SPEAKER_00: Man, I can't promise last time I can see people again for the final time.
SPEAKER_00: Uh thanks, Jenny.
SPEAKER_00: It is our privilege and pleasure this morning to have a guest speaker, our good friend, Pastor Lorraine, who pastors up in Zimmerman, not too far away with her past with her husband Neil, who's there now getting ready for their service this morning.
SPEAKER_00: But I met Pastor Lorraine years ago, I think around COVID, and I just we became friends.
SPEAKER_00: I th I th I'd call her friend.
SPEAKER_00: And uh I love what she's doing up there in Zimmerman and lives in my neighborhood, or I live in her neighborhood rather, and uh it's just a ton of fun to see her and her husband and family there as well.
SPEAKER_00: Angels with us this morning, her daughter, and it was so good to have the three of them this morning.
SPEAKER_00: Um but she's been a guest preacher here a number of times.
SPEAKER_00: She comes once a year.
SPEAKER_00: I get to steal her away from restoring lives, and she comes down with us and she's got a gift.
SPEAKER_00: I mean, she's a gifted preacher, and I told her at the 8 o'clock, I said we gotta keep it a little tighter because we've got a strict schedule.
SPEAKER_00: But at the 10 o'clock, I said, feel free to bring this, you know, the thunder and do your thing.
SPEAKER_00: Uh if you know Lorraine, she loves that some talk back, so feel free to talk back if you want to ch you know, if you want to uh, you know, express yourself her voice.
SPEAKER_00: Okay, she loves that kind of thing and is used to it.
SPEAKER_00: And uh, so would you please this morning give a warm central welcome to Pastor Lorraine?
SPEAKER_00: I remember this time at the podium.
SPEAKER_01: Yes, thank you.
SPEAKER_01: All right, good morning, everyone.
SPEAKER_01: Good morning, good morning, good morning.
SPEAKER_01: And I am truly honored.
SPEAKER_01: Um, I gotta start my timer here as well.
SPEAKER_01: Truly honored to be here this morning with you.
SPEAKER_01: I know that um you know it's always nice to be in another at another pulpit, but I've also had the honor of having Pastor Ryan speak at our church, and it's been a blessing when he came.
SPEAKER_01: But I thank you.
SPEAKER_01: My family's not here, and so if I am new to you, I apologize.
SPEAKER_01: Normally I have a little thing of introduction for myself, but I kind of uh bypassed that today because I wanted to just get into the word.
SPEAKER_01: I know that my time is short and I'm used to preaching at least 40 minutes or so.
SPEAKER_01: So I'm like, something's gotta go.
SPEAKER_01: So if uh you don't know me, sorry.
SPEAKER_01: Um, but I'm glad to be here.
SPEAKER_01: I do pastor, co-pastor at Restoring Lives Community Church um in Zimmerman.
SPEAKER_01: We celebrated 10 years uh last month, and um so we're excited about that.
SPEAKER_01: And so uh, you know, the church has been there uh since 1931, but uh my husband and I have been there for a short time, about 10 years.
SPEAKER_01: Um we've been married for 34 years, we'll be next uh Sunday, and then we have two kids.
SPEAKER_01: So um so that's a little bit about me this morning.
SPEAKER_01: Um, but before I get into that, I want to declare a scripture.
SPEAKER_01: Um it's from 1 Chronicles 29, and it is um, I want to make sure I have my do I have it on?
SPEAKER_01: You know what?
SPEAKER_01: Just put it on.
SPEAKER_01: No, I got it.
SPEAKER_01: I got it.
SPEAKER_01: I'm talking to myself.
SPEAKER_01: It's like I had practiced the first service, and I'm like, I'm gonna get it right this time.
SPEAKER_01: All right, so um I want to declare a scripture this morning because no matter what you might be going through, no matter what you might be experiencing, no matter what challenge you may face, this stands to be true.
SPEAKER_01: And it says, Yours, Lord, is the greatness, the power and the glory, and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
SPEAKER_01: Yo, Lord, is the kingdom.
SPEAKER_01: You are exalted as head over all, and exalted here in Central Lutheran Church.
SPEAKER_01: Amen.
SPEAKER_01: And so one of the other things I'll just call out, because I substitute teach in the school district.
SPEAKER_01: So it's funny because I've recognized some faces of kids that have been in my class.
SPEAKER_01: Yep, she's holding her head down.
SPEAKER_01: And um, so they've never, I'm sure she's like, wait a minute.
SPEAKER_01: Yep, this is this is daily.
SPEAKER_01: Um, but anyway, but I so I have to laugh when I see these faces because it does um, and your kids are wonderful.
SPEAKER_01: All right, so we'll keep going before I get in trouble.
