Built to Last

Welcome To The River. City Church podcast and a

message by our lead. Pastor Jason Powers our prayer

is that this message would Inspire and encourage you, build

your faith. And point you to the

life-changing love of Jesus, may you enjoy the goodness of God as

You Follow Him Today. We Begin every week with our

confession and first, John 1:9 tells that if we confess our

John 1:9

sins, he is faithful. And just he forgives us, and he

purifies us and so sir. Certainly, this is a part of the

thing. We just go and say, Lord, what,

what do I need to confess? Like, what's, what's broken?

What's missing? And he'll show you.

It's not always do just like, you know, hey I kicked the cat

or whatever, whatever it is confession before, Lord, can

simply just be Lord, I'm sad today, Lord, I'm heavy.

Lord, I'm grieving, Lord, I don't know that I have the

energy in the strength. The idea behind confession is

that is the acknowledgement of the reality.

It is practicing the reality of our That God is here.

You know, worship a god who's far away, he is with us and so

it is confession is simply the practice of being open and

available to God. And we begin each week with

that. So, will you take a moment and

just quiet your heart before the Lord and turn your eyes and your

senses to him? Jesus help us believe that

you're here with us and that changes everything.

That means that You're the word and so your word is alive.

And so as we get ready to open your word, I pray that we would

come as worshippers but a part of that, a part of you dealing

with us as you meet us where we are.

And so, father, I pray today for those who are afraid or alone or

grieving or sad. I pray for those today who are

joyful and exuberant and hopeful.

And I pray that we would meet you.

And I pray that we would find Our Hope and our place in you

and Jesus, we believe that you rejoice with us when we rejoice

and righteousness and we believe that you grieve with us when we

grieve because you love us. And so, father, forgive us when

we fail, you forgive us for our sins.

Restore us. We asked Jesus these things in

your name and for your glory, amen.

And because we believe that we received Grace because we

believe that he loves us, and he sees us, this is our confession.

We say we are badly broken. Yes, you are Grace and peace to

you. Today, we finish our 100 weeks

have been in 100 weeks on The Sermon, on the Mount, is it just

seems like that something like that, right?

We've been I think this is number 9 or number 10 and we've

been going through it and there's a lot.

There, you know, you could teach The Sermon on the Mount for like

for 100 weeks and it just continues to unpack and and

unfold. The Lord kind of draws it and

draws it out and applies it to our lives.

There's this current, there's this topic that's theme that

runs underneath kind of, all of all of the topics in The Sermon,

on the Mount, that Jesus coming to.

And it's this idea of restoration, restoration is a

important and vital topic for understanding the scripture and

our journey with God. Because in the beginning, we're

told that God created the heavens and the Earth and were

told that it was Good in Genesis 1 and 2.

There was a garden and man was there with God mankind, Adam and

Eve mankind was there with God in the garden.

That was perfect. It was what it was supposed to

be and we were created that and then you go to Revelation, 21

and 22. And again, we find we're told

that God's dwelling place is with his people among them.

And were told that the old Order of Things has passed away.

And so, we find a garden and God's good presence in that

garden. And we find that someday things

will be restored to that place. And Are currently stuck in the

middle. And so really as Jesus talks to

us about the kingdom, what he's talking to us about is

restoration about setting things, right?

And he gets very specific about the restoration.

He's talking about restoring people to the image of God in

their vocation he's saying that your identity isn't Arrived or

established out there somewhere, but rather in the presence of

God, he comes to restore his people, he came to restore.

The idea of righteousness from an external set of behaviors to

an internal position of neighbor and enemy love which flows from

our love for God. He came to restore our religion,

to the intimate practice of the intimate, presence of God in

closets rewards, given and done. Secret.

So, Jesus is pointing us and he talks at, you know, and he's

talking to these, we call them ragamuffins, we call them that,

you know, the unloved Lee's and they've been around.

