WILD STANDARD: Blessed

Welcome to the Celebration Church Orlando Podcast.

We are so glad you joined us, and we hope you are encouraged by today's message.

I'm so excited to be with you guys today.

I'm I'm excited about this series that we're about to unpack.

I want to jump right into it because there's a there's a couple of things I want to make sure that we that we go over.

If you have your Bibles, I want to invite you to join me at Matthew chapter 7.

Matthew 7 · chapter mention

We're gonna start there and then actually we're gonna flip back and go to Matthew chapter 5.

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

Let me give you some some context as to as to what you can expect over the next couple of weeks as we look at what it means to have uh this wild standard, this wild standard that we believe that God is calling us into, this standard that we believe that empowers us to move forward.

The Sermon on the Mount, which is the the text that we're gonna be looking at over the next couple of weeks to unpack this idea of what God is calling us into, it's it's Jesus' first sermon.

He's done some miracles, he's done some ministry moments, but this is the first time that he's gathering people together to actually begin to teach them some things that they had never heard before.

Many of them they are familiar with the law, and so for them, the law of Moses.

Moses went up to the mountain and he came down with the Ten Commandments.

And and as Moses read off the Ten Commandments, they looked at those standards or laws as instructions for life.

So what Jesus was doing is he was fulfilling the law by taking the same posture as Moses and showing that he fulfilled the law, but he was giving them grace-filled standards.

It's so powerful.

Here's what it says in Matthew 7, the conclusion of the sermon, but I actually believe it's a great place for us to start.

In verse 24, it says this: it says, And everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

And when the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall because it had been founded on the rock.

Jesus is concluding the Sermon on a Mount, and we're gonna unpack some of the things that he shares.

But ultimately, what he's saying is, my word is the standard.

The reality of it is this we're gonna go through seasons where things aren't going to be going according to plan.

We're gonna have setback.

The Bible even says that in this world you will have trouble, but take heart.

If we build our lives on the word of God, even when the storms come, it won't fall because you're on a strong foundation.

This is what Jesus is instructing his followers to understand.

Let's get back to Matthew chapter five, because the opening statement sets the tone for everything that we're going to be reading over over the next couple of weeks.

At Matthew 5, looking at verse 1 through 12, it says this.

Seeing the crowds, he went up to the mountain, similar to Moses.

And and when he sat down, his disciples came to him and he opened his mouth and he taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Blessed are the pure at heart, for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

What Jesus is saying is that as a follower of Christ, we're gonna face some opposition, we're gonna face some criticism, we're gonna face some judgment.

There are gonna be people that you work with, people in your family, people that you would consider friends, that as you begin to move forward in your walk with God, they will think that you're closed-minded, that you're that you're ignorant, that you're disconnected, that you're not sensitive to what's going on in culture.

What Jesus is saying is that you're blessed even in that, because at verse 12 it says, Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.

For they so persecuted the prophets before you.

What Jesus is saying is that you're in good company.

Everyone that has ever followed Christ has had moments where they face opposition, but they are still blessed, even though.

I thank you for your people, God.

I thank you for this amazing church, Lord.

God, I pray that over the next few moments that we have open eyes that we can see you.

Lord, I'm praying for open ears that we can hear the truth of your word, God, and I'm and I'm praying for open hearts that we can receive the truth that you want to speak to us today.

Allow it to transform our lives.

In Jesus' name, amen and amen.

If you're if you're anything like me, when you hear the word standard, it can it can bring a bunch of different thoughts to your mind.

Because quite honestly, when we think of standard, we can we can often kind of visualize rules, structure, control in some sense.

Here's here's how the word standard is defined.

It's simply defined as this it's an idea or thing that is used to measure or normalize.

That's a basic way of saying that what a standard is, it basically sets the tone.

It's the way that we look at things.

Another word for standard could be filter.

It's the way that we process and understand things.

So when it comes to like our walk with God, and as I referred to Moses and the law, some of us have been around church environments where we feel like there's been these standards or these rules or these instructions that are very like uncomfortable, unrealistic, and often walked away from the very environment that's supposed to bring hope, but walked away feeling defeated and deflated.

So as a result of that, we can kind of like want to reject standards or instructions or anything that's guiding us to a way to better our lives.

But the truth of the matter is, if we really were to think about it, none of us really have a problem with standards when they have the proper context.

