When Favor Finds You | Judah Smith

The other day I was preparing a sermon like this and I went on chat gpt. I've literally had people email me that it's chat gpt and not chat gt. And to be honest, you need to get a life. [laughter] Do you know what I mean? It's a weird thing for you to take time to email me on that.

But that's all right. I forgive you and you know who you are. Email me about chat GBD. GBT runs smoother on the mouth. Chat GPT. I got it. All right. Have a little bit of grace. Okay. But I'm on chat GPT. Have you been studying your Bible? Have you ever studied the Bible?

Chat GPT is unbelievable. You can type in anything about the Bible and you get an answer in seconds. Now, this is all new to me. I've been preaching for like 30 years, guys. At my first revival meetings, I was 16 years old in Canada, speaking seven nights in a row.

I've been I'm 47. I've been preaching since I was 16. Do you know the years I spent where you had to go to things like a library and you had to get like a Strongs concordance and almanacs and encyclopedias just to get like the geography of ancient biblical history and times and now I can just say whatever I want to chat GPT and it will tell me anything preparing the sermon has been amazing recently and then here came anxiety.

This is a real story. I'm I'm I'm enjoying the luxury of chat GPT. I'm telling myself I could preach more sermons. I could write more sermons. I could write more books and do more book signings. This is amazing. This is I get content like this. And then and then and then it dawned on me.

Well, wait a minute. You guys have chat GPT as well. And then I was like, well, wait a second. They have chat GPT while I'm preaching. Now they're gonna start factchecking me while I'm preaching. And you know, back when I started preaching, you could tell people a Bible word meant this, and they were never going to know the difference cuz they couldn't look it up.

They'd be like, "I don't really speak English, let alone Hebrew, Greek, or Aramaic, so I'm going to take your word for it, slugger." You know, now you can pull out your phone and be like, "That's not real." Yeah, it's not real. AND I STARTED TO GET ANXIETY. I STARTED TO GET ANXIOUS.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT word means to you, but for me it means increased heart rate. It means sweaty palms. It means suddenly I feel unsettled. Suddenly I feel insecure. Suddenly I feel I know it's weird exposed. I feel like somehow someway what's coming in the future isn't going to be good.

Suddenly I start to project that maybe later this day things will get worse. Maybe my life isn't that great. SO WHEN I SAY ANXIETY, I DON'T MEAN LIKE I just kind of get worried, kind of get troubled. I mean like it gets real in my mind, in my heart, in my body.

I start to feel, and here's the emotion, pending doom. like something bad is about to go down on me, in me, around me, and because of me, and there is literally nothing I can do about it. Now, if there is any of that that you resonate, this is not the time to resonate with the message, but if any of that kind of translates to your life, congratulations.

You live in what we like to call the real world. Now, if there's anyone here tonight at the Savon Theater that's like none of that actually relates to me, you are the second coming of Jesus Christ and we'd like to worship you later to the music of Israel H.

Hotton. But for the rest of us, welcome to 2025. It is the craziest THING. I GOT A DOG TO LESSEN MY ANXIETY. IT'S INCREASED. I WATCH BASEBALL TO FALL ASLEEP, but anxiety is increased. Even the things I use to escape and find reprieve. Studying the Bible used to be the safest place for me to go.

I would get alone. I would put my headphones in. I would start to listen to music. And it was amazing. It was the safe little bubble I go. And now I use mechanisms mechanisms that I worry because you have the same access that you'll critique me more and send me more emails about chat GBT.

Anxiety is wild, isn't it? If we're honest, it's everywhere we go. So, I want to ask you a question because here's the question I ask myself. What's my plan for anxiety? I don't know. We live in a culture where everything needs to have a plan. What's your plan?

And so, I'm being cheeky and I'm being a little silly. Bear with me, okay? Stick it out with me. What's your plan? Like, for instance, I got friends. You got friends. We got friends. And the easiest thing in the world, by the way, like if you want to preach a message that relates to anybody in 2025, just get up and use the a word, anxiety, and everyone's going to be like, "Yeah, I hear you."

Because they say it's increased at a very rapid rate. All the science and research will tell you, and you can go on your device and it will tell you that we have an increase of pending doom. We have an increase of heart rate. We have an increase of sweaty palms.

We have an increase of out of control. We have an increase of a feeling that something bad's about to happen. an increase that maybe someone in our family is not good, an increase that things are off and wonky, the increase of insecurity, the incre increase of lack of self-confidence and identity and the the increase of these things.

And they equate it to things like the rapid rate and growth of information and how fast it travels. They tell us, of course, it's affecting our brain, it's affecting our body, it's affecting our nervous system. there. The growing popularization of technology that helps you deal with technology is all too ironic, isn't it?

We're creating things all the time that's like, you know, just, you know, go into child's pose, which I do a lot, you know, breathe, you know, do breath work. All these things are very new. We are living in a very new age and the pervasive nature of anxiety by definition is unprecedented.

So, if you're here, first of all, and you have been fighting a level of anxiety in on any on any scale, please do not be hard on yourself. And if I could say it in a real sadistic way, I would say, "Welcome to the party. This is life in 2025.

It's everywhere. I mean, I drive down the street and I feel FOMO because there's so many ads for so many shows. I'm like, how did I not know he was in that and she was in that and this is going on?" You drive down sunset and you're like, "This is just too much.

I'm overstimulated. Where do I go to rest? How do I get reprieve? How do I slow down my heart rate?" Now, perhaps hopefully in some small way, you come to the Sabom Theater to experience some of that. And if that is the only reason we get together, it would be worthwhile.

