1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:04,960 Good evening, everyone. If you have your Bible with you 2 00:00:04,960 --> 00:00:08,680 tonight, you can go ahead and open it to Hebrews chapter 13. 3 00:00:09,120 --> 00:00:11,640 We're going to be in verses 5 through 8 in there. 4 00:00:12,560 --> 00:00:14,400 We are going to be moving around Scripture. 5 00:00:14,960 --> 00:00:17,600 Luckily, I have the TA team in the back. 6 00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:20,360 They're going to be having the Scriptures up on the slides for 7 00:00:20,360 --> 00:00:23,480 you as well. But Hebrews 13 is where I want 8 00:00:23,480 --> 00:00:26,320 to begin and it's where we're going to get into the message. 9 00:00:26,320 --> 00:00:28,520 It's also where we're going to come back to at the end. 10 00:00:30,040 --> 00:00:32,920 Now, again, Pastor Blake did introduce me, but for those of 11 00:00:32,920 --> 00:00:35,720 you who don't know me, I am Miriam Hernandez again, one of 12 00:00:35,720 --> 00:00:39,640 the interns here at Liberty Church outside of the church. 13 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:43,360 A couple of you know me as Staff Sergeant Hernandez and very few 14 00:00:43,360 --> 00:00:49,560 of you know me as Badger. I'm 26 years old and I've served 15 00:00:49,560 --> 00:00:52,120 in the Marine Corps for about 8 years now. 16 00:00:53,480 --> 00:00:56,120 And I've loved wearing the uniform, I've loved serving, 17 00:00:56,400 --> 00:00:58,760 I've loved the people I've been able to lead and the 18 00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:00,920 relationships that I've built while I've been in. 19 00:01:02,480 --> 00:01:05,880 But unfortunately, that season is coming to a close for me. 20 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:11,440 And as I transition out of the Marine Corps, God has been 21 00:01:11,440 --> 00:01:14,840 reminding me that while one season of my life of serving is 22 00:01:14,840 --> 00:01:16,920 ending, there's another one that's just beginning. 23 00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:21,240 And what's really special for me, especially here at Liberty 24 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:24,520 Church and getting to stand up here in front of you all today 25 00:01:24,520 --> 00:01:28,400 is I less than a year ago, I actually got promoted to staff 26 00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:31,600 Sergeant right up here. So thank you to the Liberty 27 00:01:31,880 --> 00:01:33,760 Church staff who were able to make that happen. 28 00:01:35,520 --> 00:01:38,440 But before I go any further, I also want to take some time to 29 00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:43,520 thank Pastor Blake not only for giving us opportunities, the 30 00:01:43,520 --> 00:01:46,320 interns and other leaders of the church to get up here and 31 00:01:46,320 --> 00:01:50,480 preach, but for creating a culture where vulnerability 32 00:01:50,480 --> 00:01:54,040 isn't seen as a weakness, it's seen as obedience. 33 00:01:55,320 --> 00:01:58,440 He taught us that sometimes the greatest act of faith is not 34 00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:01,280 standing up and pretending we have all the answers. 35 00:02:02,040 --> 00:02:05,640 Sometimes the greatest act of faith is simply saying this is 36 00:02:05,640 --> 00:02:10,160 what Jesus is teaching me. So thank you, Pastor Blake, for 37 00:02:10,160 --> 00:02:11,440 sharing your pulpit with me today. 38 00:02:13,920 --> 00:02:17,400 Now, when Pastor Blake gave us the assignment, he asked US1 39 00:02:17,400 --> 00:02:20,920 simple question, What didn't you know then that you know now? 40 00:02:23,040 --> 00:02:26,080 And I'll be honest, if I shared with a couple of you what I was 41 00:02:26,080 --> 00:02:32,120 preaching on originally, that message changed in the middle of 42 00:02:32,120 --> 00:02:34,320 it. Somewhere along the way God 43 00:02:34,320 --> 00:02:39,600 changed the message and in some of it God changed me because 44 00:02:39,600 --> 00:02:43,360 every time I sat down to write my sermon or make edits to it, 45 00:02:43,560 --> 00:02:49,200 he kept bringing me back to one thing, one relationship, one 46 00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:53,880 lesson, one person. So if you're following along in 47 00:02:53,880 --> 00:02:58,840 Hebrews chapter 13, verse five, in the second part of the verse, 48 00:02:58,840 --> 00:03:01,800 it says, for God has said, I will never fail you. 49 00:03:02,920 --> 00:03:07,240 I will never abandon you. And just a few verses later in 50 00:03:07,240 --> 00:03:12,920 Hebrews verse 8, it says Jesus is the same yesterday, today, 51 00:03:13,440 --> 00:03:17,840 and forever in church. These two verses have been an 52 00:03:17,840 --> 00:03:23,920 anchor for me this past year. Hebrews 13 five tells me he'll 53 00:03:23,920 --> 00:03:27,720 never leave me. And Hebrews 13/8 says he remains 54 00:03:27,720 --> 00:03:31,160 the same. And if we can just sit with that 55 00:03:31,160 --> 00:03:35,680 for a second, He doesn't say I'll stay if you're faithful 56 00:03:35,680 --> 00:03:39,480 enough. He doesn't say I'll stay if you 57 00:03:39,480 --> 00:03:45,040 stop struggling. He doesn't say I'll I will leave 58 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:48,880 you. He simply says, I will never 59 00:03:48,880 --> 00:03:51,840 leave you. Never. 60 00:03:53,760 --> 00:03:57,200 And there are people in this room who know what it's like to 61 00:03:57,200 --> 00:04:04,280 be left, maybe by a parent, maybe by a spouse, maybe by a 62 00:04:04,280 --> 00:04:08,480 friend, maybe by someone you were convinced would always be 63 00:04:08,480 --> 00:04:12,560 there. People change, relationship 64 00:04:12,560 --> 00:04:18,360 change, circumstances change. But our God makes a promise that 65 00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:22,720 no human being has ever been able to perfectly keep. 66 00:04:24,200 --> 00:04:28,840 I will never abandon you. And over the last year, I've 67 00:04:28,840 --> 00:04:32,320 learned how much I needed both of those truths because 68 00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:34,160 everything in my life started changing. 69 00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:39,800 My career is changing, my health is changing, my plans are 70 00:04:39,800 --> 00:04:43,000 changing, my understanding of myself is changing, and I even 71 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:45,600 I'm changing. But Jesus. 72 00:04:46,680 --> 00:04:49,240 Jesus never changed. He remained my constant. 73 00:04:51,360 --> 00:04:53,920 And I don't know about you, but I don't really like change. 74 00:04:55,640 --> 00:04:58,640 If I find a restaurant I like, I'm probably ordering the same 75 00:04:58,640 --> 00:05:04,080 thing. If I need to experiment, I 76 00:05:04,080 --> 00:05:07,640 already know what works. And something we often say if it 77 00:05:07,640 --> 00:05:12,240 ain't broke, don't fix it. And some of you are exactly the 78 00:05:12,240 --> 00:05:14,920 same. Some of you are actually sitting 79 00:05:14,920 --> 00:05:17,640 in the same seat you do every Sunday or every Wednesday night. 