Have you gotten too comfortable with being comfortable? Have you ever been so comfortable on the couch and the remote was too far away? Where you allowed the next episode or show to start playing? Like your comfort allowed the world chose what you would take in? This is the issue with most believers…. Their comfort has become more important than their calling.

This is the first message in our sermon series “Change Your City” – Christ Calls. This sermon series is focused around the city of Capernaum in the Bible. The city that Jesus ministered in. And it’s interesting to note that Capernaum means “village of comfort”.

This sermon series is all about changing your city.

Our city is different even if it has the same name. Our individual cities are the places/people we interact with all the time. Where our unique talents, gifts, and passions are known and live. But one thing we all need to understand before you start trying to change your city –

Is that the only way your city can be changed is BY Jesus THROUGH you.

Its starts with His calling of you.

Matthew 4:18-20

18 Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 And He *said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.

• Our responsibility – follow Jesus
• His responsibility – Jesus does the changing and transforming

We follow him: He makes us (He equips us)

Jesus is transforming you as you follow Him.

You do not make yourself. You do not become who Jesus calls you to be without Jesus…

1 Thessalonians 2:13 – Therefore, we never stop thanking God that when you received his message from us, you didn’t think of our words as mere human ideas. You accepted what we said as the very word of God—which, of course, it is. And this word continues to work in you who believe.

Doing Life together – 

What are you believing God to work on in your life as you follow and believe in Him? Have you been trying to fix or solve it yourself? How do you allow and believe Jesus will work on you?

 

We can’t change our city unless we understand Jesus has called us to; and in that calling He equips us and works on us.

In Capernaum there were 3 main groups of people that interacted with Jesus

1. those that followed. 
2. those that received but remained comfortable. 
3. those that came against what He was doing.

Let’s look at what happened to the people in groups 2 & 3…

Note: People fought to rebuke Jesus to remain comfortable. Will you fight against being a follower of Jesus to remain comfortable?

Matt. 11:23-24 – 23 And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. 24 Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.”

Jesus rejected and rebuked Capernaum because they witnessed and saw all the miracles but didn’t follow Him – their faith was nothing more than routines, rituals and rules.

Remember the couch example?

Group 1 – the people that followed Jesus we know what happened. That’s how we got the New Testament,

Jesus leads you out of comfort and into calling.

Have you ever noticed that when leaving comfort and entering calling… sometimes things go wrong, get hard, or act like a storm in our lives?

It happens today and it also happened back then.

Mark 4:35-41 – 35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

Some of you will chose to follow Jesus this sermon series.

You will step out of comfort and into your calling – you will go after this season to reach your city.

You will leave your comfort and face a storm… which may cause you to panic.

All you need to remember is remain steady on your faith… re-listen to the Faith Check sermon series and set Jesus as your foundation.

 

In leaving Capernaum the first storm occurred.

In leaving your place of comfort a storm might happen.

Do you have the faith needed to keep moving forward?

NEXT STEPS: Begin praying and fasting that the Holy Spirit would reveal how to change YOUR city.

How do you move your faith forward? Or how to do you live a life from a place of faith? Where it’s at the forefront of everything you do… everything you are. And why would or should you? That’s the subject of todays Faith Check message “Faith Forward”. 

Let’s look at the gold standard of faith from Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 15:16

When I discovered your words, I devoured them.

They are my joy and my heart’s delight,

for I bear your name,

O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies.

Step 1: Search and discover His Word for today, for now, for this season… always.

Step 2: Devour them like a good taco. Take it in and chew on it, absorb the life giving qualities.

Step 3: My Joy and Heart’s Delight = They bring mental health, emotional health and spiritual health.

Step 4: I bear Your name = Because I’m called by Jesus; I can call on Jesus

We’re always talking about looking at the scriptures in context –  Let’s do a faith check on Jeremiah…

Jeremiah chapter 15… the “gold standard of faith” verse is found right in the middle of this chapter; right in the middle of a gripe session from Jeremiah to God. “I have to deliver Your word to these people. Jeremiah is upset…And now…. They don’t like me. They hurt me. And where are You? ”

The best verse in this chapter is:

Jeremiah 15:20 nasb

Therefore, thus says the Lord,

“If you return, then I will restore you—

Before Me you will stand;

And if you extract the precious from the worthless,

You will become My spokesman.

