When Life Feels Out of Focus | Judah Smith

So, I'd like to take a bit of a risk tonight, and I'd like to remind you that you need to dream. You need to dream of bigger, amazing, awesome, incredible days ahead. I am persuaded the reason you are still sucking oxygen on planet Earth right now on this night is because there is a sovereign component to your existence.

You're here for a reason. You're here for a purpose and it's clearly not over because you're still breathing. So, I got a grand sense in my heart and you can share that sense if you need it that tomorrow's got purpose. That tonight you're here for a reason and this isn't just a collection and series of random decisions that have randomly brought us together.

I'd like to think there is rhyme, reason, rhythm, and purpose to our existence. I want to read a scripture to you. Acts chapter 2, and we'll put context and background to it, uh verse 17 as we go along. And it says this, this is a prophecy approximately a couple of thousand years before Jesus is born in Bethlehem and has a 33year lifespan and a three-year public ministry.

And it says this, that there would come a day in the last days it shall be, God declares that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. By the way, that was shocking 2,000 years ago when Joel said that men and women would prophesy.

In case you're wondering, some of where the church has got it wrong. The understanding of the importance of women and their actual literal equality with man in church and in society has been a part of the scripture for a very very long time. So if you've heard otherwise it's just poor treatment interpretation of scripture.

Jesus is for women and without women Jesus wouldn't even had a public ministry because his public ministry was supplied almost exclusively by women. So don't get me started on how I feel about preachers who say women can't preach and do all. Get out of here. Okay. It's 2023.

Grow up. Okay. Here we go. I'm a little feisty tonight. Okay. So, yeah, Jason. Yeah. All right. All right, Mr. Keith. Here we go. And your young men shall see visions. And your old men shall dream dreams. Your young men shall see visions. And your old men will dream dreams.

Before we get started, let me establish something why that is significant. Because with any amount of human exposure to the human experience and the human journey, it'll tell you this. Young people sometimes can't see past the moment. No offense, right? That's why you make dumb decisions. You're like, "I can't help it.

My mind's telling ME NO, BUT MY BODY, RIGHT?" AND YOU'RE JUST LIKE, "I I just can't help." I think that Sorry for the person who wrote who saying that. But the point is, okay, sorry, don't be offended. But the point is that lyric actually does describe sometimes we can't see past the urges and surges of the moment and we make dumb decisions.

All of us in this room in our youth have made dumb decisions. You wake up in the morning, by the way, if it's not fun in the morning, it shouldn't be fun at night. That's a really good wise concept that some of you could abide by. It's like if it's fun at 1:00 a.m. but not so fun at 9:30 a.m., then why do it at 1:00 a.m.?

If you're going to wake up at 9:30 AND GO, "WHAT? WHO? WHERE? WHY?" It's not worth it. Right? SO, WE'VE ALL MADE DUMB decisions because youthfulness oftent times comes with an inability to see past the moment, the desire, the urge. Now, for older people, their desire or I should say their challenge is that dreaming becomes difficult.

Like for instance, if you went to coffee with me and you're like, you went to coffee with 24 year old Pastor Judah. Okay, back then people called me Pastor Judah and Lot and I was pretty excited about it, right? When you're 24, you're like, it's Pastor Judah, you know, and so, you know, we we'd sit down and throughout the coffee I, you know, required my friends to call me Pastor Judah.

And, you know, back then you'd ask me, "WHAT'S YOUR DREAM?" WOO! MAN, I would I would pull out a dream that would blow you away. 34 YEAR OLD JUDAH STILL HAD A PRETTY GOOD 44 YEAR OLD JUDAH, WHAT'S YOUR DREAM? TO STAY MARRIED. THAT'S IT. THERE IT IS.

TO STAY married because these days that's rare and whatever's rare is valuable. So now I'm kind of like, if I stay married to the same woman and y'all see that happen, you're all probably going to be like, something's got to be right with that guy, right? And then if you look at his three kids and if they're contributing citizens to society who also have a world view with Jesus at the center, like, all right, that that's kind of become my dream.

And I don't mean that I've lessened my dream. I just mean that life's happened to me a little bit since I was 24. And dreams get a little bit more difficult. When you're young, you throw dreams around. When you're old, you don't throw dreams around much anymore. You kind of go, I I hadn't had a dream in a while.

I had a dream and I got weary and I got tired. And so the Bible says, the prophet Joel says there would come a day within the community of faith where young people would see past the moment and they would have visions and old people would see past the life that they had lived and which had ti tried to drive out the dreaming and they would they would dream again.

I want to be a part of a community where young people see past the moment and old people still dream dreams. Now, the reason none of you are like, "This is such a sick sermon. I love this. This is amazing." Because no one really feels like dreaming and sharing visions right now, most of us are in survival mode.

And they tell us this statistically. Did you know we are more isolated than we have ever been in the modern era? The stats are starting to roll in now with this wonky three-year period we've all been in globally. And they're telling us that we are spending hours hours less with friendships than we were just a few years ago.

Which means you're sitting at home by yourself in your head. And history shows humans aren't ideal in that setting perpetually. You sit there flipping through channels or flipping through apps and you're just in your head. Now, here's what I have concluded because I've been to meetings and lunches and brunches and breakfastes with you.

Um, we are all um not doing great. Now, I love you. Somebody like, I am so great. Who does he think he is? Oh my gosh. Okay, per perfect. You're the one person here. The rest of us are like, what day is it? Wednesday. 
[sighs and gasps]
 All right, let's get to Thursday.

