From Silence to Strength | Francis Chan

I have a question and be honest. Actually, you can lie. I don't care. Uh, how many of you plan on tomorrow morning waking up at least a half hour before you have any responsibilities just to be alone with God, to read his word, and to pray. How many were just planning on tomorrow?

Okay, six of you. Cool. Um, I think I picked the right topic then. Uh, I want to talk about that because look, I fell in love with Jesus when I was 15 years old and I'm 58 right now. I look good, huh? Uh but 15 years old and my youth pastor taught me just get alone with God every day.

Open up the Bible every day. I'm still doing that at 58. So from the time I was 15, I'm sure I missed a few mornings, but I'm telling you, it's like the center of my life. It's like to me the most important time. It's the most amazing time.

It's like my favorite time of the day. I was talking to a nun the other day. You ever talked to a nun? I'd never talked to a nun, but I was I uh I met this nun and uh and she invited me to her convent and I thought, "Okay, yeah, I want to I want to find out like what what is your typical week like?

What's your typical like what do you do?" And she's part of this order called the Sisters of Life. uh meaning that they'll go to like college campuses like this and uh they'll just talk to people about rather than having abortions, let me offer you some alternatives and uh and just trying to save the lives of some of these unborn children.

And uh I go, "Okay, so what does your week look like?" And she takes me into this chapel. She goes, "Every morning the sisters and I sit in here in silence before God for four to five hours a day." I'm like, "Wow." And she goes, "And once a week we spend the entire day in silence just before Jesus."

And I was like, "Whoa." every day she spends the f first four to I mean this is one of the happiest coolest nuns you've ever met like she is just like full of life she's funny she's I I mean just vibrant but first four or five hours in silence with God and then every week at least one day in total silence and the other sisters were telling me that She had just spent 30 days in silence alone with God.

Now, some of you are listening to that going, "That is so weird. That is so strange to you like to spend hours alone with God." But I want you to think about this for a second. I mean, how much money would you pay tonight if I told you, okay, you could hear the voice of God tonight?

Like he will appear to you or he will speak directly to you. Like you'll hear an audible voice from God. How much would you pay for that? You can just get in a loan. Get alone in a room and after an hour or so you'll hear his voice.

How many would pay at least a hundred bucks? Come on. You guys are Stanford. Okay. Thousand. Yeah. 500. 500. Five. Do I hear a thousand? Thousand. No. How many would pay? Would anyone pay 10 grand? Oh, a lot of you. Okay. I mean, think about that's this is what we were created for.

I mean, it's great to talk to each other, for you to hear from me, but can you imagine like just just being in a room and suddenly you hear the voice of God and he speaks to you. You guys, I'm telling you, it's possible. I'm telling you, there are mornings where I walk out of a room and I'm going, "What the heck just happened?"

I know that God spoke to me. I know that he communicated with me. Man, I was alone in that room. This is like the most exciting time of my life is the mornings I have alone with God. And but you guys are growing up in a generation where you're just so quick with everything.

It's like boom boom boom boom. You're scrolling through this. You wake up and you're like, "Oh man, I got to answer all these messages. Oh, you're just going for it and you're missing out on what life is all about, what you were made for. I mean, you guys know the the Bible story that in the beginning, God created man.

Why? Why did he create Adam and Eve? He He creates the world. He creates the garden. He creates the animals. And then he makes Adam and Eve. Why? Because he needed some gardeners, some zookeepers. Hey, take care of the animals, you know, water the plant. I don't think they did that, but whatever.

You know, like why did he make them? Like he made them to fellowship with him. He says, "I'm going to make man in my own image." Okay? I'll make the animals. I'll make the plants. Everything else, but then he says, "Let us make man in our own image."

So there's somehow the Bible says that he made me in such a way that I'm in the image of God. Why? So that I could communicate with him. So that I could be one with him. See, in John chapter um 14, I just want to read something to you.

John 14. And and you got to ask, do I believe this? Let me just read a few verses. In John 14 15-1 17 he says if you love me you'll keep my commandments and I'll ask the father and he'll give you another helper to be with you forever even the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him.

You know him for he dwells with you and will be in you. Jesus makes a promise. He goes, I'm going to give you I'm going to ask the father and because Jesus explained to them, I'm going to leave the earth now. >> I'm going to die. I'm going to rise again and I'm going to ascend into heaven, >> but I'm going to ask the father and he's going to send someone else to you.