80 00:05:20,720 --> 00:05:24,480 But life doesn't ask us if we're OK with change. 81 00:05:25,840 --> 00:05:28,520 Jobs change. Relationships change. 82 00:05:28,760 --> 00:05:33,880 Health change, plans change, the Marine Corps changes, people 83 00:05:33,880 --> 00:05:36,840 move away. Sometimes people you love, like 84 00:05:36,840 --> 00:05:40,640 Pastor Autumn and Pastor Anna and you have to learn to live 85 00:05:40,640 --> 00:05:42,920 with what does that friendship look like this season? 86 00:05:44,560 --> 00:05:47,200 And sometimes even a phone call can change your life forever. 87 00:05:49,360 --> 00:05:53,360 So let me ask you, what in your life has changed recently? 88 00:05:55,080 --> 00:05:58,440 Is it your health? Is it your marriage? 89 00:06:00,080 --> 00:06:05,680 Your career, it's a a relationship, a friendship, 90 00:06:06,840 --> 00:06:11,200 friend that's moved away. Maybe your family is growing, or 91 00:06:11,200 --> 00:06:13,880 maybe you're entering something you never expected to walk 92 00:06:13,880 --> 00:06:17,080 through. Or maybe everything around you 93 00:06:17,080 --> 00:06:20,160 looks the same, feels the same, but deep down something and you 94 00:06:20,160 --> 00:06:25,400 feels like it's changing. You see, we can make plans, we 95 00:06:25,400 --> 00:06:28,880 can prepare, we can try our hardest to control what comes 96 00:06:28,880 --> 00:06:32,480 next. But life has a changing when we 97 00:06:32,560 --> 00:06:35,080 Life has a way of changing when we least expect it. 98 00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:40,200 Somewhere in the middle of all that change, God began teaching 99 00:06:40,200 --> 00:06:43,600 me something. The greatest comfort in a 100 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:46,200 changing life is an unchanging Savior. 101 00:06:48,080 --> 00:06:51,880 And I think that's why the idea of Jesus as my friend has become 102 00:06:51,880 --> 00:06:55,320 so important to me. Friendship has always been 103 00:06:55,320 --> 00:06:56,920 something that's important to me. 104 00:06:58,880 --> 00:07:02,920 Most of my life I've spent I'm in my adulthood has been single, 105 00:07:03,120 --> 00:07:05,800 and the Marine Corps teaches you very quickly the value of 106 00:07:05,800 --> 00:07:10,760 brotherhood and sisterhood. I have the kind of friendships 107 00:07:11,080 --> 00:07:14,360 where people have walked through these different seasons with me, 108 00:07:15,400 --> 00:07:18,960 the kind where someone knows when you're not OK, even when 109 00:07:18,960 --> 00:07:22,840 you say you're OK. So when I really started 110 00:07:22,840 --> 00:07:26,480 thinking about Jesus as my friend, it challenged me. 111 00:07:28,000 --> 00:07:30,280 Because if I'm honest, I knew Jesus. 112 00:07:31,160 --> 00:07:37,440 I knew him as my Saviour, I knew him as my Lord, I knew he loved 113 00:07:37,440 --> 00:07:39,760 me. I knew he died for me. 114 00:07:40,200 --> 00:07:42,600 I knew all the VBS right answers. 115 00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:46,800 And even today when we sing about him as a friend, I don't 116 00:07:46,800 --> 00:07:49,360 think I fully understood what it meant to know Jesus as my 117 00:07:49,360 --> 00:07:52,720 friend. Because there's a difference 118 00:07:52,720 --> 00:07:56,200 between knowing Jesus and actually knowing Jesus. 119 00:07:56,480 --> 00:07:58,760 And we heard a little bit about that a couple weeks ago when 120 00:07:58,760 --> 00:08:01,480 Brenda preached because there's a difference. 121 00:08:02,240 --> 00:08:04,560 Friendship changes how you approach someone. 122 00:08:06,360 --> 00:08:10,960 And if you think about your closest friend, when something 123 00:08:10,960 --> 00:08:15,360 happens, who do you call? When your whole world feels like 124 00:08:15,360 --> 00:08:16,800 it's falling apart, who do you call? 125 00:08:19,400 --> 00:08:21,560 Your closest friend is probably who you call. 126 00:08:23,240 --> 00:08:25,200 And when you call them, you don't have to rehearse 127 00:08:25,200 --> 00:08:28,400 everything you need to say. You don't have to pretend that 128 00:08:28,400 --> 00:08:31,680 everything is OK. You don't have to clean yourself 129 00:08:31,680 --> 00:08:35,000 up before you show up. Why? 130 00:08:36,039 --> 00:08:40,840 Because they know you. They know you're I'm fine means 131 00:08:40,840 --> 00:08:43,520 you're really not. They know your history. 132 00:08:43,520 --> 00:08:47,080 They know your personality. They know your struggles, the 133 00:08:47,080 --> 00:08:50,760 things that make you laugh, the things that hurt you. 134 00:08:52,080 --> 00:08:54,720 They know the parts of you that nobody else has seen. 135 00:08:56,280 --> 00:09:00,160 Now imagine a friend who knows you even deeper than that. 136 00:09:01,680 --> 00:09:04,680 A friend who knows every thought you've never said out loud, 137 00:09:05,880 --> 00:09:12,400 every fear, every insecurity, every battle you fought in 138 00:09:12,400 --> 00:09:16,400 silence, every question you've been afraid to ask, and they 139 00:09:16,400 --> 00:09:18,880 know the parts of you that you tried to hide from everybody 140 00:09:18,880 --> 00:09:21,120 else. He knows it all. 141 00:09:22,680 --> 00:09:24,720 And instead of walking away, he stays. 142 00:09:26,480 --> 00:09:31,520 That's Jesus, and maybe someone needs to hear this tonight. 143 00:09:32,640 --> 00:09:37,760 You don't have to convince yourself that Jesus to Jesus 144 00:09:37,760 --> 00:09:40,560 that you're hurting. You don't have to explain every 145 00:09:40,560 --> 00:09:44,560 detail before he understands. You don't have to pretend with 146 00:09:44,560 --> 00:09:45,680 him. He already knows. 147 00:09:47,160 --> 00:09:48,880 He knows what you're experiencing. 148 00:09:49,520 --> 00:09:50,920 He knows what you're running from. 149 00:09:51,760 --> 00:09:55,440 He knows what you're battling and he knows what you're afraid 150 00:09:55,440 --> 00:09:59,880 of, and he knows the outcome that you cannot see yet. 151 00:10:02,280 --> 00:10:06,280 And still he stays. That's my friend, my constant, 152 00:10:07,920 --> 00:10:09,400 and that's what I want to show you tonight. 153 00:10:10,760 --> 00:10:14,120 Over the next 30 to 40 minutes, I'm going to invite you into one 154 00:10:14,120 --> 00:10:18,040 of my hardest seasons. And it's a little bit difficult 155 00:10:18,040 --> 00:10:20,160 to talk about because I'm still in the season. 156 00:10:21,640 --> 00:10:25,640 I still have questions. I still don't know exactly what 157 00:10:25,640 --> 00:10:29,040 comes next. But tonight I don't just want to 158 00:10:29,040 --> 00:10:33,200 invite you into my valley. I want to introduce you to my 159 00:10:33,200 --> 00:10:37,240 shepherd. Because the sermon isn't about 160 00:10:37,240 --> 00:10:40,560 my pain, isn't a sermon about my testimony. 