Here we go. Right. I mean, that's kind of the feeling we're getting. A lot of your friends have changed, haven't they? Lifetime friends. Some of you had, they're gone. And really, the last THING YOU WANT IS SOME PREACHER GUY TO COME ON STAGE AND SAY, "WHAT IS YOUR LIFE DREAM?

Tell me your vision." LIKE, HAVE AM I THE ONLY ONE THAT'S BEEN IN LA LONG ENOUGH to be like, "I don't know if I need any more meetings where you give me your big pitch for your new app." I can't do it anymore, guys. I can't do any more app presentation meetings.

I can't I seriously can't do it. Please leave me alone. If you have an app, build it with someone else. I can't do it anymore. I want someone to be like, "Yeah, I got to I just something other than an app." Okay, that's all I ask. I'm doing baseball bats.

I'm in. What are you Let's Let's defeat Louisville Slugger. Bring him down. All right. So, we're all not doing well. You're like, "Did he just lay on the stage? Is he okay?" No. SEEING A THERAPIST MULTIPLE TIMES A WEEK. Don't judge me. So, what does dreams and visions have to do with anything?

Well, let me ask you a question. Are you tired? Are you weary? Are you exhausted? Are you overwhelmed with the moment? Is it hard to see past the pain? >> 
[snorts]
 >> It's a real really weird dynamic right now. Have you noticed this? Like I I'll hang out with my friends and we will commit to not talk about the weird person who kind of went sideways in our life and then like 10 minutes after being like, "Yeah, let's not talk about that."

You know, but seriously, bro, right? Like are anyone like that right now? You're like, "I honestly I I do not want we I blocked that person. I don't want to give them any more of my energy, but can I say one more thing? 
[laughter]
 THIS IS CRAZY, MAN. And then you block PEOPLE AND THEN THEY LIKE FIND THE WAY ONTO the internet and they find still ways to leave comments.

And I'm just like, what is happening to us? Are you overwhelmed yet? And before I show you what the dream, the collective dream of the church in its very beginning, its inception. Now when I say inception, what I mean by that is when Jesus was crucified, he rose again.

He appeared to hundreds of people. Then he levitated into the clouds and then Acts chapter 2 happens which is the day of Pentecost. And there the spirit of God in spirit form God came like a rushing wind and and fire and people started speaking in other languages which were other languages from other countries and other continents.

And people were in that city listening to the wonderful ways of God in their own language. People thought they were drunk, thought they were high, thought they were out of their mind. It was the beginning of the church and there was fire and there was wind and there was a demonstration and there was power and it was real and it was amazing and it got crazy.

SO I PROMISE YOU I DID NOT GIVE UP MY NBA CAREER. All right, everybody relax. I DID NOT PASS ON BEING A LOTTERY pick to be a PREACHER SO THAT YOU AND I keep IT DOWN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. HOPE FOR NO DINGS, NO COLLISIONS, and no breakdowns and just settle safe and secure.

Safety is an illusion anyways. And I'm not buying. None of this is safe. You hear me? None of this is safe. Safe. Safe. Safest place in the world is right behind Jesus. And it's not safe like you define. None of this is safe. I didn't get into this to be safe.

My kids are not going to watch a father play it safe. This church I've been a part of. We're not going to play it safe. So forgive me now as I make an adjustment. Now, as we make this adjustment within this sermon, I want to prepare you accordingly.

And I want to say when we go to the early church, we go back in time AC approximately 2,000 years and you see the very first Christians and the very first church and you hear of their dreams, I want you to prepare yourself because there might be some confrontation and some contradiction to your own personal dreams and desires is here's a caveat you got to hear from me.

When it comes to dreams, when it comes to visions, God gives them differently. Let me explain. If I got up here today and said, "I want to talk to you about dreams." If you were a football team, I'm the chaplain of one of the football teams, the team that traded Russell Wilson.

I don't want to get into it, but the point is, I've preached to the team before. I should say I've spoken to the team. Okay? I don't preach the gospel. And I'll tell them things like the power of visualization, the power of dreaming, the power of seeing yourself doing things.

That is a natural means that has some warrant, some validity, and can improve performance. I'm not a fool. I understand that. Having said that, anytime you approach the topic of dreams and visions with God, you must understand it is fundamentally different. And here's what I mean. The dreams and visions that are natural speak of career, accomplishments, and the curation of stuff and things, renown, and popularity or reputation.

All of those things are considerable. They are fine. And they are never said to be wrong, evil, or sin in scripture. BUT THE OVERWHELMING EMPHASIS AND FOCUS IS ACTUALLY NOT ON YOUR FINITE brief career on this little ball called earth. The dreams AND VISIONS THAT GOD GIVES are superseding the natural realm.

Which means he will give you ideas and visions and dreams about your future that are unreasonable. They would not make sense. THEY WILL OFTEN TIMES FRUSTRATE YOUR NATURAL MIND. So I want to warn you ahead of time. EVERYONE'S LIKE SUPER SICK DREAMS AND VISIONS. GOD, GIVE THEM TO ME.

I'M NOT SAYING EVERYBODY'S GOING TO BE PUMPED ON WHAT GOD HAS ASKED YOU TO DO. Somebody sent me an article. Actually, I think it was my wife. Somebody my wife sent me an article today. 
[laughter]
 my apologies. Um, and Amazon made a statement about how they work and they said when we make these innovative changes, we have as a company accepted the fact that we will be misunderstood, not celebrated, and in some cases will be opposed.