SPEAKER_01: But I've been invited to talk about um the questions, and I know that you've had started this series a few weeks ago.
SPEAKER_01: Just questions that Jesus asked that are still pertinent and important today.
SPEAKER_01: And one of the things I wanted to share because I uh read this article from STER, which is Stan to Reason, they're an apologetics group, and it's about tragedy overload.
SPEAKER_01: That it acknowledges that we are in difficult times.
SPEAKER_01: Because of the advancements of technology, news, radio, internet, we are saddled with sorrow near and far.
SPEAKER_01: It used to only be that the events that happened in our lives or in our family, in our with our within our friends, within our communities, it used to be that was the only thing that we would have visibility to.
SPEAKER_01: But today with the internet and social media, we get to see everything.
SPEAKER_01: They titled it as a almost like a faux omnipresence, faux omnipotence, meaning that we can see everything and we might feel like we understand everything that is going on everywhere across the world.
SPEAKER_01: And guess what?
SPEAKER_01: If you miss something, guess what?
SPEAKER_01: You can watch it being recorded.
SPEAKER_01: And so the point that this article made is that we were not made for this, right?
SPEAKER_01: We don't have the bandwidth, but God does, and that's why I wanted to open up with that scripture that you, Lord, are the greatest, that you are above all.
SPEAKER_01: And so it might be where you are this morning, you might be experiencing something that you think is way too big for God.
SPEAKER_01: I got some news for you.
SPEAKER_01: Nothing is too big for God.
SPEAKER_01: And so this morning, as we go into the scripture, we're looking at the gospel of John.
SPEAKER_01: And John, as a gospel writer, is very specific about declaring who Jesus is, that he is and was in the beginning, above all and beyond all.
SPEAKER_01: And in this chapter 14, this is kind of the farewell discourse.
SPEAKER_01: In this chapter, we hear Jesus telling the disciples, I'm leaving, I'm going to pray a place for you, but I'm coming back.
SPEAKER_01: And they say, You're going where you're going.
SPEAKER_01: We don't know where you're going, right?
SPEAKER_01: And he says, You know where I'm going.
SPEAKER_01: No, we don't.
SPEAKER_01: And he says, Well, I am the way, the truth, and the life.
SPEAKER_01: And then we he talks about his relationship with the father.
SPEAKER_01: And if you read in chapter 14 alone, there's 22 references to father.
SPEAKER_01: Do you think he was trying to make a point?
SPEAKER_01: And then Jesus says, Philip, excuse me, interrupts this discourse and he says, Show us the father, and we will be satisfied.
SPEAKER_01: And Jesus said, Have I been with you all this time, Philip?
SPEAKER_01: And you still don't know me?
SPEAKER_01: You know, this request probably disappointed Jesus because he spent what three years with them as the disciples.
SPEAKER_01: And he's saying to them, if you see me, you see the, you see God, you see the Father.
SPEAKER_01: It's almost Philip is saying, like, I see you, but I I need I need something else.
SPEAKER_01: And so I was asking God, what should we focus on?
SPEAKER_01: What do you want me to focus on?
SPEAKER_01: What do you want central Lutheran to hear?
SPEAKER_01: Because we can talk about the Trinity all day long.
SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, Lord, do we really need to?
SPEAKER_01: Do you really want me to get into that?
SPEAKER_01: But the Lord said the word.
SPEAKER_01: You see, the disciples had been fascinated and had seen all the things Jesus did, all of the works that he did, but had they listened carefully enough to the word, his word.
SPEAKER_01: You see, in John 1, the book opens with, in the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word is God.
SPEAKER_01: And then the word became flesh and dwelt among us.
SPEAKER_01: Before there were any works, there was the word.
SPEAKER_01: And so Philip's question show us the Father.
SPEAKER_01: You know, he's frightened.
SPEAKER_01: He is in a sense of fear and doubt.
SPEAKER_01: He's sad, he's worried.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus is leaving.
SPEAKER_01: Like, what are we gonna do?
SPEAKER_01: He needs more assurance.
SPEAKER_01: Isn't that how we are sometimes when things happen to us?
SPEAKER_01: Or when we are burdened with something, we don't know what to do.
SPEAKER_01: Lord, I just need to hear you say something.
SPEAKER_01: Just show me something.
SPEAKER_01: We're just looking for that extra assurance when we're going through difficult times.
SPEAKER_01: The risk that we face, though, when we go through times is that in times of distress, it's not only that we believe nothing, it's rather that we become susceptible to believing anything.
SPEAKER_01: Anything.
SPEAKER_01: And why do you think it was important for Jesus to speak?
