WEBVTT 00:00:02.080 --> 00:00:05.040 Welcome to the Celebration Church Orlando podcast. 00:00:05.200 --> 00:00:06.879 Thank you so much for listening today. 00:00:07.040 --> 00:00:09.439 We hope it encourages you and inspires you. 00:00:09.679 --> 00:00:10.720 Here's today's message. 00:00:11.039 --> 00:00:13.919 Hey church, thank you guys so much for joining us today. 00:00:14.000 --> 00:00:15.919 We're so, so glad that you're here. 00:00:16.079 --> 00:00:19.359 My hope and my prayer is that you've enjoyed your Christmas time. 00:00:19.440 --> 00:00:26.559 I pray that you spent some time with family and loved ones and friends and really and really got a sense of what this season is really all about. 00:00:26.719 --> 00:00:32.159 We've been preaching about this idea that Emmanuel, that God is with us, and that is what we have been celebrating. 00:00:32.240 --> 00:00:47.359 And it's actually something that we don't have to wait till a calendar date in order to celebrate it, that the life of a follower of a Christ is that we constantly celebrate the fact that God is with us, that that love is with us, that hope is with us, that salvation is with us, and that peace is with us. 00:00:47.520 --> 00:00:49.359 It's a great and exciting time. 00:00:49.759 --> 00:00:53.759 I truly do pray that you guys recognize that we are all here for a reason. 00:00:53.920 --> 00:01:01.520 I tron, I don't believe in coincidences, which means that if you're watching this, it's because God has sent you here, because he has something that he wants to speak to you. 00:01:01.600 --> 00:01:06.000 And I think the thing that determines what we get out of moments like this is our posture. 00:01:06.159 --> 00:01:12.719 So my prayer is this that we can have a posture that allows us to really position ourselves to hear closely what God wants to speak to us. 00:01:12.879 --> 00:01:22.159 If you have your Bibles, I want you to go ahead and get those, grab a hold of those, take a note and write down some things that I believe that God may want to speak to us to encourage us in this season. 00:01:22.480 --> 00:01:29.200 You know, for many, this is going to be our last message of the year, depending on when you're engaging this content. 00:01:29.280 --> 00:01:32.159 This is our last message of the year, and here's what that means. 00:01:32.319 --> 00:01:34.879 It's an opportunity for us to kind of evaluate. 00:01:34.959 --> 00:01:40.319 And as we know, there's a time for us to even begin to summarize what this year has been. 00:01:40.560 --> 00:01:43.280 And oh, what a year it has been. 00:01:43.519 --> 00:01:45.120 2020 20. 00:01:45.359 --> 00:01:49.760 This this year of this year of vision, this this year of great ideas. 00:01:49.840 --> 00:02:25.120 I actually went back and I began to look at my journal in the beginning of 2020, just looking at some of the ideas, some of the visions, some of the dreams that God had placed on my heart, looking at some of the messages that I preached in the beginning of the year, messages such as taking ground, believing that God was calling us to take our rightful place and advance the kingdom of God in our homes, advance the kingdom of God even in our personal walk and even in our community and globally, knowing that God is calling us to take ground and move forward and to build on momentum, these powerful thoughts and concepts that were meant to catapult us into a year of vision and opportunity. 00:02:25.439 --> 00:02:34.080 But as you know, March hits, and that's the year where, that's the time when the pandemic became a reality, and the way that we did church radically shifted. 00:02:34.159 --> 00:02:41.840 It put a magnifying glass on so many things and our culture, and it seemed as if everything came to a screeching halt. 00:02:42.080 --> 00:02:48.719 The ideas and the dreams and the visions that we may have had in the beginning of the year seemed as if they were all coming to an end. 00:02:48.960 --> 00:03:03.919 But oddly enough, as I take inventory of this year, and while it hasn't always been easy, and while there has certainly been its fair share of challenges, in its own unique way, I've seen how God has still been able to fulfill his vision through his people. 00:03:04.159 --> 00:03:18.479 This vision of wanting to not just be a God that people gather inside of a building on a Sunday and worship, but even the thing that was on our hearts in the beginning of the year is taking Jesus home with us, making sure that Jesus was actually present in our homes. 00:03:18.560 --> 00:03:25.680 What better way to do that than for us to start having to participate in church at home as a result of us not being able to gather in a way that we're supposed to? 00:03:25.840 --> 00:03:37.439 And we heard stories and testimonies about people who've prayed in their homes together with their families for the first time, and we've seen marriages restored because it caused people to spend time together and actually pray and process together. 00:03:37.520 --> 00:03:38.240 They took ground. 00:03:38.560 --> 00:03:48.319 I've heard stories of people that took ground even relationally in their community, with us being able to do outreaches and reach the people of God in creative ways that we never had intended on doing. 00:03:48.400 --> 00:03:54.719 And quite honestly, we want we might not have done it had not been for the condition and the season that we found ourselves in. 00:03:54.800 --> 00:04:00.240 I'm a firm believer that we look at seasons like this and we can see Romans 8.28 in action. 00:04:00.479 --> 00:04:06.960 The Bible says that God works all things together for the good of those who love him and who are called according to his purpose. 00:04:07.120 --> 00:04:08.319 Please don't misunderstand it. 00:04:08.400 --> 00:04:13.680 I'm not saying that every situation is good, but God knows how to work every situation for his good. 00:04:13.840 --> 00:04:19.600 What I want us to understand and put into our hearts that nothing is wasted when grace gets involved. 00:04:19.839 --> 00:04:26.160 And I think that sometimes for us, if we're honest with ourselves, we can look at this year and want to throw it away. 00:04:26.240 --> 00:04:32.240 I was looking at some of the hashtags and statements that people have made about 2020, and there are some emotions that I've shared. 