This is the voice | Selvin Cortez

Jesus is not one voice among many—He is the voice. In a world filled with competing influences, the issue isn’t the presence of many voices, but the clarity to choose the right one. 

When we place Jesus alongside culture, opinions, or personal feelings, our lives become divided and direction becomes unclear. But when we tune out the noise and give Him the final authority, everything aligns. 

The call is not to add Jesus to your life, but to center your life on Him—because when everything else fades, only He remains. 

REFERENCE: Matthew 17:1-8

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Amen. Amen. Thank you, worship team. What a great song that is. And you'll understand why I had them sing uh that song, just because it leads us right into the message. And I'm gonna forget to ask you to sit, so I'm gonna tell uh invite you to have a seat right now. Otherwise, you'll you'll do the message standing. And that that will be good for my ego because you're standing ovation throughout the whole thing. No, that's not good. That's not good. Um, welcome to church. It is great to have you. Uh, there is there is so much uh excitement that I have over this series, over what God is doing in our lives. God is faithful and he is good and he answers prayers. And there is uh, and I'm gonna repeat this again, or maybe I'll wait for after, but but there's something really, really special that is happening in this season that we're living in. And I can't wait to see all that God is going to do. This series, uh Being a Christian is leading into uh Jesus Does Not Equal Religion, has been really, really powerful. If you missed our last message, please, please connect to Spotify, uh, Apple Music, wherever you get your podcast from, uh, because it was just such a powerful, powerful moment in the Word of God. I've received so many testimonies of people saying, I'm gonna use this message, or I've used this message to lead my family, to bring my family into Jesus. They had questions about the reliability of the resurrection and the word of God, but through this message, um uh it's been able to help me bring my family. And I just want to encourage you and and and listen. Thank you for that. Amen. God bless you. You are saved. Everybody else will pray for them. Um, but but but uh use this message, use it as a tool, use it as a tool to bring your family members, and and we're gonna just continue on in that series. I know that uh uh Nouvelle V, the rest of our the the rest of our our our churches and and sites um are on uh a sort of different path right now, but they I I asked them specifically, can we just continue into this series just a couple more weeks? They said, yes, go ahead. If it's that powerful, I said, Oh yeah, it's that powerful. And that's what we're doing today. We're continuing on in that series, and we're gonna go with this. Ready? Uh you've watched this show, maybe you don't watch this show, but uh I I used to watch this show, I loved it, and then it got kind of strange. Uh the my favorite get my favorite judges left, and that's why that's where I tuned out. But there's you there used to be a show, I think it's still on. It's called The Voice. Yeah? No? This is the voice. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I had to, it it just comes out. I can't I can't stop it. Um, the the the TV show, This is the voice, and it and and the premise is very simple. Um, the judges have their back to the stage. And so they're they're they're watching you. Um, and uh I'm I'm guessing they're seeing your reaction uh because then the person behind them uh comes out on stage and they start singing, and then if they sing well, they press a button, they turn their chair, I want you. And and and this is gonna be fun. I like this. Uh, and and uh a whole light up comes up and on the ground, the LED lights on the ground says, I want you. Uh, and the judge is the one that wants the talent. And so the judges turn around and they they see the voice after they hear the voice. They see the voice after they hear the voice. And I'm telling you, uh, I don't know, but that's that's one of those shows that I think I would love to be, I would love to be on. I'd never make it. Um, but uh um, but but that's it. So so which voice stands out? Um the the