Wonderful Counselor | Ps. Keith Pittman

Welcome to the Celebration Church Orlando podcast.

Thank you so much for listening today.

We hope it encourages you and inspires you.

Here's today's message.

I am so pumped uh to be able to stand before you guys today because it's been a few weeks.

Um we had such an amazing uh season with unique November, and we just heard some of the amazing things that God has done.

And and this has all been kind of like building up uh to this new series that we're kicking into, this new series called Good News.

Now, now maybe you guys are familiar with that phrase good news.

That word literally basically is the gospel.

Gospel means good news, and and maybe you're familiar with the idea of good news.

But if you were to go and do uh uh some type of a survey with every Christian, we may have a different way that we respond to, like, okay, we understand gospel means good news, but what does that actually mean?

What is it, what is this good news that we should be celebrating?

And so over the next couple of weeks, we are going to be unpacking this idea about what the good news truly is, what it means for us, but also what it means for our communities and the places that God has placed us in.

Now, I know for some of us, we're probably likely familiar with the phrase of like, hey, I got some information to tell you.

I have good news and I also have some bad news.

Which one do you want first?

Just by a show of hands, who are the people that want to hear the bad news first?

Yes.

I feel like that is the logical way to do it.

Because you kind of like, hey man, just front load me with the negative stuff and then I can balance it out with the positive stuff.

We have these good news, bad news scenarios.

And so for most people, they just like, hey, give me the bad news, then give me the good news so I can walk away feeling a little bit inspired.

Well, honestly, that was the role of the prophets in the Bible.

The role of the prophet was really to be like this good news, bad news individual.

So let me paint the picture for you.

Back before we had Bible apps and before we even had scriptures written in front of us, God used prophets to declare the word of the Lord.

They would often show up and say, Thus saith the word of the Lord.

That meant that this is God speaking through me to you.

So whenever a prophet showed up, typically the folks that were there, they didn't know if this was a good news situation or bad news situation.

In many instances, it could have been a bad news situation, and the bad news could have been a confrontation, letting them know as a result of your rebellion, as a result of you not following what God has said, here's a consequence to go alongside of it.

So when you read the Old Testament and you see all these names like Obadiah and Nahum, these are these are prophets that God had commissioned to declare his word.

And in many instances, it was bad news, but the prophets that were very popular, they had this balance of presenting like the bad news, but also had good news intertwined in it because the good news was meant to give you hope even in the midst of the chaos.

This is the role of Isaiah.

Isaiah is is one of the most popular prophets, he's considered a major prophet in the Old Testament.

He's actually the one who wrote the most about the coming Messiah.

So he had this unique responsibility of showing up and coming to the people of Israel and making them aware of some things they were about to go through.

So it was a it was a bad news but good news situation.

So when Isaiah begins to write, he's writing to come to the children of Israel and say to them, man, like you guys have had a you guys have had a tough go at it.

You guys had to endure Egypt, you guys had to navigate through Babylon, but but you still haven't learned the lesson of putting God first.

So so I'm here to let you guys know that there's a there's another layer of consequence that's about to come.

These Assyrians are about to come, they're gonna overtake Babylon, and now we're gonna be under Assyrian oppression.

Bad news.

That's weighty.

That's once again I'm saying, like, man, like we're we're so tired of being under oppression.

We're so tired of not living in freedom.

We're so tired of feeling restricted.

And he said, This is the bad news.

This is the consequence of decisions and choices that you've made.

However, I do have some good news for you.

God is not going to leave you there.

In fact, God's going to continue to work through these kingdoms to bring out something powerful in you.

And then at some point, the Messiah is going to come and he's going to bring restoration and wholeness to everyone, inclusive of the people of Israel.

That was the good news that Isaiah was trying to communicate to the people of God.

And so many of the messianic prophecies were meant to inspire hope that even while we're in an uncomfortable place, there is still good news.

That even while we're still struggling right now, there is still good news.

And that good news was meant to inspire hope, even in spite of me not seeing what I'm hoping to see in the future.

