God's Gift | Ps. Keith Pittman

Welcome to the Celebration Church Orlando podcast.

Thank you for joining us to learn more about Celebration Orlando, a church devoted to reaching the lost, equipping the found, and helping the hurting.

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I recognize that there may be some among us that may not be familiar with the power that is attached to the name of Jesus.

Because in our own logical way, like saying Jesus over a situation doesn't necessarily mean that it's going to change it or will it?

Because the Bible that I read speaks a little bit differently about this.

The Bible tells us in Acts chapter number four, verse number 12, it says that salvation is only found in the name of Jesus.

That anyone that calls on the name of Jesus shall be saved.

But but but wait, there's more.

It also speaks about this authority and dominion that we give.

The Bible tells us in Philippians chapter number two, verses nine through 11, that in the name of Jesus, that every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess.

Luke chapter number 10, verse number 17 says, In the name of Jesus, that we'll be able to tread on serpents and we shall not be harmed, that we shall speak in new tongues, talking about the power of the Spirit that God makes available to us.

The Bible also tells us in Acts chapter number 3, verse number 6, that healing is found in the name of Jesus.

That Colossians 3 17 says that victory is found in the name of Jesus.

Hebrews 13 reminds us that we worship through the name of Jesus.

And the Bible tells us in James chapter 5, verses 14 through 15 that when we engage in spiritual warfare, it's not my prayers, it's not anything except when I can declare the name of Jesus over that situation.

James 5:14–15

Because the Bible that I read tells me that when we say the name of Jesus, that literary demonic spirits have to loosen their grip because they get scared at the name of Jesus.

I know that there have been times in my life when I didn't have the vocabulary.

I know there have been times in my life when I couldn't find the scripture.

There have been times when I couldn't find the notes that the pastor's been preaching on.

But what I could do is declare the name of Jesus over a situation and begin to embody the peace that's connected to it.

So I want to pray the name of Jesus over your situation because the enemy hates the name of Jesus.

Because the moment that the believer in Christ can recognize that there's power and dominion and authority and freedom and chains break at the name of Jesus, he will do everything you can to keep you from declaring.

But at Celebration Church, we're gonna be a church that declares the name of Jesus.

Lord, we thank you.

We thank you for the name of Jesus.

We we thank you, God, for the authority and dominion that you make available to us.

So, yes, we will declare Jesus from the mountain.

We will declare Jesus while we're in the valley because we know that it's in the name of Jesus that we get our victory.

So, Father, I speak Jesus over families, I speak Jesus over our minds.

I speak Jesus over our anxiety and our depression.

I speak the name of Jesus over our finances.

God, I speak the name of Jesus over our addictions and unhealthy patterns.

I speak the name of Jesus over generational curses.

I speak the name of Jesus over our sick bodies.

I speak the name of Jesus over wounds.

I speak the name of Jesus over cancer.

I speak the name of Jesus over every diagnosis that is anti-to things of God.

We declare the name of Jesus because in the name of Jesus, everything surrenders to it.

So, Father, we recognize that there's victory only found in the name, in the person of Jesus.

If you believe that, can you put your hands together and give God praise in hearing?

If you really, really believe it, can we give God some praise in here?

We thank you, Jesus.

You can you can take your seats, but at this time I want to dismiss our middle and high school students.

We have an amazing service just for you guys that's taking place right now.

We're so, so glad that you're here with us today.

And we're going to continue in the atmosphere that that God is already cultivating amongst us.

If you're joining us for the first time, welcome.

I'm so glad that you're here with us.

If you're in our family lounge or are maybe checking us out on our podcast, where however you find us, we're glad that you're here and hope that if you're ever in the Orlando era, you would consider coming to worship in the presence of God amongst community, because I believe that there's something transformational about when the people of God can come together.

Can I get a good amen to that?

Over the past couple of weeks, we've been in a series slash season called Advent.

This is very on par with kind of just the atmosphere that's been established.

And Advent ultimately means coming or arrival.

And for the follower of Christ, it's an opportunity for us to enter into the biblical narrative where we can recognize the anticipation of what it looks like to wait for the Messiah to come, but also as a follower of Christ, we also recognize that we have the anticipation on his return.