161 00:10:41,520 --> 00:10:44,160 It's a sermon about the faithfulness of Jesus, my 162 00:10:44,160 --> 00:10:48,280 constant friend. So if you remember one thing 163 00:10:48,280 --> 00:10:52,840 tonight, don't remember my story, remember my shepherd. 164 00:10:55,080 --> 00:10:59,320 Because what I'm about to share with you isn't ultimately a 165 00:10:59,320 --> 00:11:03,960 story about what happened to me. It's a story about who Jesus has 166 00:11:03,960 --> 00:11:10,960 been to me. So before I go into what I'm 167 00:11:10,960 --> 00:11:13,960 going through, I want to share a little bit about what did my 168 00:11:13,960 --> 00:11:15,640 relationship with Christ look like. 169 00:11:18,880 --> 00:11:22,520 So in the beginning, before I knew Jesus as my constant 170 00:11:22,520 --> 00:11:26,720 friend, I grew up a Catholic and my whole family is actually so 171 00:11:26,720 --> 00:11:30,320 Catholic. And for almost 17 years I served 172 00:11:30,320 --> 00:11:31,880 faithfully. I went through all the 173 00:11:31,880 --> 00:11:34,960 sacraments. I even taught the school, the 174 00:11:35,560 --> 00:11:38,360 school there for other children to earn their sacraments. 175 00:11:38,800 --> 00:11:41,080 And I did what I thought I was supposed to do. 176 00:11:42,600 --> 00:11:46,720 But looking back now, I realized I was approaching God more like 177 00:11:46,720 --> 00:11:53,640 a checklist than a relationship. I thought if I served enough, if 178 00:11:53,640 --> 00:11:57,520 I volunteered, if I did enough, if I was good enough, that maybe 179 00:11:57,520 --> 00:12:00,440 one day I would earn salvation or what God wanted me to have. 180 00:12:02,680 --> 00:12:05,080 But then in 2017, everything changed. 181 00:12:06,280 --> 00:12:10,600 I ended up at a Bible college. And no, I wasn't there to study 182 00:12:10,600 --> 00:12:13,680 theology. I wasn't even a Christian when I 183 00:12:13,680 --> 00:12:17,320 attended. I was there to play soccer, but 184 00:12:17,600 --> 00:12:21,840 God had a different plan for me. I thought I was joining a soccer 185 00:12:21,840 --> 00:12:26,080 team, but turns out God was having me join his team instead. 186 00:12:28,520 --> 00:12:31,320 And it was there that some friends explained the gospel to 187 00:12:31,320 --> 00:12:34,960 me. Not just religion, not just 188 00:12:34,960 --> 00:12:36,520 church. Jesus. 189 00:12:37,280 --> 00:12:42,560 They showed me Jesus, and for the first time I understood what 190 00:12:42,560 --> 00:12:46,480 salvation was. It wasn't something I could 191 00:12:46,480 --> 00:12:47,920 earn. It was a gift. 192 00:12:49,360 --> 00:12:55,480 And in Ephesians chapter 2 verses 8 through 9, it says God 193 00:12:55,480 --> 00:13:00,200 saved you by his grace when you believed and you can't take 194 00:13:00,200 --> 00:13:05,720 credit for this. It is a gift from God, a gift. 195 00:13:06,680 --> 00:13:09,960 You don't earn gifts, you receive them. 196 00:13:13,120 --> 00:13:15,000 But looking back, I realized something. 197 00:13:16,520 --> 00:13:21,040 Even after I accepted Jesus, I still related to Him more like 198 00:13:21,040 --> 00:13:26,360 an employee than a friend. I obeyed Him, I respected him, I 199 00:13:26,360 --> 00:13:30,280 worshipped him. But did I actually spend time 200 00:13:30,280 --> 00:13:34,760 with Him? Have you ever had someone who 201 00:13:34,960 --> 00:13:37,200 called you only when they needed something? 202 00:13:38,320 --> 00:13:41,200 It's like you see their name pop up on your phone and you're 203 00:13:41,200 --> 00:13:43,240 already thinking, what does this person need? 204 00:13:46,160 --> 00:13:48,960 Sometimes that's how we treat Jesus. 205 00:13:51,040 --> 00:13:55,960 We come to him when life falls apart, when the diagnosis comes, 206 00:13:55,960 --> 00:14:01,600 when the relationship ends, when anxiety shows up, when we don't 207 00:14:01,600 --> 00:14:05,280 know what's next and he's gracious enough to meet us 208 00:14:05,280 --> 00:14:10,280 there. Don't let him be your emergency 209 00:14:10,280 --> 00:14:15,640 contact. I had to ask myself, if I call 210 00:14:15,680 --> 00:14:19,360 Jesus my closest friend, does my life actually reflect that? 211 00:14:21,440 --> 00:14:25,560 Am I spending time with him? Am I sitting quietly with him? 212 00:14:26,880 --> 00:14:31,200 Am I opening His word because I love him or because I'm just 213 00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:32,960 trying to check off another Christian box? 214 00:14:35,520 --> 00:14:39,240 Because friendship takes time, and you can't call someone your 215 00:14:39,240 --> 00:14:41,320 closest friend if you're not spending time with him. 216 00:14:44,080 --> 00:14:46,920 Why would our relationship with Jesus work any differently? 217 00:14:49,800 --> 00:14:54,960 So what does that mean for us? It means we can't wait for the 218 00:14:54,960 --> 00:14:58,920 crisis to start building relationship with Jesus, as 219 00:14:58,920 --> 00:15:01,360 Pastor Blake mentioned as we opened up today. 220 00:15:02,640 --> 00:15:06,000 Get to know him now. Spend time with him. 221 00:15:07,240 --> 00:15:14,760 Open His word, talk to Him when nothing is wrong, sit with Him 222 00:15:14,760 --> 00:15:18,760 when you don't need an answer. Learn to be comfortable in the 223 00:15:18,760 --> 00:15:24,120 silence because there will be values in life and you want to 224 00:15:24,120 --> 00:15:27,480 know the voice of your shepherd before you find yourself walking 225 00:15:27,480 --> 00:15:32,440 through one. Don't just know Jesus, know Him. 226 00:15:34,600 --> 00:15:38,400 And I didn't realize how much I was going to need to recognize 227 00:15:38,800 --> 00:15:41,080 his voice until I found myself in the valley. 228 00:15:44,920 --> 00:15:48,320 I wish I could tell you when I started following Christ that 229 00:15:48,320 --> 00:15:53,280 life immediately became easier. That following Christ meant that 230 00:15:53,280 --> 00:15:56,640 you never had to struggle. And if that were true, this 231 00:15:56,640 --> 00:15:58,240 would be a very encouraging sermon. 232 00:15:59,880 --> 00:16:04,840 But that wouldn't be the truth. I think sometimes we do 233 00:16:04,840 --> 00:16:08,400 ourselves a disservice by only sharing the good parts of our 234 00:16:08,400 --> 00:16:12,680 story. Because following Jesus doesn't 235 00:16:12,680 --> 00:16:16,760 mean we avoid hard seasons. It means we never walk through 236 00:16:16,760 --> 00:16:21,520 them alone. And for a long time, I thought 237 00:16:21,520 --> 00:16:23,680 strength meant being able to carry everything. 238 00:16:25,200 --> 00:16:27,560 And if you know anything about the Marine Corps or the 239 00:16:27,560 --> 00:16:30,920 military, you know we're taught to show up. 240 00:16:32,480 --> 00:16:35,800 You lead, you take care of your Marines, you accomplish the 241 00:16:35,800 --> 00:16:38,120 mission. You keep going when things are 242 00:16:38,120 --> 00:16:41,360 hard. And honestly, that fit my 243 00:16:41,360 --> 00:16:45,640 personality pretty well. I like being dependable. 