They for their part may turn to you,

But as for you, you must not turn to them.

“Extract the precious from the worthless”

 

***Doing life in the comments.***

What are worthless thoughts you can ditch and some Word you can put in their place?

Jeremiah 15:20 (The Message)

“Take back those words, and I’ll take you back.

Then you’ll stand tall before me.

Use words truly and well. Don’t stoop to cheap whining.

Then, but only then, you’ll speak for me.

Let your words change them.

Don’t change your words to suit them.

Break down this verse…

Proverbs 3:5

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.”

15. Romans 8:6

“For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.”

16. Romans 12:2

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

1. Repent of the worthless, cheap, pointless words that you have used 
2. Replace with living, encouraging, fulfilling words.

“Let your words change them…. Don’t change your words to suit them.”

NEXT STEPS: Use your words with the authority of God.

Let’s take an audit of our words this week and make sure we are sifting through for the life giving, fulfilling words; and letting go of the worthless, cheap, useless stuff.

Wondering how to develop strong faith? Faith in the face of attacks, turmoil, …life? In this latest message of our Faith Check series “Strong Faith” – we’ll look at Jeremiah’s strong faith and how it got there.

Jeremiah 1:17-19

17 “Get up and prepare for action.

Go out and tell them everything I tell you to say.

Do not be afraid of them,

or I will make you look foolish in front of them.

18 For see, today I have made you strong

like a fortified city that cannot be captured,

like an iron pillar or a bronze wall.

You will stand against the whole land—

the kings, officials, priests, and people of Judah.

19 They will fight you, but they will fail.

For I am with you, and I will take care of you.

I, the Lord, have spoken!”

 

Jeremiahs responsibility was to prepare and proclaim…. that’s our responsibility also.

That is how we gain a strong faith.

Get up – prepare for action

Some translations say gird your loins – meaning tuck your robe into your belt cause you are about to run. The more we develop our faith the more we need to be ready to listen and act on the Word of the Lord.

Tell them everything I tell you to say. – say what the Holy Spirit speaks to you about. 

Tell everything the Lord says. Don’t add to it. Don’t take away.

Do not be afraid of them – or God will make you look foolish

Jeremiah 1:18-19

18 For see, today I have made you strong

like a fortified city that cannot be captured,

like an iron pillar or a bronze wall.

You will stand against the whole land—

the kings, officials, priests, and people of Judah.

19 They will fight you, but they will fail.

For I am with you, and I will take care of you.

I, the Lord, have spoken!”

Jeremiahs responsibility was preparation and proclamation.

Gods responsibility is preservation…

Doing life together in the comments:

How does Jesus preserve you?

Today I have made you strong….. foundation in Jesus. Strength comes from God making us strong….. and when does he make us strong?

Today!!!! He makes us strong.

When a city was fortified the enemy couldn’t overtake it. It was a waiting game. Either the enemy went somewhere else or the people in the city starved and let the enemy in…. Too many believers get surrounded by the enemy and allow themselves to starve and eventually cave….

Your nourishment comes from the Lord strengthening you daily. Preserving you with His word.

Eternally: He preserves your soul.

In turmoil: He preserves your mind, heart, life.

He preserves us through the enemy, through life situations…. because He is with us.

Your faith is strong because Jesus preserves you through preparing and proclaiming His Word.

There is this imagery in Jeremiah 20:11-13 of what it looks like when Jesus preserves us through our preparation and proclamation of His word.

11 But the Lord stands beside me like a great warrior.

Before him my persecutors will stumble.

They cannot defeat me.

They will fail and be thoroughly humiliated.

Their dishonor will never be forgotten.

12 O Lord of Heaven’s Armies,

you test those who are righteous,

and you examine the deepest thoughts and secrets.

Let me see your vengeance against them,

for I have committed my cause to you.

13 Sing to the Lord!

Praise the Lord!

For though I was poor and needy,

he rescued me from my oppressors.

YOUR NEXT STEP: Make sure your faith is strong: Prepare and proclaim His word.

Get a verse this week for your life to meditate on and start proclaiming it.