But it's meant to give you the strength to keep moving forward.

We understand that faith is the thing that activates us and gets us to take a step.

Hope is the thing that keeps us moving forward.

And sometimes we can have faith, but we can also lose hope.

I have faith, but I'm losing hope, and that can cause me to go reverse.

So he's trying to inspire them, like, look, I know it's uncomfortable right now, but keep the hope alive because I have good news, and that good news is that the Messiah is coming.

Our theme passage that I want to share with us for this series is found in Isaiah chapter 9, verses 6 through 7.

Isaiah 9:6–7

And here's what it says it's something that maybe you're familiar with specifically around this time of year.

And here's what it says: it says, For a child is born to us, a son is given to us, the government will rest on his shoulders, and he will be called wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting father, prince of peace.

His government and its peace will never end.

He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity.

The passionate commitment of the Lords of the Lords of Heaven's armies will make this happen.

What Isaiah was saying, he's speaking to a people group that are that are being entered into this season of oppression.

But he says to them that even in the midst of this discomfort, I have some good news for you.

That a child is going to be given to us, a son is going to be born, and he's going to do some amazing things, and he's going to change the game for all of us.

So keep the faith.

Today I want to build a foundation for this series that we're going to be talking about around this idea of the good news, even in spite of some of the bad news, and how we can experience it right now in our relationship with Jesus.

And so if you're taking notes, and I hope that you are, I want you to write this message title down for today.

It's simply this wonderful counselor.

Wonderful counselor.

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

Lord, we thank you so much for every opportunity that we have to gather.

Lord, I'm reminded of of the psalmist where he says, I was glad when they said unto me, let us come to the house of the Lord.

We're thankful for unique November and our ability to gather, to scatter in the difference that we made in our community by serving and partnering with Kingdom Collaboration, God.

But Father, we also will never, ever sidestep the importance of us gathering together and being with you.

So Lord, I pray over the next few moments that you give us open eyes to see you.

I pray for open hearts to receive everything that you have for us, and I pray for open ears to hear you above all the other voices that are speaking to us.

Have your way in here, Holy Spirit.

Challenge us, inspire us, encourage us in Jesus' name.

Amen.

And amen.

So, family, I'm I'm a really big fan of television shows, of of all genres, but one of my favorites absolutely has to be science fiction.

My children often make fun of me because they'll see me watching these weird science fiction shows, and and I don't let that judgment affect me at all.

Like I'm I'm dialed in, I love it so much.

And and then it all and I was doing some research and I found that a lot of this came from um this book called War of the Worlds.

War of the Worlds is a phenomenal book that was written by H.G.

Wells and it was published in like 1898.

And I will give you guys the basic premise of what this book is all about.

The premise of this book is that there's this alien invasion that takes place and it goes into a narrative of these two men trying to survive this alien invasion.

And so this book really blew up, and that actually serves as the premise of many different other books and plays and even movies that we've seen.

If I've just said an alien invasion, how do we survive it?

Many of us can probably think of 10 different movies that have done a version of that.

That all comes back uh to War of the Worlds, this novel that was written.

But one of the first times that was ever like kind of like repurposed and done was actually in 1938.

There was another guy named Orson Wells who was so inspired by it, he took the book and he adapted it and wanted to put it into a play.

This play was powerful where it was going to be an opportunity to illustrate this powerful story of an alien invasion and people trying to survive and navigate through it.

But as I mentioned, this took place in 1938.

So there were no TV sets in everybody's home that they could watch this, this dramatization take place.

So what they did is they did it all over the radio.

And so what happened on October 30th, 1938, um, there was a disclaimer that came on the radio station.

And I want to read exactly to you what it says.

The disclaimer said this it says, um, ladies and gentlemen, we are about to enter into a moment that is so powerful.

The Columbia Broadcasting System and its affiliate stations presents to you Orson Wells and the Mercury Theater on air with an reenactment of War of the Worlds by H.G.