244 00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:48,120 I like being the person people could count on. 245 00:16:48,760 --> 00:16:51,280 I thought strength meant being able to say I've got it. 246 00:16:53,880 --> 00:16:58,680 And though I thought I trusted God, I thought I prayed enough. 247 00:16:58,680 --> 00:17:01,320 I thought I worked hard enough and kept showing up. 248 00:17:01,800 --> 00:17:06,880 I could handle whatever came my way, but God and His kindness 249 00:17:06,880 --> 00:17:11,520 showed me something. I was depending on my own 250 00:17:11,520 --> 00:17:13,319 strength far more than I realized. 251 00:17:16,920 --> 00:17:21,400 Last year became one of the hardest seasons of my life, and 252 00:17:21,400 --> 00:17:26,240 again, it's a season that I'm still walking through around 253 00:17:26,240 --> 00:17:32,080 August of 2025. It started with loss, or in June 254 00:17:32,080 --> 00:17:38,920 of 2025 I experienced losing someone I deeply cared about and 255 00:17:38,920 --> 00:17:42,840 had known for years. He was my Junior Marine when he 256 00:17:42,840 --> 00:17:46,320 entered the fleet, so I knew him from Japan all the way to North 257 00:17:46,320 --> 00:17:52,080 Carolina. But unfortunately, he lost the 258 00:17:52,080 --> 00:17:55,320 battle of his mind and committed suicide. 259 00:17:57,840 --> 00:18:00,400 And I remember standing there outside the barracks room 260 00:18:00,400 --> 00:18:04,960 parking lot, trying to process something that felt impossible 261 00:18:04,960 --> 00:18:09,240 to understand. I remember the questions. 262 00:18:09,320 --> 00:18:15,000 I remember the pain. I remember wondering, God, how 263 00:18:15,000 --> 00:18:18,040 do I lead people through something I don't even know how 264 00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:23,360 to process myself? And maybe you've experienced 265 00:18:23,360 --> 00:18:26,720 that. Maybe yours wasn't suicide. 266 00:18:27,160 --> 00:18:32,360 Maybe it was losing someone you loved for others is a diagnosis 267 00:18:32,360 --> 00:18:36,760 or a relationship ending, A prayer that still hasn't been 268 00:18:36,760 --> 00:18:40,760 answered, A season you never expected to walk through. 269 00:18:42,800 --> 00:18:46,920 There are moments in life where people can say all the right 270 00:18:46,920 --> 00:18:50,840 things, but there are no words to fix what hurts. 271 00:18:52,520 --> 00:18:55,440 Grief doesn't disappear just because someone quotes a Bible 272 00:18:55,440 --> 00:19:01,560 verse. Sometimes you just have to sit 273 00:19:01,560 --> 00:19:05,800 in the presence of God and say, Lord, I don't understand this, 274 00:19:06,600 --> 00:19:11,520 but I need you. That was one of the first times 275 00:19:11,520 --> 00:19:14,680 God began teaching me that I didn't need Him to explain 276 00:19:14,720 --> 00:19:18,160 everything. He was teaching me that 277 00:19:18,160 --> 00:19:21,280 sometimes His presence is greater than any explanation. 278 00:19:23,640 --> 00:19:26,000 And the next morning I still had to show up. 279 00:19:26,760 --> 00:19:29,800 I still had to lead. I still had to be there for my 280 00:19:29,800 --> 00:19:33,240 Marines. And I remember praying one 281 00:19:33,240 --> 00:19:37,560 simple prayer. Lord, give me enough strength 282 00:19:37,560 --> 00:19:42,840 for today. Not strength for next year, not 283 00:19:42,840 --> 00:19:45,640 strength for every unknown thing that would come for the rest of 284 00:19:45,640 --> 00:19:48,000 the year, Just strength for today. 285 00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:54,720 And He did, because God doesn't give us tomorrow's strength 286 00:19:54,720 --> 00:19:57,840 today. He gives us today's daily bread, 287 00:19:59,520 --> 00:20:05,600 today's grace, today's mercy, because if He gave us everything 288 00:20:05,600 --> 00:20:12,040 at once, we'd probably stop depending on Him, and instead He 289 00:20:12,040 --> 00:20:14,120 teaches us to come back every single day. 290 00:20:17,200 --> 00:20:21,640 A couple months later, we still had to continue our mission. 291 00:20:21,640 --> 00:20:23,600 We left for training to Yuma, AZ. 292 00:20:25,800 --> 00:20:29,520 I remember thinking, OK, Lord, I think I understand the lesson, 293 00:20:30,880 --> 00:20:32,640 and I'm sure a couple of us have done that. 294 00:20:32,640 --> 00:20:36,760 After a hard season, we're like, God, I got this, I got it, we 295 00:20:36,760 --> 00:20:41,680 can move on. I thought I had learned how to 296 00:20:41,680 --> 00:20:49,960 depend on him every day, but three days after we had arrived 297 00:20:49,960 --> 00:20:54,440 in Arizona for training, we got another phone call and had to 298 00:20:54,440 --> 00:21:00,000 hold another formation. Another one of our Marines had 299 00:21:00,000 --> 00:21:07,320 committed suicide, and this one hit differently because I had 300 00:21:07,320 --> 00:21:09,440 just seen him. Three days before we left, he 301 00:21:11,400 --> 00:21:15,440 had stopped by my barracks room and I remember seeing his smile. 302 00:21:18,800 --> 00:21:22,760 And now, three days into this two week, 10 week long training 303 00:21:22,760 --> 00:21:27,360 exercise, here we are again. Another Marine, another loss, 304 00:21:29,920 --> 00:21:32,880 another group of Marines looking to their leaders. 305 00:21:32,880 --> 00:21:38,960 And leaders are grieving too. And once again we had to show 306 00:21:38,960 --> 00:21:43,120 up. But something was different this 307 00:21:43,120 --> 00:21:46,840 time. Not the grief, it still hurt. 308 00:21:48,040 --> 00:21:50,640 Not the questions, I still had them. 309 00:21:53,480 --> 00:21:59,520 I was different because the first loss taught me I didn't 310 00:21:59,520 --> 00:22:04,000 have to carry everybody. I gave them to God. 311 00:22:06,400 --> 00:22:11,040 I could bring Marines to him. I could bring my grief to him. 312 00:22:12,400 --> 00:22:16,200 I could bring my questions to him and I could say, Jesus, I 313 00:22:16,200 --> 00:22:19,040 don't know how to lead through this, but you do. 314 00:22:22,040 --> 00:22:26,600 And then I could show up, not because suddenly I was stronger, 315 00:22:27,920 --> 00:22:29,920 but because I knew where my strength came from. 316 00:22:32,880 --> 00:22:37,000 And what's crazy is that shortly after all this happened, I had 317 00:22:37,000 --> 00:22:40,960 prayed. God used me in the desert, but I 318 00:22:40,960 --> 00:22:44,480 haven't had a different idea of the way that God would use me. 319 00:22:47,200 --> 00:22:50,040 I thought God using me, Matt, I was going to do something great 320 00:22:50,040 --> 00:22:53,000 with my job, but that was a little pride speaking. 321 00:22:55,800 --> 00:22:59,760 God began using me in the very place I felt weak, which was my 322 00:22:59,760 --> 00:23:04,040 faith. Marines started coming to church 323 00:23:04,040 --> 00:23:07,120 with me. What I thought might be me just 324 00:23:07,120 --> 00:23:10,400 going to church alone became a few of us driving every Sunday 325 00:23:10,400 --> 00:23:13,960 together. We started opening God's Word 326 00:23:13,960 --> 00:23:22,400 together. We had devotionals in our tents 327 00:23:22,400 --> 00:23:24,240 and conversations started happening. 