Maybe your anxiety has increased the more I'm talking about it. Maybe the more I'm dissecting it and defining it and clarifying it, you're like, Judah, this is not productive at all. In fact, ironically, this is increasing my anxiety. Fair, fair, fair. It's going to get better. But what's your plan?

Is that fair to say? What's your plan? What's your plan? Now, I'm not going to call it your anxiety. I don't think we should own I don't we I hear people say my anxiety. Don't make it yours. Make it a visitor, not somebody that you live with. You know that anxiety.

Call it anxiety, but don't call it your anxiety. Don't own that thing. Now, you might not like you said, Jud, that's splitting hairs. Yeah, but language matters, and it's powerful, and we believe it in our brain. So, I've never called anxiety my anxiety. Now, it might feel like mine, but I'm not going to own it, right?

So, let's talk about the anxiety that affects us. What is your plan? What's your plan? I'd say maybe read books that we have for you. Do a guided prayer, but what's your plan tonight? very clearly. I would like to show you God's plan. I would like to show you that baked into the very beginning of the story of God, there has already been in works for thousands of years, a process, a progression that you can experience that will minimize and at the very least put anxiety at bay.

Now, let's stop here for a moment and let's talk about attractiveness. Let's talk about what makes people attractive. Let's talk about the people you're attracted to. Let's talk about the people you find sexy. Let's talk about the people that you're like you're like, "Dude, I that person is wow."

Now, now, now already you're starting to think about certain people that you kind of admire. How many of those people that you just thought of seem rushed and hurried and busy and stressed and not able to be present? You'll discover if you're honest with yourself, the people you admire the most always have like a Mr.

Miyagi vibe. They just when you get around them, they're there's a confident ease that you're like, "Okay, dang. Look at you. You know, people that are slow to speak and quick to listen. I know we talk about this a lot, but we need to talk about it more.

It's ironic that oftent times we very rarely become the people that we find attractive because we're so busy getting there. Let me say it like this. I have found that I'm getting more anxious trying to fix my anxiousness. I have found that I have spent a vast majority of my adult life trying to become like the people I admire.

And while I'm becoming them, I'm nothing like them because I'm so worked up trying to become them. And so in my way to become in route to becoming Mr. Miyagi. I am stressed out, anxious, fearful, worried, insecure, and it's hard for me to keep eye contact because I'm constantly scanning the room to see if there's a better conversation I could have.

Wait a minute. Did you just say LA? If you know, you know. Go to go go go to coffee with somebody in LA. And when they're looking like this, that just means they're making sure there's not anybody cooler in a cafe they could talk to other than you.

Never, not one time have I run into somebody, a fellow human being that's like, "Bro, I just so admire these anxious, jittery, worked up, insecure, bizarre, no eye contact, never listen, and can't hold a conversation. THOSE ARE MY PEOPLE." [screaming] SO WHY OR HOW DO WE BECOME THOSE PEOPLE?

SO, here's the irony. WE START TALKING ABOUT ANXIETY, your anxiety goes up, and then somebody like me TELLS YOU, "TONIGHT, WE'RE GOING TO GET A PLAN FOR YOUR ANXIETY." AND NOW YOU'RE ANXIOUS, THINKING ABOUT WHETHER OR [screaming] NOT YOU CAN FULFILL THE PLAN TO OVERCOME YOUR ANXIETY. YOU KNOW WHAT THEY CALL THAT?

STUCK. In case you wonder, that's the definition. What are you? I'm anxious, but I don't want to be, but I'm working on it. And I'm going to stop being anxious. What's your plan? Tell me a plan. I don't know if I can do the plan, but I want the plan.

So, tell me the plan. Wait, what? Okay. What's What? Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Stop. Slow down. What's number two? What's number two? What's number two? Okay. Okay. Slow down and listen. Okay. Wait. What was that? Say it again. Say it again. Say it again. Slow down and listen.

So, we're in a weird spot, aren't we? We don't think about it a lot, but the whole topic of anxiety in of itself can reveal a profound stuckness in our soul. In fact, some of you are so exhausted and fatigued by your own sense of pending doom, you would wish moments like these were about a different topic because this one specifically just causes a lot of unsettledness.

So, I'm so happy that we're having this moment together because what I'd like to share with you now is not my plan or a plan. I'd like to share with you God's plan that was put in motion thousands of years ago. And one of the ways I know it's divine is because it's ageless and it still works.

I there are so many trinkets and toys and toys that people institute today that are just they only work in the modern age. Give me something timeless and true and transcendent that can help me forever. And so if you don't mind, I would like to help disseminate and help you and I to decipher what is the ancient ageless plan of God to minimize the anxiety that IS RIDDLING ALL [screaming] OF US.

Which brings us to the beginning of the story. The beginning of the story of God. Not the middle part, the very beginning. Within the first few chapters of the book, you will find a significant rise of anxiety, a significant rise. So much so, in a moment, I'm going to read you two verses from what we now call Genesis chapter 6.

It should be noted when the Torah was originally written, when the New Testament was originally written, there were no chapters and verses. The whole thing was to be read almost like a romance, like a novel. So just remember that a very modern um contraption that we've put to it for our own study and access is this chapter and verse.

But originally the whole book was just to be read as the body of work. And so sometimes by breaking it apart in chapters and verses, we miscontext and we quite misappropriate what's intended in the story. So when I say Genesis 6, you'll be like, well that's not the beginning because it's not chapter 1 and two.