Like, for instance, imagine if we rode on a highway and there was no standards.

To which some of you are saying, Keith, have you driven on I-4?

Because apparently there are no standards.

Like I and I get it, but but imagine if we got on a highway, there were no lanes that told us what lane we're supposed to be in.

There were there were no instructions on what ramps to get off of, even if we find ourselves in that godforsaken space where you're in the left lane and you're just trying to make it to your destination, and there's a person that is in the left lane in front of you with their right blinker on and they're doing 35 miles an hour.

Why does that frustrate us?

Because there's a standard that determines that this is the speed in which we are supposed to go.

But when someone doesn't operate according to that standard, all it does is bring a bunch of confusion.

Because all of us, we really don't have a problem with standard when we when we really think about it.

Imagine this we all love to go to restaurants.

Hello.

Like I love to go to restaurants, but here's the thing I love going to restaurants, not only for the environment, the atmosphere, but there's a certain level of comfort because I know there's a standard in the way that the restaurant has to function.

I know that there's someone that's coming in, they're looking over the way the food is processed, they're making sure that the refrigerator is cold enough.

There's someone who set a standard that the restaurant is expected to live up to.

If not, they're gonna get a code violation.

We all enjoy these standards because we want to make sure that we know what to expect and that we can expect to not get sick.

That's something that that's not, we don't have to convince anybody of that.

Because where there is no standard, there is confusion.

Have you have you ever tried to watch a kid's soccer game?

I love them.

Don't get me wrong, I love them, but when they're really, really small, there isn't really any strong rules.

There's no out of bounds, they're just kicking the ball, kids are running around, they're kicking in the wrong goals, everybody's celebrating, everybody scores, everybody gets a trophy, it's all good.

But if I could be honest, it's confusing.

There's just a lot of things moving around.

But as they but as they get older, structure comes in, order comes in, direction comes in.

There becomes this standard that says, like, hey, this is the position that you play, this is the way that you, this is the way that you score, this is the way that you play defense.

In other words, we no longer can just run around and do whatever we want to do.

There's a standard in order for us to meet the goals in our lives.

Like, none of us really have a problem with the idea of standards.

Imagine your favorite sporting event, whether it be basketball, football, whatever that.

Like, imagine like I'm watching the NBA finals tonight, Steph Curry makes a three-pointer, and someone's like, hey man, like, actually, that's not a three-pointer.

No, it is.

The line determines that this is a three-pointer.

Nah, but but my truth is it's not a three-pointer.

So um, can we only give them one?

Like, no, there's a standard that determines how things are supposed to function.

So all of us are used to being exposed to standards of some sort.

How about this?

Have you ever found yourself playing a game, a card game, and people are looking at the rules differently?

There is nothing more contentious in my home than a heated game of Uno.

Like, I've seen people almost come to blows.

Here's the thing because if we're looking at the game differently, it's gonna breed a whole bunch of confusion.

True story, a couple weeks ago, my family and I were all together, great time, barbecue, prayer, it's awesome.

So we decide that we want to have a family-friendly game of Uno to kind of close the night out.

Now, you've never heard those words altogether.

But as we're sitting there and we're like, okay, so we all were raised playing Uno, but maybe a little bit differently.

So my wife says, Okay, so let's let's let's standardize this.

What are the rules that we're gonna play by?

She then pulls out the instructions and proceeds to read them.

Have you tried to read Uno instructions?

It's more difficult than reading the book of Leviticus.

Like it's it's it's just a lot.

So you're like, okay, like we're gonna do the best we can.

So we're getting to this one game and we're like playing and we're making progress, and my wife is at that point where she's about to win.

She got two cards in her hand, and she's just waiting to kind of get that moment where boom, Uno, like she's she's waiting for it.

She's waiting for it.

And but my son, he had like a stroke of bad luck.

Every card that he kept pulling from the deck, none of them matched the blue one that was on the table.

So I was like, man, like he's literally got every card in his deck.

Like, how did he like how does he have that bad of luck?

Like, clearly the hand of God has rejected you, son.

Like, there you got no cards.

So as he continues to pluck, my wife puts down her one card, she says, Uno, and then my son proceeds to put down three draw four cards in a row.

Now, listen, I'm not sure how you play Uno.

You can't do that the way that I play the game.

You can't hoard all of the draw fours and draw twos to the end of the game and then drop them on everybody to keep them from winning.