00:04:32.319 --> 00:04:37.519 I've heard everything from throw away 2020, high 2020, let's move on for 2020. 00:04:37.680 --> 00:04:39.279 Wake me up when 2020 is over. 00:04:39.360 --> 00:04:48.720 And here, I understand all of that, but I think that the problem can be is that there's a lot of things that have happened in 2020 that God actually wanted to develop inside of us. 00:04:48.879 --> 00:05:00.160 There's a lot of things that God has shown us in 2020, and sometimes we could be in such a rush to get out of the season that we're in that we forget to bring the lessons that God wants us to utilize in the season that's to come. 00:05:00.399 --> 00:05:01.600 That's true, church. 00:05:01.759 --> 00:05:12.720 I believe that while this season has certainly been one that has been challenging and that has presented some levels of obstacles, that there is some wisdom that God wants us to bring with us into the next year. 00:05:13.040 --> 00:05:18.800 God works all things together for the good, that there's nothing wasted when grace is involved. 00:05:19.120 --> 00:05:22.079 But let's be real, it hasn't been easy. 00:05:22.399 --> 00:05:30.079 When talking with many in our community, I've asked the question of how would you describe this year in one word or in a simple phrase? 00:05:30.160 --> 00:05:34.240 And some of the statements that I got back, they varied as much as the people that I talked to. 00:05:34.560 --> 00:05:36.800 Here's a couple of the ones I want to share with us today. 00:05:37.040 --> 00:05:43.680 One of the ones said it was a devastating year for them, a year of setback and challenges. 00:05:44.079 --> 00:05:46.800 Another one told me that this was a year of challenges. 00:05:46.959 --> 00:05:49.360 It was a very challenging year for them. 00:05:49.680 --> 00:05:53.279 Other terms that were presented to me were it's been a frustrating year. 00:05:53.439 --> 00:05:56.399 It's been a year of filled with disappointments. 00:05:56.639 --> 00:06:04.560 But but how but however, there are other people that I've talked to, and some of them are the same people, have said that there's another thing that they've experienced as well. 00:06:04.720 --> 00:06:11.199 Others have said that that this has actually oddly been a fruitful year for them, that it's been a very productive year for them. 00:06:11.360 --> 00:06:16.879 It's been a year of growth, it's been a year of really like dialing in and getting clarity on some things. 00:06:17.040 --> 00:06:20.639 Another one said that this is a year that has been very eye-opening. 00:06:20.879 --> 00:06:22.959 Now that's something that I can relate to. 00:06:23.120 --> 00:06:31.759 In fact, I think if I were to put a theme around what I believe 2020 has been for me personally, I would certainly say that 2020 has probably been a year of revelation. 00:06:32.000 --> 00:06:33.600 So I guess it is a year of vision. 00:06:33.680 --> 00:06:38.560 And what I mean by that, it's revealed a lot about me that I probably didn't even know. 00:06:38.720 --> 00:06:41.920 And here's how you can say that this revelation came to pass. 00:06:42.079 --> 00:06:51.279 When the world is seemingly turned upside down and things begin to shake loose, you quickly are revealed to the things that are rooted in the kingdom and the things that are not. 00:06:51.439 --> 00:06:57.759 The things that that you that you planted and put into people instead of being being put into the person of Jesus Christ. 00:06:57.839 --> 00:07:07.519 And I believe that for all of us, that there's been some things that have been shaken out of our lives that have revealed to us that man, this was rooted, this was rooted in the kingdom, but this may have been rooted in something that wasn't. 00:07:07.680 --> 00:07:12.800 And I believe that this is a year that presented opportunities for us to grow and to develop from it. 00:07:13.120 --> 00:07:18.720 But this last friend that I talked to, he used a phrase that I think perfectly encapsulates all of this stuff. 00:07:18.959 --> 00:07:23.920 He said that 2020 for him has been a year of tension. 00:07:24.879 --> 00:07:26.800 A year of tension. 00:07:27.600 --> 00:07:28.800 I really do agree with that. 00:07:28.879 --> 00:07:30.560 That bears witness in my spirit. 00:07:30.800 --> 00:07:36.160 Because here's the thing it has had its challenges, but it's also had its moments of triumph. 00:07:36.319 --> 00:07:42.240 It's also had moments of success, and it's been a matter of being a year of tension. 00:07:42.399 --> 00:07:52.399 There's a passage in scripture, one of my favorite, I refer to it often, that really does a great job at presenting this tension that we all find ourselves living in from time to time. 00:07:52.560 --> 00:07:58.879 It's written by King Solomon, which he is documented as being the wisest man to ever walk on the face of the earth next to Jesus. 00:07:58.959 --> 00:08:07.920 And he shares with us in Ecclesiastes 3, again, one of my favorite passages of scripture to look to to get understanding about times and seasons, and this is what it says. 00:08:08.079 --> 00:08:14.639 Starting in verse number one, it says that there is an occasion for everything, a time for every activity under the sun. 00:08:15.199 --> 00:08:17.759 A time to give birth and a time to die. 00:08:17.920 --> 00:08:21.839 There's a tension there, a time to plant and a time to uproot. 00:08:22.240 --> 00:08:23.920 There's a tension that needs to be managed. 00:08:24.000 --> 00:08:28.000 There, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build up. 00:08:28.079 --> 00:08:39.840 There is a there's a tension there, a time to weep, and a time to laugh, a time to mourn, and a time to dance, a time to throw stones, and a time to gather stones, a time to embrace, and a time to avoid embracing. 00:08:40.799 --> 00:08:43.679 Sounds a lot like the pandemic, a time to avoid from embracing. 