YouTube video cj2S5uQEjZM

And so Lord, we gather uh tonight because we [music] love you. And if there is anyone in the room here, Holy Spirit, I I pray if there's anyone in the room here who has shown up for a different reason other than to love you and adore you, to pour oil at your feet, then I pray God that that thing would be severed. [music] It would be broken off.

and that in this room there would be a home for your presence, a home for your spirit to rest with people who are deeply [music] in love. And that in this room, Lord, you'd be at home with your children [music] where every heart with every where every every soul, all the attention, all the affection is set on the one name. [music] is set on the one name, [music] the name that is above every other name.

And so Jesus, we magnify you. We thank you that you are faithful, that you are always good, Lord, that you never fail. I pray, Holy Spirit, that whatever it is, [music] whatever it is we may have walked into the room with tonight, that all of it would meet [music] Jesus.

And may our joy be found in the victory of [music] the cross. May our joy be found in the victory of the cross [music] and the testimony of the finished work. [music] Our prayer is come Lord Jesus come.

We love you Lord and in your holy name we pray. [music] Amen. Oh, can you just begin to sing to the Lord?

Begin to [music] lift up your prayer. Lift your voice. Just [music] connect your heart to Jesus.

>> You fix our eyes [singing] on you. >> [music] >> You're [singing] the reason. You're the reason.

[singing] Oh, we're here to worship. [singing] We're here to love you. [music] Oh, we're here for [singing] your glory, Lord.

Oh, we're [music] here for your glory, Lord. Oh, we're here for [music] your glory, Lord. Only you.

Only you. [music and singing] Only you. [singing] Only you.

Only [singing] you. [music] Only you. Oh father.

We [music and singing] love you. We worship [music] and adore. Glorify [singing] thy name in all [singing] the earth.

Sing father [music] we [singing] love you. We worship [music] and adore you. Glorify [music and singing] thy name in all the earth.

>> [music] >> Glorify [singing] thy name. Glorify [singing] thy name. [music] Glorify [singing] thy name in all the [music and singing] earth.

Oh, glorify [music] glorify thy name. Glorify [music] [singing] thy name. Glorify [music and singing] thy name in all the earth.

[music] Sing glorify [singing] glorify [music] thy name. [singing] Glorify [music] thy name. Glorify [music] [singing] thy name in all the earth.

>> [music] >> Oh Jesus, [singing] we [music] love you. We [singing] worship and adore [music] you. Glorify thy name [music and singing] in all the earth.

[music] Oh Jesus, [music] we love [singing] you. We worship and adore [music] you. Glorify [singing] thy name in all [music] the earth.

[singing] Oh Jesus, [music] Jesus we [singing and music] love you. We worship and [music] adore you. Glorify [music] [singing] thy name in all [music] the earth.

[music] Glorify [music and singing] thy name. Glorify [music and singing] thy name. Glorify [music] [singing] thy name in [music] all the earth.

Would you glorify [music] thy name? [singing] Glorify [music and singing] thy name. [music] Glorify [singing] thy name in all [music] the earth.

Oh glorify. [music] Glorify thy name. [music] Glorify thy name.

[music] Glorify thy [music] name in all the earth. spirit. [singing] We love you.

[music] We worship and adore [music] you. Glorify [singing] thy name [music] in all the earth. Spirit, [music and singing] we love you.

[music] We [singing] worship and adore [music] you. Glorify [singing] thy name in [music] all the earth. Spear.

[music] We [singing] love you. [music] We worship him. Adore you.

[music] Glorify [singing] thy name [music] in all the [singing] earth. [music] Glorify [singing] thy name. [music] Glorify thy name.

[music] Glorify [singing] thy name in all the [music] earth. Glorify [music] thy name. Glorify [music] thy name.

Glorify [music] thy name in all the earth. Jesus we love you. We [music] worship you.

Glorify thy name in all [music] the earth. Oh Jesus [music] Jesus we love [music] you. We worship and adore [music] you.

Glorify thy name [music] in all the earth. Glorify [music] thy name. Glorify [music] thy name.

[music] Glorify thy name. [music] Heat. [music] Heat.

[music] Yeah. Heat. [music] Yeah.

Heat. [music] Heat. Heat.

Heat. [music] Hey, [music] heat. Hey.

[music] >> [music] >> Heat up [music] >> [music] >> Glorify thy [music and singing] name. Glorify [singing] [music] thy name. Glorify [music and singing] thy thy name in all the [singing] earth.

[music] Glorify thy [music] name. Glorify [singing] [music] thy name. Glorify thy [music and singing] name in all the earth.

Mary come Lord [music] Jesus. Mary [singing] come Lord [music] Jesus. There enough.

Come Lord Jesus. [music and singing] Come. Oh come [music] Mary.

[singing] Come Lord Jesus. [music] Mary come [music] Lord Jesus. There in north, [music] come [singing] Lord Jesus, come [music] and be glorified.

[music] Mera, [singing] come Lord Jesus. [music] Therea, [singing] come Lord Jesus. There [music and singing] is another come Jesus [singing] [music] come [singing] [music] [singing] Jesus.

Mary [music] come Jesus. >> [music and singing] >> come Jesus come [music] Jesus [music] Jesus. [music] Heat.

Heat. [music] Heat. [music] Heat.

[music] Yeah. [music] Heat. [music] Glorify [music] thy name.

Glorify thy [music] name in all the earth. [music] Glorify [singing] thy name. Lord, glorify thy name.

Glorify [singing] thy name [music] in all the earth. [music] >> Glorify thy name. Glory.

glorify [music] [singing] thy name. Glorify [singing] thy name in all the earth. Oh, come and be glorified.

>> Come and be glorified. [music] We give you reverence. [music] >> Come and be glory.

[music] >> Come and be glorified. [music] Come and be [music] glorified. [singing] We give [music and singing] you >> We give you [music] worship.

Receive [music] the honor. The >> praise. [music] We give you >> [music] >> We give you [singing] glory, Lord.

[music] Come and be glory. [singing] [music] >> [music] >> We give [singing] you rest. [music] Heat.

Heat. [music] Would [singing] [music] you lift a song to him right now as you come? [music] [singing] [music] Heat.

Heat. [music] Heat. Heat.

[music] >> [music] >> Heat. Heat. [music] >> [music] >> angels and none of them can open [music] up the score.

It's yours alone. How many [music] saints have joined the song and [singing] still there's room for us to sing [music] along forever more. Holy, [music] holy, holy, holy is [music and singing] the Lord is the Lord.

Holy one, [singing] [music] holy one is [singing] the Lord. is [music] [singing] [music] holy, holy, holy. [singing] [music] And how many kids [music] with earthly grounds before your feet will surely cast them down?

[music] They're worthless now. [music] more worth than ever [music] who was and is and surely is is to come. You're [music] here with us.

How many [music] kings with earthly crowns before your feet surely cast [music] down the world now? [music] How worthy [singing] is the lamb of God who was and is and surely is [music] to come. Oh, you're here with [music and singing] us.

[music] Yeah. [music] Heat. [music] Yeah.

[music] Heat. [music] Yeah. [music] Heat.

[music] [music and singing] Everybody [music] everybody [music] everybody >> [music] >> Heat. Heat. [music] Heat.

Heat. Heat. [music] Heat.

[music] Heat. [music] Yeah. Heat.

[music] >> [music] >> When you're in the room, heaven can't happen. [music and singing] You're in the room. When you're [music and singing] in the room, nothing else matters.

You're in the room. When you're [music and singing] in the room, heaven can happen. You're in the room.

When you're in the [music] room, nothing else matters. You're in the room. When you're in [music] the room, heaven can [singing] happen.

You're in the room. When you're [music] in the room, nothing else matters. You're in the room.

When you're in the room, heaven can [music and singing] happen. You're in the room. When you're in [music] the room, nothing else matters.

You're in the [singing] room. Heat. Heat.

[music and singing] [music] Heat. Heat. [music] Yeah.

[music] Heat. [music] Yeah. Heat.

[music] Everybody [music] everybody everybody Heat. Heat. Heat.

[music] Everybody. [music] Everybody. [music] Yeah.

[music] Heat. [music] >> [music] >> Heat up here. [music] Holy, [music] holy, hol [music] is [singing] the Lord is the [music] Lord.

Holy, holy, holy, [music] hol is [singing] the Lord is the [music] Lord. [music] You're [music] when you win. >> [music] >> You are [singing] [music] we are you >> [music] >> Who is [music] like the Lord.

[music] Who [singing] is like the Lord? Who is like [music and singing] the Lord? Who is like the Lord?

[music] The soul who is like [singing] [music] who is like [singing] [music] who is like [singing] Lord? [music] Who is [singing] like Lord? Who is [music] who is like the love?

[singing] [music] Who is like the love? [music] And who is [singing] like [music] the Lord? Who is [singing] like the Lord?

