Hope in the Heat - Pastor Elissa Kinser

Thank you for listening to this message from

Lifehouse Church. This is River. River was on

piano, and she is gifted in various different

areas, including painting. So I've asked her

to do a little bit of an illustration while I'm

preaching this morning. Thank you for praying

over our students and our staff, those that are

going to camp this week, and even for those who

have graduated. We're excited that we've gotten

to get to know them, but then also that we get

to stand together as a united body that gets

to expect such great things for them. We know

that God is working in their lives already, and

that he's just going to continue to do so. And

so we're really excited that we get to be a part

of that, both those going off to school soon,

but also for those going to camp this week. It's

crazy that it's already this point in the year,

but has anybody else kind of been like, that's

great, but where did the rest of June go? It

has flown right by. And by this time in summer,

usually it means we get to be outside, we get

to enjoy the sunshine, all that warmth, which

is super great, usually, except for the fact

that this week it has been horrifyingly hot.

And Ryan and I's house has actually been without

AC since last Monday. Yeah. When Ryan and I first

moved here from Bedford to Carlisle, there are

some things that we were not prepared for but

had to learn, such as, you know, what do you

do or what is things that are worth the hassle

when you're looking to buy a house? What do you

do when your HVAC system is iced up? And where

do you go when you're sweating in your basement?

Those were all things that we had to answer by

Monday. So you can only imagine how the rest

of the week went. And I frequently joke that

while I am an adult, I am not a premium adult.

So for any of the young adults that are in here

or even like the teenagers that are still in

here, and if you're a kid that's still in here,

listen to me when I say this. You don't know

everything. Don't give them attitude when they're

trying to help you because someday you're going

to wish that you had their advice. So there are

some things that... We have had to learn that

I wish we didn't have to deal with. But regardless,

we're so thankful for the people in our lives

that have given us hope. The ones who have shown

us that we are not alone in the struggles that

we've gone through. So Pastor Kip and Dixie,

we are so thankful for you guys. You have been

our wonderful oasis in the AC this week as we've

gotten to stay with you guys. And we're so thankful

for that. If you would, please pray with me as

we get into the morning message. Heavenly Father,

God, we thank you for what you've already done

this morning. God, we thank you that you are

present with us. And we just are praying that

this morning you allow us to be open to what

you have. What you have prepared within me. Father,

I pray that whatever is coming out of my mouth

is not just things that are from my brain. But

God, that I am just a vessel for your word. That

you allow me to speak only what I am. called

to speak this morning and that you allow anything

that is maybe not in my notes to come out because

it's something that you have designed or specifically

called out for a moment for a person. Father,

we know that you see each and every one of us

individually, and we pray that you're with us

this morning, guide our words, illuminate revelation

through the scripture, and allow us to just receive

from you. Father, we love you and we worship

you. In Jesus' name, amen. So as I was saying...

Everything is a learning moment. But some things

that you learn are unfortunately learned the

hard way. Has anybody ever heard, and you can

raise your hands, this catchy little phrase called

leaves of three, let them be. All right. Now,

if you would, raise your hand if even though

you've heard that phrase or maybe you didn't,

you still managed to find yourself in a wonderful

rash position from said poison. Yep, you're not

alone there. Now that catchy little phrase, for

those of you who don't know, is basically what

people use to identify poison ivy or poison oak

by its appearance. Basically it's three leaves

attached to one stem. And yet, despite having

been taught those various ways, there are many

of you, if you didn't look around, there are

many of you who have still incurred that poison.

And if you have not been... exposed to that poison.

You're one of a much smaller percentage for a

variety of different reasons. You possibly don't

live anywhere near it and just don't go outside.

You are not allergic to it, which is a very small

percentage of people. Or even you actually listen

to the advice and the warnings that people gave

you. But sin much like poison, is tricky. People

have tried to teach you what right is and what

wrong is, and then the first time that it happens,

you know, it's not great. You're experiencing

all of those different symptoms that you've never

experienced before. But if you choose to continually

step into ignorance and just blatant disregard

for what is right, what is wrong, then that's

when you find that when you cave, you become

a slave, which also can be stated like this.