And what Jesus is pointing to is a day when it's coming in this

time, he says, the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, restoration

is coming. The problem is, that may have

been difficult for many of them to believe, difficult times,

hard situations, undermine our confidence that God is up to

something good, or maybe they are undermine our confidence

that God is at all. I told the story of my

grandmother, before my dad's mom, she was a holocaust

Survivor. She was in, she was in the

Auschwitz concentration camp sheer.

Her she wasn't being transport on a train blew up and whatever

and several many years later when I, as a teenager was

wrestling with my faith and what it meant and the practical

application of remember, sitting in a room with her and I

remember her, I called her gumma because she was because in her

thick broken German You said, Grandmother, like, clunk mother,

and so when I was first called her dumb, so my gumma I remember

sitting across my gumma and her looking at me, saying, very as

lovingly, but as directly as she could, if you had seen the

things that I have seen, you could not believe in God,

difficult times, challenged her face, she couldn't recognize

pain and suffering, and need fallenness with the idea of

faith. When I was at the church, before

I was a small group pastor. And I remember there was this

one small group that was praying, fervently for a guy

named Johnny and Johnny was a coach, he coached and the high

school he was a wrestling coach. And Johnny, this, with his wife,

her name is Triva and she was this wonderful lady and she

would go to her small group every week for a year for more,

and she's just praying for her husband.

I pray that he would come to know the Lord.

I pray that he would know that he would get his life, right?

And one week out of nowhere, Johnny says, to his wife, I'll

go to church. I'll go to small group with you

tonight, A group of friends that they knew.

And Johnny and tree would go to small group and that night at

the end of the small group, Johnny and tears breaks down and

says, whatever this is I wanted, he gave his life to Jesus and

that small group. And then the very next morning

Johnny went to the doctor and was diagnosed with cancer.

That would take his life within six months.

What do you do? Where is God in that difficult?

Times hard moments, hard instances.

Make us question or doubt? Or wonder.

Where is God? What is God up to in?

Life, is certainly uncertain and I think that's the thing that my

grandmother was wrestling with the deep and ultimate Brokenness

of And Humanity, that's why we need restoration and so brings

up this idea that I think is relevant to us today, that God

is working. And when we feel that pain in

the hurt, it reveals misplaced hope when we have placed Our

Hope in something and that hope doesn't deliver for us.

We get sad, we grieve. We get broken.

Here's the thing and its relevance I wrote it, here's the

thing. If our hope is in an, in a Human

Institution, you will be disappointed.

Some are feeling that acutely today.

And if that's you, my heart hurts for you.

And I agree with you, it was coming the whole time for those

today. Who are seeing maybe human

institutions and they are celebrating.

Hey we got it right? Get Eddie it is coming.

Human institutions will always fall and fail.

They will always leave us disappointed precisely because

they are human because they are in few, they everywhere they go.

We're there with them. And so when we place our hope in

other places and other things, we will be disappointed.

And so Jesus, comes and talks about a narrow way.

He talks about an arrow Engaged. Yeah there's a big Broad Street

last week say there's a big Broadway and you can walk down

that way, it's wide and it's crowded and you can take all of

your stuff and he said in that leads to destruction.

It's the way of hoping and believing in outside things or

things here that will save all of us.

Jesus, you be disappointed at leads to destruction.

So how is it that? We choose the narrow way even

when it's tough and even if we do we find it, okay, so I'm off

of than the big Broadway and I think, you know, like there's a

1950s the guy named, aw Tozer. He had this great statement.

He said the masses when it comes to religion, the masses are

always wrong. So, Jesus calls us down this

narrow road and if you were last week or even, if you're here

today and you go, I want that I reckon is maybe your heart is

broken. Your heart is grieving your

settings, go. I want that.

I want the narrow way I want. I want to go that way and so

you. Okay, I choose that then what,

then, what do we do? When Jesus wraps up and he

finishes with a metaphor with An analogy says this, anyone who

hears these words of mine and puts them into practice, Jesus.