[music] Who is my [music] Who is my [music] Who is [music] like the Lord? [singing] Heat. Heat.

Heat. [music] Heat. Heat.

Heat. [music] Heat. [music] Heat.

[music] Heat. [music] Heat. [music] Heat.

Heat. [music] >> [music] >> Everybody, everybody, [music] everybody. Heat.

Heat. [singing] [music] Everybody [music] shout. [music] Everybody [music] Your glory fills the room.

Your glory fills [music and singing] the room. Your glory fills the room. >> Your glory [singing] fills the room.

>> Your [music] glory. >> Your glory fills the room. >> Your glory [music] fills the room.

Your glory is true. [music] Oh God, [music] fill the room. Heat.

Heat. [music] >> [music] >> Lord, [music] heat. [music] Heat.

Heat. [music] >> [music] >> There is one seated on the throne. He alone forever.

I'm lost in wonder [music] that I can't explain. Who is this king [music] who makes the mountain shake? There is one seated on the throne.

He alone forever more. [music] I'm lost in wonder that I can't explain. Who is this king who makes the mountain shame [music] with eyes like [singing] fire, hill like gold, voice [music] like many, waters, [singing] there's nobody like, [music] nobody like you.

With eyes like [singing] fire, [music] hair like wo, voice like me. What is there's nobody like. [singing] [music] Nobody like you.

[music] There's nobody [music] like you. There's [music] nobody [singing] like you, Lord. Nobody [music and singing] like you.

[music] >> [music] >> There is one who deserves our praise. [music] The lamb who rose defeat. [music] His glor beauty and majesty.

[singing] The [music] Lord of hosts, [singing] the Lord of everything. And there is one who [music] deserves a praise. The Lesty [music] holds the Lord of everything.

[singing] With eyes like fire, hair like cold, voice like [music] wind, waters roar, there's nobody like [singing] you. Nobody [music] like you. With eyes like fire, hail like [music] wo, voice like many, waters roar.

There's nobody [music] like you. Nobody like you. With eyes like fire, hair like [music] cold, voice like many, waters roar.

There's nobody like you. Nobody [music] like you. With eyes like fire, hair like voice like [music] yours.

There's nobody like you. Nobody like [music] you. You are worthy.

worthy [music] lamb of [music] God. You are worthy. You're worthy.

[music] You worthy. You are exalted on high. You are worthy.

[music] Holy one [music] lamb of God. You are worthy, [music] worthy, worthy. [music] Don't be [music] on [music] heat.

[music] >> [music] >> You're exalted [singing] on high. [music] It's only one from word. [music] Only one from word.

We give [music] blessing and honor [singing] and glory to the one found worthy. Only one found worthy. [snorts] We give [music] blessing and honor and glory to the one found worthy.

Only one found worthy. [music] We give blessing and honor. Glory [music and singing] to the one found worthy.

Only one found worthy. We [music] give blessing, [singing] honor, glory to the one. [music] Glory to the one.

Blessing [music] to the one. Glory [music] to the one. [singing] [music] Honor to the one.

[music] We bless and [music and singing] [music] we want [music] we give blessing. Yeah. Honor [music] one [music] to the one.

Only one [music] Heat. Heat. [music] Yeah.

[music] Heat. [music] Heat. Heat.

[music] Glory to the world. [music] >> [music] >> one. Lamb of God, you are worthy.

You're worthy, [music] worthy. [music] You are worthy. [music] of [music] God.

You are [music] Heat. Heat. Heat.

[music] Yeah. Heat. [music] Heat.

Heat. Heat. [music] Glory to no one.

[music] Glory [music] to the world. We give the blessing on earth. Glory to the one [music] for worthy only one found worthy.

[music] We give blessing [singing] and honor and glory to the one found [music and singing] worthy. Only one found worthy. We give [music] blessing and honor.

Glory to [singing] the one. [music] Heal the one from worthy is the one from [music] worthy. [music] You're the one from worthy.

You're the one from worthy. Holy is the Lord. Holy is the Lord.

Holy is the Lord God Almighty. Holy is the Lord. Oh, he is the Lord.

Oh, he [music] is the Lord God Almighty. [singing] Oh, he is the Lord. Holy is the Lord.

Holy is the Lord God Almighty. [music and singing] Holy is the Lord. Holy is the Lord.

Holy is the Lord [music] God Almighty. Holy is the Lord. Holy is [music] the Lord.

Holy is the Lord God [music] Almighty. Holy is the Lord. Holy [music] is the Lord.

Holy is the Lord God Almighty. [music] Holy is the Lord. Oh, he is Lord.

Oh, he is Lord God [music] Almighty. You are holy. Oh, holy one.

Lamb of God, you are worthy. So worthy, worthy. Exalted on high.

Exalted [singing] on high. Exalted [singing] all night. [music] You are worthy, worthy one.

Exalted on. [music] Worthy exalted all night. Amen.

[music] Heat. And [music] I'm lost [music] without you. And I'm [music] lost [singing] without you.

>> [music] >> And I [music] I'm [singing] desperate for you and [singing] I I'm lost without [music and singing] you. And [music and singing] I I'm desperate [singing] for you and [music and singing] I I'm [music and singing] lost without you. And I [music and singing] I'm desperate for you and [singing] I [music] I'm lost [singing] without [music] you.

And I [singing] [music] I'm desperate for you and [singing] I I'm lost [singing] without you, oh Lord. [singing] And I [music] [singing] [music] I'm desperate for you and I [music] [singing and music] I'm lost without And I [singing] I'm desperate [music] for you and [singing] [singing] I'm [music] lost without you. And [singing] I [music] I'm [singing] desperate for you.

Now Jesus, we marvel at your majesty [music] and of the so many songs, Lord, so many lyrics that we could sing and and shout and and we do so with joy. Lord, but we can never express [music] our gratitude. The more we do this, God, the the more I'm learning that words, they they just fall short [music] of expressing the majesty and the wonder and the beauty of your name.

>> [music] >> And so tonight in the room, I I ask Holy Spirit that you would help us to [music] see and to know Jesus now, not just through mere words, not just through declaration, but we want to know the living Christ face to [music] face. Amen. >> We want to know the living Christ face to face.

[music] >> To grow hungry, to grow desperate, longing, and to find our joy and our our sustenance, our existence [music] in in the finished work of the cross. >> [music] >> And so thank you Lord. Thank you for the broken body and thank you for the spilled out blood.

Thank you for your testimony and that the cross is so much more than enough. And just like we read at the beginning, help us Holy Spirit that our souls would not forget the benefits, [music] that our souls would not forget the testimony. our souls would not forget the finished work.

Thank you that your mercies, Lord, are brand new every single morning. That for all of us here, we woke up this morning and your mercy met us in the first breath. That you never stopped loving us.

You never stopped caring for us. You never let go of us. You never considered us, Lord, less than.

So, thank you. And I ask for us in the room tonight. Help us to grow and to see our need for you.

>> [music] >> Help us, Lord, to understand and to see our great need of you, our great need for a savior, [music] our great need for the finished work of the cross. Certainly, we need you more than anything. More than anything we could ever ask for, more than the air that we breathe, all the songs that we sing.

We need you more, Lord, than our next step and [music] our next breath. We need you more. [music] And so, yeah, Lord, we we are we're desperate for you.

[music] And it's not because you don't give of yourself, but it [music] seems that the farther we run this race, the more we realize how how insufficient we are. [music] And the more we run out to the end of ourselves, God, in your in your constant faithfulness, we always meet you there. And at times in life when it seems like we hit rock bottom, you have been so kind to be the rock that we hit, Lord.

>> [music] >> when we don't know which way to go and are lost and confused. [music] You always have the answers. And so, and so again, I just I just want to say thank you, Lord.

[music] >> All of us. We say thank you for all the ways that you come. We say this a lot, Lord.

But you really mean it. Is you never have to. We We understand that.

We We know that. I I'm learning that more and more that you never have to come. And yet, you are always faithful to [music] do so.

What a gift. And so I thank you, Lord, that in your faithfulness [music] you'll meet us here today. Whether we've come with hardness of heart, disillusion, a jadedness, or we've come here hungry and longing and desperate, whether we've come here with a helpless and hopeless situation where everything in life feels figured out.

Lord, we know that you will meet us. It's [music] >> it's in your nature, Lord. [snorts] So we we yield ourselves over to you, Lord.

[music] We ask breathe upon us tonight. Yeah. and teach [music] us, Lord.

Whether it's confronting us, correcting us, encouraging us, strengthening [music] us, building us up, Lord, or tearing things down that don't belong there. Have your way in us tonight. [music] To him who is more than able, [music] to him who does so much more than we could ever ask for, [music] think of, or imagine.

To him, to him who is alpha, omega, beginning and the end, [music] we give you all of the glory, all of the honor. in your most holy name we pray. Amen.

>> Amen. >> Amen. Amen.