Wells.

End scene.

There's a little bit of silence, and then there's a news reporter that comes on, and he's given like a little bit of a weather report.

Hey guys, the weather's gonna be great.

We're gonna take you now to the grand ballroom.

They go into this ballroom, and while they're talking, the man is interrupted by the sounds of chaos and all this craziness going on, and there's an alien invasion taking place.

So naturally, as they're trying to reenact this for radio and for the audience that's listening to it, they're hearing people screaming, they're they're hearing about the fear, they're hearing about all the stuff that's going on.

And so everyone that heard the disclaimer understood the context that what I'm hearing on the radio is not something that I should overreact to.

There was a disclaimer that was provided on the front end.

The problem is there were a bunch of people that hopped in at 8 12.

If you're keeping time, the the disclaimer was given at 8 o'clock.

So that means that some people jumped in at 8 12 listening now to this reenactment of about an alien invasion, but they didn't have the disclaimer.

How would you respond if you turned on your favorite news station, your favorite media source, and you didn't have that disclaimer, and you're hearing them say to you, All is lost, the sky is falling, we're being invaded by aliens, what are we going to do to survive?

And you're hearing these news people, and the way that they reenacted, it was so believable that it literally sparked a mass panic.

People lost their minds.

They were filled with fear, and you really began to kind of see the carnality that's inside of all of us.

Like many of us, like one of my biggest, okay, sides, sign up.

One of my biggest fears is ever being on that show, what would you do?

Because all of us watch these things and think like, hey, hey, if that was me, I would.

And I would like to think that if I were to be in certain situations, if that was me, I would.

If that was me, I would step up and say, hey, sir, don't you talk to her like that in the name of Jesus, ma'am.

You can get up.

Like, I would love to be that guy to do it.

But I also know that we live in Florida and people got guns, so I'm like, man, I'll just pray from a distance to keep it pushed.

I don't know.

I'm just saying we all think that we know what we'll do until we're put into that situation.

So now let's go back to this whole situation that's going on.

People are filled with complete fear.

They're running to grocery stores, clearing off the shelves, trying to kind of figure out a way that they can survive because they didn't have the context that there was this disclaimer of saying, hey, you're about to hear a lot of drama, but don't overreact to it.

There's some things that you're going to hear that's going to inspite, that's going to inspire some fear and some anxiety and stress.

But hey, don't forget the disclaimer.

There's a creator that put this whole thing together.

So there's people that were literally filled with panic.

And so you know you have neighbor going against neighbor.

And so now there was this moment where these two neighbors are outside and the one neighbor is is is yelling and saying, like, have you not seen that we're being invaded?

Why aren't you more, why aren't you more frustrated?

Why aren't you, why aren't you more filled up?

Why haven't you taken arms?

Why haven't you done these things that we should be doing as a response to what's going on in the world?

And his neighbor said, What are you talking about?

Didn't you hear the disclaimer?

What what disclaimer are you talking about?

The disclaimer that said that we're not supposed to overreact to all of this.

This is simply a dramatization.

He had no idea that everything that he was hearing was orchestrated and that it was no need for him to overreact.

Let's fast forward to now.

I feel like every time we turn on the news, that every time we go to Twitter, that every time we go into social media, there's something else being presented to us that is meant to inspire fear and panic and anxiety and stress, and somehow we'd be learned how to vilify each other in the midst of all of these things.

And I'm often wondering to myself, how do we get to a point where we're all looking at the same information and we all have these different reactions?

And I came to the conclusion it's because some of us have missed the disclaimers.

Some of us have missed what is found in scripture about the very times that we're living in right now.

Jesus gave us some disclaimers to give us some context so that we don't overreact to what we're seeing right now.

Matthew 24, this is the words of Jesus.

He said, and Jesus told them, Don't let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name claiming that I am the Messiah.

They will deceive many, and you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don't panic.

Yes, these things must take place, but in the end, the end will not happen immediately.

Nation will go against nation, kingdom against kingdom.