Double down on next steps – I want you to start preparing this verse in your spirit and begin proclaiming it…

Matthew 5:14-16

14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Our next season and sermon series is “Change Your City.”  The sermon series will be hyper-focused on everything happening in and around Capernaum in the Bible. And Matthew 5:14-16 happens just outside of Capernaum.

Would you begin proclaiming the word of God over our next season with me?

Have you ever been expecting or needing something from someone who is not reliable? We all know what it feels like to hope this time they will come through. And we all know what it feels like when they don’t… again. Today’s Faith Check message is titled “Reliable Faith”. We’re going to look at the difference between putting our faith in something that’s unreliable verses what is reliable – God. Because He is always reliable.

Jeremiah 1:11-12

11 Then the Lord said to me, “Look, Jeremiah! What do you see?”

And I replied, “I see a branch from an almond tree.”

12 And the Lord said, “That’s right, and it means that I am watching, and I will certainly carry out all my plans.”

There is a play on sounds here in the Hebrew text. The word translated almond (shaqēd) has the same root as the word hasten (shōqēd).  As the early blossoming almond tree gave promise of the later spring fruit, so God would watch over His word to bring it to fruition.

God will always carry out His plans – God is always reliable. 

Todays message is called  ‘Reliable Faith.’

Unreliable faith is:

1. Unreliable faith is when we place our faith in anything but Jesus. When we establish idols and put our hope and trust there. (Social media, news, other people like family, our job, ….)
2. Unreliable faith is actions without relationship. (I’m a good person I volunteer, I serve, I give…. but I don’t know Jesus.)
3. Unreliable Faith is a relationship without actions. (I’m saved, but I don’t do anything with it)

 

Matthew 7:12-27

21 “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. 22 On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ 23 But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’

24 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. 26 But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. 27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”

Reliable faith is only through Jesus. 

**Underline or circle all the times YOU or YOUR is mentioned in this scripture…**

Jeremiah 29:10-14

10 This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 In those days when you pray, I will listen. 13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. 14 I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.”

Are we keying into the fact that Faith Check is all about “your relationship with Jesus”?

Babylon represents earth…. home is heaven.

When your mind focuses on the future and hope that is Jesus in Heaven – nothing else compares:

• frustrations
• situations
• health
• telling people about Jesus

Reliable faith is…

•  When you pray He listens
•  If you look with your whole heart you will find Jesus

Jesus has to be found by you – just because your grandma prays doesn’t give you an automatic get into heaven card. This is a two-way relationship.

Let’s talk about the coronavirus for a second.

Do a faith check right now… Do you hyper-focus more on the conspiracy theories, the political climate, or even dwell more on what used to be…. Or do you allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you for a second about the uncertainty of this world and realize the urgency for Jesus?

How is your relationship with Jesus? Genuinely asking. Will you be the one that gets to heaven and says Lord Lord, and hear from Jesus? or I don’t know you?

Next Steps: Make this the Sunday that you start, build, or strengthen your relationship with Jesus.

 

Jesus is Reliable!

But it starts with your reliable faith.

Ever walked away from that dream purchase because of sticker shock? What if the real cost is not the advertised cost? What if you could have got it at manufacturers cost rather than retail; and all you had to do was ask? As believers, the cost of faith in our minds may feel or seem like one thing; but have we checked with the manufacturer…. Jesus? This is the next message in our Faith Check series – Cost of Faith. We are looking deeply at the book of Jeremiah and how the church in exile was able to grow their Faith through all circumstances.

Nike Store 

Jeremiah 1:4

NIV – “The word of the Lord came to me, saying,”

Message – “This is what God said”

As your pastor I’m wondering….have you checked your faith yet? Or are you being like Samuel.

1 Samuel 3:1-11

1The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions. 2 One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the Lord called Samuel.

Samuel answered, “Here I am.” 5 And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.

6 Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

“My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”

7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.

8 A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10 The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”

Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

11 And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle.

• Samuel lived in the church
• Served in the church
• Was a church leader

AND didn’t know how to listen to God. Didn’t know the sound of Gods voice. Thought the only way to hear the voice of God was through the lead pastor. 

The pivotal moment in Samuels life and Jeremiahs life was hearing God and acting on what they heard.

