That Time When God Was Kind To Me: Part 1 - Pastor Andrew Damazio

Hey, this is Andrew Demazio, lead pastor of Rose Church here in Portland, Oregon.

Welcome to our podcast.

Our mission here at Rose is building big people, becoming like Jesus in community while growing in our faith.

Whoever you are, wherever you are, I pray today's message challenges you and encourages you on your walk with Jesus.

Thank you so much for listening.

Enjoy today's podcast.

Today is a uh pretty historic and major Sunday.

If you're new today, my name is Andrew.

My wife and I, Julia, are the pastors here at Rose.

If you're in this room, to all those standing on the deck, the two overflows, nursery mom's room, family room, out in the lobby, wherever you're at in this building, um, we are we're so honored that you're here.

And uh today is a uh pretty significant day and have a pretty pretty amazing announcement to make.

But uh, real quick, many of you know that we have been on a journey of uh pursuing a new building um actually for a number of years.

Um our real estate agent Dan is here.

He said, Welcome, Dan.

Um he has been uh he's the one that got us into this building.

So we've been uh close with Dan now for almost seven years of journey with him and looking through buildings and hundreds of them over to be honest, over the last number of years, trying to find a new space so that we can do church together um legally, um in a room that we're supposed to fit in.

And uh was we've been on a pursuit for the last um probably a real year and a half, like really, really looking through some buildings.

And many of you know that in April, uh after Easter, we stepped out in faith, um, significant faith uh to buy a building, um, 1715 Northwest over in Pearl Slabtown area.

And many of you came and saw that building, and we stepped out in a significant way to raise$17 million.

And uh that is an absurd amount of money for any church, but for sure for us.

And it was a huge, huge step of faith.

And um we did it uh to the best of our ability um to step out, and um we had ended up having just so you know, we ended up having a 5.4 million pledged toward that building.

Um, and 1.4 million has come in uh of that 5.4.

So, first off, thank you so much for your generosity.

Um, so many people um sacrificing finances.

So, thank you, thank you for that.

And then uh about a month ago, um, that door began to close on 1715.

And um, myself and uh Jim and Dan, our real estate team, we uh just started feeling really from from the owner of the building is what she started asking for and where the conversation started is not where it ended.

And uh she became unfortunately incredibly um immovable about some things and became incredibly unrealistic.

It was already a step of faith at 17, and then she wanted significantly more, and then it kind of just broke down.

And we got an email from her one morning, and the team, like all the things she was asking for, myself and Dan and Jim, were like, this is just not going to happen.

Um, and then I started like, what do I tell the church and what do we do from here?

And man, what we we are out here, like what do we do now?

And within an hour um of that email, uh Dan texted me and it's like, Hey, here's an address, meet me here right now.

I was like, Okay.

And so ended up uh looking at a church property down the road from here, and uh that started a um a cycle of conversations over the last month and a half, and I wanted to like have enough of the ball move down the field before I even brought it to you guys.

And so I about two weeks ago, I told everyone, told the church that that building had closed, the opportunity had closed, and there was another uh that had opened.

I need you guys to pray for it.

Um, and that building had has fully opened the opportunity.

Amazing.

So here's uh just a number of photos uh I want to share with you as we move on.

Uh, number one, the big thing for us that is that it's a 10-acre plot of land, and uh which is absurd in the city of Portland.

A big part of it for us was that 4.5 acres of land that we can develop, and so we're pursuing the city.

Uh, you still need to pray that we're trying to build a new sanctuary, we're trying to build a gym, we're trying to build the youth wing, we're trying to like we're we're pursuing to build uh on that 4.5 acres of land.

There's already 130 spots, uh parking, which we go from zero to 130.

So um, and then uh this little square, right over this little dirt square over here, we're gonna build a gym and there.

Uh then you see on this side all the courtyards, all the front area, and then that's where the kids' wing is.

So there's a drop-off now, that little U drop-off for all the parents and their kids to go in there.

So uh pretty amazing.

It is just three miles up the road.

We're on 30th, it's on 65th.

It's just a couple minutes' drive up and to the right over on uh division.

Uh it's across the street from Warner Pacific College.