I want to tell you that there are some dreams and visions God has for your life. They're not always popular, but it will be the most fulfilling journey of your life. Dreams and visions. What's your dream? What's your vision? Where are you going? You you the first question God ever asked, man.

Y'all know I Where are you? Hey, where are you right now? And where are you going? Where are you going? Does God care about my career? Does he care about my income? Does he care about my bills? Does he care? Oh, yeah. Oh, yes. Oh, yes. But does he care about your career and your bills as much as he cares about your eternal state?

Uh, no. So, here's how this works. The day you were born, there was already a plan in motion. And when you got born, the plan didn't start. You just got the honor of being included. I think it's so adorable how selfentric we are. It's just not true. I think you're adorable.

It's just not true. The solar system currently does not revolve around me or you. It revolves around the king. And I'd like to introduce you to him tonight. Now, I want to say one last thing about the dreams and visions of God. The dreams and visions in this realm drive us to, like I said, um, accomplish and quote unquote, get ahead in life.

Often times, the dreams and desires we have are to, how should I say, gain a sense of winning in life, right? Like, I mean, somebody gets done with the Super Bowl and they won and we're all like, "Where are you going? I don't want to Disneyland. This has been my dream.

How does it feel? It's crazy. Okay. Anybody who's talked to any athletes who've won all the big trophies in our country, the dirty little secret they're not telling anybody is that the next day they feel the same. They still got lips, hips, and fingertips. And they still got to go number one and number two.

And sometimes when things get bad, three. The dreams and visions God gives. listen are from victory, not for victory. Now, that's really important because the dream and vision God wants you to give or wants to give you for you to see and understand, it is not going to carry with it necessarily the praise of the culture and your friends.

And and I I don't want to be this preacher. And I tell God this. Why am I the frustrated artistic preacher who tells people the stuff that other preachers won't? I just want to be the guy who tells you, "God's with you. Dream big. Go for it. It's going to be great."

Everybody close your eyes. Bow your heads. AMEN. DREAM BIG. MAKE NO SMALL PLANS. LET'S GO. But I've discovered that sometimes following Jesus makes you look far less successful. I don't know how to tell you that other than telling you that I KNOW PEOPLE WHO'VE DECIDED TO FOLLOW JESUS AND ALL OF THE UH HOW SHOULD I SAY THE ACCOLADES THAT THEY HAD faded and they never got him again.

What I mean is Hebrews 12:1 says Jesus has sat down at the right hand of God. That posture by the son of the living God tells you something about what he's done on the cross. Now I want to be very very clear. There is more evidence about the validity and the life of Jesus Christ than there is Abraham Lincoln or or any of the other forefathers in this country who are not even that old only a couple hundred years ago.

There is proof and validity behind this person Jesus that is beyond compelling. So much so that if you are a thinking person, a smart person, a study person, and a research person, you will have to decide what you're going to do with this man born in a barn in Bethlehem who called himself Jesus Christ the Nazarene.

You're going to have to ask yourself, what am I going to do with the man on the middle cross who over the top of him they said he apparently calls himself the king of the Jews. You're going to have to ASK YOURSELF, WHAT AM I going to do with this man who historically the Bible records, but also other writings record that when he in fact did die that the sky went dark, the earth began to shook and things PE DEAD PEOPLE GOT out of GRAVES AND THERE WAS SOMETHING ABOUT THIS MAN WAS DIFFERENT.

FURTHERMORE, HAVING SAID THAT, we also got TO ASK OURSELVES, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO? IT'S LIKE, GROW UP, JUDAH. Protect your marriage. All right. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH THE MAN WHO ROSE UP FROM THE GRAVE ON THE THIRD DAY JUST LIKE HE SAID he would and appeared to hundreds of people?

And those hundreds OF PEOPLE GAVE EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT TO THOUSANDS of people. And those thousands of people gave eyewitness account or I should say one person removed from eyewitness account. And eventually, see, a lot of US THINK THE BIBLE WAS WRITTEN like the day Jesus resurrected. NO, DECADES LATER.

SO, AT FIRST THE STORY OF JESUS was only verbal AND YET IT'S PRESERVATION IS NOTHING SHORT of supernatural. So, I MAKE IT APPEAL TO EVERYONE HERE, NOT NECESSARILY TO TAKE MY WORD for it, but we live in a technological age which is TO OUR ADVANTAGE. GO AND DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH and you WILL DISCOVER THAT IF YOU BELIEVE IN ABRAHAM LINCOLN, YOU OUGHT TO MUCH MORE BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST.

SO JESUS SAID THE SIX HOURS HIS LUNGS FILLED WITH BLOOD ON the cross in the middle cross between two thieves. He said, "It is finished." WHEN HE SAID IT IS FINISHED, THAT'S WHEN THE EARTH SHOOK. THAT'S WHEN THE SKY WENT DARK AND EVERYBODY WENT WHOA. SO MUCH SO THAT THE ROMAN SOLDIER AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS WHO HAD PUT HIM ON THE CROSS LITERALLY SAID, "THIS MAN IS WHO HE SAYS HE IS."

FOR WHILE HE HUNG THERE, HE SAID, "FATHER, FORGIVE THEM. THEY DON'T KNOW what they're doing." And I would only like to differ with Jesus this one time and say, "They certainly KNEW HOW TO PUT YOU ON THAT CROSS, HOW TO PUT THE CROWN ON YOUR HEAD." WHAT WAS HE SAYING?

