The Gift Pt 3 - The Gift We Didn’t Want

So we've been in a series called The Gift, and it actually comes from one of our our members here that that title is what we're talking about next Sunday. Actually, we have a Christmas program production going on. Cami has wrote it and it's gotten some music set up. Yes. Give her a hand. God is moving in. That's so. But just an amazing story that she has said she has written that God's given her about the gifts at Christmas. And it's a little difficult to hear sometimes, especially the perspective that she's bringing. And in that that's why I'm talking about what I am today. But a couple of weeks ago, I got to go shopping with a buddy of mine and it was great to watch him try to shop for his his lady friend.

He's like, I get what I get. And so it was just great doing that. But I love buying gifts for people. I spend a lot of time and energy trying like, okay, what do I get? And I like, I don't I don't like buying gift cards. To me, it's just it's so insignificant and like, not sentimental. I like getting them. Like, don't get me wrong, I like getting home. Especially if it's a Barnes Noble's card. I may buy me 40 books, Might take me two years to read them, but I'm going to use it. But just I just love getting gifts or giving gifts. And in that, like there's gifts that we don't always I hear music. There's gifts that we get. I know for our household when I was growing up, we'd get stockings. And in those stockings, you know, you got candy and like maybe a little toy from Dollar Tree. But then there was always like, socks and underwear and why else get that kind of stocking? Maybe there's some toothpaste and deodorant, that kind of stuff. The things that you need, you don't really want. And so I got a clip of that going to show of just kids getting some things that maybe they weren't wanting. So the second out So a lot of his kids were great. Some of them are grateful, some of them not so much. There's one or as a kid opens a gift and it's an avocado and he's like, Thanks, it's an avocado. And so, like, sometimes we get these gifts and. Right. Okay, cool. Is this whatever?

It's not what I wanted. I remember when I was in high school, like most teenagers, you ask for too many things that are maybe sometimes too expensive. And so, like growing up, we had some good Christmases and some like, okay, like we can tell like we're like, we're getting these talking and that's it. And there was this one Christmas that I had asked for. I don't know what it was, but my brother, he had gotten a video game and I was like, All right, awesome, cool. I wonder what I got. And when I grew up, like the culture, like you were like really baggy clothing. So like, if you're like hip hop, you were like the extra, extra, extra large polos with like the echo, the element of jeans or if you like, Rescate, we're all you all these baggy cargo pants.

And like the idea, the idea of a yes, I can't say that word, but just the skate shoe. And, and so like I remember in high school, like it all shifted to like you wore like really tight clothing for some reason. And so like in that transition, I remember, like, I don't want to be like my parents, my family. I just I didn't I have always had a very, like, stubborn and rebellious attitude. And so I fear all that. And when he gets older, what that means for us. But as I say, like I say like my parents, like they would buy the jean jacket with studs, like you would get like a rock, some sort of rock band t shirts, life stuff I just didn't want to listen to. Like I listen to a lot of hip hop and pop. Growing up, my parents were strictly classic rock, and I remember opening my present and it was a belt and I was just like because of the people I hung around with. And it wasn't they weren't great. They weren't great. I'll be honest. I mean, I was hatin about weed and cigarets and then as Newports and stuff like all in my bedroom.

So they probably saw that in like, okay, we need to do something here, so let's get this man a belt so we can pull his pants up and like as funny as it is, it also stung because I was like this. Like my brother got what he wanted. But you don't like the way I'm doing. So you want me to change. And so you give me a belt like this $10 belt. My brother got like a $60 video game and it stung as like, sometimes we get those kind of gifts, we get the things that we don't necessarily want. Sometimes, you know, it's just like a blown tire on the way to work or our boyfriend or girlfriend broke up with us. Sometimes it's a little bit more significant. Sometimes it's getting a gift that is depression and anxiety or a divorce, whether that's our own or our parents. So losing somebody that we love, having sickness or cancer. So I want to talk about today is getting the gift that we didn't ask for or the gift that we didn't want. Sometimes we go through these things that are just they're terrible things.

And like each of us have that that moment in our life, that memory, that that thing that we're dealing with, that we kind of put away because it hurts so much. And like we ask God why? Why? Like, why did I have to do this? Why do I have to go through this? God, what did I deserve for this? Why are you causing me so much pain? What? I want to tell you that God didn't cause the pain. And it's so easy to think that it is. God didn't cause the pain, but sin did. And I'm not. I'm not knocking me wrong. I'm not blaming you. But what I'm saying is that the effect of sin causes that pain.