And so if you know where that is, then I've been involved in the Warner Pack preaching at chapels there and stuff like that.

So I've gotten close with the president and the pastor there.

And so um uh they've already agreed, uh we talked to them.

We can use their entire parking lot, which is 250 spaces that we can use uh their parking lot, uh, which is awesome.

Um and and as you saw, uh there is a church there uh currently called All City.

And uh Pastor Joe Gerber, who's been a friend of mine uh over the last six years of them planting All City Church.

They've been in this building uh for about six years, and about a year and a half ago, All City Church joined a family of churches uh that is now called One Church with Willama Christian and Beaverton Christian, a bunch of other churches.

And uh many of you were a part of All City and are very close with Joe and he's he's the best.

And uh we got approached during this process um that we would uh pray about considering absorbing All City Um and that church becoming Rose.

And so we we've agreed to do so.

And so today, like literally right now, uh Joe is telling that church that they are becoming uh Rose Church.

Uh and so we'll be absorbing uh uh that church that's there on the property.

Uh there is just a few more photos for you.

It's an amazing um old brick building.

Again, I loved the other building we were pursuing, um, but this feels like home.

Uh I didn't know this until a couple weeks ago.

Dan, I don't know if you know this, but somebody gave two million dollars uh about two years ago to redo all of the stained glass.

And so it's brand new stained glass in the entire building.

And so again, it feels a lot like us with an older building, stained glass, uh huge, like the the sanctuary is probably the other 50 feet higher.

Like it you can't really stay on the photos, it's a massive room.

And so just some really cool photos of the sanctuary, the stained glass, and there is a balcony, so don't you worry, you guys will still be up there, you'll still have your balcony.

Uh you can see the front of the building, that entire kids' drop-off area and front courtyards.

Um, there's that plot of land, the dirt where we're uh asking the city to build a gym, some other stuff.

Uh, a big thing for us was the kids' classrooms.

Our current building has four classrooms for kids.

This building has 17.

And so it's a big, a big thing for us with our kids and our youth and all that.

Just some generic numbers for you.

At least 800 seats can be in that sanctuary.

The permit says 918, so we're gonna try to get 918 people in there, but it is a bigger sanctuary than ours, which is a big deal.

Um, 150 kids can fit back in the kids' rooms, those 17 rooms, which is a lot more than we can have now.

Our building, uh, to give you perspective, is 28,000 square feet.

That one is 31.

Uh as I said, the 4.5 acres of land that we can develop, uh, then the parking lot that's already there on site.

And friends, it's all flat.

No more hails in Jesus' name.

Um, but this is when the the story gets cool, and so we got uh approached about this building, myself and Dan and Jim.

And uh then then the word kind of got out that the building was available, and so it was us versus another church and a school.

And so the eldership, uh, me and Julia went and met with them, and they're like, hey, like it's it's you and another church and a school, and so why don't you write us a three-page letter on what you would do with the building?

And uh we'll choose one of them.

So I wrote the best three-page letter that I could write and said, like, hey, this is what we do with the property, this is who Rose is.

And uh, after about two weeks, the elders um then prayed and said, Hey, we we choose you versus the school and the other church, and we'd like to partner with you.

And um announced to me, actually, the elders, I don't know if they're here in this service or the other ones, but they were going to Rose for about a month and all of our services and just being around and watching everything that God is doing.

Like, after a significant amount of prayer, we we believed that we want to partner with Rose, and uh, but this is not a negotiation.

Why don't you offer us something?

And I'm like, why don't you tell me what number you want me to offer you?

And I was like, Well, I guess anything's better than 17 million, you know, everything's everything's lower than that, you know.

And so we ended up riding in LOI and had a whole conversation.

We offered him three million.

Um, that's where we started.

Like the property is free and paid off, and we knew that.

So, hey, we offer you three, and uh unbeknownst to us, the other church offered them six and a half.

Um, so yeah, forget them.

Um and then we know I don't want the school offered them and where that conversation went, but like, hey, just so you know, this is where we're at.

And I was like, oh, do you want us to match?

Or like, no, we we believe that this is this is your building and we really want to partner with you.

But um, so we want to be generous, so we'll we'll give it to you for four.