SPEAKER_01: So now it becomes necessary for him to break through their frightened hearts as he is trying to break through our frightened hearts, our fearful hearts, our doubtful hearts.
SPEAKER_01: He is breaking through with the word to tell them what is going on, to tell them where he's going, to tell them what is going to happen, but also to assure them that they don't need to be troubled, they don't need to worry.
SPEAKER_01: And so this morning, I believe God is breaking into your hearts and wanting to give you words of encouragement or words of challenge.
SPEAKER_01: And the first one is be still and know that I am God.
SPEAKER_01: You see, sometimes we create our own chaos.
SPEAKER_01: Amen.
SPEAKER_01: With our impatience, our own worries, our fears, our doubts.
SPEAKER_01: We like to be in control.
SPEAKER_01: Or maybe because we're just neglecting our spiritual practices, our worship, our prayer time, our word, our community.
SPEAKER_01: But God is inviting us to know him.
SPEAKER_01: This is the baseline.
SPEAKER_01: Know him, let him have ownership, acknowledge his power and surrender the results to him.
SPEAKER_01: Meaning, take your hand off it.
SPEAKER_01: Whatever it is that you're trying to manage and control and to manipulate, and you we can't manipulate God, right?
SPEAKER_01: We try to take your hand on it off of it and let him be God.
SPEAKER_01: The other point here is that we need to have a relationship with the word.
SPEAKER_01: The scripture reminds us, and I love this verse.
SPEAKER_01: It says, With my whole heart, God, I seek you.
SPEAKER_01: I don't want to stray from your commandments.
SPEAKER_01: I treasure your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you, is a complete scripture.
SPEAKER_01: You see, to avert the loss of truth in our life and to quiet the noise of our circumstances, we need to commit ourselves to God's word.
SPEAKER_01: Being in relationship, meaning reading it, meditating upon it, and walking in it.
SPEAKER_01: Relationship thrives in constant connection.
SPEAKER_01: You see, the word is light and life.
SPEAKER_01: It's the only thing that can transform you.
SPEAKER_01: It is the only thing that can change your heart, that can change your mind, transform your mind, transform your thoughts and your actions, your behaviors, and brings it into alignment with what God has purposed for you.
SPEAKER_01: We all know that God has a purpose for us.
SPEAKER_01: It was the word in the beginning that was distorted.
SPEAKER_01: It was the word that was being distorted right now.
SPEAKER_01: We're in our experience that right now.
SPEAKER_01: But in the word, in the end, it will be the word that lasts.
SPEAKER_01: It will be the word that stands.
SPEAKER_01: We should say amen to that.
SPEAKER_01: It should be, it is the word that lasts, it will be the word that stands when everything else fails.
SPEAKER_01: God's word stands.
SPEAKER_01: True.
SPEAKER_01: Why wouldn't you want to have a relationship with the word?
SPEAKER_01: Why wouldn't you want to open up the word and draw into God's calling of knowing Him?
SPEAKER_01: The other thing is that we need to delight in the Word.
SPEAKER_01: Philip said, Show me the Father, and I'll be satisfied.
SPEAKER_01: I'll be happy if you just show me the Father.
SPEAKER_01: You talk about the Father.
SPEAKER_01: Can I see the Father?
SPEAKER_01: Jesus said, I'm I and the Father are one.
SPEAKER_01: We are the same essence.
SPEAKER_01: We're one.
SPEAKER_01: I worked in retail in high school, and it would irritate me when somebody would come up to me, you know, as a cashier, and maybe they're doing a refund and they say, Can I can you talk to your supervisor?
SPEAKER_01: Can I talk to your boss?
SPEAKER_01: I'm like, Look, you won't get the in my head, I would not say that to a customer.
SPEAKER_01: You know, you're gonna get the same answer from my boss that you are gonna get from me.
SPEAKER_01: I thought that was insulting, right?
SPEAKER_01: Even though I've done that when I've gone into a store, but that's besides the point.
SPEAKER_01: But Peter, excuse me, Philip is saying, shh, I want to see more.
SPEAKER_01: I need more assurance.
SPEAKER_01: And we are guilty of that.
SPEAKER_01: You see, we take our delight in the wrong things.
SPEAKER_01: And I was thinking about this this morning, and as I was getting ready, I was nervous.
SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, man, I've done this before.
SPEAKER_01: Why am I so nervous?
SPEAKER_01: And I all of a sudden my attention shifts to why I'm nervous.
SPEAKER_01: And and immediately I said, Lord, I'm trying, I'm taking delight in this nervousness because it's taking my attention from the truth of your word, right?
SPEAKER_01: From your promise that you're with me, right?
SPEAKER_01: That I'm not walking up on the stage and you're not gonna be there, that I am honoring you.
