Partnership Sunday 2024 | Deeper with Chris Schlotterbeck

He is glorious.

Behold the one who has come to life.

Welcome to Hub City Vineyard.

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Thank you and enjoy the message.

Hey, good morning everyone.

How we doing?

Good.

If you're joining us from home, thank you for welcoming us

into your space.

Now, I've got to be honest with you.

I have done a lot of things over the years

to illustrate a point for our community of faith.

I've worn a Santa suit on Christmas Eve.

I've dressed as an avatar for Sunday morning matinee.

I came on the stage with my face painted as Kiss.

I've stabbed an ice pick into a scientific heart frozen in ice.

I have dumped the largest container of coins

all over this stage.

And I actually attempt to preach while riding an exercise bike.

And I quickly learned that was a mistake.

I've done a lot of things to illustrate my points,

but never have I gotten up on a Sunday morning, took a shower,

got dressed, drove to HCV, and then decided

to immerse myself in the baptismal

to stand in front of you completely soaking wet

so I can challenge you with two words for 2024.

God is challenging our community of faith to go deeper this year.

Look at your neighbor and say, go deeper.

Now, I'll be honest with you.

I question God.

I'm already going to get soaking wet at the end of our gatherings

for our baptisms.

Rudy just got back from a cruise on Christmas.

I gave him a week off.

I should have made him do this.

God, do I have to fully immerse myself in my clothes?

But just being honest, I felt like I had to do this

so that you didn't just hear the message, but you saw it as well.

If you're going to see the two words for 2024

that God is calling our community of faith into,

then I had to be the first and lead by example

of what it means to go deeper.

God is challenging us to go deeper with him.

Deeper simply means to get closer to him,

closer than you got last year, closer

than you've gotten over the last couple years.

He is inviting us to go all in.

He wants us to move past just our toes touching the water

or our feet being dipped in.

He wants us to move past the uncomfortable waste waiting

and be fully immersed in his presence

and his authority in our lives.

And hear me out.

I'm amazed at what God is doing in our community of faith.

2023 was an incredible year.

And some of you may remember that last year when we kicked it off,

I had two words for you, and it was no limits.

That we were going to go no limits all in with God in 2023.

And for example, this year, remember we were doing a Wells offering

for our Christmas gift that we were going to send away.

Next week, we will write a check for $54,469.

So that is approximately five wells that will be built in Africa

providing those people with clean drinking water.

And that's just one example of how God led us to live a life of no limits.

But this year, it's personal.

This year is the year to go deeper.

And me being soaking wet from my shoes to my shirt, right,

is totally worth it so that you can have a mental image seared in your mind

of what it means to go deeper, what it means to live a life on fire for God.

So I'm going to share the scripture that God put on my heart

for our community of faith in 2024.

It's Luke chapter 2, verse 52, and it says this.

Luke 2:52

Jesus grew in wisdom, in stature, in favor with God,

and in favor with all the people.

So notice Jesus, right, if we're his follower and we're following him,

Jesus grew in wisdom, which is he became mentally strong.

Jesus grew in stature.

He became physically strong.

Jesus grew in favor with God, meaning his relationship with his creator,

with his father was strong.

And Jesus grew in favor with all people,

meaning he was in community with others, loving on them and serving them.

And God is challenging our community of faith to grow deeper with him this year,

deeper in intimacy, deeper in knowledge, deeper in understanding,

deeper in the application of the Bible to our lives

so that others will be drawn into a relationship with God through our reflection.

Are you ready to go deeper?

Let's pray.

Holy Spirit, come.

God, may the words that I share be your words, not mine.

Just erase anything that's not of you

and challenge all of us to get closer to you,

to go deeper in our walk with you this coming year.

May we all just be a reflection of your love and your life to our community.

In Jesus' name, amen.

So all that leads to our first truth this morning.

We're gonna be looking at five simple truths

before we move into our baptisms.

Going deeper with God will cause discomfort.

Newsflash, it's very uncomfortable standing up here

with my clothes dripping wet with water.

