seen it before and I really cannot wait to share it with you Hebrews chapter 10 starting in verse 39 I'll give a little context and we'll read just a few verses we're not gonna cover a lot of ground tonight but I think the ground we are gonna cover is gonna be really meaningful to you Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 39 says this we we are not those who shrink back and are destroyed but we are those who have faith we are those who have faith and preserve their souls now transitioning into the after now that'll give us a little context and will speak to that in a moment I want to go to the chapter we're going to be studying again over the next six weeks Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 1 says this now faith is the assurance of things hoped for the conviction of things not seen for by it people have old received their commendation by faith we understand that list listen to this statement this is amazing by faith we understand that the universe was created by the Word of God takes it a step further so what is seen is not made out of things that are visible now I'll establish something before we go any further these six weeks I am a I have faith I believe there is another dimension that is more real than the dimension that our five senses take in and I believe that dimension made this dimension so which dimension is more real we've been taught and led to believe in our culture particularly our Western world that whatever your five senses can sense that's what's real I'd like to suggest there is a whole nother dimension and a whole nother realm that is called eternal and it is far more real than this temporal created dimension and so we've got we've got a bunch of people in a room those who are considering those who are pursuing and maybe those who are convinced today that there is another realm but there is a God who is so powerful that he spoke the word sea or ocean and it was created he said words like whale and they just started swimming around the water he made this is how powerful and big and enormous we believe God is going on it says verse four by faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain through which he was commended his righteous God commending him by accepting his gifts and through his faith though he died he still speaks by faith Enoch was taken up so they should not see death and he was not found because God had taken him now before he was take he was commended as having please God and here's the key verse I want us to think on tonight just just one primary verse verse 6 says this and without faith it is impossible to please him or please God without faith it is impossible to please God for whoever I love that word whoever whoever anybody anywhere who would want to draw near to God must believe number one must have faith that he exists and number two that he rewards those who seek after him he rewards he exists and he is a reward I want to talk to you again this is part 1 and what will be 6 weeks as we consider what happens in our life when we believe for those who are willing you can join me in prayer let's pray together God we ask that you would not only meet us in these moments but we kind of look to the next six weeks and we dedicate Lord our mind and our heart to sink in to the reality of living a life of trust and faith I pray God each and every one of us would grow in our understanding of who you are more than anything I pray we would experience your goodness your grace your love thank you so much for what you're doing lord thank you that the NFL is fixed and they decided to put an LA team in the Super Bowl we just want to thank you for that we also thank you that Hulk Hogan beat the ultimate warrior back in the 90s as well in Jesus name and everybody said come on ladies and gentlemen this is not okay I mean I'm happy it's an LA team representing it but I don't know if you want yet it's you could cheer for sure a lot of you didn't watch the game you heard but it's cool it's cool this is LA wait we what what we got team the Super Bowl all right word word for sure that's awesome it's awesome it's so good so grateful can you imagine if you live the New Orleans right now how you feel I mean just kind of let that let that sink in so go do you say go Saints yeah they lost they the NFL didn't want them in the game so they decided to not let them be in the game I don't know if you knew that but I'm not bitter I am not bitter at all one of the things I don't enjoy in life I'm not a big I'm not big fan of going to the grocery store getting groceries I've told you this before I get a little overwhelmed and please don't laugh because I'm actually being serious like I get I just I see the aisles and there's all these options and I just get a little a little overwhelmed like multiple-choice tests for me I'm a sucker for all of the above I really am I'm just like yeah let's let's just go with all the above right so Chelsea will give me a list sometimes we'll go together sometimes God forbid I'll go by myself sometimes and I always I always find myself at the supermarket hungry and so I get too much I always come home she's like why'd you get all this why'd you get all this recently I found the best ships by the way at this little hole-in-the-wall store locally here ladies and gentlemen in Los Angeles the best corn chips I have ever they got a trace and hint of lime I'm serious I'm in love with them I bought five bags okay that's just so I'm not I'm not efficient I'm not great but have you ever come home from being at the grocery store and you're in that dilemma like okay now I need to get the groceries in the house and if you're like me every single time now I