Like, you offer three, we'll give it to you for four, it's less than six and a half.

And I was like, okay, um, let's pray about that.

You know, obviously there's still some huge constraints on the property that we need to talk to the city about, and permits and and and CUPs, and all the all the I'm an engineer at this point, the amount of conversations I've been in.

I can go work for an engineering firm here after Rose.

But um, there's a lot of permits and land use and soil testing and you know, um traffic analysis.

There's a whole bunch of stuff that had to go in.

It's like, okay, well, we'll we agree to the four million, but we need you know 180 days of due diligence to do some stuff.

And they're like, okay.

Um uh we agreed.

So we're getting ready to sign that LOI and and and contract and stuff, and then I got a text from the lead elder.

Her name is Chris, who leads that movement.

And she's like, we're gonna meet tomorrow night as an elder, and can you meet uh can you meet tomorrow morning?

I was like, sure.

So I got a text on Monday, um, I believe it was a Monday, uh, at like 9 p.m.

Hey, can you meet tomorrow morning at 8 a.m.?

I was like, I don't do 8 a.m.

meetings, I will be late.

Um, and she's like, no, we need we need to meet at 8 a.m.

It's it's important.

I said, sure.

And so we meet, and she was like, hey, like we're we're so thankful that you guys are involved, and you know, we do believe that this is your building.

Um, you know, we prayed.

Uh we we are for the kingdom, we're not just for one church, we're not just for the the five churches that we oversee.

And um, we had a long meeting last night as an eldership.

Um, and we know that you agreed to four million, um, and we're thankful for that, but we've decided to give you the property for free.

Uh so we have we've been given that property uh for free, uh, which is pretty exciting.

So I think we should take a moment and just praise the Lord together.

I wanna shift gears a bit.

Uh we've been on a series called The Art of the Table about relationships, and we're gonna we're gonna table that conversation.

Get it?

Um for a bit.

Uh I I we had a whole plan to talk about friendship and more marriage stuff and sex and a bunch of stuff I I really want to talk about, but I really feel that we need to table that for a little bit.

We'll pick up that series here in a number of weeks or maybe a few months, I don't know.

Um but I just felt something really deep in my heart this week that I want to um give you.

Um and we're gonna spend, I don't know, two, three, four, five, six weeks on this idea, something I felt pretty, pretty strongly.

Um today is not even gonna be a homilytical perfect word, if you will, or just like a perfect sermon.

Today I want to impart something into you that's just been in my heart for um the last seven days for sure.

Um that I just can't shake.

And so we're gonna we're gonna start a series or really just a collection of talks today around the idea that that time that God was kind to me.

That time that God was kind to me.

We're gonna read out of Matthew 14 today.

Matthew 14, a very famous story, but I wanna maybe lay it in your lap, a way that you've not considered.

It says this immediately after this, the immediately after this is the feeding of the five thousand.

So the the five loves and two fish miracle, the feeding the five thousand, which is probably more like fifteen thousand, they're just counting the men, five thousand men, and so that's the after this.

So right after this significant miracle, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake while he sent the people home.

After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray.

Night fell and he was there alone.

Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land.

For a strong wind had risen and they were fighting heavy waves.

About three o'clock in the morning, Jesus came toward them, walking on water.

When the disciples saw him walking on water, they were terrified.

In their fear, they cried out, It is a ghost.

You see, when God operates in a way you're not used to, you don't know what to call him.

They had never seen this before.

They've never seen Jesus walk on water.

And so oftentimes in our life, in our fear, we call God outside his name because we don't know how he's operating in his current state.

And this is so new for them.

They're like, is it a ghost?

Like, what is going on here?

But Jesus spoke to them at once and said, Don't be afraid.

He's like, courage I'm here.

Then Peter called I love Peter.

Peter called out to him, Lord, if it's really you, I'm gonna come out to you.

Walking on the water.

Yes, come.

Jesus said.

Peter went over to the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.

But when he saw the strong wind and waves and he was terrified and began to say, Save me, Lord.

And Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him.

You have so little faith.

Jesus said, Why did you doubt me?

When they climbed back into the boat, the wind is off.

