When the Boat Breaks

all right here's what we're gonna do we're gonna go to a story in the new testament it's actually one of the last stories in the accounts and acts of the early christians the first christians is called the book of acts um it is the activity and actions of the first century church and the beginning of the churches the proliferation of churches around the known world at the time and we're going to go to the very last chapter in acts chapter 28. we're going to read a story of paul who um for those that don't know quick little background by the way can we thank the band for being so amazing i love you guys i'll see you soon i'll see you soon come on back um so acts 28 is the account of a man by the name of paul paul is used to write more than half of the new testament under the inspiration of the spirit of jesus he is the artist formerly known as saul he was a spiritual um uh boy how should i say this really a a spiritual gangster but that now is like a yoga term so i don't know how to deal with that but uh somebody okay four of you do yoga okay um but he he really is he was a he was a spiritual elitist and he actually killed people who claim to walk in the way or follow in the footsteps of jesus he has this outrageous encounter with god where god pushes him off his mule his donkey speaks to him audibly and saul becomes paul and has this radical conversion now we're going to insert ourselves in the story where paul is is nearing the very end of his life in fact this third and final shipwreck that he will experience he is on his way to rome he is being delivered as a prison to rome to be publicly executed this is in fact the end for paul and the title of this message as we jump in is when the boat breaks what do you do when the boat breaks what do you do when the plans are ruined what do you do when the schedule has been destroyed what do you do when you can't find routine my kids are already back in high school i have a junior in high school now and a freshman in high school for those keeping track my 14 year old freshman is six foot three 200 pounds so that's what we're working with my junior is six feet and um very not not doesn't have a lot of weight at all so that's and and when they fight i'm like i look at the 17 year old like may god be with you dear son and may his spirit protect you maybe you know like it's it's it's intense um but they've had two lockdowns one was because there was a gun outside the school uh welcome to public schools in la and the second was because someone tested positive for covid at the school we have been one week at school two lockdowns uh i have received a letter already from the school outlining who had the gun it was not a student why they had to lock it down and why i got a call in the middle of the day that my boys are under lockdown because someone has a gun that's our first week of school to say the very least uh we are looking for a sustainable rhythm and schedule and the smith family it's been hard to find you make plans these days and those plans change dramatically had some friends pick me up from the airport last night and they said to get into a restaurant in a particular space they now had to show a vaccination card i by the way i did get vaccinated i am a community leader and i felt like i was to do that i didn't know would offend some of you i really am sorry about that i didn't mean to do that it wasn't a political statement it was like i have to travel and i fly a lot and i thought it would be like maybe the best option and i did get vaccinated as a kid so i thought maybe that was kind of the same thinking come to find out there are two very different things in people's minds like you got backstage as a kid that's fine but you can't get this vaccine i'm like okay i don't know what to do anymore um and by the way i i don't know if i got the right vaccine because then there's like the right one and then there's the wrong one and then like do you have faith do you not have faith like where are you at with god and i'm like i didn't know when i went to cvs i was making a declaration about my view of god i didn't know i really honestly i'm being so serious guys like i'm trying to raise teenagers right now i don't have time to get into the theological nuances of vaccines it's just not where i'm at okay i'm just like how's the 17 year old how's the 14 year old oh god protect the 12 year old oh dear jesus right anybody have teenagers all right it's like and it's the best life and i love it but uh we're living in such unprecedented days it's like new news comes out uh the other day there was another natural disaster and i'm not even exaggerating when i say i had my phone like this and i just went like i i don't know what what i don't know what more we can do here you know and i know jesus is like everywhere but sometimes going like this just feels like you're really speaking to him dude i mean like i'm a pastor but a pastor for like 20 years i'm still doing this hey come on um but have you been there have you looked up to the high heavens lately have you said hey we can only take so much down here have you had those sighs and those groans where you're like really god this is a lot this is a lot it's a lot to stay married right now it's a lot to raise kids right now it's a lot to be single looking to be married right now it's a lot to just have a solid day do you know what i'm talking about like solid is the new great you know like like normal well we lost that a while ago predictable is the new sexy it's like wait you wait you had a schedule and you you kept it today yeah it was wild bro all four meetings happened today not in person all four in person what no zooms today that one zoom bro give me a hug right like wait no you can't hug me you know it it is i've offended people with handshakes i've offended people with hugs i've offended people with masks without masks like it is very challenging we are just let me be very clear i'm just talking about the pandemic just that one topic and and natural disasters and global catastrophes and tragedies that are happening and loved ones that are being lost what do you what do you do when the boat