1 00:00:01,760 --> 00:00:05,120 Oh, Crossing family, It is so good to be with you. 2 00:00:05,480 --> 00:00:08,119 If you're thankful for Jesus. If you're thankful to be at 3 00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:10,280 church today, can you put a little hands together? 4 00:00:10,640 --> 00:00:11,920 Thankful. Thankful. 5 00:00:11,920 --> 00:00:16,560 Thankful, Ma'am. Today we are starting a brand 6 00:00:16,560 --> 00:00:21,480 new Christmas series called In the Middle of the Mess. 7 00:00:21,760 --> 00:00:24,440 And for those of you who are New to The Crossing or New to The 8 00:00:24,440 --> 00:00:27,200 Crossing because you haven't been around for a long time, I 9 00:00:27,200 --> 00:00:30,600 am so glad that you are here. And I believe that this 10 00:00:30,600 --> 00:00:35,000 Christmas series is going to be incredibly meaningful for your 11 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:36,800 life. And I'm going to encourage you 12 00:00:36,800 --> 00:00:39,360 to be a part of this series every single week, and 13 00:00:39,360 --> 00:00:42,720 especially during our Christmas Eve services. 14 00:00:42,720 --> 00:00:45,200 And if you haven't found the service that you're attending 15 00:00:45,200 --> 00:00:47,760 and found some people to come with you, I want to encourage 16 00:00:47,760 --> 00:00:51,480 you to do that. How many of you guys know that 17 00:00:51,480 --> 00:00:55,640 life can get a little messy? Yeah. 18 00:00:56,040 --> 00:00:59,640 And how many of you know that sometimes the reason life is a 19 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:02,560 little bit messy is because of family? 20 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:07,840 Yeah, you guys have heard about the Hensel Thanksgiving. 21 00:01:07,840 --> 00:01:09,480 Some of you maybe you're new to the Crossing. 22 00:01:09,480 --> 00:01:11,480 You don't know about the the requirements. 23 00:01:11,720 --> 00:01:18,120 When you become a Hensel, you will never eat Turkey with your 24 00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:22,360 family again because Thanksgiving belongs to the 25 00:01:22,360 --> 00:01:26,400 Hensels. And in trade, you get every 26 00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:32,680 other holiday with your family. You get Labor Day, Memorial Day, 27 00:01:33,240 --> 00:01:35,920 Flag Day, which is a big one. That's June 14th. 28 00:01:36,280 --> 00:01:40,240 You get July 4th. If you want to get together and 29 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:42,000 let off fireworks, do that with your other family. 30 00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:46,160 You get Christmas, Valentine's Day, however you want it. 31 00:01:46,160 --> 00:01:49,440 But Thanksgiving belongs to the Hensels and you'll never see 32 00:01:49,440 --> 00:01:50,840 your family again on Thanksgiving Day. 33 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:55,760 And so they all come in and we hang out at my parents house and 34 00:01:55,760 --> 00:02:00,040 it's always a mess. Let me kind of walk you through 35 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:02,880 a little bit of our mess. This is how it starts. 36 00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:07,240 These are two briskets, 12 racks of ribs, 3 turkeys and 120 37 00:02:07,240 --> 00:02:10,479 pieces of chicken. We needed something to cook it 38 00:02:10,479 --> 00:02:13,200 on. So this is Dad getting the grill 39 00:02:13,200 --> 00:02:17,320 out or the the smoker 640 lbs. So we couldn't carry it. 40 00:02:17,320 --> 00:02:19,560 So we had to get the tractor out and assemble it. 41 00:02:19,920 --> 00:02:23,880 It's a job on top of a job. Then the boys spend their time. 42 00:02:23,880 --> 00:02:28,040 This is Maddox and Zane and our golden dummy and he. 43 00:02:28,600 --> 00:02:31,200 Then the rest of the friends show up and they ride their four 44 00:02:31,200 --> 00:02:34,040 Wheelers. And then Monday night we we had 45 00:02:34,040 --> 00:02:36,680 brisket, which was delicious. It is every year. 46 00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:38,040 We're super thankful to God for that. 47 00:02:38,400 --> 00:02:40,480 Then you have to start Monday night. 48 00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:42,800 You have to start the marinating process on the ribs. 49 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:45,880 So you you start marinating the 12 racks of ribs and apple 50 00:02:45,880 --> 00:02:49,200 juice, and that's delicious. And then you have to assemble a 51 00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:52,880 team of people to actually make all 12 racks of ribs exactly the 52 00:02:52,880 --> 00:02:54,680 way they're supposed to because you don't want them to take a 53 00:02:54,680 --> 00:02:56,480 lot of time, you know, out of the smoker. 54 00:02:57,040 --> 00:02:58,520 So then you load them back into the smoker. 55 00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:01,600 Game on. We had to get a bigger grill 56 00:03:01,600 --> 00:03:03,160 than because the one we had last year didn't work. 57 00:03:03,480 --> 00:03:06,640 Then we have 3 turkeys now. You'll want to remember this for 58 00:03:06,640 --> 00:03:07,920 next year. For those of you who are 59 00:03:07,920 --> 00:03:11,160 planning on doing turkeys, all the recipes for how you're 60 00:03:11,160 --> 00:03:13,240 supposed to do a Turkey, whether you're going to do it in the 61 00:03:13,240 --> 00:03:16,560 oven, do it in a smoker, do it in a fryer, all of them will 62 00:03:16,560 --> 00:03:19,160 give you like a, hey, you're going to want like a 10 to 12 63 00:03:19,160 --> 00:03:20,600 LB. Bird and you're going to want to 64 00:03:20,600 --> 00:03:22,640 remember that. Otherwise you'll do what I did, 65 00:03:22,760 --> 00:03:27,600 which is forget that key thing, that about 10 to 12 LB birds is 66 00:03:27,600 --> 00:03:31,400 what you're aiming for. Because this one was 16 lbs, 67 00:03:31,400 --> 00:03:35,640 this one was 17 lbs and this one was 21 or 22 lbs, which will 68 00:03:35,640 --> 00:03:39,120 drastically change your cook time and you'll want to have 69 00:03:39,120 --> 00:03:42,320 that dialed in. So then this is all the people 70 00:03:42,320 --> 00:03:45,120 preparing all the sides because the men take care of the meat. 71 00:03:45,640 --> 00:03:49,000 And then OK, let me talk to you a little bit about here. 72 00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:51,880 So this one was the smoked or the fried one. 73 00:03:51,880 --> 00:03:55,400 Delicious. This one up here, Smoked one, 74 00:03:55,440 --> 00:04:01,320 also delicious, but the one that's basically almost gone 75 00:04:01,320 --> 00:04:07,040 already is the smoked fried one. And after first service, I've 76 00:04:07,040 --> 00:04:09,200 had multiple people come up and they've given their life to 77 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:11,240 Jesus. Just because what I'm about 78 00:04:11,240 --> 00:04:14,160 ready to tell you, you're going to want to put the Turkey on the 79 00:04:14,160 --> 00:04:17,360 smoker at 2:50 for about three, 3 1/2 hours. 