voice that you want, you turn around for, uh, the voice that you want, you're going to follow them. And and then the judges, they they fight each other. Not not physically, but but they they battle each other. Uh that's the voice that I want. If you get multiple judges, pick me, pick me, pick me. And then and then you get the whole crowd cheering and saying, you know, go with go with this guy or go with her or go with him. And it's just such a it's it's it's such a fun show. Uh, and then my favorite judge is left, but uh, but it's it's a great show, and it just reminds me of all the voices that we hear. Uh, and it's not even a question of are there voices? The question is, what are we listening to? Because there are voices everywhere. There's there's cultural voices, there are opinions. Uh, one of the great one of the biggest movements right now are podcasts. Uh, and everybody has a podcast. And you know what just boggles my mind, and and I fall for it every single time. I have a list of podcasts that I listen to. And when I when I go to search the podcast that I want, or if a notification comes up, it's like two hours. There are some podcasts that are three hours, and then I uh I'll like tune in, I'll be okay, I'll listen to the first 10, 15 minutes, and then you know, I got stuff to do. I hear the whole thing like three-hour podcasts. That's a thing now. And so these are voices that are coming in. Um, there are personal opinions that that we can have, or opinions of others. There's there's fear is also a voice. You know, with all the wars that are going on and what's going on in the news, that's that's a voice. Can I say this religion as well? Religion and debates over religion and and the different the different things that are happening this week. You know, we gotta call a spade a spade, and and what was what was presented on social media uh that's not at all what we believe in. Um and and you know, our faith is coming under attack, and and there are these voices that are all over, but which one is true? Which one of the many voices are true? Young people, our teens that are here. Uh sometimes my kids they come home and and they say, Dad, this is what we learned in school today. And I said, That's awesome. Let's try to unlearn it. Um, let's try to unlearn it. And they're like, You want me to unlearn something I learned from school? I said, No, no, no. Let me just let me just add, let me add my voice to this. And so there are voices all over which one is true. And into that question, God speaks, and God answers that question, and he says, This is the voice. This is the voice. And that's the title of today's message. Um, and and there are voices all over the place, and in this, in this moment in the life of Jesus and his disciples, it's it's a great moment to see what actually happened then is is happening today. What they were seeing back then is actually what they're seeing today. So Jesus takes uh his his three best friends, he's got a core group. So he's got he's got his his 12 disciples, and of the 12 disciples, there's one of them uh that that he really loves, and then there's these two other guys that are kind of tagging along, and and the one disciple that he really loves, uh his name is Selvin. Yes, um his his his name is his name is John. So so Jesus takes Peter and the two brothers, James and John, together, and they go up a mountain. And as they're going up this mountain, uh they're just standing there, they're they're they're wondering what what's going on. We're going up a mountain. Okay, let's have a look, let's see what's going on. And so Jesus says this uh in the in the book of Matthew, chapter 17. We're gonna read one to three. It says this after six days, Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John. Remember that Peter, James, and John, the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves, four people on top of this high mountain. There, watch this. He was transfigured before them, his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus. That, like, I don't even know where to go from there. Imagine being in this moment. You're going up a mountain, and all of a sudden, Jesus is transfigured. Okay? We talked about the resurrection of Jesus last week. This moment right here happens six to seven months. I'm getting ready for the you service. Six, seven, no, that doesn't work in this crap. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I had to throw that in there. This moment, this transfiguration moment happened six to seven months before the crucifixion. And so they get a glimpse of what Jesus looks like right now, like right now, today. If you think of Jesus, when I think of Jesus right now, I don't see, I don't see uh a man in sandals uh walking around in a brown robe. When I see Jesus right now, I think of this moment, the transfiguration of Jesus, where his face shines like the sun, his clothes are white as light. That's him in glory. John later writes that we saw his glory, the glory of the only begotten son. He's referencing this moment. We saw his glory. Can you imagine seeing Jesus all of a sudden, light just coming out of him, his clothes bright as light? And then out of nowhere, out of nowhere, Moses and Elijah show up. Like the voices of authority in the Old Testament. Moses, if you remember, he's the one that presented. It's not Charlton Heston, guys. Moses is the one that presented the Ten Commandments to the people. Elijah is one of the most prolific uh uh prophets in the Old Testament. Elijah made fire come down from heaven and consumed the the offerings. He would, he was so bold. Uh, he would he would he would cry out to God and he said, he said, God, let it not rain for three years. Imagine, imagine that. God, let it not snow for three years. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I gotta try. I gotta try. I gotta try. I mean, the Bible doesn't say we can't try. Uh, God, let it not, let it not rain for three years, and it didn't rain for three years. And after the three years, it's not like God was like, Okay, uh, Elijah, it's been three years, I'm gonna let it pour right now. No. God still waited for Elijah's voice. And Elijah said, Let it rain, let it rain. And he got on his knees and he started to pray, and he said, Let it rain, let it rain. And his servant went up the mountain and saw that there was a little cloud. And he said, There's a little cloud like that's the size of a man's hand, and he says, Watch this, it's gonna start to rain. And in that moment he declared the rain, rain started coming down. Mighty, mighty man of God. So you've got you've got the prophets represented in Elijah, you've got the law represented in Moses. And when Moses presents the law, that's the beginning of religion. So you've got you've got the Ten Commandments on this side, you've got the prophets on that side, and Jesus in the middle. All the voices of authority present in one single moment. There's so much, so much theology in this one little story that I don't have time to go into at all, but I promise you there's gonna be a message where we're gonna keep going and going and going. Uh, but this is the world we're living in today. This is our world. You've got so many voices, you've got, you've got so many religions, you've got, you've got men that have declared themselves prophets and and and wanting to lead a people and and a religion that is growing faster than maybe we would want it to grow, but it's growing based off of a prophet, uh, not a prophet of God, but a prophet. And so you've got you've got religion and you've got prophets, and then you've got Jesus in the middle. And and and here's where we got religion, culture, tradition, everything coming together. That's what we're living in today. This is the moment 2026 is what we're going through right now, where we hear voices in the mainstream, in in podcasts, in music. We hear voices all over the place. Now, I'm not talking about voices like like am I going crazy voices? I'm talking about influential voices. And I don't know when this term got got um, I tried to look it up, but I didn't get a clear answer. When uh when this term was coined. Influencer. What do you want to be when you grew up? When I was a kid, it was a doctor, an engineer, a surgeon, scientist, rocket scientist. Today, I want to be an influencer. I want to be an influencer. Wow. All right. What are you going to influence? What are you showing me? You know what's interesting about influencers or influencing? Um, it's it's it's a lot of young people that are influencing. When I look at the Bible, um we see Jesus at 12 years old.