Like, do you take this literally where God says, "I'm going to send the helper, the Holy Spirit, the spirit of truth." And he says he's with you right now. But there's going to come a time when he's actually in you. See, this is why we were created in the image of God, so that somehow our spirit could be one with the very spirit of God.

And then he says in verse 23 of that same chapter Jesus answering of if anyone loves me he will keep my word and my father will love him and we will come to him and make our home with him. Wait. So, so, so Jesus is saying if anyone loves him, you're going to obey his commands and then he and the father will love you in return and and we will make our home with you.

She go, "Father, son, holy spirit right here." So, in the mornings when I go, I've got this little prayer room. When I go in this prayer room, I'm not like, "Okay, God, please, please, please come down here. Come on, look over here. Look over here." You know, it's not like this.

I'm going to get so intense and maybe I can bring him down. No, instead I'm in that room going, "Okay, I believe what you said, Jesus. So, you're right here with me. Holy Spirit is right here. Father, Son, you know that verse in Revelation 3 where he says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock.

If anyone hears my voice," he says, "I'll come into him and I'll eat with him." Like this is a God who says, "I'm jealous for the spirit that I put in you." Man, this is some of this is new stuff for me. Just realizing how close I can be to God.

If God wanted to communicate to you, does he need an audible voice? Does he have to write it down? Do you have to be able to read it? I was thinking about this this verse in uh 1 Corinthians 2, I think. Yes. 1 Corinthians 2:9, he says this, "What no eye has seen, no ear has heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him."

Okay? So he says, "No one has seen, no eye has seen. You don't know what the future's like. You don't know what God's prepared for you. At least you've never seen it." He has no ear has heard and no mind has conceived or no heart has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.

But then the next verse says, "But these things God has revealed to us through the spirit." So God says, "Your eyes have not seen what he's prepared for you. Your ears have never heard it. Your mind has not imagined it." But then he says, "But he did reveal it to you by his spirit."

And I used to look at that and go, "Okay." I said, "Well, I don't know what it is then." I cuz I Is he talking about heaven? Is he talking about like I He hasn't imagined what God has prepared for those who love him. And I thought, "Okay, somehow I I I I haven't seen heaven.

I don't know what it's going to be like. I I mean, I read some of it in scripture and it's not what you think, like the clouds and all of that stuff." When the Bible talks about like a real place, like there's rivers, there's there's fruit, there's there's there there's stuff like I I you know, it's not a lot, but it's it's like a greater version of what we have here somehow.

It's a new heavens, new earth, a new existence. But he says, no one has has seen it with their eyes. No one has heard it with their ears. You can't imagine. And he goes, but then he says that weird thing, but God has revealed it to you by his spirit.

What does he mean by that? I feel like I understand that verse for the first time. And it's because of these times alone with God where I just know he's in the room with me and I know he's in me and I have this faith and God starts revealing things to me.

There's times I feel so close to God that I'm sitting there and I'm going, I don't want to leave. I don't want to go anywhere. God, this is so amazing. I'm in your pray. Like, who do I need to talk to? What do I need to do today?

It just doesn't even matter. I'm sitting here with God and it's so clear and I feel so close and so safe and it's like nothing else matters and then it's like, "Oh, I think I get that passage." Now you're revealing to me what it's going to be like where when you are in the presence of God, you see the face of God and you realize, "Oh my gosh, this God is crazy about me.

Like he loves me. I I finally get what the Bible's saying. He He loves me. He desires me. See, in Romans 5:5, it says that God has poured the love of the Holy Spirit has poured the love of God into our hearts. that somehow he bypasses like my cognitive reasoning, my eyes, my ears, and somehow the spirit can put the love of God directly into your heart.

I mean, you you got to remember this is God. Like, if I want to communicate to you, I have to do what I'm doing right now. like like you know speak to you and you hear it and and I try to say it in a way that you understand it and and make my point clear and you got but we're talking about the creator.

If he wants to put a thought in you, he can do it mysteriously. And when it comes to being loved by him, he can have you feel so loved and you go, "But I didn't hear anything. I didn't learn anything. I didn't see anything." And it's like this mystery.

There's just these mysteries in scripture where suddenly you are so close to him and so experience him. You go, "Wow." That's why the psalmist says, "This is the one thing I ask. Can I just dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life and stare at his beauty?"