Doesn't say anyone who hears these words of mine and agrees

to them or a sense to them or believes in them or get them

tattooed on his arm or put a fish on his car.

He says, whoever hears, these words and practices them is like

a wise man who built his house on a rock.

So you can imagine the Middle East, you know, it's like they

were have deserts, they would be all of this sand and hard mud

and clay. Underneath would be the Bedrock.

And so Jesus saying, is whoever hears these words of mine and

does the hard work of digging out all the garbage, all of the

dirt and all the stuff down on to bedrock and says, I'll build

my house there. He says, whoever builds his

word, his house on the rock, then the rain came down the

streams Rose and the winds blew and beat against that house yet.

It did not fall because it had its foundation on the rock.

But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put

them into practice, it doesn't say, doesn't believe them.

Again, you can believe them, you can look at them and go.

Yes, I agree with that. Puts them into practice is like

a foolish man who built his house on the sand.

The rain came down, the streams Rose, and the winds blew and

beat against that house. And it fell with a great crash.

So Jesus, after all of these difficult teachings, right?

It's not enough to just Not kill people, you're not supposed to.

Entertain anger and hatred for people.

Yeah, you're not supposed to cheat on your spouse but you're

also not to just cheat with fantasies in your brain.

You're not supposed. You're supposed to practice your

religion, for Jesus, not for others to see.

And so, he says, if you walk in this energy practice, he says

you'll be built like a house on a rock.

Now, notice what Jesus didn't say when Jesus is giving options

and choices this way, or that way, Jesus never presented an

option without storms. There was Oh path, no Road where

Jesus says, and if you choose this road, nothing bad will ever

happen. He never said that.

If you follow me, you'll be wealthy.

If you follow me, you'll be healthy for all of your life.

If you follow me, nothing bad will ever happen.

Jesus never said that. In fact, he said the storm is

coming. The waters will rise and you

will be in the middle of it. There is no one who doesn't

experience storms. And the contrast that he gives

us is those who think about their foundation and those who

don't the one that the guy didn't come that, the second guy

didn't come and go. You know what?

I'm pretty sure I can just build it on the sand.

The guy didn't stop. He didn't stop to think about

his foundation. One person, stood back and said,

you know what, if I want this to last, it's got to be able to

withstand the storm. So I need to get down on the

Rock. He thought about the foundation

and built on the other one, just wanted his.

And you know what? He was probably fine for a

little while. But then the rains come then the

waters rise. And we know all about that.

We live in New Braunfels, we've seen that we've seen the floods,

right? And so Jesus gives us this

ideas. He's talked about this Kingdom

and he's talked about wreck about restoration and he's

talked about all of these ideas resent.

The idea is those, who practice, obedience experience Restoration

in the Kingdom? If you want to know your created

God, Ended purpose. The design that is in you, the

path. The key is obedience.

Listen, you are not somewhere out there to be.

Discovered, Eat Pray, Love if I can just hit, that's dumb.

Listen, it's fine as a movie, I guess, wherever you go.

But it's like a life philosophy. First of all, never mind.

That's a whole different sermon. You're not out there somewhere

to be discovered in an experience life, is not

something to be grabbed on her search, it's not hidden, under a

rock somewhere. Life is created and designed by

God for you on purpose and as he calls us to walk in life and in

Purity and in love and in forgiveness and in Grace and in

Redemption. And as he calls us to walk in

that he's calling us to walk in the plan in the design that he

created for us. He's called us to live a life,

to build a life suited for eternity.

He said, again, he has called us to live and build a life suited

for eternity. Now, we have to acknowledge and

understand eternity and time are different.

So if we're building a life suited for eternity, there are

aspects of that that will be fundamentally incompatible with

things that are built for time. You see They're different.

And so, as Jesus calls us to live, there are things that will

look different. There are things that will make

us uncomfortable in this present world.