So as we enter into this Advent season, I believe that God has a word for us that can encourage us today.

If you have your Bibles, I want to invite you to join me in Isaiah chapter number nine.

This is a passage that we've read over the past three weeks now, um, and it's kind of serving as our theme and anchor passage.

If you have a digital Bible with you, I want to give you an update on the translation that we're reading from so that we can read it all together.

I'm reading from the CSB um translation.

If you don't have a Bible with you, that's perfectly fine.

We have the Bible in the sky, as I like to call it, um, so that you can read along and then we're gonna flip over um to the Gospel of John, chapter number three.

So Isaiah chapter nine and then the Gospel of John chapter three are gonna be the bookends of where we're gonna spend our time today.

Over the past couple of weeks, we've kind of created this new rhythm that started off organic, but I want to be intentional with it, where um we read this passage together in unison.

The early church they would have what they call the public reading of scripture, where it was meant to be a congregational thing and not something that was exclusively for the person that was standing in front of people.

And so that's kind of become a theme for us, and so I would love to continue in that tradition.

You don't have to stand, I don't want you to yell it to the top of your voice, but but I do think it's something powerful about when we can all read God's word together.

So looking at Isaiah chapter number nine, we're gonna read verse number six together.

And again, if you don't have a Bible, you can read the one on the screen above you, and I think it'll be an opportunity for us to declare God's truth together as a community.

I'm gonna count up to three, and then we're gonna all read verse number six together.

One, two, and three.

For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders.

He will be named wonderful counselor, mighty God, eternal father, prince of peace.

No, no, no.

We just got we're stopping right there.

Stopping there.

But I love the overachieving 1030 service.

Nine o'clock stopped right there.

I knew there was something special about y'all.

Okay, now we're gonna skip over to the New Testament and we're gonna jump in to John chapter number three, and we're gonna start um at verse number 16.

And just to make sure that you guys are awake, I said we're gonna start at three for the previous one.

We're gonna start, we're gonna count down and start at one this time.

I just want to make sure y'all guys are still awake.

So, on the count of one, we're gonna read John 3.16 together.

Three, two, and not there yet.

Good job.

One.

For God so loved the world in this way that he gave his only son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish, but have eternal life.

Amen.

May God bless the reading of his word.

Today I want to talk to us for a couple of minutes around a subject that I have entitled God's gift.

Let's pray and let's see what God wants to speak to us today.

Lord, we thank you so much for your word.

We thank you for your presence.

And God, I ask that you continue to stir our hearts and minds and allow us to slow down, to listen to the truth that you want to speak to us today.

God, I decrease and ask that you increase, not only in me, but in our community.

So, Lord, I just ask for open eyes that we can see you.

I pray for open ears to hear your truth and open hearts to receive every seed that you want to plant.

It's in Jesus' name that we pray.

Amen and amen.

Every year around um Christmas time, it's a it's an amazing opportunity to just kind of slow down and put things in perspective.

I'm I'm no different than you, and what that means is it's a great opportunity to just kind of like count the blessings in your life and be intentional with generosity and and kindness.

And I love to do that specifically, of course, in community, but I love to have moments where we can do that with folks that you're close to, but maybe you're so close to that it's not a priority or it doesn't happen as frequently as you like.

And so whenever the the the advent season comes, Christmas season comes, it gives me a chance to like really, really spend time with our staff.

You'd be surprised, but but as hard as we work in the varying areas that we work, we spend enough time together.

But I just wanted our families to be together, have a meal, and just really, really celebrate the goodness of God with us.

And so we've been doing this now for the past several years, inclusive of this year.

And over the past two years, we we've done a secret Santa exchange.

If you're unfamiliar with it, basically what it is is everybody puts their name into a little basket, you pull out the name, you see the name that's there, and then you go out and get a meaningful gift for that individual.

So this year we we continued in that tradition.

We all picked our names, and I law I saw the name, I locked it to my memory, and I was ready to move on with the rest of my day.