SPEAKER_00 15:33

The next time we see Jesus, he's 30. What happened in between?

SPEAKER_01 15:40

Can we say he is the ultimate influencer of all time? Like he is the goat of influencing. Right? I'm getting ready, I'm getting ready for next week. I'm telling you, trying it out on you. If it works on you, it'll work on them. Um he is he is the ultimate influencer.

SPEAKER_00 15:59

But between 12 and 30, we got nothing. There's this quiet reverence, there's this still silence of Jesus.

SPEAKER_01 16:15

And I bet you he was the greatest carpenter of his time, and nobody knew it. Because I think I think influencing is great. I think being an influencer, if you've got, if you've got a message that God put in your heart, share it. That's the that's the promise. That's the ultimate commission. Let's use technology to share this, but but let it not be uh I want to be an influencer because I want to be popular. I want to be an influencer because I want likes and views and and and no, it's I want to be an influencer because I have a message. And and those are the voices that we're hearing right now. TikTok, that's all it's about. The algorithm is there to influence you, to move you to think a certain way. And I'm not knocking TikTok, but I I find it really interesting that there are different rules for different countries for TikTok. Why would that be? Is it because the algorithm wants us to think a certain way? The algorithm wants us to believe a certain way. And so we've got all these voices that now are changing the way that we believe. And now belief and truth is subjective. It is your own truth, it is what you want to believe. If it doesn't hurt anybody, you can do it. If if you believe it's true, then it is true. These are the voices that we're hearing, constantly hearing, and we're all following a voice. And that voice determines the life that we live. And let me tell you, not every not every voice you hear deserves your attention. Not every voice you hear deserves your attention. Some of them are trying to shape your destruction and my destruction. And in this moment, you've got Moses and you've got Elijah, and you've got Jesus, and they're talking, and Peter does what we all do. Peter in that moment does exactly what we all do. And so Peter says this to Jesus in Matthew. We're in Matthew chapter 17. I would invite you to read this whole thing because it is wonderful. Um, it is so good. This week, make it a point to read Matthew 17. Peter said to Jesus, Lord, this is Peter. This is Peter, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. Peter sees something powerful. He sees the glory of Jesus, the glory of God right there in that moment. He sees supernaturally, we don't know exactly how he knew that that was Moses and Elijah, but he did know. In fact, six days before this, Jesus asked his disciples, Who do the people say I am? And Peter answers this. Peter says, You are the Son of the living God. And Jesus says to him, Upon this rock I will build my church. That was six days before. Six days later, now Peter's like, he's like, he's he's up there. He's up in the clouds. He's like, it's good that we're here. Uh, it's good that we are witnessing. We are among this awesome group, Moses, Elijah, Jesus, Peter. And he's like, Yes, it is good for us to be here. It is good for me to be here. I'm gonna pitch three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. See, Peter sees the power in that moment and immediately tries to organize it. He immediately tries to do something with it. Three figures, three voices. He puts Jesus on the same level. He's not rejecting Jesus, he's not denying that Jesus is there. What he's doing is he's equalizing Jesus. Peter doesn't know what to do with Jesus, so he because in that moment it doesn't fit in his mind that that Moses and Elijah are there, and so he does the only thing that he knows how to do, he's gonna put these tents and he's gonna equalize Jesus. So he builds something familiar. Because when we don't understand Jesus, we try to fit him into our our thoughts, into something we already understand. And that's not just Peter, guys, that's us. You see, if you ask anyone, anyone that is half religious or full-on religious in whatever religion, whatever religion you go to, and you ask them, hey, what do you think of Jesus? Their answer is going to be great dude. He's a great guy, moral guy, great teacher. He uh he was, oh, oh, he was a prophet. Wasn't he a prophet? Yeah, yeah, he was a prophet. And so everybody everybody knows something about Jesus, and nobody's going to say something incredibly bad or heretical about Jesus. They're gonna, they're gonna identify him as a moral man. They're going to identify identify him as a good teacher. Some will go as far as saying he was the Messiah. So there are all of these opinions about Jesus. And that's the problem with religion. The problem with religion is that it equalizes Jesus. It brings Jesus down to this understandable level. That everything is okay. There are many paths to heaven. Jesus is one of them. And so these voices are causing a confusion in Peter. See, we don't remove Jesus from the equation, we reduce him in the equation. And we and we bring him down to this level of understanding. And that's what Peter is doing in this moment.

SPEAKER_00 23:00

He's adding Moses and Elijah at the same level as Jesus. And so in that moment, this is this is powerful. Um in that moment God steps in.