80 00:04:17,839 --> 00:04:21,040 Let it get all that smoke flavor in there, and then drop it into 81 00:04:21,240 --> 00:04:24,200 the fryer and fry it the rest of the way until it cries out to 82 00:04:24,200 --> 00:04:25,920 Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. 83 00:04:26,560 --> 00:04:29,360 Then you pull it out of the grave, you put it on the plate, 84 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:32,440 and you eat it. Listen, it's good on a level you 85 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:35,160 can't anyhow. I don't Just preach, folks. 86 00:04:36,640 --> 00:04:39,760 Then let's go to the next thing. Here's the problem. 87 00:04:40,240 --> 00:04:43,120 There's not enough room in the house for me like Joseph and 88 00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:45,400 Mary. There's no room in the end and 89 00:04:45,400 --> 00:04:48,040 so this is where I stayed at my parents house. 90 00:04:48,120 --> 00:04:49,720 I don't, you know, I don't need plumbing. 91 00:04:49,720 --> 00:04:51,560 I don't need air conditioning or heat. 92 00:04:51,760 --> 00:04:54,280 Actually I did need heat. You'll notice something this 93 00:04:54,320 --> 00:05:01,000 this tent is from 60 years ago. It's not it's got a lot of holes 94 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:02,640 in it. You'll be looking Clayton. 95 00:05:02,640 --> 00:05:03,920 It doesn't look like there's a door. 96 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:07,240 There isn't there's a screen which you know in the middle of 97 00:05:07,240 --> 00:05:11,040 the night when it's 28° and windy makes it a little chilly. 98 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:13,880 So we did put. So here's the picture inside. 99 00:05:14,360 --> 00:05:18,240 This is me and the golden dummy and I had a person who would 100 00:05:18,240 --> 00:05:20,760 spend a night with me one night and then they never came back. 101 00:05:20,760 --> 00:05:23,240 Andre spent the night, Ben spent the night, Maddox spent a couple 102 00:05:23,240 --> 00:05:25,640 nights and Suge did, but Maddox would take my spot. 103 00:05:25,640 --> 00:05:27,360 There wasn't enough room on the cot for both of us. 104 00:05:27,600 --> 00:05:32,560 Dad said that this is the wood burning stove was brand new and 105 00:05:32,560 --> 00:05:34,840 he said don't overload it with wood because it could get too 106 00:05:34,840 --> 00:05:37,440 hot and it could get dangerous. He doesn't know what he's 107 00:05:37,440 --> 00:05:39,320 talking about because you can turn that baby into a 108 00:05:39,320 --> 00:05:42,960 locomotive. That is not a reflection. 109 00:05:42,960 --> 00:05:45,680 That is the fire burning its way through the metal it got. 110 00:05:45,920 --> 00:05:50,080 And the reason why is in this tent, it would be so hot you'd 111 00:05:50,080 --> 00:05:53,160 want to be in your underwear, and then it would become so cold 112 00:05:53,160 --> 00:05:54,640 you'd have icicles in your armpits. 113 00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:57,920 And so you had to, you had to hedge your bet towards the heat. 114 00:05:58,240 --> 00:06:02,280 That was my Thanksgiving and it was a mess. 115 00:06:02,680 --> 00:06:06,040 And you guys know this. Sometimes things in life do not 116 00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:09,560 go as planned. How many of you have had things 117 00:06:09,560 --> 00:06:12,160 in your life not go as planned? All you're going to love this 118 00:06:12,160 --> 00:06:16,280 sermon. However, the choices that we 119 00:06:16,280 --> 00:06:22,600 make in the middle of the mess can make all the difference. 120 00:06:23,480 --> 00:06:27,160 The choices that you and I make in the middle of the mess can 121 00:06:27,160 --> 00:06:31,240 make all the difference. I want to welcome those of you 122 00:06:31,240 --> 00:06:33,520 joining from all of our different locations, those of 123 00:06:33,520 --> 00:06:38,560 you watching online and inside. I am so glad that you are here, 124 00:06:38,960 --> 00:06:43,520 and my hope is that during this series, as you participate and 125 00:06:43,520 --> 00:06:48,040 fully engage, that you will make the right choice in the middle 126 00:06:48,040 --> 00:06:51,880 of your mess and see how God will use it for His glory. 127 00:06:52,360 --> 00:06:56,560 You see, the arrival of Jesus was anticipated, but it was 128 00:06:56,560 --> 00:07:00,880 unexpected. Far from the beautiful, peaceful 129 00:07:01,080 --> 00:07:05,960 nativity, the calm, clear nights depicted on Christmas cards and 130 00:07:05,960 --> 00:07:09,640 in Christmas carols. The arrival of Jesus into this 131 00:07:09,640 --> 00:07:16,520 world was incredibly messy, and it's in the middle of this mess 132 00:07:16,720 --> 00:07:20,720 that we will see people making a choice that made all the 133 00:07:20,720 --> 00:07:23,840 difference. You have Joseph and Mary, the 134 00:07:23,840 --> 00:07:27,560 wise men, the shepherds. They all had choices to make, 135 00:07:28,240 --> 00:07:31,640 and the choices that you and I make in the middle of our mess 136 00:07:32,040 --> 00:07:40,480 could very well help bring Jesus into the world of those we love. 137 00:07:41,080 --> 00:07:43,880 Take Joseph for an example. Everyone wants to talk about 138 00:07:43,880 --> 00:07:45,640 Mary. Everyone wants to talk about the 139 00:07:45,640 --> 00:07:48,720 angels and the wise men and the shepherds. 140 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:52,400 But not a whole lot of time is spent talking about Joseph. 141 00:07:53,240 --> 00:07:56,840 And I want you to notice this, that in the middle of the mess 142 00:07:57,120 --> 00:08:03,400 Joseph chooses to trust. Today I want us to spend some 143 00:08:03,400 --> 00:08:07,640 time in Joseph's Carhartts. I say Carhartts because Joseph 144 00:08:07,640 --> 00:08:11,280 was a working class man. He was a Carpenter, a stone 145 00:08:11,480 --> 00:08:13,720 Mason. He had way more in common with 146 00:08:13,720 --> 00:08:16,960 factory workers and welders and construction workers than he did 147 00:08:16,960 --> 00:08:19,840 with insurance agents and loan officers and supply chain 148 00:08:19,840 --> 00:08:22,840 managers. This was a guy who put on work 149 00:08:22,840 --> 00:08:24,760 clothes because he wasn't trying to be fashionable. 