It's it's the beginning. And what has happened is Adam and Eve now have been kicked out of the garden and there has been a popular there has been a population of humanity and humanity has grown and something very strange uh comes up in the story in Genesis chapter 6.

Bear with me. It is bizarre but it says God is grieved. This is 6,000 years ago. Some are like, "Well, I just think it's metaphor." That's fine. Here's what's not metaphor. Jesus. And that's important. So, let's go back to again to what is probably 6,000 years ago. Genesis 6 says, "God, the creator of heaven and earth, looks down at mankind and he says, "I'm grieved."

In fact, quite literally, the emotion that God emits in the text in the Hebrew means that he felt he felt sorry, grieved and pained that his creation had got to this state. If you know the text, if you know the language, it literally means God expresses human beings have so become selfish.

It is evil upon evil upon evil.

Translation: Stress. Stress. Stress. Selfish. Selfish. Selfish. Divided. Divided. Divided. Self-absorbed. Self-absorbed. Self-absorbed. Grieved. You want to talk about anxiety. There was killings. We can assume on the language that there are ra rapid violence. Rampid violence for instance. And God is grieved. Now, this may not resonate with you, but bear with me because I need to say something right here.

Translation: Preachers like me will tell you things like this about God. They will tell you that God is grieved by the activity of humanity in 2025. And I want to say something about this because I'm 47 and these are the things I care about at my age. When I hear preachers say they're grieved and God is going to judge the earth tonight, you're going to learn what God does when he's grieved.

Translation: And you're going to learn that when God is grieved in 2025, he will not judge the earth and that's why he made the rainbow to promise you he would never do it again. So when you hear preachers say that God is grieved with the world and he's going to judge it, you need to understand God has judged.

Translation: He has already dropped the anvil. He has already judged and 100% expressed his judgment through the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. And the wrath of God has been completely absorbed in Jesus. And so the rainbow today still tells us that even though God is grieved with how anxious and selfish and self-absorbed and divided we are, HE WILL NOT JUDGE us like the preachers tell you.

Translation: That's not a good understanding of the text. I'll prove it to you. Cuz some of you still believe some of them preachers who tell you God is going to come down and he's going to and they tell you that fires and earthquakes and things, this is all God.

Translation: So, I'd like to talk to that. This what happens when you're 47. You want to start talking about this kind of stuff. It's crazy cuz you get annoyed by other preachers cuz I did it, too. And I know what it is to tell people when God's grieved, he judges.

Translation: Oh, yes, he does judge. And so he is 100% judged humanity in the person of Jesus so that all that is left for humanity is forgiveness and acceptance and love. Because here in Genesis 6, God is grieved. And so he says, "I'm going to flood the whole earth."

Translation: Now, we could spend time on how much that bothers you that God would flood the whole earth, but I want to remind you he is the creator. It is his creation and it was made for him, unto him, and by him. And so he said, "I'm going to start over."

Translation: This is a sad moment in this story. You start to go, "Well, dang. Geez, God, you're just going to start over?" And then we get a crack in the door. We get a glimmer of hope and light in the story because Genesis 6:8, for the very first time, this idea shows up in the story of God.

Translation: And it's called grace. And Genesis 6:8 says, and I quote, "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." Or in the New Living Translation, "But Noah found favor with the Lord." That word favor is the Hebrew word shen. It's pronounced more appropriately in other ways, but because of my English background and my language, I pronounce it shen. but it's more accurately pronounced with much more of a throaty way.

Translation: But I'll just call it Shen because if I attempt to try to do it in proper Hebrew, you'll think it's got a little weird in here. So, I'm going to go with Shen. Shen is a pervasive paramount theme in the story of God. It is the favor and grace of God.

Translation: It's going to be very critical to where we need to go for the next three hours. Three hours. I'm kidding. Relax. Favor with the Lord. Now, look at the next verse. Verse 9. And so then it says, "This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time.

Translation: And he walked in close fellowship with God." Let me just give you the story real quick. If you know the story, the flood will come. The rain will start. But not after anywhere from 50 to 100 years. This man Noah, who is peculiar amongst all people on the planet, Noah will get the most bizarre assignment from God that God's probably ever given any human being in human history.

Translation: He's going to tell him to build a boat. Now, you might say boat makes a lot of sense. But if you're in the middle of dry land and God tells you to build you a God tells you to build a boat, you ask God why? What do you mean?

Translation: And then when God says he's going to send rain, you respond with something like, "What is rain?" Because rain had never existed before. So Noah says, "Rain, Ron, run, rain, what was that again? Rain. What's rain?" And God would say to Noah, "IT'S WATER FROM THE SKY." AND Noah would chuckle.

Translation: [laughter] bring water from God. Are you Yeah. Oh. Oh, my bad. You're serious? Yeah. I'm going to bring water from the sky. So, you want me to build a boat? It's going to be a big one. Noah, how big? Uh, 30 cubits wide, 50 cubits high, 300 cubits long.

Translation: Now if you know what numbers mean in the Bible, 300 is total victory. 30 is the number of maturity and 50 is the number of Pentecost or Jubilee. Those are significant numbers because the ark is a picture of Jesus. That's all. Jesus is the savior of the world.

Translation: So Noah builds a boat that in the time made no sense. If you can imagine for 50 to 100 years, friends, he is the laughingtock of the whole world as he builds A 100,000 square foot boat in THE MIDDLE OF THE DESERT WITH THREE LEVELS ON IT. TOP, MIDDLE, BOTTOM.