00:08:43.759 --> 00:08:44.879 Okay, we'll move on from that. 00:08:45.039 --> 00:08:45.360 Okay. 00:08:45.679 --> 00:09:01.679 A time to search and a time to count as loss, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to sow, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love, a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. 00:09:02.000 --> 00:09:09.039 What this passage of scripture is doing is it's actually describing this idea of tension. 00:09:09.600 --> 00:09:14.000 I believe that that's that's what my assignment is to talk to us today about. 00:09:14.240 --> 00:09:23.759 It's recognizing that that a lot of times that the things that we face are not problems exclusively to be solved, but they're tensions to be managed. 00:09:24.159 --> 00:09:28.399 Today I want to talk to us about this idea of managing the tension. 00:09:28.639 --> 00:09:29.120 Let's pray. 00:09:29.279 --> 00:09:30.720 God, I thank you so much for your word. 00:09:31.039 --> 00:09:32.000 I thank you for your people. 00:09:32.159 --> 00:09:39.200 God, I thank you that as challenging as it's been, Lord, you have brought us to the conclusion of 2020, and yet you still want to speak to us. 00:09:39.440 --> 00:09:48.559 So, Father, I just pray over the next few moments that you give us open eyes that we can see you, open ears that we can hear you, and open hearts to receive everything that you have for us. 00:09:48.720 --> 00:09:49.840 We give this time to you. 00:09:49.919 --> 00:09:52.080 It's in Jesus' name that we pray. 00:09:52.399 --> 00:09:53.039 Amen. 00:09:54.000 --> 00:10:02.320 You know, tension, tension is best defined as being a state of being where things are stretched tight. 00:10:02.480 --> 00:10:06.879 It can cause discomfort, it can be a strained condition, even at time. 00:10:07.039 --> 00:10:10.879 It's a moment where there's forces that are opposing one another. 00:10:11.039 --> 00:10:14.080 And here's the thing there's an appropriate amount of tension. 00:10:14.159 --> 00:10:17.600 And when there's an appropriate amount of tension, that brings about balance. 00:10:17.759 --> 00:10:20.480 Because where there is no tension, there's extremes. 00:10:20.639 --> 00:10:24.960 And we know anything about extremes is that when there's extremes, we can lose balance. 00:10:25.039 --> 00:10:30.879 So life is really not about being extreme, it's about managing the tensions that we find ourselves in. 00:10:31.200 --> 00:10:35.600 Here's a couple of examples of the tensions that need to be managed for all of us. 00:10:35.759 --> 00:10:43.759 Many of us are familiar with the story of Mary and Martha, the sisters, and that moment where they're sitting and serving in the household with Jesus. 00:10:44.000 --> 00:10:46.320 We know that Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus. 00:10:46.480 --> 00:10:49.200 Martha is working, and there's this tension that's presented. 00:10:49.440 --> 00:10:54.320 This tension of being productive or having a posture of sitting at the feet of Jesus. 00:10:54.559 --> 00:10:58.559 Technically, neither one is wrong, but we have to manage that tension. 00:10:58.639 --> 00:11:06.080 We have to make sure that we're productive so that we can have an adequate posture of receiving from Jesus, but it's a tension to be managed. 00:11:06.159 --> 00:11:12.159 We have another tension that can happen in our society, the tension of ambition or contentment. 00:11:12.799 --> 00:11:24.720 Man, like we want to be people that are that are filled with ambition, that are constantly looking for what's next, what's the next thing we can do, but but we also don't want to become so extreme that we stop being content with where we are. 00:11:24.960 --> 00:11:27.919 The Bible talks about the importance of being content. 00:11:28.080 --> 00:11:38.000 So this tension to manage is recognizing that God has given us dreams and we have to have ambition, both simultaneously recognize we have to manage the tension of being content with what God has given us. 00:11:38.159 --> 00:11:41.759 Another tension to manage is this idea of strategy versus spirit. 00:11:41.840 --> 00:11:49.919 And what I mean by that is there are times that we want to be so strategic, so analytical, and so driven by data, which is super important. 00:11:50.159 --> 00:11:56.240 But then there's moments where the spirit of God is leading us to do something that maybe we haven't construved a strategy for it yet. 00:11:56.480 --> 00:11:58.559 Either side can be extremes. 00:11:58.720 --> 00:12:03.440 We could be so spirit-filled and spirit-led that we have no practicality to implement it. 00:12:03.519 --> 00:12:05.919 Or we could be so practical, but there's no spirit in it. 00:12:06.080 --> 00:12:10.559 I think the beautiful image of this is in the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth. 00:12:10.720 --> 00:12:15.840 The Bible talks about how the earth was without form of void, but the spirit of God hovered over the face of the deep. 00:12:16.000 --> 00:12:18.720 That means that God's presence was there, his spirit was there. 00:12:18.879 --> 00:12:25.440 That hovering means that his presence was emanating all over that environment, but things were out of order. 00:12:25.600 --> 00:12:32.240 So God began to put things in order or bring strategy or structure so that his spirit had a place to land. 00:12:32.399 --> 00:12:38.240 The same can be said about when he created man, the Bible says that he created man from the dust of the ground, but there was no life in him. 00:12:38.639 --> 00:12:45.200 That creation of man is strategy, but then the breath of God comes in and breathes on that strategy and it becomes a living soul. 00:12:45.279 --> 00:12:57.759 It's a tension to manage to make sure that we're not so strategic that we don't have place for the spirit, but we're not so spiritual that we don't have a place where we can still allow the spirit to land, to cause reproduction. 00:12:58.000 --> 00:13:02.240 Another tension that we have to manage sometime is assignment versus fulfillment. 