SPEAKER_01: My attention is drawn away.
SPEAKER_01: When we delight in our fear, we are denying that God said that he would be with us until the end.
SPEAKER_01: We are denying that he said, fear not, for I am with you.
SPEAKER_01: We take delight in being right, we take delight in our social media status.
SPEAKER_01: Yes.
SPEAKER_01: We take delight in knowing everybody else's business or reporting on someone else's actions.
SPEAKER_01: We take delight in the controversy and the conspiracies and the drama.
SPEAKER_01: But what God is saying, Central Lutheran, is that He wants you to take delight in Him and in His Word.
SPEAKER_01: Right now to Him the scripture is who by the power at work in us will accomplish abundantly more than we could ever ask.
SPEAKER_01: He is a God who knows how to delight.
SPEAKER_01: And then the last thing is that He has said these words and these things so that you will not stumble.
SPEAKER_01: At this point, as Jesus is talking, he is not so much about the explaining, because he's been talking the whole time and sharing who he is and what's gonna happen, but it's about them being able to remain in him.
SPEAKER_01: Words that would keep them, words that would encourage them, words that will allow them to thrive in difficult situations.
SPEAKER_01: He doesn't want you to stumble, he doesn't want you to lose out in the end because at the end of this life is what we have a choice at the end of this life.
SPEAKER_01: God is trying to help us to get and make it to the end in difficult times.
SPEAKER_01: How long have you been with me?
SPEAKER_01: How long have you known me?
SPEAKER_01: How long have we been traveling this journey together?
SPEAKER_01: And you still don't know me?
SPEAKER_01: You still don't know the care that I have for you, you still don't know the promises that I've made, and then I am a keeper of my promises.
SPEAKER_01: You don't know when I went to the cross and I died and I rose three days, and because that you can have victory, that you don't have to walk in bondage, that you can be free.
SPEAKER_01: You still don't know me.
SPEAKER_01: The other part of that is that God needs to know us, right?
SPEAKER_01: He needs to know who we are.
SPEAKER_01: There's a little joke.
SPEAKER_01: Can I tell this real quickly?
SPEAKER_01: Some of you may have heard it about a woman who dies and she's up in heaven and she asks for more life.
SPEAKER_01: And so they give her, say, hey, you're gonna live to about a hundred.
SPEAKER_01: She goes, Oh, yay.
SPEAKER_01: She goes back and she does all this plastic surgery.
SPEAKER_01: Because she said, Look, if I'm gonna live to a hundred, I need to look good.
SPEAKER_01: Well, no doubt, soon after this, she dies.
SPEAKER_01: And she goes back and she said, I thought I was gonna have to a hundred years.
SPEAKER_01: He said, I don't know you.
SPEAKER_01: You changed so much.
SPEAKER_01: Sorry, it took a little long to catch you.
SPEAKER_01: He needs to know us, right?
SPEAKER_01: God needs to know us, and he knows us through the relationship that we have with him.
SPEAKER_01: I love what Jesus said in Matthew.
SPEAKER_01: Even though it's a strong word, he says there's many that's gonna come and they're gonna have their little resume and say, Look, I did this, I cast out demons.
SPEAKER_01: I mean, look at my list, look at the things that I did in your name.
SPEAKER_01: And what does Jesus say?
SPEAKER_01: I don't know you.
SPEAKER_01: Depart from me, I don't know you.
SPEAKER_01: So as much as it is us knowing him, he needs to know you through relationship.
SPEAKER_01: We need to take full account of our lives in reverence to God, how we live our lives in response to the word of God, to the spoken word of God, and what he did on the cross.
SPEAKER_01: That is what God has called us to this morning.
SPEAKER_01: And so I want to remind you as we're gonna close in prayer.
unknown: Yay, I did the time.
SPEAKER_01: Um, as we're gonna close in prayer, I want to remind you that God he sees and he knows everything.
SPEAKER_01: We talked about being in his presence and letting him be God.
SPEAKER_01: We talked about delighting in him, we talked about having a relationship with his word, meaning a relationship with Christ.
SPEAKER_01: And so as I pray today, I'm gonna ask the Lord to just help us.
SPEAKER_01: Lord, help us to be still enough to know you.
SPEAKER_01: Let our relationship with you be one of unrelenting faith, hope, and delight in what you say and not what our circumstances dictate.
SPEAKER_01: May our lives reflect the reality of the transforming power of the cross.
SPEAKER_01: Let us always be thankful that you died, that you rose again, and that you are coming back.
SPEAKER_01: For we are longing to hear those words Well done, thou good and faithful servant.
SPEAKER_01: In Jesus' name, Amen.