And there's decisions that we've made. Those decisions I've made that affect me long term that I have to deal with. And those are like earthly consequences. But there are some eternal ones that we also face. So I would like to think I'm no scholar, but I'd like to think that the results of sin or the consequences of sin found to three different categories. One is a spiritual consequence, and this is like actual separation from God. When we sin, there is a barrier between us and His throne room and his presence. There's the emotional consequence when we say and sometimes it's like there's one side where we get prideful, like, God, I ain't doing what you want me to do. I'm going to do what I want to do.

So there's that pride, there's that bitterness, man. God, I just Why did they do that to me? So I'm going to do that right back to them. There's the emotional side and then there's the physical. Sometimes it's a sickness. So maybe we get liver disease because we've been drug for so long or financially and debt because we weren't good stewards of what God gave us. There's things that are painful, but we have to know that God didn't cause it. If we ask that, then we say, God, how? How are you? Good, if you've allowed it. Because I would like to say that even the God didn't cause the pain and sin did. He allows the pain. And so in that like, God, how are you?

Good. If you're good, then take this away from me. If you're good, why do you make it so difficult? If you're good, why is it so hard? But because we have free will. And what I mean by that is that in order to have the love of God, that goodness of God free will must exist. And because we have free will, there's then a choice to choose God's goodness. If we don't choose that goodness and we don't choose what he says is good and benefits and prospers us and there are natural consequences. What we talked about. And then there's the internal consequence that disobedience to God and what that looks like in Scripture in Romans six as as for the wages of sin is death. So basically, if we send our payment as death, the guy with the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ, Jesus, our Lord, the Old Testament.

We go to LCF it now and says, You're in, but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear. But like was saying this morning, the veil has been torn. We get to be in that presence because of Jesus in again in the New Testament. Paul writes in Galatians six seven Do not be deceived. God is not mocked. For whatever one sows, one will also reap for the one who sows to his own flesh will, from the flesh reap corruption. But the one who serves the spirit will, from the spirit reap eternal life. And so there's that earthly consequence. Whatever you do, be prepared for that, whatever you.

So there can be a harvest. Sometimes that harvest isn't good. Fruit. God created all things good, but because of the fall of Adam, there is a groaning and there is a anticipation for God's goodness to come back for that restoration of what God says is, This is what I made for that moment that Adam you've got to enjoy for a season. There is a groaning for that. There is a hope for that, as some of you say, Well, if God's still good and he allows pain, like how is that fair? Because a lot of them don't want to hear that God's still good. And you said and you messed up. Or maybe the effect of somebody else's sin is bothering you. How is that fair? Yes, but my question for you is, who are you to say that's what's fair? Because we we're sinful people. Even if we were not sinful people, we are surrounded by sinful people. And in that we are perspective is tainted, our perspective is distorted. And so how can we view something that's sinless and go, How is that fair?\ But it's because he is sinless, because he is without sin and because he is good. He is just and he is just to judge and therefore can allow what he needs to allow for us to to grow, to be a better person and to have a mission for him. God has not ordained evil, but he may allow pain from our sin.

So to help illustrate this, I want you to turn to Luke chapter 22 and sorry, Luke 21. And what this is, is a Jesus speak is speaking to Peter. Peter is one of the disciples. And if you know Peter, he's one that walked on water. He's the one who maybe sank a little bit from walking on water. He cut off a soldier's ear as a very zealous, very bold, very a centric individual. And doubt that Peter didn't get to be that without some circumstances happening. And so they're reclining, they're eating together. And let's just go ahead and read it. Luke 21 verses 31 to 34. Simon. Simon Behold, Satan demanded to have you that he might do you, like, read, but I've prayed for you that your faith may not fail. First of Jesus prayed for Peter while he was still on Earth.

Does that allow Satan to come through and to you to work on the things that maybe are not where you need him to be, but afraid for you that you won't fail? So Jesus has an expectation that he's going to obey. All right. Keep reading. When you have turned again, strengthen your brothers. So he knows that that Peter is going to come back.