There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world, but this is just the beginning of more things to come.

They will even arrest and persecute those who are followers of me.

You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers, and many will turn away from the faith and begin to hate each other.

There will be many false prophets that will arise and they will deceive many people.

Sin will be rampant everywhere, and love will virtually be non-existence.

But he who endures will be saved.

And the good news of the kingdom will be preached throughout the world so that all nations will hear that the end has not come.

Let me summarize what Jesus is saying.

Man, you guys are looking at the news right now and you're overreacting to every little thing.

And Jesus says, Don't overreact.

I am still on a throne.

The end is not here.

I am still in control.

I still have all power.

Why are you overreacting to everything that you see?

Jesus goes on in John chapter 16, verse 33.

John 16:33

He says, This in this world you will have trouble.

In this world, there will be trials and tribulation.

In this world, there will be persecution because you're a Christian.

In this world, you will face opposition.

In this world, there will be some things that will make you feel uncomfortable.

But he says, Take heart because I have overcome the world.

Let me give you guys some disclaimers right now because I know that when we look at the news, it can make us be filled with panic.

I know that when we listen to our favorite person on social media, it can make us filled with anxiety.

I know that when we turn on our favorite news station, they're giving us information that's not building us up, that's not strengthening us, that's not giving us hope, but it's making us look at each other as enemies.

And I'm telling you, those are false prophets that are causing us not to see each other the way that God has intended us to see each other.

Jesus says, I am still on the throne.

I am still in control.

Even if you're not seeing what you want to see, don't you be discouraged, don't you be dismayed?

I still have all authority, I still have all power, I still have all grace, I still have all anointing, and that, my family, is why we have good news.

That even in the midst of bad news, we still got the good news, and that good news is the person of Jesus Christ.

Can we put our hands together for the goodness of God?

Don't let your hearts be troubled by what we're seeing.

Jesus is the good news.

In the midst of the discomfort, Jesus is the good news.

In the midst of the bad news, Jesus is the good news.

Don't overreact.

Don't let yourself be filled with fear.

Jesus is the good news.

Now, when you know that you have good news, you don't react to bad news, you respond with faith.

I'm not telling us not to be prayerful.

I'm not telling us not to be informed.

What I'm saying is don't let what you see inform how you feel.

Be informed, but don't let it inform the way that you walk with God.

Don't let it inwardly form the way that you see other people.

Don't allow it to change the way that you see things.

Jesus is the good news.

Let me let me give you some scripture to support this that Jesus is the good news.

Luke chapter 2, verse number 10.

Luke 2 · chapter mention

This is the birth account of Jesus.

And the angel reassured them and said, Don't be afraid.

He said, I bring you good news that will be great for all people.

This is the angel speaking, and he says, Don't be afraid, I bring you good news for all people.

If you have your Bibles or if you have your Bible app, I want you to underline that word, all people.

If it's not good news for all people, then it's not the good news that comes from God.

If you have a version of faith that's only good news for you in your camp, then that's not the gospel.

What it says here is good news for all people.

That there that Jesus, it there's no prerequisite that it's good news for all people.

Jesus even speaks of himself in Luke chapter 4, verse number 18 and 19.

Luke 4 · chapter mention

He says that the Spirit of the Lord is upon me, and he has appointed me to bring good news to who?

To the poor.

And then he says this, and this is what the good news is.

He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that this is the time of the Lord's favor.

That's the good news.

The good news to put it into context that we understand, the good news is that even in the midst of chaos, that God's favor is available.

That even in the midst of discomfort, that this is a time for God's favor.

Maybe right now you are not your boss's favorite, but maybe after you understood that I am God's favorite, that the year of favor is upon us right now.

So often we're looking for validation from man, we're looking for man to make us feel good about ourselves, we're looking for jobs to validate us.

We're hoping that a relationship can somehow fulfill us.

But what the scripture says is that we have good news, and that good news is that I am in the Lord's favor.