150 00:08:24,840 --> 00:08:28,440 He actually had work that needed to get done and we got to 151 00:08:28,440 --> 00:08:32,799 capture pretty much the entire story of Joseph in the first or 152 00:08:32,799 --> 00:08:35,640 in a couple of verses in Matthew chapter one. 153 00:08:35,799 --> 00:08:38,559 Look what it says. This is how the birth of Jesus 154 00:08:38,559 --> 00:08:41,799 the Messiah came about. His mother Mary was pledged to 155 00:08:41,799 --> 00:08:45,760 be married to Joseph, but before they came together she was found 156 00:08:45,760 --> 00:08:47,720 to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 157 00:08:48,600 --> 00:08:51,960 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law and yet did 158 00:08:51,960 --> 00:08:56,240 not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to 159 00:08:56,240 --> 00:09:00,240 divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this 160 00:09:00,240 --> 00:09:03,600 an Angel, the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, Joseph, 161 00:09:03,840 --> 00:09:07,360 son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife 162 00:09:07,520 --> 00:09:11,600 because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 163 00:09:12,520 --> 00:09:15,400 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name 164 00:09:15,600 --> 00:09:19,720 Jesus because he will save his people from their sins. 165 00:09:20,520 --> 00:09:22,840 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said. 166 00:09:22,840 --> 00:09:25,240 Through the prophet. The virgin will conceive and 167 00:09:25,240 --> 00:09:28,520 give birth to a son, and they will call him Emmanuel, which 168 00:09:28,520 --> 00:09:32,840 means God with us. And when Joseph woke up, he did 169 00:09:32,960 --> 00:09:36,400 what the Angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home 170 00:09:36,560 --> 00:09:39,720 as his wife. But he did not consummate their 171 00:09:39,720 --> 00:09:44,920 marriage until she gave birth to a son, and he gave him the name 172 00:09:45,560 --> 00:09:48,840 Jesus. Imagine the mess that Joseph 173 00:09:48,840 --> 00:09:52,200 found himself in. Joseph is engaged. 174 00:09:52,720 --> 00:09:57,040 He is more than likely been working on building a room off 175 00:09:57,040 --> 00:10:01,720 the side of his father's house. Well, you know that how this 176 00:10:01,720 --> 00:10:04,240 comes about. Jesus says I'm going to prepare 177 00:10:04,240 --> 00:10:07,720 a place for you. In my father's house are many 178 00:10:08,120 --> 00:10:10,920 rooms. What a man who was engaged would 179 00:10:10,920 --> 00:10:14,360 do is he would go to his father's house and he would add 180 00:10:14,360 --> 00:10:19,040 on while they were engaged, a place for him and his family to 181 00:10:19,040 --> 00:10:22,320 dwell. So Joseph is working on this 182 00:10:22,320 --> 00:10:25,520 project. He's more than likely having his 183 00:10:25,520 --> 00:10:29,240 family watch him struggle as he tries to put everything in place 184 00:10:29,240 --> 00:10:31,960 and make it just right. Ladies, imagine for a second 185 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:35,080 that your husband was in charge of decorating and making the 186 00:10:35,080 --> 00:10:39,000 place without any of your input. What a peaceful world that would 187 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:42,920 be. He's fighting with his mom to 188 00:10:42,920 --> 00:10:46,800 make it just the way he wants it for Mary. 189 00:10:46,960 --> 00:10:52,240 And like all mother in laws, she has an opinion not just on how 190 00:10:52,240 --> 00:10:55,120 things are supposed to be placed, but she also has 191 00:10:55,120 --> 00:11:01,120 opinions about Mary. She's like a lot of moms, she's 192 00:11:01,120 --> 00:11:05,040 nervous about whether or not Mary will love Joseph the way 193 00:11:05,200 --> 00:11:11,600 Joseph deserves to be loved. We know that Joseph is a man of 194 00:11:11,600 --> 00:11:14,200 not much means. He's poor. 195 00:11:15,400 --> 00:11:18,760 We find out about his poverty or we get some insight into it when 196 00:11:18,760 --> 00:11:22,520 they show up at the consecration of Jesus in Jerusalem. 197 00:11:22,520 --> 00:11:24,800 Look what it says in Luke chapter 2 verse 22. 198 00:11:25,320 --> 00:11:28,120 When the time came for the purification rights required by 199 00:11:28,120 --> 00:11:31,440 the law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to 200 00:11:31,440 --> 00:11:34,600 present him to the Lord. As it is written in the law of 201 00:11:34,600 --> 00:11:39,000 the Lord, every first born male is to be consecrated to the Lord 202 00:11:40,200 --> 00:11:43,080 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the 203 00:11:43,080 --> 00:11:46,440 law of the Lord. A pair of doves or two young 204 00:11:46,640 --> 00:11:49,640 pigeons and you're all going. I don't understand what makes 205 00:11:49,640 --> 00:11:51,560 them so poor. Well, that's why you have to go 206 00:11:51,560 --> 00:11:53,600 back to Leviticus. You know the book that we like 207 00:11:53,600 --> 00:11:55,720 to skip over. You'll be amazed how many times 208 00:11:55,720 --> 00:11:58,040 the book that we don't want to read in the Old Testament is 209 00:11:58,040 --> 00:12:00,120 actually referenced in the New Testament. 210 00:12:00,280 --> 00:12:02,320 Look what it says all the way in Leviticus. 211 00:12:02,720 --> 00:12:04,960 When the days of her purification for a son or 212 00:12:04,960 --> 00:12:07,680 daughter are over, she is to bring to the priest at the 213 00:12:07,680 --> 00:12:11,160 entrance to the tent of meeting a year old lamb for a burnt 214 00:12:11,160 --> 00:12:14,680 offering and a young pigeon or a dove for a sin offering. 215 00:12:15,640 --> 00:12:18,600 He shall offer them before the Lord to make atonement for her, 216 00:12:18,600 --> 00:12:22,320 and she will be ceremonial clean from her flow of blood. 217 00:12:22,600 --> 00:12:25,200 These are the regulations for the woman who gives birth to a 218 00:12:25,200 --> 00:12:29,120 boy or a girl. But if she cannot afford a lamb, 219 00:12:29,560 --> 00:12:33,520 she is to bring 2 doves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt 220 00:12:33,520 --> 00:12:35,560 offering and the other for a sin offering. 221 00:12:35,560 --> 00:12:39,160 In this way the priest will make atonement for her and she will 222 00:12:39,160 --> 00:12:46,040 be clean. So God has chosen Joseph who is 223 00:12:46,040 --> 00:12:51,040 a person who doesn't have a lot of financial margin and he makes 224 00:12:51,160 --> 00:12:54,920 a big mess in his life. The 2nd take away inside of 225 00:12:54,920 --> 00:12:56,320 here? This is just a little nugget for 226 00:12:56,320 --> 00:12:58,000 you. Did you notice what kind of 227 00:12:58,000 --> 00:13:03,080 sacrifice Mary offers? She offers a sin offering. 