We keep bringing up “Next Steps” as actions based on hearing the Word of God.

Our Church’s goal is 2 parts – 

• Help you gain a desire to hear God and take action on it. Be like Samuel and Jeremiah after being able to hear God and act on it – Next Steps.
• Help you gain a desire to bring the living God into your spheres of influence. What we call doing life together.

The next season of our church has a very specific vision. – Reach Your City.

We may live in the same area code but our cities are different. My city is board game nerds, website visionaries, and digital artists. My city is comic book stores, my city is online video games.

In preparation for the day we open on the front lawn (which is soon)…

Be praying and fasting for the vision to be caught by yourself and others. 

That we all would have a desire to hear God through reading His word, prayer time, and the messages. That we would desire to apply it to our lives. That we would gain the confidence to speak life into people in our spheres of influence (our cities).

Todays message is Cost of Faith…. which is desire

• Do you desire to hear from God and act on it?
• Do you desire to bring Jesus to people that you do life with?

Boys and their games.

Everything is competing for your desire. 

Jeremiah 1:4-9

4 The Lord gave me this message:

5 “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.

Before you were born I set you apart

and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”

6 “O Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!”

7 The Lord replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. 8 And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!” 9 Then the Lord reached out and touched my mouth and said,

“Look, I have put my words in your mouth!

The Holy Spirit will handle all excuses and problems. But you gotta handle the desire to hear the voice of the Lord and act on it.

Identity is like a fingerprint from God – no finger print matches. Every single one is unique. And that is your identity from God. Divinely unique.

God ordained YOU to be good enough to deliver His words.

Your inexperience, your age, how long you’ve been a believer doesn’t matter to God. In fact He rebukes it, and says you go where I send you, and you say whatever I tell you. And don’t be afraid of the people!

Doing life in the comments – 

What is an excuse you need to let the Holy Spirit deal with?

Luke 6:46-49

46 “So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say? 47 I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. 48 It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. 49 But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house right on the ground, without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.”

Your NEXT STEPS this week…. 

1. Fast and pray to hear the voice of the Lord. 
2. Act on it in your life and 
3. Share it in the spheres of influence (YOUR CITY) around you. 

We are headed to our next season – “Reach your City” we need to begin now. 

What does it mean to have unshakable faith? Constant, unfailing, indisputable, without question…It all starts with having Jesus as our foundation – last weeks bones give us the ability to move and carry forward. In this weeks message “Faith Check – Unshakeable Faith”, we look at just that. Confident constant faith that carries you through the storms of life, verses riding the waves like a roller coaster.

Just a reminder – Salvation and foundation are different.  Last week the challenge was for the Church to seek the Holy Spirit in how we need to individually make Jesus our foundation, so that we can move into the next season carrying the vision from the Holy Spirit.

This week – How do we keep moving with the vision?

Jeremiah 51:59-64

59 This is the message Jeremiah the prophet gave to the staff officer Seraiah son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, when he went to Babylon with Zedekiah king of Judah in the fourth year of his reign. 60 Jeremiah had written on a scroll about all the disasters that would come upon Babylon—all that had been recorded concerning Babylon. 61 He said to Seraiah, “When you get to Babylon, see that you read all these words aloud. 62 Then say, ‘Lord, you have said you will destroy this place, so that neither people nor animals will live in it; it will be desolate forever.’ 63 When you finish reading this scroll, tie a stone to it and throw it into the Euphrates. 64 Then say, ‘So will Babylon sink to rise no more because of the disaster I will bring on her. And her people will fall.’”

The words of Jeremiah end here. Here he passes the baton.

The story shifts perspective onto Seraiah

Seraiah—Yahweh has prevailed … in other words – Jesus Won! Won and done.

Our faith on Jesus comes from the past… Jesus won. I’m not sitting around questioning Jesus or my faith or reality. I am confident Jesus won.

Let’s do life together in the comments and start proclaiming what Jesus already won over. I dare you to be bold and proclaim things that might feel scary right now, but pick up the inheritance of deliverance that belongs to you and proclaim it.

Doing life in the comments – Proclaim what Jesus has Victory over!