He knows that Peter's going to return from this trial again, strengthen your brothers. Peter said to him, Lord, I'm ready to go with you to prison and death is that I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day until you deny me three times that you know me. Jesus knew Peter was going to deny him. Jesus knew that there would be a season where Peter was going to make a mistake. He was going make a choice to disobey God. But Jesus knew he'd come back. But another interesting thing to you I don't want you to miss this is at this point Peter is named Peter, which is basically, Jesus, I love you. I'm going to build my church upon you. The Rock, Peter. And at this point he is still called that. But what is the home? Simon His former name. It's like being called your middle name. For me, that's not the case because my name is Ariel Hunter. Curtis But some of you, it might be Joy Monet or Krystal, Monique, Bryan, DeMar Chance, Lee or Alton J's. Like you hear that middle name and you're like, Who? Like, you know what happens when you're that middle name?

You're in trouble, Or there's a moment like And so when Jesus says this to Peter, he says, Simon, It takes him back to when he's on the boat fishing. It takes him back to when he doubted if Jesus was going to be able to feed 5000 people. It takes him back to when he doubted if he's going to walk on water. Jesus needed purely to listen. He was trying to get his attention and say, Hear me out, Satan's going to try you. There's going to be pain, but you're going to come back when you return. This is he's foretelling Jesus or he's foretelling Peter's denial when they ask him, Why aren't you one of his disciples? If we fast forward when this actually happens, Jesus and Peter actually locked eyes. It's easy to dismiss Scripture sometimes in the details if we see the story, but we don't look at the actual details. The scripture says that they locked eyes when he denied him the third time. You know how powerful that is. That's something that Peter is never going to forget. He knows for the rest of his life, I messed up right here and it's painful.

I have shame about that. I have regret about that. There's pain, but there's a purpose. This formative moment that was that could be this terrible thing. Salesman Try to dig it sometimes. Sometimes it's our own mind. That's not necessarily Satan because Satan's not omniscient. He can't be everywhere at once. But this memory, this action, that shame or that can be something that pulls Peter away from Jesus. It says, I can. I can. I can't do this. I messed up. Why should I serve him? How am I going to be the rock of the church? When I did this? But afterwards Jesus comes back to Peter and says, What are you doing in the boat? Get back out of the water. That's not going to be a fish or a fish, and it's got to be a fish or of men.

Let's go. Go and love my sheep. What is that going love my sheep? Do you love me? And he says, Yes, Go feed my sheep. Well, what Peter learns from this moment that's foretold that he's going to be tried is Jesus, is forgiveness. And without that, Peter doesn't become the man who preaches at Pentecost, which is the first sermon preached after the Holy Spirit falls, where it's also spoken in different languages. So therefore, if Jesus if Peter wasn't tried, he didn't receive that forgiveness, he wouldn't preach and therefore spread the gospel across the known world.

At that point. Jesus knew all this, Peter, didn't it? He says, Dad, why are you doing this to me? Why are you telling me I'm going to mess up? Why did you allow me to mess up? Why did why am I feeling this pain and regret and depression and all of that from from from denying you? But because of this purpose he was trying to shift him is his look. And he's just that set aside that process that that arrogance for you to understand that forgiveness, meaning to be humbled. But it is a purpose. What Jesus knew that Peter did it. And that moment was that this this trying this trial would not separate him from God. You won't be overcome by the pain. Jesus knew that Peter probably needed to hear it, which you kind of did. He says you'll come back and when you do, it's gonna be for your brothers and sisters. But you won't be overcome by the pain from these these situations. And how do I know this? Let's turn to Romans eight. Romans eight versus 31 through 39. What then, shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

He did not spare his own son, but gave up, gave him up for all for all of us. How will he not also with him, graciously give us all the things God gave us is all he put. All that was not of God on himself, on Jesus. He put death to death. So what more will God give us to make sure that we can enjoy His presence forever? So don't put away sin. The effect of sin may not like the effect of sin itself. That separation from God is gone. But some of those earthly situations, because of your sin, because of this and of others because don't get me wrong, most of our pain doesn't come from things that we did. It comes from something that somebody else did to us, and that's their sin and we're affected by it.

But Papa saying is, if God gave all of himself, why would he withhold giving you that peace and that joy and that love and that kindness and gentleness, all those things. Verse 33 says, Who shall bring any charge against the elect? It's a rhetorical question. Who does God be Satan's work? He's the accuser, but it doesn't mean anything. He brings fears, He brings his wandering thoughts. He brings doubt. But that's the Satan. This is an accuser. He can't condemn. Look at verse 34, who was to condemn Christ. Jesus is the one who died. More than that, he was raised. He's at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us again, praying for us. We know the final destination of of what we're where we're going.