228 00:13:04,280 --> 00:13:06,680 This would go against the teaching that some of you may 229 00:13:06,680 --> 00:13:10,720 have grown up in, that Mary was without sin and perpetually 230 00:13:10,720 --> 00:13:13,880 without sin. Why would she be offering a sin 231 00:13:13,880 --> 00:13:19,520 offering if she had not sinned? So Joseph is poor. 232 00:13:19,760 --> 00:13:22,440 He's been working on building this room onto his parents 233 00:13:22,440 --> 00:13:23,680 house. He's been navigating all the 234 00:13:23,680 --> 00:13:27,520 trials associated with it. And then Mary comes to him and 235 00:13:27,520 --> 00:13:34,360 she says I'm pregnant. Now you guys have had somebody 236 00:13:34,360 --> 00:13:40,480 tell you that at some point in time, but imagine being Joseph 237 00:13:41,520 --> 00:13:48,480 and hearing that. The logical question is by who? 238 00:13:51,920 --> 00:13:59,560 And she says God. And he goes, I get it, you know, 239 00:14:00,200 --> 00:14:03,760 God's the creator of all things, and we're all his children. 240 00:14:04,040 --> 00:14:08,880 But like, who's the father Goddess? 241 00:14:11,760 --> 00:14:17,720 He has to choose that she is telling the truth, takes an 242 00:14:17,720 --> 00:14:20,400 Angel to the Lord to show up and convince him. 243 00:14:21,840 --> 00:14:23,800 Then he has to go back and tell his family. 244 00:14:23,800 --> 00:14:25,800 And let me ask you this question. 245 00:14:25,960 --> 00:14:27,720 How would you have handled that news? 246 00:14:28,600 --> 00:14:31,280 Like, if I'm after church today, you guys go home and someone 247 00:14:31,280 --> 00:14:37,040 tells you this story, are you going, oh, praise God, right? 248 00:14:37,760 --> 00:14:41,240 Mary has way more in common with somebody who's mentally ill than 249 00:14:41,240 --> 00:14:45,760 someone who is highly favored. The natural conclusion is you're 250 00:14:45,760 --> 00:14:49,120 crazy. Take away #1. 251 00:14:50,440 --> 00:14:54,360 Just because you're in a mess does not mean that you're doing 252 00:14:54,360 --> 00:14:56,960 anything wrong. Now, there's some of you. 253 00:14:58,160 --> 00:15:02,320 Me too, that we're in messes because we've messed up. 254 00:15:03,960 --> 00:15:08,160 But it is incredibly possible for you to be in the middle of a 255 00:15:08,160 --> 00:15:12,520 mess relationally, occupationally, financially, 256 00:15:12,640 --> 00:15:16,440 physically, spiritually. And now I've done anything 257 00:15:16,440 --> 00:15:21,480 wrong. Some messes are not because of 258 00:15:21,480 --> 00:15:28,480 mess UPS. Well, there is chances for you 259 00:15:28,480 --> 00:15:33,440 and I to mess things up. Sometimes you can be in a mess 260 00:15:33,680 --> 00:15:35,120 and be right where God wants you. 261 00:15:36,360 --> 00:15:40,200 Maybe you're taking new ground and the terrain is unfamiliar. 262 00:15:40,680 --> 00:15:43,560 Maybe you find yourself in a mess because you're being pushed 263 00:15:43,560 --> 00:15:45,880 out of your spiritual comfort zone. 264 00:15:46,040 --> 00:15:49,520 You you guys know this. Nobody grows in their comfort 265 00:15:49,520 --> 00:15:51,960 zone. Your comfort zone is kryptonite 266 00:15:52,080 --> 00:15:54,680 to your growth and faith in Christ Jesus. 267 00:15:54,880 --> 00:15:57,760 And when you choose to step out of your comfort zone, you're 268 00:15:57,760 --> 00:16:04,560 going to make a bit of a mess. And when you're The comfort zone 269 00:16:04,560 --> 00:16:07,320 is a kryptonite to your faith that keeps you from experiencing 270 00:16:07,320 --> 00:16:09,200 all that God has for you, you can be tempted. 271 00:16:09,320 --> 00:16:12,400 I want to keep everything orderly and in its place. 272 00:16:12,560 --> 00:16:16,400 But when we step out in faith, we can create messes. 273 00:16:17,200 --> 00:16:20,320 You might be in a mess because you're doing something for God 274 00:16:20,320 --> 00:16:24,600 that you've never done before. You might be in a mess because 275 00:16:24,600 --> 00:16:26,680 there are things that are happening that are completely 276 00:16:26,680 --> 00:16:30,520 out of your control. Maybe it's at work. 277 00:16:31,240 --> 00:16:33,840 Some of you, we all found ourselves in a bit of a mess a 278 00:16:33,840 --> 00:16:36,800 couple years ago. They gave it a name. 279 00:16:38,520 --> 00:16:39,560 COVID. Right? 280 00:16:39,760 --> 00:16:41,920 You see, we're like, oh, don't bring it up, OK, You started to 281 00:16:41,920 --> 00:16:45,560 get the shakes again. OK, listen, COVID was a gigantic 282 00:16:45,560 --> 00:16:51,280 mess, and it didn't happen because you're a bunch of 283 00:16:51,280 --> 00:16:54,000 sinners. It just happened. 284 00:16:54,400 --> 00:16:58,760 We found our self in a mess. Our sin didn't 'cause it, but we 285 00:16:58,760 --> 00:17:02,840 all had to deal with it. And Joseph in the middle of the 286 00:17:02,840 --> 00:17:09,400 mess chose to trust God. And when you find yourself in a 287 00:17:09,400 --> 00:17:14,760 mess, your decision should be to trust God as well. 288 00:17:15,400 --> 00:17:19,480 Because you trying to handle it, you trying to navigate it, you 289 00:17:19,480 --> 00:17:24,880 trying to push yourself through it is rarely going to work. 290 00:17:25,800 --> 00:17:28,079 In fact, look back through your life. 291 00:17:28,720 --> 00:17:33,800 How effective has that been? The Bible says tells us, Don't 292 00:17:33,800 --> 00:17:36,200 lean on your own understanding, but in all your ways. 293 00:17:36,200 --> 00:17:38,680 Acknowledge him and he'll make your path straight. 294 00:17:39,680 --> 00:17:42,120 So when we try to trust ourselves to navigate the 295 00:17:42,120 --> 00:17:46,200 messes, we're going to find ourselves in really bad spots. 296 00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:50,960 But the more rooted you are in God's Word, the more you listen 297 00:17:51,160 --> 00:17:55,360 to the Holy Spirit, the more you trust in God's ways and God's 298 00:17:55,560 --> 00:17:59,280 purposes, the more rooted you will be. 299 00:17:59,440 --> 00:18:03,280 And the more rooted you are, the more you'll be able to handle 300 00:18:03,400 --> 00:18:07,200 the storms of life. Because you know this. 301 00:18:08,200 --> 00:18:12,240 Messes happen. Storms happen. 