And then Nate came back and said, Hey, we have to we have to do it again.

Somebody picked their own name, the the algorithm's all off, so we're gonna have to do it again.

Fine, no problem.

We all put our names back in that pot, we pull the names again, and we begin to move on.

And and I'm I'll be honest with you, like I saw the name, I committed it to memory, I moved on with my life.

Fast forward a couple of weeks, and we were preparing to have our our Christmas dinner together with our families.

Um, and then I began to think like, hey, I need to go to the store to get the gift for the individual that I selected.

But but it occurred to me that I didn't remember who I had.

So now I'm at this spot where I'm like, okay, I don't I don't remember whose name I selected.

So I'm like, okay, like listen, I know that we're supposed to be sworn to secrecy.

I I don't want to break any confidentiality, but I just go to Nate directly.

I'm like, hey man, listen, um, I think I have Vinny.

So I walk up to him and I'm like, hey bro, I know I'm not supposed to tell you who I have, you're not supposed to tell me.

I'm asking you that.

I I know who I have, I have Vinny, and I and I don't know what to get him.

Like, I'm trying to figure out something very meaningful and intentional to get for Vinny.

And and Nate, sitting in his chair like an evil villain, um, he looks at me and he says, he kind of chuckles, he's like, Are you sure that you have Vinny?

As he drinks from his coffee and starts petting the cat.

I don't even know where it came from.

I said, Yeah.

He said, Because I have Vinny.

Plot twist.

So this whole time I was thinking that I had Vinny, but but Nate had Vinny.

So now I'm at a complete loss.

I'm shooting in the dark at this point.

So so Megan and I we we go to the store, she refuses to tell me who she has because I'm trying to like just do a little bit of process of elimination.

I don't have myself, if I don't have Vinny, I know I don't have Megan, and I don't like I'm trying to work this, she wouldn't cooperate at all.

At all.

So we end up going to a store, like literally the night of our gathering together with our staff, and I am walking up and down every single aisle, and I'm thinking to myself, like, what can I get that will be a gift that works for everybody?

Like, literally, I'm thinking, I'm walking up and down the aisle.

And if you know anything about me, my temperament, I don't walk into stores and not know where I'm going.

I don't walk into stores and not knowing what I'm getting.

That's the recipe for going over budget.

So when I walk into stores, I know what I'm getting, I'm in and I'm out.

But I was in the store so long, even Megas said, I'll meet you in the car.

Like, that's how long I was there, just walking around over and over and over again and like looking and being frustrated.

And I was like, this whole thing is stupid.

Why are we doing gifts of change?

Like you start questioning your reality.

So I end up finding a gift that I'm like, okay, I think that this, I really do, I think this could work.

So I find this gift that I think is very meaningful, that it's very universal, but I also think that it could work for anybody on our staff.

Fast forward, now we're sitting all together at the dinner table.

Nice restaurant, we're all sitting there, and then now it's the moment of truth where we're gonna have this gift exchange.

Mind you, I still don't know who I have.

So so now the moment comes like, hey, how do guys want to exchange the gifts?

And everybody's like, oh, like everybody, just go get your gift and give it to your person.

So I'm like, cool, cool, here's what I'm gonna do.

I'm just gonna wait till everybody else goes.

I'll see who doesn't have a gift, and I'll know that that's the person I'm supposed to give it to.

And then my wife, my rib, the woman that I have sworn my commitment to for all the days of my life, who is fully aware that I don't know who I have, says, Yeah, Keith, go and give your person their gift.

To which I'm sitting there and I look over at her and I'm like, Who are you?

I'm not saying that that what Jesus experienced with Judas and what I experienced were the same thing, but I'm not saying that they're not the same thing.

I knew a level of betrayal that I didn't even know existed when my wife literally threw me under the bus.

And naturally, I'm the pastor, somebody's like, oh yeah, Pastor Keith, go and get your gift.

So I go grab it off the table and I'm walking over, and I'm just looking around and seeing, like, who got something?

Who don't have something?

So I'm walking over towards Nate because I'm thinking, like, okay, if I didn't have any, then maybe I had Nate.

