WEBVTT 00:01:42.959 --> 00:01:45.920 Hey, happy birthday awakening. 00:01:46.319 --> 00:01:48.000 Great to be with you. 00:01:48.159 --> 00:01:52.079 It is hard to believe that it's been nine years. 00:01:52.159 --> 00:01:54.719 In some ways, it's like it feels like it's been longer. 00:01:54.959 --> 00:02:00.560 In other ways, it feels like it just uh it was just a few days ago. 00:02:00.799 --> 00:02:07.519 Now, here's something for those who are new to our church and our community, like um what we do during our time. 00:02:07.680 --> 00:02:12.400 Every time we uh celebrate a birthday for the last nine years, we gather as one church. 00:02:12.560 --> 00:02:15.439 We normally have two services and we gather as one church. 00:02:15.599 --> 00:02:19.039 I love seeing everybody all the way back out by the cafeteria. 00:02:19.120 --> 00:02:24.879 It's amazing because it's just awesome to get to see the entire body together. 00:02:25.039 --> 00:02:27.759 And then I you probably noticed this pool in front of me. 00:02:27.919 --> 00:02:31.520 We have a jacuzzi um every single time. 00:02:31.599 --> 00:02:39.840 Uh we have baptisms every single time because nothing better visualizes our vision than baptism. 00:02:40.560 --> 00:02:49.680 People coming publicly identifying as followers of Jesus, saying from this day forward, I'm stepping into the waters and walking with you. 00:02:50.319 --> 00:02:57.840 Um, our vision is to awaken this generation to new life in Christ, and the waters of baptism represent that so well. 00:02:57.919 --> 00:03:03.360 And then the other thing, and it's a core value of ours that we do, um, is we party. 00:03:03.680 --> 00:03:08.159 One of our core values as a church is to party, is to celebrate. 00:03:08.319 --> 00:03:08.879 Amen. 00:03:09.039 --> 00:03:09.680 Anybody? 00:03:10.000 --> 00:03:10.639 Amen. 00:03:11.039 --> 00:03:22.479 I love um, I love uh I was just talking to this uh Veronica who's uh new on our uh kids ministry team, and she's like, I've been a lot part of a lot of churches. 00:03:22.639 --> 00:03:25.520 I've never seen a church party like this, church. 00:03:25.840 --> 00:03:26.800 I love that. 00:03:27.039 --> 00:03:36.560 I mean, any excuse honestly we can have to throw a party, we're gonna throw a party uh together, and we throw a party every single uh birthday. 00:03:36.719 --> 00:03:39.840 In fact, the sermon title today is party people. 00:03:40.159 --> 00:03:40.560 Hello. 00:03:40.639 --> 00:03:43.039 Um, would you go ahead and just say that to somebody next to you? 00:03:43.120 --> 00:03:45.120 Hey, party person or party people? 00:03:47.680 --> 00:03:48.879 Did that work? 00:03:50.479 --> 00:03:52.400 Can you kind of look at them go, party person? 00:03:52.560 --> 00:03:52.960 Party people? 00:03:53.120 --> 00:03:54.080 Are we are are we in? 00:03:54.159 --> 00:03:55.439 Are we gonna do this? 00:03:55.919 --> 00:04:04.000 And for those of you, uh Christina made mention of this that think about this, like, why in the world does a church throw a birthday party? 00:04:04.240 --> 00:04:05.520 Isn't that weird? 00:04:06.000 --> 00:04:10.960 You know, wouldn't it be more appropriate to have an anniversary and some of these things? 00:04:11.120 --> 00:04:15.439 Uh during our service, a sermon, I want to kind of answer that question. 00:04:15.599 --> 00:04:17.120 Like, why do we party together? 00:04:17.279 --> 00:04:22.399 Why isn't actually a core value celebration of ours? 00:04:22.639 --> 00:04:34.240 And I want to ask maybe a deeper or even a better question for us to wrestle with today is how do we become a joy-filled church in the midst of a joy-sucking world? 00:04:34.639 --> 00:04:37.680 Like, how do we become a joy-filled church? 00:04:37.839 --> 00:04:47.040 Like, wouldn't it be amazing when people think of awakening when think people think of our church when they encounter, like, I don't know a whole lot about that church, but they're filled with joy. 00:04:47.279 --> 00:04:49.519 Like, I just love being around them. 00:04:49.600 --> 00:04:51.360 They're they just overflow with joy. 00:04:51.519 --> 00:05:00.160 You know, the scripture says the joy of the Lord is our strength, and in the presence of God is the fullness of joy. 00:05:00.480 --> 00:05:06.639 Like, like we're just so in the presence of God that we exude joy everywhere. 00:05:06.720 --> 00:05:10.879 And then the reality is we live in a joy-sucking world, right? 00:05:11.360 --> 00:05:20.000 Now, maybe two or three years ago, not everyone would say, yeah, the world's joy-sucking, but today we all go, yeah, it sucks. 00:05:20.160 --> 00:05:32.800 Um, you turn on the news, uh, you look at what's happening in our nation, um, second wave of whatever we thought the pandemic was closing and it's doing, you know, its own uh, you know, revival. 00:05:32.879 --> 00:05:34.399 And we're like, no, thank you. 00:05:34.639 --> 00:05:41.439 Um how do we become a joy-filled church in the midst of a joy-seeking world? 00:05:41.600 --> 00:05:49.600 In our time together, I want to give us one singular practice for us to become a joy-filled church. 00:05:49.680 --> 00:05:57.519 It's gonna help us, and it's a practice that actually wages war against the joy-suckiness of this world. 00:05:57.759 --> 00:06:05.920 One spiritual practice, and the practice is simply this: it is the spiritual discipline of celebration. 00:06:06.240 --> 00:06:07.519 Now you heard me, right? 