want to say this that I have raised two boys I'm still raising them I'm still raising them but they're 14 and 12 and one of the primary reasons you have children is so they will take over the things around the house you don't like to do that's one of the graphs one of the prime some of you like I don't want kids you should you should hold on a second you should rethink that I'm talking what about emptying the dishwasher I'm talking about doing laundry at home I mean it is we're two years away from one of our children having a license now I fear for all of you on the road but I'm just saying that's gonna be a luxury I'm looking forward to it's like go ahead you drive you take them right and it's so so so now I don't have to bring the groceries in now I'm like voice groceries now I never taught my boys that when you go get the groceries try to bring all of them in in one trip but it is it's just in their nature I don't know if this is true of you but when it comes to the Smith men in the Smith household my dad did it I think his dad did it I did it and now my sons do it it's without Bailey doesn't matter if there are two bags or 22 bags Smith guys are wired to be like we don't get them just loop them up just put them on my shoulder okay let's go right and if you've ever experienced this when you got a lot of grocery bags right and you're coming through the house the worst thing that could happen is somebody's in your way right cuz you like watch that one Jojo Oh Joe what's that what's y'all and you get everything on the kitchen counter and then you go mom it's done and stuffs laying out the milks starting to spill and you're like but I got it all in one trip anybody ever done this trying to get it all in one trip cuz god forbid we'd have to go back out to the car of time for that you're the world to change I think a lot of people treat faith the same way we treat the groceries I think a lot of people treat faith we're talking about faith we're talking about trust in God now when you hear the word faith I can only imagine the sensations the feelings the definitions the concepts the word pictures the analogies the old sermons you heard maybe old books you've read things you've heard televangelists say when you hear the word faith it would be so interesting if we had an open mic tonight to hear everybody's take on faith so bear with me as I take all those concepts swirling around this room and around any other room that people are watching online right now when I say faith you no doubt have maybe a history with that concept a history with that word maybe I say faith and you think control maybe I say faith and you immediately tense up you're like that's a negative word because people have used that concept to hurt people and of course you would be right in so many different centuries and decades that that has been true so so so we can't just roll into a six-week journey talking about how we gonna talk about faith and just pretend like everybody's like cool cool faith awesome great yes best concept ever so I want to be careful but I'm gonna generalize the concept of faith like how you and I treat groceries when I say faith I think a lot of people again I know there's a myriad of emotions you might be feeling and sensing but I think we treat faith like groceries and here's what I mean we think real people who have real faith can carry it like we carry all those groceries you know real believers can do it all in one trip real believers can hold on to God and I think we go week by week and I think we go day by day treating faith like getting those groceries in one trip to the kitchen and I think when we think of the concept of faith we think of okay come on one more week okay I trust God oh god I'm trying this is so hard this is difficult okay all right I made it one more week all right back to church back to small group back on a Wednesday back on a Sunday I made okay and then here starts a whole nother week what are you I'm uh I have faith I have faith your five senses are like this doesn't make sense God seems a million miles away this isn't real and you keep telling yourself I got a hold on anyway and so what's faith well for some of us have been in church in a long time we've heard sermons like this faith is the ability to hold on to God God's like leave me alone like no God no I will never leave you alone and you're God's shadow and he's trying to shake you got so got me like no Lord I'm in love with you I will never leave you and so whether knowingly or unknowingly we treat faith but something that is our primary responsibility so the moment I say we're gonna spend six weeks on the subject of faith you're like oh man it's like it's like working out and if you're like me I don't like working out I'd rather just eat Caesar salads for the rest of my life just like you want to go to yoga I'm like yes oh we go and I hate it in the end I'm like yeah and I think that's kind of how a lot of people approach faith want to go to that church thing tonight yeah okay that was all right I feel better all right for six weeks we're gonna focus on faith and what you hear is try harder hold on do more read your Bible ah where your crawl you haven't been wearing your gold cross put it on say your prayers singing your car to God on your commute stop cussing as much put God on your online profile also PS I'm a person of faith after these six weeks you know I'm a person of faith and faith is easily and cheaply told to us is something that we hold on to and and boy if you don't hold on real tight now slip through your fingers you know God forgiveness mercy love acceptance belonging you got to hold on real tight and so whether we are aware of this