00:13:02.480 --> 00:13:09.919 Man, that's a tough one because we know that God has ordered our steps and that we all have a divine assignment that He's given us. 00:13:10.000 --> 00:13:34.320 But it also talks about how God says, delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart, that idea of being fulfilled, but there's a tension to be managed because if I go to the extreme of simply trying to do things that are looking for my fulfillment, that means that my feelings determine my peace and that I'm never content and I can find myself constantly moving on when I should learn to be at peace with my assignment. 00:13:34.399 --> 00:13:59.440 I think the tension to manage is recognizing my assignment and finding ways to be fulfilled, even in that assignment and fulfillment, this idea of faith and works, this attention to be managed, this idea of knowing that I need to have faith, but I also need to put some work in and the idea of knowing that I have to put my faith to work in order for me to adequately manage the tension, the tension of fight or flight. 00:14:00.000 --> 00:14:05.840 You can't fight about everything, but you can't run from everything, that there's a tension that needs to be managed. 00:14:06.080 --> 00:14:11.120 And where there is no tension, we find ourselves dealing with extremes. 00:14:11.360 --> 00:14:19.679 I want to shift into a narrative now that I believe beautifully highlights this idea of extremes and tensions, but how God still gets glorified through it. 00:14:20.000 --> 00:14:22.720 Ahab and Jezebel, they were extremes. 00:14:22.960 --> 00:14:31.759 If you look in the Bible about their story and 1 Kings, starting around uh chapter 16, we're introduced to these characters, and let me tell you something about them. 00:14:32.000 --> 00:14:37.440 The Bible says that that they were more wicked than any other king that had come before them. 00:14:37.600 --> 00:14:42.879 Ahab was a king, and he had led the people of God to worship Baal. 00:14:43.679 --> 00:14:47.120 He had led the people to worship the Asherah Poles. 00:14:47.200 --> 00:14:49.360 In other words, to find resources beyond God. 00:14:49.519 --> 00:14:50.480 Hear what I'm saying. 00:14:50.639 --> 00:14:56.720 It wasn't that the people stumbled upon it, it wasn't that the people found themselves compromising. 00:14:56.879 --> 00:15:02.879 No, they led them to a path to act contrary to the nature of God. 00:15:03.039 --> 00:15:10.000 And as a result of that, the Bible says that God was more angry at Hahab than he had ever been with anyone else. 00:15:10.240 --> 00:15:14.080 That's a that's a heck of a thing to have on a resume. 00:15:14.320 --> 00:15:25.200 To be known as the individual that brought compromise and desolation into the hearts of God's people in such a way that they could not distinguish righteousness and truth anymore. 00:15:25.279 --> 00:15:34.000 They could not distinguish what was the will of God and what was the will of man anymore, that they were led to a place of being completely deceived and it broke the heart of God. 00:15:34.399 --> 00:15:37.279 But the beautiful thing about God is that he doesn't leave us there. 00:15:37.440 --> 00:15:43.679 He doesn't leave us in this place because it gives birth to the ministry of a man that I want to spend the rest of our time talking about. 00:15:43.840 --> 00:15:47.279 It gives birth to the ministry of this man named Elijah. 00:15:47.519 --> 00:15:56.720 Now, Elijah, he was a man who was well acquainted with tension, that he was a miracle-working prophet, and he burst on a scene in 1 Kings 17. 00:15:56.799 --> 00:16:00.720 We don't hear anything about him or know anything about him prior to that. 00:16:00.960 --> 00:16:03.679 His life is profoundly impactful. 00:16:03.840 --> 00:16:15.279 He became the model of what does it mean to be a passionate follower of God who was willing to go up against culture and face and face insurmountable odds for the benefit of the kingdom of God. 00:16:15.440 --> 00:16:23.360 This is what Elijah's life was marked by, but we can't help but to notice that his life and his ministry was birthed out of necessity. 00:16:23.519 --> 00:16:38.159 That he had this tension that needed to be resolved because the world that he lived in was so wicked, it was so broken that it activated something on the inside of him that compelled him to step into a space that allowed him to fulfill what he was ultimately called to do. 00:16:38.720 --> 00:16:43.840 See, I believe that this year is a year where we've had to navigate and manage tensions. 00:16:44.080 --> 00:16:46.000 And as I said earlier, we're not careful. 00:16:46.080 --> 00:16:51.279 We'll we'll want to quickly escape this year, but but miss the wisdom and the things that God has done through us in it. 00:16:51.440 --> 00:17:04.240 And I believe if we can look at the highlight reels of Elijah's life, that we can probably extract some things that he was able to do as a result of the tensions that he managed, that I think we can take with us into 2021. 00:17:04.400 --> 00:17:07.279 I want you to write these things down because I think it can be encouraging for you. 00:17:07.440 --> 00:17:11.839 Here's the first thing I want you to write down that tension activates calling. 00:17:12.079 --> 00:17:15.279 That tension, it can sometimes activate calling. 00:17:15.359 --> 00:17:34.240 In 1 Kings chapter 17, verse number one, it says, Now Elijah the Tishbite from the Gilead settlers said to Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel lives, in whom presence I stand, there will be no dew or rain during these years, except at my command. 00:17:34.559 --> 00:17:36.079 Catch that for a moment. 00:17:36.640 --> 00:17:58.960 That that Elijah, after seeing the broken condition, that Elijah, after seeing that, that Ahab, that after seeing Jezebel, that after they led the people of God to worship resources and people and things and getting a vision of how their life could be fulfilled beyond God, that he steps into their home. 00:17:59.279 --> 00:18:10.240 Imagine the boldness of him stepping into their court and saying, as the Lord God lives, that we're gonna shut up, we're gonna shut the heavens up, and there will be no more rain until I say so. 00:18:10.480 --> 00:18:19.680 You see, for Elijah, I wonder, I wonder what his life would have looked like or what his calling would have looked like if Ahab and Jezebel weren't so terrible. 