00:06:07.759 --> 00:06:13.040 Spiritual discipline, most of us never think about celebration and discipline in the same word. 00:06:13.279 --> 00:06:21.600 The spiritual disciplines, see, spiritual disciplines help us grow in our relationship with God to become more like Jesus. 00:06:21.759 --> 00:06:24.959 They're systematic habitual practices. 00:06:25.759 --> 00:06:33.759 When you talk about spiritual disciplines, there are two types of spiritual disciplines, the discipline of abstinence and the disciplines of engagement. 00:06:34.000 --> 00:06:39.519 Abstinence, think about this, is you know, abstaining from things, silence, solitude, fasting. 00:06:39.839 --> 00:06:46.959 In a world that's nonstop, then a world of go, man, our soul so often needs a no, doesn't it? 00:06:47.199 --> 00:06:53.759 To be able to have pause and silence and solitude, this disciplines of abstinence are so needed in our day. 00:06:53.920 --> 00:07:07.920 And then the disciplines of engagement, our series that we've been in, today's concluding it, not your ordinary church service, is talking about those disciplines of engagements, worship, prayer in the word of God, and celebration. 00:07:08.399 --> 00:07:17.680 That there is this reality of in the midst of a joy-sucking world, we need to embrace the spiritual discipline of celebration. 00:07:18.079 --> 00:07:23.519 And in our time, I want to take you to a passage that I bet many of you didn't even know existed in the Bible. 00:07:23.680 --> 00:07:26.319 Uh, it's in Deuteronomy, just by a raise of hand. 00:07:26.480 --> 00:07:28.079 Who has even read Deuteronomy? 00:07:28.240 --> 00:07:30.000 Okay, a few of you, there you go. 00:07:30.800 --> 00:07:39.199 And it's what's happening is God is outlining the forms and the ways the people of Israel are to practice and to worship. 00:07:39.360 --> 00:07:52.959 And then he's explaining this tithe, and we we were talking about giving and tithing and and what he wants to see happen when you gather together to worship and to present your offering. 00:07:53.199 --> 00:08:00.800 And one way to say it is it almost comes to this extent of God saying, Thou shalt celebrate. 00:08:01.519 --> 00:08:04.240 Like God is a God of celebration. 00:08:04.480 --> 00:08:14.560 Uh notice in Deuteronomy chapter 14, verse 23, uh it says it this way eat the tithe of your grain. 00:08:14.720 --> 00:08:16.000 Yeah, I said that right, eat. 00:08:16.079 --> 00:08:22.800 They didn't have dollar bills, they had herds and flocks, and those are the same things. 00:08:22.959 --> 00:08:26.079 Uh, and they had, you know, um grains. 00:08:26.160 --> 00:08:33.039 And so it says, Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and olive oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. 00:08:33.120 --> 00:08:33.440 How? 00:08:33.600 --> 00:08:44.080 In the presence of the Lord your God, at the place he'll choose as a dwelling for his name, so that you may learn to revere or honor the Lord your God always. 00:08:44.320 --> 00:08:50.639 Like when you bring your tithe, which is a tenth, you bring the first to God and say, It this is all yours. 00:08:50.799 --> 00:08:58.080 Tithing trains our heart to trust God, by the way, when we say the first is yours, and I'm gonna trust that you'll provide. 00:08:58.240 --> 00:09:01.519 And then here's what he says: he says, feast and faith. 00:09:01.840 --> 00:09:03.039 Like feast and faith. 00:09:03.120 --> 00:09:04.480 There's a time to fast. 00:09:04.720 --> 00:09:07.279 There's a spit uh spiritual discipline of fasting. 00:09:07.440 --> 00:09:10.159 There is the spiritual discipline to feast. 00:09:10.480 --> 00:09:17.840 Come and feast before the Lord, recognizing that he has provided it all for your enjoyment and your good. 00:09:18.159 --> 00:09:25.919 And then he says a word to those who live too far away to travel there with their flocks and with all the grain and all those sort of things. 00:09:26.159 --> 00:09:28.000 He says, use your silver. 00:09:28.240 --> 00:09:31.679 So instead of, you know, traveling with all that, that would be a hardship. 00:09:31.919 --> 00:09:35.759 Use your silver to buy whatever you like. 00:09:36.559 --> 00:09:40.559 Not think about the generosity, the expansiveness of God. 00:09:40.720 --> 00:09:42.639 This is Old Testament, by the way. 00:09:42.960 --> 00:09:49.120 Buy whatever you like, cattle, sheep, wine, other fermented drink, strong drink in the text. 00:09:49.200 --> 00:09:52.720 I think he meant IPAs, but I'm not sure. 00:09:53.519 --> 00:09:56.639 Or anything you wish. 00:09:57.440 --> 00:10:00.159 God's going, I I long for you to enjoy. 00:10:00.399 --> 00:10:02.480 I long for you to celebrate. 00:10:03.120 --> 00:10:06.399 I I long for you to think about what's your favorite meal. 00:10:06.960 --> 00:10:10.879 What what are the things that just bring your heart delight? 00:10:11.039 --> 00:10:17.360 And in my presence, before me, would you enjoy it? 00:10:18.000 --> 00:10:24.480 Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the Lord God and rejoice. 00:10:24.799 --> 00:10:27.279 And what I love is there was these instructions. 00:10:27.440 --> 00:10:29.759 It wasn't just for you and your own sake. 00:10:29.840 --> 00:10:35.120 There's these instructions to make sure you care and share for those who didn't have as well. 00:10:35.279 --> 00:10:37.600 That is an expansive nature. 00:10:37.919 --> 00:10:46.480 God, God, by the way, invented delight, invented joy and celebration. 00:10:47.200 --> 00:10:51.600 And so they operate and work best in his presence. 