Now, some of y'all would call that strategy, I call that cheating, and God is not pleased.

But what I'm saying, what I'm saying is that is the way that my son was playing the game.

My wife was so irate, she flipped the table over like Jesus in the temple.

Like she said, this is this is madness, this is foolishness, because here's the thing.

We were we were playing the same game, but we were using different standards because where there is no standard, there is confusion.

She said, Here's the thing.

The thing that I love, and I want you to write this down standards provide direction for growth.

It really does.

Not too long ago, my my family and I we brought a team of people here to Orlando to go and visit an amusement park.

And we did one of those behind-the-scenes tours.

And all the things that we saw, all the amazing sites that we saw, the philosophies and things like that, the thing that stood out the most to me is when we went to the nursery and we saw where all the plants were.

Reason why that was so cool is because as we're going through, we're seeing all the plants that are seasonally set up in their different environments and making sure they're nurtured.

So we're seeing where the winter plants are, the spring ones, the summer ones.

We're seeing all these cool plants and how they're all prepared, waiting for that season when they're gonna come out.

But when they took me even behind the scenes of that, they took me into this room where there were all these like metallic structures that were in the shape of all these cool characters.

So I say to them, like, okay, so explain this to me.

Like, it looks like it's it's a metal shape of a character.

However, like there's no plants on it.

He's like, oh, this is what we do.

We build the structure first, and then we plant the seeds within the structure so it grows in the direction that we want it to grow in.

All this time, I'm thinking that they're just like going out with hedge trimmers like I do on a Saturday, and they're just cutting these things into shape.

But the reality of it is they're planting seeds and a structure to determine the growth that they're supposed to go in.

What Jesus is saying to us is my word is the structure that if you allow the seeds to be planted in that, you will grow in the direction that I've called you to grow in, instead of coming in every Sunday trying to hedge trim your life, if you can just allow your life to be built on my word.

This is what Jesus is saying is the wild standard.

So as he's talking to his people, and this is the thing I want you to get, I want you to write this down and you remember this.

This is going to be the theme throughout the entire series.

Jesus is the standard.

It's not that dramatic.

It's not, it's not, it's not one of those all moments.

It may not even seem like it's that tweetable, but it doesn't mean it's not any less true.

Jesus is the standard.

So let me tell you something.

My preferences are not the standard.

My perspective is not the standard.

So I said, perspective, preferences, since we're using these whole Ps, let me drop another one.

My politics is not the standard.

Let me just go ahead and go walk.

I just moved here from DC, right?

I came from the political capital of the world.

Here's what I've seen.

I've seen people try to fit Jesus into their politics instead of submitting their politics to Jesus.

My politics is not the standard.

If we want to know how we're supposed to interact with people, I don't look at the politicians, I look at Jesus.

Jesus is the standard.

Jesus sets the tone, he's the wild standard that we build our lives on.

Because when we don't, and when we have a filter other than Jesus, when we have something that we model other than Jesus, it can damage the way that we see things.

See, when I was a young man, I was very, very impressionable like all of you.

And I remember going through my middle school years and I just wanted to fit in.

I was going to a new school.

And so I made this decision that my best friend, he wore glasses.

So guess what I thought would be the cool thing to do?

To wear glasses too.

So I came home and I tell my mom, hey mom, like I can't see anymore.

She's like, as in like earlier today.

I'm like, yeah, like just boom, woke up, can't see as clear as I used to.

You need to take me to the doctor immediately.

She takes me to the eye doctor, and and I'm I'm sitting, I'm standing on the mark, and they have like, you know, the eye chart that they lay out for you.

And like I sh I overshot significantly.

Like, you know how the first one, like everybody can see the first one.

Like, you gotta be legally blind not to see that.

Like, I'm like, I don't know, is that the pie symbol?

Is that a cross?

Like, I don't, I don't, I don't know what that is right there.

So he's like, he looks at my mom and he's like, your son may be blind.

I don't even know how he walked in here today.

So I thought, okay, let me let me do a bit better.

I walk down to like line five, and that's when I kind of so I manufactured an eye problem.

So here's the thing I get my glasses, and at first it is incredibly uncomfortable because I'm wearing this extra magnification on my eyes.

So I'm like walking around school, like, like because everything, nothing is stable because I'm looking through a lens that's not my true sight.

