Transformed, Not Transported // Pastor Drew Milliken

that no athlete ever goes looks at

someone like LeBron James looks at

someone like Michael Jordan looks at

someone like Michael Phelps no one looks

at these athletes and

goes you know

what they're incredible I want to be

just like them give me one to two

practice sessions and I'll be

there no one looks at that and goes you

give me a year or two of intense

training and I will be at that level

right no one I if if you were to walk up

to like I no one looks at if you know

who Victor wanyama is no one walks up

and goes like I want to be you he's like

7 foot 40 I don't know what he is he is

so tall it is ridiculous and and you

don't you don't look at this and go man

I like just a little bit of work and I

think I'm there yet the reality is is we

do this a lot in our spiritual

walk we

think man after that worship I think

I've arrived

spiritually I think I'm there I had some

really good prayer personal prayer times

I've been reading my word for a week

straight I think I've

arrived and the reality is is that as

soon as we think that we have a arrived

we have missed

it and we we think that there's now the

fullness of God becomes available at

Salvation but my fullness of flesh is

still in practice and I now one of the

greatest forms of worship that I get to

offer to the Lord is actually the

surrender of the very things that I love

and I desire and I like and is my

natural bent toward certain things but

are not honoring to the holy Mighty will

of

God and I choose to say yes to him over

sin I choose to say yes to him over my

own desires I choose to say yes to him

over my own plans and this is part of

what Romans 121 talks about our

spiritual act of worship is to lay my

own life as a Living Sacrifice on the

altar of of the

Lord and then but but because we think

that we can we can get there the reality

is is that we picture that there is a

there here on Earth there is an arrival

point I want to tell you guys there is a

lie there's a deception of the

platform the platform that makes people

man if I someday what if I'm as holy as

Pastor Drew what if I'm as as as spir

spiritual as Pastor Morgan what if I am

what if I reach to that level then I

have arrived they have arrived man guys

can I tell you about the things in my

soul that grieve me against the Lord and

I'm I I I'm so longing to become more

like him and it is there is no arrival

point there is only a deeper awareness

of my own

sickness and that this is It's this the

reality of we want to be

transported we want to be taken to this

other place and we want to be we want

our marriages just to boom I prayed and

then we started praying together and now

we're

good my addiction I surrendered it and

now it's

gone we want these things my workplace

I said God use me and now my manager is

so

nice like that's what we think that's

what we want we want this

transportation from the place where

we're at through a prayer to the place

where we want to

be but the problem is God has never

operated that way if you go through The

Narrative of scripture guys we are we're

we're going to go through story after

story after story about God and and how

his goal is not

Transportation it is

transformation he wants to transform us

through this process of constant

sacrifice and surrender and renewing of

our mind and renewing of our life and

the new habits and the new goals see the

reality is that God is far are more

interested in who we are becoming than

what we are

doing we think that it's about getting

to a specific goal but again and again

and again and again God reveals that's

not even the

case if the goal was to get Israel into

the promised

land they would have walked into the

promised land right

away but what did he do he knew that he

didn't have the right

people and not only that but he wanted

to reveal that to them so he walks them

up to the edge of the promised land and

he says will you walk

in they say I don't know there're those

bad guys look pretty

intimidating this looks pretty scary to

me I don't think I want it he says

see you're not ready to carry the

weight that I'm going to have you carry

of the blessing that is to

come if I am not the right person he

transports me there and I will die I'll

be crushed under the weight of the

blessing and the anointing that is come

that comes with that place

the goal is not

Transportation I want to get there as

quick as I

can the goal is

transformation I want to become as holy

as righteous as Christlike as I

can so we see this there's the the

Israelites in the Book of Numbers

Numbers 13 · chapter mention

Chapter 13 when they come to this it

reveals one of five different stories

and pictures that I want to give to us

that we can be transformed in any

season in fact the overlooking of the

Season that you are in right now as my

transformation is on the other side of

this season is a

Lie the Mountaintop is when I see God no

I experience God even more in the

valley if you've ever been

hiking what is on the top of the

Peaks nothing

rocks that's

it what is down in the depth of the

valley

life things only grow when you're

walking through the

valley and the reality is is that when

we look at the the destination that we

try to manufacture in our heads we

really we miss the whole purpose of the

process that God has Us in and I want to

highlight some of these areas of the

process here that to be transformed in

absolutely any season if you want to be

transformed if you want to see God

transform you in any season is that you

come on is anybody with me or am I alone

come on I need I need you guys to help