When I feel hopeless and hurting I fast forward 1000 years in my mind. I see myself worshipping Jesus laying in-front of His thrown in heaven. It calms every storm in my life. It keeps me grounded and reminds me that my faith isn’t a roller coaster ride – it’s unshakable. – Pastor Matt

Let’s look at unshakable faith at the end of Jeremiahs story.

Jeremiah in his final act – hands over the word of God to be carried, cast, then camped on.

• Carry the Word
• Cast the Word
• Camp on the Word

We need to be doing this in 2 areas – The Church and Personal life

Personally –

It’s not good to be someone different at all the places you belong to.

You need to have unshakable faith in all areas and all times of your life.

Jesus is the center and everything we have circling around us truly circles around Him.

** If you are dealing with anxiety or control issues…. think of the sun having true control of the earth; and envision Jesus doing the same over your live. Break free of anxiety by trusting Jesus is in full control.

Church – 

The fastest way to kill a church is to expect the pastor to be the only one to carry the word and vision from the Holy Spirit forward.

The fastest way to grow a Church is to carry the word and vision daily alongside the pastor  – not only is this infectious to others it transforms your mind, heart and attitude. 

** Take action on the word and vision daily – if our church keeps saying it’s important that we are “doing life together” in this season; we need to find a way to do life together. When we move into a new season as a church we all move together. 

This week we are focused on external next steps

Next Step – Encourage and pray for someone this week not in your home – then take it to the next level and invite them to communion or Ladies Art night and do life with them.

What is our faith founded on? What gives it structure? Can it hold up to all life holds in store for us? In this next message in the Faith Check series – “True Faith”, we’re talking about just that… time to check our faith. We’re doing a deep dive on FAITH through the book and lens of Jeremiah. It’s about the faith of believers during their exile, paralleled to the exile of our church members from our building. Want to know what Lighthouse 805 Church is really like? Well today’s message is a pretty good look at how we operate. We keep it real. We’re a family. We are Holy Spirit lead. We speak truth to one another. Wondering why we aren’t meeting together in person yet? Tune in.

Today we’re in Jeremiah 32

But first we’re going to look at Luke 6:47-49

“47Anyone who comes and listens to me and obeys me 48 is like someone who dug down deep and built a house on solid rock. When a flood came and the river rushed against the house, it was built so well that it didn’t even shake. 49 But anyone who hears what I say and doesn’t obey me is like someone whose house wasn’t built on solid rock. As soon as the river rushed against that house, it was smashed to pieces!”

Your foundation is based on taking action from Jesus. Listen AND obey. They DUG deep, and BUILT.

Not talking about salvation – we’re talking about foundation. Salvation is secured, but it’s a firm foundation that allows you to grow, receive, and move forward with Christ to the promises God has for us. What does your foundation look like right now? How many of us are finding excuses to not build in this season? Without this foundation set and built on in this current season; we will not be able to hold or carry or move in the vision God has for our next season.

As your Pastor – I’m asking you to commit to making Jesus the foundation in your life now, in this season. Stop making excuses and get rid of anything that has taken up residence in your life distracting you from doing just that.

Jeremiah 32:8-16 “8‘Then, just as the Lord had said, my cousin Hanamel came to me in the courtyard of the guard and said, “Buy my field at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. Since it is your right to redeem it and possess it, buy it for yourself.” ‘I knew that this was the word of the Lord; 9so I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel and weighed out for him seventeen shekels of silver. 10I signed and sealed the deed, had it witnessed, and weighed out the silver on the scales. 11I took the deed of purchase – the sealed copy containing the terms and conditions, as well as the unsealed copy – 12and I gave this deed to Baruch son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel and of the witnesses who had signed the deed and of all the Jews sitting in the courtyard of the guard. 13‘In their presence I gave Baruch these instructions: 14“This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: take these documents, both the sealed and unsealed copies of the deed of purchase, and put them in a clay jar so that they will last a long time. 15For this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.” 16‘After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord:”

Purchase: What is the price we need to pay in this season of our church?