And so the idea is, if our life never looks out of step with

everyone around us we're doing something but we may not be

walking on that narrow path. I don't say this with

condemnation. I say this with urgency and I

say this with warning and I say this hopefully with humility and

with an invitation to make sure. To make sure.

So, Jesus uses this analogy of building, right?

Building a house, building a house, that's going to stand,

that's going to stand forever, that's going to stand the storm.

So what that means our choices, we talk about the narrow way.

The ride was, our choice really is.

Are we building our lives for now?

Or are we building our lives for forever?

It's one or the other, and it can't be both Paul uses this

same analogy of Buildings and Foundations.

And you go to First Corinthians chapter 3.

1 Corinthians 3 · chapter mention

And listen to what Paul says by the grace, God has given me.

I laid a foundation, as a wise Builder and someone else is

building on it. So he's Paul went to a city

called Corinth and while he was there, he planted a church and

it started to grow and Corinth became a thriving growing

church. Both of the letters first and

second Corinthians are letters written from Paul to these

people and notice what Paul says, right?

He says, I laid a foundation as a Wise, build remember what

Jesus says, it's wise to consider your foundation.

So Paul says I laid this on and she said, now, someone else is

building on it in your lives and in your Gathering.

Something is growing up, but each one should build with care.

For no one can lay any foundation.

Listen, other than the one already laid, which is Jesus

Christ. Jesus said, if you build on my

words and my teachings then you'll stand and Paul is

reiterating this. He says, listen, it's not about

Paul, it's about Jesus. It's about Jesus is live.

It's about his way. It's about where he's going.

No one can lay any foundation other than Jesus, if anyone

builds. Okay, so now, this is us, right?

And we just go, oh, we need to build, right?

Jesus said build, if anyone Builds on this Foundation using

gold, silver costly Stones. That's one kind of algae, right?

Those are tough. They're strong, they're rare but

they'll endure right if anyone builds with gold, silver costly,

Stones wood, hay or straw, right?

Ville easily destroyed. Right?

What are straw? Their work.

They're building will be shown for what it is.

It will be shown to be Eternal or it will shown to be temporal,

their work will be shown because the day will Brands like what

day the day of the storm the day of the fire.

If what has been billed, survives, the Builder will

receive award. If it is burned up, the Builder

will suffer loss, but yet will be saved, even though only as

one escaping. So, Paul is really taking the

same metaphor in the same analogy, that Jesus used of

Outhouse. And you've got to build, but he

goes every says, listen what you're building, what you build

your life with matters. Because not everything that you

do, not everything that you build your life on will

withstand, it will endure. And Jesus has shown us that he

has talked. Let us talk to us about his

instructions and his directions and the kingdom.

The kingdom is like, right? It's like a mustard seed and you

plant it and it grows. And then it fills the whole, the

whole earth. And he talks about all of these

ways of knowing and understanding the kingdom.

And what Jesus said is, it's not what you think about those

things. It's about how you walk them

out. And Paul says the same thing,

what are you building on? And so if we're going to do as

Jesus said, if we're going to do as Paul instruct that, if we're

going to build a house to last, he gives gives us instruction.

The first thing that we need to do is check your foundation.

So, this is the question for you upon.

What is your life built? Another way of thinking about

is, what is the thing that if it was taken away, it would cause

you great distress. What thing here's a great

question, is that here, is that for the next time, right?

Imagine there was a time where we weren't able to meet together

like this. I know it's a stretch.

I know you can't possibly fathom that If this meeting went away,

would your faith stand? If not, then this is your

foundation. And let me just tell you, this

is changing and this will look different tomorrow than it does

today. What are you building?

A COS here's the thing. If someone came to Morrow and

said you can't do this anymore, you can't meet here and you

can't gather, you know what I would do.

I would be sad and I would grieve but here's the deal.

You can't take the scripture away from me because you know

what? You can't pass a law.