Thank you, Jesus. [sighs] You may find your seats. We're so glad you're here tonight.

Can we thank our precious worship team? [applause] Um, oh, we're so glad you're here tonight. You know, it's um when we have when we have weather like this in Seattle, it's um it's just about a sin to go anywhere else because it's so just beautiful here.

Um, and so, uh, to be in the room to love Jesus and honor him together, uh, [snorts] it really is it really is our privilege and, um, and in the the honor of our lives to, uh, to love and the and celebrate the Lord Jesus on this side of eternity. And so when we get together with so many others who love to do the same, it's it's [music] always a privilege. Um anyway, so we're just glad you're here.

Is there anyone who's here for the very first time? Like you've never been to Hi, welcome. Welcome.

[applause] We're so glad you guys are here. Um you know, I say we we don't have any coffee or discounts to offer you. Yes.

>> Um, but the best that we know how, we point back to Jesus and the cross and and so if you leave here with anything, there won't be 20% off, but it is fully paid for on the cross. So, receive it while it's available. Um uh last week, last week if you were here, uh Pastor Michael Kuanos was here from Jesus Image.

And uh I just I've been sitting on on the word that that he released. Um for those of you who are here, you'll understand. Um you know, he called me.

He called me the following or two days later or something. He's like, "Hey, sorry if it didn't feel like action-packed, you know, like a" He's like, "But that's really what I felt from the Lord." And for those of you who weren't here, he came and he in the most humble and gentle way, he he reminded us that we're in some very formative and malleable years of our church, which means that whatever it is we build here in the early stages, and this is his words, he said, "What you build here today with here today will determine the amount of things you'll have to correct, adjust, sever five and 10 years from Now, so I just kind of been really sitting on that is and asking the Lord is God keep us keep us hungry and give me a fear of the Lord. all of us give us a fear of the Lord that as we build as we build uh the church with the assignment that you've called us into here in Seattle and in the Northwest Lord that uh that you would keep us from uh from the evil one that lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one so that the foundations of of our house really are rooted in uh [snorts] in the purity and the innocence of the gospel.

Certainly a deep love for Jesus and um in an uncompromised unwavering pursuit of the of the of his word, the scriptures. Amen. And so, you know, especially if the finding is your home church, I just I want to encourage you.

May we all be praying that the Lord keeps us and he protects us and he watches over us and keeps our foundation pure so that 5 10 years from now we don't have to kind of break things down to adjust something and then you know rebuild from there. So may the Lord keep us. Amen.

>> Okay. Um we've been we've been in the book of first Peter over the last uh really I think two weeks. We spent two weeks there.

We're probably going to spend a hand maybe a couple few months here. Um and so we're going to continue in first Peter today. But before we do, uh I want to receive tonight's offering.

And um and then we'll pray together. We'll pray together. We'll honor the Lord with our with our giving.

And uh and then we'll jump straight into First Peter. So, I want to read um I read I want to read in 2 Chronicles for you here. 2 Chronicles uh chapter 24.

So, uh sorry, I don't know why I I think I was so like engaged this way. I almost feel a little bit scattered right now. So, give me uh just a few minutes.

Uh I share this all the time here is part of our assignment at the finding what we're really confident in is that our mission our assignment is to to really build a home for the presence of Jesus. And I know that probably sounds generic and and every house of prayer should be a house where the presence of Jesus dwells. And unfortunately, not every house named prayer is filled is filled with the presence of Jesus.

We learn this in the scriptures is that when God uh when God instructed to build the temple and the tabernacle, he gave detail for the way that he wanted wanted it to be built. He gave blueprint for the way that he wanted it to be built because every minor detail spoke of the coming Messiah. Every detail spoke of Jesus who was to come.

And so if part of the temple, part of the uh tabernacle was not built according to the instruction and the design of God, what would happen is that dwelling place, that temple, that sanctuary would no longer be speaking of the coming Messiah, who is Jesus the Christ. And so when we gather in settings like this, if the purity and the innocence and childlikeness of the gospel isn't present with the people to build something sacred onto the Lord, then what happens is it's not that God doesn't want to dwell with his people. It's that God does not give of his presence lightly.

He gives of himself with those who have demonstrated a trustworthiness. ones who are able to steward his presence and and the overflow the abundance that comes with it. And so when we gather as a church uh in settings like this whether it's here um or or you know I mean meaning like local church or the church at large when we gather in the name of Jesus to honor him we cannot come with our with self ideas agendas and um self-perspectives meaning that if Jesus asks of something you and and I do not have the right to step into his house and ask or consider something other than this is his house, his home.

And we come into his house either leaving everything the way that he has instructed, building it, establishing it the way that he has instructed, or we choose to build it according to ourselves. According to the scriptures, what we learn is that if we desire to build a house that is revolved around the people, God no longer dwells in the in the house. It doesn't mean that he doesn't rest and live within us.

It's that there's there's a measure of Jesus you will only find in the corporate setting. It's the way that he established it. It's the way that he built the body of Christ.

It's the way that he created his bride is that I have need of you and you have need of me. Not because you don't have eternal life without me or me without you, but I carry uh uh attributes and characteristics of Jesus that you don't and you carry parts of his heart attributes and characteristics that I don't. >> Amen.

And so when we gather in corporate settings and every heart, every voice is lifted up, all the attention, all the affection is lifted up to Jesus, what happens is there's the the resounding cry, the whole cry of a bride, one bride with a unified declaration, come Lord Jesus, come like we sang today, Marinatha, come Lord Jesus. But houses are not built without sacrifice. If anyone is in construction, you know that you first you first pay up the money to build a house.

But once it is established with with uh with the foundation, with architecture, with the floor plan, with all the appliances, all the details, it is sign it's worth significantly more than what you the cost you paid to build it. In a similar manner, in the presence of Jesus, you and I do not have if you want to build a house and you're like, "Well, I don't want to spend any money. All the contractors, all the people you try to hire are going to be like, have fun living on hopes and dreams." In other words, there's a cost that comes to building something of beauty.

How much more in the presence of Jesus or something that is onto God like King David said, "Far be it for me to offer something to the Lord that costs me nothing." Amen. Do you know what po like that portion of scripture comes after a a time where David called for a census in in Israel and it was against the heart of God and he sinned against God and God told him okay you have there has to be consequences for the sin that you committed and it was 3 years 3 months or 3 days I think it was 3 years of famine 3 months of I forget and then 3 days of Oh, it's three. No.

Anyways, I'm messing it up. It's 3 months. 3 years.

3 days. And David chooses three days. I think it was 70,000 Israelites died in the three days.

And then what happens is David recognizing his his sin against God up to give a sacrifice. And his sacrifice when when he comes to gives the sacrifice, he says, "Far be it from me to offer the Lord something that costs me nothing." In other words, when I come to give something, when we come to give something to the Lord, far be it from us to give something to the Lord Jesus. That is that is casual.

That is some that is something that I could spare. I I I far be it from us to come and tip the Lord Jesus in his house and in his presence. I pray that when we gather in our church and in this house is that when anything we offer to the Lord, may it may it cost us.

May it be costly. Not because we're looking to, you know, to go broke. Certainly not.

But because we have a dependency on someone who is greater. Anyways, I'll then I'll read 2 Chronicles 24 another time. of [snorts] I guess the the point that I'm making or the heart I want you to hear is that when we ask the Lord to build his home with us as living stones, his one request is that give me an give me something to build with that's from the depths of your heart, not grudgingly but willfully onto the Lord Jesus.

And when he starts to build a home for himself, he starts to inhabit it and rest here. And when Jesus rests into a room, the nature of his overflow is all the promises and the benefits of the cross. It's in that place that one day people from all over the world will fly in to be in the room because they heard of a people who do not compromise his presence.

And when they walk through the door, God meets them. Amen. >> Amen.

All right. All right. We have every regular way of giving here up on the screen.

If you need an envelope, please raise your hand. Our ushers are more than happy to get you one of those. Um otherwise, I'm going to give you a couple minutes to do that.

We'll play a short video and we will be right back. Isn't he wonderful? [music] Sing [singing] hallelujah.

[music] Christ is ris [music] for the Lord. [music] Sing hallelujah. Heat.

Heat. Heat. [music] Heat.

Heat. [music] Heat. [music] Heat.

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Heat. [music] [music and singing] Heat. Heat.

Heat. [music] >> [music] >> Heat. Heat.

[music] Heat. Heat. Heat.

[music] Heat. Heat. [music] >> [music] >> Heat up here.

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[music] All right, let's pray. So Jesus, uh we thank you for tonight, Lord, and we thank you for every dollar sown. We ask, Holy Spirit, would you breathe upon it?

and that this offering would carry the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ to establish and proclaim the testimony, the victory [music] and the dominion of your kingdom. I pray Lord that in and through it you would [music] touch our city, touch our region and our nation. And Lord, as even even this year, yesterday, as we celebrate the 250th birthday of America, Lord, we pray that this nation, this country would be known as one after your heart.