328 00:23:25,880 --> 00:23:29,040 They started asking questions and I didn't have all the 329 00:23:29,040 --> 00:23:34,360 answers, but I knew where to take them and often times they 330 00:23:34,360 --> 00:23:36,480 also encouraged me to take him to him as well. 331 00:23:39,840 --> 00:23:44,800 I realized God didn't need me to be everybody saviour, they 332 00:23:44,800 --> 00:23:49,480 already had one. My responsibility was to point 333 00:23:49,480 --> 00:23:56,240 them to Him, and that changed the way I LED, because sometimes 334 00:23:56,240 --> 00:24:00,880 God does His deepest work in US before He does His work through 335 00:24:00,880 --> 00:24:05,400 us. While I was trying to point 336 00:24:05,840 --> 00:24:10,280 Marines back to Jesus, Jesus was reminding me just how much I 337 00:24:10,280 --> 00:24:15,480 needed Him to. There we were literally in the 338 00:24:15,480 --> 00:24:19,320 middle of the desert. And the desert has a way of 339 00:24:19,320 --> 00:24:25,800 exposing what you depend on where you run to where you go 340 00:24:25,800 --> 00:24:30,160 when your own strength runs out. Because you don't realize just 341 00:24:30,160 --> 00:24:33,080 how thirsty you are until there's no water insight. 342 00:24:35,320 --> 00:24:38,800 And that's when John chapter 4 started becoming very real for 343 00:24:38,800 --> 00:24:42,520 me. You see, in John chapter 4, 344 00:24:42,520 --> 00:24:44,600 Jesus is talking to the woman at the well. 345 00:24:45,800 --> 00:24:49,800 And the woman came looking for ordinary water, but Jesus 346 00:24:49,800 --> 00:24:52,320 started talking to her about something much deeper. 347 00:24:54,200 --> 00:24:59,240 And Jesus says in John chapter 4 verses 13 through 14, anyone who 348 00:24:59,240 --> 00:25:03,240 drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. 349 00:25:03,240 --> 00:25:07,040 But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty 350 00:25:07,040 --> 00:25:09,960 again. It becomes a fresh bubbling 351 00:25:09,960 --> 00:25:12,280 spring within them, giving them eternal life. 352 00:25:14,840 --> 00:25:17,840 I had read that verse before, but now I was living it. 353 00:25:20,160 --> 00:25:23,440 I was learning, learning. Leadership couldn't sustain me. 354 00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:26,000 Being needing couldn't sustain me. 355 00:25:26,680 --> 00:25:28,480 Even serving couldn't sustain me. 356 00:25:29,560 --> 00:25:33,080 And those things aren't bad, but they were never meant to be my 357 00:25:33,080 --> 00:25:36,000 source. Jesus was. 358 00:25:38,800 --> 00:25:41,760 Jesus wasn't only the one who would lead me out of the desert, 359 00:25:42,840 --> 00:25:45,160 he's a living water who would say me in it. 360 00:25:47,760 --> 00:25:51,000 And being sustained by Jesus also started changing what I 361 00:25:51,000 --> 00:25:55,040 thought strength looked like, because I used to think 362 00:25:55,480 --> 00:26:00,280 depending on Jesus meant Jesus. Give me enough strength and I'll 363 00:26:00,280 --> 00:26:04,200 take it from here. But sometimes we reach a place 364 00:26:04,200 --> 00:26:06,680 where we just don't need strength to take the next step. 365 00:26:08,120 --> 00:26:09,600 We need him to carry us through it. 366 00:26:11,880 --> 00:26:14,640 If you think about a little kid riding on their shoulders of 367 00:26:14,640 --> 00:26:18,560 their dad from a distance, they're both moving forward. 368 00:26:21,600 --> 00:26:24,320 But that little boy isn't carrying the weight of every 369 00:26:24,320 --> 00:26:27,280 step. He's not worried about where 370 00:26:27,280 --> 00:26:36,240 they're going. The Father's carrying them, and 371 00:26:36,240 --> 00:26:40,400 I realize that's me. I thought following Jesus meant 372 00:26:40,400 --> 00:26:43,520 being strong enough to handle whatever came my way while He 373 00:26:43,520 --> 00:26:47,320 walked beside me. But there were moments in the 374 00:26:47,320 --> 00:26:52,600 season where I didn't even have any strength to walk, and my 375 00:26:52,600 --> 00:26:55,600 father wasn't standing there disappointed in me because I 376 00:26:55,600 --> 00:26:59,840 wasn't strong enough. He carried me on his shoulders. 377 00:27:02,560 --> 00:27:05,120 And just when I thought I understood what God was teaching 378 00:27:05,120 --> 00:27:09,280 me, my own health became my next unknown. 379 00:27:11,440 --> 00:27:15,200 And that season brought a different desert, because 380 00:27:15,200 --> 00:27:17,280 waiting is its own kind of wilderness. 381 00:27:20,720 --> 00:27:24,520 There's something different about not knowing, not knowing 382 00:27:24,520 --> 00:27:28,040 the answer, not knowing the timeline, not knowing what comes 383 00:27:28,040 --> 00:27:31,600 next. I started dealing with health 384 00:27:31,600 --> 00:27:35,000 issues that led to hospital visits, tests, appointments, and 385 00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:39,280 a lot of uncertainty. And if I'm honest, that's a 386 00:27:39,280 --> 00:27:42,440 place where anxiety and depression became very real for 387 00:27:42,440 --> 00:27:48,160 me because I like plans and I like knowing what comes next. 388 00:27:49,040 --> 00:27:52,280 I like preparing. And suddenly I couldn't prepare 389 00:27:52,280 --> 00:27:56,960 for everything or anything. I was hospitalized 2 weeks 390 00:27:56,960 --> 00:27:58,800 before the training ended in Arizona. 391 00:27:59,440 --> 00:28:02,040 And I didn't know what my future in the Marine Corps looked like. 392 00:28:02,280 --> 00:28:04,200 I didn't know what my health would look like. 393 00:28:05,560 --> 00:28:09,720 I didn't know what came next. And that's a hard place to be. 394 00:28:11,760 --> 00:28:13,240 And some of you may know that feeling. 395 00:28:15,120 --> 00:28:18,200 You're waiting for a diagnosis, you're waiting for a 396 00:28:18,200 --> 00:28:22,720 relationship to heal, waiting on a prayer you've been praying for 397 00:28:22,720 --> 00:28:26,520 years and every war on everyone around. 398 00:28:26,520 --> 00:28:31,320 You may think you're OK, but inside you're asking God, what 399 00:28:31,320 --> 00:28:38,240 are you doing in my life? And to be honest with you, I 400 00:28:38,280 --> 00:28:41,840 still don't have any answer and I still have very hard days. 401 00:28:44,280 --> 00:28:48,160 I still have moments where anxiety gets really loud and I 402 00:28:48,160 --> 00:28:53,760 still have so many questions. But here's what I do know. 403 00:28:55,800 --> 00:28:57,560 I know the one who already knows. 404 00:28:59,720 --> 00:29:04,960 He knows what tomorrow holds, He knows the outcome, and He knows 405 00:29:04,960 --> 00:29:07,080 what I'm carrying before I even say a word. 406 00:29:10,080 --> 00:29:13,800 And that's why first Peter chapter 5 verse 7 has also 407 00:29:13,800 --> 00:29:15,520 become another meaningful verse to me. 408 00:29:16,960 --> 00:29:20,440 And it says give all your worries and cares to God, for he 409 00:29:20,440 --> 00:29:25,760 cares about you. It doesn't say carry it until 410 00:29:25,760 --> 00:29:28,760 you're strong enough. It doesn't say figure it out 411 00:29:28,760 --> 00:29:32,040 first. It says give it to him. 412 00:29:33,080 --> 00:29:35,760 Why? Because he cares. 