That says, I can't love my neighbor and love my enemy and

you know, what will happen? I will invite this row to my

house and we will have dinner. And you know what we'll do at my

dinner at my house, we will pray together and we'll sing a song

and we will talk about the scripture and what if they

outlaw the Bible and you can't have the Bible anymore, it's

happened before. Then then we'll talk about what

we will remember and we will do our best to follow the lord.

Can Outlaw that remember, talk about fruits of the spirit.

Love, joy, peace, patience. Kindness famous General, some

troll against these things. There is what?

There's no law. You can't, you can't Outlaw this

thing. So upon what is your foundation?

What are you building with? What if you lost your house, or

your cars, or your health, or your family?

What if the unthinkable happened, what would it take?

To shake your confidence and your faith in God.

If it's a Supreme Court decision, your faith is in the

wrong place. If it is a presidential

election, your faith is in the wrong place.

If it is a war or a famine, or a hurricane or Holocaust, your

faith is in the wrong place. Does that mean that we don't get

sad about those things? Absolutely not.

We grieve as those who grieve but we grieve because we know

that that's not God's best that. That's not God's design and we

grieve over the reality, the realization and the awareness

that We still live in a fallen world, but we know that God

builds all things. We know that God redeems

himself. So the question for you, is,

What is your foundation? What am I great?

One of my favorite 21st century or 20th century theologians

Robert Zimmerman. You known as Bob Dylan.

He had a great theological quote and he said Everybody is going

to serve somebody. It may be the devil, it may be

the Lord but everybody's going to serve somebody the second way

that we build our life. He's to choose intentionally how

we build to build our lives intentionally.

Moses right, great man, the most humble man that ever lived.

He called the face down, Pharaoh led the people through the

Wilderness for 40 years and then he died.

My people of Israel or like dang it now.

What? And God was like, No, I gave

you. Joshua, and Joshua was this

young man, he was strong and he was vibrant, he was among the

people and he led the people of Israel on a conquest of the holy

land and they gathered the whole in they were and then adds

Joshua stood and prepared to die as he stood with his family.

At the very end of his life. He gathered all the people of

Israel, the people who had seen Things that he had said and he

gathered them around and he said this if serving the lord seems

undesirable to you than choose for yourselves this day, who you

will serve, whether the gods, our ancestors served beyond the

Euphrates or the gods of the amorites in whose land you are

living. But as for me and my house, we

will serve the Lord. That is a picture of someone who

has chosen the narrow way. You're welcome to do whatever

you want. When it comes to me and my

household. We will serve.

And that is what Joshua is accountable for.

Oh Lord. Everybody's phone away from you.

What about your house? Is your house serving the lord.

Oh, Lord, every there's so much unrighteousness.

I've had discussions with the Lord, he takes my company right?

When I call, he'll talk to me, right?

It doesn't talk audibly, but we all the time, then sometimes

like, I see things, I'm like, Lord.

How are you? Where are you?

What are you doing? Why are people so mean all the

time, right? And the Lord lovingly and

gracefully, right? As I again, not I don't audible

voices, but just this sense, right?

Lords, like Jason, I am so sorry that you are so shocked that

people can be mean. He said, Jason, I'm not that

shocked. I know and in that moment, I

realized like, oh yeah, they were mean to him to my building.

My life, on the approval of others.

Am I choosing what make me popular or what will make me

comfortable? Am I choosing?

What will make people like me? Or am I choosing the narrow way?

Whatever it might cost, whatever it might take.

Here's a question to decide whether you're building your

life intentionally or not. Do you pay as much attention to

your spiritual future as you do to your retirement account?

Are you as interested in the growth of your spirit as you are

in the growth of your 401k? Are you as committed to

developing your children's Walk With Jesus?

As you are to developing their curveball or their football?

What are we committed to? What are we building?

Because nobody will accidentally find themselves redeemed and

restored. And following Jesus, it must be

a choice Moment by moment day by day, where we decide that Path

and what we build. So, we're talking about now

checking your foundation. Okay, the foundation is Jesus,

but then once we got a foundation, right?