I'm I'm walking through, and as the years go on, it becomes normalized and it's all good.

But then guess what, guys?

I make it into high school, ninth grader.

I'm like, you know what, man, I need to change my image up.

I'm not wearing these glasses anymore.

Boom, take them off.

Problem is, after having all that extra magnification on my eyes for all those years, now without my glasses, I can't see clearly anymore.

Like, even as we speak right now, you guys could be making the craziest facial expressions and I couldn't see it.

So maybe I just need to preach with my glasses off because it looks like everybody's nodding their head and they're with me.

Um here's the thing.

I literally damaged my perspective because I was looking through a lens that wasn't my own.

Here's what happens when we have the wrong standards.

We end up looking through a false lens and it ends up damaging our perspective.

We look through the lens of other people and it damages the way that I see myself.

I look through the lens of my past and it damages the way that I see my future.

I look through the lens of my broken relationship and my fallen marriage, and now it it blinds the way that I could see the potential and the way that God wants to move my life.

In other words, when you look through a false lens, it robs you of hope.

That becomes the standard that we see things through.

And so as Jesus begins to step on the scene, he's talking to a group of people and he's saying, You guys have been looking through the long, wrong lens all this time.

And I need to be the spiritual optometrist to allow you to look through the lens.

And I'm clicking that little thing on the side and saying, Do you see clearly now?

This is what I'm calling you to be.

This is who I called you to be.

These are the terms that I've set for you.

I'm trying to bring clarity to your life.

What Jesus is trying to do in this moment with this incredible sermon is he wants to change the way that we see things.

Because unfortunately, for the people that were around Jesus, they were looking through the lens of the empire and not through the lens of the kingdom.

See, the lens of the empire is all about self, the kingdom is all about others.

Here's a couple of comparisons.

The empire excludes.

If you don't have, if you don't do, if we're not the same, then you're excluded.

The kingdom includes, even if you don't have, you belong.

That's why our church is built on this foundation of we are welcoming.

We're so glad you're here.

No matter what your baggage is, we'll check that baggage with you and help you to make sure you don't have to carry it anymore.

You are welcoming it because that is the mind state of the kingdom.

The Empire says this, what do I have and how can I get more?

The kingdom says, How can I give with what I have?

It's a difference.

It's a difference.

It's a it's a it's a it's a wild standard that God is calling us to get into where I'm not concerned about hoarding everything for myself, but how do I how do I be generous with my time?

How do I how am I generous with my words?

How am I generous with the way that I operate with people?

Here's another one.

The empire says, How can I get revenge?

This person wronged me.

The kingdom says, How can I forgive?

How can I move on?

I'm not gonna stay stuck in this anymore.

What Jesus is walking us through is he's helping us to make sure that you need to stop looking through the lens of the empire.

That's all about yourself, that's all about your feelings, that's all about your preferences, because when you look at it through the lens of the kingdom, not only do you see yourself the way that I've called you to see yourself, but you see others the way that I've called you to see them.

It's a powerful, it's a powerful idea.

So as Jesus begins to unpack this idea in the Sermon of the Mount, the very first thing that he wants to address is this idea of what does it really mean to be blessed?

Because much like us, people in that culture have heard that word in so many different variations that people have lost the true identity of what does it really mean to be blessed?

They've looked at it through the wrong filter, they've looked at it through the filter of the empire and have lost sight that no matter where you are, you are actually blessed if you have Christ.

Many of us heard the term.

We've heard the term when someone sneezes, we say, God bless you.

Before we eat, we say, Hey, can someone bless the food?

These are common statements.

We've even heard the statement of set it ourselves where we get promotion at our job or something is going really good in our life.

Man, God has blessed me.

We've even gone on mission trips, myself included, and I go over and I see people who are broken and destitute and they're struggling just for the basic things that we take for granted.

And I walked away saying, Man, we are so blessed.

But here's the thing what we're actually doing is we're building a narcissistic faith that says that I am blessed because of what I have, and they are not because they don't have what I have.

That's a very unhealthy way to approach people because then what ends up happening, it becomes the filter in which I see them.

I am blessed because I'm obedient, you're not because you're not.

You see how unhealthy you can be because I'm looking at it through the lens of the empire instead of the lens of the kingdom.

Jesus comes in and he turns the entire idea on his ear by saying, You're not blessed because of what you have, you're blessed because of who you have.