I walk closer to Nate, and Nate's trying to wave me off.

He's trying to be the best executive pastor looking up.

He was looking out for me, and he was like, It's not me, it's not me.

Like, I already have my gift.

So I'm looking over and I get close to Nate, and Nate's like, Oh, I already have a gift, and I'm like, oh, and then I look over and I see Sam does it.

Oh, Sam, Sam got the gift.

And so I I put it in front of Sam and we all celebrate it.

And here's the thing it actually ended up working out really well because I got something that I think that every person on staff has an unhealthy addiction to, and that's something that we're oriented around coffee.

Um, with the exception of Vinny, but we're trying to convert him one at a time.

But but but we got I got this really cool coffee mug that will work for anybody.

I just basically bought a gift that I would want in case anybody else didn't have it.

I'm like, hey, I'll I'll keep it for myself.

But but it but it did beg this question.

As I went through this experience, I'm like, it is so difficult to try to get a gift that works for everybody.

When you really think about it, if you're thinking of a room full of people, how could I possibly give you a gift that is meaningful, that is purposeful, something that you really, really want that works for everybody, considering we're all so different.

All of our needs are different, what we're what we're expecting is different.

But interestingly enough, when I think about the context of the gospel, God was able to look at the collective of all of humanity and say, I'm going to give you a gift that everybody needs.

There's not a single person that can't benefit from Jesus.

There's not a single person that will not be enriched because of Jesus.

What I recognize in this moment and through my own experience is that God in his profound wisdom had given us a gift that works for everybody.

There's no guesswork because I don't have to guess and know that you need Jesus and you need Jesus, but but I need Jesus, and the people at home need Jesus, and people in DC definitely need Jesus.

We recognize that there's nobody that's exempt from needing Jesus.

I think that's the power of the gift that God makes available to us.

And the beautiful thing is that God gave him to us as a gift.

That means this we didn't work for him, we don't earn them, and we don't deserve them.

That should make all of us a little bit more humble when we look down on people because maybe we've been walking a little bit longer, or should I say, our sin looks different than someone else's?

None of us earned Jesus.

None of us earned our place into heaven.

No matter how many scriptures you know, no matter how many songs you sing, you are no different than anybody else.

We are all equal at the foot of the cross.

That's the beautiful thing about this gift.

And so, what I want to do is I I want to give us a couple of things that I think can bear witness to our souls as it relates to the greatest gift that has ever been given to mankind.

Here's the first thing I want us to remember is that Jesus is indeed the gift that we needed.

Because we all know what it feels like to get a gift that you didn't need, didn't want, and quite honestly, you're wondering why you got it.

But but Jesus is a gift that we all needed.

That that give that the gift of Jesus isn't a luxury item, it is literally a lifeline from God.

The Bible tells us that in the beginning, God created man in his own image.

Image literally means in his reflection.

God's intention for us was for us to reflect the glory of God, for us to reflect the love of God, for us to reflect the personality of God, for us to reflect the the justice of God.

God's original intent was for us to serve as his reflection.

That's what it means to be made in his image.

But then sin enters into the equation.

And in the same way, if we can think about how a mirror is meant to be a reflection of us, but when that mirror gets shattered, it now becomes very distorted.

When sin entered into the picture, humanity was now shattered, and now the image of God in us got significantly distorted.

And no matter how hard we try to pick up all the pieces, no matter how hard we tried to make it all make sense, if you ever try to assemble something that's been truly shattered and broken, even at our best efforts, it's still a fragment of what its original intention was.

And the Bible tells us that because of this fractured nature, because of this sin that separates us from God, that there was this barrier that no effort from mankind could ever bridge that gap.

But God had a plan.

And God's desire for us was so strong and so prominent that He said, I'm going to send someone that can represent you on your behalf, that can bridge this gap that has been separating us and man.

The Bible tells us in Romans chapter number three, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

All of us have fallen short of God's perfect standard, but we needed a savior.

And that savior came in to bridge that gap that sin had once separated.

I remember talking with my barber and him telling me the story about a young man whose hair he was cutting in preparation for his graduation from high school.