Whatever you submit to, is what you commit to.

I'll say that one again. Whatever you submit

to, you commit to. If you want, you can turn

with me to Romans chapter six. We're gonna be

in there for the majority of the morning. So

I'm in Romans chapter six, verse 15. I'm gonna

pull it up on the screen there. Paul writes in

Romans 6, starting in verse 15, says, well then,

since God's grace has set us free from the law,

does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course

not. Don't you realize that you become the slave

to whatever you choose to obey? You can be a

slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can

choose to obey God, which leads to righteous

living. You see, every action, reaction, or even

inaction is a choice we've made to see something

and continue to watch it, to hear something and

to choose to not interject, or even to eat something

and to feel its effects. Whenever we make a choice,

we commit to it. Even if we take a bite and reject

it immediately, you've already chosen to expose

yourself to something. You've chosen what would...

take up a part of your day. You've already given

it a place in our history, even if we basically

want to clear it away. Whatever it becomes, something

that we choose is something that we commit to.

So when it comes to sin and poison, then the

next choice, the next step is what's crucial.

In movies, if people are poisoned or they're

in danger, what do they do? They what? They panic.

Well, sure. But basically they look for an antidote

or they possibly call for help. You know, basically

they're like, somebody help me. I'm dying. I'm

struggling. So then why in our personal lives

when we're struggling with something, do we just

want to kind of hide away in shame? We want nobody

to know that we're struggling with something,

that we're tangled in something. Because it's

one thing to realize that we've been poisoned,

but then another one to realize it and continue

in our old ways, because that's when we discover

that we've just been rolling in poison. And instead

of learning from the effects of it, we get used

to it. Who has ever watched God's Not Dead? Anybody?

Yeah, it's a great movie series that I highly

recommend if you've never seen it before. But

there is a scene in there where there is an atheist

son and he goes to visit his mother who has dementia.

The son says, you have prayed and believed your

whole life. Never done anything wrong. And here

you are. You're the nicest person I know and

I'm the meanest. You have dementia and my life

is perfect. Explain that to me. Her reply. was

sometimes the devil allows people to live a life

free of trouble because he doesn't want them

turning to God. Their sin is like a jail cell.

It's all nice and comfy and there doesn't seem

to be any reason to leave. The door is wide open

until one day the time runs out, the cell door

slams shut and suddenly it's too late. When I

think of this scene, I picture somebody kind

of laid out in a recliner. They've got a bag

of potato chips on one hand and a TV remote on

the other. Basically, you could say they're going

nowhere fast. They are completely consumed with

what they're doing and content with where they

are. Likewise, if we find ourselves wrapped up

in poison but continue to kind of ignore the

symptoms, the things that we've been going through,

the discomfort and the convictions that we feel,

The voice of God can grow distant. But it's not

because he is distant, but because we began to

not listen. Have you ever felt like God was so

distant in your time of need? Or maybe you actually

managed to utter a prayer, but it felt like nobody

was on the receiving end. I've been there too.

I've struggled and I've cried. But the amazing

thing. Is that even if we felt that he was distant,

he was always making a way. It just may not look

like what we expected. And despite our choices,

God continues to plant exactly what we need near

our mess. When there is poison, there is often

a remedy growing close by. And that remedy points

to the creator. You see, often growing near poison

ivy is another plant sometimes called a touch

-me -not. So we've got these two plants growing

right next to each other in the same environment,

one called poison and the other one specifically

telling us not to touch it. And naturally, you

may be wondering, okay, I thought she was talking

about a remedy. Why is her message getting worse?

And why would God create something like that?

Well, here's the thing about these two plants.