Then the disciples worshiped him.

For you really are the Son of God.

They exclaimed.

Pause there for a moment.

I want to talk about faith today, just for a second.

I'm gonna just have some introductory thoughts for you, then we're gonna land somewhere really, really important.

I want you to see five things today that faith does in my life, in your life.

Number one, faith responds to a word.

The Bible says faith comes by hearing.

And hearing of the word of God.

That means I'm not allowed to have faith for things he never said.

That's called hope.

I can hope for things, but my faith is built based off the word that I hear.

It is God's word in my life that builds the faith in my life to respond to the word that I heard.

Faith responds to the word of God in our life.

And many have argued, many scholars and historians have argued why didn't all of the disciples get out of the boat?

Why was it just Peter?

Because Jesus only called Peter's name.

It is a horrible season to be in when you try to get out of the boat without a word.

To get out of a boat and try to take a step of faith without a word is spiritual suicide.

Because we are only allowed to respond to the word that we hear.

See, there's two words that happen to the disciples in this moment.

There is a logos word and a rhema word.

Logos is Jesus is the Logos, the capital, no, it's the word, it's the generic word.

When you read the Bible, you are hearing the Logos word.

When God takes the word off the pages and puts it in your heart, that is a rhema word.

So in the boat, Jesus tells all of the disciples to take courage.

Only tells one of them, come.

We have different seasons of our life of hearing the generic word of God, and then there is that individual rhema word of God just to you.

And it takes a mature saint to ask the question, Lord, are you talking to us or me?

Is this a generic word you're asking all of us to respond to, or are you talking to me?

The only reason Peter got out of the boat is because he's the only one Jesus told to.

Which, by the way, it also takes faith to stay in the boat.

So sometimes we want to get out of the boat and make some steps, but God's like, I told you to stay in the boat.

For some of you, you're like, I want to get out, and God's like, you stay right there in that boat.

And some people are like, I want to stay in the boat.

God's like, I called you by name, you better get out of the boat.

Both obediences create faith in the lives of the disciples.

But Jesus gets out of, uh calls Peter out of the boat because faith responds to the word of God in our life.

I got out of the boat with 1715 because I heard the Lord say, do it.

That wasn't my ingenuity.

That wasn't my like, let's go buy a$17 million bill thing.

I was like, Lord, you better do this.

I'm responding to what I heard you say.

Faith responds to a word.

Number two, I'm gonna go quick because we're gonna land somewhere.

Number two, faith does not erase the wind.

I think many times in our life we assume that if I obey, it'll be easy.

Obedience means ease.

I thought that if I obeyed and got out of the boat, the winds and waves would stop.

I don't know about you, but I find in my life the only reason the winds and the waves started is because I got out of the boat.

That's a frustrating place to be in.

When you're like, man, the only reason this wind and wave started is because I obeyed the Lord.

If I would have disobeyed and stayed in the boat, this would have been easier.

This situation would have never started if I would have just stayed in the boat.

I mean, I'll tell you what, the week that we pursued that building, the winds and waves started.

I don't have time to divulge into that, but I'll tell you right now.

The week I made that announcement, the winds came.

The waves came.

Because many times your obedience in faith awakens something against you.

Sometimes I want to ask you if if you're never experiencing the winds and the waves, are you really obeying?

If there's never levels of resistance in your life spiritually, are you really obeying the word of the Lord in your life?

So unfortunately, sometimes we assume the winds and the waves are a sign of our disobedience, not our obedience.

I stepped out, I obeyed the word and it started.

Now this is the sign I should have never known it's a sign you should have.

It's a sign of someone walking out of the boat, walking out of in faith to the word that they heard in their life.

By the way, I wish I had more time, but one of the main goals of the wind and waves in your life is to erase your memory.

What did verse 12 say?

It says, immediately after this, what is he after this?

A significant miracle.

I'm sorry.

If I saw Jesus take one phileo fish from McDonald's and just kept handing it out over and over and over and over and over and over again, I mean, one Chick-fil-A meal fed 15,000 people.

So think about that.

They just saw a miracle of God.

And the next scene is them in a storm going, where's God?

Winds and waves always want to erase your memory from the last thing God did.