The story that he told me was that when that young man was six years old, his home was engulfed in flames.

And while his home was engulfed in flames, all of his family members, all of his siblings, got out of the fire unscathed, but he was in the back room.

The smoke was too thick, the fire was too hot, there was no way for him to get out.

And as the mother began to take inventory of her family, she recognized that her that her youngest child was still inside.

And as much as she wanted to get in, no one would let her go in because she would hurt herself.

But there was a firefighter that was there.

And he asked her, saying, Ma'am, where in the house is your son located?

And even at the even against the wisdom of the other firefighters, he said, I'm gonna go and I'm gonna rescue that young man.

He he breaks in and he faces the flames.

He he knows how to navigate through it.

He goes and finds the young man, brings him out virtually unscathed, and now my barber was cutting his hair as his life was now moving forward and preparation for him to go to college.

What an amazing story about a young man who was trapped in the fire, about a young man that didn't have any visibility out.

In spite of everyone's best effort, there was no way to rescue him, but there was a brave firefighter that was willing to face the flames that nobody else could face in order to rescue this young man.

This is what Jesus did for us.

We were trapped in sin.

We were trapped in brokenness, we were trapped in separation from God, but Jesus came in and says, I know exactly where you are, and I'm willing to come and find you in the midst of your brokenness.

I'm willing to find you in your darkest room, I'm willing to find you in the midst of your fear, and I'm going to rescue you and bring you to a place of safety.

Jesus is not a luxury item, he's a gift that we needed.

He's the very essence of what we required in order for us to move forward with our lives.

That's the beautiful thing about the gift of Jesus.

The second thing that I want us to be encouraged with is not only is Jesus the gift that we need, but he's the gift that keeps on giving.

He's the gift that keeps on giving.

I want us to recognize that that all of us knows probably what it feels like to get a gift, and and maybe you use it once, maybe you use it twice, and and and it out you it out it out kind of outlives its usefulness.

But God gave us a gift that continues to give over and over again.

For God so loved the world that he gave us his only begotten son.

I remember when my mom several years ago had given me a gift that was transformational.

No, we're not talking about the gift of life.

I thank her for that.

But I'm talking about the gift of a Costco membership.

I had ridden by the long lines and the discounted gas prices and always wondered what was happening inside of this large store, but but I didn't have access.

And at that time, the the price point just seemed to be something that wasn't a priority for me because of the way my budget was set up.

But my mom had given me the gift of this Costco membership one year.

And I remember when I when I got it, I I went to the store, they took my picture, and now they said, hey, this gives you access to all the discounts that are in here.

And when I got into the store, I had no idea that I needed to get new tires and a gallon of mayonnaise all at the same time.

And there's one location that could provide that for me.

It was amazing.

It literally is my place of therapy to this day.

I just like to walk around and just see what things I need in bulk.

My garage is overflowing with stuff.

But it's amazing.

But but what I recognize is it's a gift that keeps on giving because it was covered for the year.

I didn't pay the price for it.

My mom paid the price, it was available to me, and now I have access to discounts.

I have access to all of these things that if I didn't have that access, I wouldn't be able to obtain them.

It's a gift that keeps on giving.

What I want us to recognize is that when we are in relationship with God and we accept the free gift of salvation that God makes available to us through the person of Jesus, that He gives us access.

He gives us access to joy that the world just can't provide for us.

He gives us access to peace that the world cannot give and the world cannot take it away.

He gives us access to freedom that the enemy tries to make sure that we never experience.

He gives us access to wholeness and hope.

That when we are in relationship with God, that it gives us access to things that we could never truly get in our own strength.

And this access is transformational.

This access is something that the enemy can't take for us.

Listen to me, church.

The God of the universe has given you access to the throne room of grace.

That you're able to go boldly before his presence and ask for grace and ask for peace and ask for breakthroughs and ask for miracles without any of it being connected to your behavior because Jesus did it on your behalf.

It's the gift that keeps on giving.

This isn't a one-time transaction that we lift our hands at the end of a service and we move on, but it's something that we're able to engage in because God has given us access.