It feels awkward, weird, and I am freezing.

It would have been much more comfortable to not speak like this,

but we need to understand that if we're gonna go deeper with God,

you will be uncomfortable.

He will make you uncomfortable.

God is way more committed to you living your purpose,

to you living your calling, than you walking in comfort.

He is committed to having you serve.

And quite often when he's trying to push us in a new direction

and move us into new direction, you know what he's gonna do?

He's gonna lead us into the deep water.

He's gonna lead us into the unknown, which causes a lot of discomfort.

And quite often for many of us, it means we gotta let go of things

in our lives that we're holding on to.

For some of you, you need to get rid of that relationship

that you've been stuck in.

For some of you, you need to say goodbye to the good things in your life.

It's one thing to say goodbye to the bad things

because we wanna get rid of them anyway, right?

But what about the things that we consider good

that are actually just distractions disguising themselves as opportunities?

It's a cost to go deeper.

It's uncomfortable.

I mean, it feels like I have minnows swimming in my shoes right now.

Ezekiel chapter 47 verses 2 through 6 and 9 says it this way.

Ezekiel 47:2–6

There I could see the water flowing out through the south side

of the east gateway, measuring as he went,

he took me along the stream for 1,750 feet and then led me across.

The water was up to my ankles.

He measured off another 1,750 feet and led me across again.

This time it was up to my knees.

Then another 1,750 feet was up to my waist.

Then he measured another 1,750 feet and it was too deep to walk.

It was deep enough to swim in though, but too deep to walk through.

He asked, have you been watching, son of man?

Then he led me back along the riverbank and notice what he saw.

There will be swarms of living things wherever the water of this river flows.

Life will flourish wherever this water flows.

See God is inviting us to go deeper this year.

Deeper in our knowledge, deeper in our hunger, deeper in life change.

And it's an invitation to go and swim.

By a show of hands, humor me, how many of you ready to go deeper this year?

Let me see them.

Let me see them.

Let me see them.

Now remember we have cameras.

Okay.

So don't get two months in and say, no, that wasn't me.

That wasn't me.

That wasn't me.

It's the new year, right?

Everyone's ready to go deeper.

Everyone wants something new until we truly understand what deeper means.

See, the vision was not just for Ezekiel, it's for all of us.

And the water coming out from under the threshold of the temple flowed toward the east.

All right.

And as it flowed toward the east, the stream of water flowed out of God's presence.

When we plunge deep into God's presence, when we get closer to Him, when we're immersed

in Him, that's when we will produce fruit.

That's when we produce fruit.

It's when we're in His presence, not in our own strength.

Jesus puts it this way in John chapter seven.

On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and notice what he did.

He shouted to the crowds, anyone who is thirsty may come to me.

Anyone who believes in me may come and drink for the scriptures declare rivers of living

water will flow from his heart.

See, the living water is going to flow from our hearts, right?

When we go deeper with God, the living water, God's presence flows into our hearts.

And when it flows into our hearts, that means something has to change because that living

water is going to replace the negative aspects of the heart.

And what are the negative aspects of the heart?

Well, Jesus tells us that they are evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft,

lying, and slander.

That's what's in the human heart.

And if we're going to go deeper with God, then those things are going to get pushed

out with His presence.

And here's the reality for so many people, it's a new year, right?

And in a new year, we're either going to drift towards something or we're going to drift

away from something.

That's human nature.

We can either strategically choose to move deeper or closer to Jesus, or we can unknowingly

drift away from a life of abundance.

And drifting away is simply living in comfort.

It's just doing the same thing over and over and over again.

And that's not abundance.

That's not God's best for our life.

Jesus came to give us abundant life.

So for 2024, will you choose to grow deeper with God?

Or will you choose to grow deeper with your depression?

Will you choose to grow deeper with God?

Or will you go deeper in anxiety?

Or will you go deeper in worry?

Or will you go deeper in debt?

Or will you go deeper in your social media drama?

You choose.