breaks now if you're like me in days like these i go to this inspired book that i believe is completely written by god and i say can you show me how you work with people in antiquity in this ancient book you've given me that mirrors what we're going through what's what's the response of the god worshiper what's the response of those maybe you've come today or you're watching today and you're seeking uh you're searching you're you're curious about christianity you're curious about well maybe i need a little bit maybe in your mind it's religion i need a little bit more maybe like i don't know moral teaching or motivational speaking and so maybe you're searching and you're here seeking and and curious and and and and wondering i i'm asking the question what should we do what should be our response it seems like everyone's response is their opinion their opinions have gotten enormously big it's funny because our exposure right now seems to get getting smaller but our opinions seem to get bigger by the way that's a really bad combo when your life gets small and your opinions get big that's how you get old that's what old is it's not an age it's a mentality oh you you haven't talked to people that have never one time experienced something but they have the biggest opinions about it some of you want to tell coach carol and russell wilson what to do did you ever play football who's been an elite quarterback in the nfl do you mind raising your hand real quick oh so our culture's all set up that sometimes the people that can be loudest have never one time experienced what they're speaking to has anyone ever been a policy maker for a whole country is there any presidents here today that i'm not aware of any vps of any country oh that's interesting right but this is so when our boat starts to break when things we've counted on like schedule and constructs when they start to break it's amazing what starts to break open in our life so here's what i want us to do i want us and i've been a little bit provocative this morning some of you are like oh judah's a little feisty maybe but i want us to go to the scripture and say okay lord show me another christian in the bible who's gone through unpredictable catastrophe and trauma and show me how they respond to show me how you want me to respond awesome okay let's go to acts chapter 28. again our character for investigation is this man named paul paul is on a boat with i think it's 276 i think we get the actual number on the ship that are on their way to rome an unpredicted storm kicks up and the storm is so extreme it begins to break the boat up this is an extreme storm this is not an average storm this is not a typical storm think about boats they're built to endure storms this is a storm the builders of the boat never considered that sounds like 20 20. that sounds like 20 21. i had a friend tell me recently in a uh uh a setting and he he came up to say hi and said he'd kind of heard about church and stuff never been but heard about it we started talking he said last year i was a part of business we brought in 275 million dollars last year he said this year you want to know how much money we brought in zero the business is gone i said i said hold on a second your business last year brought in 272 that's right and the business no longer exists judah i was like oh man that's like that's not like a storm that's like a storm that breaks up boats that were made for storms are you okay i'm just grateful to be here grateful to have a job and that's why i took this job and wow well thank you for sharing that is that an unusual time to be in where someone i just met within three minutes tells me that last year his company made 200 and this year is zero and then he's like nice to meet you and walks away and you're like where am i living oh that's right 20 21 that's where i'm living and things we thought that would never break are breaking people we never thought would break are breaking by the way you're not the only one where friendships have been tried tested and stretched at a level that is well in some cases embarrassing have you seen the articles they're saying the delta variant now people are cutting off people and saying we're not friends anymore we can no longer i mean whole articles are being written on how friendships are breaking apart first of all you're here right now you should probably give yourself a little more credit than you're giving yourself you're actually here right now saying hey i want to go subject myself to an environment where i can learn more about jesus and learn more about my life and learn more wow can i just say wow am i allowed to say wow like what kind of people are you on a nice sunny sunday morning in seattle which is something we savor i might add you decided to come indoors and listen to your pastor or listen to a speaker and sing melodies and harmonies wow okay well you're doing better than you think you are paul is on his way to be executed now i got to be honest with you if my boat broke apart while i'm on my way to be executed i would take that as a sign from god to run for the hills if you will i'd be like this is you're going to save me god and yet as the story goes you'll be shocked let me just jump in verse 1 acts 28 once everyone was accountable we realized we had all made it we learned that we were on the island of malta the natives went out of their way to be friendly to us the day was rainy and cold we're already soaked to the bone but they built huge bonfire and gathered us around it paul pitched in and helped he'd gathered up a bundle of sticks when he put it in the fire venomous snake roused from its torpor i would be honest with you i never seen that word before nor do i even know what that word is torpor come on guys i mean i can't handle torpor i mean i you know i got my limits all right he was riled from its torpor in the world um struck his hand and held on seeing this thing hanging from paul's hand like that natives jumped to the conclusion that he was a murderer getting his just deserved paul shook the stake off in the fire none the worst for the where he kept expecting they kept expecting to drop dead but when