• – Time
• – Dedication
• – Pride
• – Reading and studying the Bible
• – Genuine worship
• – Take action on the Word of God

Through the purchase/setting Jesus as the foundation – 3 things happened:

1. Public – The purchase was done publicly and had witnesses. This makes us accountable and invites others to do the same. This current season is calling us to do life together outside of the 4 walls of a church building. There’s a reason for that. It’s foundation building. If we don’t actively do it we won’t be able to carry the vision for the new season God has for us.
2. Preserve – Jeremiah asked the purchase documents to be stored in clay pots. This was to preserve them for some time, awhile, the future. The Dead Sea Scrolls lasted in clay pots for 2000 years. When we pay the price of making Jesus our foundation we are preserved. Our faith is stabilized. It doesn’t fluctuate up and down with the weather or circumstances. We are steady.
3. Patience – “When are we getting back to normal?” “When will we return to normal?” Wrong questions…. Right question…. “Am I ready for the NEW normal?” Are we patiently preparing for the next season? This is not a passive patience. It’s like the patience of a farmer who diligently plows deep, straight, consistent furrows. Then sows the right seeds, in preparation of the next harvest. We’re not sitting with a book waiting for this season to be over; we’re like the farmer from sun up to sun down preparing for what’s coming. You can’t wait on a crop that hasn’t been planted.

NEXT STEPS – Take action to set Jesus as the one and only foundation in your life.

Is your faith genuine or fake? Real fruit or fruit flavored? Can it give nutrition, reproduce? Or does it rot over time, go stale? We’re continuing our deep dive into FAITH, in this message of our Faith Check series – Fruitful Faith.

Jeremiah 24

After Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and the officials, the skilled workers and the artisans of Judah were carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Lord showed me two baskets of figs placed in front of the temple of the Lord. 2 One basket had very good figs, like those that ripen early; the other basket had very bad figs, so bad they could not be eaten.

3 Then the Lord asked me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?”

“Figs,” I answered. “The good ones are very good, but the bad ones are so bad they cannot be eaten.”

4 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 5 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Like these good figs, I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I sent away from this place to the land of the Babylonians. 6 My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them. 7 I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.

8 “‘But like the bad figs, which are so bad they cannot be eaten,’ says the Lord, ‘so will I deal with Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials and the survivors from Jerusalem, whether they remain in this land or live in Egypt. 9 I will make them abhorrent and an offense to all the kingdoms of the earth, a reproach and a byword, a curse and an object of ridicule, wherever I banish them. 10 I will send the sword, famine and plague against them until they are destroyed from the land I gave to them and their ancestors.’”

Let’s talk about this Bible verse not only as the state of the church in corona time – but also as believers in new seasons.

In this story there are 3 groups of believers:

• The believer that refuses to move to the next season –

• • Bad figs represented not only those against God but those that refused to follow the direction of God.

• The believer that moves to the new season but is waiting to get back to the old season
• The believer that moves to the new season and trusts Jesus

So how do we develop faith like the believers that move into new seasons and trust Jesus?

1 – The Time to Build is Now

People were exiled from their homes. They needed to build a new home. Don’t sit around waiting to get back to normal. This is your new normal.

When we build, we work on our faith and our trust. God will build us up and will not tear us down.

****Doing life in the comments**** 

What is it that you need to build? What do you need to construct in your life? 

When we build inside of new seasons we become like a house vs a tent – there is…

• protection
• limitless power
• sewage / sanitation
• fresh water

When we enter new seasons we need to build and not lament. 

2 – It’s Time to Plant in New Seasons

To set down roots in a new season. Roots represent a source of life. People did not leave when God told them to leave. They thought their source of life was connected to the routines and city they lived in rather than God.

The soil determines the growth of the plant. The root pulls the nutrients from the soil and the plant grows. Jesus is the root, but your season determines your growth.

Some of us are stuck in past seasons. All the nutrients have already been used. Jesus, the root, is telling us to move to the next season for new growth.

We need to move to the next season – mentally, physically and faithfully.

God’s desire is for us to connect to Jesus more that we connect to soil. Meaning – connect more to what Jesus is doing right now and right here; than what He did back then.

Complaining and grumbling is failing to see Jesus in this season. 

Xerox Case Study:

Xerox had the most successful single product of all time. They revolutionized businesses and homes.

They had ground breaking research; but the people in charge decided it wasn’t for them and gave all the technology to Steve Jobs. Xerox had the future in its hands, but the ownership thought it was meant for someone else.