Translation: JUDAH, WE GOT IT. YOU DON'T HAVE TO SAY THAT. OKAY. IT'S A HUGE BOAT. AND THE STORY HE IS TO TELL HIS FRIENDS IN THE [screaming] VILLAGE IS THAT I'M BUILDING THIS BECAUSE WATER'S GOING TO COME FROM THE SKY. SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE it took NOAH 120 YEARS TO BUILD THIS 100,000 ft gopherwood vessel.

Translation: Now keep in mind Noah would live to 600 years. So everybody relax, okay? You'd be, if you were 150, you were like a teenager. A little bit different. Okay. You imagine Noah talking. I always, this is the weirdest stuff I think of. I'm like, I could hear Noah talking to his boys like, "Oh, oh, you're 120 and you think you know what you talking about?

Translation: Wait till you get into the 450s. You don't even know what you're talking about." Like, it was to be the same thing. Like, oh, you're 13. Wait till you get 40. Like, it was a totally same same thing, right? So his young sons, Shem, Hem, [snorts] Jeffa, I forget the names of the sons, but the point is they were building a boat for a hundred years and if you know the story, the flood comes and the whole earth is flooded and everyone is gone except Noah and his family.

Translation: The boat over some 40 days and 40 nights will land on a mountain now named Mount Ariat or Ariat. That mountain means the curse is reversed. That's what the name means. By the way, you can go on chat GPT. There are records. They believe they've discovered the ark.

Translation: In case you're wondering, okay, I know you're going to do this, Judah. I'm not going to Google. I'm on a date. All right. All right. All right. But, by the way, side note, I didn't they God brought two of every animal and insect and bug onto the boat.

Translation: The boat lands on a mountain. The waters recede and a rainbow is over the ark. That rainbow that still exists today was a sign and a signal from God that he would never do that again. He would never do that again. So please be careful when you listen to people that say God is grieved with the calamity and anxiety of our society and he's going to judge.

Translation: The the rainbow should tell you different. God has promised he would never do it again and his saving grace is seen. The ark is a type of Jesus and Jesus has come and has saved the world. Now, now that we know the story some 6,000 years ago, I want to make some observations that quite simply will demonstrate to you the progression of grace that can keep anxiety at bay in your life.

Translation: Now, what I'm about to share with you is why I'm still doing this. What I'm about to share with you is why I think I'm still married. What I'm about to share with you is why I think I'm not the man I used to be. What I'm going to share with you is why I think I'm still standing.

Translation: It is God's plan for that sense of terror and pending doom. I believe as early as this evening, if you can begin to accept and absorb what I'm about to describe, it can literally change the trajectory of your days and your life. So, let's go to the text just for a moment.

Translation: Listen what it says. Three observations and I'm done. It says Noah found favor in God's eyes. Now, if you understand how favor and the nature of favor and the original language, what this literally, this sentence really is is that favor found Noah. Now, I want to make this very clear.

Translation: When it comes to grace, you cannot find it. It has to find you. What is grace? Grace is the shen of God. It is the favor of God. It is the approval of God. It is the love of God. It is the nearness of God. It is the choosing of God.

Translation: It is the It's God saying, "I like you and I love you." Now, here's what's important. You cannot find that. Now, why is that important? Because immediately in the text, we are told the orientation of how the favor of God works. You cannot earn it, deserve it, find it, apprehend it.

Translation: It must come to you. Now, why is that important? Because I think the reason you're at the Sabon Theater tonight for whatever reason you came is because God is seeking you. Right. >> When the Bible begins, there is something that is so bedrock and so fundamental and so foundational to my faith that I'm going to try to underscore it tonight so that you absorb it and accept it and it will change your performanceoriented relationship with God.

Translation: GOD IS THE ONE BEING in the universe THAT IS NOT LIKE US. YOU WALK UP TONIGHT AT THAT BOOK SIGN AND YOU SLAP ME IN THE FACE, I PROBABLY WON'T TAKE A picture with you. Cuz you and me, WE HUMANS. YOU SLAP ME, I MIGHT I MIGHT SLAP YOU BACK.

Translation: GOD IS NOT LIKE US. THE SCRIPTURE SAYS HIS WAYS HIGHER THAN OURS. HIS THOUGHTS BEYOND OURS. HE'S NOT LIKE US. HIS ORIENTATION, HIS SYSTEM, HOW HE FUNCTIONS, MOVES, AND ORIENTS IS FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT. >> FOR WITH GOD, HE IS GRACIOUS. HE IS LONGSUFFERING. HE REMEMBERS THAT YOU'RE DUST. HE REMEMBERS.

Translation: AND SO WHEN WE SLAP GOD OR SPIT ON GOD, GOD DOES NOT NEED to react. >> He only responds. and it's always consistent with his character and it has nothing to do with your character. Now, if your character affects my character, my character is going to act out on your character.

Translation: I felt like having some encounters with some characters outside this building when the when the night began because that's I'm affected by your performance. God is not affected. I know it says God was grieved, but God has satisfied his grief in the person and body of Jesus. So now this entire orientation with God has little to nothing to do with your performance.

Translation: And I can prove that to you because in the garden when Adam and Eve first sin, as we call it, who is looking for who? God is looking for Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve don't even know how to get a hold of God. I want to say something about your existence whether you are aware of it or not.

Translation: That's a whole another dialogue and discussion and a whole another diet tribe and a whole another vein and a whole another alley and a whole another path and a whole another message and a whole another sermon that we could go down and that is you know how does what do I do and and I'm seeking God and how do I seek God and what are these scriptures about seek God and how do I do but listen God is seeking you.