SPEAKER_01 23:23

Because a a divided when when you have many voices speaking to you, that could cause a division in your own thoughts. And when when Jesus is part of many voices, he is none of them. When we add Jesus as part of everything else that we're listening to, then eventually he becomes none of them. None of the voices that we're listening to are going to lead us to where he's going to lead us, because all of the other voices are probably going to lead us away from what he wants. That's the job of the enemy. The enemy's job is to entertain you. The enemy's job is to keep you busy. And we all fall prey to this. We all do. My kids call it um brain rotting or doom scrolling, right? And so we all fall. I know, I know, uh, and and I'm gonna just throw it out there, confess to you, um, that uh I've got a million and one things happening in my mind, in my brain, at all times. Like all the time, there's something going on up there. And oftentimes, when when it comes down to you know, going to bed, I'm I'm I'm now in my bed. My brain is still on, and I gotta find a way to quiet it down. I'm I'm listening, I'm listening. There's just so much going on in my head. Um, I've got this to do tomorrow, I've got that to do tomorrow, I'm I I got this and this and this. And sometimes I just grab my phone and and I'll turn it on. And I'll be like, okay, what's on uh on the reels today? And then uh and then five minutes goes by, can't even tell. And then, oh, I like this. This one seems interesting, and then I keep going, and then I keep going. And when I looked at the time, it's now been over an hour that I've been on my phone, and and in in wanting to quiet down the voices, I am now adding more voices, more noise into my life. And and that's where that's where we need God to step in. And and this is a beautiful moment. So, so we've got this picture. They're on the mountain. Peter is saying, it is good for us to be here. Let me let me make three tenths and as he's still talking, I I imagine Peter's laying out all of the look, I'm gonna I'm gonna make one here. You're gonna be on the left-hand side, you're gonna be on the right hand side, Jesus. Well, because you're my buddy, I'll put you in the middle. As he's as he's telling all of these plans, a voice comes in and interrupts him. God interrupts Peter. He doesn't interrupt Jesus and Moses and Elijah, he is interrupting Peter. And that, church, is my prayer. Remember, remember last year, end of 2025, mid-2025, 2025 at the end, I said that that God put impressed on my heart this word, going from moments to momentum. Remember that? Moments to momentum, right? And I feel like per season, God puts a word in my heart. He impresses it in me so much that that's the word that I fast about. That's the word that I pray about. And and the word that God has given, I feel, to me for this season. Ready for this? You're not gonna like it. Interruption. Interruption. I am praying and and and and I love you this much. I am praying that God would interrupt your life. I am praying that God would interrupt your plans. I am praying that God would step in and that you've got plans. Amen. Keep going, work for them. Uh uh teens, you you've got you've got this idea that you want to become something in life. Go for it, keep going. Young adults, you've got a relationship, you've got some, keep going. Okay, let's think about that. All right, let's talk about that. That's fine. But but God, interrupt their plans. Interrupt their plans. And I want to share this moment with you. Last week, uh, this has been my prayer. And and before, before we get together for the service, we have a prayer moment here. And in that moment, I was telling the team that was here, I said, God, God is gonna interrupt. God is gonna interrupt. I'm praying, God interrupts somebody's plans today. They had plans to be somewhere or do something, but God is gonna move them in their heart. And at the end of the service, a couple came up to me and said, Listen, um, we came here in two cars today. I said, That I mean gas? You don't want to consider the gas prices? Uh and she said, No, I actually left my house and my husband stayed home. And then he takes the story and he says, Yeah, I was at home. It was my day. Uh, I was gonna go walk the dog. That was the plan for today. Um, that was that was it. That was my plans. And then out of nowhere, my wife had already left for church, and I I just start start feeling something in my heart. I had to, I have to go to church. So he left the dog in the middle of the street. No, no, no, no. I added that part, that part is mine, that part is mine. He he he he left home and and and came to church, and he said to me, That message was, it felt like you were talking just to me. That message from today was for me. And I thought, praise God, but I didn't leave it there. I said, Can I just ask you a quick question? Just very quick, very quick. What time do you think that that happened in your heart? He said, I know exactly what time. My wife had already left. She left at 3 30, and about 15 to 20 minutes after that, I I got in my car and I went to church. And I said, That's exactly at 3:45, is exactly when we get together to pray. Interruption. So if God did it for this family, trust me, he's gonna do it in yours because I'm praying for you. I am praying fervently that God would interrupt your plans, interrupt your life, because in this moment, God the Father comes down and he says in Matthew 17, verse 5, it says, While Peter was still speaking, a bright cloud, how bright is this moment? A bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, This is my son, whom I love. This is my beloved son. With him I am well pleased.

SPEAKER_00 30:50

Listen to him.

SPEAKER_01 30:54

Not hear them, not consider Moses and Elijah and Jesus. It was hear him, hear him, hear Jesus. And this moment is so powerful. The voice of God interrupts Peter. The voice of the Father says, Peter, shut up, listen to him only. This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. And Jesus is painting a picture for us. And I say painting, but as a photographer, he's actually taking the picture for us. Did you see it? You probably missed it. And this is where I thank God. I thank God for I I believe if Jesus were here on earth today, he would be a photographer or he would be a movie producer. Both of which I want to do. Um, and so so he's he's he's showing us a picture of something greater. So, so stay with me.

SPEAKER_00 32:13

Jesus goes up the mountain with Peter, James and John.

SPEAKER_01 32:26

Yeah, Selvin, you said that already. We know he went up with with Peter, James, and John. And and we know that James and John are brothers. We got it, Selvin. Where's the picture? Well, Peter represents stone.