a lot of us still function like this so you come to gatherings like this and you're like I hope Judas got a good one tonight I hope the music is so good because I need some strength to hold on oh man this is good yeah yes good all right one more week we all get in our small groups like how are you doing I'm holding on how are you doing I'm slipping how are you done I'm holding on how are you doing I've been single for 110 years what do you think yeah and that's what we do though wait you did what last week oh you let go God you better grab you but you better grab God again you bet right now okay go so sorry yep that sounds like grabbing god that's good that's good you seem really really sorry I think you got a grip on God again that's good okay anybody else lose your grip on God how dare you all right now I'm gonna go to another race and anyone who lost their grip on God get a grip all right close your eyes raise your hand if you lost your grip on God and maybe it's not that dramatic but that's what our church gatherings often times can consist on and that's why people like leave Church are like man that hurts so good I needed that did you yeah tell me the truth pastor hit me with the truth okay okay I got people who don't like me online because I don't hit people with the truth the Bible is predicated on this news that is classified as good what is good about me saying hey the god you can't see or locate some you couldn't locate the Saban tonight some you still can't locate our app on your smartphone and what I'm talking about you need to get a hold of God you're like God God hello hello hello as if this is all on us let's not face I like to blow your mind with the definition of the primary Greek word used for faith in the New Testament it is the over whelming Greek word used for faith Hebrews 11:1 says now faith is that Greek word is P ist is in crude kind of English because of my vernacular pissed this I knew it we'd have to sell you have to settle down a little bit with that all right something like relax okay I am NOT cussing everyone calm down pastors lost his grip on God pissed as' is the name something like it's like the one Greek word you're never gonna forget I can see it right now man that's kind of funny to be honest business you know but deep do you know what this word for faith means you look it up in a concordance or lexicon and it means to persuade means to convince it's its root word is to convince or persuade I want to say this about faith faith is not fragile and faith is not predicated your trust in God is not predicated on your grip on him as if ladies and gentlemen we need to all collectively calm down on our own view of ourself and our own power as if you could go God I got you now that that's impossible the Bible makes it abundantly clear that we cannot find God God has to reveal himself the word faith the Greek word pista s' it means persuasion do you know what faith is faith is divine persuasion which is to say God is the initiator of any faith you have in your life you didn't muster it up you didn't make it up you didn't concoct it it wasn't you it was called divine persuasion God revealed himself to you and apart from that we can't make it apart from that there is no faith there is no faith unless God initiates God is the ultimate Ishi ATAR faith is only a gift please hear me tonight faith is only a gift faith is not something concocted in the spiritually elite that is not what is faith is not the distinguisher between those who are spiritually strong and those who are spiritually weak oh if she had more faith you know if he had more faith you know God would as if I can make faith up in my heart no no no this is not mind over matter this is not motivated by my own self will let God be God church home and if God is God let God persuade me let God reveal himself to me oh no no I love the Bible because it starts off like this in the beginning God that just kind of sets the record straight it doesn't say in the beginning little humanoids were running around the face of the earth talking about God God God and God was like oh no they're gonna find me they're annoying they're selfish they are not good with directions God God God God God we're gonna find you ready or not here we come got you God oh you did you did you did you did how did you ever find me we're really smart yeah no no the Bible says over and over we were lost in our sin and trespasses knew nothing about God could care less about God we're completely centered around our selves and God in His grace and goodness he persuades us he reveals himself to us that's why Jesus says in John chapter 14 he says nobody gets to the Father except by me I will reveal myself to him or her that's why Jude chapter 3 says I contend I want you to contend for the faith that was once delivered the faith that was once delivered faith is delivered faith is delivered to you faith is delivered to you the most powerful thing we can do for these six weeks is saying okay God okay God I got friends who still don't believe in Jesus just so you know like then absolutely and you know what I don't do I don't go now sit down I am going to prove to you first of all God didn't give me the smarts to do that and I thank him for that I just can't do it but if somebody can convince you of God well then somebody can unconvince you of God if God is God isn't it slightly insulting that we represent him and try to convince people no even the prophets of old said let the real God show up you pray to your gods we'll pray to our God and whoever is God will be God that's why it church home anybody walking in you're talking about I don't believe in God we don't go oh oh what what are