If we have that relationship with Christ. 35, who shall separate us from the love of Christ. So tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword, this is the victory that nothing can separate us and all these things. We are more than conquerors. Through him who loved us, nothing can conquer us. What it says right there, there are more than conquers. Therefore nothing can conquer us. How? Because of Jesus. Because Jesus is that embodiment of love. And if we have received Christ, we say that He is Lord and and Father. If we say that we are obedient to Him, that we're going to say yes to him. That means we've got him in here. And if we have love in here, the thing that conquers that, how can we be conquered by anything else if Jesus has already conquered those things?

I'll see that loop. Obviously, I'm saying God already defeated the effect of sin. So therefore, by God, when we receive the Holy Spirit within us, meaning we have the love of God in our heart, mind, body and soul, which is the thing that conquers. We are conquerors because of Christ. Love. So here's the part that's going to sting a little bit. We are not the victim. Then. If our lack of faith, if our lack of obedience, of our lack of understanding, God comes from the sin of others. We're by our by our own pain, we have made that choice. So at that doubt overcome ourselves. We have made that choice to say, God, you conquer that part, you conquer that situation. And I know it's hard. I've been there. It's hard to to receive that. God, you've beat this. I'm still dealing with it, but I know you've beat it. But we have no excuse to our circumstances. Doubt God's goodness if we claim to have God within us when we choose to. Let that doubt. When we are saying God, you don't have the power or the authority, we are putting that focus on us or that other person.

And what they did, instead of taking on the responsibility that we chose, the thing that didn't conquer. So I'm urging you not to give authority to the noisemaker, but to give authority to the one who has overcame and who is victorious and who has power. Yeah, Verse 30 84i am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ.

Jesus. Jesus knew this about Peter. He knew He would not be separated through this trial, even when Peter chose to deny Christ again, that if Peter had meant what this trial that Jesus allowed, it would not put Jesus's forgiveness at the forefront of Peter's ministry, which had a ripple effect that would last generations. What God saw that Peter did, it was there was a purpose in his pain and that Satan was going to try to use that to distress and to destroy and to prevent Peter from trying to be what God has God's purpose in for. But those things that were that could be seen as terrible, they're wrong. They're hurting those. There's those moments where Satan's going to try to use it to hold you back, God says as fuel for His kingdom to turn that thing into a weapon and says It's going to hold you back, we have to change our perspective of seeing pain, to seeing purpose because there's usually a preparing in your in your pain.

Sorry, we get that right. There's usually a preparing in you by pain for purpose. God needed Peter to walk through that situation so that he could be who he's supposed to be. Because sometimes God needs to do a work in you before He can do a work through you. And we have to choose to allow that to happen. There was purpose in the pain, and usually, usually when we know the purpose in pain, we can kind of know if we can handle it when we may. That is like some of us go to the gym, so like there's some pain that we are willing to endure to get healthier or to get in shape. Some of us it's Golden Corral. We know that that eighth plate is going to be so good, but man, we're going to suffer afterwards. Some of you, Brian, does 150 burpees and 300 miles or whatever to prep for a Spartan race. That's that's always evil, not man. But if we know the purpose, we're willing to endure the pain. Mean I got, I got tattoos and so I'm willing to endure that pain for that.

There's CrossFit. You find community people who can encourage you when you go through rehab and detoxing. There's a pain in that, but it's because you're trying to be better. You're trying to get healthier, you're trying to to walk in line with what God's doing. There's pain in pregnancy and birth. There's there's an expectation of new life and excitement in that. And so when we see the purpose, we are willing to walk through the pain. But what happens when we don't know the purpose? So women talk about Mary a little bit also and the Christmas story. So we know it most that most of us probably know it. An angel comes to Mary and says, Hey, you're going to have a better child.

It's going to be Jesus. So on and so on. And like, I don't know how many of us we we hear the Christmas story and we're like, okay, His God said that she's gonna be pregnant and then immediately think, Oh, there's a bump. But no, not necessarily. Those of you who've been pregnant or have watched somebody go through that, you know, it's not just a bump. All of a sudden, everybody knew it was something that may have been kept secret. And even the angel Lord told Mary, like, it's gonna be fine. I'll give him a good he's gonna be the king of peace. There's still some earthly consequences there of that. Joseph almost divorced her or said, I ain't marrying you like you did something.