Because it's either what the world offers or what God offers.

Which do you want?

And I truly believe that God is challenging many of us to move past the surface level

relationship with Him.

Ezekiel's vision challenges people to continue moving deeper.

Get your foot in, get your ankles in, get your knees in, get your waist in, go all in.

But for many of us, this is where we begin to question.

Chris, why would I venture out, right, when I'm so familiar and comfortable where I am?

Right, I have my schedule, I have my boxes, this is my God time.

Why would I change that?

Do I really want people in the world to know that I'm a Jesus freak?

Do we really want to be classified as a spirit-filled radical follower of Jesus?

And if you do, then you've got to go deeper.

Going deeper will take us out of our comfort zones.

Going deeper is inviting Jesus into the everyday aspects of our everyday lives.

Brother Lawrence, a friend, a Siscan monk says it this way, what I wanted was simply

to belong totally to God.

So I decided to give everything I could in order to attain the greatest blessing in return,

knowing Him.

Will you choose to be uncomfortable in 2024?

Which leads us to our next truth.

Going deeper with God requires discipline.

See, when it comes to going deeper, there are many people that believe this simply means

that we need more passion, more desire, more excitement for God.

And I agree with this to an extent.

I love being part of this community of faith.

Friends, we are willing to take risks.

We step out, we pray for the sick, we believe in the supernatural, we reach the forgotten,

we serve the poor, we build wells, we provide gifts, we give away backpacks to children.

We worship like no other.

There's nothing like hearing your voices sing.

We sing, we pray, we give.

We're making a difference for God in the tri-state area because God loves Hub City.

But to grow deeper with God, desire and passion needs to be replaced with discipline.

As a community of faith, it is our desire that you develop spiritual disciplines this

very year.

Next week, we'll be launching into our 21 days of prayer and fasting like we have been

for the last three years.

It is my prayer that you take the time starting today to listen to God and be obedient in

what he is asking you to fast or give up for 21 days.

What is it?

It is my prayer that we have over 100 people gather here every morning at 6 a.m. for prayer

starting next Monday.

And listen, it is my prayer that you don't stop after January, that you continue to grow

and develop maturity through discipline.

Because here's the reality.

When Jesus promises his follower they will experience trouble in this world, he meant

it.

He meant it.

This life is hard.

It's challenging.

I don't know about you, but it feels like it's never easy.

And if we only talk to God on Sunday or have our tanks filled up with worship on Sunday,

one day out of the week, that high is going to last you to Monday.

And come Tuesday morning while you're driving to work, chances are you will regret something

you did or said.

Which means by Wednesday or Thursday when they roll around we will find ourselves back

to our same old dysfunctional cycles hanging onto the cross for dear life.

Forgive me God, help me get back to Sunday.

You have to make some decisions to develop spiritual disciplines.

Just last year, 2023, Justin and I decided to get on a plan to read through the Bible

in the entire year.

Okay, so we took this past year, we're going to commit to it, we're going to do it together

as a couple and we did it.

We completed reading through the Bible in an entire year.

Now hear me out.

I don't need to, please don't applause.

That's the first time we ever did it in 26 years of marriage.

That's not a good track record.

And my point in telling you is this, right?

If we can do it, you can do it.

Challenge yourself to get closer with God.

Right?

If we are going to be healthy and whole this year, and we're going to personally produce

fruit and life, we need to be disciplined.

Paul says it this way in Ephesians 3, when I think of all this, I fall to my knees and

pray to the Father, the creator of everything in the heaven and on earth.

Notice what he prays for.

I pray that from his glorious and limited resources, he will empower you with inner

strength through his spirit.

Notice Paul does not say, get stronger physically.

Paul doesn't say, hey, improve your outward appearance.

No, what's he focused on?

The internal.

His prayer is that we're strong on the inside.

That is where we need our strength.

And it's important to have goals for the external.

I mean, heck, we're going to be doing a whole series this year on physical health and developing

healthy habits.

Because I believe in it.