me preach here come on the sermon is

going to get better if you help me out

so uh I want you guys the reality of if

if we look at the promised land we

recognize that to be transformed in any

season we've got to focus on the

character over the

compensation what is that the

compensation is the that's the reward

that I get I work hard I get compensated

I get my paycheck if I go into the

promised land I get the land of milk and

honey if I get to this place that I feel

like God's called me to I get leadership

I get Authority I get power I get

influence if I get like I get I get

purpose I get all all these different

things and I want the

blessings I want the result I want the

end but I don't want the process and my

character is not even

right the problem is is that God is

trying again and again to go let's

refine your character the lesson that he

taught to the Israelites when he said

okay now we're going to take a 40-year

break and we're going to get a whole new

generation that rises up that's ready to

take this

on that's not the first time he was

teaching that lesson of obedience and

following him and doing so without

complaining and doing so trusting that

his hand is moving it's not my hand that

I've got to make move and the he's he's

taught that lesson so many times he

showed 10 plagues he split the Red Sea

he brings Mana he brings Quail again and

again he brings water out of rocks and

still they go I don't know if God can do

it the lesson had already been taught

the problem is is they hadn't received

it when the problem that we find

ourselves in this recurring cycle so

many times is because we're not

receiving the character transformation

and we're just waiting for that promised

land to come but he says you haven't got

my lesson yet you haven't been

transformed yet you're character is

still so full of Pride and so full of

you and so full of gimme give me give me

that you can't even receive the blessing

that I have for

you so we first if we want to be

transformed in any season we first need

to focus on character over the

compensation Luke 16:10 says if you are

Luke 16:10

faithful in the little

things you will be faithful in large

ones but if you're dishonest in the

little

things you'll find that you won't be

honest with the greater ones in fact I

find that the more a mantle increases

the more money I get the more power I

get the more influence I get the more

whatever it may be it's only an increase

of that which is already in existence in

my soul money is not bad but it makes

bad people really bad power is not bad

but it makes bad people really bad right

the reality is that it it power and

money also empower the kingdom to move

forward in amazing selfless ways but

is just a magnification of my own

soul so if I go God give me that next

big thing and he says you you're still

letting the thing that I gave you sit to

the side and you're not doing anything

with it why don't you Steward the very

place that you are so that I can take

you to the next place because you still

got lessons and character to

build the next is if you want to be

transformed in any season and every

season is we got to focus on faith not

face focus on faith not my face I'm

trying to show face I'm trying to I'm

trying to look good I'm trying to

perform I want people to see how great I

am I want people to recognize me did you

see how much I served did you see how

much I gave did you hear how much I did

in that did you see my hands raised

during worship like check that out right

like do you see how whole holy and how

righteous I am I want you to see

me don't you know how passionate I am

for you

Jesus these are the words that Peter

spoke the

night that Jesus

said in Luke 22:

31-34 his name is Simon Peter and he

says Simon Simon Satan has asked to sift

each one of you like wheat but I have

pleaded I have prayed for you that your

faith would not

fail open up your

bibles if you don't got a Bible feel the

conviction we got a free Bible for you

if you don't have a Bible bring your

Bible okay it says uh I have prayed for

you Simon that your faith should not

fail so when you have repented and

turned to me me again strengthen your

brothers Peter said Lord you don't

understand I'm ready to I'll go to

prison for you and even die with you

Jesus said Peter let me tell you

something before the rooster crows in

the

morning you're going to deny me actually

three

times not even once not twice you're

going to do it three whole times you

don't realize how how empty your Zeal is

now here's something that I recognize

here Satan has asked to sift each of you

like wheat Jesus says I have pleaded in

prayer for you Simon that your faith

should not

fail the crazy thing about

this is is this the only thing that

Jesus himself f failed

at he asked that Simon Peter would not

fail and then he denied

him here's the

reality Simon's performance

failed Simon's Faith

lasted that your faith not that your

performance right he already assumes you

will have have to repent but I've prayed

that your faith would not

fail he

failed but his faith

continued part of this transformation

over transportation is we've got to

focus on the growth of our faith and

stop trying to show facei and show how

good I am and how passionate I am and

how holy I am and how righteous I am I

don't care what anyone else thinks I

want my faith with the Lord I want him

to look at me and go that is my

child and if everybody else shames me

for my faith I don't care I want his

eyes and heart for me to be an approval

and for Faith to be something unlike I

can explain or Express it is his name

that I want to be proclaimed from my

lips no one

[Applause]