00:10:52.399 --> 00:10:57.039 The discipline, the spiritual discipline of celebration. 00:10:57.200 --> 00:10:59.039 And so here's what I want us to do. 00:10:59.120 --> 00:11:01.360 Let's talk about the point of celebration. 00:11:01.440 --> 00:11:02.559 Why does God say this? 00:11:02.720 --> 00:11:03.600 Think about this. 00:11:03.919 --> 00:11:08.960 Celebration centers on something or someone worth celebrating. 00:11:09.039 --> 00:11:09.519 You know that. 00:11:09.679 --> 00:11:11.919 Celebration centers on something. 00:11:12.559 --> 00:11:16.000 Maybe you know you it's a graduation you celebrate. 00:11:16.159 --> 00:11:24.720 Um maybe you um just had a kid, maybe the Cowboys won the Super Bowl, um, similar uh in value. 00:11:24.879 --> 00:11:30.159 There it comes onto an event of an anniversary or someone. 00:11:30.320 --> 00:11:32.960 We do this with birthdays all the time, right? 00:11:33.600 --> 00:11:37.440 In a way that we honor someone, we're celebrating. 00:11:37.600 --> 00:11:50.559 And so when we embrace the spiritual discipline of celebration, I love how Adele Calhoun said it, celebration is a way of engaging in actions that orient the spirit towards worship, praise, and thanksgiving. 00:11:50.720 --> 00:11:57.519 Delighting in all the attentions and never-changing presence of the Trinity fuels celebration. 00:11:57.919 --> 00:12:07.039 Like when you really understand who God is, his heart, and you begin to delight in him, it just fuels celebration and joy. 00:12:07.360 --> 00:12:12.480 Dallas Willard explains it this way: celebration completes worship. 00:12:12.720 --> 00:12:15.120 As we come to worship, it completes worship. 00:12:15.279 --> 00:12:20.720 In fact, the synagogue practice in the ancient day was remember, they would eat together afterwards. 00:12:20.799 --> 00:12:22.879 They would celebrate together afterwards. 00:12:23.039 --> 00:12:32.240 Celebration completes worship because we enjoy ourselves, our lives, our world in conjunction with our faith and confidence in God's greatness, beauty, and goodness. 00:12:32.480 --> 00:12:40.960 Typically, this means that we come together with others who know God to eat, drink, to sing, and dance and relate stories of God's action in our lives. 00:12:41.120 --> 00:12:47.360 And that's precisely what we're doing today and why we throw a party. 00:12:47.519 --> 00:12:57.840 See, we celebrate a birthday because we believe that nine years ago, God birthed a movement with a select handful of people. 00:12:58.480 --> 00:13:07.919 Number of you are in this room that joined us then nine years ago, to see this generation experience new life in Jesus. 00:13:08.320 --> 00:13:15.360 And we pause and we remember his faithfulness, his goodness, how he's been working. 00:13:15.519 --> 00:13:19.440 See, it's not about awakening and our birthday, it is just simply about us. 00:13:19.600 --> 00:13:25.440 How can we make much of our God who's been leading us through the entire way? 00:13:25.919 --> 00:13:30.159 See, followers of Jesus are to be literally party people. 00:13:30.480 --> 00:13:37.120 We should be the most fun people on the planet because we have both someone and something to celebrate. 00:13:37.759 --> 00:13:48.080 We have the person of Jesus Christ who came for us and died for us, who loved us, who redeemed us. 00:13:49.039 --> 00:13:54.080 And we have something that we now have new life, we have a new family. 00:13:54.639 --> 00:13:59.679 That we get to be have a new future all together. 00:13:59.919 --> 00:14:08.960 And so, when practicing the spiritual discipline of celebration, I want to spend the last few minutes of our time just talking about what makes a great celebration. 00:14:09.200 --> 00:14:18.320 Because the reality is, is most of us, when thinking about church, when thinking about um celebration, we don't combine those two. 00:14:18.639 --> 00:14:22.720 When I talked about the spiritual discipline of celebration, some of you are kind of confused. 00:14:23.919 --> 00:14:25.600 So we need to teach on this. 00:14:25.840 --> 00:14:27.840 How uh do we celebrate well? 00:14:28.080 --> 00:14:30.720 What makes a great celebration? 00:14:30.879 --> 00:14:35.440 Well, first, a great celebration remembers the faithfulness of God. 00:14:35.600 --> 00:14:44.559 Uh, 2 Chronicles 16, David is literally dancing before the Lord because the Ark of the Covenant, his presence, is coming back to Jerusalem. 00:14:44.720 --> 00:14:56.000 And in 1 Chronicles rather 16, he says in this incredible song where he's just recounting God's faithfulness over and over. 00:14:56.320 --> 00:15:06.399 You can even write in your notes Deuteronomy 16, where you see festivals where God recounts, uh, he says, I want you to throw a party to remember my work. 00:15:07.039 --> 00:15:14.000 God institutes festivals or parties that are focused on celebrating God's faithfulness to his people. 00:15:14.240 --> 00:15:20.879 And you see these different parties that remind us of his faithfulness, of how good he's been to us. 00:15:21.039 --> 00:15:28.159 You know, as I was thinking about awakening in nine years, I was like, I could tell like a thousand stories of his faithfulness. 00:15:28.320 --> 00:15:38.639 And I look out and I see stories of what God's done and those who've come to know Jesus and families whose lives have been, you know, uh changed and marriages that have been restored. 00:15:38.799 --> 00:15:44.879 And I just drove in and was seeing the office that God supplied for us across the street from Del Mar. 00:15:45.039 --> 00:15:46.320 Hello, miracle. 