Like the foundation is easy. Like we just built our.

We built a house with six months ago, or whatever side it got

foundation for were like, whoa, it's no time now false.

That's the easy part, right? So the foundation is but what we

build around, right? And so we talked about Billy

intentionally, but what does that mean?

How do I do that? Do I just go to church?

Do I have to give more about to serve more to?

Let's do whatever. We'll listen, the idea that

here's the Mine's it take, Jesus talked about the test, right?

And he talked about water Paul talked about fire, but the idea

is everything that we do, everything that we built is

going to come up, right? So we talked about like gold and

silver and stones and wouldn't hang the, so what does that mean

in our life? How do we, how do we do that?

Right? So as we're intentionally

Persona and I hope you're like, I want that, I want to get

through the storms. It seemed like we got a storm

every other week, right? It seems like every day we turn.

There's a new store. I want to not be destroyed.

I want to not be I'll buy that the way that we do that is you

build your life with Kingdom materials?

You have to be and so this is the distinction right?

Gold silver, precious stones wood, hay and stubble, right?

Some of those things will withstand the fire other of

those things won't withstand the fire.

Then, here's the thing. The fire's coming fire is coming

say often because it's so important to remember and you

get quoted with me the mortality rate for the human race.

He continues to hover right around, 100 percent that day

will show. And here's what I mean, if your

life has been built on and around and for you, Then on the

day that you die, your story is over.

If we build our life on the Kingdom on materials, that will

last materials that will endure on people and on life, then what

we have built what we're told in the scriptural door and listen

real quick side note, right? Like this makes some people

nervous, right? Like are you talking about

salvation? Are you saying that we're going

to be judged based on our works? I am not saying you will be

judged based on your Works. Paul said that and Jesus said

that, take it up with them. How It just says it right?

It says there's gonna be a fire in your life is going to end and

then what lasts is going to last and I don't know what I know is

Jesus Takes the building of our lives very seriously and he

gives us what we need to do. So the question then is what are

those things, right? Tell me Pastor, how can we have

all the things? How can we build a life that

lasts? Well, I'm gonna go to First

Corinthians 13 and you go all the time, right?

No. The end of that First

1 Corinthians 13:13

Corinthians 13, verse 13. Listen Paul says, And now these

three remain faith. Hope and here it is love.

But the greatest of these is love, Do you want to build a

life that will endure? Do you want to build a life that

is going to withstand the test? That's going to stay in the

flood? That's going to withstand the

fire build into your life faith. Hope and love.

What about faith? These are thing.

Here's my deal. Here's what I say, every

opportunity that you have to build Faith, take it.

And what faith says right here has 11 1.

Faith is being sure of what we Hope for and certain of what we

do. Not see Faith believes that this

moment in time is not the culmination of everything and

everything goes downhill from here.

Faith says the story's not over yet.

Faith says, history isn't done being written.

Faith says, Jesus has not yet been fully Vindicated through

what Jesus said in Matthew 5, and all of Matthew and Mark

illegal, I can believe what Jesus says.

Says and I can live like that because it's not done yet and

when it's done, that is what reality is going to be like.

So take every opportunity you can to practice Faith.

Love somebody, that is unlovable.

That makes you a little nervous. Can I love this person?

They're bad? I mean, can I certainly like?

I mean serve them do it publicly, walk down the street,

having a conversation with someone that will make people

go. Because you know who's not going

Jesus. Because you know who that person

is and that person may be one of the couple things, right?

They may say I'm a Christian but they may just be living like

hell and they just make just be denying everything right that.

And so we stand back and go, you're bad, you're terrible,

you're a parts on the name, right?

But you know what Jesus is saying he's like they haven't

got it yet and I wanted to get it.

Can you help him? Can you love him?

Like why don't you just go talk to him and just show them and

just like and just and just love on you, but they're Sinners.