Don't tell me you dated God like that. How this happened, Like. And so we we look at this story and there's other people that are watching, like Joseph's brothers are probably like, Mm, you really want to date this girl? Still? But even Mary herself, just the fear is Joseph got to leave me. What's this child going to look like?

How am I going to raise them? Everybody's going to see me as immoral. Everyone's going to see me as this this just terrible person because I cheated. It was going to judge me even though I said there's peace, that there's a purpose. She still didn't fully understand why. And I'd like to think that she I don't know Mary story well, because we don't really focus on her. We focus on Jesus. But I don't think she fully understood the purpose of what she had to go through until Jesus was on the cross. In that moment, that's when she realized, Oh, that's why this birth had to happen the way it did. That's why he had to do these certain things as a teenager. And he ran off to the temple.

And it's not even about her pain. I mean, it is it's her pain that she has to watch her son get tortured. So why do I have to witness this? God, why are you allowing this? Parts of him probably understood here, but it may not be understood here in her heart. And that was part of that defining moment for her was her pregnancy with the son of God. But there's a God moment. Sure. We say, and tried to distract Mary. This is meant for you. You thought wrong, you don't. The angel didn't really say that. When he runs away, you're a terrible mother. You let him. You lost your child. The one that's God's. You lost the most important person on the planet. Satan surely worked in her in her head, just like he works in ours to hold us back, to tell us that we're not deserving.

We're not worthy, we're not good enough. That you deserve that abuse. That's you. There's no point in walking the right walking in the right way because it told you that you'd fail and she'd not make it to be anybody. That you won't get married, that you won't get healed, whatever that is, that list goes on. You can fill in the blank for whatever that is for you. So it's going to try to use those to define us and to make us blame God and question Him and to question his goodness. But God, he can turn what many enemies for evil into something good. But God, when we surrender and we work through that pain, He can use it to show us his love despite that situation.

That's right. God takes these terrible, dark, painful moments, but then can turn them into our greatest weapon against the against the enemy and then into a light for the hopeless. Because it's not just about us. So this phrase I want to teach you. All right? I need you to repeat after me. Hakuna. Almost. God, you know I love Lion King. I've got as a birthday present last year. Love it. Anyways, so the phrase is Felix. Yeah. Culpa, Felix. Culpa. It means it fall. It's this idea that because of atonement, Eve's fall and their sin and that separation of God that we get to experience God's grace and forgiveness through Jesus, that we don't get Jesus without Adam's messing up.

It's not the perfect plan, but it's the plan that happened. And we see this theme all throughout Scripture. We look back at Joseph. He had many brothers and they they just they abuse them. They torture them. They're just totally not good enough. And I mean, we put them in a hole they like. He got traded into slavery and just a terrible life. But because of Joseph's willingness to continue to be obedient to God, Joseph was able to bring the Israelites in the Israelites from famine to feast. He was able to walk them through prosperity instead of slavery. We look a little bit further after Joseph has become Pharaoh. There's a new pharaoh in town who's terrible. He then enslaves all the Israelites to work for the Egyptians.

And we see Moses. We see Moses come out, Moses murder somebody. He questioned his ability to speak. He's like, God, you can't use me. And because I'm or somebody, I'm in this situation. But he was still obedient to God. And what God did is that he brought He through. Moses brought the Israelites out of captivity and brought them to a place of freedom and not only that, he actually destroyed their enemies by crushing the the soldiers and the commanders in front of Pharaoh by the sea. He brought justice because of Moses's obedience. We jump to the New Testament. We are taught about Peter. But then there's Stephen. Stephen is famous for being stoned to death, for preaching the Gospel because of his stoning and his death. The Christians that were present were so scared that they fled across the known world and again aiding the expansion of expansion of God's kingdom.

It was a terrible moment, but God used it for good because in that too, we look at Paul. Paul was one that was killing and persecuting Christians, seeking them out. He was there present watching Stephen as he died. His real scopo moment was probably this I killed a man. A man for God. I thought I was serving. But that regret and that mourning and that shame from that terrible thing is what kept Paul humble.