00:18:19.839 --> 00:18:36.720 But but somehow, as a result of the life that they were living and the way they were leading God's people, it activated something on the inside of him that compelled him to speak up, that compelled him to get involved, that compelled him to recognize that I need to bring balance to the craziness that we see in this world. 00:18:36.880 --> 00:18:59.920 What an amazing thing that that Elijah, that not only did he cause there to be no more rain for the next three years to truly show that God was the sustainer and provider of all life, that he also like single-handedly took down the false prophets, that this man provided some of the most incredible miracles in the Old Testament, and it was all birthed out of famine, it was all birthed out of tension. 00:19:00.240 --> 00:19:03.519 Imagine his life if that tension and those problems weren't there. 00:19:03.680 --> 00:19:08.240 I believe that seasons of tension can sometimes activate calling and purpose. 00:19:08.880 --> 00:19:15.599 For some of us this year, it has activated passions and convictions inside of us that we didn't even know that we had. 00:19:15.920 --> 00:19:34.720 As a result of the world that we find ourselves in, that people have been speaking up and being passionate about topics that they never knew were near and dear to their heart, but as a result of being faced with a world that seem to be accepting of things that are so contrary to the nature and kingdom of God that has caused people to step up and say, I need to give my voice to this. 00:19:34.960 --> 00:19:43.359 I've seen people that have that have their eyes have been opened up and they know that God has called them to be the solution to a problem, and so they're stepping into it by launching a business. 00:19:43.519 --> 00:19:52.160 I've seen people that have recognized some of the discrepancies that they see in society, and so God is leading them to go back to school so they can get the education to be a part of the solution. 00:19:52.319 --> 00:20:03.759 I've seen people who have become more vocal and about racism and being an anti-racist than they ever have in their life because somehow this season has opened their eyes to something that they knew that they needed to give their voice to. 00:20:04.000 --> 00:20:12.559 I know that sometimes we want to move quickly on from the pain that we endure, but don't forget to bring the lesson and the wisdom of the fact that God will activate something in seasons like this. 00:20:12.720 --> 00:20:18.559 That moments of tension can often give birth to ideas and anointing that we didn't even know that was inside of us. 00:20:18.640 --> 00:20:29.519 That sometime the tension and the pressing is necessary in order for us to tap into the calling that's only inside of us, that that tension can sometimes activate our calling. 00:20:29.839 --> 00:20:34.160 But there's another thing that can happen as a result of the tensions that we find ourselves in. 00:20:34.319 --> 00:20:38.640 That tensions, it revolves it it reveals our vulnerabilities. 00:20:39.119 --> 00:20:42.720 And man, do we have some vulnerabilities. 00:20:43.039 --> 00:21:07.680 When we when we look at the world that we're living in right now, if I think that 2020 has done anything, it is it has revealed just how vulnerable we all are, how vulnerable some of our relationships are, how vulnerable some of our financial situations are, that when things get tweaked and we're not able to function the way that we're used to functioning, it reveals just how vulnerable we are. 00:21:07.839 --> 00:21:12.000 It even reveals just how vulnerable some of our relationships are. 00:21:12.240 --> 00:21:23.839 I'm speaking of instances where as a result of this climate that we live in, there are people that are like, man, like man, me and this individual we're really close friends until someone openly sides with a political candidate. 00:21:23.920 --> 00:21:30.880 And then it reveals just how vulnerable that friendship is because now that I know that you support this person, then that means you think this way. 00:21:30.960 --> 00:21:33.440 And now it makes me question whether or not we can be friends. 00:21:33.519 --> 00:21:36.720 It's it's revealing just how vulnerable our friendships are. 00:21:37.200 --> 00:21:40.480 It reveals how vulnerable even our resources are. 00:21:41.279 --> 00:21:51.920 Man, that there's some time when you didn't even have to think about finances because you had such a job that that seemed to be so stable that there was no possibility there could ever be anything that disrupts it. 00:21:52.000 --> 00:21:59.759 But then when we find ourselves in a season where we can't gather the way that we used to, we can't do what we used to do, that you now realize that now that. 00:22:00.319 --> 00:22:02.480 I may not be defined as an essential worker. 00:22:02.720 --> 00:22:06.640 I may not be defined as a person whose role is pertinent and how is that going to affect me? 00:22:06.720 --> 00:22:09.200 And it's revealed just how vulnerable we are. 00:22:09.359 --> 00:22:12.960 It's even revealed how vulnerable the church is. 00:22:13.200 --> 00:22:15.839 I'm not talking about the kingdom of God, Capital C church. 00:22:15.920 --> 00:22:25.200 I'm talking about the local church, the local church that has, for years, that has benefited from people gathering together, lifting up the name of Jesus in community together. 00:22:25.440 --> 00:22:34.559 But the moment that that was hit, it caused us to scatter, to scramble, to do our best to try to tighten our community, and it reveals to us that we were strong when we're together. 00:22:34.640 --> 00:22:42.400 But what happens when we are we are forced to scatter, even as they were in the early church, it reveals just how vulnerable we are. 00:22:42.720 --> 00:22:54.160 You see, for Elijah, this man who was filled with such boldness and such conviction and whose calling was activated as a result of this tension, he was also a man who had some vulnerabilities. 00:23:04.240 --> 00:23:09.119 He allowed it to stop reigning through the word that God had given him that Elijah was very effective. 00:23:09.359 --> 00:23:13.440 Elijah had done and how he had killed the prophets with the sword. 