Because if you can remind yourself, wait a minute, he was there last time, and the time before that, and the time before that, and he showed up in the last storm, you will have more peace in the current storm.

And if you don't forget what he did in the last one.

The winds and the waves do not erase the wind.

Third, we're going quick because I want to get somewhere.

Faith does not require all of the details.

No man before Peter and no man after Peter has walked on the water.

Somebody like I ran real quick across the pool.

No, you didn't.

No man before, no man after has ever walked on the water.

So there was no blueprint.

There was no, well, Abraham did it this way, so I'll do it this way.

There was no, I watched Jacob do it, so I'll do it this way.

There is no, my dad did it this way, so I'll do it this way.

This is a new unseasoned in a way miracle.

Peter, this is the best.

I love Peter so much.

I see so much myself in him.

His mouth gets him in trouble.

He tries to cut people's hair off.

He just, he's the problem.

He's like the unhinged junior hire that yells during the sermon the whole time.

Like he's Peter's the best.

I love it.

Peter goes, Jesus, is it you?

If it is, have him come out there.

And Jesus goes, Well, come on.

I bet you Peter goes, man.

I just see it.

Him going, I didn't think he would do that.

I thought he would say, You can't do what I do.

I thought he would say, This is only for I can't.

He goes, Go ahead.

Could you imagine the response to Peter?

By the way, friends, be careful what you pray in these altars.

God have it all.

And then he takes it all.

You're like, where'd it go?

You told me to take it all when I did.

I'm serious, friends.

Be careful what you pray.

God will do whatever you want.

And he sends you to the mission field.

You're like, I didn't mean that.

I meant like anything you want within this neighborhood.

He's like, if it's you, call me.

He's like, well, come on.

And the Bible says, and then immediately Peter stepped over.

If it was you and I, friends, I'd be like, well, how cold is the water?

Well, how far are you?

How many steps do I have to take?

Do you want me to take big steps or small steps?

Do you want me to run?

Do you want me to walk?

How long is it going to take me to get to you?

Look, we need details.

Peter is a man that does not need details.

He goes, Lord, if you said come, I'm on my way.

Friends, I don't know if it's you, but I want to have a spirit just like Peter and be part of a church.

Just like Peter saying, Lord, when you say go, I'm coming.

Lord, I don't need all the details, I don't need all the answers, I don't need all the ways.

Lord, if you say move, how far do you want me to move?

You want me to step, how far do you want me to step?

Faith does not require all the details.

See, my fear is too many Christians are too calculated.

Okay, I'll do it, but I'll do it in a month.

Because I'll save by then.

And then I'll do it when I'm 25, not 22, because I need to graduate for a bit, and I'll do it when our third kid comes.

How calculated do we need to be to obey the word of God in my life, in your life, and our church's life?

I felt this all week.

I don't want a preserving spirit.

I don't want to be a part of a church because no, no, no, no, the boat's pretty good.

It's warm over here, it's dry over here.

The boat hasn't been too bad.

The boat's been serving us pretty well.

I don't want a preserving spirit.

I want a spirit like the Old Testament man named Caleb that says, Lord, give me my mountain.

I have this in my heart this week.

I go, Lord, whatever's in my story, I want it.

Whatever you've pre-written in my story, I want it.

Whatever mountain, whatever miracle, whatever land, whatever you've pre-written in my story, I want it.

I don't want a preserving spirit.

I'm not talking about being unwise and just jumping out of the boat for no reason.

Yeah, I agree.

Wisdom, there's a whole book on it.

Go Proverbs.

I agree with wisdom.

But at some point, are we more, do we have more faith in our calculation than the Word of God has told us to move?

Faith does not need all the details.

You write this down.

Faith is trusting in advance what will only make sense in reverse.

I'm telling you.

Serve Jesus not for a few Sundays, for some decades.

And he's asking you to do some stuff right now.

You're like, this doesn't make sense.

I ain't doing that.

That doesn't compute to my calculation.

That's not in my schedule.

And then you get 20 years down a road and go, oh, that makes sense now.

I see what he was doing back then.

Faith only makes sense in reverse many times.