But then what gave him hunger to make sure he got it right. To make sure that he pursued not the killing of Christians, but the expansion of God's Kingdom. Oh, this Felix Colbert moment we each have we each have these. For me, I can look back and it's so clear just the way that God orchestrates life. I was born to a mother who died about four times the first four months I was born because my mom used drugs in that there's then working in a nightclub. So therefore I just the culture that exists there, there's some poverty. But the part that sticks out to me is the moment that my dad was diagnosed with throat cancer. And because of them working and nights, we didn't really see them that often. So we'd go to a youth group in middle school, and so it allowed me to meet my then youth pastor and her husband.

And in that they moved down to Alabama for a season and then not even like six months after they moved down, I ended up in Mississippi and I hated it. Don't move to Mississippi. I'll just don't. But I, for one, I thought was a guy banjos and overalls everywhere. But we got down to the coast as the diversity is great, but you're either like on the very bottom dirt poor, or you are so prideful on arrogant because you own. Yeah, it's like there's not really a middle. And so like we fell into the, the lower end of things. And so in that just hating the culture and not wanting to be in the school, I just hated it. We'd already moved like eight times in that point. Schools anyways lived in like 30 homes, which I've talked about before.

But like in all of that, I just found myself in a place where I was depressed because like, I want to make friends, but then we'd move again. So I'm not going to make friends. We're not near family and got a job but was fired from that job because I'd show up drunk or hungover or high. And so like, all of this culminated to a point where I found myself in front of a preacher asking for a job and he knew I wasn't really asking for a job. I didn't know I wasn't asking for a job, but I accepted Christ in that moment. But that's not where that transformation happened. But a month later, I reached out to my youth pastor and I didn't really hear from her yet, so we just drove to the place, the ministry site that she was working at. It's about 2 hours from where I stayed and she wasn't there.

Apparently they move back to North Carolina, but in that I met amazing leaders. Some are some older who led who led me through Christ, who walked me like this is this is what the life looks like. This is your purpose. This is what you're doing. Like all these great things. I had walked through depression, I had walked through addiction. I had walked through so many things. But because of that, when I stepped in as a youth pastor in that place, I was able to connect with people and not just with the teenagers. I'm out in the community itself. The adults. I was able to connect with people and say, Hey, here's my story. I understand that part of your story, but here's what Jesus did and it doesn't stay there years later.

I don't know. I would have no idea. But years later, I would meet people who had an impact on who are now called to ministry, who are now willing to serve, who are also not just making an impact for themselves, but they are also then reaching to somebody else. And this isn't about me. I share this. And not to say this is about me, but it's how God orchestrates certain things, how it's orchestrated certain pains for a purpose. And that purpose is not just for me, but it's those who I'm connected to and the people that they are connected to. You have those things. If I had not been in poverty, if my father hadn't been diagnosed with cancer, if I wasn't left alone so that my youth pass would bring me home, I didn't walk through depression and loneliness.

I don't doubt in my family's love for me or how desperate. And if I was to ask for a job where I'm experiencing just moving so many times, I wouldn't have found my way back to my youth pastor who would then walk me through Christ, walked me through ministry because what he did was he turned my greatest hurt into my whole life. He turned my deepest silent into my loudest testimony. God wants to do that for you. And some of us are ready and willing. We're just like, God, just give me the purpose. But I'm telling you that even if you don't have that purpose yet, you can still do that. Because in the Old Testament, we see in the Bible, we see that Mary saw God resurrected, Paul saw others killed, Joseph saw people freed, Peter saw Gentiles reconciled, and Moses actually saw God face to face these amazing things, all because of the crap that they went through.

He had a purpose for them, a trial to walk through things that they could be prepared for those moments so that God's kingdom can be expanded and God's glory can be raised. Now, I still don't have it all figured out. I don't. Just the other week I was sitting in a car of my buddy of mine and like, I'm sitting here, boo hoo. And because this about this time of year is hard for me. I see everybody's family. Oh, I got great family photos. They're doing this with their uncles and their grandparents and all of that. And I don't get that. All my family's out of state. I don't have a relationship with a lot of them for many reasons. That's why I get mad. Why can't I have that? Why can't I have a dad who's excited about what I want to do? Why can't I have a mother who actually cares and reaches out and says, Hey, I love you? Why can't I have a brother and sister who does? Who does this? And it's hard. Thank you. But God is still good. It still takes me like years to see that. And there's moments where I see it so clear and like, Yes, thank you, Jesus. But there's some for my God. Why? But I know God's good because even though I don't get that that real family, God's provided people that I can call family in this room and outside this room, and it's providing me people in seasons to say, I love you.