Jesus like what? Is that the criteria because

you'll be lonely. Just because they have a

different sense set. Then you have doesn't mean that

they are more appropriate. Does that mean that they are

more loved? Do you know the people, the

other people, right? Maybe they're following.

Maybe they don't know Jesus at all in the church, sometimes we

call them lost. People, do you know what Jesus

calls them? The people that I miss the most

My kid Jackson my oldest son. He works.

He's got it summer job and during the days gone in I miss

him. I miss my kid during the days.

I want to talk to him like finally like that.

That's how Jesus is. He doesn't make fun of them,

right? But maybe he does, you don't

know, right. The people whose lives we find

intolerable. And unacceptable, unacceptable

are the people that Jesus says, if they just had me, it would be

different. But that takes faith.

It takes Faith to believe that Jesus isn't going to judge your

life based on some moral standard.

That the scripture says you can never live up to anyway, that's

the great thing about the moral standard in the scripture, it's

called the law or will take Jesus.

Matthew chapter five and six and seven, right.

And the point of all that is you all Short.

So, if you're dividing and separating based on keeping the

law or not, keeping the law, you're excluding yourself.

So let's not do that. Let's take in faith.

That Jesus is Love, is enough to change us and transform us and

redeem us. So we believe we have faith,

that God is active and that God is working.

The second thing is Hope, right? So faith, is this idea, right?

God is alive. God is real.

And what he's doing is good, what that leads to.

As we walk out is hope when we encounter a situation that seems

hopeless. Hope is man almost choked their

scuse me. This is so exciting.

Right? Hope is so powerful, right?

Because here's the thing about hope.

Hope says, not, yet does not equal not ever.

Hope says, oh, yeah. Well, it's not done yet.

Well, let's just keep going, right?

I'm a terrible. Wow!

Tara what? I'm not a great like, griller

cooker. So I've learned how to eat my

meat raw because it's undercooked, right.

Cuz I always pull it off too fast, right?

Hope says, wait a minute. Let it get too nice, a good

mid-rare and you'll be fine then, get it.

All right, hope says it's still cooking.

Hope says, the story's not done yet.

I read last week, Philippians 4, 6 & 7, right?

I said it'd be a good one to memorize.

I don't be anxious about anything, right?

But listen here's what hope looks like in practice.

I want to go back to verses before that verse 4 Paul says

rejoice. In the lord, always, that word.

Always means. Always.

And so, the problem is for a long time, I think Christians

and churches were like this. Ha ha ha.

Everything's fine. Everything's fine.

That's not what it says. What it says is, we're able to

stand here and go, a lot of stuff is garbage, but I'm

surrounded by people who love me and who care for me.

I'm a part of the church and I have Jesus and so I can Rejoice

even in this, I can Rejoice that the story isn't over.

Over Paul tells us why rejoice in the lord always, I'll say it

again, Rejoice, let your gentleness be evident evidence

to all listen, the Lord is near, that's our hope that is our hope

and then because the Lord is here, because the Lord is near,

because we Rejoice always don't be anxious about anything.

But in every situation with prayer, and petition with

Thanksgiving, present, your requests to God and the peace of

God, which transcends all understanding will guard your

hearts. Your minds in Christ Jesus.

What he's saying is don't complain about the world Rejoice

rejoice, and destroys complaint. Do you know what?

Complaint says, complaint says God you're doing it wrong

complaint. Says, if you would just do it

more like me, Jesus, then everything would be better.

We don't have to look at that very long to realize how like

off that is, right. Right.

Hope says, God is at work in this, God is working working in

sinful, people whom I can't see it, God is working in people who

aren't trying to follow. He is seeking them.

God is actively restoring and Redeeming the world in

accordance with his plan and his will.

Because he is God. And I am just here to tend the

soil. That's a picture of the garden.

Adam and Eve Goten the soil, go multiply goal of faith, hope and

love. The gospel, the good news and

the scripture, the good news of Jesus life.

Are you ready? The good news of Jesus is life

is that God loves to save and restore Fallen people.