I believe that our physical activity is connected to our spiritual activity, but it can't be

our focus.

It's got to be an inward heart issue.

You need to take care of yourself.

But I know that everything flows from the heart.

And if we're not strengthening that first, then the external doesn't matter.

Paul continues, then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him.

Your roots, notice, will grow down into God's love and keep you strong.

And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how

long, how high, and how deep his love is for you.

Paul is challenging us to experience to go deeper in his love this new year.

And friends, it takes discipline, which leads us to our next truth.

Going deeper with God requires action.

Go deeper.

Two words that God is challenging us to in 2024.

Let's just simply look at the word go.

Go is a good word.

Two-third of God's name is go.

Right?

God, just in his name says, church, do something.

Why?

Because God is a God of movement and action.

Go all the way back to the beginning of the Bible.

And what are you going to discover?

God is moving.

Look at Genesis 1.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

The earth was formless and empty.

The darkness covered the deep waters.

And the Spirit of God was hovering, was moving over the surface of the waters.

God is a God of movement.

God wants his church to go.

The last thing that Jesus says to his disciples in Matthew 28, Jesus came and told his disciples,

I have been given all authority in heaven and earth.

Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father,

the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Reach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you and be sure of this.

I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

God wants us to go.

And I love New Year's because everyone gathered here, watching online, even people that aren't

in a relationship with Jesus, they're looking to go.

This is my year.

This is going to be my year.

I made some resolutions.

I set a few goals.

New Year, new me.

Have you ever heard that before?

New Year, new you.

You know what my response to that is?

Nah, I doubt it.

You know why?

Because I've been working out for a long time and been going to the gym for a while now.

And there's always that spike of attendance for the first three weeks.

Couples showing up, working out together, high-fiving each other.

Show me week three when you don't come anymore.

Because New Year, new you doesn't work.

What if we change New Year, new you to New Year, new narrative?

Because if we simply say New Year, new me, and we're telling ourselves the same story

over and over and over again, friends, nothing's going to change.

If we don't change how we talk to ourselves, if we don't develop a new narrative, then

2024 is going to look very similar to 2023, which looked very similar to 2022 and 2021.

2020 was a little different, but that's okay.

New Year, new narrative.

See, God wants us to go, and we must remember though, the kingdom of God is an upside down

kingdom when compared to our world.

So when we hear the word go, we think, oh, we've got to do something, we've got to do

something.

When in reality, go simply means slow down and focus on what God wants you to change.

What is it that God wants you to change for this New Year?

And that's why here at HTV, we start every New Year with 21 days of prayer and fasting.

So we can take some time to what?

Hear what moves God, and then allow Him to move us into that New Year.

It's a pause where we invite God to make the move in our lives, in our hearts, so that

we can then prioritize what is important for Him in us in this new season of our life.

For example, every start of the New Year, today, I mean today, partnership Sunday, everyone

take out your bulletins, wave them in the air like you just don't care.

Let me hear the papers.

Wave them, wave them.

Some of you are bored and you don't want to wave them.

I can do it back at you.

Come on people.

We believe, now in the back of your bulletin, we believe that if you live out these commitments,

you will personally grow in your relationship with Jesus in 2024.

We believe it.

We believe it so much.

I believe it so much that if you commit to these simple steps in 2024, and you commit

to them the whole year, if come November, you don't see any change in your life, go

find a new church, because we're not helping you.

Like we want to help you, but it takes discipline.

It takes commitment.

And that's why we do this every single year.

We outline what it looks like to follow Jesus here in our community of faith.

For example, actively attending weekend gatherings, engaging Jesus in worship, prayer, becoming

a regular practice in my life, daily Bible reading.

We all can do that, true or false?

Thank you.

Serving once a month, once, everyone say once.

Thank you.

Joining a community group that challenges me to grow, participating in other yearly

community events like the Reach Cold Weather Shutter, like the big party that we're going

to have here in February to just love one and express high value to those with handicaps.

Praying for the leadership and other people in our community of faith.