it was obvious he wasn't going to they jumped to the conclusion that he was a god we talked about this a few weeks ago just shake it off by the way shake it off people's praise people's criticism shake it off the two extremes you can't live in those extremes you can't live in those extremes you can't live in constant praise and you can't live in constant criticism you can't live in either one of those environments they're too extreme the conditions are too extreme you have to move away from the praise and you have to move away from the criticism and you have to follow jesus you got to shake it off you got to shake it off that's not the sermon but it's a good one the head man in the part of the island was pubelus he took us into his home as his guest drying us out putting us up in the fine style for the next three days puglia's father was sick at the time down with a high fever and something that's really not good okay and i don't even want to say it all right so it's like it's early okay paul went to the old man's room when he laid hands at him and prayed the man was healed i loved the bible uh so paul went into his room laid hands on him he was healed and then we just move on like oh that must have been amazing yeah word of the healing got around fast and soon everyone on the island who was sick came and got healed so that was good all right all right cool that's amazing um wish that would happen in kirkland but we spent a wonderful three months on malta but we spent a wonderful three months on malta that's like that's a sentence isn't it this is a real this is a real event i mean is anyone here can we be like we have spent like everything's been changed plans has been changed quarantined pandemic whatever everything but we have had a wonderful detour we've had wonderful three months on the island of malta quick question paul again were you going to malta no absolutely not we didn't even really know about malta or or know anyone on malta we just were there and boy did we have a great time oh so that also like interrupting your program at the end of paul's life is it just me or does he seem kind of comfortable with this is it just me or has he kind of learned something that this is sometimes how it goes down here you're going to end up on islands with people you've never known and you better make the most of those three months so we we spent a wonderful three months on malta i'm like what did you do on malta is there like jet skiing and stuff is there an in and out or chick-fil-a i mean what did what did you we had a great time they treated us like royalty took care of all of our needs outfitters for the rest of the journey guys is this how it works when you run into perfect strangers in a life and death situation like does it turn into three months where they take care of you like royalty you have this amazing connection and they give you all the supplies you're gonna need now to get on with your journey these are deep connections these people are making i don't know if i would want connections i want to complain when things break in my life that i'm counting on i don't want to connect with people i want to complain paul's like we had a great you got to unders you gotta pick up what the text is telling you you gotta step back and go what does paul know that i don't know he's like man we had a wonderful time and we we went on on our on our on our journey i want to make a couple observations about when your boat breaks when your plans are shattered when your routine is nowhere to be found when things outside of your control seem to be a barrage in your life paul can't control the sea paul can't control the winds paul can't control the wood that is breaking apart they each grab pieces they float into shore it's a cold rainy night it's difficult it's painful it's challenging then to make matters worse paul is just picking up sticks kudos to the apostle paul by the way may we all be willing to pick up sticks no matter what season we're in he's just picking up sticks he's helping out he's building the bonfire here comes the viper the viper bits his hand now it's like really lord i mean we're shipwrecked i floated in we're freezing cold i'm trying to make a fire i'm putting out sticks i'm paul i'm pastor paul and now the viper bites me and paul still doesn't freak out now this bothers me because i broke a golf club recently it was yesterday but i don't want to get into it i threw it under the golf cart and then i reverse and it snapped it and my friends were like bro we could have got that and i was like i deserve it you know like i don't believe in the gospel of grace on the golf course you know i'm just like a works guy a law guy i deserved a broken club but like i i break pitching wedges when i don't hit a good shot paul's like shipwrecked almost drowned freezing cold trying to make a fire got bit by a viper shook it off wonderful three months in malta what i hate these early christians you know like these guys are two what paul you know you're going to die and yet he seems to enjoy these moments with these people i i'm just i'm trying to provoke you because i've been provoked by this passage what am i missing something am i the only one that has turned heavenward and been like god where are you paul never does that paul's never like floating on like a piece of the ship trying to get into the shore going where are you he's like it's going to work out it'll work out so here's my first observation when the boat breaks people on islands get included in the story think about that and i mean islands quite literally but i mean islands socially emotionally see i think what we forget is that um god when given choice between people and plans he chooses people because that's his plan i hate to break it to you but your plan isn't really god's plan it's the people in your life that's god's plan did you know that the new people the old people that's the plan of god for your life it's the people it's not the programs it's not the inventive idea it's not the cra it all gets back to people for god it's it's that's his centerpiece god loves the human being god became a human being i mean you got to look at jesus and