00:23:13.519 --> 00:23:23.599 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah saying, May the gods punish me and do ever so severely if I don't make your life like one of the ones that you've killed by this time tomorrow. 00:23:23.759 --> 00:23:28.000 Then Elijah became afraid and immediately ran for his life. 00:23:28.160 --> 00:23:32.480 And when he came to Beersheba that belonged to Judah, he left his servant there. 00:23:32.640 --> 00:23:35.039 But he went on a day's journey into the wilderness. 00:23:35.200 --> 00:23:39.039 He sat down under a broom tree and prayed that he might die. 00:23:39.200 --> 00:23:40.000 Watch these words. 00:23:40.160 --> 00:23:42.880 He said, I have had enough. 00:23:43.759 --> 00:23:45.039 I have had enough. 00:23:45.279 --> 00:23:50.640 And I know that there have been times where I've been tempted to utter out those very same words. 00:23:50.799 --> 00:23:52.160 Man, I have had enough. 00:23:52.240 --> 00:23:53.359 And this is what Elijah says. 00:23:53.440 --> 00:23:56.720 He said, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors. 00:23:56.880 --> 00:23:59.119 He says, I have I have nothing else to give. 00:23:59.359 --> 00:24:00.559 Think about this for a moment. 00:24:00.720 --> 00:24:10.480 After successfully defeating these false prophets, Elijah is made aware that Jezebel has issued a death sentence on him and he is completely deflated. 00:24:10.640 --> 00:24:16.720 He flees into the wilderness, he sits under a tree, and he literally begs for death. 00:24:17.039 --> 00:24:24.000 This is a far cry from the man who boldly walked into the king's court and uttered the words of God with such conviction. 00:24:24.160 --> 00:24:30.000 This is a far cry from the man that God had given this vision of being a person who can make impact. 00:24:30.079 --> 00:24:36.720 This is a far cry from the man that was able to do some incredible miracles, such as feeding and even bringing people back to life. 00:24:36.880 --> 00:24:41.279 This is a far cry from a man whose ministry was activated as a result of tension. 00:24:41.359 --> 00:24:50.079 But when he faces resistance in the form of a death threat, he runs for his life and it revealed just how vulnerable he really was. 00:24:50.960 --> 00:24:53.440 Elijah was no longer in control. 00:24:53.920 --> 00:24:57.920 And it exposed a fear for him that many of us have. 00:24:58.319 --> 00:25:05.839 When he realized that things were out of control, it revealed a vulnerability that he didn't even know existed. 00:25:06.079 --> 00:25:12.799 And I suspect for some of us that this season has revealed a vulnerability that we didn't even know existed. 00:25:12.960 --> 00:25:19.119 Things that we thought were strong, things that we thought were stable, things that we thought were secure, that has revealed a fear. 00:25:19.279 --> 00:25:20.480 It's revealed a concern. 00:25:20.559 --> 00:25:21.839 It's revealed a burden. 00:25:22.000 --> 00:25:28.720 It's revealed areas where we've gotten to a point where we feel exhausted and deflated in the same way that Elijah did. 00:25:28.960 --> 00:25:31.039 However, I want to encourage us with something. 00:25:31.200 --> 00:25:33.680 That where there is tension, there is growth. 00:25:33.839 --> 00:25:36.480 Where there is resistance, there is development. 00:25:36.640 --> 00:25:40.559 It doesn't always feel good, but it can certainly lead to some great things. 00:25:40.799 --> 00:25:46.799 The thing about tests is they reveal where we're strong, but it also reveals the areas that we need to send reinforcement. 00:25:46.960 --> 00:25:48.960 It reveals the area that we need to get some strength. 00:25:49.119 --> 00:25:51.839 It reveals the areas that we know that we're still vulnerable. 00:25:52.000 --> 00:25:58.079 Here's the thing about vulnerability: vulnerability, it should lead to humility, and then humility should lead us to stability. 00:25:58.240 --> 00:25:59.680 And this is how we get stable. 00:25:59.839 --> 00:26:05.119 Sometimes the best way to get stability into your life is to simply lower your center of gravity. 00:26:05.200 --> 00:26:16.079 I'm talking about when we get into a posture of praying, it allows us to lower our center of gravity so that as things are shaking, we don't lose our balance so easily because we find ourselves rooted in the things of God. 00:26:16.240 --> 00:26:24.720 I believe that this season has brought us to a place where we recognize our vulnerability, but it also produced humility that has put us in a place where I'm now on my knees. 00:26:24.799 --> 00:26:33.039 I'm lowering my center of gravity and I'm allowing myself to get in a posture where I can hear and receive and trust in the person and presence of God. 00:26:33.200 --> 00:26:44.079 Please understand that this may be a season that there's been some vulnerability that's been exposed, but it gives birth to humility, and God is bringing stability to it because God knows how to send you resources. 00:26:44.319 --> 00:26:46.240 He knows how to send you support. 00:26:46.400 --> 00:26:56.079 When Elijah was sitting under that tree, the angel of the Lord came before him and said, It's time for you to get up, it's time for you to get something to eat, it's time for you to drink because God is not done with you yet. 00:26:56.240 --> 00:26:59.680 I'm not sure who I'm talking to right now, so let me say it to this camera right here. 00:26:59.920 --> 00:27:01.359 God is not done with you yet. 00:27:01.440 --> 00:27:06.720 That you may be feeling like you're sitting under a tree, and you may be saying, like Elijah, I can't take it anymore. 00:27:06.880 --> 00:27:08.240 I can't deal with this anymore. 00:27:08.400 --> 00:27:09.200 I need to move on. 00:27:09.359 --> 00:27:11.279 This is not something that I signed up for. 00:27:11.440 --> 00:27:15.759 But the angel of the Lord brought a message to Elijah and says, Man, you need to eat something. 