else's

that is how I find

transformation in every season now Peter

is eventually

restored he is restored but it's after

this failure of

action and his faith is

upheld third thing that we

see third way to be transformed instead

of transported in any season is focus on

the

purpose over the

pain focus on the purpose over the pain

when I think about this I think about

Joseph if you were to look up one of the

first long narratives in scripture is of

Joseph in the life of Joseph and how he

has this dream that his brothers and his

family is going to bow down to him and

he goes this is all about

me I

win I'm the youngest I'm my dad's

favorite and all of them are going to

praise

me and the process of God leads him into

this

pathway of of of turning transforming a

a

bratty

selfish stuck up

kid into a

manager that is capable of humbly

leading the most powerful nation in the

world and if you want to see that type

of transformation in your life you're

going to have to go through the same

things that Joseph

did and it's not going to be fun

because

Joseph was almost murdered by his

brothers he was beaten and almost

murdered by his brothers thrown into a

pit sold into

slavery manipulated and and and cast

into prison for for for righteousness

for him being doing the right

thing forgotten and after gift after

gift after serving after interpreting

people's dreams other other other prison

dreams and he's still

forgotten and again and again and again

then he he he finally he just serves and

he says yes again and again until he

finally catches this lesson that there

was actually purpose in all of the pain

the things you meant for evil God had a

purpose for

good in in in in Genesis 50 he speaks

this and finally he gets it that God had

a greater plan yet the problem is too

often we are so focused on how hurt we

are or how hard that situation

was that we're totally missing the

purpose God had planned in there the

entire time and he's actually walking us

in a pathway of light and of life and of

purpose and and that he's got a plan

that he's doing and it's way bigger than

me I'm here I will die my body will turn

to

dust and if I have not invested things

that are in in things that are bigger

than

me what was it

for so we got to focus on the purpose

over the pain some of you guys man

there's it all all it takes is is one

little tinge of pain to go I'm done I'm

now clearly this ain't

God the reality is is if you look at

scripture we should lean further into

pain that often times is actually a sign

of God moving I don't initiate it keep

in mind I don't initiate I don't cause

my own pain otherwise I'm just causing

my own pain right like we don't actually

want that we're not masochists we're not

going oh I want I want pain I want to be

hurt no it's the idea of that in this

struggle that the Lord has so gifted to

me I see it as that and I take joy in my

trials and my struggles because I know

that in the pain I'm going to look

through it and what will I

see

purpose and God's got something

bigger Proverbs

121 New Living Translation I love this

if you guys don't have it uh it says to

learn you must love

discipline this is literally in the

Bible it is stupid to hate

correction isn't that great that's the

right response right there right like it

is stupid to hate

correction when I go man I can't believe

that they would say that I can't believe

that they would correct me I can't

believe that that would happen I can't

how hard this is I can't believe how

hurt I am you don't understand and the

reality is is that I actually need that

the wise lean into

that next fourth is we need to focus on

the

process over the

platform in 1st Samuel

16 Prophets

Samuel is coming to to anoint a new king

because King Saul the first king of

Israel is just doing terrible right he

is he is he is totally run away from the

Lord the spirit of the Lord Has Lifted

off of him his anointing is gone and

he's now in this place of torment and

the spirit of the Lord is looking to

rest on a new king and so Samuel goes

over and finds a new king and and he

goes to he he goes to all the sons of

Jesse and God says it's going to to be

one of the sons of Jesse and I'll tell

you who and he says Jesse I need your

sons he lines up all these sons and then

verse 7 the Lord Sam to said to Samuel

do not judge by his appearance or his

height cuz Jesse had goodlooking

handsome tall like man I would I would

follow that guy into battle coniss

son and again and again God says no do

not judge by his appearance or his

height I have rejected him the Lord

doesn't see things the way that you see

things

people judge by outward

appearance but the Lord looks at the

heart and then what happens is he finds

David brings David over who is the only

son not brought in when this is a we're

g we're going to do a sermon series on

the life of David at some point it's

going to it is so deep it's so powerful

but David comes over he gets anointed

king and he was where was he when all

the sons were being lined up he was

taking care of sheep where does he go

after he gets anointed as king of Israel

he takes care of

sheep how easy would it be to go give me

my

crown I want the platform you said it

God it's G to