And the beautiful thing about this access is that when you really allow your life to be transformed by what you have access to, you can't help but to tell the story about it.

You can't be quiet about it.

Have you ever heard someone get an amazing gift and they're talking about it endlessly?

How much more?

When we have been given the gift of salvation, when we've been given the gift of Jesus, should we talk about it?

I believe all of us have a story to tell.

I believe all of us can think of moments that in our own strength we didn't deserve it, but God still made it available for us.

Because I truly believe that when we have a gift that keeps on giving, it becomes a part of the story that we tell.

When the shoes are when I can see what you do, another to prove you're the god of pastoral.

Because I truly believe that all of us has a story to tell.

That all of us has these these moments in our lives that if we're honest with ourselves when we thought that that where I am is as good as it's ever going to be, or where I am is where I'm always going to be.

Sometimes we're we're trapped in such despair that it seems like we normalize our brokenness to a point that we lose all hope.

But it's in these moments that that we're reminded one that God is with us, and also that God is going to lead us out of it.

We we don't know how long, but I can think back to varying milestones in my life when I thought, like, okay, this I need to adjust to this reality because this is just life for right now.

But I remember that those are still a small voice from God saying, But Keith, I have so much more for you.

Don't give up hope.

Don't don't give up faith.

Keep trusting me, keep keep holding on.

Don't don't don't make that U-turn.

I'm I promise you, I know it's unclear.

I I know it's a little bit dark.

I I know that I know that you don't feel peace.

I know that me even you may not even feel me, but just listen to my voice and let me guide you through this and trust me.

I've learned over and over again at varying milestones in my life that that when you have Jesus, you have a gift that changes everything.

It changes everything.

That that this is not just a uh a one-time thing, but it has the ability to literally change everything.

The Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians chapter number 5, verse number 17, therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.

The old has passed away, and see, the new has come.

That when we have Jesus, there's an there's an update to our original software that then says that I am now in the righteousness of God.

And in spite of whatever my memories may tell me, in spite of whatever my flaws may be, and and the people that want to remind me of them, the Bible that I read tells me, but I am a new creation in Christ, and I'm on the sanctification process, but what I did is not who I am.

And maybe right now some of us are struggling with our identity because people can't get past what we've done.

I'm here to encourage you, to remind you, to implore you to pick up God's word and recognize that you are a new creation in Christ, and that changes everything.

It changes my destiny, it changes the way that I view things, it changes everything.

All of us are probably familiar with those times when we've gotten a gift that had the ability that that literally changed everything in our lives.

We know people that that lives have been changed as a result of something that they now have.

I remember when I talked to my first friend who who just got a who got a Tesla.

And if you and if you and if you know people who have Teslas and maybe you have them, but I remember several years ago when it was brand new, he found a way to work that conversation into everything that was going on.

I'm like, hey, I'll meet you there, I gotta go gas.

Gas?

It's been so long since I've had to go and get gas.

Good for you, sir.

Good for you.

I tell him, like, oh man, I'm sorry I'm running a little bit late.

Running late.

When I get in my car, it tells me exactly where I need to be and when I need to be there.

He found a way to work in the Tesla conversation into everything.

He integrated into every area of his life.

We all know those things.

I remember when I was a young boy, my mom bought me a Super Nintendo game system.

It changed everything.

Because now I was able to go to school, me and my friends were trading games.

It was an amazing opportunity.

But you know what?

It literally became a part of my identity.

I subscribed to Nintendo Power.

I had we had all this exchange.

It was a part of a community, and I literally built my life around it because I was a part of something that was connected to other people.

These are small examples, but how much more should our lives be changed when we went from darkness to light?

How much more should our lives be changed when we went to hell to heaven?

How much more should our lives be changed when we went from brokenness and going to a place of wholeness and freedom?

What I want you to get an image of is that when you have Jesus, you have a gift that literally changes everything in your life.

It changes everything.

There's not a single thing that having Jesus in your life doesn't change.

It changes the way that you see yourself.

Because for some of us, when we look into the mirror, the thing that we see looking back at us is our brokenness and our pain.

But the Bible reminds us that you are a child of God, made in the image of God, and that you are loved by God.