go what's on god's mind uh human beings god why did you become the god man because i'm in to people and i know right now our bank accounts i know right now our kids schooling i know right now our schedule i know right now running errands seems like a fool's errand because you show up with a dry cleaner and they're now closed half of the week because they too are trying to stay afloat right and what's our response is our response instead of loving those around us instead of floating in on a shipwreck to an island and recognizing that these people are part of god's story these new friends these new individuals we have met because of this global pandemic apparently to paul that seems to be a priority he's so convinced that god's in control vipers dangle from his hand he shakes it off and doesn't seem to think he's gonna die think about i i don't know about you but when things go bad i still have bad theology and here's what i mean when things go bad my theology sometimes which is my view of god in my view of the world tries to tell me it's going bad because you did something bad and if you'll fix the bad it won't go bad do you know that's never mentioned here in paul or his writings later about these shipwrecks second corinthians chapter 11 says i was shipwrecked three times he said i think in there there's a plane crashes too and like they didn't even have planes but paul found a way to be in a plane crash you're like this guy's been through everything he's he's he's literally been cancelled in social media and there wasn't even social media he's he's kind of been through everything and i'm just waiting for paul to complain in the story i'm also waiting for paul to like call the revival meeting on malta he doesn't do that we're just making observations he doesn't do that he never goes everyone gather around the bonfire the snake i just shook off is a metaphor of sin and so if you put your faith in jesus you can shake off that sin you'll be forgiven you i mean i could help paul with a transition into a really good sermon after that moment but the great orator the great writer the great thinker he there's no even record of him teaching and preaching there's record of him caring and loving and helping sick family members and he said we had a wonderful three months on malta and i'm thinking would i have a wonderful three months on malta doubt it i might not even have a wonderful three hours on malta because my attitude would be so bent out of shape furthermore lord i can't even i mean a schedule to execute me we can't even keep that like this is this is this is different but my first observation is maybe when your boat breaks you're going to run into people who are isolated that you otherwise wouldn't have see in your heavenly father he cares about people who are isolated he cares about people you otherwise wouldn't have met wouldn't have cared for wouldn't have loved i'm not talking about people that you're going to preach the gospel to in 30 seconds or less the first time you meet him everyone just calm down i'm talking about people that you just connect with and you love and you care for that you otherwise wouldn't have i know i know we think our businesses and our career are more important and i i why do i have to be the preacher to tell you they're not why do i have to tell you that that what god cares about are your kids more than your important busy schedule what happens when your boat breaks what are we going to do we're going to be like paul or we're just going to be like ourselves and left to my own devices it is amazing what i can conclude about myself and god because my boat starts to break oh god where are you oh lord all right i quit i quit i'm done you ever done that you quit before you think everything is breaking apart so if i quit before everything is destroyed then somehow it makes me better i quit i quit if it's breaking i quit and this is what we're doing i again i i'm looking at some of your faces like i don't think it's that bad where do you live could we all live there because for those of us living in the real world like it's it's wild isn't it what happens when your boat breaks here's another observation um god's provision is seen unlike in any other time god's provision now when you think about that why would god care about you seeing how he provides because he wants you to see him and he wants you to understand who he is what i'm about to say i don't like saying but i'm going to say it because i'm 42. and i've lived just long enough to discover why am i going to say this the most painful difficult times of my life is where i have seen jesus at a level in depth unlike any other seasons of my life i wish it wasn't true but i've been floating in the proverbial ocean on a piece of the boat calling god where are you and what transpired in front of me told me more about him than i could have ever possibly imagined god wants to provide for you supernaturally even during unprecedented stormy days he wants to do things for you some of you've lost businesses some of you lost business partners some of you have lost best friends some of you have lost i promise you this is going to end well somebody like do you think we're going to get into the part where we don't lose everything soon soon but there's a few people being ministered to so bear with us okay some of you i can tell you're so positive you're like i thought this was a positive place you know it is it is we're going to end there but we've lost so much but in the process he makes up the difference he makes up the difference he makes up the difference he supernaturally provides i mean if you would have told paul you're going to rome to die i'm aware of that i'm willing to do that but on your way you're going to get a big wreck and malta is going to be your number one provision source he's going to say what malta who malta is going to be the people that are going to give you the supplies you'll need to get to rome so you can die for jesus malta yeah how do you spell that i have no idea malta i think of wendy's and the chocolate malt as well malta oh man plans his way god directs the steps is there any one of us here today that