They don't know what they're really doing. They don't know what they're really doing. So, I want to say this one more time. And I know I'm really passionate tonight and I am on a little bit of Advil. So, take that into consideration. I am. I'm feeling it right now.

I'm buzzed on Advil. But the point is, I love you guys. You're insane. All right. The point That's so weird what I say now in sermons. I'm like, I am so far from where I used to be in my father's church. You could never say you're busted on Advil.

Here's the point. Jesus has finished the work for humanity to be saved and for humanity to have access to the divine. You don't have to earn it, deserve it, or warrant it. Now, what I'm what I am waiting into very briefly, and I'll be done within a minute and 30 seconds, is what we call the gospel or the good news.

I will not go any further. We will not go any in any more depth about dreams and visions until we establish the fact that the dreams and visions God gives is not to get you ahead in life. It's because you've already won in life. I am safe. I am saved.

I am secure. I am seen. I am loved. I am forgiven. I am his. I am chosen. I'm appointed, gifted, called. watched over, protected, kept, guarded, provided for. Am I dumb? Just like a sheep. As dumb as a sheep. But I got the best shepherd in the world.

((applause))
 This is why as we go back in time now, you will discover that these first Christians, they had colluded far less than maybe we have with the culture. Which is to say, these Christians had a little bit different impetus and priority in their daily life. Their goal was not necessarily just to get a bigger paycheck or to get more followers on social media.

They had a grand sense that their stay here on earth was brief and they were going home. My brothers and sisters, for anyone here is a person of faith, I want to say something and I don't say it lightly and I say it carefully and I say it tentatively, but I say it nonetheless.

And here's the statement and that is when you make this place home, you error. Don't make this home. You can call your apartment home. That's fine. But don't believe it. You can call your condo home, but that's not home. That is a poor poor version of your real home.

This place is broken. If you're like me, went to lunch the other day with a friend from Nashville because everyone from LA moved there. Some of you are visiting from Nashville. Welcome. 
[snorts]
 We're still here. We didn't go to Austin or Nashville. We're still here. All right. All right.

LA. How's Austin? Um he said, "How do you do what you do?" Wow. I don't I don't know what you mean. He said, "Look, I mean, we were sitting at a cafe on Sunset. Homeless people within eyesight. How do you do this?" Yeah, it's hard, isn't it? Yeah.

I mean, there's just so much need. There's so How do you Well, it's why I'm here. I said, first of all, it's why I'm here. It's why I moved my city, my my my kids to this city. And I just want to say one more thing to any other Christian, please. and you won't do this because you're here, but I don't need any more Christians to tell me to get out of LA because I'd like to attach to some early ancestors who understood that where the pain is and where the problem is is oftentimes where our our savior asks us to follow him into.

I'm not going anywhere. I want to every afternoon, but I'm not going anywhere. 
[laughter]
 ALL RIGHT, I'M OUT. MY FRIENDS WILL TELL YOU, I'VE called them and said, I'm leaving. I can't. This is too much. SO MUCH PAIN, SO MUCH CALAMITY, SO MUCH INJUSTICE, SO MUCH LOSS, SO MUCH PROBLEM, SO MUCH PAIN.

AND YET WE PERSIST IN BELIEVING THAT OTHER humans who are allegedly MORE ADVANCED, WHO FLY THE COLOR OF BLUE OR RED, will fix us, and this will become the utopia we dream of. It will not. Well, >> this is a real pickme up kind of sermon, Judah. Thanks.

It hasn't, it won't, and it will not unless, and I remind him of this often, unless the king does what only the king can do. Don't make this home. I plead with you, don't make this home. Don't get comfortable here. There will be a day we will find comfort.

For now, we will contend and we will trust. We will cry and then hopefully we'll laugh and then we'll cry again. And then we'll tell everyone we're leaving and then our friends won't let us leave. And then we'll wake up the next morning with more energy and faith to stay here and love our fellow man.

But this is not home. I've seen too much of the city this ain't home. And that's like I want to tell all the people in pain, you're not home. This isn't the end. You're not home. There's a place we're going. And this is more like hell. I'm not Come on, guys.

I I can I can compete with the best of them. You want to talk about positive communicators? You want to talk about pumping you up? I'm good at that. No offense, but I'm good at that. People pay me to come speak to their companies. YOU CAN DO IT.

BELIEVE. COAGULATE. Come together. HERE WE GO. 
[screaming]
 LET'S DESTROY AMAZON. You know, whatever. Build your app. You know, like I'm super down. That's just not this. We're a community of humans here to be reminded that we have a preeminent sovereign being. And knowing HIM IS OF THE HIGHEST OF IMPORTANCE.

AND THEN ASKING HIM WHAT HE wants us to do with the days we have left is a big part of what we're doing here tonight. I'll be the first one to meet with you and help you with your career. You want to sell better coffee? I hope it's really smooth, medium roast.

I'm down. I'll talk to you about your roast. But it's more than that. It's more than that. So when we dream and when we have visions, it's not to get ahead. It's because we're already loved and forgiven and we've won. 
[snorts]
 My dad used to say, not profound, bear, prepare yourself.

No matter what, son, we win. No matter what. Yes, sir. And you know, some days I don't need that statement cuz I look like I'm winning. I'm like, I know we win, Dad. Look at us now. I was with a buddy of mine on a golf club here in LA.

We both grew up in Seattle, broke. And I looked at my friend, I said, "Chris, we come a long way, bro, from Isaqua in Everett." And he's like, "Right, bro. I'm talking about right." We were like, "Hey." You know, and then people are like, "Keep it down. It's a country club.