And we just believe in advance that we're obeying the word of the Lord.

We don't need all of the details.

Number four, faith brings new revelation.

What do I mean by that?

Friends, there are aspects of God you will never know while you stay in the boat.

There are aspects of Jesus you will never know if you stay in the boat.

There are some things about God you only find out out there.

See, they've never seen Jesus walk on water.

They've never seen him calm a storm like this.

He does it a number of other times.

This is the first, though.

This is the first time they've seen Jesus in this authority.

What created it?

A man stepping out of faith?

You stepping out in faith and obeying the word of the Lord in your life.

Gives you new perspective to him.

You will find out he's your provider till you get out there a ways.

You will find out how near he really is till you get out there a ways.

It is the steps of faith that bring new revelation in your life.

You see different aspects of him.

So some of you are like, I want to learn more about God.

I want to be deeper in my relationship with God.

Take some steps.

And you'll find out different things about God.

Because the Bible says that when they get back into the boat, the wind stops.

Which leads to me to believe theologically that the winds were there for a lesson, not death.

That shows me that the winds were merely there to show them that he is Lord over the winds.

Because they stopped the minute he got there.

Have you ever considered that?

The winds and waves in your life right now are not an assignment for your death, but an assignment for you to learn.

What God does you serve, the power he has, the closeness therein, you are learning new things about God, not in the boat.

I mean, I haven't learned things about God planning this church.

I did not know.

You can't read these things in a book.

It's when you take those steps of faith outside this boat and go, Lord, you better meet me out here.

And you need to learn new things about him because faith brings new revelation.

All that is introduction to right here.

This is why I wish I could just take my heart and put it in your chest.

This is what I've deeply felt.

This is what we're gonna spend, I don't know, the next number of weeks on this.

Faith can be imperfect.

Okay, so friends, let's contextualize and humanize the text for a second.

Could you imagine Peter getting outside that boat and the first couple steps, I bet you his shoulders are back?

Oh yeah, I'm walking on water.

But then the Bible says he gets the ways out there.

And he says he begins to see the winds in the waves.

The environment's beginning to take over, and the Bible says he begins to sink.

You know in your Bible there's a little header above this that says Peter walking on water?

Right?

Why isn't it saying with the time that Peter sank?

I I just I just wonder when Peter got back into the boat.

He said, Guys, you see me walk on water?

Did you guys see that?

I wonder his countenance.

I wonder his demeanor when he got back to that boat.

And this story went pause.

And what story did he tell?

What story did he tell the other disciples back in the boat?

While Peter was out there sinking, which by the way, it is so easy to stay in the boat and judge those out in the water to do it a different way.

While you stay dry, like I would have done it different back there.

I would have announced the building different.

I would have done that different.

I would have said that different.

I didn't like that sermon.

While you stay dry in your boat, it is so easy to stay warm and dry in the boat while judging everybody else out in the water.

Trying.

Learning.

Trying.

Imperfectly.

The Bible says he gets out of the boat and he walks.

And he sinks.

Why did Peter believe he could walk on water?

Because he saw Jesus do it.

So, in other words, here's the disciple trying to imitate Christ and failing.

Sound like anyone else in the room?

Man, there's been some trauma, there's been some times I tried to imitate him, but I fell doing it.

There's some times I tried to try to act like him, but I fell in the process.

I started really strong.

Anyone can have get out of the boat faith.

It's different to have middle faith.

Man, when you when you first step out, man, your shoulders are back, and I can do this.

You get out there when you're like, Where am I?

Why did I do this?

I should have listened to her.

I'm not this person.

I can't do this.

I'm not good enough for this.

God doesn't choose people like me.

I've made too many mistakes to be out here.

I have a history.

I don't belong out here.

And your what?

Your mind starts going, and what?

You see the winds and the waves.

And you sink.

Why isn't this story called the time that Peter sank?

Why is it called the time that Peter walked on water?

Because how you frame a story changes everything.

I signed Monday morning for the building.

Signed the papers.

Agreed to the$1.

I said, I think we can do that.

And I got on the plane and flew to LA, which I told you guys last week and had a pastor's gathering.

I was so excited to tell my friends.

I'm like, on this plane.