And so we ask, God, that in and through our city, through the city of Seattle, may there be an establishment, a revival, a an awakening of people, of hearts, the body of Christ, the lost to the revelation of the Christ. and that our region God would be burning [music] with passion for your name. We ask Lord use us and breathe upon our city.

Breathe upon this region for your name's sake. And I thank you Lord for every need in the room that there is no need whether it's financial or any other in this room that goes unseen. And so we yield it all to you.

And we ask God that in your mercy and in your kindness you would provide and you would take care. And we have a confidence that you will because it is in your word and you are always the one who you say you are. And so be with us here tonight Lord.

Speak to us. Reveal yourself to us. Open our eyes to see you.

Help us to know you. and um and may we fall deeper in love with you today. We do not want to leave, Lord, just remembering scripture, being impressed with a message or moved by a worship set.

We want to leave here more in love with you, looking more like Jesus. >> So, thank you, Holy Spirit. Have your way in us.

Help me, Lord, to to properly share your heart, articulate your heart well. We love you, Lord, and in your name we pray. Amen.

>> Amen. All right, let's turn our Bibles to First Peter chapter 1. Uh we'll be in verse 6 through 6-9 today.

So, I just want to give you a little recap. If you weren't here uh for the other times, I I shared this and I think that this is kind of the next minute or so is going to it really is fundamental to understanding the rest of the letter. And the way Peter starts off here is that he really begins to express the love of the father for humanity, for you and I.

In other words, if we do not, you've probably heard me say this if you've been here uh the last several weeks, is if we do not understand the love of the father, of God the father, then what happens is everything else that we read in the go in the gospel, all the good news of the gospel, it's going to you you cannot understand it without understanding the love of the father because Jesus the the cross, the finished work of the cross, everything that Jesus has accomplished is the expression of the love of the father. And so I if I see an expression without without the source, it becomes blurry and it's left up to my interpretation. It's for it's for that reason why Christianity, especially in the west, but especially in modern times, has become a selfserving version of religion.

It's why Jesus can so clearly command us and teach us that you forgive those who hurt you. And yet somewhere in the subconscious in our minds, we think like, well, yes, he meant it, but for other people, not me. When it says to confess your sins, it's like, well, yes, the Bible does say that, but but mine is kind of shameful.

So, like, I'm going to I'm going to kind of take a step back from that one. And without understanding the love of the father, the reason there's a shame to confess is because you do not understand how loved you are. >> When there is a need to forgive those who persecute you or those who have hurt you, when you do not understand the love of the father, it it comes out to be a suggestion that one day maybe I'll step into when I'm more mature.

But it becomes a suggestion because I don't understand how much God has loved me and forgiven me and how much he loves the person who hurt me and how much that person wouldn't have done what they did if they saw how loved they were by God. And so now there's two people who don't understand how loved they are by God, calling themselves Christians and yet doing everything other than the finished work of the cross is to be received, known, and seen through the lens of the love of the father. You know, one of my favorite examples to share is like the scriptures teach in Psalm 23 is though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.

If I do not understand how loved I am by God, the love of the father, it's not good news that he's next to me. If I know him as someone who's ready to hit me upside the head anytime I mess up or someone who's there to to judge me or hate me or or kind of like uh have his arms crossed, eye break eyebrow raised at me, it's not comforting that he's with me. It actually becomes it becomes a hardship when I do not understand the love of the father.

And so for two weeks I I really kind of uh went into that the love of the father, the sacrifice of Jesus, what Jesus has accomplished and and the the expression of love through the cross. So that's kind of where we're continuing on this week uh from. So 1 Peter um chapter 1 verse 6 Peter says in this you rejoice though now for a little while if necessary you have been grieved by various trials.

That word trials I I I think is better translated as temptations. The word there is actually temptations. He says, "You have been grieved by various temptations so that the tested genuiness of your faith, more precious than gold, that perishes, though is though it is tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

And though you have not seen him, you love him. And though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressable and filled with the glory, excuse me, filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Okay?

[clears throat] When he says, "In this you rejoice," and then he starts talking about trials and temptations. Um, you know, I personally do not remember a a single time where I was uh super joyful in the moments of trial and temptation. Usually, usually you're like, man, I am like holding on for dear life and you're like, you know how they say, you know, God gives his his strong greatest battles to his strongest soldiers.

And you're like, man, how did I make that list? Like, who put me on? who put me on there.

Um, [laughter] but I want to I want to unravel a little bit what it is that that Peter's actually encouraging us uh in and with here in this portion of scripture. So he says, "In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials or various temptations." Uh there's a joy you can find in temptation or in trials because [sighs and gasps] it brings a measure of exposure. And and here's here's what I mean by this.

You know, I um uh a few weeks ago I kind of I kind of got a cut on my uh on my finger and I was doing stuff outside and so my hands were dirty. And so when you look at it, you don't really see like where the cut is or how bad it is. You just kind of feel a discomfort.

And then when you like if you've ever put like rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide on a wound and it starts to sting, you you pretty much don't have any questions about where the wound is. It's it's it stings so bad that you're like you're exactly aware of where the pain is coming from. And so what Peter is saying is in light of the love of the father and how much he loves you.

I I you know I shared this a few weeks ago is that there's nobody in this room that is less worth the love of the father. If you were if God did not love you, you would not have you would not have breath in your lungs. The fact that if if the if it was up to the enemy, you would have been dead yesterday.

But the fact that you have breath in your lungs shows, it demonstrates, it proves that all not only are you loved by the father, but he's got purpose, plans, and calls for your life that when you step into it is ultimate fulfillment in the presence of Jesus. And so in light of the love of the father and what Jesus has paid a price for on the cross when we when he hung there nails in his hands and his feet crown of thorns on his head his body his warm body and blood pouring out on dead rugged cold wood outside as Jesus is hanging there he's thinking of you and I where the scriptures say for the joy set before us he end for the joy set before him he endured the cross you and I were on his mind as he hung there as an expression of the love of the father. And now Peter is saying because of this in light of this reality in love in light of God's deep love for you I want you to find a joy in this that maybe 5 years ago or a year ago when you would do some uh some measure of sin when you would participate in some measure of sin I think we can all we can all relate to this before you met Jesus before you gave your life to Jesus there's certain things you would do and you would never even question you there would be nothing in you that felt bad about it.

Whether it's some sort of substance abuse, some sort of addiction, some sort of uh habits like lying and whatever, stealing maybe all sorts of nonsense. And you would have stole something from the grocery store, went home, and you in fact you feel pretty good because you got away with something bigger than last time. Kind of like a a win here.

And then you give your life to Jesus and all of a sudden you reach for a whatever to steal or something comes out of your mouth where you lie or you swear or you curse or you participate of a substance or of an addiction and everything within you now is like in turmoil because all of a sudden your spirit man is like, "Hey, hey, we no longer participate in activities that pull us away from the presence of Jesus." And in some in some ways, I mean, I've I'm speaking from experience here. So, in some ways, that portion or that time in life almost feels more complicated than just living in sin because now it feels like you're at war and at war with yourself. And so, there's like this like, man, I'm I I want to do something.

I have a temptation, a draw, but I know I'm not supposed to. And then there are times where I cave into it and times not. and and Peter's like, "Hey, listen.

I want to remind you is that because of what Jesus has paid a price for on the cross, there's now a spirit. There's the Holy Spirit that lives within you." Now, when something comes across your place, something comes across your life that violates relationship with Jesus internally, there's there's a trembling because of a fear of the Lord. Amen.

>> And he says,"I want you to find joy in that." Not because there's joy in temptation and in sin. That certainly that's not what he's saying. But he says, "I want you to find a joy in the fact that you are you are experiencing signs or you're experiencing uh the fruit of a life that's being transformed into the image and likeness of Jesus." Is that do you hear what I'm saying?

And so he says he says in this you rejoice though now for a little while if necessary meaning like like uh you know for example like I've never tried cigarettes and there's like I don't know you could put stacks of them outside and like you could wave them in front of my face it like there's there's nothing you could do to tempt me into smoking like it's just like it is it's not there for me. But if there's something else else in my life, like one of the things I really had to grow in in my life uh in when I met Jesus was like I needed validation from people and it was like if somebody didn't think I did a good job in something that I was doing, I'm like it's like I shift into second gear and I'm just like gunning it like trying to prove myself to somebody. And the Lord was, you know, he would just kind of look at me like, "It's okay, bud.

Like, it's not that deep, you know, like relax." And so, for me, it took it took I I I realistically years for me to grow out of a place where I needed the approval or validation of people to be secure in what especially what God called me to do. And so I would I if I would step into something, it was like, okay, did the people I value or the people that I that I deem uh respectable or honorable think I did a good job? And all of a sudden, I totally would miss like was was God proud of me?