Xerox is like a lot of believers… Reading the Bible and thinking it’s not for me its for someone else.

Jesus is speaking – are you listening to grow?

https://artgrid.io/clip/83735/paper-moving-through-rolls-on-printing-machine

***Like Xerox when we fail to listen, we fail to pivot***

When we fail to pivot into new seasons there are consequences.

3 core consequences from Jeremiah 24:10 as illustrations on this side of the cross and new covenant. 

1. Sword – When we fail to move into our next season we fight God, and we fight people that are living in the new seasons. We can become frustrated and angry with different viewpoints.
2. Famine – We are starving for Jesus to speak to us in our past seasons, but He is speaking from your new season. So you refuse to consume new insights.
3. Plague – Your mind becomes twisted and your heart is hardened towards the freshness of Jesus

2-Part Next Steps:

Part 1 – Build 1 new routine.

Part 2 – Leave 1 soil behind.

Let go of 1 thing from a past season. Maybe it was a glory that was awesome but God is calling you to a new glory. Maybe it was something tragic, and you have been holding onto that pain.

Have you ever seen an artist completely focused on their craft? Everything they do is intentional. Taking their time perfecting their art. They use their hands to shape exactly what is in their mind. This is our relationship to the Father.  We are in His hands as He shapes and crafts us. He is intentionally focused on crafting us…we are His masterpiece.

You are not a mistake. Your past has not disqualified you. You are the artwork of God.

We are continuing our sermon series Faith Check – a series all about faith through the book of Jeremiah. Today’s message is “Forming Faith”.

Jeremiah 18:1-4

The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord saying, 2 “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will announce My words to you.” 3 Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something on the wheel. 4 But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make.

• Clay  = you and me
• Potter = The Father 
• The Wheel… is the tool used by the Father to shape us.

Idol check – Do you talk to a person before talking to God? Do you count more on your work providing than God providing?

Doing life in the comments – (Add a comment to engage with us)

How do you stay Planted during the Process? with help from people? your word? 

• Water is Jesus – not only used to shape us, and mold our lives.

• Dry lake bed – cracks are everywhere it is evident water used to be present. Now it’s dry and desolate. If your faith feels dry and things are falling apart or cracked, it’s evidence you need to reconnect your water source.

https://artgrid.io/story/16162/Dry-Lake-Bed

• Kiln is the the Holy Spirit

There are 2 firings for pottery:

1. The bisque fire is to remove impurities and make the pottery stable enough to receive glaze or adornment.

2. The final glaze fire is to cover the porous pottery with adornment and also prevent absorbing external influences.

The Holy spirit likewise is transforming us from an impressionable vessel to sturdy enough to be adorned by the love of Jesus. then transforms us to seal us up from external influences that the enemy would love to distract us with.

• transforms us
• works out the impurities
• prepares us to be a complete vessel
• transforms us from temporary to long term – Sunday morning believer to daily disciple

How do we keep our faith on Jesus in order to grow? 

The Yahoo Case Study

Yahoo failed to grow because the cost was too high and the risk too great.

They were number 1 in search and an online portal to the world –  https://artgrid.io/story/16349/The-Writer

Someone listening here is failing to grow – because the cost of discipleship is too high for you. The cost of serving is too high for you. The cost of reading the Bible is too high for you. The cost of genuine relationships is too high for you.

The risk of losing reputation

The risk of Jesus not showing up when you call on Him

The risk of losing material possessions… a lot of people don’t tithe because their mind is on losing money instead of trusting Jesus.

How do we use faith to stay planted on the potters wheel, when we get past the cost and risk:

Jeremiah 18:15

‘For My people have forgotten Me,

They burn incense to worthless gods

And they have stumbled from their ways,

From the ancient paths,

To walk in bypaths,

Not on a highway,

God is looking at His people and says His people have left the road for a path

There was a difference between the ancient road and the bypath.

 – paved vs unpaved.

STOP avoiding the cost and fearing the risk!

In order to keep your faith on God through all the storms – like the pottery on the wheel in the hands of God….we need to hyper-focus on 2 things found in verse 15:

“People have forgotten me”

1 – Know Jesus personally

Pay the cost of time in reading and discerning. Pay the cost in pride of discipleship. Show up to our communion nights, be part of our Thursday Bible study. Start committing to the next steps we do weekly.