I'm a c. Listen, there's so much fun. You got new clothes. You got new stuff. It's awesome. But remember, you're not home. Let's travel back in time and let's go to the very first Christians. By by the time we approach the very first Christians, um they are numbering only but a few thousand, but their priority and their focus is so compelling.

So, there's so much I can say about the dream that the first Christians had. So much I could tell you about the political upheaval. so much I could tell you about the political unrest. And if I did, you would go, "Whoa, that sounds pretty familiar." And we think, but like, you know, stuff's been happening to humans for a long time similar to this.

This ain't the first plague. It's not the first pandemic. It's not the first social unrest and political upheaval. I'm not minimizing what we're in. I'm just saying we can look back so we understand how to go forward. ROME WAS THE POWER OF THE WORLD. AND THESE FEW FOLLOWERS, THEY CALLED THEM PEOPLE OF THE WAY.

THEY DIDN'T CALL THEM CHRISTIANS YET. THEY CALLED THEM THE SECT OF THE NAZARENE. How's that for a title? Instead of Christians, let's go by church home. We are a sect of the Nazarene. That probably won't fly these days. ask people the way. Many people in the early stages thought we were unwell, not right, something's off.

There was criticisms in Acts chapter 7, you'll see a criticism that these Christians have come and they have turned the world upside down. And of course what they meant was by Jason's home as they were saying they said listen they have they've ACTUALLY TAKEN THE VALUES AND THE CONSTRUCTS AND THE THE PRIORITIES AND THE PERSPECTIVE AND WHAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT AND THEY'VE KIND OF TURNED IT ON THEIR HEAD.

THEY THEY CARE ABOUT LOVE AND THEY CARE ABOUT CARE AND THEY CARE FOR those that are diseased and THEY CARE FOR THE BLIND AND THE LAME AND THE BEGGAR AND THEY CARE FOR THE LEPER AND THAT THEY'RE NOT THEY'RE NOT NORMAL PEOPLE WHERE THERE IS PROBLEMS AND PLAGUES.

THIS SMALL PEOPLE OF THE WAY THIS IS WHERE THEY GO. MONEY DOES NOT SEEM TO MOTIVATE THESE PEOPLE. PROMINENCE IS NOT THEIR PRIORITY. THEIR MAIN PRIORITY IS TO TELL A STORY THAT THEY BELIEVE IS MORE REAL THAN LIFE ITSELF. THEY SPEAK OF THIS JEWISH MAN WHO WAS PROPHESIED THOUSANDS OF YEARS BEFORE THAT HE WOULD COME TO HIS OWN PEOPLE, THE NATION OF ISRAEL, THAT GOD BUILT SO THAT GOD COULD SHOW HIS PROVISION AND PROMISE AND POWER TO ONE NATION SO ALL NATIONS WOULD SEE THAT THERE'S A GOD ON EARTH and that through THE ISRAELITES AND THE JEWISH PEOPLE THAT ALL OTHER NATIONS WOULD FIND EVEN MOMENTS OF JEALOUSY looking upon the Israelites as IF HOW COULD GOD PROVIDE FOR SUCH a small country?

Still to this day, let me remind you that the promise remains. Israel remains such a small small piece of real estate and yet its history is beyond that which we can understand and its protection supernatural. And now Jesus comes. He declares that he is not just the king of the Jews.

He's the king of the whole world. And all THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN HIM WILL NOT PERISH BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE. AND THESE FEW THOUSAND PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT TO THE CORE OF THEIR BEING. AND IT CHANGED WHERE THEY ATE. IT CHANGED WHO THEY SPENT TIME WITH. IT CHANGED WHAT THEY DREAM ABOUT.

IT CHANGED WHAT THEY TALKED ABOUT. IT CHANGED HOW THEY WENT THROUGH LIFE. Bear with me now. I don't mean to be intense just to be dramatic, but I am hoping to sound spiritual as Steven Ferdick. I love him. Never going to work out like that, but I love him.

And this is the truth. I was thinking today and talking with a friend that disciplehip nowadays and bear with me if you don't know these terms just bear with me and I'm going talk to a few people who understand disciplehip has become an information contest but it never was.

Now it's who knows the most. That's not disciplehip. If your knowing doesn't result in going with Jesus, your knowing is fruitless. It puffs you up in pride and as you grow spiritually obese, you decide to join the fodder and point your finger at others just like everybody else.

And that's why Christians are rude and mean. And I'm over it. I don't want any more mean or rude Christians. That don't make no sense to me. Don't make any sense TO ME. ARE WE NOT NIGHTMARES SAVED BY GRACE? ARE WE NOT BROKEN, FRAGMENTED PEOPLE JUST AS SELF-S SERVING AND SELFISH AS ANYBODY ELSE?

[snorts]
 BUT WE MET A SAVIOR WHO CHANGED EVERYTHING, who gave us a REASON TO LIVE BEYOND OURSELVES, BEYOND THE BOTTOM LINE, THE CHECKS AND BALANCES AND SAVINGS AND RETIREMENT AND OUR 401K. Oh man, I'm 44. NOT LIVING FOR A 401K. And I have one like doing that, you know.

And if you need a 401k, I hope you get one. What is that one? So these early Christians, here was their dream. Their first dream was they dreamed of a better way. They dreamed of a better way of living. They chose pens over swords. love over lording, forgiveness over force.