you serious huh unbeliever mean unbeliever no were like ooh it's called divine persuasion any of us that do believe in him is because he persuaded us the evidence was overwhelming what God did what God said how we encountered him how we saw him read his story no I it's divine persuasion faith please hear me Church on faith is a gift so so really our only response to this divine initiator this divine persuader is to be open that's all and that's why I tell my friends sometimes I'm like well are you open like if there is a God are you open to him like showing up yeah cool cool all right let's go play golf you don't talk anymore no I won't beat you in golf take your money but let God and that's how they let God let God be be God II you know what I love about God it's he's good at being God and he's been God for a long time and like he's never met somebody on earth talking about oh I'll never be able to persuade them no God is big every concept you and I have of God is too small you ever consider that every possible concept in your finite mind of God the magnitude no matter how it's but it is too small that's how massive an extraordinary an extensive he is that's why I church home we say come one come all it you are welcome here to think that you can make yourself a believer you can't make yourself a believer no more than you can make yourself a human at what point did you decide you wanted to be a human when did you choose the date you were gonna be born when did you consult with your mother excuse me mom before I arrived can you at least give me some blankets when when exactly did you confer went oh that's right you didn't now this this whole life is because creator designer sovereign God makes it so now he is allowed for freewill and so I I I'm not I don't mean to be rude now I don't need to be rude but I'm definitely one of those guys that think that because you're either watching this online or in any room somewhere in the world or here at the Saban I'm gonna tell you a little secret I'm convinced that God is already persuading you you're like wait I got tricked into this totally yeah absolutely yes so every time I preach I'm convinced whoever's in the room is because God is either beginning or is in the process of persuading that person I believe that I believe that I believe that but it is it's not my persuasion it has to be divine persuasion God can use donkeys in the Bible God can use average dudes God can use in any God can persuade the Bible says the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof and the earth declares the glory of God even as I'm telling you I got a friend of mine who went up on the mountains and he was like alright gods for real he just saw the mountains he's like man I'd all right and he surrendered right there and met God in the middle of nowhere in the mountains oh he did that's what happened to him his name was Fred that's his name but anyways the writer of Hebrews as we approach this verse in conclusion we're not gonna go much longer the writer of Hebrews his audience we know was a first century Jews first century Jews who have gone from trying to fulfill the law written in the first five books of the Bible known as the Torah and now through the revealed life ministry death and a resurrection of Jesus they have accepted and received that Jesus is God and now Jesus has fulfilled all the rules that they could not fulfill and now their life is no longer defined by rules and their own ability and their own power which was only temporary now they believe that Jesus has fulfilled the requirements of the law that Jesus who knew no sin never committed sin for he was God in the flesh fully God fully man without sin the Bible says he became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus and so you'll see time and time again in the Hebrew but the book of Hebrews written to Hebrews written to first century Jews the reminder of the writer is this hey don't go back here there's no life here trust Jesus follow Jesus in other words Jesus has come and persuaded you you have been persuaded you have been convinced you have a conviction you have a belief it is shaping your everyday life Jesus has fulfilled the law now it is no longer about the law it is about following the life of Jesus that's what's going on now here's the truth fellow first century Jews who have claimed Jesus the Messiah are being killed during this writing I should say upon receiving this right in this letter this is difficult it's difficult moments so these first century Jews are starting to go well if I go back to an old law and you don't kill me maybe I should consider that and that's why the writer of Hebrews says but you've been persuaded you know the truth he says we don't draw back we're not we don't beat we're not people who go back to trusting ourselves doing it in our own power trying to do something we can't do called save ourselves he said no God has come he's moved in the neighborhood he put on skin and bone he did for us we could not do for ourselves he took the penalty for our heir or wrong in our sin and now instead of earning and deserving we simply received and believed and we are made right with God and will spend eternity with him he says don't go back he said you you've been persuaded he says in verse 6 he says and hey without faith it's impossible to please God now what's he saying he's telling these first century Jews who understand what he's saying he's saying back here by works that is trying to do better and be better you can never please God ladies and gentlemen God is holy the definition for holy is God is consistent what I mean is God always acts in consistency with the content of his character