come give me the thing that I

want after David's anointed he still has

to go through fighting the battles with

Goliath he still has to become the harp

player for the king for King Saul he

still has to dodge Spears he still has

to run away for his life he still has to

hide in caves and raise his own battle

Battalion of Mighty Men and then he has

to come over and he still carries this

repentant heart and the reality is is

that David was anointed king but he

wasn't yet ready to be king he needed to

go through a

17year process before he was actually

ready to sit on the throne and wear the

crown because he had was not anointed as

the person that he would become to be

king we have to love the process more

than the

platform the process it's the journey

it's the transformation God won't give

you the leading if you aren't handling

the

serving love the journey it's not just

about the destiny ation it's the journey

that is the goal see God's process is

what turned Joseph into a brat BR from a

bratty brother to a

manager that could lead the most

powerful nation in the world turned

Moses from a murderer and a Wanderer to

a humble multi-generational leader

turned David from a Shepherd to a King

and Saul King Saul from Paul from a

murderer to a missionary God's process

transform forms a group of Misfit

disciples into a dozen unified literal

World

Changers the process of God is worth

falling in love

with but it's always longer than we want

it to be and then when he says go it's

always faster than I'm ready to

go the reality is God does this so that

he stays in control so Galatians 6:9

Galatians 6:9

says do not become weary of doing good

at the proper time we will reap a

harvest if we don't give up stick in the

process that God has you in right now he

sees you he is with you you have not

Fallen outside of the strength and the

reach of his hand he is right beside you

and he says stick with me if you stick

in faithfulness you will find my hand

was before you the entire time

lastly number

five to see transformation in every

season focus on the

Eternal over the

Earthly see there's things that we get

to do that are going to be investments

in our world right here that are

valuable

Investments but the reality is

everything of this Earth will pass

away it's the pale blue dot Morgan

talked about last week when we look at

it from that

Scope when we look at it from the scope

of the entire world the entire solar

system the

entire galaxy and we realize that my

life will come and it will go and it

doesn't change that pale blue dot what's

the investment I'm going to live what's

the investment I'm going to leave how am

I going to have something that extends

Beyond This Blink of a life that I have

that reaches into

eternity there's

purpose I don't know what you're going

through I don't know what your story has

looked like I don't know what miserable

pain you are in right now I don't know

how deep of a wret you feel like right

now I don't know how high of a mountain

you're sitting on right now and how holy

and righteous you feel like I'm telling

you God has a greater purpose in the

proc that he's leading you in that will

reach into eternity and it'll be greater

than any investment that you can ever

make on your

own but it has to come by submitting and

following the beautiful righteous

process of

God Romans 121 that we had called to at

the beginning and continues on to verse

2 Romans 121 and2 it says therefore in

view of God's

mercy let us offer our bodies as a

Living Sacrifice holy and pleasing to

God this is your spiritual act of

worship that's the first part and then

do not conform to the patterns of this

world the world says I want it

quick I want this thing

now if you transport me

there I can fake it till I make

it and I don't know do not conform to

the patterns of this

world our desire is to be

transformed to be transformed by the

renewing of our mind by the constant

laying of our lives on the Altar and if

we can stand up in here

the reality is as we focus on the

Eternal over the Earthly Hebrews 12 also

highlights this it says since we are

surrounded by such a great crowd of

witnesses to the life of Faith let us

strip off every weight that slows us

down especially the sin that so easily

trips us up and let us run with

endurance the race that God has set

before

us when when we look at the Eternal that

what we're chasing we're not chasing

chasing just getting into heaven we're

chasing finding this Heaven here on this

earth right now it's about the Eternal

here in the

Earthly it's about every moment every

action everything that I'm doing I'm

thinking about reflecting this action

with my father and in front of Jesus and

that he would say to the very action

that I am in right now and the Heart

posture that comes with it that he sees

that he would say Well

done

good and Faithful

Servants see the reality is is the

transformation process it's

inevitable you are alive so you're in

the

process it's not that if you step into

the process you're going to go through

hard times and it's going to be

transformational no the hard times are

inevitable whether it is God saying I'm

putting this storm over you so that you

will be transformed or whether it's sin