413 00:29:38,320 --> 00:29:42,000 And then God reminded me of another truth, Second 414 00:29:42,000 --> 00:29:46,560 Corinthians chapter 12, verse 9, which also happens to be the 415 00:29:46,560 --> 00:29:51,640 verse right behind me and was a verse that Pastor Blake also 416 00:29:51,640 --> 00:29:53,200 sent to me while I was in the hospital. 417 00:29:54,680 --> 00:29:56,640 It says my grace is all you need. 418 00:29:57,240 --> 00:30:03,640 My power works best in weakness, and I used to think God wanted 419 00:30:03,640 --> 00:30:06,840 the strongest version of me, the version that had everything 420 00:30:06,840 --> 00:30:10,120 together, the version that could handle what came next. 421 00:30:10,680 --> 00:30:13,720 But God showed me that some of his deepest work happens in 422 00:30:13,720 --> 00:30:17,120 places where we finally admit, I can't do this without you. 423 00:30:19,720 --> 00:30:21,920 Weakness is not the end of usefulness. 424 00:30:23,160 --> 00:30:26,400 Sometimes weakness is the place where we finally see just how 425 00:30:26,400 --> 00:30:29,080 God, just how strong God has always been. 426 00:30:32,400 --> 00:30:36,040 And that brings us to what I think God is asking us to do. 427 00:30:39,000 --> 00:30:40,920 Release what you were never meant to carry. 428 00:30:42,720 --> 00:30:46,640 Some of us are exhausted because we're carrying tomorrow, today. 429 00:30:48,080 --> 00:30:50,240 We're carrying outcomes we can't control. 430 00:30:51,520 --> 00:30:53,480 We're carrying people we can't save. 431 00:30:55,000 --> 00:30:57,400 We're carrying diagnosis we can't solve. 432 00:30:58,520 --> 00:31:01,960 We're carrying anxiety, fear, uncertainty, relationships, 433 00:31:01,960 --> 00:31:08,240 career, grief, the future, and wondering why we're tired. 434 00:31:11,000 --> 00:31:13,640 But Jesus never asked you to be your own Savior. 435 00:31:15,080 --> 00:31:20,440 He already filled that position. So maybe your next step isn't to 436 00:31:20,440 --> 00:31:24,280 try harder. Maybe your next step is 437 00:31:24,280 --> 00:31:28,200 surrender. Maybe your prayer is simply 438 00:31:28,240 --> 00:31:30,000 Jesus. I can't carry this anymore. 439 00:31:32,280 --> 00:31:34,760 Again. I thought strength meant holding 440 00:31:34,760 --> 00:31:37,560 everything together. And what I know now is that 441 00:31:37,560 --> 00:31:40,440 sometimes strength looks like finally opening your hands. 442 00:31:42,760 --> 00:31:46,560 I thought I needed God to change my circumstances, but God was 443 00:31:46,560 --> 00:31:50,480 changing me through them. I thought I needed him to remove 444 00:31:50,480 --> 00:31:54,360 the desert. Instead, He became my living 445 00:31:54,360 --> 00:31:57,800 water. In it, I thought I needed all 446 00:31:57,800 --> 00:32:01,840 the answers, and instead He taught me to trust His presence. 447 00:32:03,360 --> 00:32:05,000 And He also taught me something else. 448 00:32:06,360 --> 00:32:08,480 I was never meant to walk through this alone. 449 00:32:12,360 --> 00:32:16,040 Through all of this, Jesus was teaching me to depend on Him. 450 00:32:17,560 --> 00:32:20,440 But there's another part of dependence that was much harder 451 00:32:20,440 --> 00:32:24,280 for me to learn. Letting other people help me. 452 00:32:27,160 --> 00:32:30,080 I told you earlier that I was used to being the person who 453 00:32:30,080 --> 00:32:34,000 showed up, the leader, the dependable one, the person who 454 00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:39,840 took care of everybody else. But that season, this season has 455 00:32:39,840 --> 00:32:42,520 put me in a position I'm not comfortable with. 456 00:32:44,200 --> 00:32:47,280 I became the person that needed other people to show up for me. 457 00:32:49,120 --> 00:32:54,920 And honestly, that was hard, and it still is, because there's a 458 00:32:54,920 --> 00:32:58,680 difference between being willing to serve someone else and being 459 00:32:58,680 --> 00:33:02,840 willing to admit this time I need somebody to show up for me. 460 00:33:05,520 --> 00:33:08,840 And what I didn't expect was that sometimes his answer comes 461 00:33:09,000 --> 00:33:11,040 through another person's obedience. 462 00:33:13,000 --> 00:33:15,480 Because in the middle of everything I was walking 463 00:33:15,480 --> 00:33:20,280 through, people showed up. And when I say people showed up, 464 00:33:20,680 --> 00:33:23,600 I'm not talking about them sending me a text saying, hey, 465 00:33:23,600 --> 00:33:27,480 I'm praying for you. They served me. 466 00:33:30,360 --> 00:33:35,400 After losing the first Marine to suicide, I was supposed to lead 467 00:33:35,400 --> 00:33:40,440 the recreation VBS group and I just didn't have it in me. 468 00:33:41,600 --> 00:33:45,120 I didn't have the courage to stand up and lead like 469 00:33:45,120 --> 00:33:51,280 everything was OK, and before I could figure anything out and 470 00:33:51,280 --> 00:33:54,720 hold it all together, Jared and Beatrice took care of it. 471 00:33:55,200 --> 00:34:00,200 Emily McElroy stepped up. Michael and Jake, along with 472 00:34:00,200 --> 00:34:05,440 others, stepped in to finish the posters and help take care of 473 00:34:05,480 --> 00:34:07,720 all the other things that still needed to get done. 474 00:34:10,639 --> 00:34:14,880 I had the pastors and staff from the church calling me on my 475 00:34:14,880 --> 00:34:23,159 drives away to just pray for me. The Davis family offered me food 476 00:34:23,280 --> 00:34:29,400 at Casa de Los Davis, and that same kind of a community has 477 00:34:29,400 --> 00:34:32,639 continued as I've navigated all these medical unknowns. 478 00:34:34,960 --> 00:34:39,639 Friends and family brought me food in the hospital and drove 479 00:34:39,639 --> 00:34:44,880 me to appointments so I didn't have to go alone, and I've had 480 00:34:44,880 --> 00:34:48,199 people I can call in the church when I have medical questions 481 00:34:48,199 --> 00:34:49,800 and tests that I don't understand. 482 00:34:55,639 --> 00:34:58,600 I've had my therapist help me process the things I don't know 483 00:34:58,600 --> 00:35:02,680 how to process on my own. And when I physically couldn't 484 00:35:02,680 --> 00:35:08,320 be at work or miss a lot of work days, my Marines stepped up and 485 00:35:08,320 --> 00:35:11,240 carried responsibilities and things that still needed to be 486 00:35:11,240 --> 00:35:15,920 done. None of these people could fix 487 00:35:15,920 --> 00:35:17,560 anything that I was walking through. 488 00:35:18,560 --> 00:35:20,200 They couldn't change what happened. 489 00:35:21,000 --> 00:35:23,240 They couldn't give me every medical answer. 490 00:35:23,880 --> 00:35:25,880 They couldn't remove any uncertainty. 491 00:35:27,520 --> 00:35:30,280 But they could show up and they did. 492 00:35:32,720 --> 00:35:34,720 In church. I think that is serving. 