he is the same yesterday today and forever ever had a bad day God hasn't ever had a moody moment God hasn't ever woke up grumpy God hasn't ever felt like you weren't yourself and needed a Snickers bar God hasn't that's a great commercials I want to thank in one of our sponsors tonight God what have i started actually doing that some day God is consistent he's holy by definition we are the opposite we're inconsistent so he says it's impossible to please a holy God by being unholy so now it takes faith to please God the word impossible is a dramatically strong word and and and what that means is you can never please God by trying to do better and be better because you'll never attain to holiness and that's what's required of God to please God so then Jesus comes and his holy holy in every way by the way he was born a baby lived for some thirty three and a half years went through puberty and was holy ladies and gentlemen right this he was holy and so now Jesus does for us in our place what we cannot do so by simply trusting Jesus for I am persuaded he is perfect I am persuaded he is God I am persuaded he did for me what I cannot do for myself so now it is impossible to please God without faith why because it's impossible to please God without Jesus only Jesus and His perfect life appeases and pleases the standard of God which is holiness with no exceptions so now to the first century Jews the writer of Hebrews are saying you can't please God which there's an ache in the soul of every man woman boy and girls ever lived to please God to have relationship with God but there's this massive cavern between us and God and we can never cover we can never fulfill it because we are inconsistent and unholy and selfish and born in sin the Bible says but Jesus Jesus lives the perfect life takes the penalty for our sin once and for all and now if we simply trust believe receive the overwhelming evidence based on the divine persuasion of Jesus we are now pleasing to God forever so so what we're gonna do for the next six weeks is we're gonna go back in time and the writer of Hebrews talking to first century Jews is going to say you know you're heroes like Noah like Abel like Enoch these are famous famous Jews big deal Jewish patriarchs in the Torah he's going to show these first century Jews that even their life of faith was a picture pointing us to Jesus now show you Hebrews 11:6 is in the context of Abel and Enoch now who's able Abel is the second born human on the face of the planet Abel was the second born son of Adam and Eve Adam and Eve okay Adam was not born he was designed Eve was not born she was made from a rib of Adam did they have a bellybutton we don't know everyone relax and let's move on to more important banks for the love of our wonderful God and Savior okay now if you remember the story brief overview Adam and Eve had a bad day okay God doesn't have those we do and Eve was like I had a discussion with a snake and somebody like snakes talked okay they did back then everyone relax okay and the snake Satan the enemy the evil one came in the for mistake and says to Eve one day as she's grazing the orchards he said think I really say you can't eat of this one tree now what's crazy what's amazing about God is he stacked the odds in our favor and all the trees in this opulent utopia this garden God says there's only one you can't eat and you know what our nature does our nature says wait I have thousands of trees but I want the one I can't have right and so Eve's rolling around the tree she can't have she's like I like this tree it's actually my favorite tree lightly and so then the little snake slithers up and he's like hey you guys are crazy I'm they're probably showing pictures right now I don't even know but he says so so you can't eat this and she says yeah we can she exaggerated what God says the enemy manipulates what God says yeah he God said we can't we can't even touch it and I God never said that he said well just you should you should you should you should try it and so she takes the fruit by the way we don't know was an apple I love hearing people like what you know the Apple got us into all this made the Apple has gotten a bad rap we do not know if it was the Apple okay somewhere at Apple is like for real it was a nectarine the whole time just saying so I don't even know if nectarines grown trees to be a humus but anyways it was a blackberry it's you know so long story Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit maybe you've heard the story and immediately the Bible says they realized they were naked they realized they were naked so God puts clothes on them and they start to deal with shame for the first time until God does what God does because he's gracious and does not want them to be in this shameful state forever he removes them from the eternal garden and their life begins to have a timeline the life begins their bodies begin to decay that was not God's original intent but but but but but but death on this planet which we were never made for that's why when somebody dies our brain goes what because we weren't made for that we were never made to die you hear me we were never made to die but death is an act of God's grace so we don't stay in this state for eternity so because we don't God doesn't want us to live eternally decaying to be in pain diseases this is not God's design so he puts a time limit to it and it outside of the garden Adam and Eve have they start where they got two boys they have their firstborn his name is Cain and they have another boy this isn't Genesis chapter four his name is Abel now why am i bringing this up because the writer of Hebrews goes way back in time to the second