00:15:46.879 --> 00:15:56.639 And and then I thought, let me just connect the dots of one long faithfulness of God because we're sitting in this tent on a public high school, and this is a miracle. 00:15:56.799 --> 00:16:05.039 I shared some of that with our um with our leadership or our fall kickoff, and I thought I'd share the whole story today. 00:16:05.279 --> 00:16:10.159 You know, when we planted Awakening Church, I had a bunch of I nevers. 00:16:10.799 --> 00:16:13.519 I never wanted to plant a church, I never wanted to lead a church. 00:16:13.600 --> 00:16:20.000 Well, hello, here um, and then as we said yes to those nevers, I had another never. 00:16:20.080 --> 00:16:21.519 I'm learning about this, by the way, guys. 00:16:21.600 --> 00:16:24.240 I'm learning not to say never uh to Jesus. 00:16:24.399 --> 00:16:29.200 Um, but I love how he answers our nevers in the most beautiful ways. 00:16:29.600 --> 00:16:32.240 I never wanted to meet on a high school campus. 00:16:33.039 --> 00:16:49.440 So in January, we are turning, you know, to move towards planning awakening as a church for months searching for a location, knocking on every door, church, theater, and we got a resounding no consistently. 00:16:49.600 --> 00:16:52.399 It's July, we're gonna launch in September. 00:16:52.480 --> 00:16:53.200 We have two months. 00:16:53.279 --> 00:16:54.559 People are asking, where are you meeting? 00:16:54.639 --> 00:16:56.720 I don't know, but we're starting in September. 00:16:57.200 --> 00:16:58.799 Hope you can find us. 00:17:00.720 --> 00:17:05.519 And when you when you're desperate and you get serious, you embrace the discipline of fasting. 00:17:05.599 --> 00:17:10.720 And that's what I did, and a few of us did, and said, Okay, we're gonna fast until God, you give us a place. 00:17:11.039 --> 00:17:13.279 Praise the shepherd, it wasn't that long. 00:17:13.440 --> 00:17:16.000 I was like, I'm like, is this gonna be a month? 00:17:16.240 --> 00:17:24.240 Um, a few days later, I was driving around and just happened to come through a street and saw this school that had a brand new theater. 00:17:24.640 --> 00:17:26.000 And I love the timing. 00:17:26.160 --> 00:17:29.759 See, when you recount and remember God's faithfulness, he's all about the details. 00:17:29.920 --> 00:17:32.720 You gotta remember the all details. 00:17:33.200 --> 00:17:39.759 See, the timing in July was this school had just got a brand new principal. 00:17:40.000 --> 00:17:43.599 Had we asked even a month earlier, the answer would have been no. 00:17:43.759 --> 00:17:46.400 But because of July, the answer was yes. 00:17:46.480 --> 00:17:54.160 And the activities director, I had no idea, was uh a person who formerly was a volunteer on our youth team back in the day. 00:17:54.319 --> 00:17:59.279 Like God orchestrated all of these things for us to be here on this campus. 00:17:59.440 --> 00:18:02.240 And I said, I never wanted to be here, and then here we are. 00:18:02.400 --> 00:18:05.519 Nine years in one place is unbelievable. 00:18:05.680 --> 00:18:14.400 And then from day one, we said, this is gonna be more than a place to meet, but a people to absolutely, and so we figured out how are we gonna do that together? 00:18:14.640 --> 00:18:32.799 And this campus looks so much better than it did when we first came, and we did beautifying projects where we, you know, uh you just literally scraped gum off the sidewalks and painted and you know, all sorts of um of you know what is it when you plant plants? 00:18:32.880 --> 00:18:35.519 What's planting plants and those sort of things? 00:18:35.599 --> 00:18:36.480 Thank you very much. 00:18:37.200 --> 00:18:38.960 Yeah, perfect. 00:18:39.279 --> 00:18:40.880 I speak for a living. 00:18:41.119 --> 00:18:47.279 Um and then we, you know, we like to throw parties, so we throw parties for the teachers. 00:18:47.359 --> 00:18:50.960 At the end of every semester, we bring in tacos, the same taco people. 00:18:51.039 --> 00:18:53.119 Uh, we love five-star taco, by the way. 00:18:53.279 --> 00:18:54.319 Shout out to them. 00:18:54.480 --> 00:18:58.319 Uh so does our church. 00:19:01.039 --> 00:19:15.119 I mean, year after year after year of just loving them the way we thought Jesus would love them, no strings attached, and we got to see God open up just ways to serve and minister to students and to faculties. 00:19:15.200 --> 00:19:21.440 It's uh unbelievable the thousands upon thousands of dollars we've been able to give and support this school. 00:19:22.160 --> 00:19:28.960 And then we're trying to get into a building, and I'm so grateful that we didn't get into the building. 00:19:29.279 --> 00:19:31.200 God like protected us. 00:19:31.440 --> 00:19:39.599 So think about when the pandemic hit in March, we didn't have a building, and so the minute it hit, our overhead went down. 00:19:40.319 --> 00:19:42.799 And so we're able to say, you know what we're gonna do? 00:19:42.880 --> 00:19:50.880 We're not gonna pull back, we're gonna lean in and we're gonna err on the side of generosity because we know more people are hurting now more than ever. 00:19:51.039 --> 00:20:06.799 And so we're gonna lean into that, and we're able to do that in many ways just because of your generosity, and all of a sudden our overhead's lower, and so we're able to lean in in such a way like God protected us in that season, so we weren't paying for an empty building for a long time. 00:20:07.039 --> 00:20:16.079 And then in November, I'm like, man, we need to regather, we need people, but we have no location, and there's no way the school would ever rent to us. 00:20:16.480 --> 00:20:19.039 But one of my rules is never say someone's no for them. 00:20:19.119 --> 00:20:25.119 And so I said, Well, I'm gonna ask anyways, because the worst thing that can happen is they say no, and that's not so bad. 00:20:25.200 --> 00:20:26.319 I can handle that. 00:20:26.640 --> 00:20:31.599 And so I asked the principal, he said, Hey, I'll reach out on your behalf to the district. 