Translation: God is seeking you. God has found found you. God is after you. God has located you. God has chosen you. God loves you. And that changes everything. Everything. Everything. Favor found Noah. It has to find you. God's love has to find you. You can't find God's love. You guys already know.

Translation: I've done this so many times. I've said it so many times. But you can't even find the two coffee beans left in LA without GPS. There's only two, you know. But like you can't find your favorite cafe without your smartphone. Oh, but you can find God's love. It has to find you.

Translation: And that's how this whole story began. God's love finds you. Now, when you see Noah and your heart grieavves over all the people that are lost, I want to remind you that your story is Noah's story. And that's why the story exists. That the same grace that Noah found has now found you because of the work of Jesus.

Translation: And Noah is now your story. God is saving you. God is loving you. God is rescuing you. God has chosen you. God has something for you to build. God has something for you to do. But God wants most with you is connection. >> God thinks your career is so adorable and he's so proud of you and he thinks you're so sweet.

Translation: But I promise you, your connection with God has little to nothing to do with your career. I know. I know it's devastating. I know. I know. Because you think God is the vehicle by which you can fulfill your career. And he is. He's everything everywhere all the time.

Translation: And he's all those things. But your career amounts to the same like drawings that my kids would do when they were three, four, five years old at church and they'd come back from Sunday school and they say, "Dad, look, I drew I I drew the empty tomb." And the empty tomb looked like looked like didn't look like an empty tomb, you know, and I would turn it and Oh, what's this, buddy?

Translation: It's the empty tomb. Resurrection, Dad. It's Easter. Oh, buddy. Where's Jesus? He's not in there. It's empty. He's He's in heaven. Oh, where? That's Is that him in the clouds? Oh, that looks like a kitty cat having a fight with a hockey stick, buddy. That's so cute. What is that?

Translation: IT'S MY DRAWING, DAD. GOD, IT'S MY CAREER. I'm going TO BE A BIG DEAL FOR YOU. And God's in heaven going, "Oh, that's [crying] so good. I'm so proud of you." There's no loss of love, but in the grand scheme of things, he just loves you. >> Now, God, God, I'm here tonight, and I just want you to know that I'll dedicate uh my next show to you.

Translation: If I can get this role, I'll give this show to you. I'll act for you. And I think we [clears throat] think God is in heaven going, [laughter] "Your new series on CW will be for me." WOW. GUYS, GET OVER HERE. [screaming] MICHAEL, HE'S AN ARCHANGEL. BRING ALL THE ANGELS. IT'S A NEW CW SHOW.

Translation: It's going to be for us. God, if you'll let me score touchdowns, every touchdown I score and I'll be a three. God's in heaven going, "You're not going to believe this. He's a quarterback. Get over here right now. Right now. Right now." HE'S GOING TO BE [screaming] KILLING ME ONE.

Translation: AND EVERY TOUCHDOWN, I think it's awesome. I'M NOT SAYING IT'S NOT AWESOME, but guys, do you think the most powerful person in the universe is like Now we're talking. What happened? God, get over here. They won a trophy tonight. It's uh Grammys or something. And uh she just thanked me front of the whole Kodak.

Translation: We did it. Right? Like it's cute. Honestly, I think you should thank God. It's awesome. Like I think God's like, "That's so that's so cute, bro." But we we just keep thinking like, "I'm going to seek God and I'm going to and when I find him, I'm going to be like, "Okay, will you help me be who I need to be?

Translation: Will you help me? Cuz cuz and just so you know, like if you're God, um he just wants you He thinks it's all adorable. Like he's super proud of you. Don't get me wrong. I Please don't I'm not trying to minimize what you do. I'm trying to maximize who God is and how much he loves you.

Translation: And that's THE ESSENCE OF LIFE. SO, ONE SCRIPTURE SAYS, "WHATEVER YOUR HAND BINDS TO DO, DO THAT WITH A BUNCH OF PASSION AND JUST HAVE A GOOD TIME." BUT OF COURSE, IT'S NOT really about that. God, if you'll anoint my hand, I will be the next Steph Curry.

Translation: And God's like, "Okay, that would be amazing." And God loves Steph, you know, and you're never going to shoot like Steph, but it's a cool prayer, you know, like, you know, Steph is not from this planet, you know, like but like like but it's it's never been about that with God.

Translation: It's always been about his God. God God found you. Noah thought it was about a boat. Oh, Noah, it's not about a boat. It's about Jesus. Your boat's just a picture of Jesus. Your boat's measurements are the perfect measure. Your boat has three stories, father, son, and spirit.

Translation: Your boat has a door on the side, and they would pierce Jesus on his side, and blood and water would flow, which would bring new life just like the the the family coming out of the side of the boat. It's all a picture of Jesus. Noah, you think it's about your career.

Translation: It's all about Jes found Noah. So, that means Noah Noah wasn't See, this is what people will tell you. They'll tell you, "Well, Noah was a good guy. That's why God chose him." But verse 8 is before verse 9, so that can't be true. Which came first, favor finding Noah or Noah being a good guy?

Translation: Because look, verse eight says Noah found favor. And then verse 9 says, look what it says. This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man. Well, I bet he was. He was the only guy that got grace. I don't give him a lot of credit, frankly.

Translation: I really don't I don't know how it happened, but I think null was walking down the street one day and he was like, [screaming] you know, it's like I DON'T KNOW, FAVOR HIM. IT DIDN'T FIND ANYBODY [screaming] ELSE. >> AND WE WANT TO TELL PEOPLE THAT NOAH'S AN AMAZING GUY.