That's my prayer. I go, "God, can I just not have a day where I miss this?" Because I've told God, I go, "God, if every day you remind me of how holy you are and every day you remind me of how much you love me, I can make it through anything." >> Seriously, if if every day I just go, "Okay, there's this God up there, and if I were to look at him, I would just die because he's so intense, so big, so great." like when Moses, remember when Moses says, "Can I see you?"

And God says, "No, no man can see me and live through that." But then he tells Moses, "But here's what I'll do." Cuz Moses is like, "I just want more of you. I just want to see more of you." And that's what happens. It's like this addiction when you experience God.

You go, okay, nothing else really matters but this. I mean, what's going to top this? Like I when I asked you if you could hear the voice of God, what would you pay for that? And most of you were already over 10 grand and and uh so you guys got money, but it's just it's just like that interesting thing where you're going, man, what else would I want?

But when you hear it and when you experience it, you go, I want more. I want more. I want more. And that's what Moses is saying. Okay, now can I see your face because I've heard your voice. I've been on the mountaintop and and I've seen the fire, the smoke, everything else, but I just want to see your face.

And he goes, "No, you'll die." But he goes, "Go up into this rock and and and and and hide there, and I'm going to pass by you, and I'm going to reveal myself to you." And he says something so powerful in Exodus 34 when he's passing by Moses.

He says this, I already know it. Okay? He says, "The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness." So when he passes by Moses, he reveals himself. He calls himself the Lord, the Master, the superior one. The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful.

That's the first thing he wanted to reveal to Moses. I'm merciful. You You understand what that means? That means you do something wrong and he like wants to forgive you. He doesn't want to punish you for your sin. This is this is who he is. Now later on, he does say, "But I will not leave the guilty unpunished.

I will punish evil." God is a just God. We want him to Don't you want when someone commits a crime, don't you want them to pay for it? That sense of justice comes from God. And God says, "When someone commits a crime, I'm a fair God. I will punish them.

But I also want you to know that I'm merciful." In fact, uh, Ephesians 2 says, "He's rich in mercy." He, that's who he is. That that means that mean like like what's your name? >> Baron. >> Baron. So Baron totally blows it this week. just just I don't have to name all the sins, but there were a lot of them.

You know, if he just goes for it, just has a crazy week. The Bible says God is merciful. You know what that means? That God's going, I want to forgive you so badly. That's just who I am. Baron, I don't want to punish you. I don't want to.

He's like, longing, please just confess your sin. Just confess it cuz I'm so anxious to get this relationship right. That's who I am. I am merciful. Like I want that. That's it's such a it's the best news. >> That means God being in this room right now. He's going, "Oh, I hope these guys confess their sin to me cuz I want to forgive.

I want to for that's who I am. That's my character. I love forgiving." Yeah. >> And then he says, "And I'm gracious." The Lord, the Lord of God, merciful and gracious. You know what gracious is? It's when someone just wants to give you something that you didn't earn.

Just wants to give you something. Okay. So, I have this friend uh his name is Dukie Hong and he owns a restaurant in San Francisco and I just went there the other day. The moment I get, you know, there's long line out the door and he sees me goes, "Pastor, pastor, come on.

Come, come on. I'm coming in." You know, and I'm like, "Okay, okay." It's kind of weird passing all these people, but all right. You know, and uh and then, you know, I had a couple friends and he goes, "Sit down. Sit. Sit. Let me get you drinks." "What?

What? What? What drink you want?" He goes, "Let me just bring you some drinks." Okay. Okay. Uh you want something to eat? I'm like, "We're not real hungry." And he goes to the chef. He goes, "No, no, no. Make them one of everything. I want him to taste everything we make."

I'm like, "We're not hungry." Okay. Okay. Okay. Like it's just but this is his personality. And I remember one time we were passing by a store. He goes, "Oh, pastor, pastor, pastor, come in the store. Come in the store. Let me buy you a shirt. Let me buy you a shirt."

I go, "I don't need a shirt." He goes, "No, no, no. This is where I buy my favorite shirts. I want to buy you one of every color." I'm like, "No, I don't." So, I don't know if you have a friend like that. Uh, no. Okay. I I do.

You know, no. it. You know those people that whenever they see you like they have to give you something? Maybe you have a relative like that or something. You know what I'm talking about? Like they're just gracious. They have to give. The Bible says that's the way God is.

So that means when I understood that, that means when I get alone with God in the morning, I know who I'm getting before. A God who is saying, "Francis, Francis, please, please, please just confess your sin cuz I'm going everything right." Okay. All right, God. Here's what I did.