493 00:35:36,560 --> 00:35:40,120 Sometimes we hear the word serve and immediately think of putting 494 00:35:40,120 --> 00:35:44,160 on a name tag for care team or joining a ministry team and 495 00:35:44,160 --> 00:35:47,680 signing up for a position. And those things matter. 496 00:35:48,800 --> 00:35:51,640 But serving is much bigger than filling a position. 497 00:35:53,800 --> 00:35:57,400 Sometimes serving looks like you don't have the strength to do 498 00:35:57,400 --> 00:35:59,160 this right now, so I'll fill the gap. 499 00:36:02,080 --> 00:36:05,000 Those things seem small to the person doing them, but to the 500 00:36:05,000 --> 00:36:08,920 person that's receiving them, they mean a great deal. 501 00:36:11,640 --> 00:36:14,840 And looking back, I realized sometimes Jesus reminds you that 502 00:36:14,840 --> 00:36:17,640 he's holding your hand through the hands of his people. 503 00:36:20,680 --> 00:36:22,240 And that's the beauty of the church. 504 00:36:24,280 --> 00:36:28,600 The church isn't just a place we attend, it's a place the family 505 00:36:28,600 --> 00:36:33,920 that we belong to. In Ecclesiastes chapter 4, 506 00:36:33,920 --> 00:36:37,800 verses 9 through 10, which is a verse you commonly hear at 507 00:36:37,800 --> 00:36:42,400 weddings, two people are better off than one, for they can help 508 00:36:42,400 --> 00:36:46,120 each other succeed. If one person falls, the other 509 00:36:46,120 --> 00:36:50,520 can reach out to help. And then it says, but someone 510 00:36:50,520 --> 00:36:53,120 who falls alone is in great real trouble. 511 00:36:54,960 --> 00:36:59,640 And I understand that Scripture differently now because there is 512 00:36:59,640 --> 00:37:04,080 moments when I was the person who had fallen and someone 513 00:37:04,080 --> 00:37:09,200 reached out a hand. And that's biblical community. 514 00:37:11,080 --> 00:37:14,720 Biblical community is more than just people, just more than just 515 00:37:14,720 --> 00:37:18,680 having people around you. It's having people around you 516 00:37:18,680 --> 00:37:23,720 who point you back to Jesus. People who remind you and say, 517 00:37:23,720 --> 00:37:25,800 remember who your God is when you forget. 518 00:37:27,760 --> 00:37:31,320 People who remind you and say, remember what he has done when 519 00:37:31,320 --> 00:37:33,880 your circumstances become louder than his promises. 520 00:37:35,120 --> 00:37:37,280 People who pray when you don't have the words. 521 00:37:38,560 --> 00:37:41,360 People who sit beside you when there's nothing to say. 522 00:37:42,760 --> 00:37:45,120 People who step in when you're tired and don't have the 523 00:37:45,120 --> 00:37:47,400 strength to keep doing everything yourself. 524 00:37:49,640 --> 00:37:52,400 There were moments in the season when I needed people to do that 525 00:37:52,400 --> 00:37:56,040 for me. And one day, somebody may need 526 00:37:56,040 --> 00:38:00,280 you to do that for them. And that's why I want to 527 00:38:00,280 --> 00:38:03,560 encourage you tonight to build community before you need 528 00:38:03,560 --> 00:38:07,040 community. Don't wait until you're sitting 529 00:38:07,040 --> 00:38:10,720 in a hospital room. Don't wait until your marriage 530 00:38:10,720 --> 00:38:14,320 is struggling. Don't wait until grief hits. 531 00:38:15,320 --> 00:38:18,000 Don't wait until anxiety becomes overwhelming. 532 00:38:19,480 --> 00:38:25,640 Build relationships now. And one of the ways that we 533 00:38:25,640 --> 00:38:28,520 build those relationships is by getting connected. 534 00:38:29,600 --> 00:38:32,840 And for some of you, if you belong to Liberty Church, that 535 00:38:32,840 --> 00:38:36,600 means joining a small group. And I can tell you from 536 00:38:36,600 --> 00:38:39,040 experience just how much that's meant to me. 537 00:38:40,840 --> 00:38:44,480 My small group leaders, Joya and Heather, have been a part of of 538 00:38:44,600 --> 00:38:46,480 a community that has poured into me. 539 00:38:48,080 --> 00:38:51,000 Because small group isn't just another event on your calendar. 540 00:38:53,200 --> 00:38:58,880 It's another opportunity to be known to have people who pray 541 00:38:58,880 --> 00:39:02,520 for you, people who notice when you're missing, people who 542 00:39:02,520 --> 00:39:06,760 celebrate you when life is good and sit with you when it isn't. 543 00:39:08,320 --> 00:39:10,880 People who point you back to your constant friend when you're 544 00:39:10,880 --> 00:39:12,760 having a hard time seeing him yourself. 545 00:39:15,560 --> 00:39:17,960 And your community may be built in different places. 546 00:39:19,520 --> 00:39:22,840 It can be through small groups. It can be through ladies 547 00:39:22,840 --> 00:39:29,680 ministry or men's ministry. Maybe the north of 50 even 548 00:39:29,680 --> 00:39:33,120 Sports Ministry, which I had the opportunity to attend last 549 00:39:33,120 --> 00:39:35,400 Saturday and pickleball was a lot of fun. 550 00:39:35,400 --> 00:39:40,560 So I do encourage you guys to come out and maybe it's serving 551 00:39:40,560 --> 00:39:46,920 behind the scenes in TA. And if Liberty isn't your church 552 00:39:46,920 --> 00:39:52,680 home, hear my heart. I'm not asking you to build your 553 00:39:52,680 --> 00:39:55,320 community here. I'm asking you to build 554 00:39:55,320 --> 00:39:57,240 community where God has planted you. 555 00:39:59,480 --> 00:40:02,680 If you belong to another church, lean into that church. 556 00:40:03,680 --> 00:40:08,840 Find your people, join a group, serve. 557 00:40:09,640 --> 00:40:13,760 Let yourself be known. And if you don't have a church 558 00:40:13,760 --> 00:40:16,440 home, you're welcome to come join us here at Liberty. 559 00:40:17,240 --> 00:40:20,200 And if not, find a Bible believing church where you can 560 00:40:20,200 --> 00:40:24,720 grow, serve, be known, and serve others. 561 00:40:26,760 --> 00:40:29,400 Because we're never meant to simply attend church. 562 00:40:30,280 --> 00:40:32,640 We were created to belong to the body of Christ. 563 00:40:35,200 --> 00:40:37,760 And serving doesn't stop when you leave the church building. 564 00:40:39,160 --> 00:40:44,280 Serving is a posture. It's looking at the people God 565 00:40:44,280 --> 00:40:48,960 has already placed in your life and asking God, who can I love? 566 00:40:48,960 --> 00:40:54,800 Well, today maybe it's your friend, your Marine, your 567 00:40:54,800 --> 00:41:00,840 student, your Co worker, your neighbor, a family member, 568 00:41:01,520 --> 00:41:05,840 someone here at church, someone who's hurting quietly and needs 569 00:41:05,840 --> 00:41:11,600 somebody to notice. Sometimes serving isn't showing 570 00:41:11,600 --> 00:41:14,200 up, or sometimes serving is showing up. 571 00:41:14,880 --> 00:41:18,680 Sometimes it's praying, sometimes it's volunteering, 572 00:41:19,760 --> 00:41:23,240 sometimes it's simply sitting beside someone who's hurting 573 00:41:23,480 --> 00:41:28,720 without trying to fix them. And here's what I have learned. 