SPEAKER_00 32:41

Peter, Pietro, right? Stone or rock. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 32:50

James, the one in the middle, is supplanter. It means to to to exchange, to supplant. John, John means God's grace or the grace of God.

SPEAKER_00 33:08

Are you with me? So far? There it is. Peter, stone, rock, James, supplant, overwrite. John, grace.

SPEAKER_01 33:21

In this moment, the reason why Jesus asked Peter, James, and John to go up the mountain is because watch this. Religion. What was written on stones? The Ten Commandments were written on stones. And those Ten Commandments ushered in the religion. Ushered in. What does religion tell us? Religion is all about do. Do. You have to do in order to attain. And even if you do, the attaining part is not guaranteed. But you must do. If you sin, you have to, you have to say, so many Hail Marys. I don't know. Um, if you sin uh or if you miss fasting, then you've got to ask for forgiveness a hundred thousand times, or you've got to pray five times a day, or you've got to do, do, do, do, do.

SPEAKER_00 34:24

Jesus says done.

SPEAKER_01 34:30

It goes from doing, exchanges it to done. It is by the grace of God that we are saved through faith by grace. And so in this moment, you've got the law and the prophets, and everything that they did, and everything that they proclaimed is being fulfilled in Jesus. The one standing in the middle.

SPEAKER_02 35:00

And all of that business, the doing, is now being done in Jesus.

SPEAKER_00 35:08

The religion is being exchanged for grace. I know you can't do. But don't worry, it's already been done.

SPEAKER_01 35:23

That's the divine picture that is happening in this moment. In this moment, Jesus is showing us how awesome he is. Glorified. But not just the radiance of his face or his clothes, but of his work.

SPEAKER_00 35:49

The law is being fulfilled in Jesus. And now it is being exchanged for grace. Wow. Now this isn't the only moment.

SPEAKER_01 36:10

As powerful as that moment was on the mountain, it isn't the only moment.

SPEAKER_00 36:17

Do you know that this event already happened? Forty days after the people of Israel leave Egypt, they find they find themselves in front of a mountain called Mount Sinai. And in that mountain, God calls Moses up the mountain. Moses receives the tablets.

SPEAKER_01 36:56

And he receives the word of God. He receives the tablets of God. And the Bible says that as he's coming down, remember, he was 40 days in the presence of God, speaking with God, God giving him the commandments. 40 days.

SPEAKER_00 37:14

And in that moment, he comes down from the mountain. And he sees everything that's going on, and he throws the tablet.

SPEAKER_01 37:29

He throws a tablet at the people. And then he's got to go back up. And he's got to rewrite the Ten Commandments all over again. Because he broke the first set. Yes?

SPEAKER_00 37:41

And as he comes down, his face shone.

SPEAKER_01 37:48

His face was so bright. His face, his countenance was so bright that Aaron and and and the people saw his face and they were afraid. And they ran away. They said, We can't have any of that. That is too bright for us. They ran away. They were afraid of Moses after after having spent 40 days with God. They were afraid. Moses, his face shining, and he didn't even know. He didn't even know. Look at what Exodus says. Exodus says this. And this is what was written on the stone. It's now being fulfilled in Jesus. But watch this, Exodus 34, 29 and 30. When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face radiant, they were afraid to come near to him. They were afraid to come near to him. Imagine being that far into the presence of God that your face starts lighting up.

SPEAKER_00 39:21

Awesome. They backed away. They backed away. And that is what religion does. Religion instills fear and distance.