Like did I honor Jesus in the moment or it was all about trying to impress somebody else? And so when he says when he says in this you rejoice though though now for a little while if necessary meaning like if there's something in my heart that isn't in line with Jesus it is necessary that that thing be exposed because the far the longer that thing is hidden what happens is is it becomes my life begins to grow and cover over a something that's not supposed to be there and it's toxic it's broken and the rest of my life can build until one that thing no longer has the capacity to carry the weight that my life has. And so he says for if it's if necessary for a time these things things in your heart and your life are exposed but it's necessary because if those things aren't exposed God I'm I'm telling you right now I know this from experience.

God has no problem tearing you down to your weakest point to rebuild it there and then make you strong again. >> Amen. >> Because his goal for my life and your life is not to have the biggest ministry or the biggest signs, wonders, and miracles or or whatever it is that we often times measure our ministry and Christianity in.

God's one intention and purpose for you and I is that we look like Jesus. And if we built an empire of ministry and at the very bottom is a deeply broken rooted uh dark part of the heart, God does not mind kind of shifting all this other stuff aside, handing it to other people so they could steward it and then gets to the bottom of it and is like, "All right, let's work with this thing because one day you'd rather stand before the Lord Jesus at the throne room and your heart is innocent and pure. you're before him, then you have a re what you think is a resume of all the greatest accomplishments and yet God's not impressed because the heart wasn't there.

Do you hear what I'm saying? Like I again I I hope you hear my heart rather the heart of the scriptures. It's not a condemning message.

It's not like here's all the places you made a mistake. It's saying that, hey, when you recognize like a healthy part of your Christianity, of your walk with Jesus, is when there's parts of your heart that are like tempted in a direction that are against scripture. Not that temptation is healthy, but the fact that you're recognizing there's a draw in a direction that wouldn't bother me before all of a sudden I I think twice before I make I go in that direction.

That's a healthy thing. And so he's saying for a time, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, which we've probably all experienced this before. You met Jesus and then all of a sudden you're like, "Man, I'm I'm doing so great." And then you stumbled and you're like, and you did something you know you weren't supposed to do or you said something you shouldn't have said, and inside, you know, like, I'm I've given my life over to something greater than this.

I I wish I didn't do that. And you're grieving it, right? We've all experienced that before.

Okay, just Okay, some of us have. The rest of you teach us, you know, um and you're grieved. You're you violate relationship with God.

You violate the covenant you've made with him, and you're grieved. And Peter's like, "That grief thing that you're that you're sensing, that thing is actually good because what it's saying is it's exposing a part of your heart that isn't whole yet, but it is still giving way to something that is not Jesus." And so he's like, I want you to I want you to find joy in this, not because sin is okay, but because this is this is an expression, this is a rather this is a result of God's deep love for you. and the finished work of the cross.

Because now that you're grieving it, it shows that there's a place your heart needs freedom. And God in his mercy, in his kindness, in his deep love for you, has the freedom available for you. >> Okay?

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials. But you've been grieved by these various temptations, so that the tested genuiness of your faith may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. So watch this.

He says, well, this this is what he's saying. He's saying when you recognize that there's parts of your heart that don't look like Jesus and now you're experiencing the pain of that or experiencing the suffering of that, the grief of that, what happens is your faith is being tested. In other words, what do you live in what you claim to believe?

It's for that reason that when somebody hurts me and Jesus says forgive those who persecute or bless those who persecute you, I get to determine what is it that I believe in the revelation of the Christ who is the expression of the love of the father and I honor all that he's done for my life and the life of the person who hurt me or I choose to live in the way of life that feels comfortable and convenient for me because this is what I've learned in my humanity. ity but when you give when you and I this is why it's so important to know the scriptures and not just to know the scriptures it's important to obey the scriptures it's important to o obey Jesus because in our submission to the Lord Jesus Christ what happens is is exactly what the scriptures say that in the expression of my faith it may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. So, this is what it looks like.

[clears throat] Let's say uh let's say I came to you and I was swearing you out and cursing you and and laughing at you and hurting you and before Jesus, you would respond the same exact way. You're like, "Well, you're stupid and you're" and we just go back and forth. And then you meet Jesus and I come and I do something hurtful towards you again.

And now you're like, "Man, I've I've given my life over to love Jesus and to love people." And let's say something comes out of your mouth that you wish didn't towards [music] me. And you're like, "Ah, okay. Lord, I'm sorry that I said that.

Please cleanse me, purify me through and through, wash me. I don't want to live that way anymore." And then the next time I say something mean towards you, you remain silent and you turn your affection to Jesus and you pray. And then all of a sudden you go home and you start praying for me.

And I start wondering like, why are you not being mad at what I'm doing? Or why are you no longer hurt by it? And the more you you start looking at like Jesus as I continue to try to hurt you and offend you, the more you're expressing what Jesus has finished on the cross.

>> Amen. And the more you're expressing what Jesus has finished on the cross, the more my sin towards you, my hatred, my cursing, my wickedness towards you is being it's it's being deflected. And what's coming back at me is the revelation of the gospel.

And I may not know it, but what happens is when you and I when you and I respond according to the truth of the scriptures, the Bible teaches there's a grace that meets us there. And so now when I say something mean towards you and you go home and you pray for me, when I say something towards you, the words fall off of you and grace, mercy, and the love and the compassion of Jesus falls towards me. And it's almost like the more I sin towards you, the more grace and mercy and compassion of Jesus that I receive in return until one day something breaks in me, until that thing falls over in my life.

And when I behold Jesus, when there's a revelation of the Christ, my entire life gives him glory, honor, and praise because you were a person who knew the Christ, who knew the scriptures. >> Do you hear what I'm saying? Or like what the scriptures are teaching.

I just, you know, I don't want to be talking like sense senselessly, you know, if it's not making sense. It's what Peter is saying is that there's a significance in in us understanding the love of the father, knowing the finished work of the cross, and now choosing to live what Jesus has paid a price for. And even if in my in my revelation of the cross, like because I'm continuing to grow to grow in knowing Jesus, even if I make mistakes or I'm tempted in a in a direction, he's encouraging us saying like, "Hey, that's okay." Not that sin is okay, but it's okay that you may be experiencing because the truth here in Colossians 3:10, watch this is what it says.

Colossians 3:10, it says uh I I'll read from verse 9. He says, "Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices, and now you have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator." In other words, when I took off the old, when I gave my life to Jesus, I put I put Christ on. I put the new excuse me, I put I put the new clothing on.

I was I put on the new self. But this new self still has to be renewed in the knowledge of my creator Jesus. And so as I as I am transformed into his image, his likeness more and more in my new self because I look to him, I love him, I worship him, I spend time with him, then when I step out, I may feel a temptation, but that's only up until I've received a greater revelation of Jesus.

And temptation, all that it's demonstrating is that there's a part of my heart that needs healing. and I will receive it in knowing Jesus. And so so he says in this you rejoice though now for a little while if necessary you have been grieved by various trials so that the tested genuiness of your faith which is more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire so that your faith may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

you know, for for about maybe about seven years or eight years or so, like uh it last decade is like there was there was this heavy emphasis on evangelism and it's it's amazing. I I have absolutely no like it's not that I don't have a problem with it. I think it's incredible and it's amazing and and God really like initiated a movement of evangelism that was like just talk to anybody and everybody on the street and it was beautiful.

But the expression of the gospel is not just preaching it on the street. the the expression of Jesus Christ is a life that reflects the nature of who he is and what the scripture has what the scriptures are teaching us. >> [clears throat] >> If our faith If our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ does not have expression.

We simply have a belief system and belief systems do not change people's lives. The reason faith has power to transform life is because faith interacts. It draws on grace and grace meets us and something eternal happens.

>> Amen. >> But belief systems, me and you claiming to believe that Jesus is a healer does not heal people. Man, you claiming to believe that Jesus forgives does not does not necessarily mean that we forgive people because we have we have a we can have a belief system of what Christians should be and then we actually have what our faith expresses.

And your faith, if you read in James, your faith will be louder proclaimed by what your life looked like than what you confessed. And so my life, your life, the call of the scriptures for us is in light of the revelation of God's love for us through the finished work of the cross. Is that now I become I become what he has paid a price for.

And I don't want anything short of it. Like what a shame it would be to stand one day before the cross and you have every you you kind of lay out all of your best excuses as to why you didn't receive the gospel the fullness of what Jesus has paid a price for. Why is it like I would not want to answer questions to people to martyrs of the faith who had their heads cut off and were burned alive and turned into human candles and laughed at and mocked saw saw in two.

I do not want to look at these people in the eye and and try to answer try to give them an answer, an excuse for why I thought the finished work of the cross was not applicable to my life. So that the tested genuiness of your faith may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you not though you have not seen him, you love him.