574 00:41:30,280 --> 00:41:33,040 You don't have to do something big to make a big difference in 575 00:41:33,040 --> 00:41:37,360 somebody's valley. Every act of service said 576 00:41:37,360 --> 00:41:40,800 something to me. You're not walking through this 577 00:41:40,800 --> 00:41:44,840 alone. And sometimes that's exactly 578 00:41:44,840 --> 00:41:49,280 what somebody needs to hear. So here's your invitation. 579 00:41:50,120 --> 00:41:51,880 Don't just attend. Belong. 580 00:41:53,680 --> 00:41:57,760 Find your people, serve your people, and allow people to 581 00:41:57,760 --> 00:42:01,640 serve you. Because sometimes that reminder 582 00:42:01,640 --> 00:42:04,880 that your constant friend has not left you comes through the 583 00:42:04,880 --> 00:42:06,880 people Jesus places right beside you. 584 00:42:10,800 --> 00:42:14,320 And as I look back over the season, I don't just see the 585 00:42:14,320 --> 00:42:16,880 hard moments. I see Jesus. 586 00:42:18,280 --> 00:42:21,840 I see him in the valley. I see him in the waiting rooms. 587 00:42:22,000 --> 00:42:25,880 I see him in the hospital, I see him in the unanswered questions, 588 00:42:25,880 --> 00:42:29,640 I see him in the people he placed around me, not because I 589 00:42:29,640 --> 00:42:32,680 was strong, but because he was faithful. 590 00:42:34,520 --> 00:42:37,960 And again, if you've listened to my story tonight, I hope you 591 00:42:37,960 --> 00:42:40,920 don't leave thinking, wow, Marian is so strong. 592 00:42:42,040 --> 00:42:46,840 Because that isn't the point. This is not a story about how 593 00:42:46,840 --> 00:42:50,680 strong I've become. It's a story about how faithful 594 00:42:50,720 --> 00:42:54,520 Jesus has been. And there's something I have to 595 00:42:54,520 --> 00:42:59,440 remind you and remind myself over and over again. 596 00:43:00,360 --> 00:43:04,560 Life is not fair. Sometimes we look at what we're 597 00:43:04,560 --> 00:43:06,800 walking through and ask God, why? 598 00:43:07,760 --> 00:43:11,240 Why did this happen? Why did I have to experience 599 00:43:11,240 --> 00:43:13,800 this? Why didn't you stop it? 600 00:43:16,120 --> 00:43:19,400 And I wish I had every answer, but I don't. 601 00:43:20,840 --> 00:43:24,600 But I know this. If life was fair, Jesus would 602 00:43:24,600 --> 00:43:31,080 not have gone to the cross. If you think about that, if life 603 00:43:31,080 --> 00:43:35,240 was fair, the only perfect person who had ever lived would 604 00:43:35,240 --> 00:43:40,000 have never been mocked, would have never been beaten, would 605 00:43:40,000 --> 00:43:44,040 have never been betrayed, and he would have never been nailed to 606 00:43:44,040 --> 00:43:49,560 the cross. If life were fair, Jesus would 607 00:43:49,560 --> 00:43:55,920 have received what he deserved. But instead, he took what we 608 00:43:55,920 --> 00:44:01,240 deserved. He carried our sin, our shame, 609 00:44:02,240 --> 00:44:08,600 our brokenness, our punishment. And because he did, we received 610 00:44:08,600 --> 00:44:12,200 something we could never earn, grace. 611 00:44:15,040 --> 00:44:20,800 That's the gospel Romans chapter 5 verse 8 says. 612 00:44:21,000 --> 00:44:24,960 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die 613 00:44:24,960 --> 00:44:27,680 for us while we were still sinners, while we were still 614 00:44:27,680 --> 00:44:34,640 sinners, not after we fixed ourselves, not after we became 615 00:44:34,640 --> 00:44:39,280 worthy, not after we had everything together, while we 616 00:44:39,280 --> 00:44:43,080 were still sinners. And that's the kind of friend 617 00:44:43,080 --> 00:44:47,200 Jesus is. Some of you may be sitting here 618 00:44:47,200 --> 00:44:49,120 tonight feeling like your faith is small. 619 00:44:50,560 --> 00:44:53,920 You look around and think they have such strong faith they 620 00:44:53,920 --> 00:44:56,920 trust God so easily. I wish I had that. 621 00:44:59,000 --> 00:45:04,360 Can I encourage you? Jesus never asked you for 622 00:45:04,360 --> 00:45:09,040 mountain sized faith. He asked you for mustard seed 623 00:45:09,040 --> 00:45:14,040 faith. Matthew 1720 says if you have 624 00:45:14,040 --> 00:45:19,000 faith even as small as a mustard seed, and a mustard seed is 625 00:45:19,000 --> 00:45:24,560 tiny, but it is alive. And if all you have tonight is 626 00:45:24,560 --> 00:45:30,080 enough faith to whisper Jesus, I don't understand, help me bring 627 00:45:30,080 --> 00:45:32,640 him that. That's faith. 628 00:45:33,960 --> 00:45:37,400 Faith is not pretending you have never have questions. 629 00:45:37,880 --> 00:45:40,000 Faith is knowing where to take those questions. 630 00:45:41,680 --> 00:45:45,800 Faith is not being afraid. Faith is trusting Jesus in the 631 00:45:45,800 --> 00:45:50,680 middle of your fear because the power was never in the size of 632 00:45:50,680 --> 00:45:53,800 your faith. The power has always been in the 633 00:45:53,800 --> 00:46:00,000 Savior you're trusting. Hebrews 13, five says I will 634 00:46:00,000 --> 00:46:04,440 never leave you. Hebrews 13/8 says Jesus Christ 635 00:46:04,440 --> 00:46:10,360 is the same yesterday, today, and forever in church. 636 00:46:10,360 --> 00:46:11,960 I still don't know what comes next. 637 00:46:12,960 --> 00:46:15,560 I don't know exactly what life looks like after the Marine 638 00:46:15,560 --> 00:46:18,960 Corps. I don't have a diagnosis or much 639 00:46:18,960 --> 00:46:22,960 answers about my health. There are prayers I'm still 640 00:46:22,960 --> 00:46:25,320 waiting on. There are things I'm still 641 00:46:25,320 --> 00:46:28,880 trusting Him with. I still have moments when I 642 00:46:28,880 --> 00:46:31,440 stress and I still have moments when I wonder. 643 00:46:33,200 --> 00:46:36,480 I still have moments when I have to remind myself of everything 644 00:46:36,480 --> 00:46:37,880 that I'm preaching to you tonight. 645 00:46:40,280 --> 00:46:44,760 But I know Him and what I didn't know then that I know now. 646 00:46:44,760 --> 00:46:48,240 It's again when everything changes. 647 00:46:48,240 --> 00:46:52,520 Jesus remains. So whatever season you're 648 00:46:52,520 --> 00:46:54,400 walking through today, trust Him. 649 00:46:55,800 --> 00:46:59,320 Not because you know what comes next, but because you know the 650 00:46:59,320 --> 00:47:04,000 One who does the greatest comfort in a changing life is an 651 00:47:04,000 --> 00:47:07,960 unchanging Savior. And if you're wondering what to 652 00:47:07,960 --> 00:47:11,680 take from all of this, I leave you with this. 653 00:47:12,240 --> 00:47:18,160 Know your friend, release your burden, find your people, and 654 00:47:18,160 --> 00:47:19,560 trust Him with the faith you have. 655 00:47:21,240 --> 00:47:25,520 So what I didn't know then that I know now is when everything 656 00:47:25,520 --> 00:47:28,480 changes. Jesus remains our constant 657 00:47:28,480 --> 00:47:33,280 friend, faithfully carrying us, sustaining us, and surrounding 658 00:47:33,280 --> 00:47:37,960 us with His people yesterday, today, and forever. 659 00:47:40,240 --> 00:47:40,520 Thank you.