Oh, we're all good. And then there's this gracious God who's just saying, I just want to bless you. This is what I do in the mornings. Oh, God, I'm in this room with you. You're with me and you want to bless me cuz that's who you are. You just want to shower me with your grace cuz you're gracious.

This is insane. So God, here I am. I'll take it. I'll receive from you. >> And I don't even know how you do it. I don't know how you minister to the core of who I am. I don't know how you dwell in me and bless me like this.

But I take it. I receive it. The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, abounding, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Like he's just overflowing with this love. And I get before this God every day and I just say, "Lord, have me feel it. Dear God, pour your love into me.

Dear God, you're merciful. So God, hears all my sins. I'm so sorry. And I'm so grateful for your forgiveness again. Pour your grace on me. Pour your love on me. And I'm telling you, something happens when we live by faith. See, it's not your effort when you get alone with God.

Like, maybe if I get on my knees long enough, then he'll No, it's about your faith. Like, do you believe that Jesus really died for you >> on that cross to forgive you of your sins? Have you ever told them, "I do believe you sent your son to die for me.

And because I believe that, I can be forgiven. Thank you, Lord. And I want this promise that you gave that your spirit will enter into me and make me become like Christ." Like it says he'll make you a slave to righteousness. It's like, God, I want that. I want to because I always keep gravitating to what my flesh wants and these desires.

And the Bible says, "What I can do is put my spirit in you." The spirit of truth. He'll actually live in you to the point where when you start to sin, something inside just makes you sick. Like, uh, this isn't right. See, the Bible says in second Peter 2, he says, you know, it's like a dog will return to its vomit, and a pig after you wash him off, he'll run right back to the mud.

And he says, that's that's what that's what happens in church all the time. We rinse people off and they're like, "Oh, yeah, yeah, I sin this way. Okay, sorry, sorry." You know, you know, and we we spray you off, but we don't change your nature. So if you spray off a pig, he's just going to run right back to the mud.

And that's what happens to a lot of people, you go to church, and maybe that this the speaker makes you feel guilty or something, so you're like, "Okay, I don't want to do that again." What do you do the next day? You jump right back into it. Why?

Because you're still a pig. That's cleaning off a pig. He's just a clean pig. But what the Bible says is Jesus, that's why I'm sending the Holy Spirit. He's with you and he'll be in you and he can change your nature. He can put a fear of God in your heart.

He can put the love of God in your heart. And it's a mystery. That's why it's like I can't talk you into this stuff. No one talked me into something when I was 15. If it was a person talking me into it, someone else would have talked me out of it. >> But it was God coming into my life mysteriously. >> And I believed it.

I knew it. And now every day for the last however many years that is 43 years, >> I get alone with him and I enjoy him >> and it's what I was created for. It's why I was made in his image. And I'm just begging you guys, you're growing up in a different time than I did.

I mean, I grew up with those phones that you actually dial and you got to wait till it comes back and then you hit another one. And then if you your finger is like a little too skinny, it goes through that little silver part and it's like, I called the wrong person.

Then you got to do it all over again. It's just like this waiting game. But you guys are just so it's just nonstop. And so for you to pray, I know what your minds are doing. You try to get alone with God and it's just spinning. And that scares me so bad cuz the Bible says, "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.

They'll mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not grow weary. They shall walk and not faint. It's those who can wait in silence before the Lord with anticipation like, "Oh man, I can't wait. I I I just I Lord, I'm just going to sit here.

I'm just going to sit here in silence with my mind clear just anticipating you." And the Bible says those who can do that, he'll renew your strength. I really believe this is why we see so many suicides today. So many of you are anxious, easily overwhelmed because you've lost the ability to wait on the Lord. >> You want everything immediate because you're used to everything immediate.

It's demonic. He just wants us boom boom boom. Hey, how come that guy didn't text me back? It's been, you know, four minutes, you know, like like he must be mad or what, whatever. It's just like we're so impatient. So, guess what happens when you pray? Come on, Lord.

I asked for that. What? He says, "Now, those who wait upon the Lord, they'll renew their strength. >> You're not going to make it through this life until you learn how to wait for him. Enjoy him in silence. >> Peace. told you about that nun, sister Sister Bethany.

I I doubt she's going to have many problems in life. Um I doubt she's going to fall into anxiety and just want to end it all. It's just there's something about waiting and silence and quiet and I'm just begging you start taking control of your life. You were made to commune with God.