And though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with a joy that is inexpressable and filled with glory. So he's saying he's saying your faith is being expressed by the manner of life in which you choose to live. that when you experience the temptations or the trials, when you experience the heartache, the heartache of no longer wanting to fall into sin into temptation, he's like, "What's happening is that even though you did not see Jesus in the natural, well, you know, may probably most of us in the room have have not seen Jesus in the natural." And he says, "Though you do not though you have not seen him, you love him." meaning you have fallen in love not with a figure of some sort with long hair and who's sitting sitting on a golden throne.

You have fallen in love with the Christ, the presence, the the glory of the one who is life itself, the one who carries your sustenance. Amen. >> And so he's like now now the be he's like, you know, if I was to if I was to paraphrase this in today's kind of like language, I'd be like, listen guys, isn't it amazing that God so loved us that he gave his one and only son and Jesus hung on the cross and now these things that I once struggled with once before when I would do certain things, I wouldn't even care.

But now if I do it, my heart breaks because I no longer want to live that way. And so now as my life is being drawn towards Jesus, towards the gospel, I've never seen him. I've never seen him in person, but oh boy, have I experienced him.

Oh boy, have my has my life been absolutely radically transformed by someone I've never seen in the natural, but someone I certainly know is right here with me. >> Amen. And he's like, "This is this is amazing." He's he's, you know, he's he's like encouraging him.

He's like, "Man, you haven't even seen him. You haven't seen him, but you love him." And it shows because now when you sin the same sin that you did yesterday, yesterday when you didn't care, now today because of your love for him, you're like you're breaking inside. And he's like, "And though you do not now see him like in the present, you believe him and rejoice with a joy that is inexpressable and filled with glory." In other words, the more that I look like Jesus, the more I behold him, the more I take him at his word, the more I see him.

Jesus is his word. The more I see him, the more I become like him. And the more I become like him, I am filled with joy that's inexpressable because I look more like him.

>> Amen. >> And so some of the joy in life in life that we may be missing like some of the times where there's like a depression or an anxiety or a fear or a lack of happiness or all that stuff, it's not because your finances aren't, you know, crazy doing crazy good or because you got some bad news or whatever it is. Often times there's a joy that's unexplainable, inexpressable that is found in simply knowing Jesus this way.

And that's the hard the hard part is that for a lot of the western church, knowing Jesus means did do you know there was a man named Jesus who came roughly 2,000 years ago. He died on a cross because we're all worthless sinners. And now hopefully if we live a good enough life, we'll make it to heaven.

And that is our version of knowing Jesus. I certainly hope it's not the case in this room. I mean, we, you know, I I really do I we [music] point to Jesus the best that we know how in in through the scriptures.

But Christianity nowadays is a not a revelation of the Christ Jesus Christ of Nazareth. It is the knowing of a story. Is are you able to retell the story of a guy named Jesus.

And in that place there is no joy because you're just remembering an Easter story. But in knowing the Christ, knowing the Lord Jesus, there's joy inexpressable there, it's filled with glory because Jes become one with the Lord. There's unity.

There's oneness with God. And so now when when I when I say something mean towards you and you know your worth in Jesus, you're not moved at all. And then you go home and you pray for me and you contend for my life, for the salvation of my soul.

And all of a sudden, your joy is no longer rooted in what I said or didn't say. For many of us, the nature of life is that our joy is found in whether the people in our lives did us wrong or not. And the measure of joy or sadness we have will be measured by how much or how little of it we received when when Jesus didn't change.

And so what he's teaching us, what he what the scriptures are teaching us is that there's a joy that is rooted in the finished work of the cross rather than the circumstance of what those around you did or didn't do. And if the joy if our joy is found in the finished work of the cross, my life is being transformed. Your life, our lives as a church, we are being transformed to look more and more like him.

And now when people encounter us, all of a sudden they're experiencing the power of of Jesus. >> Amen. really good.

[clears throat] So you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressable and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. So watch this is what he's saying. He's saying now, not only do you not respond back to me with with evil or with uh wicked intent or hating me or swearing back at me.

Now, even more so, you're filled with joy because your your joy is rooted in Jesus and it's filled with glory. And now you're actually experiencing the outcome of your faith. meaning like what Jesus intended for you when he gave you life to begin with.

You're experiencing the outcome of what he intended when he had you in mind before the foundations of the world. Like when I I've shared this here before is like there's nobody in this room who exists because God needed some like he needed someone to fulfill a call. There's no one in this room who exists because there was a call that was unfulfilled.

>> Your very existence is not because you need to fulfill a call. Your very existence is found in that God thought of you and he loved you. He fell in love with you.

>> The equivalent to that would be that you know in a marriage if a the father was like listen babe 15 years from now maybe one of us gets sick. We're going to need a doctor. Let's have a baby.

force him to be a doctor so that we have a doctor to go to in 15 years or 20 years or whatever. And everybody in the room like if you heard that conversation it would be like I think you've missed the point of having a baby. But if a couple had a baby as an expression of love and the baby's growing up and they're like, "You know what?

Let's let's encourage the this child to grow up into their full potential. And now the child is like, "Dad, I want to be a doctor one day." And you're like, "Oh boy, I'm going to I'm going to do all the research to get you into the best schools to uh to get make sure you get all of your classes done to make sure that you have all the help that you need in studying. I'm going to do whatever it is I can to help you become this thing that you're passionate about.

It's the same thing with God. Sometimes we think like, well, I have I was given life to do this thing and now I'm failing at it. Therefore, I'm just about useless to God.

the a child who was given birth to become a doctor and they hate doctoring and they're failing their classes or they can't understand part of the subject or they're failing tests and now every single time they fail their their reason for existence is no longer there because they're failing at the thing they thought there they were born to do or they were told they were born to do. But the goodness and the love of the father is that none of us here were born because God needed us to accomplish a call. We we exist simply because he loved us with the hope with the desire that we would love him back and be with him.

But the response of a good father is that when a child comes and they do have passion for something, he's like he's there to support, to strengthen, to encourage, to direct. And that's where our calls and assignments in life come in. Do you hear what I'm saying?

I I say this because I want you to understand is that your call and your assignment from God is separate from his love for you. There's nothing there's no amount of calls, assignments, miracles you can accomplish on your life that will convince God to love you anymore. >> There's not even enough like sin you could get rid of in your life for God to love you more.

If that was the case, Jesus wouldn't have died for you and I. Jesus would have died for the ones who have less sin than we do. But it says God so loved the world.

If you're in the world, that meant you. You know, no people on Mars yet. And so the outcome of our faith, the salvation of our souls, in other words, the more the more uh the more you recognize the areas that are wounded in your in your life and in your heart, and the more you give them over to Jesus, the more that he makes it whole.

He heals you, he redeems you, restores you, and the more you find your joy in him. And then you start stepping into the to his intended purpose and intention for your life was that you you live breathe have your being in his presence >> like in a love in a communion with him. And so I'll finish up here.

Uh maybe I don't know who wants to come help. Phil, are you here? I I think the thing that I I hope I communicated today I if if if nothing made sense, I I hope this will make sense is that God is not afraid of your sin.

He's not afraid of your immaturity. He's not afraid of your stumbling. Let let me kind of preface it with this is that this is by no means ever, never ever ever is there a license to live in sin and be okay with it.

That's not at all what I'm saying. I'm just saying that there are times where we we fall, we stumble into sin and we we shame and kind of get at ourselves over it and we failed to see Jesus in the moments of stumbling. And then when you fall into the sin and you you kind of like condemn yourself into hope doing it right next time, what you realize is that you have no power to do it right next time.

Because the power is not found in how deeply you've condemned yourself or shamed yourself. The power is found in seeing Jesus. >> And it's it happens all the time.

I mean like I don't know I I want like this I I'll give you like a percentage that I think is accurate. I would say like 80 85% of people who are struggling with sin and addiction or brokenness uh in life is not because there's no freedom available. It's because there's such a deep focus on the sin itself.

It's such a deep sin consciousness that you can't there you don't see the way out. I shared it here before is like there's two versions of prayer. Well, there's probably more, but two like extremes here.

This is the one that's most common is somebody falls into sin and they go into immediate like, "God, I'm so sick of this thing. Take it away from me. I'm so tired.

I hate that I did this. I should have known better. Why am I like this?

Why has this happened in my life? Why me?" and and this thing sucks and I hate it and and it it sounds good and I would say probably for the most part the heart is is is pure in the sense that it wants freedom but a prayer that looks like that it there's two trees one of them is dead and one of them is living and a prayer that falls in this direction it's watering a dead tree expecting fruit there but it dead trees dead things do not bear fruit. And then you have the other side of things where you made a mistake, you fell into sin, and you're convicted by it, and you turn to Jesus, and you're like, "God, ah, I messed up." But I thank you for the good news of the gospel.