Poison ivy, it is what it says it is. If you're

allergic to the oil in the plant, you're going

to get a rash or worse. But this other plant

is actually just called a touch -me -not because

somewhere along the line, somebody decided to

poke its seed pods and it exploded. The other

name for this plant is called a jewelweed because

it refers to the dew droplets that can glisten

when on the leaves. So yeah, that is the picture

of how closely these two plants can actually

grow right next to each other. And so the interesting

thing about jewelweed is it actually can function

like a natural remedy to the poison, to the oils

within the poison ivy. If you are exposed to

the poison, the sap within the jewelweed can

neutralize the attack so long as you apply it

as soon as possible. I mean, it might help minimize

your symptoms. If you've already developed a

rash, but it certainly is not something that

we use to just throw caution to the wind and

walk through a patch of poison ivy thinking that

nothing could ever go wrong. Because this remedy

is not necessarily a healing, but it's a start

towards one. Jewelweed was designed to direct

us, to point us in the direction of hope, of

healing. himself. Romans 6 17 and 18 says thank

God once you were slaves of sin but now you wholeheartedly

obey this teaching we have given you. Now you

are free from your slavery to sin and you have

become slaves to righteous living. I also kind

of like this version in the Amplified because

at the end it says you have become obedient with

all your heart to the standard of teaching in

which you were instructed and to which you were

committed. And so again, earlier I said, whatever

you submit to is what you commit to. But we have

to remember that mercy is not permission, but

the grace of God is what empowers us to walk

away from sin, not to remain in it. We are in

fact saved by grace through faith. in Christ

who has saved us. But if we choose sin again

and again with the mindset that he'll just forgive

and forgive, we're missing a part. Yes, God's

grace is sufficient. He is kind, he is loving,

he is forgiving, but he's also seeking a repentant

heart. He's seeking the one trying to turn from

their current path of destruction and chaos and

poison and seeking someone who is actually going

to follow after him. He gives grace because he

knows that we're not always going to get it right.

He knows and he's going to heal us and he will

protect us and he will provide things along the

way to continually help us to seek after him.

Scripture tells us that we were once dead. We

were once entangled in sin with no hope. But

God made a way. He gave us his son and he continues

to give us grace and mercy when we sin. But we

have to make the choice to live free and wiser.

We no longer just have to chase down symptom

after symptom because it cuts to the root of

the issue. For the spirit of the living God does

not just soothe wounds, but he breaks chains.

The power that has set you free, the power that

is within you in Christ Jesus is what can break

you free from anything from depression to anxiety.

He can take you from self -harm and suicidality.

He can take you from fear and generational curses.

He can do it. And so the question here is not,

is it true? But okay, I believe that. So God,

what can I do? If we truly believe that God takes

us one step further, instead of just walking

in our normal path, he sets us apart and sets

us on a path for his glory. Romans 6, 19, kind

of the latter half of it, it says, Previously

you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and

lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin.

And now you must give yourselves to be slaves

to righteous living, so that you will become

holy. Obviously this week we've got the 4th of

July coming up. And most people around this time,

they're attending freedom parades. And we're

celebrating with fireworks. And it is a time

that people often remember that freedom isn't

free. And we know that we've got people serving

our country daily. That people are dying on battlefields.

That people are doing what they have been called

to do. But we also have to remember that Jesus

came for us. He came to pay that price, to die

on the cross for us, bearing the weight of our

sin and shame. And then he resurrected to claim

his rightful victory over death. And we believe

that he came to redeem us so that one day we

could live an eternal life with him. free and

in no pain and in peace and the comfort and the

love that comes with his embrace. But until that

day, we have a mission. He didn't just say, okay,

you get to just live and go enjoy yourself and

I'll see you later. It was no, while you're there,

I have a mission for you. Do you remember that

I told you that the jewel weed can also be affectionately

called the touch me not? The thing about those

plants is that their scientific name is called

impatiens capensens. Impatiens comes from that

Latin word impatient. Basically because the members

of this family group are impatient to disperse

their seeds. At the slightest touch, this pod

will just explode. The capsules can dramatically...

go even as far as six feet away from where they

were currently at, where they were currently

planted. And to make it even more so, their seeds

are buoyant, which means they float. So here's

the point. In a world full of despair, bring

hope. Many of us have been in patches of poison

and we needed relief. Many of us have sat in

the hot seat and needed a break. Many of us have

endured the heat of the week and needed a C.