Regular financial support, serving others with my possessions and talents, inviting

those not in a relationship with God to our community of faith where they'll experience

new life.

All things that we can do, and here's my challenge to you, if you commit to that, your life will

be different come November.

But it's a choice.

And if you feel like you can do that, sign it, date it, and put it somewhere where you'll

see it every single day so that you are committing to this community of faith what it looks like

to follow God together.

I sign mine, I date mine, I put it in my office every morning, I go into my office, I see

it because I'm committed to this community of faiths as much as you're committed to it.

This is my church as much as it's our church, amen?

It's important for us also to see that we need to go deeper, not just go deep.

And you say, well, Chris, what do you mean?

See, deep suggests that we know where deep is.

And for many of us, we have no clue of what God wants us to do with our lives.

We have no clue, right?

When it comes to the kingdom of God, we've never arrived.

Just because I read through the Bible this past year doesn't mean I shouldn't read it

this year, right?

When I look in the mirror every morning, I don't see Jesus staring back at me.

I don't know about you, maybe you do, I don't.

Because I'm constantly in pursuit of the one that sets the example for me to follow.

It's not go deep because we don't know when we're deep.

We have to continue going deeper.

There's always more when it comes to our relationship with Jesus.

What do you mean, Chris?

I memorized 25 Bible verses last year.

Great, God bless, high five.

I memorized 25 more this year.

And more importantly, tell me how you're loving your neighbor, your coworker, and your classmate,

because that's when it gets real.

Is God challenging you to go deeper, which leads us to our next truth.

Going deeper with God looks different for everyone.

God wants us all to go deeper, but what it means for you is different for me.

For some of you, listen, this means that this is your year to participate in the 21 Day

Fast.

This is your year that you choose no more desserts for 21 days.

I'm going to stop all sugar and desserts for 21 days, and instead when I want to eat ice

cream, I'm going to pray real hard.

That's a fast.

Some of you, some of you need to choose to fast your Netflix series for 21 days, because

it's just distracting you from God.

Others of you, right, you need to fast social media for 21 days so that you can develop

some disciplines and boundaries in your life.

Can I step on some adult toes here real quick?

Some of you, you need to fast your game systems, because it's not producing the life God wants

for you.

It's a distraction.

For some of you, listen, listen, for some of you, going deeper in 2024 means you show

up consistently here on Sundays.

Jesus is here more often than Christmas and Easter, just so you know.

Jesus shows up here beyond when you're in crisis.

He's here all the time.

Some of you, some of you need to get in a growth group.

You need to meet some people and get around some people and be challenged to grow and

challenge others to grow.

Right?

Like, we have this group that my wife felt like we needed to start.

It's called Grief Share.

Okay?

It's a great group.

It helps you process grief, helps you walk through people you've lost, people that have

passed, pets that have passed, you know, any type of grief that you're struggling with.

And when we launched it, it was last spring, it was great.

We had, you know, 10, 15, 20 people in two different groups.

And then we ran it back in the fall and the winter.

We invited people that experienced loss, that experienced grief in their life.

We ended up with like one person in the group.

It's like, people, you need to get real.

Right?

If you're struggling with grief, it's tearing you apart.

If you're not able to pass it, get in a group.

Jess and I will be co-leading Couples Alpha, where we're going to transform our cafe into

a beautiful night setting for couples.

You know, focus on your marriage, improve your marriage.

Some of you, you need to read through the Bible this year.

I'll show you the plan that I used.

It works.

Some of you need to show up tonight, five o'clock in the square and give a stranger

a cup of hot coffee because you're selfish and you need to get over yourself.

You're the one laughing, not me.

All of us have something that God is inviting us to go deeper in.

And the question is, will you respond?

I mean, I love the way Paul says it in Romans chapter 12, because of the privilege and authority

Romans 12 · chapter mention

God has given me, I give each of you this warning.

Don't think you're better than you really are.

Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has

given us.

Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a specific function, so it is with

Christ's body.

We are many parts of one body and we all belong to each other.