I'm like, we just bought a$9 million property for$1.

I'm gonna tell all of my friends.

So I get there and I'm telling my friends.

And it's like, come over here, tell it again.

I just told the story over and over and over.

Come here, come here, hear this story.

Come here, hear this story.

I just I just told this story over and over and over again.

And and I I Ubered there, so I didn't have a car and write a car.

So I'm Ubering back to the back to the hotel.

I'm in the back of this horrible driver's Uber car ride.

I'm texting Julie, like, I'm gonna throw up.

And I'm driving back to my hotel and I felt the deep conviction of the Lord.

I was like, why'd you tell everyone you got the building for those reasons?

I was like, what are you talking about?

He's like, you got that building because I'm kind to you.

Why'd you tell people that?

The next time, the next time somebody asks you, why'd you get that job?

Because he was kind to me.

How did you how'd you get that raise?

He was kind to me.

Why did your cancer disappear in your body?

Because he was kind to me.

Why are your kids serving the Lord?

Because he's kind to me.

Why is your marriage healthy?

Because he's kind to me.

Why are you in your right mind?

Because he's kind to me.

Why where'd you get those friends from?

Because he's kind to me.

Instead of because I walk on water, that's why.

How'd you get that?

Because I walked on water.

And I said yes to the Lord, and I stepped out in faith.

Really?

That's why?

You think he honored your water walking?

Last time I checked, Joker, you sank! But that's what we tell people, huh?

How'd you get that?

Because I walked on water.

The whole time?

The whole time.

Why do you think you got that job?

I got faith.

Why'd you get that building?

We fasted and prayed.

Why did God remove cancer from your body?

Because I have a lot of faith.

Oh, you think your water walking got you that?

You think your faith got you that?

The last time I checked, you got that because he was kind to you.

That's why.

So, church, as we walk out of this unbelievably illegally filled building.

How'd you do it?

He was kind.

Did you guys fast?

It wasn't because of that.

How much faith did you have?

It wasn't because of that.

Did you guys march around it like the walls of Jericho?

Wasn't because of that.

Did you lay hands on it?

Wasn't because of that.

It's because you guys gave in faith.

Wasn't because of that.

Why didn't because he's kind.

Which is super cool as a church, but I want to zone in into your life.

How many times have you walked out of the room and told the walking on water story?

Not the, bro, I tried and I sank.

And he grabbed me.

You don't know my story?

I took some steps imperfectly.

I obeyed the word of the Lord.

I got out of the boat and it wasn't perfect.

And I actually sank during the process.

And he grabbed me.

And pulled me above the water and put my feet on a rock.

Pulled me from the Myrry clay and put my feet on a rock.

And he, why did he do it?

Because he's a guy.

When was the last time you told that narrative?

Because friends, I'll be honest, I've not been perfect during this process.

Even looking back on how I announced the building, I'm like, you didn't need to say all that.

You didn't need to be that harsh and that aggressive.

Like, Peter, calm down.

And then two weeks later, I'm like, you could have been more than that.

Like, that was a bit soft.

Can you firm up?

But like, I've not been perfect in this process by any means.

And I will never be.

If that's what you're looking for, it's not me.

If you're looking for a perfect calculated pastor, friends, it's not me.

But I'll tell you what, I'm gonna obey the word of the Lord imperfectly.

If he says go, I'm going.

If he says step out, I'm stepping out.

If he says jump out, I'm jumping.

Why?

Because he said so.

And I've I've been serving Jesus long enough that I know even if I get out there and I and I sink, and you will.

Because if you don't sink, then it's about you.

So maybe your sinking was the grace of God in your life, so the arrogance doesn't well up.

Maybe you sinking was the greatest thing for you.

So you can't get back to the boat and tell everybody how many steps you took and how the water felt.

And all you act, all you can do get back to that boat and go, I sank y'all.

But he grabbed me.

I was there and I fell, but he grabbed me.

And I don't know why my faith failed.

I got caught up in the winds and the waves.

I got distracted.

I fell.

The winds took me over.

But I'll tell you what, he is faithful.

He is closer than a brother.

And he grabbed me.