302 00:18:12,960 --> 00:18:17,200 In fact, Jesus tells us that storms will happen to you 303 00:18:17,360 --> 00:18:21,560 whether you follow him or not. For those of you who aren't 304 00:18:21,800 --> 00:18:25,600 Jesus followers yet, you might be under the impression that if 305 00:18:25,600 --> 00:18:29,600 you say yes to Jesus, you won't have any more storms in your 306 00:18:29,600 --> 00:18:32,600 life. Let me tell you. 307 00:18:33,840 --> 00:18:36,800 Not true. In fact, Jesus goes out of his 308 00:18:36,800 --> 00:18:39,560 way to say whether you trust him or you don't. 309 00:18:39,720 --> 00:18:43,640 Storms are going to happen. Don't get mad at me. 310 00:18:43,720 --> 00:18:45,000 Get mad at him. Look what he says. 311 00:18:46,440 --> 00:18:48,280 Luke Chapter 6. You can go home and read it for 312 00:18:48,280 --> 00:18:50,960 yourself. Why do you call me Lord, Lord, 313 00:18:50,960 --> 00:18:55,720 and do not do what I say? As for everyone who comes to me 314 00:18:56,000 --> 00:19:02,520 and hears my words and puts them into practice, I'll show you 315 00:19:02,520 --> 00:19:04,200 what they're like. So I'm going to give you a 316 00:19:04,200 --> 00:19:05,400 preview. That's what she's saying. 317 00:19:05,520 --> 00:19:08,560 If you don't know what it's like for people who come to me, hear 318 00:19:08,560 --> 00:19:11,480 my words and put them into practice. 319 00:19:11,680 --> 00:19:13,400 This is what their life is going to look like. 320 00:19:14,840 --> 00:19:18,160 They're like a man building a house who dug down deep and laid 321 00:19:18,160 --> 00:19:21,880 the foundation on rock when a flood came. 322 00:19:22,080 --> 00:19:25,960 Are you noticing that he does not say floods don't show up at 323 00:19:25,960 --> 00:19:30,200 Christians houses, messes don't show up for people who believe 324 00:19:30,200 --> 00:19:33,920 in Jesus? He's not saying that. 325 00:19:34,880 --> 00:19:38,000 He's saying check this out. When you're a Christian, you're 326 00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:42,440 still going to have some storms. The torrents struck that house 327 00:19:42,680 --> 00:19:48,360 but could not shake it because it was well built. 328 00:19:48,360 --> 00:19:52,200 Here's what he's saying. When you're a Christian and you 329 00:19:52,200 --> 00:19:56,760 trust in God, the storms are going to come, but you're going 330 00:19:56,760 --> 00:19:58,960 to survive. But here's what happens to 331 00:19:58,960 --> 00:20:03,240 people who don't do that, but the one who hears my words and 332 00:20:03,240 --> 00:20:05,840 does not put them into practice. Here's what he's saying. 333 00:20:06,280 --> 00:20:10,760 You can come to church, listen to the sermon, raise your hand 334 00:20:10,760 --> 00:20:14,400 just as high as everybody else. During worship, drink just as 335 00:20:14,400 --> 00:20:17,280 much communion juice as everybody else. 336 00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:22,000 But if you don't take the words of God and apply them in your 337 00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:24,800 life, this is what your life will look like. 338 00:20:25,600 --> 00:20:28,120 Who does not put them into practices? 339 00:20:28,120 --> 00:20:31,720 Like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. 340 00:20:32,480 --> 00:20:35,840 The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its 341 00:20:35,840 --> 00:20:42,320 destruction was complete. Another way of saying hear my 342 00:20:42,320 --> 00:20:44,200 words and put them into practice. 343 00:20:44,440 --> 00:20:46,040 You can just sum it up into one word. 344 00:20:47,440 --> 00:20:52,960 Trust that when you find yourself in a mess, you have to 345 00:20:52,960 --> 00:20:56,360 choose to trust God. You can show for all the 346 00:20:56,360 --> 00:20:59,080 churches services you want. You can give all the money you 347 00:20:59,080 --> 00:21:01,600 want, drink as much chameleon juice you want, pray as long as 348 00:21:01,600 --> 00:21:05,240 you want. But storms are going to show up 349 00:21:05,240 --> 00:21:09,680 in your life. Messes are going to happen. 350 00:21:10,640 --> 00:21:15,200 The truth of God's word is this. I'm not going to keep storms 351 00:21:15,200 --> 00:21:17,800 from happening. I'm just going to get you 352 00:21:17,800 --> 00:21:22,640 through the storms. How many of you have been 353 00:21:22,640 --> 00:21:27,080 through a storm and you're still standing? 354 00:21:28,080 --> 00:21:31,480 That's because you took God at his word. 355 00:21:32,320 --> 00:21:36,880 You put your trust in him. And when the storm was over, the 356 00:21:36,880 --> 00:21:39,720 winds can blow against your house, but it can't blow you 357 00:21:39,720 --> 00:21:43,200 over. The rain can fall on your house, 358 00:21:43,200 --> 00:21:47,880 but it's not getting in this. The waters can rise, but they're 359 00:21:47,880 --> 00:21:52,160 not sweeping you away. You know what happens is after 360 00:21:52,160 --> 00:21:54,840 you've been a Christian for a really long time, you just know 361 00:21:54,840 --> 00:21:56,840 that there's a storm and you don't even bother to get an 362 00:21:56,840 --> 00:21:59,960 umbrella, right? Have you ever noticed that's how 363 00:21:59,960 --> 00:22:01,720 US Midwesterners are when it's raining out? 364 00:22:02,240 --> 00:22:03,520 Most of us. I'm not going to make you raise 365 00:22:03,520 --> 00:22:05,360 your hand. Most of us don't carry around 366 00:22:05,360 --> 00:22:07,040 umbrellas. Here's what I've noticed. 367 00:22:07,280 --> 00:22:10,240 The slower you walk, the more likely you are to have an 368 00:22:10,240 --> 00:22:12,920 umbrella. But most of us, we just get out 369 00:22:12,920 --> 00:22:14,440 of our car and this is what we do. 370 00:22:16,840 --> 00:22:21,200 Now I have a question for you. What is it about this part of 371 00:22:21,200 --> 00:22:29,960 our neck that's so important that like we get up, woo, we 372 00:22:29,960 --> 00:22:31,600 don't care about our hair, our makeup. 373 00:22:31,600 --> 00:22:35,560 We just are worried about this strip, which we don't even have 374 00:22:35,560 --> 00:22:38,120 a name for. We don't even, we haven't even 375 00:22:38,120 --> 00:22:41,440 named that part of our neck because there's the front part, 376 00:22:41,600 --> 00:22:44,280 there's a side part of our neck. But we just this unnamed part. 377 00:22:44,280 --> 00:22:45,600 We're just like, oh, it's storming out. 378 00:22:45,800 --> 00:22:50,400 It's not ready, OK, but that's how we operate. 379 00:22:50,520 --> 00:22:53,720 We're so seasoned in the storm that we're just like, all right, 380 00:22:54,040 --> 00:22:57,840 I'm going thrill. And that is literally what 381 00:22:57,840 --> 00:23:00,520 happens to us when we place our faith in Jesus. 382 00:23:00,800 --> 00:23:03,080 We already know we're going through. 383 00:23:03,080 --> 00:23:06,480 We're just going to get wet. And some of you are going. 384 00:23:06,480 --> 00:23:08,840 If I start my relationship with Jesus, there won't be any 385 00:23:08,840 --> 00:23:10,120 storms. Oh no, no, no, no. 386 00:23:10,200 --> 00:23:13,520 It's going to rain all the time. When you're a Christian, the 387 00:23:13,520 --> 00:23:17,520 difference is you're not going through the storm alone, and the 388 00:23:17,520 --> 00:23:21,840 difference is you're going through the storm. 