And because I am in the Lord's favor, I'm not chasing after what man thinks, I'm not chasing after what man feels, I'm not even chasing after what man says, because this is the year of the Lord's favor, and that is inclusive of me, and that is why I celebrate that there are still good news even in the midst of the chaos that we're facing.

Somebody needs to hear this that you are in a season of God's favor, and you may not feel it right now.

And maybe it's because you're allowing these other voices to distract you from the reality that the fact that you survived is evidence that God's favor is on your life because all of us can look in the rearview mirror and look at the instances in our lives where we know that we shouldn't have been here.

I was just talking with my son just yesterday, and I was thinking about the varying things that God has delivered and rescued me from.

I'm thinking about when I was his age and I was running the streets, and I think about now how God has used every bit of it and he has preserved and protect and save me.

And so I'm not looking at where I'm at right now.

I'm looking at what God has brought me through, and I know that I am in God's favor.

I may not be where I want to be, but I'm not where I was.

I am in God's favor.

And listen to me.

If you're in here right now, the enemy hit you with everything that he could.

He made every effort to make sure that you wouldn't be here today.

He made every effort that you would never lift your hands in worship.

He made every effort that you would never be generous, he made every effort to make sure that you didn't say yes to Jesus, and yet you are still here.

You are evidence that the favor of God is on your life.

He's hit you with his best shot, and you are still here, and that is why we celebrate the goodness of God.

It's the year of the Lord's favor.

In a world where there is bad news and fake news, we must remember that Jesus is the good news.

And when you have the good news, you don't react in fear, you respond with faith.

See, when the prophets came, they would often speak on behalf of God.

And in the context that Isaiah is speaking from, when he's speaking, he's ultimately speaking like an oracle.

Whenever a new king was being announced in the culture back then, they didn't have press releases, they didn't obviously have social media.

So the way that they would announce a new king that was going to be inaugurated is that they would go out into the areas where the king had reign and they would send a communicator, they would send a messenger, and they would stand in front of the people, they would rally all the people together, they would unroll the scroll, and they would say, Hear ye, hear ye.

I bring you glad tidings and good news from the king.

And then they would begin to unpack the news that was meant to be beneficial for all of the people that were hearing it.

This was the cultural context.

They would provide an update as it was going on.

And when a new king was introduced, ultimately what they would do is they would describe the attributes of the king so that the people knew what they could expect from this new king.

So that's why when we watch some of these secular shows, you'll see that when they mention a king, they're often talk about his characteristics, what he's known for, what he's done, what he's going to do.

Let's say for instance, let me give you uh an example.

Um let's see.

Um Daenerys Targaryen.

Um, Mother of Dragon, Breaker of Chains.

Right?

I've never watched Game of Thrones before, I googled it in front of.

That out so so but but but watch this.

But but what they did is this is who she is, this is what she's going to do.

Mother, breaker of chains.

So when they would announce what a new king was coming, they would give you a sense of what you can expect from him.

And when the descriptions are given for Jesus, the first one that is said is that he is a wonderful counselor.

A wonderful counselor.

Why is that so important for us to understand that in this world where there's so much information, that there's so much bad news and so much fake news, that the good news is that we have a king that's coming and he is a wonderful counselor.

Well, let's break down what those words mean first so we can understand the the weight of the significance of them.

A counselor ultimately is a person who has a voice of influence.

It ultimately is a person that is an advocate, a person that serves as an advisor or an oracle.

They're the voice of reason.

They have influence in everything that they speak.

So we understand that a counselor is a person who has a voice of influence in our lives.

But then it also says that he's a wonderful counselor.

Because if we're honest with ourselves, we all have been around people that may have influential voices, but they're anything but wonderful.

They're anything but good.

They have influence, but it's not a good influence.

I remember the first time that I ever gone to counseling.

And when I went, the the counselor, he was not wonderful.

He he was he was barely good.

I'm like, man, where'd you get your degree from?

Like I was I was very concerned.

And and the reason why I say that is because he he didn't listen.