SPEAKER_01 39:42

That's what religion is. Fear that you're gonna miss out on heaven, fear that you're not worthy, fear that you're no good, fear that you messed up again. And then that in itself creates distance to God. Now watch this. Mark, who was who was a disciple of Peter, he also writes of the transfiguration of Jesus. And Mark writes it down like this. It is awesome. As soon as all the people, Mark chapter 9, verse 15, as soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to him. So Jesus, James, and Peter and John come down the mountain, and as they're coming down the mountain, instead of running away from Jesus and his presence, they came to him running, run, run, run to me, run to me. They came running to him and they came wanting to be with Jesus. Instead of being afraid of God, instead of running away from him, they ran to him instead. Thank you. And this man comes up to Jesus and says, Can you heal my son? Can you heal my son? And that is what rel that's what that's what Jesus does. Religion separates us from God, creates fear, but Jesus creates wonder. Jesus, we've got a slide here that's coming up in a second. Jesus creates wonder and awe and majesty and relationship. Religion equals fear and distance. Jesus equals wonder, access, and relationship.

SPEAKER_00 41:54

We run to him. We run to him. And he's the voice that we have to hear.

SPEAKER_01 42:06

We've got to tune out, we've got to tune out some stuff that's going on in our lives, guys. I I'm the first one. And the the the way that I do it, the way that I do it is I is I grab these ultra awesome headphones, and uh these are these are very special. I'm not sure if you can can you still hear me? Can you still yeah? Uh I can't hear me because these are that good. These are ultra special high-tech uh uh uh headphones that are noise canceling. And I don't know at what level I'm speaking. I might am I still okay. I'm trying to not speak loud because I can't hear me. Um but I want to ask you a favor. Can you just can you just give me a shout, just a quick shout? Just one, two, three, ready? Yeah, I barely hear you. Is that because you didn't do it? Did you do it? Well, one more time, one more time. Ready? Okay, I kind of heard you. I don't really hear you that much. These are awesome. I love these. These are from a company called uh, I don't know if I can say it, but Sennheiser. These are these are awesome. And so this week, this is if if you're wondering how do I tune other voices out, I tune other voices out with worship. And this is a song that I've been listening to all week. I'm just gonna hit play. I don't know if you're gonna hear it or not, um, but here we go. Uh there it is. I don't know if you can hear this, but this is awesome. This is my this is my go-to song this week. I I went out for uh for a 10k run yesterday on re I don't know if you can hear me. I I went out with this song for the whole 10 kilometers on repeat. Where O death is your victory. This is just me rocking out. I love this.

SPEAKER_02 44:07

I think you get Woohoo Yes. Dead things come alive! Dead things come alive! Dead things come alive in the name of Jesus! Dead things come alive! Dead things come alive! Dead things come alive in the name of Jesus! Yes! Yes! Thank you! That's what it's about!

SPEAKER_01 44:43

That's what it's about! It's about it's about shutting out all the voices and focusing on him. I call you Jesus! I call you, I call you healer! I call you Savior! I call you the one that loves me, the one that brought me out from the miry clay and called me into salvation. I call the name of Jesus over my life and over your life. I pray that every time you call his name, this is the lyrics of this song. Every time I call your name, chains break. Chains break. Voices shut down. Chains are broken. Dry bones wake every time I call your name. The gates of hell shake every time I call your name. Chains break, dry bones wake every time I call your name. And the chorus says this: I call you Jesus. I call you, I call you healer, risen and reigning in power. Something comes out of the grave every time I call you Jesus. I call you Savior, worthy of glory forever. Something comes out of the grave every time I call your name. That's the voice we're listening to. His name is Jesus. And God has a special plan and a purpose for your life. And he's speaking into your life, and I know he is. Every single day, not just on Sunday afternoons, every single day, God is speaking into your life. Would you tune in to his frequency? The frequency of the cross, the frequency of Jesus over my life. What does that cross mean to me? What is the cross? I've heard the story a million times. I've spoken about the story a million times, but what does that cross today mean for me and my life?

SPEAKER_02 47:23

What are you speaking to me today? What do you want me to know for today?

SPEAKER_01 47:29

Speak, Lord. I am listening. What do you want from me today? Give me the grace and the power to fulfill your call.

SPEAKER_02 47:49

Speak, Lord.