And I thank you that these mo these areas of my heart that are still being drawn to some of these things that I used to deal with and I still deal with. I thank you that I that you expose them. And so I ask, would you cut that stuff away, Lord?

Would you cut it away and help me to look more like you? Would you meet me here, Lord? that my life would be a a radiating testimony of the mercy, the kindness, the grace of the cross.

>> And so I thank you that you don't see me for my sin. You don't judge me according to my sin. You judge me according to my sunship.

And as a son, Lord, I just I ask for your forgiveness. I'm sorry. And I ask give me deeper conviction that and strength.

Give me strength that I wouldn't fall into this direction anymore. And not only Lord would I not fall into it, but help me one day to protect and to help other people from falling in that direction and that your name would be glorified and magnified through my life. And so I thank you for the victory of the cross that that thing has no power over my life.

And then you just began to worship and you're like, I I'm desperate for you, Lord. I need you more than anything. More than the air that I breathe.

More than any song I sing. I need you more than ever before. I need you more.

And all of a sudden, you're starting to bit by bit, you're watering this this little tree, and it's like it's just just making its way out of the ground. And let's say the very next hour after you prayed, the very next hour, boom, same same temptation, same sin. Again, the immediate human response one we're used to is like, "Oh, I'm so stupid and why did I do this and so I should have known better and I'm so tired.

I hate this. I'm giving up." But the parable of the prodigal son is that when you come running home, he's the father ar the father's arms are always wide open. And so you get before Jesus on your knees once again.

You you get on your knees before the Lord and you're like, God, I man I it's only been an hour and I did it again. But I thank you that this is not a sign of my defeat, Lord. that this is this is another step in the journey of my freedom and wholeness and [music] healing.

So, whatever area of my heart is still hurting that's causing me to be drawn here, I thank you for making me whole. That the cross is enough. I thank you for the victory of your broken body, your spilled out blood.

And then you come to the table of communion and you receive the elements and all of a sudden more and more even your sin is drawing you back to the cross, back to Jesus. And so he's like, you haven't seen him yet. You're demonstrating that you love him.

And though you do not see him now, you're filled. You're rejoicing with a joy that is inexpressable and filled with glory. And so you get up from your knees and you're rejoicing because that sin that you committed 3 minutes ago, it's been washed by the blood of Jesus.

Just like we read today in Psalm 103, I just want to reread it for those of you who weren't here yet. Watch. says, "Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

Bless the Lord, oh my soul. Forget not all his benefits." In other words, forget not his testimony. Forget not the one who forgives all of your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good, so that your youth is renewed like the eagles.

And the Lord is merciful. This is verse 8. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Verse 10, watch. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. Jesus bore the punishment for that.

He doesn't repay us according to our iniquities. In fact, for as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love towards those who fear him. And as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our sins from us.

As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. [music] Do you do you see kind of I hope you hear you see the puzzle pieces coming together here. Now I get up from I get up from my knees from prayer and I'm filled with the joy that's inexpressable because three minutes ago I made a mistake and [music] in my prayer in my devotion to Jesus in my love and my affection towards him all of a sudden my sin was removed as far as the east is from the west.

He forgives all of my iniquities. And like a good father, the good father that he is, he demonstrates compassion to his children. What greater joy?

And so [gasps] please, I know, and I know this is hard. Again, I'm speaking from experience. I know this is hard, but it's it's a way of life we have to learn to cultivate and live is sin cannot drive me away from Jesus.

And sin cannot determine my love for Jesus. And when I feel the conviction in my heart, let it be something to rejoice over because it demonstrates there's something happening in my soul where I no longer want to look in a direction that once I did not mind. In many ways when it comes to sin there has to be a short memory.

It's like yes I messed up again I what I'm what I don't want to do is like is make an excuse to sin and kind of be okay with it. If you've been coming here you know that's absolutely not the way that we operate. We believe in the victory of the cross and the finished work of the body, the blood, the testimony of Jesus.

Sin is like it's just not the issue we want to give our affection to. We want to give our affection to the Lord Jesus. And the way the enemy has deceived the church is like, well, if I get them to be tempted and they fall into it, they condemn themselves.

And now again, the focus of their Christianity is how much or how little did I sin? And none of it is Jesus anymore. >> It's in the name of Jesus.

like well I don't want to sin because of Jesus but my my measurement of Christianity is did I or did I did I not sin and Jesus does not ask that question in fact he says you when you repent it's removed as far as the east is from the west because his in his heart his desire his call for us is that when I sin my affection doesn't go to how bad my sin is it goes to how loving merciful ful and gracefilled. He is the cross is okay. So I want to pray for you.

Oh, I mean pray for all of us and um what I what I want to ask you to do is the team will actually in fact team why don't you come up the team I just want them to to lead us for a little bit longer. Um, but what I want to do is is give an opportunity that areas and moments of your life, places of your life that you feel like you're struggling with breakthrough, like you want it, especially if it comes to sin or things like that where you're like, you want it. Um, but it's just like it feels like you're hitting a wall and [music] And I I I just I want to give an opportunity to pray like I was showing in this direction like I was demonstrating in the direction of the Lord Jesus where it's a [music] it's not prayer isn't a result of the of sin.

It is the result of love for Jesus. But not just sin. I I think sin is just tends to be the like one of the most common examples.

It could be sickness or disease in your body. It could be family and brokenness in marriage or relationships or all of that stuff. It's like it could be brought to the Lord.

not not brought in a way that highlights the weight or the bigness of your problem, but in a way that demonstrates a faith in the greatness of our God. >> And so the team will go back into into worship. Um, and I just really it's just kind of like you you and Jesus a little bit like one-on-one time and not very long.

We won't take very long, but I do want us to do some heart work here. And the other thing that I sensed today, as I was praying, I, you know, [music] you might think this is weird. Um, as I was praying earlier today, I was on my knees.

I was praying and my hands just like got like really warm, like really hot, like an unusual [music] warmth. And immediately within my spirit as I started to sense that uh I started I started to I I saw in my mind's eye like laying hands on on on people. And so as I prayed into it, the thing that I sensed is like there's uh there's probably a lot of you in the room where you've been trying to contend for a breakthrough in an area and you feel like it's just it's just not happening.

and but I think there's going to be maybe a few of you that are um that would be bold enough to to come to the front here during worship and and I just I just want to pray for you. Um I just in fact specifically what I saw is just like is [music] laying my hands on on on your head and praying for the renewing of the mind that there'd be a [music] new perspective on this. And so I just want to ask why don't we all stand up.

[clears throat] Um, so I'll let the team minister and again this is you and Jesus just maybe for the next 5 minutes or so. It doesn't have to be long. You could certainly do this at home.

But I also want to ask, especially if you feel drawn, if there's a pull on your heart to come to the front and and and I just I I [music] want to pray for you. I personally I want to pray for you and um and believe with you, contend [music] with you for for breakthrough in some of these areas of life. So I I'll be up here.

There's there's no pressure to um but I do want to honor Jesus. So this is you and the Lord oneonone. You're welcome to the come [music] to the front whenever [music] >> [music] >> Hallelujah.

greatest. [music] Heat. Heat.

[music] >> [music] >> I'm lost and I'm desperate for you. [music] I'm lost [singing] without you. I'm [music] desperate for you.

I'm lost [music and singing] without you. Oh Lord, [singing] [music] I'm desperate for you. I'm lost [singing] without you.

enough. [singing] I'm desperate for [music] you and [singing and music] [singing] I am lost without [music] you. And I [singing] [music] I'm desperate [singing] for [music] you and [singing and music] I [singing] [music] I am lost.

lost without you. And I [singing] And I [singing] [music] I'm desperate for you. And [music] I >> [singing] >> I'm lost without you.

[music] And [singing] I I'm desperate for [music and singing] you. And [music] I [singing] I am [music] lost without you. [music] Oh, and I [singing] and I [music] I'm desperate for you [singing] and I [music] [singing] I'm [music] lost without [singing] you.

>> [music] >> And [singing] [music] I'm desperate for you. [music] >> [singing] >> I'm [music] lost without you. How we need the whole Christ.

[music] And I [singing] I'm desperate for [music] you. [music] And I'm lost without [music] you. Jesus, [music] I love you.

Jesus, I [music] love [singing] you. Jesus, I love you. Jesus, I love you.

[music] Jesus, I love you, Jesus. [music] I love [singing] you, Jesus. I love you, Jesus.

I love you, Jesus. [music] I love you, Jesus. I love you, [music] Jesus.

I love you, Jesus. I love [music] you, Jesus. I love you, Jesus.

[music] I love you, Jesus. I love you, Jesus. [music] I love you, Jesus.

I love [singing] you, Jesus. [music] I love you, Jesus. [singing] I love Jesus.

I love you, [music and singing] Jesus. I love you, [music] Jesus. I [singing] love you, Jesus.

I love you, Jesus. [music] [singing] I love you. [music] Oh, how [singing] we love you.