He he constantly interrupted, he he constantly kind of had like his soapbox, so anytime I said anything, he was kind of like infusing things.

And I'm like, well, no, that's not what I meant by it.

Oh, well, that's that's called deflecting, and and maybe the next step is for you to take personal responsibility.

I'm like, no, the next step is for you to listen to what I'm saying.

You you interrupted me, filled the sentence in with what you thought I was going to say, and then you gave me a diagnosis on what you wanted to tell me instead of actually listening to what I'm trying to tell you.

Needless to say, I didn't go back to this individual.

But but we've all been in environments where we have people that don't give us good counsel.

But then I also remember there was a season when when Megan and I went to a counselor, and this guy was awesome.

He had a sense of humor, he listened to us, he he didn't interrupt, he he he joked with us, but also spoke with authority.

He was encouraging, he was uplifting.

I mean, this guy was really, really good.

So when I compare the two experiences with going to a counselor that is good versus a counselor that's not, I began to quickly recognize we got to be careful of the places we put ourselves and the influences that speak to us.

Because when I left that first counselor, there were some things that he said over my life that I wrestled with, that I began that I that I thought I had to implement, that I thought I had to work through, that weren't even a reflection of reality.

We got to be careful of the voices of influence that we allow to speak into our minds and our hearts because it can have a detrimental impact on every single one of us.

What the Bible says about Jesus is that he is a wonderful counselor, that he's good, that he's not going to lead us astray, that his voice of influence is going to be a thing that influences us for the greater good for us, not something that's going to bring you harm.

We can look at Jeremiah 29, 11 when we understand the influence that comes from a wonderful counselor.

So, what I want to spend the rest of our time doing is unpacking what are the characteristics of a wonderful counselor and what is it that we have access to.

Here's the first thing I want you to write down.

The characteristics of a good counselor or a wonderful counselor is they're a good listener.

They're a good listener, that they know how to listen really, really good.

One of my favorite narratives that really accentuates the the counseling aspect of Jesus' personality is found in the Gospel of John chapter 3.

John 3 · chapter mention

And what it is is there's this powerful narrative of Jesus interacting with this man named Nicodemus.

I call him Nick at night because he came to Jesus at nighttime because he didn't want a bunch of people to see him when he came to talk to Jesus.

And this is a reason why.

Because Nicodemus was a man who had influence in the religious community.

But when Jesus comes on the scene and he sees Jesus performing these miracles, understandably he has some questions.

And so he's on this faith journey trying to process the areas where he's not clear on, trying to process the feelings that he has, recognizing that, man, clearly there's something going on with you, but it doesn't quite connect with my traditions, and I need to get better understanding.

So he comes to Jesus to have a conversation.

And what you see from Jesus, someone who shouldn't have to prove himself to anyone, what you see from Jesus, someone that's that through scriptures clearly pointed to who he was, he sat and he listened.

I'm not sure which version of Jesus has been presented to you over the years.

And and maybe you heard this statement said to you that I have heard when I was coming up.

Don't question God.

Don't question God.

God has his ways and you don't question it.

And I don't think that there could be anything more theologically damaging and inconsistent with Scripture than to say that we can't ask God questions.

Throughout the entirety of Scripture, we have people that come to Jesus and ask questions.

We have people that come to God and they're wrestling with the reality of what they're called to do and the reality of who they are and they ask questions.

The reason why it says that he's a wonderful counselor, and this is good news, is because God can handle our questions.

He can handle our doubts, he can handle our fears, he can handle our insecurities.

And when you know that you have a wonderful counselor that you can share things with that is not going to freak out when you say them, that should give us a sense of peace because that is good news.

Many of us are often in places where we just don't feel like we have someone that we can talk to.

Am I alone in the house?

Have you ever had I mean I wish I just could talk to somebody about this, but but but man, I'm a pastor, and if I were to say this, I don't know who could who can handle the weight of this some of the insecurities and some of the fears, and so we end up bottling it up.