follow jesus and worship jesus that we can can actually truly conclude that the father son and the holy ghost are in the proverbial conference room in a place called eternity wringing their hands looking at each other going what do you think we should do [Music] not one of us if we know enough about scripture we know that not for a moment has the king of all kings and the lord of all lords and the leader of all leaders and the president of all presidents not for a single moment has he been surprised truly disrupted worried anxious fearful he is completely in control even though the pieces of your boat are floating across the surface of the sea [Music] and as you float into shore do not fear for what is ahead you will be bitten but he will see you through [Music] i might remind you you might have to pick up some sticks and some things you thought you were over some things you thought you were beyond and passed you might have some seasons picking up some sticks i'm down if you're down i'm in if you're in i never decided to follow jesus so that any one of us could be a big deal someone to pick up sticks i'm down to pick up sticks how about you but i'm gonna tell you god has plans to reach people on islands isolated people that don't know his love his forgiveness and his community what happens when your boat breaks look for new people because they're all around you and they might actually be the plan of god i'm gonna say this one more time people are the plan of god people are the plan of god that's the plan of god and by the way you are a people so that should be exciting to you some are like oh i thought the plan was the plan not people no it's good you are people so this is a good thing to be excited about it's just that you're not the only people it's just that you're not the only people and god is a father and all the people are his kids so when he talks people he talks about all of his kids and when he talks about love he means his whole family i got three kids when i tell you i love my family in my mind i'm not leaving out the 14 year old i love my kids except for the you know a really big one no i you know and i know that i mean all my kids god desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of who he is in saving grace and his goodness uh it could be that our boat's breaking and god's got plans to nowhere in the text to say god caused the storm nowhere in the texas say um and lastly um here's how you determine where the storm came from apparently it's not important it's so funny how many how long christians have been trying to debate and decide who caused the storm where the storm came from and the purpose of the storm and we just need do you think god put the storm a god didn't send the storm i don't here's the point here's the focus look at the passage it's that god's in control and he loves people this we know don't build your life now for the rest of your days on things you don't know you build your life on what you do know and i can't guarantee you that your career path is going to be the rest of your life but i can guarantee you this people are god's plan for your life for the rest of your life god loves people you're going to see his provision in a whole new way and and lastly my last observation perspective begins to settle in perspective begins to settle in a whole new perspective begins to settle in we had a wonderful three months in malta and we were supplied for for the rest of our journey now i gotta ask you a question the entire crew and prisoners on the ship that shipwrecked when they get back on a ship do they see the ship differently oh yeah and i wonder if that's a part of all this that we're supposed to see the constructs of our culture and our world differently like for instance i bet when the crew got back on the ship they found another ship another crew to kind of join with and i'm not sure if that entire 276 went on the next ship but we know paul did and some of the roman officers and that sort of thing but i don't know i don't know what it's like i've never been in a shipwreck but i can imagine walking onto a boat again for the first time after the boat broke i would walk on and be like god thank you for this boat first of all this is a great boat i appreciate the boat and if this one could stay together that'd be great too but thanks for using the pieces to help me float into like gratitude would be one right like wow this is a sacred thing this is a special thing but i wonder if paul by that time in his life understood that it's it's never really where you're going it's it's who you're with and who you're going to it's always the who it's never the where it's really never the what it's it's always the who it's it's him and perspective starts to settle in and you start to realize what this is this is really about so this is where i end the sermon check this out and same guy paul writes this passage and what is romans chapter eight and i will put it up on the screen because i want you to see it because it will same guy now ready same guy all around us we observe a pregnant creation the difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pains it's not only around us it's it's within us it's not only around us it's within us is there something within you those are you that follow jesus you can't put words to it can you but there's something inside of you that's just like some it's not right the pain the loss the division the hatred the jealousy the offense the bigotry it's it's it's not right it's within me the spirit of god is arousing us within we're also feeling the birth pains these sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance the same guy now same guy shipwrecked three times that's why waiting does not diminish us anymore any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother we're enlarged in the way what are you like me i'm like that's not really what i was looking for i was hoping i was going to be enlarged in the results enlarged when the business you started doubled and tripled i thought i'd be enlarged when my dreams came true i thought i'd be enlarged when i finally got the toys i'll tell you when i'm enlarged when my square