This is a radical idea that this entire culture had never been exposed to before.

Because in their mind, it's it's exclusively the evidence in my life produced to let you know that I'm blessed.

But Jesus says, that's not it.

See, many of us are struggling with what does it really mean to be blessed.

A scholar and theologian Scott McKnight said, if you take all of the renderings of blessed in the Bible and try to compile them into a single statement, this is what you will get.

A blessed person is someone who, because of their heart for God, is promised and enjoys God's favor regardless of that person's status or countercultural condition.

That's a powerful thought.

What he is saying is no matter what season you may find yourself in, if you have Christ, you are blessed.

It's it's a it's a it's a noble idea, but it's one that can literally change the way that we move amongst life.

Here's another way that we could simply define being blessed.

To be blessed means to be empowered.

That means that if I'm in a season where things aren't going well, I am empowered to move forward.

If I'm in a season where things are going well, I'm empowered to continue to move forward.

The most basic definition that I can give you for what does it mean to be blessed, it means that you are empowered by God to move forward.

So no matter where I find myself, I am empowered.

Write this down, put this in your spirit.

The presence of problems is not the absence of blessings.

I'm gonna say that again because I don't see enough hands moving.

The presence of problems is not the absence of blessings.

This entire culture had been made to believe that if you have problems, then that means that that means that you don't have God's handle in your life.

So in Matthew chapter 5, when Jesus begins to unpack all these different human conditions, and he starts it off by saying, You are blessed even if you're poor.

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

You are blessed even if you're sick, you're blessed even if they're talking about you at work.

That is completely countercultural to everything that we have ever seen and heard, because by all means, if I am blessed and my life is in cruise control.

But what Jesus says is that no, no matter what season you find yourself in, you are blessed because you're bringing me with you into that season.

It's a it's a powerful thought.

Now, when I look at the list of the things that Jesus breaks down, the nine things, for the most part, I'm in complete agreement.

I don't have an issue with it.

But there's one that I've wrestled with, there's one that I've struggled with myself.

Because when it says, Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted, it's the second one that he says, but sometimes it's hard to move past it.

Because if I can be honest with you, I have mourned in my life, I've experienced loss, so have you.

So it's so difficult for me to reconcile.

In my mind and in my heart, that when I find myself when I'm in the most broken reading state, that Jesus says that I'm even blessed, even in that state.

I think what it happens is because we're looking at it through the wrong filter.

You know, in the Bible, every time a miracle happens because of something that was lacking.

We hear about the story with the vision of our load, is the one that we celebrate and talk about the abundance of God and how God can show up, and he's a provider.

In order for God to provide, we have to be in a position where we need a vision.

In order for God to be a healer, we have to be in a position where we need healing.

Our greatest revelation from God is when we're in a situation that the world sometimes contains is not blessing.

The blessing is not a what.

And if I can just get that in my heart, if you can just get that in your spirit, the blessing is not what.

Jesus illustrates it by every encounter that he has as he's on his ministry tour.

Every miracle that you see in scripture, it can be supported by Matthew 5, 1 through 12.

People who were poor, how did Jesus show up?

People who were sick, how did people show up?

Jesus shows up in the midst of our brokenness and says that even amongst all of that, you are blessed.

The one that I believe that illustrates the best is found in Luke chapter seven.

I think it's so powerful because what we have is some ingredients at play.

That line all is out.

Here's what it says in Luke 7, 11 through 15.

It says this soon after he went into the town called Main, and his disciples, and a great crowd went with him.

And as he drew near the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out.

And the son of the mother, she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was following her.

And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, Do not weep.

And then he came up to the briar and he touched it, and the bearers, and he said to the young man, I say to you, Arise.

And the dead man sat up and he began to speak, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.

Friends, if I if I had the time, I could preach an entire series on it.

But let me give you the version of it.

What we find is a woman who is dealing with extreme grief.

The Bible says that her husband has died, and now her son has died.

And that culture that was a representation of all of her hope.

Because women didn't have the opportunity to gain resources like everyone else.

So when your husband died and your son died, you were pretty much destitute to be a person that could never move forward in your life.

So this woman is walking out of her community, out of her home, literally about to bury every ounce of hope that she has.

But then Jesus shows up.

And when Jesus shows up, he identifies that this woman is mourning.

Blessed are they that mourn.

She's in a season of grief.

She's experienced loss, and she has a great crowd with her.