Now it's important to be connected to community and know that we have to have safe places where we could just be human and process through things.

But the beautiful thing and the good news for every single one of us is you could take every single one of those messy fears that you have and you can take it to Jesus.

Nicodemus came to Jesus with these questions, these deep existential questions, and Jesus listened.

Scripture says, Cast all your cares on him because he cares for you.

I need someone to be encouraged in here today that you can process your fears and insecurities with Jesus, and that is good news because he is a good listener.

Now, the other characteristic of a good counselor, of a wonderful counselor, is not only are they really good listeners, but they're also very encouraging.

Jesus was an encourager.

He he he spoke words of life.

When when Nicodemus came to him and he's processing through his anxiety and his fear and not understanding where Jesus fits into his life and his reality, Jesus begins to encourage him.

He doesn't condemn him, he he doesn't talk down to him, but he begins to encourage him and letting him know, like, hey man, did you know that those who were born of the water and spirit, they can be born again?

What what the reason why Jesus went into that place is because Nicodemus came to Jesus unpacking his baggage, what his understanding was, what his feelings were, and everything that he brought into that conversation.

And Jesus seemingly begins to speak about a renewal.

He begins to speak about this idea of being born again.

Now that doesn't seem like that answers the initial question, but it really does, because what a wonderful counselor is doing is saying, I know you got this baggage, but you can have a fresh start.

It's possible to start all over again.

Let me let you know it's possible that everything that you've been carrying, everything that you've walked through, that you can still hit the reset button and you can be born again.

No, Jesus, you don't understand my story, you don't understand my struggles, you don't know what I've walked through.

No, I'm very familiar with them, and that's why I'm letting you know that through the blood and through the spirit that you can have a fresh start today.

That Jesus was very encouraging, that in spite of the religious history, in spite of the hypocrisy, in spite of all the things that Nicodemus has been through, he's letting him know that there's a fresh start that's available for you today.

Some of us we sometimes find ourselves even hesitant to come into the house of God because of the baggage that we bring with us, and we're believing that there's going to be condemnation and guilt and ridicule because someone has presented a version of Jesus to you that is angry, that is bitter, that is disappointed in you.

But what I want to let you know is that you have a wonderful counselor who's not only a good listener, who sees exactly where you are, but he's going to encourage you and let you know that I am not done with you yet.

There's no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus, and you can get a fresh start today if you're willing to receive it.

That is the good news, friends, is that we know that even in spite of the baggage and the history and the things I've walked through, the good news is I can get a fresh start because Jesus is encouraging me.

The third thing that Jesus says with Nicodemus is that he begins to challenge him.

See, I believe that a good counselor, a wonderful counselor, they should be good listeners, they should be encouragers, but they should also challenge us.

I don't want to be around someone that just says that everything I say is great.

I don't want to be around someone that amens everything that I do.

I want to be around someone that can listen to me, that can encourage me, and that can also challenge me.

The other side of the angry Jesus is the indifferent Jesus.

And and the truth is both of them can be equally damaging.

Sometimes we we serve the Jesus that we think is gonna throw down lightning bolts at us, or then sometimes we serve the Jesus that we think it doesn't matter what we do.

But what but what Jesus says to Nicodemus is like, hey, if I be lifted up, I'll draw all men to me.

The same way that Moses lifted up the serpent.

That was a challenge.

Here's what let me give you some context.

What he was saying is, man, I I'm a listener to you, I understand what's going on in your life.

I want to encourage you and let you know that you can have a fresh start.

But I also want to challenge you.

Here's the challenge.

Can you lift me up even in uncomfortable situations?

Can you make sure that I'm the most visible thing in your life even when you don't agree with things that are going on?

Can can you make sure that I'm visible in every area of your life?

That's the challenge.

See, a wonderful counselor, they don't turn a blind eye to the reality that there's some areas of our lives that we have to get better.

But if we're truthful, we know that when we're challenged, that's when we get better.

That when we're challenged, that's how we get stronger.