00:20:32.079 --> 00:20:42.079 And then the district gave me a call and they said, Hey, you know, some people puts in really good word for you, and you just need to know we're not doing this for anyone else. 00:20:44.240 --> 00:20:48.079 But your reputation precedes you. 00:20:48.640 --> 00:20:51.839 Not mine, awakening's reputations. 00:20:52.000 --> 00:20:56.880 How you have loved, how you have so you have been so generous precedes you. 00:20:57.200 --> 00:20:59.440 Man, you can rent our facility. 00:20:59.680 --> 00:21:00.880 I said, That's fantastic. 00:21:01.039 --> 00:21:02.799 Can I put a tent in too? 00:21:04.160 --> 00:21:06.400 I said, Well, let's talk to our facility guy. 00:21:06.559 --> 00:21:08.240 And so we came here and we're talking through it. 00:21:08.319 --> 00:21:12.000 I'm like, no, it needs to be 10 foot high, not eight foot low, and it's got to be big. 00:21:12.079 --> 00:21:13.039 It's gonna stay here. 00:21:13.279 --> 00:21:14.160 Does that work? 00:21:14.319 --> 00:21:18.559 And he's like, Well, not normally, but yeah, yeah, we'll do that for you guys. 00:21:18.720 --> 00:21:25.039 And we installed this tent here, the huge, I'm like when I tell people tent, they don't know like this kind of tent. 00:21:25.119 --> 00:21:26.559 Uh, and it's amazing. 00:21:26.720 --> 00:21:29.039 And then the school loves this place. 00:21:29.279 --> 00:21:32.960 They ask, they actually always ask, like, hey, do you mind if we use your tent? 00:21:33.200 --> 00:21:34.000 Like, it's not our tent. 00:21:34.079 --> 00:21:34.960 We place it here. 00:21:35.119 --> 00:21:38.079 It's a blessing for us, it's a blessing for the school. 00:21:38.240 --> 00:21:43.440 It's the faithfulness in the hand of God and how he's led us this far. 00:21:43.519 --> 00:21:45.519 And he's in the details. 00:21:45.759 --> 00:21:50.640 A great celebration remembers the faithfulness of God. 00:21:51.680 --> 00:21:54.000 And then it savors in the goodness of God. 00:21:54.319 --> 00:21:57.200 Salma says, Taste and see that the Lord is good. 00:21:57.839 --> 00:21:59.440 We live such hurried, fast. 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:02.960 Fast paced on to the next lives. 00:22:03.519 --> 00:22:11.440 We desperately need the discipline of celebration to pause and to savor the goodness of God. 00:22:11.680 --> 00:22:13.359 I like how Anne Voskamp said it. 00:22:13.519 --> 00:22:17.599 The point of life is not to race through life, to cram in the most amount of life. 00:22:17.759 --> 00:22:22.559 The point of life is to enjoy our maker and the miracle of life. 00:22:23.519 --> 00:22:32.640 It just causes us to slow down and reflect and to savor, to like truly taste the goodness of God. 00:22:33.599 --> 00:22:37.599 On Monday, I came down with uh what a very new disease. 00:22:37.680 --> 00:22:39.519 It's called the head cold. 00:22:41.119 --> 00:22:43.519 I had no idea that still existed. 00:22:44.640 --> 00:22:45.279 You know? 00:22:46.000 --> 00:22:48.000 Thank God it wasn't COVID, it got tested. 00:22:48.160 --> 00:22:49.519 I'm like, okay, great, it's not that. 00:22:49.680 --> 00:22:52.319 Oh, there are other sicknesses still out there. 00:22:52.799 --> 00:22:55.759 And it laid me out for a couple days. 00:22:55.839 --> 00:22:58.240 And when I get sick, I get down. 00:22:58.640 --> 00:23:03.599 And I'm trying to write a sermon on celebration and joy. 00:23:03.680 --> 00:23:05.920 And I'm laying sick, eyes, head. 00:23:06.000 --> 00:23:08.559 I'm like, this sucks, you know? 00:23:08.799 --> 00:23:10.240 And I'm just down. 00:23:10.720 --> 00:23:14.000 And I don't even want to celebrate or write anything. 00:23:14.079 --> 00:23:16.160 And I'm like struggling through all of this. 00:23:16.240 --> 00:23:19.200 And then Jenny gets a text from one of her friends. 00:23:19.440 --> 00:23:28.720 And one of her friends, and she read it to me, and it's like, my daughter came to know Jesus at awakening and is getting baptized this Sunday. 00:23:28.960 --> 00:23:33.279 Thank you, friend, for saying yes to God's call nine years ago. 00:23:33.599 --> 00:23:37.680 Like it just savor the goodness of God. 00:23:39.440 --> 00:23:47.039 And we're gonna celebrate baptisms in a minute, and we actually practice something called um spontaneous baptisms. 00:23:47.200 --> 00:23:55.200 Like if you have never been baptized and you want to say yes in this moment to Jesus, uh you can come forward, and Chris is gonna be over there. 00:23:55.279 --> 00:23:56.880 I'll explain it at the very end. 00:23:56.960 --> 00:24:01.200 Uh but you can come in your genes, we have it happen every year, pretty much. 00:24:01.359 --> 00:24:04.000 Uh, it's it's a warm day, you'll be great. 