00:27:15.920 --> 00:27:18.240 You need to begin to nourish yourself on the word of God. 00:27:18.400 --> 00:27:30.960 Don't allow yourself to get nourishing on fear, don't nourish yourself on doubt, don't nourish yourself on anxiety, but you begin to nourish yourself on the word of God and allow the water of the word to be the thing that washes over you because God is not done with you yet. 00:27:31.119 --> 00:27:33.920 I'm talking to somebody right now, and you feel like giving up. 00:27:34.079 --> 00:27:37.680 You feel like giving in that 2020 has brought hell to your doors. 00:27:37.759 --> 00:27:41.839 But I want to let you know that heaven is on the inside of you and God is not done with you yet. 00:27:42.000 --> 00:27:43.039 Don't you dare give up. 00:27:43.200 --> 00:27:44.240 Don't you dare give in. 00:27:44.400 --> 00:27:45.599 God is not done with you yet. 00:27:45.680 --> 00:27:49.599 You may see some areas where you're vulnerable, but God is sending reinforcements to you. 00:27:49.839 --> 00:27:51.839 He is not done with you yet. 00:27:52.559 --> 00:27:54.559 God's not done with you yet. 00:27:54.880 --> 00:28:03.200 That we may recognize that we are vulnerable, but there are some reinforcements that are coming your way, and that God knows how to meet you exactly where you are. 00:28:03.359 --> 00:28:09.200 Here's the third and final thing that I think that this season has produced in some of us as it relates to tension. 00:28:09.680 --> 00:28:12.559 Tension brings us closer to God. 00:28:13.839 --> 00:28:16.079 Tension that can bring us closer to God. 00:28:16.720 --> 00:28:20.799 1 Kings 19, verse number 9. 00:28:21.200 --> 00:28:25.599 He being Elijah, he entered the cave there and spent the night. 00:28:26.000 --> 00:28:32.480 Suddenly, the word of the Lord came to him and he said to him, What are you doing here, Elijah? 00:28:34.240 --> 00:28:35.920 What are you doing here, Elijah? 00:28:37.119 --> 00:28:44.160 Elijah was in a cave, he was hiding, and God speaks to him and he asks him his this question. 00:28:44.720 --> 00:28:46.319 What are you doing here? 00:28:46.960 --> 00:28:48.640 What are you doing here, Elijah? 00:28:48.960 --> 00:28:51.039 Because here is not the place that I need you. 00:28:51.119 --> 00:28:53.839 There's a there's a there that I'm trying to send you to. 00:28:53.920 --> 00:28:55.279 What are you doing here? 00:28:56.160 --> 00:29:00.799 He tells Elijah to get up and to go and stand in his presence. 00:29:01.119 --> 00:29:02.480 What a beautiful image. 00:29:02.720 --> 00:29:09.680 That as this man is fearful, deflated, lacking direction, exhausted, ready to give in. 00:29:09.920 --> 00:29:19.839 That God speaks to him and he says to him, What I need you to do, your next step, is I need you to get up and I need you to stand in my presence. 00:29:20.240 --> 00:29:39.359 This is where that powerful story is told of how God appears and gives him this image of wind blowing, and it says that God wasn't in the wind, of the earth shaking and God wasn't in the earthquake, that of fire coming and God wasn't in the fire, and mountains moving and God wasn't in that. 00:29:39.519 --> 00:29:47.680 In other words, everything that I just described are the ways that God appeared before Moses when they were in the wilderness. 00:29:48.319 --> 00:29:56.079 He was saying a message that, Elijah, the way that I interacted with Moses is not the way that I'm gonna interact with you, that I'm actually gonna deal with you a little bit differently. 00:29:56.160 --> 00:29:57.920 I'm gonna do a new thing in you. 00:29:58.559 --> 00:30:03.920 Without even knowing it, that he was actually reconciling comparison that we all can struggle with. 00:30:04.079 --> 00:30:10.319 Because for some of us, we're like, man, like that individual, man, like, man, they they pray fire down, and God's like, I'm not asking you to do that. 00:30:10.400 --> 00:30:12.160 That's not how I'm gonna deal with you. 00:30:12.640 --> 00:30:18.000 But he says that Elijah, I'm gonna speak to you in a still small voice. 00:30:18.319 --> 00:30:22.319 That still small voice is a reflection of I'm whispering. 00:30:22.559 --> 00:30:25.920 You can hear me because I'm so close to you. 00:30:26.640 --> 00:30:41.519 See, this season where Elijah was acting on behalf of God, where Elijah had done some incredible things on behalf of God, was now at a place where he was drawing closer to God and he could actually hear the whisper, the still small voice of God. 00:30:42.240 --> 00:30:46.640 I realize that this season has presented opportunities for it to activate calling for us. 00:30:46.799 --> 00:30:57.920 I realize that this season has been also one that's revealed vulnerabilities, but I believe that this season has also been one that's been creating opportunities for us to see just how close God is to us. 00:30:58.240 --> 00:31:00.160 God knows how to provide. 00:31:00.400 --> 00:31:02.240 I've talked with many in our community. 00:31:02.480 --> 00:31:07.359 Some of you that are watching right now, that have lost your job but yet God has provided. 00:31:07.599 --> 00:31:13.759 I'm talking to many in our community right now that have lost their friends but yet God has provided what they needed. 00:31:14.000 --> 00:31:27.119 It's amazing how in these seasons of intense tension that pushes us beyond our comfort zone, that the things that are not rooted in the kingdom, the things that kind of get shaken out, the things that that we no longer have a hold of, that God makes sure there's no lack. 00:31:27.279 --> 00:31:29.359 He knows exactly how to meet us where we are. 00:31:29.440 --> 00:31:34.480 And it's the testimony that comes from that that reveals to us that God truly is with me. 00:31:34.559 --> 00:31:40.160 I believe that moments of tension, they actually reveal to us just how close God is. 00:31:40.319 --> 00:31:53.759 And my hope is that as we conclude this year and we consider the journey we've been on, everything that we've endured, what we've walked through up to this point, that we don't lose the wisdom and the experiences that we've got from 2020. 00:31:53.920 --> 00:31:59.039 That the truth of the matter is this is that God has been with us the entire time. 00:31:59.200 --> 00:32:05.519 It's been tension, but that tension has activated calling and passion and opened our eyes to things that we didn't even know was there. 00:32:05.599 --> 00:32:11.279 That tension has revealed vulnerabilities, but God knew how to cover those vulnerabilities and send us resources. 