born human history and says hey it's impossible to please God without faith because he who wants to draw near to God must believe that he exists and he's rewarded though for instance for instance look at Abel look at Abel look at Abel now Abel's famous amongst the Jewish people as he should be and so the right the receivers of this letter would have been like we know what have we heard all the stories about a boy he was famous a he was a good guy Abel a nice real sad how Abel went out thought Abel you know because the story goes Abel and Cain brought God a sacrifice not first of all how did they know how to bring God a sacrifice but tell you how I'm gonna tell you how because Adam and Eve though they were kicked out of the garden they were exiled from the eternal garden because of their air they're wrong in their sin it is amazing to me that they still taught their boys that God still wanted a relationship Adam and Eve were kicked out of a garden but it's apparent to me they still knew that God wanted to be around them and so they taught their boys they said now now boys I know you can see I know you can see those angels and they won't let us into God anymore but you listen to me God still loves us it's his grace so you when you when you start you know trust and God you you give him some of your and he says as is Abel what worked among that the herds and animals and and Cain work with fruit and in the ground and so and so we don't know the details there's not much details about Abel and Enoch by the way and that's on purpose the Bible says so one day we don't know when one day Abel and Cain we're like let's let's worship God with what we do for a living and that's why people like I don't know why churches talk about giving money and stuff ladies and gentlemen it has been happen since the beginning of time is called worship and so Abel and Cain come and now watch this the Bible says Abel brings the firstfruits of his herd like the best of his herd and King just brings fruit and stuff I can relate to Cain Cain's like if you're out there mom dad said you're cool like this one I love we make these stories like father God in heaven behind the fiery gates in the garden we are here no Cain's like Caine's like that stuff and Abel's got something neither like alright dad said mom said you cool we don't really know you like they know you but we heard stuff so here you go what's this Cain suddenly knows God's like I don't like your sacrifice came but I like Abel's no first of all I'm like it stinks to be Cain in this story what can I ask a question why does Abel bring the best of his herd and Cain just brings some of his fruit and vegetables do you know we don't know do you know the Bible never says they never says I would I'd like to suggest that Adam and Eve probably told them the same stories ladies and gentlemen but there's something in Abel's heart divine persuasion that Abel is like I really believe God exists I lied the stories of mom dad I'm gonna get him I'm gonna get him the best that I got and Cain's like I think God's cool too it's all good yeah for sure all right yeah all right here we go cool all right and gods like no and Cain's like whoa what now you talk he's I don't I don't like you I like Abel's and preachers all over say cuz he will brought the firstborn well it was Cain supposed to get that memo it all points to Jesus Abel was persuaded Abel had a propensity why divine persuasion watch this so then God says to Cain Cain what's wrong Kings like you don't like my sacrifice and gods like if you do good you'll be good I like it now what is God doing Cain should have said I can't I don't know how do and I think Abel got lucky what's he saying look what it says in the scripture it says if you do well won't you be accepted God that's the problem the more we try to do better we can't but when we do do better it doesn't last very long it's called the old concept of faith God says decane do better James like okay okay okay I'm gonna do better this week I'm gonna do better I'm gonna try harder but God is pointing cane even now to in need of a savior he says he says since crouching at the door it's desires for you you should rule over sin Cain and that's what preachers do all the time hey you should you should you should rule over your sin everyone's like okay okay preacher okay I'm gonna try harder this week this gonna be my week we wake up with like Thursday what's Thursday Thursday's dominates in day so we get markers we write on our mirrors you try what come on right and we do sit man I better watch out I got so many crazy stories from church people one time we got rubber bands for all the guys and when they had bad thoughts we snapped the rubber bands this is you think I'm joking right I mean we'd be it like high school football games the cheerleaders will start performing you better master sin I'm trying Jesus how does Abel know divine initiative also Abel can take credit Abel can take credit in the store Abel's like Cain I try to tell you man God wants the best nope Abel just somehow knew how God Cain didn't and then God's like do better and Cain's like what and gods like you can't right ok doesn't get the memo so then he goes and murders his brother in case you're wondering the human condition furthermore I love this because everybody says now if you're a person of faith and you really trust God everything will go well for you well tell that to Abel things are going real great in his life he shows up for the first worship service talk about buh-bam gods like mommy he's like right well he leaves the church service walking down the street and the other guy the church service kills him and we keep telling people if