00:24:04.240 --> 00:24:10.799 But when but when you do baptisms, it gives us a moment to savor the goodness of God. 00:24:11.039 --> 00:24:24.000 Because when you see someone else go under waters and their life transform, it's that pausing reminder for us of remember that day you said yes, that day you went into the waters, the day God changed your life. 00:24:24.160 --> 00:24:28.000 A great celebration remembers the faithfulness of God, it savors the goodness of God. 00:24:28.160 --> 00:24:29.359 Then, did you know this? 00:24:29.519 --> 00:24:32.559 It infuses strength to persevere. 00:24:33.039 --> 00:24:40.000 I already said it earlier, but Nehemiah 8.10 says, the joy of the Lord is our strength. 00:24:40.319 --> 00:24:42.559 Joy strengthens us. 00:24:43.039 --> 00:24:49.359 It's the picture of a mom in childbirth going through the excruciating pain. 00:24:49.519 --> 00:24:52.720 I don't know anything about it, but I'm told it's very painful. 00:24:52.799 --> 00:24:54.000 I've watched it three times. 00:24:54.160 --> 00:24:55.599 It looks painful. 00:24:58.240 --> 00:25:02.079 And what gets that mother through that? 00:25:03.200 --> 00:25:11.440 The joy of welcoming her child into her arms eclipses the present pain in that moment, doesn't it? 00:25:11.759 --> 00:25:22.559 That's why Jesus, it said of Jesus in Hebrews 12, 2, for the joy set before him, he endured this cross, scorning as shame. 00:25:23.359 --> 00:25:26.240 Do you know what Jesus' joy was? 00:25:27.599 --> 00:25:28.480 It was you. 00:25:30.400 --> 00:25:41.200 Like he says, for the joy set before me, just like a mother going through childbirth knows that on the other end there is joy there. 00:25:41.359 --> 00:25:49.519 Jesus said, I can endure the cross because I want to welcome you into my family, and I will go through that. 00:25:49.839 --> 00:25:52.640 Joy strengthens us. 00:25:53.519 --> 00:26:06.480 I like how Dallas Willard said it said, This world is radically unsuited to the heart of the human person, and the suffering and the tares of life will not be removed no matter how spiritual we become. 00:26:06.720 --> 00:26:20.559 It is because of this that a healthy faith before God cannot be built and maintained without heartfelt celebration of his greatness and goodness to us in the midst of the suffering and terror. 00:26:21.519 --> 00:26:26.640 I think back to our last birthday, we weren't able to do this. 00:26:28.240 --> 00:26:31.599 But here's here's what because our core value is celebration. 00:26:32.240 --> 00:26:34.640 Not celebrating was not an option. 00:26:34.960 --> 00:26:38.319 And I loved our team, came up with a really creative thing. 00:26:38.640 --> 00:26:46.319 You know, we did this drive-through uh um thing where you could come through and you could take pictures, and we even had snow cone. 00:26:46.720 --> 00:26:52.720 And it was still in that moment so life-giving, so powerful. 00:26:53.119 --> 00:27:01.759 And story after story of people in cars saying, Man, my small group and and what you guys are doing online, I wouldn't be where I'm at without this. 00:27:01.920 --> 00:27:08.720 And this moment, like just seeing that other people are still a part on this journey, it just has boistered my strength. 00:27:08.799 --> 00:27:23.200 And I gotta tell you, preaching to a camera for six months with the only communication, or at least the only communication that it felt like was from more complaining or critical people, seeing that there are other people in the world as well. 00:27:23.359 --> 00:27:28.559 Um, and I have an incredible church was so powerful, it strengthens us. 00:27:28.640 --> 00:27:35.119 We have to pause to celebrate, to strengthen, remember his faithfulness, savor his goodness, it infuses strength. 00:27:35.279 --> 00:27:36.319 And did you know this? 00:27:36.480 --> 00:27:40.960 It mirrors when we celebrate well, it mirrors the activity of heaven. 00:27:43.119 --> 00:27:45.519 Like we just get in join in the chorus of heaven. 00:27:45.680 --> 00:27:47.440 I don't know what your picture of heaven is. 00:27:47.519 --> 00:27:51.680 It's probably some fluffy cow, cloud, harp, boring angel. 00:27:51.759 --> 00:27:53.279 That's not heaven, by the way. 00:27:53.440 --> 00:27:55.920 My dad has a real good book on heaven. 00:27:56.079 --> 00:27:57.839 Go read it, it's amazing. 00:27:58.000 --> 00:28:00.319 Um, but heaven is celebrating. 00:28:00.480 --> 00:28:02.319 Did you know heaven's doing two things right now? 00:28:02.400 --> 00:28:04.480 They're doing other things, but they're doing two things. 00:28:04.720 --> 00:28:07.440 Angels are declaring the glory of God right now. 00:28:07.680 --> 00:28:10.160 Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty. 00:28:10.240 --> 00:28:20.720 The whole earth is filled with his glory, and heaven is rejoicing and throwing a party for every person who says yes to Jesus and steps into new life. 00:28:20.960 --> 00:28:23.119 In fact, Jesus was questioned about this. 00:28:23.279 --> 00:28:24.400 You remember this? 00:28:24.799 --> 00:28:28.000 Because he had an unorthodox way of doing ministry, right? 00:28:28.480 --> 00:28:32.000 Some would say not ordinary way of doing ministry. 00:28:32.240 --> 00:28:41.279 In fact, if he had a write-up in the Sentinel today, um he they would have said that I guess Sentinel's Santa Cruz. 00:28:41.359 --> 00:28:43.440 I grew up in Santa Cruz, the Mercury, thank you. 00:28:46.880 --> 00:28:58.640 They would say he's the partying rabbi because he hung out with tax collectors and sinners, and he tells three stories with one point why he's doing this. 00:28:59.039 --> 00:29:01.039 And all three stories have all this in common. 00:29:01.200 --> 00:29:06.079 Something valuable was lost, someone searched intently. 