in darkness that has caused the storm to

rise up around

you or maybe it's your own sin that has

caused the trials and the issues God

says I still want to move through it

would you walk through my process cuz

I've turned murderers into missionaries

before I can transform you walk through

my

process I have transformed he he has the

capability to transform I just I just

saw a

testimony of a leader one of the one of

the military leaders of a

genocide find life in Christ

and come to peace in relationship with

his neighbor that he finds out he had

been the murderer of her

sister and God brings them into peace

and into unity and into purpose because

he's a totally new

[Music]

man she's a totally new

person the

reality is God wants to transform you

am I

willing to walk through the

process

Faithfully leaning in to the purpose

over the pain to the faith over the face

leaning in to the Eternal over the

Earthly leaning into him to the

character over the compensation that's

where I'm going to lean that's where I'm

going to follow and I commit to that and

if that's you I want to pray that prayer

and if that's you I want you to just

throw your hands up in the air and say

God I commit to the process wherever you

have me right now however quick or

however long it takes would you use me

for your Divine higher purpose would you

use me for a higher calling that extends

even beyond my own lifetime would you

use me for things that are greater than

I could ever ask or

imagine father God and I will model

after you not seeking my own

Crown but seeking to glorify

yours father God I Lay My Life down

again and I will say yes to this

process I will say yes to

transformation I will stop coveting and

lusting after the transportation and

someone else's story I am going to you

say yes to exactly where my feet stand

right

now and we'll follow we will follow and

if that is you if you say I will follow

would you come on up to the front if you

got your hands raised and you say I'm

coming I'm committing I want us to

gather around people together so that we

can be committing to the process not

alone you are not alone in this process

come on up come on up you are not alone

in this process

say I'm going to walk through this

through the pain through the difficulty

I'm going to walk through the

mundane I'm going to walk through my own

mistakes and I will see God's glory

through

[Music]

me and I want to say real quick the

greatest crown that this Earth has ever

seen

was made of

thorns Jesus has already modeled this he

has already walked through the process

to a level that we could never So when

you say yes to the process and if you

still want to come forward and say yes

to the

process you are joining Christ that's

where he is

found he's not found in me going my way

doing my thing at my timing he is found

in me submitting and picking up my own

cross and saying God I will

follow and if this is your first time

maybe ever maybe first time in a long

time that you're going this is my

transformation I'm stepping into

transformation and I'm saying yes to

Jesus and he's been knocking on the door

of my heart and he's been calling out my

name and finally I'm saying yes what I

want to do is I want I'm going to meet

you right up by this prayer banner and

we're going to give you some next steps

we're going to help walk with you do not

leave without meeting me up here I don't

care how far out of the way it is for

you if that's you we want to walk with

you

here and I want to step into

this in your own

words with your own

prayer that we would

surrender to his process father God

father God in your own words begin to

pray to him in your own words begin to

speak to him I will follow this process

and this isn't going to be an emotional

thing this is going to be a commitment

thing I will follow in the process I

will stop grieving you I will stop

complaining about where you have me God

I will seek your purpose in the midst of

my pain I will seek the character you

are building through the middle of of of

the the things that I do not like and I

am not enjoying I will look for your

plan in this

process I will look for your hand in my

hardship in your own words commit your

life what are the areas that you feel

this this this struggle in of where you

do not want to be but yet you

are and what is the lesson what is the

process God is leading you through

confess it to the Lord right now God I

confess of my pride

God I confess of my

complaining God I confess of my laziness

and I submit to the process what is your

confession maybe it's an addiction and

you say God I need you I just need to

surrender to you and I need you to

overcome this thing and I will walk

through the process as long as it takes

to become more like

you whatever your word is whatever your

process is whatever the thing is that

God is speaking to you that he is

leading you in speak it to

him commit it to him and we speak all of

these things we pray all of these things

not by our might not by our power not by

our ability but by your power and by

your spirit says the Lord come on can we

pray these things in the name of Jesus

and praise His name come on can we give

his name some praise real quick

hallelujah hallelujah