And the enemy is going to do everything he can to keep your mind busy, keep your life busy. So you come to the end. This is the last thing I'm going to share. I was flying to Brazil last week and on the plane it was like God was just downloading stuff to me.

So last week I flew a I was traveling a total of 54 hours. I was like counting it up just dreading the week going I be on a plane or a car or something for 54 hours this week. Like it was just one city to the next. But I'm like I'm not going to watch any movies.

I'm not going to veg out whatever. I'm like God I just I want to experience you. first couple hours he's just showing me things in my life like I don't like not knowing something because then I look stupid once an ask someone asks me a question so because I'm often in the public either well what's your view on you know Ukraine or Russia or Gaza or you know uh Minneapolis or uh it's just like boom boom boom so I got to keep track of all of these things and and have the right opinion of all of these things and well what do you think about this person or this person?

Oh, I got to keep track of all these people and all these other pastors and I got to share what I think about them all and and it's just like and then it's like all these theological issues. What do you think about the existence of hell? How long does hell last for?

And this is and I'm trying to study it all and I'm talking to Catholics, you know, because I want to talk to this nun. I don't want to sound dumb, you know, like all of this stuff and I just feel there's that, you know, the FOMO, the fear of missing out, like I need to know everything that's going on in the world right now.

And I got to get back to everyone when they text me. I don't like people waiting on me. So, and God was just showing me, you keep that up and you won't hear my voice. What if I wanted to tell you how much I love you, but you have this fear of missing everything?

And and he goes, and he gave me like this different FOMO where it's like, wow, I don't want to miss out on your voice. >> And if my mind is so busy keeping up with all these people and all this knowledge, all this information, God, what if I miss your voice?

What if I come to the end of my life and the enemy got me? I was just so busy and God was saying, "Man, I had such plans for your life." She wouldn't even just stop and listen. And it's like, "God, I have a real fear of missing out on that.

And so if I look stupid in some context, so be it. >> But I don't want to miss your voice. And that means I've got to get rid of some things and take control of my life. And I'm just taking steps. Like this is going to sound stupid maybe, but I was like, "Okay, I'll only use my phone during the odd hours."

So at 9. So, if you call me at 10 or text me at 10, you're going to be waiting at least an hour, you know, just just so that I can just start weaning myself off of this thing >> cuz like I want to try to get to the point where I'm like checking texts twice a day and maybe emails once a day and people can wait.

I can't afford to have this mind so busy >> that I miss the voice of God. >> And I don't know what that means for you. But you got to cut some things out if you want that glory of having the spirit communicate to you what no eye has seen, no ear is heard, no mind is conceived, the things that God has prepared for him.

So I want to pray for you right now. But you got to believe this. You got to have faith that God is a merciful God and he's a gracious God and he wants right now to forgive you. But you got to confess it to him. But he's here just wanting that from you.

And he he's gracious like he wants he's like, "Come on, come on. Let me bless you. Let me bless you. just just get alone with me and let me bless you. And even right now as I pray, I'm going to pray that he somehow communicates to you internally cuz it's going to look different for you than for me.

It's just different cuz we're different kids. I'm just telling you from an old man who's had one of the greatest lives, I wouldn't trade my life for anyone's. I just, my wife and I, we just feel like we're the happiest people on the earth. And it's not just cuz we have great family and we get along.

We still love each other. It's like, wow, we know him and he's shown us his love. I want that for you. So, I'm going to pray that over you right now. If you guys would just bow your heads and and just be in a posture of receiving right now, believing God is gracious and he wants to bless you right now.

God, I am so grateful for you. We praise you because you're a gracious God and it's your desire to bless us. You made us to bless us. You want us to know you and feel so safe, fearless. God, I pray that you would do a miracle tonight and have these people, this just get a glimpse, get a taste of who you are. that they would go back to their rooms tonight and just want more.

Have them think about you tonight so that they get excited to wake up cuz they want more. Teach us to wait for you. that you could renew our strength, that we'd stop feeling tired and anxious, fearful, but that you really would renew our strength. And God, if anyone in this room does not know you yet, I pray tonight that they would just come into your presence, confess their sins, ask you to come into their lives, and to be one with them.

Come Holy Spirit. Show us how great you are. Show us why you made us. May you be the greatest love of our lives. in Jesus name I pray. Amen.