00:32:11.440 --> 00:32:14.640 But it's also shown us just how close God is. 00:32:15.039 --> 00:32:17.119 God will never leave you nor forsake you. 00:32:17.279 --> 00:32:20.400 And if you're listening to this, that's evidence that you have survived. 00:32:20.640 --> 00:32:22.079 That's evidence that God is with you. 00:32:22.160 --> 00:32:25.599 The enemy has hit you with his best shot and you are still here. 00:32:25.759 --> 00:32:28.640 That means that God is not done with you yet. 00:32:29.680 --> 00:32:36.000 On these two occasions, when God is speaking to Elijah, he says to him, What are you doing here? 00:32:36.160 --> 00:32:37.680 He says it to him twice. 00:32:38.160 --> 00:32:47.680 I think the point is that he recognized that for all of us, we must evaluate where we are so that we can set the journey for where we're called to go. 00:32:47.920 --> 00:32:51.519 And I believe that God is calling all of us to take a step forward. 00:32:51.759 --> 00:32:54.799 That God is calling all of us to move forward. 00:32:55.039 --> 00:32:59.680 That God gives Elijah instructions to go and anoint three people. 00:33:00.000 --> 00:33:02.559 He tells him how to move forward. 00:33:02.960 --> 00:33:04.960 This is who I'm talking to right now. 00:33:05.200 --> 00:33:07.119 That God is not done with you yet. 00:33:07.440 --> 00:33:09.200 He's asking, what are you doing here? 00:33:09.440 --> 00:33:11.759 Because there's a there that I need you to go to. 00:33:12.000 --> 00:33:13.599 I'm going to give you some instructions. 00:33:13.680 --> 00:33:14.960 There's some next steps for you. 00:33:15.039 --> 00:33:17.839 There's some things and some people that I need you to interact with. 00:33:18.079 --> 00:33:20.240 There's some there's some people that I need you to pray for. 00:33:20.319 --> 00:33:21.920 There's some people that I need you to develop. 00:33:22.079 --> 00:33:24.559 There's some people that I'm calling you to still impact. 00:33:24.720 --> 00:33:25.440 What are you doing here? 00:33:25.519 --> 00:33:30.160 Because there's a next step that God's desire for all of us is to move forward. 00:33:30.640 --> 00:33:37.599 As we go into this new year, my hope and my prayer can be that we recognize that God is not done with me yet. 00:33:37.759 --> 00:33:46.559 I survived 2020 and there's wisdom and experiences I'm bringing with me, and I'm going to take that into my next assignment as God is calling me to go into this next year. 00:33:46.880 --> 00:33:52.079 I'm not sure who I'm talking to right now, but maybe your testimony is similar to that of Elijah. 00:33:52.319 --> 00:33:53.599 Lord, I've had enough. 00:33:53.839 --> 00:33:54.480 I'm done. 00:33:54.559 --> 00:33:56.799 I I don't even I don't even know what to do. 00:33:57.039 --> 00:33:58.319 I want you to pause. 00:33:58.559 --> 00:33:59.759 I want you to breathe. 00:33:59.920 --> 00:34:05.599 I want you to posture yourself in a way that you can hear from God and recognize He is not done with you yet. 00:34:05.920 --> 00:34:07.200 Manage the tension. 00:34:07.519 --> 00:34:13.039 There's been some challenges that we've faced, but God has birthed calling and passions inside of us. 00:34:13.199 --> 00:34:19.599 He's revealed vulnerabilities, but he's sending reinforcements, and he is still close to us, and he's not done with us just yet. 00:34:20.559 --> 00:34:24.079 Wherever you are, God is not done with you yet. 00:34:24.320 --> 00:34:25.280 Let me pray for us. 00:34:25.519 --> 00:34:36.480 Lord, I'm so thankful that you are not done with us yet, that your word declares that you will never leave us nor forsake us, and that we have calling and purpose and destiny for our lives. 00:34:36.639 --> 00:34:51.119 And while this year may be of one that has been wrecked with challenges and oppositions and frustrations and disappointment, there's also been the tension of recognizing that you've activated something on the inside of us, that you reveal to us the areas that we need to lean on you more. 00:34:51.199 --> 00:34:53.920 And God, that you are right next to us the entire time. 00:34:54.159 --> 00:35:08.320 Father, in the name of Jesus, I pray for our community, that every vulnerability that has been exposed to us, God, that we lower our sinner of gravity, that we pray that we seek your face, we humble ourselves, God, so that we can experience the stability that you have for us. 00:35:08.480 --> 00:35:10.079 Lord, I pray for our community. 00:35:10.239 --> 00:35:11.519 I pray for our peace of mind. 00:35:11.760 --> 00:35:17.360 I pray for our hearts, Lord, that we can posture ourselves in such a way that we can experience everything that you have for us. 00:35:17.519 --> 00:35:18.880 You are not done with us yet. 00:35:18.960 --> 00:35:21.519 That 2020 was rough, but it wasn't a waste. 00:35:21.679 --> 00:35:27.199 That nothing is wasted when grace is involved, and we believe that you're gonna redeem and work all things together for the good. 00:35:27.280 --> 00:35:34.639 We're gonna take the winds with us into 2021, the wisdom and everything that you shared with us, knowing that it's gonna help us to help others. 00:35:34.800 --> 00:35:36.639 It's in Jesus' name that we pray. 00:35:36.880 --> 00:35:37.519 Amen. 00:35:37.920 --> 00:35:39.119 God bless you, church. 00:35:39.280 --> 00:35:39.760 I love you. 00:35:39.920 --> 00:35:47.599 I cannot wait to worship with you next week, where we're actually going to be doing part two of this message once Elijah moves on and what God had called him to do. 00:35:47.760 --> 00:35:48.960 I can't wait to see you then. 00:35:49.119 --> 00:35:50.480 Merry Christmas, Happy New Year. 00:35:50.559 --> 00:35:51.679 I'll see you next week. 00:35:52.079 --> 00:35:53.199 Thanks again for listening. 00:35:53.360 --> 00:35:55.039 We hope you enjoyed today's message. 00:35:55.199 --> 00:35:59.440 We'd love for you to subscribe to our podcast and review and share what you've heard today. 00:35:59.599 --> 00:36:05.360 If you'd like more content like this, or you'd like to connect with us, go to celebrationorl.org. 00:36:05.519 --> 00:36:07.039 We hope you join us next time.