footage is enlarged tell you when i'm enlarged when i get out of a condo and finally get into a home [Music] we're enlarged in the waiting huh [Music] look at this we of course don't see what is enlarging us yeah i know it's just what's happening to us but but the longer we wait the larger we be [Music] now this isn't talking about an extra 19 pounds from covid19 we're not talking about the the the kovid19 here we're we're talking about your soul we're talking about your perspective we're talking about the seat of who you are and how you love for living well is loving well we become larger and the more joyful our expectancy we we wait we do i was coming to be a little more cynical a little more critical a little more opinionated [Music] then instead of fighting [Music] let us embrace the works of god okay god it goes on meanwhile the moment we get tired in the waiting anybody tired in the waiting the moment we get tired in the waiting god's spirit is right alongside helping us if we don't know how or what to pray and this is why people ask me all the time how do you pray and i'm like listen you were made to pray just just go pray go talk to god go talk to god hopefully you didn't get lessons on how to talk to a father figure or if you had a father or a grandfather or a grandmother or like you just kind of started talking to him that person that raised you you just started talking to him so so go talk and by the way if you don't know how to talk to god uh he does our praying in us and for us making prayer out of our worldless wordless world wordless size and our aching groans now i'm starting to get encouraged because i have had plenty of these in 2020 and 2021. hey god says the spirit turns it into prayer i know what you i know what you want i know what you're crying out for i know where you are i've heard your size and i've heard your groans i've heard your size and i've heard your groans i've heard your size you know what i turn my size and groans into things i need to fix and do better and try harder and focus on myself you know what the spirit of god turns my size and groans into a prayer to him let the spirit of god take your size and your groans let the spirit of god take your size and your groans and here's what i've learned i i do much better seeing my size and groans be turned into prayers by the spirit of god when i have someone like you to remind me welcome to community turn that gossip into something you give to god god my friends are so weird we didn't get vaccinated and now they'll never talk to us again whatever it is seismo making prayer out of worthless he he knows us far better than we know ourselves that's a statement am i the only one like was this written for 2021 i think it was he knows our pregnant condition keeps us present before god that's why we can be sure that every detail in our lives love for god has worked into whoa whoa what that's why we can be sure that every detail in our lives of love for god is worked into something [Music] so that's why we can be sure that every detail in our lives of love for god is worked into something it doesn't mean it has to be good it means god can work it into something good we don't have to sit here and say sickness is good storms are good diseases are good division is good but god can work at something into good he can we're gonna have you been looking for god to work it into good [Music] or have you been watching waiting for your opinions to be proved and that's why things have gotten worse are we going to lower ourselves to the level of the culture where it's like see see i told you if we didn't do this this would happen now look what's happening the delta variant i predicted it because we weren't [Music] thank you so much for telling us what the news tells us 24 7. where are the peculiar people [Music] that talk about hard broken difficult things and they speak of a god who takes what destroys and he can work it into something good where are those people on the earth because we have never needed them more he goes on god knew what he was doing from the very beginning he decided from the outset to shape the lives of those to shape the lives of those to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his son is shape the lies he's shaping our lives he's shaping our lives do you think that's what's happening yeah what's happening well he's shaping our lives to look like jesus so he's trying to teach us to love well and um hey church did you notice how loving your neighbor's never been harder [Music] it's because it's never been more important [Music] i love you so much who you vote for is not nearly as important as the neighbor you won't don't or do love i love you so much but at this point like i might as well tell you the truth right i am so sorry but those conversations about the policies that you think should be happening i respect them they are not nearly as important as the conversations of listening to your neighbors and the pain that they're going through [Music] [Applause] i wonder if that might be something god's trying to work into something good [Music] i am i don't want to talk about what i think our country should do more than i talk about taking care of the people in my cul-de-sac i don't feel guilty about this i just feel aware how fickle we've become how funny we've become [Music] we have barbecues only with people [Music] who see how we see what we see in this country and how it should those are the only people we will barbecue with wow what are you i'm a believer i'm a christian so you know what's happening to you though right the spirit of god is trying to shape your life into looking like jesus and i want you to know how jesus lived he lived befriending people that were so bad he got criticized by church folks did we forget church folks were like what do you doing jesus oh i'm trying to save everybody well not them especially them yeah especially oh well the stun the sun stands first in the line of humanity he restored we see the original intended shape of our lives there in him we we see the original intended shape of our lives in him we see the original intended shape of our lives in him we he he said all