SPEAKER_01 47:53

I'm gonna shut everything out. I'm gonna turn everything off. I'm gonna fast from my phone. The world calls it detoxing. I'm gonna call it focusing on you, Jesus. Speak, Lord. You are the voice that we need in our lives. More than any other voice. More than any other thing, we need you. And we call on you. And we thank you. That you remain. And then quickly after Peter was interrupted by God, the Bible says that Watch this. When the disciples heard this, they heard the voice of God. They fell face down to the ground. There's that posture again. We talked a little bit about it last week. The posture of falling face down. Yet they fell face down. Terrified. Selvin, didn't you say that Jesus brings wonder and religion brings fear? Yet these men are terrified? Yeah, they were. They were incredibly terrified. But Jesus came and touched them. Get up. Do not be afraid. I just want to ask you. What religion on planet Earth is gonna say get up? Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid to carry this message. Don't be afraid to be a believer. Don't be afraid to stand up for your faith. Don't be afraid to speak the word of God into a coworker. Don't be afraid to pray for somebody, even though the government and society may say not to, but Jesus is the voice we need to hear.

SPEAKER_02 50:38

He is the voice. Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid.

SPEAKER_01 50:43

Share the gospel that's going to transform and change lives. The promise of God is personal. Yes, he's got personal promises for your life, a purpose, a great purpose for your life. But there's also a corporate promise for new life church. And that is to go out and preach, go out and teach, go out and evangelize, go out and bring people to church. And I want to invite you to stand to your feet. And I want to invite you to share with me the weight of this word in prayer, in fervent prayer. You know, there was a moment in the history of Moses' life where they're going into battle, and and as the enemy is approaching, Moses raises up his hands. And whenever he raises up his hands, uh the people of Israel gain more territory and gain more victory over their enemies. And so Moses realizes that as far as long as his hands are risen, then there's gonna be victory. But the day gets long and the voices are loud, and I'm tired, and I'm weary, and I don't know what next to do, but I'm just gonna raise my hands. And as he starts getting more tired and tired, his arms start coming down, and as his arms start coming down, the people of Israel start losing momentum, start losing ground, and the enemy starts gaining territory over them. And so Aaron comes in and her and they grab, they grab his arms.

SPEAKER_02 52:47

These two men come and lift up his arms, and as they lift up his arms, the people gain victory.

SPEAKER_01 52:57

And so today, especially today, I want to ask you to help raise up my arms in this prayer. Help me pray this over you and over your friends and over your family and over your coworkers and your neighbors and the people you wouldn't even think to invite to church. But pray this prayer with me. Join me in praying for interruption. God, interrupt even my own life, interrupt me, interrupt my own plans, the thoughts that I had, interrupt them, interrupt my time, interrupt my finances, interrupt my giving, interrupt my talents, interrupt my involvement in the church, or my lack of involvement in the church, interrupt my emotions, interrupt my feelings, interrupt my thoughts, interrupt my family, our plans. God, when you interrupt, when you interrupt, there is an element of fear that could be involved. Because we're not ready for the interruption, we're not ready to change a course.

SPEAKER_02 54:36

Oftentimes we are like these massive ships out at sea. It takes miles and kilometers on top of kilometers just to do a U-turn.

SPEAKER_01 54:48

God, would you interrupt us?

SPEAKER_02 54:53

That it wouldn't take time and distance, but that you would interrupt us now. That you would interrupt our lives today. God, interrupt our new life family today. The plans that you have for us as a church, interrupt them. Interrupt the plans that we may establish, interrupt our lives. Come and interrupt us today. Interrupt us. We invite you in. We shut out all the other voices in our lives right now. And we ask you to speak to us. We ask you to speak to us as we praise your name, speak to us, interrupt us.

SPEAKER_01 55:50

God, that interruption, that interruption might come with fear.

SPEAKER_02 55:59

But because we have a relationship with you, you say to us, fear not, fear not, do not be afraid. Stand to your feet and do not be afraid. Do not be afraid of my interrupting you, because my plans for you are to give you a future and a plan that you had no idea, that eyes did not see, nor hears have heard of the plans that I have for you, says the Lord.

SPEAKER_01 56:35

Do not fear his interruption, embrace it, cherish it, see him working in you. All things are made new. All things are made new in him. Let's sing this song, church. Let's sing, lead us in worship.