Our church inspires and gives practical ways to deepen our faith.

“burn incense to worthless gods”

2 – Worship Jesus always

Worship is your heart towards Jesus. Pay the cost, time and energy to worship Jesus. – – worship with your heart.

– sing

– serve

– do life together

Your next step this week – Get Connected

Connect to your word. Connect to someone you haven’t talked to since covid started. Serve. Sign up for Bible study Thursday night.

Have you lost faith? Finding Faith – is the first installment of our new series “Faith Check”. This sermon series “Faith Check,” is a Holy Spirit lead deep look at FAITH through the book of Jeremiah. Have you ever seen an abandoned house? Yard overgrown, paint peeling, broken windows, dirt and neglect, just broken down? This is what our spirit looks like when we loose faith.  Let’s be honest with ourselves and have a Faith Check. What state is your faith in?

Jeremiah 13:1-11

13 Thus the Lord said to me, “Go and buy yourself a linen waistband and put it around your waist, but do not put it in water.” 2 So I bought the waistband in accordance with the word of the Lord and put it around my waist. 3 Then the word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying, 4 “Take the waistband that you have bought, which is around your waist, and arise, go to the Euphrates and hide it there in a crevice of the rock.” 5 So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, as the Lord had commanded me. 6 After many days the Lord said to me, “Arise, go to the Euphrates and take from there the waistband which I commanded you to hide there.” 7 Then I went to the Euphrates and dug, and I took the waistband from the place where I had hidden it; and lo, the waistband was ruined, it was totally worthless.

• Jeremiah represents Jesus
• Belt represents Humanity
• Euphrates represents behind enemy lines.

What is FAITH? –

Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

James 2:26 says, “For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.”

If we are the belt, then the buckle is faith. It must be firmly engaged and attached to Jesus.

Are you able to keep your faith up while behind enemy lines or do you fail?

Blockbuster Case Study – 

They were in the movie rental business. The truth is we value movies and entertainment more than ever today, but blockbuster failed. Why?

 – Because they dug deep into their routine.

– The world changed and they didn’t move forward or adapt.

• Do you have a blockbuster faith right now?
• Is your faith failing because your not moving forward?
• Are you waiting for the world to return to what it used to be?

It didn’t work out for blockbuster and it wont work out for you.

The Inheritance Factor – What faith inheritance are you passing on?

Jesus is moving forward, are you clinging onto Him or hiding in the rocks waiting on things to return?

Doing life in the comments –

*** What are ways you are moving forward in your faith? ***

Gods precisely explains why His people have failed to move forward in their faith in verses 8-11. Let’s look at this and then do the opposite.

Jeremiah 13:8-11

8 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 9 “Thus says the Lord, ‘Just so will I destroy the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. 10 This wicked people, who refuse to listen to My words, who walk in the stubbornness of their hearts and have gone after other gods to serve them and to bow down to them, let them be just like this waistband which is totally worthless. 11 For as the waistband clings to the waist of a man, so I made the whole household of Israel and the whole household of Judah cling to Me,’ declares the Lord, ‘that they might be for Me a people, for renown, for praise and for glory; but they did not listen.’

 

How do we find faith to fully connect to Jesus?

…refused to listen to My words

1 – Listen to the His Words

Are you reading the Bible to check your list or to check your heart? Listening to the Word is different than reading the Word.

…walk in the stubbornness of their hearts…they were taking steps to further their hard hearts

2 – Take Godly next steps

Are you taking next steps to your faith or to your comfort?

…have gone after other gods to serve them and to bow down to them

3 – Relationship with Jesus

The entire story of the belt shows the Fathers heart. “I want you to be connected to Me.” Are you working on your relationship with Jesus all the time? Is something distracting you?

Your Next Step – Today is the day to let go of old ways and hold onto Jesus.

• Let go of thinking worship isn’t worship without a church building; you are missing out on your weapon that is worship if you refuse to adapt.
• Let go of thinking church isn’t church without Sunday morning; you are missing out on growth if you refuse to adapt.
• What do you need to let go of so you can hold onto Jesus?