And they were called weak. They wouldn't fight like other people fought. They wouldn't gossip like other people gossip. Some of the early Christians were said to be weak and soft. THEY FORGAVE TOO EASILY. TODAY'S CULTURE, WE CELEBRATE PEOPLE SAY, "I'LL NEVER FORGIVE THAT PERSON." And everyone goes, "Yeah, they hurt you too bad.

I'll never forgive you." There is supposed to be a sect of the Nazarene that no matter what happens to us, we will forgive. If you haven't watched the documentary Emanuel, Dr. Er Bernard, one of my heroes, a man that I respect very greatly. 2015, there was a grotesque shooting.

I'm not going to get into details, but you need to watch about the Emanuel 9. Something happened that day in the court. That young white boy killed nine black Americans. And they say spontaneously the judge said, "IS THERE ANYONE HERE REPRESENTING THE FAMILIES OF THE VICTIMS WHO'D LIKE TO SPEAK OPENLY TO THAT BOY WHO'S ON CAMERA under arrest and in prison?"

AND ONE BY ONE, THESE FAMILIES GOT UP AND SAID, "WE ALREADY FORGIVE YOU." DR. AR. BERNARD, THE CAMERA PANS TO HIM AND HE SAYS, "YOU GOT TO UNDERSTAND. I I LEFT ISLAM BECAUSE I FINALLY FOUND A SAVIOR WHO HUNG FROM A TREE FOR ME AND MY ancestors hung from trees."

And now my savior HUNG FROM A TREE AND SAID, "FATHER, FORGIVE THEM." ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL FORCES IN THE UNIVERSE IS FORGIVENESS. AND YET WE GOT CHURCHES FULL OF PEOPLE WHO WON'T FORGIVE. WHAT ARE WE DOING? YOU WON'T FORGIVE someone cuz I didn't vote for your party.

COME ON. YOU SAY, "JUDAH, WE'RE THE we're church home. We're with you." Okay, then get this tape to someone. Tape and someone else. 
[gasps]
 Forgiveness over force. The people of the way believed in 
[sighs and gasps]
 freely. I have been forgiven freely. 
[sighs and gasps]
 I forgive you. Are you harboring unforgiveness? Come on. What do you mean?

Come join the way. I dream of a better way. A dream of a better life. A life that forgives. 
[snorts]
 A life that says, "I'm going to be your friend because I want to make you great." I'm so tired with transact transactional friendships. I'm tired, man. How much longer will people of the church befriend people that they think they can get something from?

Do you know Jesus? We going to keep doing this? We going to keep building big churches where we all vote the same, talk the same, don't let anybody in who doesn't. Is that what this is? Are we about this? Are we at this? Are we doing this? Are we going to let this get messy and wild and crazy?

Let him talk. Let them say what they will, BUT I WANT TO BE IN THE DUST of Jesus. You know what I mean by that? In the ancient time when a teacher of the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew scripture, it was said that THEY WOULD TEACH, THE RABBI WOULD TEACH AND IF YOU WERE DOWN WITH THE RABBI, IT MEANT THAT YOU WOULD STAY IN THE DUST OF THE RABBI, WHICH MEANS YOU WOULD BE SO CLOSE WHERE HE WAS WALKING THAT YOU WOULD BE IN HIS DUST CLOUD.

THAT'S THE PICTURE OF CHRISTIANITY. AND I ASSURE YOU BASED ON THE TRAJECTORY AND THE TRAIL THAT JESUS HAS LEFT FROM HIS EARTHLY MINISTRY, HE IS GOING PLACES MANY OF US HAVE WRITTEN OFF. AND JESUS IS THERE. AND I DON'T KNOW WHO I'M TALKING TO THEM. MAYBE I'M TALKING TO MYSELF.

SO LET ME DO that because I DON'T HAVE A 13, 16, AND 18 year old in this building tonight because I WANT THEIR DAD. I WANT THEM TO SEE THEIR DAD PLAY IT SAFE. NO, we're about this. You hear me? We're about humans. We're about people. AND I I DO NOT SWEAR AN allegiance to the red or the blue flag.

I swear allegiance to the king. To the king. And when the blue flag doesn't love people, I love people. When the red flag done, you don't know what the blue and the red is. You just moved here. And I'm not saying green, okay? But green's cool, too. But never really get anybody in the race.

I'm down for the green. But you know what I mean. They dreamed of a better way. You know, the second thing they dreamed about a better empire. Jesus, you better help me because I'm trying to do what you told me to do, but this I love this country.

Y'all better hear me, man. Nothing wrong with being an American. I I I I appreciate this country. I really do. But you think you you you you don't know me if you think I swear my allegiance to this country. I dream of a better empire. I dream of a better country.

I dream of a better place where justice flows like waters in the rivers where the streets are lined with gold. I DREAM A PLACE THAT IS SO RADIANT AND SO BEAUTIFUL AND SO YOU SO PERFECT THAT THE ASPHALT IS MADE OF GOLD BECAUSE THE ONE AT THE CENTER OF IT ALL IS SO PRECIOUS AND SO RARE AND SO VALUABLE THAT GOLD SEEMS LIKE ASPHALT AND PEARLS SEEM LIKE IRON.

WE MAKE GATES out of pearls. The water's so clear it's said to be crystal. There's no tears. There is no crying. There's perfect equity, equality, justice, honor, grace, forgiveness, love, intimacy. It's the better empire. It's the empire my king rules. And I call it home. And I will be there soon.