that this is life love the lord your god like your heart so much love your neighbor as yourself we see the hole in him we see we see the whole we see the whole how can you argue that love is not absolutely categorically paramount to the life that looks like jesus so you think it's truth but you know the bible teaches that you're not even allowed to tell anyone the truth unless you love them first so all i'm saying is let's stop telling people the truth until we love them and the only way you're going to love people that you think don't have the truth or think like you is you've got to let jesus love you love your neighbor as your self see that's not a passage to get you to love yourself more that's a passage to get you to go to god and say i need to know how much you love me watch this watch where this passage goes i didn't write it the shipwrecked guy did after god made that decision of what a children should be like he followed up by calling people by name after he called him by name he set them on solid bases with him righteousness and then after getting them established he stayed with them to the end gloriously completing what he'd be done he stayed with them to the end gloriously wow so so so what do you think with god on our side like this how can we lose oh you think you're losing you think this is a season of loss or you're keeping track like instagram doesn't keep score like the world keeps score he said with all this you think we're going to lose if god didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us embracing our condition exposing himself to the worst by sending his own son is there anything else he wouldn't gladly and freely do for us and who would dare tangle with god by messing with one of god's chosen all of a sudden the narrative begins to lift all of a sudden it's like wait i thought we were talking about brokenness i thought we were talking about storms i thought we were talking god who would dare even point a finger the one who died for us who raised the life for us is in the presence of god this very moment sticking up for us do do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and jesus love for us there's no way not trouble not hard times not hatred not hunger not homelessness not bullying threats not backstabbing not even the worst sins listening to scripture kill us in cold blood because they were sitting ducks they pick us up one by one none of this phases us because wait wait wait none of this phases us why does wait a second none of this faces us hold on you can't exaggerate in the bible paul says none did you hear the list i just read he said none of these things phases us none of these things phased us none of these things have us off our game none of these things have us in adopting new philosophy concept theology or perspective none of this phases us we know who we are none of this phases because because because jesus loves him [Music] how you making it man thanks for jesus loves oh man that that that's cute i think i heard that in sunday school yep that's as good as it gets that's it i might do a series at some point it's called take me back to sunday school because some of you that's the best theology you ever got you get preachers like me who want to complicate and make this all ornate and sophisticated and we have we have we have missed the forest for the trees let me tell you the greatest theology i can teach you today you know why none of this can phase you you know why you can make it through you know why you can believe god you know why you can float on pieces of boats that you used to count on for your income and your protection and your source and your confidence and your anticipate and anticipation of hope and of the future and good things you you know you you you know why you're gonna you know why you're okay [Music] jesus loves you i am absolutely convinced that nothing nothing living or dead you better hear me church angels or demons snakes or vipers absolutely nothing today or tomorrow high or low sinkable or unthinkable absolutely nothing can come between me and god's love and why do i know this because the way god revealed himself in the person of jesus he's never stopped holding on to me he's never stopped holding on to you let me tell you what happens when your boat breaks you realize the one person you can count on we didn't build this church on buildings we didn't build this church on preachers we didn't build this church on worship leaders we didn't build this church on technology we built this church on jesus and i'm gonna tell you i may not be there when you're floating the proverbial sea of your own mess and your own pain and your own problems and all you got left is pieces of your career i may not be aware enough to get in the water with you and let you know you can make it but i can promise you there is one he will never leave you nor forsake you oh god let us raise up a new generation of christians who can float on pieces of boats and still worship [Music] why why why why why do you keep going jesus loves me this i know for the bible tells me so wow red and yellow black brown and white they are all so precious and inside he loves me [Music] how much have you been talking about how much he loves you [Music] because evidently that's how paul got through he said he loves me he's floating out there freezing cold he loves me picking up sticks he loves me bitten by vipers he loves me didn't swell up and die he loves me criticized he loves me [Music] on an island for three months he loves me is that the theme of your life [Music] because if you've been in this church for any length of time and it's not this preacher has done you a disservice because that should be the theme of your life that should be what gets you through he loves me see i'm not lovable and i'm not good enough and i'm not godly enough but he loves me oh how he loves me the bible says he i'm always on his mind that if you could count the grain of sand on all of the oceans and the seas combined so his thoughts towards me would be more the bible says he he watches over me when i sleep i know that sounds creepy to you but it's just nice to know somebody's watching