So you need to see yourself the way that God sees you, which is beautifully and wonderfully made.

That when you have Jesus, it changes the way that you treat others.

That we don't no longer look to fight fire with fire, but we extend the grace that has been extended to us.

It changes everything.

It changes the way that we face conflict, it changes with the way that we even use our words.

Because the Bible tells us that life and death is in the power of the tongue.

So even when I'm looking at difficult situations, instead of me continuing to heap on negative words and saying it's the best it's ever going to get, but the Bible tells me that if I speak words of life over it, it has the ability to shift the atmosphere.

That when you have Jesus, it changes the way that you navigate around pain and hardship.

No longer am I a victim to my situation, but I recognize that God is working it all together for the good and he will be glorified in spite of it.

It changes the way that I navigate my resources because I'm no longer just interested in exclusively building up my bank account for me and my family, but I also recognize that my resources are meant to be a blessing and a conduit to make a difference in the lives of others.

It helps me to have an eternal perspective.

That when you have Jesus, it changes the way that we respond to failure.

Recognizing that God is able to give me new grace and new mercies that are renewed every single morning.

That when you have Jesus, that it changes how we pursue justice.

Because God is a God of justice and He loves to make sure that we as a people group never normalize the oppression of any other people group.

And so it changes the way that I pursue those things.

It changes the way that I handle success.

Because no longer is it all about me, but I recognize that God is entrusting me with resources to make a difference in the lives of others.

It changes the way that we find peace.

Because sadly, many of us think that peace is connected to outcomes, that peace is connected to environments.

But the more and more I've walked with God, there have been moments that I would say atmospherically didn't seem like they were peaceful, but I had peace.

This is why when Jesus went to the cross, the Bible said that he was able to keep his peace because there was something deeper going on in the inside of him.

It reminds me of the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abendigo, where the Bible says that they had such a strong conviction of their faith that they were threatened that if you pray one more time, we're going to throw you in this fiery furnace.

And they had a faith that says, we believe that the God we serve is going to rescue us.

But even if he does not, our God is still on a throne.

There have been moments where I have been in a fiery furnace, and maybe God will be glorified with me worshiping while I'm in the flames, or maybe he'll be glorified when he rescues me from them.

But when you can grow to a place of saying that even if, even if I don't get it, God is good.

Even if I don't get the job, God is good.

Even if I have to downsize, God is good.

Even if it doesn't work out, God is good.

Because my peace is no longer connected to outcomes, but it's how I walk through it.

Family and friends, I want you to recognize that God is for you.

And the enemy can't take that from you.

But we recognize that we have a gift that changes everything.

Everything.

With every head bowed and every eye closed, I want to pose a question to us.

Maybe you're in here right now, and there's an area of your life where you recognize that there's a Jesus deficit.

An area of your life where maybe you don't feel this joy, this peace that we're talking about, this breakthrough, this gift that keeps on giving.

Several years ago, Megan and I went and visited a really nice cathedral in Washington, D.C., beautiful place.

It was a place of worship, but it was also a museum.

And I remember as we were walking through this temple that was in honor of God, there were ropes set up.

And those ropes were to indicate, like, hey, you guys can visit these sections, but you're not allowed to go back into these sections.

And I remember back then that that was almost an illustration of God saying, how much more is it true that we being the temple of God have areas roped off where we don't give Jesus access to it?

Lord, Lord, I'll give you access to this area, but you can't, you can't get into my finances.

Lord, I'll give you access to this, but I'm not going to give you access to my family.

I believe it's in these moments, those areas where we are experiencing a Jesus deficit, it's not because he doesn't want to occupy that space, it's because we haven't lowered the rope and invited him into it.

So my question for you is this if there's an area of your life where you just want to experience more of the Jesus of the Bible, this is a moment between you and God, but I do want to pray for you.

Would you boldly lift your hand on account of the ring?

One, two, three.

Areas where I just want to experience more of Jesus.

Amen.

I want to I want to pose a separate question now.

Maybe you're in here with us today, watching online, family lounge, and you recognize that for you, where you are in your life, that you just need to accept the gift of Jesus.