And I've told you this enough times. Somebody like, if Judah tells us he wants to go to heaven one more time, I got to get a new preacher. 
[sighs and snorts]
 But it's only the truth. God, I miss home. You ever get homesick? This ain't home. I'm so tired. You ever feel like what you're doing is a drop in the bucket?

You ever flown over a desert in a plane like the Sahara? I don't want to brag. I have hours. All you see is sand. Hours. You're just flying it. You like three movies. You're like still in the sand. And sometimes your whole life's work can feel like dropping a bucket of water in the middle of a desert.

God, we're doing our best out of here. I mean, am I the only one that leaves the Savon and drives home and looks around. It's like, God, I appreciate the theater and all, but soon as we leave that theater, people out here dying, man. What's the do friend said the other day, we're going to change the world.

I don't know, man. I don't know, bro. Trying to change my wife. And 23 years later, I still haven't. 
[snorts]
 I'm kidding. But she changed me. Dreamed of a better empire. 
[snorts]
 We'll be perfect there. Lastly, and I'm done. The dream of the first Christians was a better way of living, a better home.

But lastly, if you don't hear nothing, please hear this. They dreamed of a better king. 
[snorts]
 And oh, I love this king. And I want to take the last few minutes I have left to tell you about the king who has stolen my heart. And I promise you, I would be a caddy on the PGA tour if it wasn't for this how wonderful this king is.

I'd be like, I'm out. I'm going to go carry somebody's golf bag and be happy, but I can't help it. Oh, he's kind, but he's not soft. He's so wonderful, but he's so strong. 
[snorts]
 They call him the lion of Judah. Judah was one of the 12 tribes of Israel.

But the tribe of Judah was unique. The name Judah means praise. There's a reason I know that. All right, we got it. The tribe of Judah, OF ALL 12 OF THE TRIBES THAT GOD INSTITUTED in his nation that he invented and created, the tribe of Judah was to be the tribe that would minister to all the other tribes.

They were the worship leaders and the preachers and the leaders. And their job was to serve the other 11 tribes. AND SO THEY CALL HIM THE LION OF Judah because HE IS THE SERVANT OF ALL while also being the king. HE TOLD HIS DISCIPLES IN ONE PAINFUL NIGHT, HE SAID, "IF I DON'T WASH YOUR FEET, YOU WON'T HAVE A PART WITH ME.

YOU HAVE TO LET ME SERVE YOU, NOT JUST lead you." The Christians still struggle with that. For you have a king who wants to serve you. That's how wonderful he is. He wants to wash you. He wants to forgive you. He wants to heal you. He wants to speak with you.

He wants to listen to your complaints. He wants to listen to your grumbling. He just wants to connect. He wants to partner. He's your king. Who is your king? You know why you're so worked up at work? Because your boss is your king. You know why some of you broke up with friends?

Because your friend did you wrong and you see your friends as your king. When I say who's your king, what I mean is who's your source? Who's your source? The job you just lost. Is the job your source? As you're running your mouth about how bad that job is and how bad that person is, you know what you're telling us all?

You're making that person king in your life. Don't give them that power. They're not your king. They're not your king. GOD gave you this life and he's your king. He is your source. HEY. HEY. YOU KNOW THAT JOB YOU JUST WENT OUT FOR? THE PEOPLE making the DECISION SITTING AT THE TABLE?

They're not the king. He's the king. The Bible says this king lifts up one and puts down another. President Biden is not king. He's not king. You know that, right? He's He's a wonderful man. God bless him. I pray for him. I pray for every president we ever had because the scripture says to do it 
[snorts]
 these days.

May God help you. If you're a preacher in any kind of church and you tell somebody you're praying for the wrong kind of president and people leave your church because they think the president is king, vote. But don't vote for the king because kings are not voted on.

He doesn't ask for your vote. He does not need your vote. THEY CALL HIM THE EVERLASTING ONE. PSALMS 46 SAYS, "HE MELTS MOUNTAINS WITH HIS WORDS." ABRAHAM UNDERSTOOD HE WAS THE GOD OF THE STARS AND THE SOLAR SYSTEM. MANY PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT WHEN ABRAHAM IN GENESIS 15 WENT OUTSIDE OF HIS TENT AND GOD SAID COUNT THE STARS THAT EVEN IN THE STARS HE COULD SEE THE STORY OF GOD.

He's a star breather. He's a river maker. He's a mountain melter. He's king. He is the king of all kings. He is the lord of all lords. My king is my source and my king is my hope. And my king is my safety and my king is my security.

And you are not my king. Therefore, I will not treat you like my king. And I will not have to allow you to take space in my heart as if you're king because you're not king. She left. She broke up with you. She's not your king. Some of you can't get over a breakup.

I will cry with you. I will pray with you. But I want to ask you, who's your king? We got it so twisted. I I got so many Christians worked up on who becomes president. Ladies and gentlemen, can we collectively calm down and quit acting like the president of the United States is king of the whole earth?

This is ridiculous. And that's how I feel. And I think you should vote. And I think you should get a 401k. He's my king or king of the ages. I end with this. Music has been quite plain for quite some time. There's this moment in time. 
[snorts]
 Jesus is standing in front of Pilate who is a picture of Caesar.

He's he's says to Jesus and Jesus doesn't look like king. He looks like a defeated fraud. And Jesus is silent in front of Pilate. He's moments from being hung on a cross. Roman crucifixion. One of the most humiliating ways to expire a human ever invented by man. 
[clears throat]
 And Pilate says, "Who are you?