In His grace, God has given each different gifts for doing certain things well.

So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given

you.

If your gift is serving others, serve them well.

If you are a teacher, teach well.

If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging.

If it is giving, give generously, if God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility

seriously.

And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

Don't just pretend to love others, really love them.

Hate what is wrong, hold tightly to what is good.

Which leads us to our final truth.

Going deeper with God is triggered by desperation.

There is something about desperation that will make all of us say, hey God, I am tired

of a shower relationship with you.

I need to get closer to you.

And I just need to be honest with you, these past few months for me has caused a desperation

in my heart like no other.

This past Christmas morning, we had 10 a.m. Christmas and PJs and I shared this with a

hundred or so people that showed up and on my way home, I believe it was my daughter

Zoe who said, hey, great job dad, it's about time you got honest with the church.

I'm like, oh, thank you, Zoe.

I thought I was always honest with the church.

So I was challenged that I needed to share with you just kind of like what I've been

experiencing, many of you may not know, but for the past two and a half months, I've been

struggling with the herniated disc in my back.

I was moving clothes from my washer to the dryer and found myself on my hands and knees

for almost 10 minutes with my back frozen up.

Pain couldn't move.

And as I was able to get back to my feet and try to work things out, it got better, but

then it got worse.

And I found myself where that I was at the best shape of my life.

I was 50 years old.

Some of you remember this past summer, I dropped my weighted vest.

I did the Murph for the first time.

You know, what is the Murph?

It's a mile run, 100 pull ups, 200 push ups, 300 squats, mile run with a 20 pound weighted

vest.

Right?

I had gotten my time down to 43 minutes.

I was in the best shape of my life only to have my back thrown out, putting clothes in

the dryer.

And I've been in pain.

I haven't been able to run.

I haven't been able to train.

I'm walking.

I'm walking with my limp.

My wife tells me it's not sexy.

I mean, it's just horrible.

Right?

I mean, think about, I'm a husband.

I'm not sexy.

I've got a limp.

I mean, not only did I hurt my back for the past month, I've been sick.

You know, the day after Thanksgiving, I was supposed to go to Florida.

Vineyard invited me to Florida to a leadership training for a whole week.

I couldn't even get off the couch.

I was so sick for a week.

The Monday before Christmas, I'm vomiting.

I'm sick.

I didn't even know if I was going to be able to do our Christmas services.

And the point is, Chris doesn't get sick for 50 years.

I've never gotten sick.

And here I am just being destroyed.

My health, my back, my sickness.

And it got to the point where I was calling our board.

I was calling Rudy.

I was calling different people in tears.

I was empty.

I was broken.

I'm like, God, I'm serving you.

I'm following you.

I'm seeing people saved.

I feel like I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing in here.

I can't even move.

Right?

Oh, and to go along with that.

We've had one car for a family of nine for like the last two weeks.

I'm just like, what is going on?

My cars are breaking down.

Nothing is working.

Right?

Oh, side note, if anybody's got to depend on what car they want to donate to the slaughterback,

so we'll receive it.

You know, I mean, just side note.

But the point is, in my desperation, right?

What do I want?

I want change.

And I'm not desperate for a new year, because that just means I'm getting older, but I'm

desperate for change.

And see, life will bring suffering and pain with every new year, but perhaps the beauty

of pain and suffering is that it produces desperation in our lives for more of God.

See, desperation pushes us deeper with God.

There's nothing like back pain and sickness that causes us to pray more and pray with

this authority, believing that God's going to move.

I mean, for some of you, there's nothing like your teenager, your child struggling with

relationships in school and you want to serve them and you want them to get involved in

church, but they don't want to go.

But maybe God is calling you to serve in HCV youth or HCV kids, so they participate.

Remember, we set the example, parents.

If Jesus isn't a priority in your life, it won't be in their life.

Maybe for some of you, it's financial struggles or relationship problems that you're currently

having, and you desperately want a change.

Make the choice.

You say, Chris, it's that easy?