And I'm talking about the gift of salvation.

This is not a transaction, but it certainly is a moment that we can enter into.

We can surrender our heart with a by signifying our hand.

So it's not you.

And you want to surrender your life to Jesus.

Maybe you're returning to Jesus, but all you know is that right now you are not in fellowship with Jesus.

We want to create a space for you to bridge that gap because Jesus already performed on your behalf.

You just have to receive the gift that He's made available to you.

So if that's you, saying yes to Jesus, maybe for the first time or maybe for the hundredth time, his love is still sufficient.

On account of three, I want to invite you to lift your hand so I can include you in a prayer as well.

One, two, three.

Amen.

Amen.

God bless you.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

God bless you all.

Amen.

Church, can we put our hands together and celebrate with those who are saying yes to returning to Jesus?

I want to lead us in a prayer.

And and right in your seats.

I don't want you to stand.

I just want you to stay right in your seats.

I just want you to lift your hands and to receive this and just allow the work of the Holy Spirit to do something on the inside of you that's starting today, it won't be finished today.

But I believe we're going to take some ground today.

Lord, you see every hand that's lifted.

You know the burdens that are on our hearts.

You know the struggles that exist within our minds and our souls.

You know what environments we we've came from.

You know the burdens and the problems that we're going to be walking right back into.

Father, I just pray in the name of Jesus that, Lord, that you can be Lord of every area of our lives.

Father, we as a church, we lower the ropes and we give you access to every area of our lives.

Lord, I recognize that for some of us, there is a there's a grace deficit.

There is a there's a peace deficit, there's a joy deficit, there's resource deficits, there's areas of our lives, God, that that we feel like there's a there's an inequality of what we're experiencing versus what the word of God says about our experience.

It's in these moments, Lord, that we surrender this to the foot of the cross and we invite you, Jesus, into our situation.

God, we want to walk around these things the way that you will have us walk around.

And we want to speak the way that you will have us to speak.

We want to live a life that's an honor of you.

So, Holy Spirit, do deep inventory in all of our hearts and our minds and turn on the lights of any area of darkness, God, that even may be serving as blind spots for us.

Father, in the name of Jesus, I pray over every addiction that's in this room, and I command for those chains to be broken off.

Father, in the name of Jesus, I pray over every marriage that's in this room, in spite of the trials and the tribulations and the history of pain.

But Father, I pray for reconciliation and hope in a way that honors you.

Father, I pray for every person that's living a life of expectation, an expectation of a job, an expectation of a new opportunity, an expectation of growing their family.

God, whatever it is that we're standing in expectation of, God, Lord, not only are we asking for the breakthrough and miracle, but we trust you in it all.

Father, I pray for peace in the name of Jesus.

God, we we come against every form of anxiety and depression and hopelessness and despair.

We know that you are with us in this valley.

Your word reminds us that we may walk through the valley of the shadow of death, but we have nothing to fear because you are with us.

Father, I pray that we could be reminded and get glimpses of the breakthroughs that you've given us in times past that can serve as the fuel for hope for the future.

Father, I just pray over every family that God, for those who are who are disconnected from family, those who are feeling isolated and alone, that God, you can allow us to know that you are with us and that you can bring us closer to the ones that we love.

Father, we need you in a time of strong division and brokenness.

But Father, we know that that blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall inherit the kingdom of God.

Father, I just pray over our community, our burdens, our struggles, that you continue to mend and bring healing to broken bodies and mend wounds.

In the name of Jesus, we also pray for those who are saying yes to you for the first time or for the hundredth time, that Father, that in this moment the Holy Spirit is coming alive on the inside of them, igniting a flame of fire that cannot be extinguished by the circumstances of the world.

And Father, I pray that as we draw closer to you, you draw closer to us and reveal your glory to us in a way that changes everything.

It's in Jesus' name that we pray.

Amen.

Amen and amen.

Church, we put our hands together for the goodness of God.

Thank you for joining us to learn more about Celebration Orlando, a church devoted to reaching the lost, equipping the found, and helping the hurting.

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