Many of us have been through fire and we needed

the fourth man. And all of us have been on our

way to the heat of hell and needed saving. Romans

5 .8 says that but God showed his great love

for us by sending Christ to die for us while

we were still sinners. And while we can't personally

save anybody in our own might, our testimonies

can bring hope. Instead of harming people, shaming

people, or pulling people down because of the

messes that they are in or have been in, things

that are part of their history, we should be

taking everything and pointing it towards Jesus.

Although we may be around trends and talks and

all sorts of terrible things, every person that

we meet, every action that we do is something

that should reflect and point straight to him.

Because we are to be in this world and not of

this world. Jesus pointed out those two greatest

commandments were to love the Lord your God with

all your heart, with all your soul, and with

all your mind. And then to love others, to love

your neighbor as yourself. 1 John 2, 3 -6 says,

we know that we have come to know him if we keep

his commands. Whoever says, I know him, but does

not do what he commands is a liar. And the truth

is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his

word, love for God is made truly complete in

them. This is how we know we are in him. Whoever

claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.

And what better way to love God and love people.

than to tell them and to show them that there

is hope and freedom in the name of Jesus. Amen?

So then just as the jewel weed plant propels

its seeds far and wide, we should be spreading

seeds wherever we go. Because we never know just

how far that seed will travel, and we don't know

which ones are going to grow. It's not up to

us to decide who needs the word of God and who

does not. Because everybody needs the word. But

it's not up to us to decide who we should tell

or who needs it the most in this moment. Every

single person that we need should be a seed that

we plant of the gospel. We have that living seed

inside of us. And so at the slightest touch,

we should be ready to explode, to spit out the

good news. To be a slave of righteousness means

to take every action, every reaction, or even

at times our choice of inaction and turn it to

be glorifying to him. He called us to live in

freedom. And sometimes people kind of turn their

noses up at that. And they're like, well, this

freedom doesn't feel very free. It feels like

restrictions. Even though the restrictions are

meant to be like protections. With the 4th of

July coming up, think of children around fireworks.

You don't want a child to just grab a firework

and take off running, right? God is the same

way. He doesn't want us to take hold of something

that he knows is just going to explode and harm

us. Romans 6 .22 says, but now you are free from

the power of sin and have become slaves of God.

Now you do those things that lead to holiness

and result in eternal life. For the wages of

sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal

life through Christ Jesus our Lord. But as he

gives us direction to stay away from things,

he's not just a God of no, he's a God of go.

The Great Commission in Matthew 28 tells us that

Jesus came to them and said, all authority in

heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore,

go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing

them in the name of the Father, the Son, and

the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything

I have commanded you. And surely I am with you

always until the very end of the age. And while

the Great Commission says go make disciples of

all nations, and you may look at me and say,

well, I'm not going to be a missionary. I don't

plan on leaving the United States. And that's

fine. The thing about it is your mission field

is all around you. Right here where you're planted

or anywhere that you go, regardless of how long

your season is. Again, that's not up to us to

decide. So go make disciples. Go tell your friends

and your families about God and tell them when

they're making the wrong decisions and continue

to guide them. Go pray for the waitress who just

dropped a tray of glass and is concerned and

worried for the rest of her job. Go pray for

the quiet one sitting in the corner who doesn't

even think that anybody cares that they're there.

Go because we're called to do more than just

to avoid sin, but to walk in the power and authority

given to us by Christ Jesus and acknowledging

that he declared that he would be with us until

the very end of the age. Worship team, if you'd

join me, and then also prayer team, if I could

get you to come up front as well. No matter what

has been. You are heard. Your prayers, our prayers

are not just hitting a wall, but God is asking

us to step out in faith. He's calling people

to turn off the TV and walk out of their prison

cells. He's telling people that we need to leave

our seats. We need to step away from our old

selves and into who he has called us to be. And

even in the commission to go. We are reminded

that we are not the savior and thank God for

that. We are not the ones that have to save everybody.

We just have to follow the one who did. We are

an imperfect people trying to follow a perfect

God. Thank you for tuning in to this message

from Lifehouse Church. We pray that you were

impacted powerfully by this message. If you have

been personally affected by our ministry and

you would like to partner with us as we love

God, love people every day, visit our website

at www .lifehousecog .com.