389 00:23:22,480 --> 00:23:25,600 It will happen to you, but it will not defeat you. 390 00:23:26,360 --> 00:23:30,920 If those of you who trust in the Lord will be standing after the 391 00:23:30,920 --> 00:23:35,040 storm, take away #2. Just because you're trusting God 392 00:23:36,160 --> 00:23:38,000 does not mean that the road will be easy. 393 00:23:38,080 --> 00:23:39,840 Some of you are like Clayton. I brought a friend to church 394 00:23:39,840 --> 00:23:42,200 this weekend, and you are not doing a good sales pitch. 395 00:23:43,680 --> 00:23:46,720 Listen, we're going to read all the fine print, OK? 396 00:23:47,400 --> 00:23:49,760 Look at what had to happen in Joseph's life. 397 00:23:50,440 --> 00:23:55,400 Let's slow way down. Joseph denied his marital right 398 00:23:56,840 --> 00:23:58,760 and chose not to consummate his marriage. 399 00:24:03,040 --> 00:24:09,240 He put his sex drive on the altar he's been building. 400 00:24:09,240 --> 00:24:12,480 Imagine your honeymoon being at your parents house. 401 00:24:15,760 --> 00:24:20,640 Joseph's a good Jewish boy, hasn't had sex before he got 402 00:24:20,640 --> 00:24:22,200 married. He's been looking forward to 403 00:24:22,200 --> 00:24:24,800 this day. He's been adding a little extra 404 00:24:24,800 --> 00:24:28,120 insulation on the room. He's been doing double drywall 405 00:24:28,120 --> 00:24:30,000 and offsetting the screws. That was a joke for the 406 00:24:30,000 --> 00:24:32,160 construction workers in here, right? 407 00:24:32,360 --> 00:24:33,680 He's going. We're going with the Rockwall 408 00:24:33,680 --> 00:24:37,040 insulation here. Oh, you're oh, you're pregnant. 409 00:24:37,040 --> 00:24:40,360 OK, well, I'm just not going to have sex with you until you've 410 00:24:40,360 --> 00:24:42,440 had the baby. Now, how long until you have 411 00:24:42,440 --> 00:24:46,720 Nine months? God, why can't you make babies 412 00:24:46,720 --> 00:24:51,440 in, like, 9 hours? Why 9-9 months? 413 00:24:56,080 --> 00:24:59,320 Crazy, isn't it? Joseph put his sex drive on the 414 00:24:59,320 --> 00:25:02,720 altar. Think about how much pain and 415 00:25:02,720 --> 00:25:04,880 sorrow has happened in our world because people cannot do the 416 00:25:04,880 --> 00:25:08,320 same. They can't surrender their sex 417 00:25:08,360 --> 00:25:15,080 drive to Jesus, he denied his right to a divorce, said. 418 00:25:15,080 --> 00:25:17,120 I guess I'm going to stay with the person that everybody thinks 419 00:25:17,120 --> 00:25:20,360 is crazy. He had to lay that on the altar 420 00:25:20,360 --> 00:25:23,640 as well. He gave up his right to name his 421 00:25:23,640 --> 00:25:28,160 child. He put that on the altar as 422 00:25:28,160 --> 00:25:32,080 well, the house, the room that he's been building, and he 423 00:25:32,200 --> 00:25:35,040 couldn't wait to bring his family there and let them spend 424 00:25:35,040 --> 00:25:37,080 time in it. He doesn't get to do that 425 00:25:37,640 --> 00:25:40,280 either. He's told that he has to go to 426 00:25:40,440 --> 00:25:44,080 Bethlehem 70 miles away, and then he gets to come back 70 427 00:25:44,080 --> 00:25:46,040 miles. And then Herod wants to kill all 428 00:25:46,040 --> 00:25:50,440 the babies in the area, so he has to leave and go to Egypt. 429 00:25:50,520 --> 00:25:53,040 100 miles. This isn't in a car. 430 00:25:53,200 --> 00:25:55,160 This isn't in Tesla, where you're looking for a place to 431 00:25:55,160 --> 00:25:58,720 fill out. No, he's got to walk there, and 432 00:25:58,720 --> 00:26:02,920 he's got to live as a refugee, away from his family, away from 433 00:26:02,920 --> 00:26:05,480 his friends, away from the house that he built. 434 00:26:06,360 --> 00:26:10,800 Here's Joseph following God, doing what he said, trusting 435 00:26:10,800 --> 00:26:14,920 him. And none of it's easy, but it 436 00:26:14,920 --> 00:26:19,400 was the right thing to do. If you think that following 437 00:26:19,520 --> 00:26:23,280 Jesus is going to be easy, it's not. 438 00:26:24,520 --> 00:26:26,360 Some of you, you know, haven't started a relationship with 439 00:26:26,360 --> 00:26:27,840 Jesus. You're like, well, how hard can 440 00:26:27,840 --> 00:26:30,040 it be? Let me just give one of them. 441 00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:36,160 Love your enemies. Yeah. 442 00:26:36,440 --> 00:26:38,320 Like, but Clayton, I have an ex-wife. 443 00:26:38,720 --> 00:26:41,280 Yeah. Yeah, that's that's just one of 444 00:26:41,280 --> 00:26:45,960 the things that God calls us to. The life that God calls us to is 445 00:26:45,960 --> 00:26:49,200 not an easy life. It's just the best life. 446 00:26:52,840 --> 00:26:56,440 Trusting in God for Joseph wasn't at the easy thing. 447 00:26:56,840 --> 00:27:00,080 It was the right thing. Take my #3. 448 00:27:01,240 --> 00:27:05,680 Just because you're in a mess does not mean that God is not at 449 00:27:05,680 --> 00:27:08,520 work. We all know this story. 450 00:27:09,440 --> 00:27:13,200 You have heard this story for as many years as or as many times 451 00:27:13,200 --> 00:27:16,320 as you are old. We know this story. 452 00:27:16,600 --> 00:27:18,440 We know these stories front and back. 453 00:27:18,880 --> 00:27:21,400 We've heard a version of it every year that we've been 454 00:27:21,400 --> 00:27:23,960 alive. However, what would it have been 455 00:27:23,960 --> 00:27:28,560 like to walk through this story in first person viewer mode? 456 00:27:30,800 --> 00:27:34,920 I mean, we're so used to seeing it through the rear view mirror, 457 00:27:36,240 --> 00:27:37,800 but what would it have been like for Joseph? 458 00:27:37,800 --> 00:27:39,920 Going through this in the windshield? 459 00:27:40,600 --> 00:27:45,600 You see, we see God using Joseph to provide and protect and care 460 00:27:45,600 --> 00:27:47,840 for a vulnerable woman and a baby. 461 00:27:49,040 --> 00:27:53,480 We see God using Joseph to protect the Savior of the world 462 00:27:53,480 --> 00:27:58,400 and His infancy. But hear me, the same is true 463 00:27:58,480 --> 00:28:04,400 for us today that when we choose to trust God, he uses it to 464 00:28:04,400 --> 00:28:07,720 bring Jesus into the world of those we love. 465 00:28:08,880 --> 00:28:13,880 Joseph chose to trust God, and not only was He able to see a 466 00:28:13,880 --> 00:28:18,040 miracle take place, he was able to be part of the miracle. 