Yes, it's that easy.

Look at Psalm 42.

It's the deer longs for streams of water.

So I long for you, O God.

I thirst for God, the living God.

When can I go and stand before Him?

The psalmist here is so transparent.

He's transparent with God.

He says, God, I'm desperate for you.

And the metaphor that is being used here is a deer panting for water.

It's exhaustion.

It's dehydration.

And all of you, many of you are hunters.

We understand deer aren't stupid.

They know where the water is.

They don't wait till they're going to die to go start drinking water.

This imagery is of a deer who has gone to a stream to drink before several times.

He knows where to get the water.

But all of a sudden, the stream that that deer was going to is dry.

Now the deer begins to frantically search for a place where he or she can be refreshed

with what?

Living water.

There are reasons in life, right, that God is causing us to want to go closer to Him.

There's going to be seasons this coming year where you find yourselves in a valley like

God's a thousand miles away, like, God, where are you?

Have you ever thought that that distance, that emptiness is simply God stirring you for

desperation for Him?

To want more of Him?

God, I need you in every aspect of our life.

God, I'm inviting you in my relationships.

God, I'm inviting you in my finances.

God, I'm inviting you into my marriage.

God, I'm inviting you into my parenting.

God, I can't do it without you.

And notice what the psalmist says day and night, I have only tears for food.

Sounds like a fast to me.

While my enemies continually taunt me saying, where is this God of yours?

My heart is breaking as I remember how it used to be.

I walked among the crowds of worshipers leading a great possession of the house of God, singing

for joy and giving thanks amid the sound of a great celebration.

Why am I discouraged?

Why is my heart so sad?

And notice the psalmist, he isn't just feeling his feelings.

He's not just thinking about them.

He's talking to God about his feelings.

It's so easy to simply go through the motions of being in a relationship with Jesus.

Right?

We're professional Christians.

We know how to smile.

We know the right words to say.

We know that we're blessed and highly favored.

Right?

Some of you are super saved.

Right?

Have you ever thought why Hollywood makes fun of Christians?

Because they think they're super saved.

That's why.

But if we choose to be honest with God and we question our emotions rather than being

frustrated and angry, then maybe we will realize that we actually put our hope in something

we never should put our hope in.

Why am I feeling this way, God?

Well, it's because you have an idol in your life that you thought was best for you when

in reality, God should be first.

Why am I feeling this way, God?

It's because you haven't taken the time, Chris, to be thankful for all that you have.

See, there are times when I am exhausted and wake up on a Monday morning thinking about

all the things that went wrong over the weekend at HCV when I should be celebrating all that

God is doing right.

But it's human nature to focus on the what?

The negative.

And God is challenging us.

He says, no, preach to yourself.

Notice the psalmist.

I will put my hope in God.

I will praise him again, my savior and my God, the greatest sermon that you're gonna hear

in 2024.

It's not coming from Chris.

It's gonna come from you.

Right?

I hear from God every single week.

I deliver messages that I feel are downloaded from the Holy Spirit.

But if in your mind and in your heart, you're rejecting those words, you're bored, you're

not paying attention, or you're just uninterested, that's the loudest voice in your life.

We have to learn to preach to ourselves.

Put your hope in God.

Right?

Yes, God, you are my savior.

You are gonna lead me down the path full of life.

Because I want to encourage you this year, 2024, your hope better happen to be in our

government because it's gonna get ugly.

Your hope better happen to be in your job because it's gonna be gone tomorrow.

Or your business.

Unfortunately, they can come to an end.

If you think your hope is your social media following, that's a lie.

You're believing.

It's not relationships.

It's not your boyfriend.

It's your girlfriend.

Your hope has got to be secure and firm in Jesus' blood and righteousness.

That's where it's gotta be.

And you have to preach that to yourself.

And that only happens when you move from the shallow waters to the deep.

Because I tell you what, I made this stage soaking wet.

I have puddles everywhere.

And why did I do it?

So that you can see what it looks like to go deeper in 2020.