Tell me." And Jesus is silent. And Pilate, pompous Pilate, he says, "Do you know who I am?" And I I don't know for sure. I really don't. But I can imagine Jesus look lifting up his eyes and staring right in Pilate's eyes. And Pilate's thinking, he's got a good stare.

DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM? HE SAYS to Jesus, "I HAVE THE POWER TO EXPIRE YOU OR SAVE YOU." And now the king speaks and he says, "You have no power except which is given to you by my father." And you know what's crazy? Pilot's like, "Yeah, all right.

That was pretty convincing. You ever read you ever read it?" Pilot doesn't argue. He's like, "All right, man. You really believe that? That was real. Okay, I'm done. I'm almost done. Do you know when Caesar went through the streets of Rome, do you know what they said about Caesar?

Do you know about this? They would have um how should I say, they would have like speakers and proclaimers who would walk by the um chair that they would carry Caesar on in the streets. And do you know what they called Caesar? They called Caesar the son of God.

Do you know that? Do you know that the sers when Caesar would go through the streets OF ROME, THEY WOULD SAY, "ONLY CAESAR CAN OPEN THE SCROLL." WHICH IS TO SAY ONLY CAESAR knows the mystery of God. This is right when the CHURCH BEGAN. CAESAR WOULD GO THROUGH THE STREETS AND THEY HAD THE SAYING ABOUT CAESAR.

THERE IS NO OTHER NAME GIVEN AMONG MEN BY WHICH THEY CAN BE SAVED. SAVE CAESAR. THEY SAID CAESAR WOULD BE SEATED AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD. NOW prepare yourself for the courage of your ancestors. You'll be shocked. And this is why many of them were killed. 
[gasps]
 God gives dreams and visions and then we die.

Acts chapter 2, day of Pentecost. Acts chapter 4, people want to know what's up. Peter steps up and starts preaching a sermon. They say it's one of the great sermons in human history. And he starts preaching. And this Jesus that you crucified, God resurrected on the third day.

He appeared to hundreds of people. Some of us are here right now. We'll tell you we saw him. He levitated in the clouds. And then he says, "And this Jesus, listen, listen, listen." Peter says this, "THERE IS NO OTHER NAME, PETER SAYS, given among men by which they can be SAVED EXCEPT THE NAME OF JESUS.

HERESY IN ROME. PETER WENT ON TO DECLARE THAT THERE IS ONLY ONE THAT CAN OPEN THE SCROLLS AND KNOWS THE MYSTERIES OF GOD AND HIS NAME IS JESUS. AND AT THE BEGINNING OF HIS MINISTRY WHEN HE WAS 12 AND LATER HE WENT TO THE TEMPLE, HE OPENED THE SCROLL AND HE read of himself from the prophet Isaiah because there is one king and Caesar is not king.

My brothers and sisters, I'm going to end with this and this is not going to be very popular. If this country has any plans to tell me that the president can save my soul, I will be the first preacher that you can podcast responding to this country to say, "Oh no, it is not."

Thank you, America. But I swear my allegiance to the King of all kings. And so I am here to say that as we look into the future of this church, we will not, please hear me, capitulate to the cultural norms. I dream of a better way. I dream of a better empire.

Some like, Judah, are we starting a new country? No. Relax, Judah. Are we going to like what are we going to do with this information? We're going to choose pins over swords, loving over lording, and forgiveness over force. And we're going to join our ancestors and say there is one king and he is the king that has defeated death, hell, and the grave.

He is the king that hung from from a tree, the tree he made. He's a king who speaks of forgiveness while he dies. He's a king who resurrects on the third day just like he said. And he appears to hundreds of peoples and levitates into the clouds and says, "I will come again."

That is my king. And we'll be home soon. 
[sighs and gasps]
 So, I'm done. I'm done. I'm done. But this is my conclusion. 
[laughter]
 I hate you guys so much, bro. Jesus is king. Jesus is the source. Jesus is the hope. Jesus is the point. Jesus is the focus. Jesus is the lamb led to the slaughter who takes away the sins of the world.

It's him. And I said this so many times, man. If I could promise you the best life, if 
[snorts]
 I could promise you a perfect body, I would do it for myself. If I could promise you the perfect jawline, perfect career, I would do it. Hey, you you do know, right, that the first Christians wasn't their focus.

It's not about the sermon. It's not about the preacher. It's not about the building. It's not about the app. It's not about the website. It's not about the podcast. It's not about the amount of people. It's not it's not let the king be king and LET ALL WHO ARE WILLING TO COME COME TO THE KING AND RECEIVE FROM HIM WHAT YOU NEED IN THIS LIFE.

HE IS JUST AND HE IS perfect and he is wonderful. AND WHEN YOU GAZE ON HIM, THE THINGS OF THIS WORLD GO STRANGELY DIM. AND THE EYES AND THE COUNTENANCE OF HIS WONDERFUL WAYS. THEY SAY HIS EYES BURN WITH FIRE. HIS HAIR IS LIKE WOOL. >> 
[snorts]
 >> Look at him and let your life be shaped by him.

[sighs]
 
[snorts]
 If Jesus is not king, then this is the dumbest thing in the world and I am the most foolish of all the fools. But if he is king, we have discovered the desire of all nations. And it's he is the most sacred, wonderful, holy, fulfilling person in the universe.

And that's what I believe. So I don't have any more time to preach, but I have also have no more time for games. Give me Jesus or take me home because life is too painful without the king. The king's going to watch over you. The king's going to take care of you.

The king is in control of your career. You hear me? The king is in control of your days and your weeks and your months and your body and your brain and your soul.