you have enough faith nothing bad will happen to you what it rains on the just and the unjust of Bible says bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people this planet is broken you know what's crazy about this story Abel gets murdered and the next guy never dies his name's Enoch Genesis chapter 5 verses 21 when Enoch had lived 65 years he fathered Methuselah anybody heard of that guy he's the he lived the longest on earth Methuselah Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah three hundred years and had other sons and daughters kukuku thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years here's the climactic conclusion to all of the powerful details we have on Enoch Enoch walk with God oh and he was not for God took him that's all we got and Hebrews says he says it's impossible to please God without faith because whoever comes strong wants to draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he's a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him and the context is Abel and Enoch Abel and Enoch Abel and Enoch and yet we use Hebrews 11:6 to tell people you better diligently seek God like who like Abel enables like ah I don't think I can take credit for that I just for some reason I had just a passion for the God my mom and dad told me about to kick them out of the garden the one who had just kicked him out I had a propensity for him and I and I was looking at my heard one day and I was like I'm gonna give him the good part of my heard why'd you do that Abel mmm as wanted to so Enoch why you walk with God like that like why didn't Methuselah walk with God like that what why didn't I knocks dad Jared walk with God why Enoch I love these verses it says Enoch walked with God the message Bible says steadily translation he did it every day he wasn't he was one of those daily guys he's like hey God good to see you today what are you doing today you won't believe this do you know how many years Enoch lived people were living like 900 years back then he lived do you see it 365 he lived a year for every day that's in a year what's the message in Enochs life God's like I want to walk with you every day well well how do I do that well you better wake up every day and go I'm gonna be like Enoch someone's like hey man don't call me man call me Enoch those who walk with God are those who determine to walk with God and talk in breathy tones I'm gonna walk with God No Enoch seemed to be he had like a a bent towards God he had a desire for God I also think Enoch just being taken to heaven is another indication that we were never meant for death we weren't meant for death please hear me we weren't meant for death and it also tells me this that after Adam and Eve were exiled from the garden because in the garden do you remember what they did with God do you remember why God made him he made him to be with him to walk with Him do you remember how they arranged their their walks in the garden do you remember how it went it says and God walk with them in other words God would just go I'm here and they'd be like oh hey and I'd want to walk and I bet yeah we're follow me and they'd just walk with God through utopia and they sin that gods like okay I want you to stay like this forever okay outside the garden and they could have been led to believe that outside the garden God was like I can't walk with you anymore get away but he still wants to walk with him so it's like Adam II tell the boys I still want to be close to him in the knee knock he just starts walking with Enoch and then one day like how did that Keys it's like hey can I show you my place you want to see in 365 years on the dot Enoch is gone and the message is clear God wants to walk with you every day which would lead you to believe and I'm closing we're literally playing the piano that's a dead giveaway so the message is clear isn't it God God wants us to have him on our mind God wants to walk with me every day not not just the sensational spiritual magnanimous moments of life God wants to what would be 365 it's about this time that most preachers are like all right Church these next six weeks we're going to learn how to walk with God every day then then wrong with that approach I would just like to suggest that's not how it worked for anak God did not give him the seven effective steps of walking with God 365 Enoch adda Jared didn't have it Methuselah didn't have it but Enoch had it he's seen to be persuaded he seemed to wanna t sing the desire it so here's how I'd like to conclude week one of the six week journey I'd like to go back to that little word that's the most used word for faith in the New Testament pista s' and here's what I'd like to do I'd like us not to say we don't have a response but I'd like us to put the ball in our great God's Court I'd like to say this collectively to God as a church we want to walk with you every day but we really don't know how to do that and we sometimes have bad days and painful days and forgetful days in weekdays and doubtful days and selfish days and it doesn't seem like we're close to you and also God our prayer as a church is this would you suade us again and again and again and again unless you become like a child Jesus says you will never see the kingdom of God translation jesus said to his disciples unless you have the receptivity and the childlike wonder of these kids you'll never understand what I'm doing and so you know what I say I say is we approach the all-important subject of faith that we take the posture of kids and say okay God persuade us again show us your love again like I've never seen it before show me your grace like I've never known it show me what you can do in the midst