00:29:06.480 --> 00:29:11.039 When that valuable, precious thing was found, a celebration occurred. 00:29:11.200 --> 00:29:18.400 Something valuable was lost, someone searched intently, and when found, there was a great, great celebration. 00:29:18.559 --> 00:29:22.319 He tells three stories: the sheep and the coin and the lost son. 00:29:22.640 --> 00:29:27.279 And the sheep, you know, night had a hundred sheep, ninety-nine, one was lost. 00:29:27.519 --> 00:29:39.680 And he goes after that one, finds it, bring it back, and Jesus says, I tell you the truth, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than 99 righteous persons who need not repent. 00:29:40.240 --> 00:29:44.000 And then he tells of the 10 coins that this widow had. 00:29:44.240 --> 00:29:48.079 It would have been her life savings, and she lost one. 00:29:48.240 --> 00:29:53.119 And so she searches intently, and when she finds it, she throws a party and a celebration. 00:29:53.200 --> 00:30:02.799 And again, Jesus says, I tell you, there is more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner, one person who repents. 00:30:03.440 --> 00:30:14.319 Like heaven is constantly throwing a party for every single person who steps into the family of God through the finished work of Jesus. 00:30:14.640 --> 00:30:18.720 And then he tells the climactic story, you know it, as the prodigal son, right? 00:30:19.359 --> 00:30:29.039 And the story, the son wants to do life his way and says, Dad, thank you very much, and goes, does his own thing, spends and squanders his family fortune. 00:30:30.000 --> 00:30:31.200 Parties it up. 00:30:31.759 --> 00:30:32.880 Not a great party. 00:30:32.960 --> 00:30:35.680 It left him bankrupt, empty, hollow. 00:30:36.160 --> 00:30:37.119 And I love the text. 00:30:37.200 --> 00:30:40.400 It says, and he came to his senses. 00:30:41.119 --> 00:30:47.759 He recognized that even servants live better in his father's household than the way he was living. 00:30:47.920 --> 00:30:50.240 And so he made the long journey home. 00:30:50.480 --> 00:31:08.400 And when his father saw him a long way off, the text says, he ran to him, wrapped his arms around him, put on the robe of sonship, the ring of sonship, sandals on his feet, and then killed the fatted calf and threw a party. 00:31:11.119 --> 00:31:13.599 You guys remember there's two sons in that story, right? 00:31:13.759 --> 00:31:17.359 And so there's the older brother of the son. 00:31:18.000 --> 00:31:25.359 And he's not very happy that his dad threw a party for his reckless wayward brother. 00:31:26.400 --> 00:31:28.480 And do you know what the text says? 00:31:30.880 --> 00:31:37.920 The father responds to the older son this way We had to throw a party. 00:31:38.400 --> 00:31:41.519 Like, not throwing a party is not an option. 00:31:41.680 --> 00:31:45.359 Your brother who was once dead is now alive. 00:31:45.680 --> 00:31:48.160 How can we not party? 00:31:48.559 --> 00:31:58.319 And here's something that I want you to hear, and this might change uh just this is might just change your outlook on who you are. 00:31:59.200 --> 00:32:04.640 Because I think so many of us have the older brothers' words in our mind. 00:32:05.279 --> 00:32:06.960 You're not worth a party. 00:32:07.279 --> 00:32:09.039 You're not worth celebrating. 00:32:09.279 --> 00:32:13.920 Yeah, maybe God loves you, but you're not worth a party. 00:32:14.480 --> 00:32:16.000 And here's what we see. 00:32:16.240 --> 00:32:18.000 I mean, this is so good. 00:32:18.400 --> 00:32:23.039 We see that you are worth celebrating. 00:32:24.240 --> 00:32:30.079 God looks at you, and when you say yes to him, he says, you are worth celebrating. 00:32:31.599 --> 00:32:36.480 Like heaven is eager and loves throwing parties. 00:32:36.720 --> 00:32:41.200 You're not only worth the search, you're worth celebrating. 00:32:41.519 --> 00:32:50.799 Great celebrations remember his faithfulness, savor his goodness, infuse strength, and it mirrors the activity of heaven. 00:32:51.359 --> 00:32:59.839 And finally, and this is where we're gonna close with a great celebration is a full-body sport. 00:33:00.880 --> 00:33:02.960 It's not a cerebral event. 00:33:03.839 --> 00:33:08.000 A great celebration, like it involves all of you. 00:33:08.079 --> 00:33:11.119 Yes, great fruit food, and I'm excited for the tacos. 00:33:11.359 --> 00:33:13.839 I smell them wafting in the air. 00:33:15.359 --> 00:33:20.640 But if you read through the Psalms and through scripture, you see, see some of the activities of celebration. 00:33:20.720 --> 00:33:25.920 They shout for joy, they sing for joy, they dance for joy. 00:33:26.240 --> 00:33:29.920 And we're gonna pivot in our service to the celebration part. 00:33:31.599 --> 00:33:33.839 And that's what I want us to do today. 00:33:34.079 --> 00:33:38.480 I want us to shout and I want us to sing, and I want us, yeah, to dance. 00:33:38.799 --> 00:33:43.039 Maybe you grew up in a church where uh you weren't allowed to dance. 00:33:43.359 --> 00:33:44.559 Well, you are here. 00:33:45.519 --> 00:33:48.960 I mean, David danced before the Lord undignified. 00:33:49.119 --> 00:33:51.519 You see it all throughout scripture. 00:33:51.920 --> 00:33:55.680 Um now, I'm a bad dancer. 00:33:55.759 --> 00:33:57.759 We've talked about this, you guys all know this. 00:33:58.000 --> 00:34:03.920 So even if worship, if you kind of keep it between 10 and 2, I'm told, just right here, just right this little knock. 