That when we're challenged, that's how we get sharpened.

And we have a wonderful counselor that has the ability to challenge us without condemning us.

That is why we celebrate the good news.

It's because we have a good listener, we have someone who's encouraging, but we also have someone who's challenging every bit of what we're called to do.

AW Tozer says this Jesus is in the midst, and because that is true, he is accessible from anywhere in life.

This is the good news, wonderful good news.

There are so many things that are fighting for our attention.

In a world where there's bad news and fake news, we must remember that Jesus is the good news, and when you have good news, you don't react in fear, you respond with faith.

Some of us are reacting to everything that we see and hear with despair.

That's because the voices of influence that we've allowed to speak into our lives are not filtering it through the disclaimer that in this world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world.

Here's what I want to challenge you with.

Can you make sure that Jesus has as much?

In fact, let me rewrite that.

Can we make sure that Jesus has more influence in your life than CNN?

Can can we make sure that Jesus has more influence in your life than Fox News?

Can we make sure that Jesus has more influence in your life than the latest expert that Googles stuff on a podcast?

Can we make sure that we're looking at things through the filter of the disclaimer of the gospel?

That even in spite of some of the things that we're seeing, oh, I'm not going to overreact because in this world we will have trouble.

In this world, we will face persecution.

In this world, Christians will be oppressed.

This happens everywhere.

Prepare yourself, it will happen in America.

We will not sidestep scripture, but take heart, I have overcome the world.

But take heart, I am with you all the ways to the end.

But take heart, greater is he that's in you than he that's in the world.

It's time for us to stop reacting with panic and fear of what's going on in the world and start functioning with the dominion and understanding.

But I still have good news, and that good news is that Jesus is still on the throne.

That good news is that he is a wonderful counselor.

He's encouraging me, he's challenging me, he's pressing me, he's gonna be the one that's gonna download his revelation, and I won't react in fear, I will respond in faith.

What I want to challenge every one of us to do is to pause and ask the question.

I have a wonderful counselor.

Am I am I sharing with him my fears or am I going into comment sections about them?

I have a I have a wonderful counselor.

Am I allowing his word to encourage me to let me know that all is not lost and the sky is not falling?

I have a wonderful counselor, but am I going to allow him to challenge me to be sharper, to be better?

What are the things that you need to tell Jesus?

What are the things you need to download with him?

What what are the what are the things that Jesus is telling you?

And the third thing, what is Jesus challenging you to do differently than what you're doing right now?

We have good news, family, but with all good news, it requires us to do something with it.

With every head bowed and with every eye closed, I want to I want to ask this.

Maybe you're in here with us today, and this is also for those who are joining us online.

Maybe, maybe you haven't responded to the good news, and that good news is that Jesus has come, that Jesus is available to us, and in this advent season, that means that peace is available, that that love is available, that that hope is available, that joy is available, even in perilous times like this.

If you're away from God right now and you know that you you just need to slow down, stop reacting in sphere, and start responding in faith, and that you know that today is the day that you need to say yes to Jesus, laying down our crowns, laying down our accomplishments, making room for Him so that we can experience this peace even in uncomfortable situations.

If you're away from God right now and you're ready to invite Jesus, the good news, even in the context in which we're living in, on account of three, I want you to boldly lift your hands to saying yes to Jesus.

One, two, three.

Hands up.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

God bless every single one of you, church.

Can we put our hands together for every person in here that is saying yes to Jesus?

Well, what I want us to do is we're we're gonna go into a moment of worship.

And so I want to invite you all to stand on your feet as we go into a moment that to kind of like seal this moment in, to kind of recenter us.

For those that lifted a hand and said yes to Jesus, I'm gonna give you some instructions at the end of the service, which is gonna take place in just a moment.

But but I want us to enter into a moment of just worship, a moment of slowing down and allowing that good news to wash over us and to be reminded of the discipline that Jesus is coming up and that is good news.

We have a wonderful help.

Let me pray over us.

Thanks again for listening.

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