of my pain show me what you can do in the midst of my loss if you can do it for Enoch you can do it for me if you can do it for Abel you can do it for me if you can do it for those average people you can do it for me I would like to suggest there is nothing grand in the stories of Abel and Enoch nothing nothing nothing spectacular about these men other than God persuaded them God reeled him in God woo them God revealed himself to them so this is what I say to every man woman boy and girl who's willing to listen to me today wherever you are in this room or watching I believe God is God enough to persuade you in these next six weeks I believe these six weeks can be filled with Wonder and all and majesty of his love again his forgiveness again his mercy again his healing again his restoration again yeah give me that childlike wonder again I don't want to get old I think I know it all no God take me back to the beginning will be again revealed to me again your love there are people here end up under the sound of my voice you are going through some of the most difficult days of your life and the last thing you need is for me to tell you this is on you some of your like I don't got nothing left to give and that's when God is at his best with his persuasion and his revealing of His grace in His goodness what is required of you and me just open okay God Here I am Here I am Here I am Here I am and what I love about God he's a rewarder he's like oh so you so you're open yeah okay I am God wants you to see him more than you want to see him God wants to know you more than you want to know him God wants to heal you more than you want to be healed God wants to give you comfort more than you've ever craved comfort in your whole life he is a good god he's a great God he's a faithful God he's a wonderful God he's a gracious God he's a long-suffering God and he weeps with those who weep he is with you right now wherever you are as low as you might feel here comes the great persuader again here he comes here he comes here he comes thank you Jesus thank you Jesus God we thank you so much that it is about you you are extraordinary I just I've never known anybody like you know I we haven't even been told not even half not even a small percentage of who you are and what you are capable of God be with the brokenhearted tonight be with the hurting be with the broken be with those who are elated those who are excited those who are finding themselves and some of the most extraordinary successful fulfilling moments of their life wherever we are in the spectrum of our journey persuade us again my prayer as the pastor of this faith community my prayer for every man woman boy and girl is that these six weeks would be six weeks of your divine persuasion reveal show yourself strong true near aware involved and in love with everyone thank you God just before we sing before we conclude the night if you're here and you say Judah I I feel persuaded already and I want to respond and I would like to receive Jesus as God for the Bible says God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life if you'd like the forgiveness that only Jesus offers the everlasting life that only Jesus offers I'd like to include you in this prayer tonight I just want to remind you there's absolutely no pressure but if you know that you know that you know God is real and he is speaking to you and he is persuading you tonight oh if you only knew just a sliver of his love for you it would change everything if you're here and say I believe and I receive Jesus is God I received the forgiveness for my heir wrong and sin and I want to begin a journey of following him for the rest of my days if that's you on the count of three I'm gonna ask you to shoot your hand up all over this auditorium or in whatever room you're watching online right now you shoot your hand up on the count of three and I believe when you respond on the outside to what's happening on the inside it becomes all the more real to you that's all one two three that's you to shoot your hand up all over the auditorium put your hand up even wherever you are online watching you shoot it up right now thank you God thank you that forgiveness flows freely right here right now right here right now and I I want to say this the next group of people that I just I want to I want to I want to pray for I don't know exactly what you're going through where you are but if there's something deep inside of you that says oh God persuade me again oh god show me again your love your reality your nearness your care your concern your presence I mean if that is a cry from the core of your being for these six weeks would you shoot your hand up in this auditorium in Seattle online wherever you are even around the world Oh God persuade us again now Lord I asked right now just as musicians are getting up on the stage here in LA and in Seattle's we prepare even online to engage in music I pray you would even use the platform of music to persuade us again to show us again that we would experience your love your goodness and your reality right where we are in Jesus name if you're able and willing would you stand with us and come on let's take these moments and reflection and sing out to our God 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 get to be friends I love you

Channel: Churchome

Views: 46,137

Rating: 4.8670077 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, pastor, pastor preaching, carl lentz, Jesus, conference, guest speaker, sermon jam, worship, Justin Bieber, la Hillsong, Selena, preaching, Judah message, performance, faith, what is faith

Id: w907Wnj6AMc

Length: 66min 39sec (3999 seconds)

Published: Thu Jan 31 2019