The Bible says that Jesus is aware of the broken condition, he's aware of the death that has taken place, but before he speaks to it, he speaks to her.

Before he fixes it, he deals with her.

I think a lot of times, if I could be honest with you, I come to church and I'm waiting for Jesus to deal with it.

There's a lot of seasons in my life where I've been saying, God, can you fix it?

But what I see in scripture is that before God fixes it, he wants to fix you.

He says, Woman, don't you cry another tear?

I know that you are feeling in some type of way right now.

I know that you have some disappointment in your heart, but before I can deal with it, I first want to deal with you.

And the woman is mourning, and Jesus steps in to comfort her.

Church, listen to me.

Maybe some of us are right now waiting for God to deal with it, but God is saying, I'm trying to deal with you first.

I want to put you in a place where you can hear the word that I want to speak over your life.

I want to put you in a place where you can receive the miracle that I'm about to do in your life.

And before I can move any further, before I can do that thing that you need me to do, I need to first begin to comfort you.

Jesus comes in and he comforts her.

He speaks to her.

And then the Bible says that he walks up to he walks up to the casket.

And it says that he puts his hand on the coffin.

See, the coffin obviously is this is this tool that was carrying this dead man so that he could be buried.

The coffin was the representation of a structure that was meant to carry death.

So before Jesus spoke a word, before he allowed them to go any further, he put his hand on the structure, on the system, on the support mechanisms that was carrying death.

Don't be surprised that when you're wondering why is this relationship falling apart, that it's the hand of God that is saying, I'm not gonna allow you to be connected to that thing that is carrying you to death any full further.

I'm gonna have to put it to a stop so that I can put a start to you.

Don't be surprised when the friendships that you thought they were gonna take you into your next season that it seems like you're facing some resistance and you can't move forward.

Maybe it's not the enemy, but maybe it's the hand of God saying that this thing is carrying you to death, and I'm gonna get involved and I'm gonna put my hand on it so that way you will not be buried, you shall not die, but you shall live.

So God puts his hand on the system that was carrying the dead thing.

After he puts his hand and he puts a stop to the thing that was trying to put a stop to us, he then speaks a word that says, It is time for you to get up.

You've been laying down too long, it is time for you to get up.

I've already comforted you, I've already shut down the systems, but it is time for you to get up.

I believe that's a word for somebody in here today that maybe you've been laying down for far too long, but God is saying, It is time for you to get up.

You've been you've been grieving too long, it is time for you to get up.

You've been struggling too long, it is time for you to get up.

You've been looking down on yourself for too long, but it is time for you to get up.

Jesus steps into that situation and he says, It is time for you to get up.

And what the Bible says is that the young man sits up and he begins to speak.

He has a new word in his mouth, he has a new thing that he has to say, and then Jesus took that dead thing, brought it back to life, and gave it back to the mom.

So the very thing that she lost, she got back because she was grieving.

Listen to me, you may want to see a miracle in your life.

Allow the hand of God to stop the dead things in your life, allow him to speak into your life, and when he tells you to get up, it is time to get up.

What the Bible is showing us with this story is that you are blessed no matter what season you may find yourself in.

You may be in a season of sickness.

Well, God bless you.

You may be in a season where you've had some setbacks, will God bless you.

You may be dealing in a season where you're experiencing loss.

God bless you.

God blesses you no matter what season you are in, because as long as you have Christ, you have all that you need.

The Bible says, greater is He that's in me than He that's in the world.

So even when I feel like the world is closing in on me, I have greatness on the inside of me.

That as long as I can continue to recognize that God is with me, though I may walk through the valleys of the shadow of death, I have nothing to fear because God is with me.

The world may not be with me, my friends may not be with me, my family may not be with me, but God is with me.

And if God is with me, then I will get through this.

I have dominion, I have victory because God is with me.

I am blessed when things are good, I'm blessed when things are not good, I'm blessed when I have abundance, I'm blessed when I have life.

No matter what season I may find myself in, I am blessed.

Listen to me, church.

You are blessed where you are.

The hand of God is with you where you are, and he is gonna empower you to move forward.

But we gotta believe that I am the blessed.

Blessing is not a what, it is a who.

And as long as you have Christ, you are blessed.

Do you believe in today, church?

You're blessed exactly where you are, but he's gonna empower you to move forward.

So here's my question for you: which crowd are you in?