God loves to find people that are far away from him and call

them to himself. Do you?

Do we? Love to call broken people here,

we began every Sunday with a confession.

We're badly broken. What a welcoming place for

broken people, right? Should be, I will say, I

freaking love River City. I love our openness.

I see you in public spaces working and practicing and

praying to be kind and loving and gracious, and generous.

And I want to tell you You blow me away.

You make my pastor's heart happy.

Don't quit. Don't give up when people don't

understand when they don't get it when they don't know.

Don't quit, don't give up. Of course it's the narrow way

most people won't. Most people tell you, you got to

stop, you got to be afraid. You got to do this guy that.

Don't don't believe it believe, Jesus.

Believe the one who says that, all good, things are coming.

Believe the one who says the kingdom is coming, so every sad

thing is coming and run. Be believed the one who called

you by name and love you, build your life on Faith and Hope.

Love when you have an opportunity to practice Faith,

do it when you have an opportunity to hope for the best

in someone do it, don't give up on Hope, don't give up believing

that God can do something on a person's life.

Don't give up. Hoping that God can do something

in your life. I don't care about the addiction

that you've given up on the you've relapsed 100,000 times.

The next one, get up, keep doing it.

And when you fall next time, keep getting up, keep asking for

help. Listen, we're all broken.

This whole world is broken, but it's not done yet.

We're not done yet. And so, Jesus says you can't

just listen to me. You can't just think about what

I said. You can't even just believe me.

You have to put into practice what I said, because building a

life on faith, hope and love becomes Transcendent because the

kingdom is Transcendence. And so I don't know everybody in

here and maybe you're in here and you thought Jesus just

wanted you to be good. Are you thought Jesus?

Just wanted you to be against this person or you just whatever

letter. I want to tell you, that's not

what it's about. What Jesus wants to do is give

you an eternal place in a king. That never runs out and to live

out the purpose that he created for you, for your marriage, for

your sexuality, for your identity, for your finances, for

every part of you, Jesus has abundance and what he says is,

will you give up your way to follow my way?

That's it. Will you give up your way to

follow my way? And if you do, he says he would

save you forever and that begins now, not someday when you die.

And you go sit on a cloud today here in just a second.

I'm going to pray. And if that's you, if you've

never done that before, today's the day, will you pray that or

maybe you are a Christian? Maybe you've been with Jesus and

you've followed him. The question is, what are you

giving your life to are giving your life to morality?

Are you giving your life to an institution?

Are you giving your life to a job?

Are you giving your life to money?

What are you getting? Life, giving your life to

because restoration only comes through obedience to the way of

Jesus. Let's pray, Jesus.

I pray that you'll show us where we fall short.

I pray that you will show us that you'll reveal us as painful

as it may be. That you would show us where we

place our hope. And Lord, we right now

acknowledge, when you show us and when you begin to remove

those things, it will feel scary.

We will feel like death but you are building something on a

rock. And so we thank you.

I pray for those in here who have never followed you today,

who say Jesus, I want to, I want to follow you.

I want to stop doing it my way. I confess that my way was wrong

and I want to start doing it your way.

Will you give your spirit to me? To Lead Me Jesus.

I pray that you would do that. Thank you for your word and your

instruction as difficult as it can be.

Helpless to wrestle in. Good faith.

Trusting you, we ask in your name and for your glory.

Amen, thank you for joining us today.

River City Church is all about experiencing and expressing

God's love in our lives and community.

And we hope that you've been able to experience that today as

grateful. As I am.

That you've spent this time, listening in this morning, this

podcast is no substitute for full participation in a local

church aisle. Love it, when River City people

listen to other pastors, but it is those who show up week after

week Faithfully, giving their support and time and resources,

that make all of this possible. If we can help you get connected

to a local church, pray for you or support you in any way.

Click the link in the description and let us know if

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Thanks so much for listening. May the Lord bless, and keep you

in all Grace. And And peace.