467 00:28:18,960 --> 00:28:24,840 And I wonder how many times you and I have missed out on a 468 00:28:24,840 --> 00:28:29,600 powerful experience with God. An answer to a prayer that we 469 00:28:29,600 --> 00:28:34,320 prayed to God because we chose to walk away right before God 470 00:28:34,440 --> 00:28:38,720 showed off. I wonder how many times we've 471 00:28:38,720 --> 00:28:42,000 been in the middle of a mess and God was about ready to make a 472 00:28:42,040 --> 00:28:48,880 way and we chose not to trust. I wonder how many times we've 473 00:28:48,880 --> 00:28:52,080 been so close to seeing a miracle, so close to being a 474 00:28:52,080 --> 00:28:55,720 part of a miracle, but we chose to trust in our own ways. 475 00:28:58,280 --> 00:29:06,680 Here is what God is inviting us to to trust him and let him deal 476 00:29:06,680 --> 00:29:13,560 with the consequences. He's asking you and me, when we 477 00:29:13,560 --> 00:29:20,800 find ourselves in a mess, not to try and handle it, not to try 478 00:29:20,800 --> 00:29:23,520 and push through it, not to try and sort it out. 479 00:29:24,760 --> 00:29:29,400 He's asking us to trust him. And when you choose to trust 480 00:29:29,400 --> 00:29:32,240 God, it makes all the difference. 481 00:29:33,280 --> 00:29:36,480 And I'm hoping that you guys will do what Joseph did. 482 00:29:37,160 --> 00:29:41,560 Joseph chose to trust God and it made all the difference. 483 00:29:42,000 --> 00:29:45,720 And I want us to do the same. We're moving to a time of 484 00:29:45,720 --> 00:29:52,360 decision. So there's some of you in here 485 00:29:52,360 --> 00:29:54,160 today. You are in a mess. 486 00:29:54,880 --> 00:30:00,440 And this mess is sin. This isn't the kind of mess that 487 00:30:00,440 --> 00:30:02,440 Joseph was in. Joseph hadn't done anything 488 00:30:02,440 --> 00:30:05,360 wrong. But the mess that you're in is 489 00:30:05,360 --> 00:30:09,920 100% because of you. We have sinned. 490 00:30:10,080 --> 00:30:15,320 We fall short of God. We have made a mess, and some of 491 00:30:15,320 --> 00:30:19,200 you, you've been trying to fix it your own way for a really 492 00:30:19,200 --> 00:30:21,920 long time. Some of you, you've you've tried 493 00:30:22,000 --> 00:30:26,720 to ignore it, thinking it'll go away, but it doesn't. 494 00:30:27,640 --> 00:30:30,360 You've tried to hide it, but it keeps showing back up. 495 00:30:31,200 --> 00:30:34,400 You tried to swallow it, you tried to drink your way through 496 00:30:34,400 --> 00:30:42,000 it, but the mess remains. This is a mess that you can't 497 00:30:42,320 --> 00:30:45,800 fix. But here's Jesus promise. 498 00:30:46,800 --> 00:30:52,160 Jesus says bring the mess to me. And I know that that sounds 499 00:30:52,160 --> 00:30:56,080 crazy to you. Why would God want your mess? 500 00:30:58,120 --> 00:31:00,600 Why would God want the worst of you? 501 00:31:02,560 --> 00:31:08,680 Because our God is so good. It's the same kind of God who 502 00:31:08,680 --> 00:31:12,360 would send his Son to earth for us. 503 00:31:14,320 --> 00:31:16,200 And he's looking at you and he's going, When are you? 504 00:31:16,240 --> 00:31:18,040 When are you going to just give that to me? 505 00:31:20,200 --> 00:31:23,800 When are you going to take all the mess ups, all the mistakes, 506 00:31:24,200 --> 00:31:26,400 the things that you hide from everybody else around you? 507 00:31:26,520 --> 00:31:29,360 When are you going to give it to me? 508 00:31:32,080 --> 00:31:35,960 And if you would place your mess more than that, your life in his 509 00:31:35,960 --> 00:31:38,480 hands? The Bible tells us at least two 510 00:31:38,480 --> 00:31:41,920 things. One that when you put your life 511 00:31:41,920 --> 00:31:46,720 in his hands, he promises that he will never let go. 512 00:31:49,040 --> 00:31:53,800 If you are not close with God today, I can promise you it 513 00:31:53,800 --> 00:31:58,600 wasn't him who walked away. If you're not close with God 514 00:31:58,600 --> 00:32:04,120 today, I can tell you he is not the one who let go because he 515 00:32:04,120 --> 00:32:07,760 will never let go. The 2nd promises is that He will 516 00:32:07,760 --> 00:32:12,520 give us a new life, a new heart, a new spirit. 517 00:32:13,880 --> 00:32:16,920 So if you're here today and you don't want to have to navigate 518 00:32:16,920 --> 00:32:21,360 the mess by yourself anymore, if you're here today and you want 519 00:32:21,360 --> 00:32:24,840 to experience forgiveness and love, if you want to be made 520 00:32:24,840 --> 00:32:29,520 new, if you want your life in His hands, you can have it. 521 00:32:30,520 --> 00:32:33,920 You can start an intimate, personal relationship with Jesus 522 00:32:33,920 --> 00:32:38,040 Christ today, and in just a few moments, the people around you, 523 00:32:38,040 --> 00:32:39,840 some of them, are going to come up to the steps and pray, and 524 00:32:39,840 --> 00:32:41,840 some of them are going to raise their hands and lift their 525 00:32:41,840 --> 00:32:44,400 voices and sing. But I want to encourage you to 526 00:32:44,400 --> 00:32:47,440 walk right over there by that baptistery, and somebody would 527 00:32:47,440 --> 00:32:49,800 meet you and would love an opportunity to talk with you 528 00:32:49,800 --> 00:32:51,760 about how to start that relationship with Jesus. 529 00:32:52,800 --> 00:32:57,920 But to the rest of you in the room, more than likely there's a 530 00:32:57,920 --> 00:33:03,040 mess that you've been avoiding. There's a thing that God's 531 00:33:03,040 --> 00:33:09,120 calling you to that you just don't want to do, and he keeps 532 00:33:09,120 --> 00:33:13,600 bringing it up and you keep sidestepping it because you 533 00:33:13,600 --> 00:33:16,400 don't want the mess, you don't want the drama. 534 00:33:18,120 --> 00:33:21,680 It's just easier to ignore it than to have to trust God 535 00:33:21,720 --> 00:33:25,880 through it. And God is always at work, and 536 00:33:25,880 --> 00:33:27,760 He's always calling us the stuff. 537 00:33:27,760 --> 00:33:30,880 And maybe you've been hearing it over and over and over again for 538 00:33:30,880 --> 00:33:34,040 a long period of time and you've just been avoiding the very 539 00:33:34,040 --> 00:33:35,640 thing that God is calling you to. 540 00:33:37,880 --> 00:33:41,800 But today I want to challenge you to take the very step that 541 00:33:41,800 --> 00:33:46,680 you know you've been putting off a while back. 542 00:33:47,080 --> 00:33:52,640 Maybe like 6-7 weeks ago it was just a normal day, came home 543 00:33:52,920 --> 00:33:55,680 hanging out the house, get the kids tucked in. 544 00:33:55,680 --> 00:33:58,000 And I sit down and Jennifer and I always kind of sit down and 545 00:33:58,000 --> 00:33:59,840 hang out for a little bit every night before we go to bed. 546 00:33:59,840 --> 00:34:05,880 And and she goes, hey, so I got a call today about taking care 547 00:34:05,880 --> 00:34:07,680 of a baby. And would you be willing to 548 00:34:07,680 --> 00:34:11,199 like, could we just foster a baby for like, you know, three 549 00:34:11,199 --> 00:34:17,320 to six months? And I'm like, that is not how I 550 00:34:17,320 --> 00:34:25,800 saw tonight panning out, right. And this is not ideal timing. 