And if I was Jesus, I would have let him sunk a little longer.

The Bible says he grabbed him immediately.

I would have let him go a little down.

I would have let him sink a little farther and maybe pulled him up a little slower.

In Greek, just like English, there's emphasis, right?

Exclamations, stuff like that, right?

But they don't have exclamations, they have words that emphasize.

Jesus says to him, Why don't you have faith?

The tone in Greek is how you would speak to a child.

He's not like, Why did you have faith in me?

He's like, Why didn't you have faith in me?

He is He is gentle to the failure.

He's not harsh to the failure.

He's like, Peter, you know me.

Why don't you have faith in me?

And he picks him up and takes him back to the boat.

Church, I wanna.

I don't even know where the series is gonna go, but I feel it deep in my bones.

That we're gonna spend a number of weeks almost repeating myself in different stories.

I'm gonna ask you, church, in the next days and weeks to start focusing on God's kindness.

That's all.

Start journaling when he was kind.

Start telling your friends.

Can I tell you a story about when he was kind to me?

What narrative have you been peddling around here?

That you're the great water walker or you serve a kind, gentle God that when you fail, he is right.

That phrase has just been in my heart.

I mean, let me tell you about the time that God was kind to me.

So that when we get in this new building, which this building was a miracle, that building was a miracle, I believe it's gonna continue.

If we're in that building for two years, five years, eight years, I believe another miracle is on the way.

I just believe this is how God works.

And we're gonna have chances to tell people what happened in that building.

Sit down.

Let me tell you about a time God was kind to me.

Do you see the difference?

Let me tell you when I walked on water last week.

You mean when you fell?

No, no, no.

I walked on water.

You mean the time that you sank?

Notice that we leave out certain parts of our stories.

Why did we get this building?

Because God was kind.

Friends, we started in a living room with 21 people.

Please don't walk in here and be impressed because I'm not.

We started with 21 people in a living room.

Six of them being high schoolers that were not helpful.

Our first Sunday had 44 adults.

Yes.

Whatever, 4,000 people go to roast.

Who cares?

But if I'm not careful and we're not careful, we think we have clever answers on why this is happening.

It's because of the preaching, it's because of the worship, it's because of the community.

No, it is not.

Though those things are great.

Do you know why this is happening?

Because he is kind of that is our answer.

And it should be yours.

So I want you to get this phrase deep in your heart.

Like when people start asking you questions, because he was kind.

You should see a pastor's face when I meet him at pastor's gathering.

How did you grow the church?

When I go, God's kindness, they go, cool, what else?

Because that's not the answer they want.

They want formulas.

What is the seven things you did?

What do you do for pursuits?

What do you do for welcome dinners?

How do you organize your staff?

What do you pay people?

How do Sundays work?

What is your Sunday flow?

As if that is why this has happened.

We are joking to ourselves, lying to ourselves, blinding ourselves.

If we think your life is anything other than the kindness and mercy and grace of God in your life.

Let us start pedaling that in these streets.

Because he was kind.

Guess why?

Why do you serve like that?

Because God's kind to me.

Why do you give like that?

Because God's kind to me.

Why do you treat people that way?

Because God's kind to me.

Why do you forgive like that?

Because God's kind to me.

What other answer do we have?

That's not a lie.

Let's talk about the time that God is kind of.

Yeah, let's take some steps.

Let's get out of the boat.

Let's take some moves.

But you better know thinking is coming.

Because we're human.

But God's kindness is going to be there.

What does David say?

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

He leads me by still waters and lets me lay down in green pastures.

Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.

For your rod and staff, they comfort me and they protect me.

You set a table up in the presence of my enemies, and my cup runs over.

For surely, your kindness and your mercy will follow me all of the days of my life.

So, what is my response?

I will be found in the house of the Lord forever.

Surely you're not chasing his goodness and mercy.

It's chasing you.

You're not pursuing his kindness, it's pursuing you.

You thought this was you pursuing God?

You thought this was you making good decisions toward him?

Friend, it's been him pursuing you all the days of your life.

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If you would like to do so, you can go online to rosechurch.org slash give.

Thank you so much for partnering with us and helping us continue to do what God has put in our hearts here for us.