Translation: [screaming] I DON'T KNOW. I THINK IF IT FINDS ME, I MIGHT BE ABLE TO DO SOME GREAT STUFF, TOO. NOAH WAS A RIGHTEOUS MAN, THE ONLY BLAMELESS [screaming] PERSON LIVING ON EARTH. AND HE WALKED, THIS IS MY FAVORITE PART, AND HE WALKED IN CLOSE FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD. DO [screaming] YOU KNOW WHY?

Translation: BECAUSE GOD CAME CLOSE. NOT BECAUSE NOAH WAS LIKE, "HEY, I think I'm next. I've been waiting here, sir. Are you God?" Yeah. Been here for weeks waiting. It's a privilege. How much time do I have? You have 30 minutes. 30-minut appointment. Okay, great. Couple things I'd like to tell you.

Translation: I've been living blameless for you. And uh how do I say I'd like to stay close to you? And God's like, "Really? You're my God." It didn't happen like that. Noah was just as selfish as everybody else. And God was like, "That's my guy. I like him." And Noah was like, "Oh, I like you, too, bro.

Translation: Cuz I like this is amazing. You chose me. You love me." And so Noah walked close with God. Don't get it twisted, guys. I think Noah's in heaven while preachers like me are saying, "Be like Noah." I know was like, "Don't be like me. I was a nightmare, but God just chose me."

Translation: And then I got I started doing stuff I wouldn't otherwise do. I wanted to kill people, too. But God got close and he helped me forgive and love people and be nice to people. I was building a boat and people were mocking me and all I wanted to do was get my nail gun out and start shooting them.

Translation: But God gave me a soft heart and he helped me hold my tongue and I didn't say mean things when they said mean things to me. But I wanted to say mean things. And I was thinking mean things. But God helped me not be mean because he kept forgiving me and loving me and he stayed close and everywhere I turned it was God.

Translation: It was God. It was God. Forgiveness, grace, mercy, love. So, you know, I just kept my mouth shut, kept building the boat. Noah's amazing. Well, then so are you. If that's the definition we give and I am telling you, according to what Jesus has now done, God is no longer far from anyone.

Translation: Noah is now your story. Am I making sense? >> Now, here's the part I have been waiting to tell you. And somebody can come on the piano because I'm going to come to a close and then Israel Hot. Hotton from New York City is going to play. And um I never seen this before.

Translation: What I'm about to share with you, I have been doing this for 30 years and I've never seen this before. And it has it's literally changed my life the last two weeks. When it says Noah found favor, more literally, the original language means favor found Noah. Do you know the word shen there or favor and the word Noah there are perfect, hear me out, perfect linguistic mirrors of each other.

Translation: Now hold on, hold on, hold on. I'm going to try to get give you the weightiness of this moment. So in the interpretation of the most sacred book ever invented and existed, okay? By the way, there is no other book like the Bible book. There's no other book in human history like this book.

Translation: It is transcendent in nature. Its preservation alone is supernatural in it's a phenomenon. And you can do the research. You can go to chat GPT. It will tell you there's nothing like this book. So you mean to tell me the very first time we see the most paramount concept in the book that when it appears for the very first time, it appears next to a person whose name is that exact word in reverse. which is to say favor is Noah backwards or Noah is favor backwards.

Translation: So the very first time grace is introduced in the greatest story of all time, it is introduced with a perfect mirror of itself. So when it says Noah, when you see Noah and favor, you need to know that is a perfect linguistic mirror. And I promise you that's not an accident.

Translation: In the inspiration of this supernatural phenomenon known as the Bible, ladened within it is mathematical phenomenons and linguistic phenomenons. And without knowing it, I ran into one two weeks ago because of chat GPT. I did I said what a mirror Noah backwards is grace. GRACE BACKWARDS IS NOAH.

Translation: So I started thinking what MAYBE YOU'RE ALREADY THINKING THAT PERHAPS BY THE WAY THERE IS A THING CALLED THE first mention principle in the study of scripture in the interpretation of scripture there is an art called hermeneutics. One of the most prevailing laws in hermeneutics is a thing called the first mention principle WHICH IS TO SAY THE VERY FIRST TIME SOMETHING IS MENTIONED IT WILL SET PRECEDENT FOR ITS IDEA.

Translation: IN OTHER WORDS, IT WILL BEGIN TO TELL YOU HOW THIS IDEA IS GOING TO WORK GOING FORWARD THROUGH THE REST of the story. Are you tracking WITH ME? SO THE FIRST TIME GRACE APPEARS IN THE STORY, IT IS INTENDED BY THE AUTHOR GOD THAT YOU START TO ABSORB HOW GRACE IS GOING TO WORK IN THE REST OF THE STORY.

Translation: YOU STILL WITH ME? >> SO WHEN GRACE SHOWS UP, PLEASE HEAR ME. IT IS NOT AN AMOEBA. IT IS NOT A MIST. IT IS NOT A FOG. IT IS A GRACE AND FAVOR THAT GOD PUTS ON PEOPLE. SO THERE'S IT ALWAYS IS FOR PEOPLE. GRACE IS FOR THE PEOPLE.

Translation: GRACE IS NOT FOR A BUILDING. GRACE IS NOT FOR A BRAND. GRACE IS NOT FOR EVEN ART ITSELF. GRACE IS FOR PEOPLE. PLEASE HEAR ME. IT'S FOR PEOPLE. IT'S ALL FOR HIS CHILDREN. >> GRACE IS NEVER JUST FLOATING FOR YOU. IT'S NOT EVEN FOR THE ANIMALS AS MUCH AS IT'S FOR HIS CHILDREN.