over me because see he doesn't need sleep but i do [Music] and when i try to turn off he's there watching the bible says he gives angels charge over me that there are ministering angelic eternal spirits that float over my car and watch over my babies and they come and they give me energy and strength so that i can continue to serve jesus maybe i haven't told you enough and maybe you haven't told me enough how much he loves us [Music] isn't it wild we're going to slip into eternity real soon you know we're going to slip in there and i'm going to tell you one thing you won't bring up you won't bring up your retirement plan [Music] i don't want to tell you this but when you get there eternity everything you worked for here is pavement there it's gold streets man and that's just to let people know this side of eternity what's valuable over there and what's valuable over there it's not a cute schedule and a successful business what's valuable over there is him just him and everything else is foolish compared to him nobody cares about gold for he is the most precious of all possessions is it enough that he loves you yes it is and so that's what we're going to focus on and what we're going to give to the next generation is not jesus the career planner but we're going to give the next generation jesus the lover of their soul that's what we're going to do [Applause] let me tell you something about my jesus he thinks your career is cute and he's so down to help but it's not his priority you're his priority and i think that's why i'm done i'm done and amanda is coming amanda cook is here i'm i'm done i i think that's why paul didn't preach [Music] i don't know man i think i think he just wanted paul got to love people on malta you know just pray for people i mean he did miracles that really helps when you're trying to make friends by the way do you have any six family members they're not sick anymore do you want to be my friend absolutely do you need provision for your journey stay three months you know like it's a really good plan god put together i can see that have you counted all the people you're connecting with new people you're meeting and what you're learning and how much he loves you i wanted today amanda good to see you we haven't even said hi yet amazing amazing human being i love you amanda um [Music] you know what i wanted to preach today i'd be honest what i wanted to preach is when your boat breaks god puts it back together again puts a speed boat motor on it and you fly [Applause] susie kapoozie if i could i would i'd preach just that i beg me tell you what god's gonna do he's gonna put it back together like humpty dumpty he's gonna slap a big motor on that thing and we're gonna fly into the future and there's gonna be drinks and food on board you know but like what we have is like just keep floating on the piece you have and then like remind yourself how much he loves you and and do you remember what the scripture says i'm done amanda you got to start singing remember what the scripture says how can we lose that's the kind of people we want to raise up in our church people that can't lose when times are tough we can't lose when times are good we can't lose when people criticize us we can't lose when people praise us we can't lose because our focus is none of those things our focus is jesus and the one who started it he'll be faithful to complete it and finish it i'm telling you just hold on to the pieces you have enough in jesus amen amen when you close your eyes god i thank you for these minutes and moments we get to share they seem so precious and sacred in days like these the fact that we could get together and think on you and think about paul and think about what you do and how you do it we could read scripture together we could sing songs and melodies and harmonies together what a concept what an opportunity what an honor to be here together and we thank you for it now if you're here watching or here in the auditorium and say judah i would like to receive the free gift of forgiveness that only comes through the person of jesus it's free all you got to do is believe to believe is to receive or accept it that's it you don't earn it deserve it warrant it you just accept it if you would like to receive and accept the free gift of forgiveness that only jesus offers he who knew no sin became sin so that you and i might become the righteousness of god in christ jesus if you want that free gift of righteousness and forgiveness that only comes through jesus on the count of three whether you're watching online or you're right here in the room i want you to shoot your hand up one two three if that's you just shoot your hand up thank you thank you thank you thank you hands in this room hands going up and in public parks hands going up people sitting in their car hands going up people walking down the street people at a condo people with their roommate right now your hand goes up you'll never be the same you're forgiven forever so jesus we just say thank you we thank you that your forgiveness is eternal your forgiveness is forever we are completely and totally forgiven past present and future sins are covered and totally forgiven we focus on your performance over our performance we focus on your love for us not our love for you so right now in the minutes and moments we share using melodies and harmonies and songs and rhythms god we just accept your love for us i pray that every person of the sound of my voice would experience now in these minutes of melodies and harmonies they would experience your nearness they would experience your approval they would experience your acceptance they would experience your righteousness they would experience your love remind us again how much you love us and you will take every detail of our life and you will work it together for something good we believe that in jesus name if you're willing and able would you stand with us and come on let's worship together come on church home

Channel: Churchome

Views: 3,286

Rating: 5 out of 5

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

Id: M8cF85GclTE

Length: 60min 39sec (3639 seconds)

Published: Mon Sep 20 2021