551 00:34:25,800 --> 00:34:27,840 Christmas is crazy busy. We've got a bunch of different 552 00:34:27,840 --> 00:34:30,960 trips we've got to navigate. And we're in the middle of 553 00:34:31,199 --> 00:34:35,080 redoing our house. And so, like, there's dust and 554 00:34:35,080 --> 00:34:38,120 dirt and stuff everywhere. And we're showering on two 555 00:34:38,120 --> 00:34:40,360 different floors and I'm a crank. 556 00:34:40,920 --> 00:34:45,360 No, that's a, you know, this could be pretty messy. 557 00:34:47,920 --> 00:34:51,600 So we said yeah, right now. Hold on. 558 00:34:51,600 --> 00:34:54,000 Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop. We didn't end up. 559 00:34:54,000 --> 00:34:55,800 They ended up not needing us. So we didn't do anything 560 00:34:55,800 --> 00:34:57,120 special. So I don't want you guys to go. 561 00:34:57,120 --> 00:34:59,840 This guy's awesome now, OK, hear me. 562 00:35:00,920 --> 00:35:03,840 I just know that we knew it was going to be messy and we had to 563 00:35:03,840 --> 00:35:09,080 make a decision about whether or not we were going to be trusting 564 00:35:09,080 --> 00:35:13,360 God in the middle of a mess. Now that was me saying yes to 565 00:35:13,360 --> 00:35:19,680 that, but you need another one. So someone made me incredibly 566 00:35:19,680 --> 00:35:26,200 angry about four years ago, Angry at a level that I have 567 00:35:26,200 --> 00:35:31,480 never been to before. And I every time I see him, I 568 00:35:31,480 --> 00:35:35,760 try to pray for him. I drive by it all the time. 569 00:35:35,760 --> 00:35:38,680 I see it from my house, it just eats me. 570 00:35:40,480 --> 00:35:44,120 And you'd be amazed that a person who loves God can have 571 00:35:44,120 --> 00:35:48,720 that big of a dark spot in their heart because boy, it was there. 572 00:35:50,360 --> 00:35:58,400 And I would say for the last six months, I've been feeling God on 573 00:35:58,400 --> 00:36:00,960 a regular basis. Tell me that I'm supposed to do 574 00:36:00,960 --> 00:36:05,960 something for them. And I come to invitation time 575 00:36:05,960 --> 00:36:09,080 just like you do. And I feel like I'm supposed to 576 00:36:09,080 --> 00:36:12,600 do something and then boy, do I wiggle, right? 577 00:36:14,400 --> 00:36:16,880 Found out that they are navigating cancer. 578 00:36:18,000 --> 00:36:21,720 And I feel, and I know that one of them for sure has 579 00:36:21,760 --> 00:36:24,320 communicated that they do not have a relationship with Jesus. 580 00:36:25,520 --> 00:36:28,480 And I'm going, how do I, how do I help rewrite that story? 581 00:36:29,960 --> 00:36:34,640 And so I feel, like, clear as I'll get out, I'm supposed to 582 00:36:35,360 --> 00:36:38,480 give them a significant amount of money to help them navigate 583 00:36:38,480 --> 00:36:41,440 whatever, you know, cancer costs are associated. 584 00:36:41,800 --> 00:36:44,120 And then it's messy. Like, do you give them a check 585 00:36:44,520 --> 00:36:48,320 And if they hate you still and they don't cash it and then you 586 00:36:48,320 --> 00:36:50,400 close the account, then years from now they do find it. 587 00:36:50,400 --> 00:36:51,920 They do cash. And the checks come like, oh, 588 00:36:51,920 --> 00:36:54,920 that was just like the world's greatest prank from a pastor a 589 00:36:54,920 --> 00:36:56,720 check to an account that doesn't exist. 590 00:36:57,560 --> 00:36:59,880 Like, OK, well then do you give them, do you give them cash? 591 00:37:00,640 --> 00:37:02,760 And then what if they just throw the card away and they don't 592 00:37:02,760 --> 00:37:03,680 know? Like, it was messy. 593 00:37:04,760 --> 00:37:08,560 And so I'm using those logistical concerns to keep me 594 00:37:08,560 --> 00:37:12,200 from being obedient. Tracking. 595 00:37:14,320 --> 00:37:20,920 And I wonder, like, what if God is asking me to just be obedient 596 00:37:22,240 --> 00:37:26,480 and maybe they'll be a miracle? Like what happens if they show 597 00:37:26,480 --> 00:37:29,840 up in this room because the person that can't stand them 598 00:37:29,840 --> 00:37:33,720 wrote them a card? What if our generosity leads to 599 00:37:33,720 --> 00:37:36,200 them being curious about spirituality? 600 00:37:37,440 --> 00:37:39,960 So yesterday I'm trying to write sermons on the wise men. 601 00:37:40,240 --> 00:37:43,520 I'm trying to get stuff done and I just cannot get a single thing 602 00:37:43,520 --> 00:37:47,640 done because I preached this sermon on Thursday, which is the 603 00:37:47,640 --> 00:37:51,840 dumbest idea ever. Why do we have Thursday church? 604 00:37:54,040 --> 00:37:56,560 Because I'm going. How can I land the plane on 605 00:37:56,560 --> 00:38:00,440 Thursday knowing the step that I've been putting off for months 606 00:38:00,440 --> 00:38:04,200 and then ask the people in our church to take the step that 607 00:38:04,200 --> 00:38:10,480 they've been putting off? So yesterday, I can't get 608 00:38:10,480 --> 00:38:13,080 anything done. And I'm like, I'm finally going 609 00:38:13,080 --> 00:38:14,880 to do the thing that I've been putting off. 610 00:38:15,560 --> 00:38:18,080 And then I give it to the boys and I send them down the street 611 00:38:18,120 --> 00:38:21,680 to give it to him. And the only reason I'm telling 612 00:38:21,680 --> 00:38:23,680 you is I don't know what God's going to do. 613 00:38:24,800 --> 00:38:27,920 I just know that I'm supposed to do what he called me to do. 614 00:38:29,040 --> 00:38:33,440 And I'm sure you have an area of your life too, that you need to 615 00:38:33,440 --> 00:38:36,160 trust him in. And what I'm choosing to believe 616 00:38:36,680 --> 00:38:46,500 is that you won't regret it. Would you stand with me, God? 617 00:38:46,500 --> 00:38:49,540 Only you know what kind of grounds could be taken in our 618 00:38:49,540 --> 00:38:53,500 hearts, in our lives, in our families and our communities. 619 00:38:54,000 --> 00:39:00,440 Only you know. But God, we want you to write a 620 00:39:00,440 --> 00:39:04,200 better story. God, we want you to write a 621 00:39:04,200 --> 00:39:10,960 story in our lives that shows a watching world, that you're 622 00:39:10,960 --> 00:39:15,480 still moving, that you're still worthy to be trusted and 623 00:39:15,480 --> 00:39:21,400 followed and obeyed. And so, God, here we are, messed 624 00:39:21,400 --> 00:39:27,000 up, broken people, asking you to give us the strength and the 625 00:39:27,000 --> 00:39:32,080 courage to trust you again, whether it's big or small. 626 00:39:32,640 --> 00:39:38,200 God, give every person in here and watch it online the courage 627 00:39:38,200 --> 00:39:45,360 to trust you again, the courage to trust you and to leave the 628 00:39:45,360 --> 00:39:48,400 consequences up to you. And you name my praying. 629 00:39:48,880 --> 00:39:49,240 Amen.