00:34:04.000 --> 00:34:04.799 You know what I'm saying? 00:34:05.200 --> 00:34:05.839 Just right there. 00:34:06.000 --> 00:34:07.359 You just kind of keep it going. 00:34:07.759 --> 00:34:11.519 That's all that's all that's all my wife lets me do. 00:34:11.599 --> 00:34:12.239 Let's be honest. 00:34:12.320 --> 00:34:14.000 That's all she lets me do. 00:34:14.239 --> 00:34:17.599 I like to get the arms going, she says, no, no. 00:34:18.639 --> 00:34:25.280 But we're gonna party, we're gonna celebrate, we're gonna sing of God's faithfulness and his goodness. 00:34:25.360 --> 00:34:32.159 There's been a song that has been part of our theme for the last um series, not your ordinary church service. 00:34:32.239 --> 00:34:33.679 It's called New Wine. 00:34:34.000 --> 00:34:42.480 And let would you sing and declare joyously like the work that he is doing, the newness that he's bringing out in you. 00:34:43.679 --> 00:34:48.559 We're gonna celebrate baptisms, and by the way, we're gonna shout. 00:34:50.960 --> 00:34:52.079 Thank you, four of you. 00:34:52.159 --> 00:34:56.320 That was amazing, life-changing. 00:34:58.320 --> 00:34:59.760 We're gonna shout. 00:35:05.360 --> 00:35:09.119 We're gonna raise a joyful noise. 00:35:09.280 --> 00:35:11.039 You don't have to be quiet in church, man. 00:35:11.119 --> 00:35:18.639 No, we're gonna shout and we're gonna celebrate, and every person that comes out of that water, we're gonna act like the cowboy scoring a touchdown. 00:35:18.719 --> 00:35:19.599 Oh, I'm sorry. 00:35:20.159 --> 00:35:22.480 Wrong audience, wrong audience. 00:35:26.320 --> 00:35:33.599 But did you ever notice and wonder why we cheer for such trivial things and we don't cheer for such significant things? 00:35:35.519 --> 00:35:48.239 Like life transformation in the waters, you're symbolically declaring internally what happened, that you're going down in the waters with death with Christ, that you've been identified with him, and you're being raised to new life. 00:35:48.480 --> 00:35:52.400 That you're not just like kind of walking around hoping, wondering, do you have a new life? 00:35:52.480 --> 00:35:54.880 No, the spirit of God has come inside of you. 00:35:55.039 --> 00:35:57.119 You have been regenerated, given new life. 00:35:57.199 --> 00:36:16.960 The same spirit that raised Christ from the dead now lives in you, and they're declaring they're following Jesus, and we better celebrate way more than any football game or basketball game or anything like that, because heaven is celebrating with them. 00:36:17.760 --> 00:36:21.360 But you stand and we're gonna close in worship. 00:36:23.519 --> 00:36:28.639 And I think there's two responses for some in this moment. 00:36:29.039 --> 00:36:37.519 For many, uh it's just to sing with your heart in gratitude of his goodness and his faithfulness. 00:36:38.559 --> 00:36:41.599 For some, you've never been baptized. 00:36:42.159 --> 00:36:47.440 And today's the day, and if you're, you know, want to get baptized, go to my left. 00:36:47.599 --> 00:36:48.000 You're right. 00:36:48.079 --> 00:36:49.280 Chris is standing there. 00:36:49.519 --> 00:36:53.119 Go, hey, I would love to get baptized during this worship set. 00:36:53.360 --> 00:36:54.639 You can just walk over there. 00:36:54.880 --> 00:36:58.480 People who are already getting baptized are going there, you won't stand out. 00:36:59.039 --> 00:37:04.960 But go ahead as we worship and say yes and step into the waters of baptism. 00:37:06.719 --> 00:37:14.320 And the other response is for some, the reality is, is you've been lost. 00:37:14.800 --> 00:37:16.400 You've been wandering. 00:37:16.719 --> 00:37:29.840 You like the sun, and you feel empty and you feel dry, you feel bankrupt, and you've been trying to fill your life with something or someone to satisfy. 00:37:31.840 --> 00:37:34.000 Only Jesus can, Prince. 00:37:34.320 --> 00:37:35.760 Only Jesus can. 00:37:36.400 --> 00:37:40.239 In this moment, I want to give you an opportunity to say yes to him. 00:37:40.400 --> 00:37:45.840 If you say yes to him, you can go ahead and get baptized today, too, right at the same time. 00:37:47.119 --> 00:37:49.039 But would you just pray with me, church? 00:37:49.119 --> 00:38:06.559 And if you want to start a relationship with your heavenly father who loves you and who's pursuing you in love, who welcomes you home with open arms, who loves to celebrate you. 00:38:06.800 --> 00:38:10.719 Right now, in this moment, would you just pray after me in your heart? 00:38:11.360 --> 00:38:18.239 Heavenly Father, today I want to step into a relationship with you. 00:38:19.039 --> 00:38:24.639 I recognize I can't fix the brokenness in my life and the emptiness. 00:38:26.239 --> 00:38:36.719 I trust that Jesus was the Son of God, that He came for me, that He died for me, that He rose again to new life. 00:38:38.480 --> 00:38:48.639 Today I'm placing my trust in His work that because He rose to new life, He will give me new life in this moment. 00:38:50.079 --> 00:38:54.719 Would you come into my life and make me new? 00:38:56.400 --> 00:39:02.079 If you prayed that prayer, heaven is celebrating with you. 00:39:04.079 --> 00:39:06.480 We hope you are blessed by this message. 00:39:06.719 --> 00:39:11.679 Please subscribe to our podcast for access to every episode as they're uploaded. 00:39:11.920 --> 00:39:14.159 And hey, we'd love to connect with you. 00:39:14.400 --> 00:39:20.239 Take a next step by filling out our virtual connection card at awakeningchurch.comslash card.