>> Oh, how [music] we love you. How we love you. >> [music] >> Oh, how we need it, Lord.

[singing] Oh, how we need the Lord. [music] All we need, how we need the whole Christ. [singing] Oh, [music] how we need the whole Christ.

[music] Happy [music] the Lord. [music] Heat. Heat.

[music] Heat. Heat. [music] >> [music] >> Jesus, [music] I love you.

Jesus, I love [music] you. Jesus, I love you. Jesus, [music and singing] I love you, Jesus.

I love [singing] you, Jesus. I love you, Jesus. [music] I love Jesus.

I love you, [music and singing] Jesus. I love you, Jesus. I love [music and singing] you, Jesus.

I love Jesus. I love you. How [music] we love you.

[music] >> How we love you songs [music] I see. >> [music] >> Hallelujah. Heat.

Heat. Heat. [music] >> [music] >> No one else can love you like I love you.

I was invited to be yours. I was [music and singing] made to bring you joy. No one [music] else can love you love.

I was made in your arms. I was [music] made to bring you joy. No one [music] else can love your life.

I love you. I was made [music] in your [singing] arms. I was made to bring you joy.

[music] And no one else can love you like I love you. [music] I was made in [singing] your arms. [music] And no one [singing and music] else can love you like I love you.

I wasn't made unique in your eyes. [music] No one else could love you like I [music] love you, [singing] Lord. I was made unique in your eyes.

I was made to [music] bring you joy. No one else can [music] love you like I love you, Lord. I was made unique in [singing] your eyes.

I [music] was made to bring you. No one else can love you [music] like I love you, Lord. I was unique in [music] your eyes.

I was made to bring you joy. [music] No one else can love you like I love you. I was made [music] unique in your eyes.

I was to bring you. [music] No one else can love you like [music and singing] I love you. I was made to be in your [music] eyes to bring you.

Oh Jesus. Jesus [music] I love [singing] you. Jesus I love [music] you.

Jesus I love [singing] Jesus. I love you. Jesus, [music and singing] I love you.

Jesus, I [music and singing] love you. Jesus, I love Jesus. [music] I [singing] love you.

>> Okay, I want to finish off tonight with just [music] one more song. And as we yield our stuff over to Jesus and repentance and and submit all of those things, all those areas in life, it feels like we're struggling with breakthrough. I want us to uh rejoice and celebrate in his nature.

Okay. [music] So, we're just going to sing one more song. And I just I just want us to [music] bask in the joy of his victory and that this stuff that we bring to him, none of us are victims to the stuff that we face in life.

All of us are victorious through the finished work of the cross. >> And so I want us to rejoice and celebrate in that. Amen.

>> Amen. Wonderful, marvelous, glorious, [singing] [music] omnipotent, righteous and mighty. And Lord, we [music and singing] praise you, we lift you up, we magnify, [music] we glorify, we exalt you, we extol you, we adore you.

Hallelujah. [music and singing] Holy, wonderful, marvelous, [singing] [music] glorious, omnipotent, righteous [singing] and mighty. [music] And Lord, we praise you.

We lift you up. We [music] magnify. We glorify.

[singing] We exalt you. We extol you. We adore [singing] you.

Hallelujah. [music] Holy, wonderful, marvelous, [singing] glorious, [music] unimportant, righteous and mighty. [singing] [music] Lord, we praise you.

We lift you up. We magnify. We glorify.

We exalt you. We exalt [music] you. We adore you.

Hallelujah. Holy, wonderful, [music] marvelous, glorious, righteous and mighty. [music] Lord, we praise you.

We lift you up. We magnify. [music] We glorify.

We exalt you. We extol you. We adore you.

Hallelujah. You're holy, [music] wonderful, marvelous, glorious, universe, righteous and mighty. [music] And Lord, we praise [music] you.

We lift you up. We glorify. We exalt you.

We exto you. We adore [music] you. Hallelujah.

Holy, [music] wonderful, marvelous, glorious, [music] righteous and mighty. And Lord, we praise [music] you. We lift you up.

We magnify. We glorify. We exalt [music] you.

We ex you. We adore you. [music] Hallelujah.

And holy, wonderful, marvelous, [music] glorious, unfortouseous and mighty. [music and singing] And Lord, we praise you. We lift you up.

[music] We magnify. We glorify. We exalt you.

We extol [music] you. We adore you. Hallelujah.

Glory. [music] Wonderful. Glorious unlimited.

[music] Rightous and mighty. [singing] And Lord we praise you. We lift [music] you up.

Weify. We glorify. We exalt you.

We s you. We adore you. Hallelujah.

[music] Holy, wonderful, marvelous, [music] glorious, unlike. [music and singing] And Lord, we praise you. We lift [music] you up.

We magnify. We glorify. We exalt you.

We exalt you. We adore you. Hallelujah.

[music] In holy, wonderful, marvelous, glorious, [music and singing] omnipotent, righteous and mighty. Lord, we [music and singing] praise you. We lift you up.

We magnify. We glorify. We exalt you.

[music] We extol you. We adore [singing] you. >> The cross still.

[music] The blood still flows. The work is finished. The hair still knows that [music] the grave is still empty.

The soul is sing. Heat. Heat.

Heat. [music] [singing] still [music] know that the grave is still empty still. You're [music] still high and lifted up.

You're still on [music] the cross still. Heat. Heat.

Heat. [music] [singing] You still [music] you're still high. [music] You still see it on the ground.

The cross still [music] the work is finished. [music] still know that the grave is still empty. The soul is still [music] and you're still high lifted.

Heat. Heat. [music] is [music] hell still knows that the gra [music] >> [music] >> Every voice will proclaim [music] there is no [music] way we will see.

There is no [music] hiding. [music] Every voice will proclaim there is no highle [music] to we will sing there is no higher name. [music] Every voice [music] will proclaim there is no higher [music] to [music] holy wonderful [music] marvelous glorious [music] righteous might and Lord we praise [music] you.

We lift you up. We magnify. We glorify.

We exalt you. We sore [music] you. We adore you.

Hallelujah and holy, [music] wonderful, marvelous, glorious, unfortouseous [music] and mighty. And Lord, we praise [music] you. We lift you up.

We magnify. We glorify. We exalt you.

[music] We adore you. We adore you. and holy, wonderful, [music] marvelous, glorious, omnipotent, [music] righteous and mighty.

And Lord, we praise [music] you. We lift you, we magnify, we glorify, we exalt you, [music] we adore you. Hallelujah.

[music] Holy, wonderful, marvelous, [music] glorious, omnipresent, righteous and mighty. And Lord we praise [music and singing] you, we lift you up, we magnify, we glorify, [singing] we exalt [music] you, we extol you, we adore [singing] you. The cross still [music] stands.

The blood still flows. The work [music] is [singing] finished. The hell still knows that the grave is still [singing] empty.

The stone is still roll. You're still [singing] high [music] and lifted up. You're still seated all the way through.

Christ still [music and singing] the blood still flows. The work is finished and he has still know [music] that the grave is still empty. The storm is [music] still roll.

You're still [singing] high lifted. [music] You'll still see it on the throne. >> So Jesus, Lord, we remind hell, death, the grave, heaven and [music] earth that we find our confidence, our assurance, our safety, our victory in the one name, [music] the name that is above every other name.

and the victory of and the one who held victory on a cross and our Lord and Savior, our King, Master, our friend, shepherd, the one and only Jesus [music] Christ. >> Hallelujah. And >> so I thank you Lord for all of us in the room Lord that there would be victory and [music] breakthrough.

And we ask Holy Spirit keep us in check. Give us conviction that we would be reminded even if we stumble we do not give affection to sin, we give affection to our Lord Jesus. Remind us God, help us to live in this way of life.

And that in our church, you would have your way. [music] And that in this room with this people, God, there would be breakthrough of deliverance and healing and wholeness and salvation. that the nations would find a refuge in our house where there is a people who have yielded themselves over to the Lord Jesus.

But first, Lord, do a work [music] in us. Have your way in us. do the work in us that we may carry your presence that we would carry the testimonies that we would carry your marks God that we would carry the good news of the gospel and so mark us Lord we I thank you for [music] your forgiveness Lord that for all of us in this room, Lord.

Every soul, every every heart, you wipe away sin. And though our sin was a scarlet, you have washed us white to sin. And it's all because of your deep love [music] for us.

So, thank you. So, we give you all of the glory tonight, all of the honor with so much gratitude, gratefulness, [music] Lord, thanksgiving. We thank you.

Have your way in us. [music] And I pray, Lord, even tonight as we go home, that you'd continue to minister to our hearts. And as we're asleep tonight, that you would continue a work within our hearts and our minds.

[music] And that tomorrow morning we wake up, we would look more like you. >> We love you, [music] Jesus. >> And in your most holy and precious name, we pray.

>> Amen. >> Amen. >> Amen.

Amen. Amen.