Translation: SO GRACE IS ALWAYS ABOUT [screaming] YOU. IT'S ALWAYS ABOUT PEOPLE. BUT YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THE FIRST TIME [screaming] IT APPEARS, IT APPEARS WITH A PERFECT MIRROR. And so I ask myself as I'm trying to contain myself, what does Noah mean? You know what the name Noah means? Rest. >> Uhoh.

Translation: We just had a head-on collision with God's plan for your anxiety. >> The pursuit of God pursuing you. He comes not to play games with you or even to popularize your career. He comes to demonstrate that he made you. He loves you. He chose you. And he's going to be close to you.

Translation: And the mirror effect of God's grace and favor working in your life is this tangible manifestation called rest. So Jesus shows up thousands of years later, the full manifestation of God. He knows no sin so he can become our sin. Jesus is the fulfillment of the rainbow. Jesus is the fulfillment of the boat.

Translation: Jesus is the only one that can make us all Noah. And Jesus says this, and I quote, Matthew 11. We can put it on the screen so you know I'm not making it up. And Jesus says, "Come all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens and I will give you what?" >> I WILL GIVE YOU REST.

Translation: It happens again. Next verse. TAKE MY YOKE. That means his teaching. That means how he interprets the Bible. BY THE WAY, HE IS THE INTERPRETATION of all scripture. >> It is all unto him. It is all FOR HIM. IT IS ALL BY HIM. IT ALL CULMINATES IN HIM.

Translation: HE SAYS, "TAKE MY TEACHING UPON YOU. LET ME TEACH YOU." FOR THE BIBLE SAYS, "THE SPIRIT OF JESUS WILL BE WITH YOU RE YOU when you read the Bible, AND HE WILL REMIND YOU [screaming] OF ALL OF THE THINGS THAT JESUS HAS TAUGHT AND ALL THE MIRACLES JESUS has done.

Translation: I am humble, gentle at heart, and I and I and you and you and you will find twice. That's called a double emphasis. He said it twice in case you missed it. But this time he delineates very clearly. I my ministry Jesus help me. My ministry is to bring you rest in your soul.

Translation: And we have deduced Christianity, God help me, to moralism and to how we vote in 2025. America is 200 years old. Can everyone sober up, please? Do you think this sacred, ancient, transcendent story of God is only connected to one country's history? You limit THE GRACE OF GOD TO MODERN human history.

Translation: YOU THINK HIS STORY IS COLORED BLUE or red? IT'S NOT EVEN IN THE SAME WAY YOUR TOUCHDOWNS ARE CUTE, YOUR VOTES ARE CUTE. COUNTRIES COME AND THEY GO, FRIENDS. >> Do you know that? They're invented. THEY'RE INVENTED. I LOVE THIS COUNTRY. MAKE NO MISTAKE ABOUT IT. I HAVE NO PROBLEM DOING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM, BUT MY ALLEGIANCE, LET ME BE CLEAR, IS WITH THE ONE KING OF THE AGES, THE ONE PRESIDENT OF ALL PRESIDENTS.

Translation: ((applause)) And if you don't mind me being cheeky, he has my vote. >> I'm with him. >> And even when he contradicts the blue or the red, I'm with him. >> And his ministry and his mandate is to grant you to gift you, >> rest in your soul. So that so that so that he delineates is different than just rest in your physical body.

Translation: It's rest in the deepest core. Your soul is the eternal you. He says, I'm going to give you rest that lasts forever. Rest that is transcendent. I don't have time. I don't have time. But but there's a point where Mary and Martha are in the house of Jesus and and and Mary is crisscross applesauce and she's listening to the stories of Jesus and the Bible says she's absorbing all the revelations of God and Martha's in the kitchen.

Translation: She's put fixing a shakurerie board with hummus and pita chips and stuff and she says Jesus you need to give Mary to get off her dairy air and help me in the kitchen and and Jesus says no. And he says and he says and he says the one thing that is necessary in all of life Mary has chosen and he says listen it will not be taken away.

Translation: You want to age well? You want something that that doesn't fade and age, it's a rested soul. Yeah. [snorts] It'll keep you sexy your whole life. Dead serious. Since we're really into that here in Los Angeles, so am I. Don't get me wrong. A rested soul, it won't fade.

Translation: A secure soul, it won't fade. A confident soul, it won't fade. It will not be taken away. Your cars and your boats and your houses and your jewelry will fade. But a confident secure soul who knows who they are and has absorbed the favor and grace of God.

Translation: And so what is reflected when you absorb the grace of God is what? Rest. So I predict that the future of the movement of Jesus, the rise, Jesus help me, the rise of Jesus consciousness in the world, its phenomenon will be marked by rested souls. Please hear me. will not be marked by who smokes, who drinks, who sexes or sexes.

Translation: I am exhausted with the moralism. We're all nightmares, friends. Stop it. Stop it right now. What are we all going to do? Line up and compare who's more noble than each other? This is foolish. This is foolish. Every single one of us in this room in the last 24 hours rejoiced over somebody else's demise.

Translation: And you know it and I know it. It wasn't even 24 hours since one of you had glee in your heart because you saw somebody you don't like struggle and you know it. And that proves you're a nightmare and so am I. Serves them right. Man, arrogant. Oh, look at you wishing wishing harm on people.