Because what the Bible tells us when we look at that narrative in Luke chapter 7, the Bible says that a great crowd was following Jesus, but there was also a great crowd that was following the woman.

Luke 7 · chapter mention

See the contrast here.

You had a crowd of people that was following life, and you had another crowd of people that was following death.

Back in those days, they had paid mourners.

That means that people who were literally paid to mourn with you.

It wasn't necessarily to comfort you, they were there to mourn with you.

So we could say it this way: they were being nourished off of death.

You know what other things fit into that defining characteristic?

Bacteria, parasites, vultures, things that can consume dead things and yet they find life in it.

Here's what that means.

Is it possible that you're in a crowd that is nourished off of your brokenness?

Is it is it possible that you're connected to people, that you beginning to live a God first life is not beneficial for you, so they're going to try to do everything they can to keep you in that broken condition.

My question for you is this which crowd are you in?

Are you in a crowd that's leading you to life, or are you in that crowd that's leading you to death?

We kick off our group semester.

And really, what it's all about is making sure that you're connected to the right crowd, you're connected to the right community, that you have the right standard and that you have the right filter.

With every head bowed and with every eye closed, I simply wanna take this a step further.

If you're in here today, and and maybe, and maybe, just maybe, there's an area of your life where maybe you've been looking through the wrong filter.

You've been looking through the filter of your pain, you've been looking through the filter of your disappointment, you've been looking through the filter of rejection.

And as a result of that, maybe you thought that your situation wasn't blessed, and maybe you're not blessed because of this.

You may feel like you're lacked.

What I want to do is I want to include you in a prayer simply to say this, Keith, I want to recognize the blessing that's in my life, no matter what season I'm in.

If that's you, I want to include you in a prayer real quick.

One, two, three, boldly lift your hands up.

I just want to have, I wanna, I want to be able to recognize the blessings in my life.

I want to recognize that no matter where I'm at, that God has blessed me.

This is good for our souls.

Amen.

Hands up everywhere.

You go ahead and put those hands down.

Here's my second question.

We're gonna go back into worship in just a moment, but here's my second question.

If you're honest with yourself and you think about which crowd you're in, you're not in a crowd that's following Christ.

You're in a crowd that's that's not leading you in the right direction.

It could be people or it could just be your own soul that you just know that you're not walking in the direction that God has called you to walk in.

We don't want you to leave here without creating a space and give you an opportunity of switching sides, of saying yes to Jesus.

If that's you, to commit or recommit your life to Christ simply by saying, I know that my confession may not change everything overnight, but as long as Christ is with me in the midst of my mess, I know that he will turn it into a message.

If that's you, to commit or recommit your life to Christ, I want you to boldly lift your hand upon a count of three so I can pray for you.

One, two, three, boldly.

Hands up.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Yeah, church, we can celebrate with those who are making that confession.

Here's what I want us to do now.

I want us all to stand on our feet.

We're gonna go back into worship in just a moment and truly believe that we're gonna walk out of here recognizing that I am blessed.

Because if I can see myself the way that God sees me, then I can walk out of here in power.

But before we do that, I wanna I wanna pray for those that are saying yes to Jesus for the first time.

I want you to repeat after me, helping along those who are possibly making this prayer for their first time.

Let's say it together, Lord Jesus, I give you my life.

I believe that you died on the cross and that you rose from the dead.

And it's because of that belief I am saved.

Fill me with your spirit and order my steps.

In Jesus' name.

I want to pray for you now.

Everyone that feels comfortable, I want you to lift your hands up.

Worship is going to lead us in worship, but I want to declare some things over your life.

God, you see every hand that's lifted.

You know every burden that we carry, God, and that in things that we have heard, seen, and believed that we are not blessed.

But Father, in the name of Jesus, I pray that there's a recognition that no matter what season we may find ourselves in, we are blessed because we have you.

It's not in the resources, it's not in what's in our bank account, it's not in how we feel, but you are the standard, and you say that we are blessed no matter what, because we have you.

God, I pray for every struggle and every dilemma that God you show up and that you bring healing, that you break every chain, that you establish freedom, and we will walk away from here forever, praising your name.

And it's in Jesus' name we pray.

Amen and amen.

Let's go.

Thank you for tuning in to today's podcast.

For more information about Celebration or Window, or to get in touch with us, please visit celebration or window.org.