Translation: Well, don't tweet it because that's when they can get you. So, just hide it in your heart and tweet at other people who say it out loud. We're all nightmares. I'm tired with the moralism and the elitism. I'm tired of the performance orientation with God as if God is some proverbial teacher or football coach.

Translation: He is not. He is a father and we are his kids and he loves us and his judgment has been 100% satisfied in the finished work of Jesus. And what remains is his favor that he puts on his children. And when you absorb and accept it in spite of your performance, when you accept the scandalous nature of his grace, and you absorb who you are, it starts to change you from the inside.

Translation: And before you know it, you're just as worked up and anxious as everybody else. But you start to grow rested. And I'm going to use the word I brought up about an hour ago and I'm done. Suddenly you become a settled soul [sighs] man. You ever been around somebody settled?

Translation: You know somebody who's like just settled. I'm trying to think of like other words. Rested. settled, still stable, confident, at ease. And if you're not attracted to them, the rest of us are. So that's not a problem. How did you get there? What was your plan? I tried all the plans.

Translation: I just started to absorb his favor. Okay. So, this is the part that I'm going to do everything I can in the next two minutes as we end to give you something that you can practice that will help you absorb the shen of God. But I need to give you a caveat before I conclude.

Translation: If you are here and you are hoping that I give you something that will make your ego feel like you did something to deserve it, that is what we like to call counterproductive in the work of grace. So I won't do that because what you want me to say is if you read large portions of the Bible then God will pour out his favor.

Translation: No. So, in an age where our lifestyle has grown so fast and fierce and we have gotten so busy and frantic, here's a couple cues I can give you. Um, here's one. This I'm so from the Northwest. Go on a nature walk. I'm serious. Go on a nature walk.

Translation: Put your phone down. It's real hard to be proud of a nature walk. We do it. We do it. I'll admit we do it. We compare nature walks and who's a better nature walker, but it's kind of ridiculous. I really want you to go and just And now the reason I say this is because Jesus in Matthew 6 gave us this cue.

Translation: He said, um, Jesus help me. He said, I want you to relax. You're so preoccupied with what you're doing and getting, you can't receive what I'm giving. And then he says, "Consider the liies. Consider the birds." And so, I'm dead serious, guys. I'm serious about this practice because it's one of the cues I have to absorb the favor and grace of God.

Translation: I literally will look and watch birds. And you think I'm silly, but I'll do it because I feel like Jesus told me I could. And when I would that maybe I would remember that the bird maker make me and that these flowers like I'm and I know I'm 47, so y'all just bear with me, but these screen savers are getting me, man.

Translation: These stupid screen savers. I'll be in the middle of a combo with my wife and I'm locked in mostly and behind her is this stupid screen saver and it's like some deep dark coral reef in Australia. And I'm like, Charles, hold on. I know. I know. I I didn't tell you what I was doing.

Translation: I didn't communicate. I know I'm a communication nightmare. Turn around. Look at this coral reef. Is that orange? Is that teal? Is that purple? Is that an alien or a fish? What is that? What's that thing that's opening and closing? It looks like a That's just a little piece of his ocean.

Translation: I'm sorry, man. I forgot. I forgot that you are limitless. I forgot that you have no end. That you are the eternal one. And that the depths of the ocean are your creation. and that the sky and the stars, you put them in place and you name them.

Translation: And I'm embarrassed because I forgot how great you are. And I forgot that you found me. And I know you didn't do what I asked you to do. But I'm starting to get the feeling that you know what's best for me. And I'm tired of thinking that I know how to do this down here.

Translation: And so I want the ocean maker and the star name and the animal maker, the creator who knows every sand and every granular of sand in every part of every desert in the whole wide world. Here's my life. is for sure yours. Safest hands. I trust you. And I'm yours.

Translation: And um I guess that's the only thing that works for me. And I really like my therapist. I think he's a sweet guy. But old Les can't do what Jesus does. He's great. But this before I know it, I start turning into Noah, man. I do. And I'll build crazy stuff for God.

Translation: I'll do anything for him. And I feel [clears throat] rested while I'm doing it because of his favor. There's this little obscure scripture and I'm done. In second Peter is a warning. It says to those receiving this letter, dear friends, be on guard so you're not carried away by the heirs of wicked people that lose and lose and lose Jesus, help me and lose your own secure footing.

Translation: And that's what happens. I lose my secure footing in favor. I lose my secure footing in grace and I got to get back here. And notice what it says next verse, [snorts] verse 18. If you could [clears throat] do it, it says, "Grow." When it comes up there, you'll see it says, "Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

Translation: And I said, "God, how do I grow in something that I didn't earn?" And I look up the word grow. And I'll leave you with this. The word grow there doesn't mean earn or get more of. It means to sink deeper. Yeah. Sink in, baby. The water's real good.

Translation: It's real good. How favored can you feel? How graced can you grow? How sure of God's love for you can you be? How wide, HOW DEEP, HOW GREAT, HOW EXPANSIVE IS HIS LOVE [screaming] FOR US. THAT'S THE WHOLE OF LIFE. THERE IN [screaming] THERE is his plan TO SQUASH YOUR ANXIETY AND YOUR fear and help you square your shoulders for another Thursday and you can live under the beaming approval of his countenance and his grace and his love and his mercy for you.

Translation: And so I leave you with this my brothers sisters and sisters. Do not be deceived for those who would tell you that you have lost favor with God. And by doing so, you have lost your secure footing. Your favor is true and sure. And God has chosen you.

Translation: And so now sink deeper into his grace and favor. and let the rest of God surface in your soul and produce in you a settled state your performance can never give