You say, Hey, this I see this purpose and you do it. I'm going to push you and equip you. God provides those things as such sometimes because I have to. Those people have their real families. So I have to share that and I get my views. But in that, the purpose in that pain, I'm still figuring it out some some of it so I can share the story with you, because maybe you're in that place of not having like your family and whatnot. To me, if I look at God honestly and like, we're like, that's selfish for you, but what about me? And so when we're in that place, I'm like, okay, got it. It was a purpose, but this hurts. Like, come on, like what I do. What do I do while I'm waiting to figure out that purpose? Someone give you five things.

The first one is the Bond community. When you're hurting, when you're trying to figure it out, find others. Others that you can say that so that they can say, Hey, me to say, Hey, I'm walking down that road to find people who are going to equip and encourage. You don't find people who are dealing with that same situation that have not necessarily overcome it. Maybe you're walking on step outside the family more just to be with them so that you can build that relationship because they're going to carry it with you. They're going to carry that cross with you. Hebrews ten, verse 25 says, And let's not and let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together as in the habit of some, but encouraging one another.

And all the more as you see the day drawing new near fine communities. Don't isolate yourself. The second one to seek counsel. Some of that is just finding wisdom like maybe you're struggling with with debt because of decisions you made or the decisions of other people find Counsel How do I do this? What I do with it? Again, find people who aren't necessarily walking in that season with you, but find somebody who's already walked through it. And on the other side, they have turned it back like Peter did. They are past it and know how to walk through it. But sometimes that means also finding counsel. Professionally, it means finding a counselor. We can't do it ourselves and sometimes we need help. And there's people who are trained who can walk you through some of those things.

And so like we may ask, God fix this. And he's saying, I'm trying to take a counselor, Proverbs 28, verse 26, says, Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool. And I'll say this because I mean, I've seen the counselor for a couple of years because of my anxiety and depression and all that stuff that's gone through my life. If I were to trust my own mind, I would get nowhere. Like I need something greater than myself to walk through that pain forever. Trusting his own is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered, walk in the wisdom of others, and then the wisdom of God will be delivered from those things. Thirdly, remove habits and mindsets.

Turn off the phone. Turn off networks. If you're watching porn because you're trying not to deal with certain issues, turn it off. Maybe you're guilty. Maybe you're doing retail therapy. Put the cart away, quick gossip in whatever that bad habit is that you do when you're feeling a certain kind of way. Put the bottle down, replace it. It's easy to put things down, but we're going to pick it right back up. But if you replace it, replace it with things like worship music, go to the gym, drink water, put limits on your computer, whatever it is you need to do to remove this habit. Ephesians 422 to 24 says Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through the sinful desires, but be renewed in your spirit, in the spirit of your mind's, but on the new self created out of the likeness of God and true rightness, justice and holiness. If you put those things away and you put on the new clothes, you're going to see things change. Number four Get in God's presence. Now read the Bible. Listen to preaching, find worship music, find poems. Find yourself in God's presence, even if it's just sitting in your room waiting to hear from Him for almost 50 and for us.

As for whatever was written in the former days, whatever was written was for our instruction that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope. And that hope is finding that purpose. That hope is singing God. Why have you allowed this? That hope is God. Show me what I'm supposed to be doing because I know this is for your glory and my good, but I ain't seen my good yet.

Get in God's presence. Lastly, wait with hope. That's the part that's probably the most difficult is waiting. And I don't mean wait. Just sit back and recline to your thumbs. Like when we or wait for at least of this. My perspective of this in Scripture and when we are to wait, we are actively doing something. We're not sitting idle waiting for God to come down But if God called you to serve and you're waiting on your mind to be healed, like God saying, Wait, we're like, I'm going to provide this, but I need you to do what I've asked you to do. First, be obedient. Some of us were just talking and talking and talking and talking and asking God so many so many questions. So many times, Shut up and listen to them. Like, for real. Like if you're continually talking, how are you going to hear right? It's in the waiting that faith becomes necessary and faith develops. We have hope that God will restore certain situations that God will move certain habits in, that God will give purpose to our pain. But we have to trust God's goodness.

Hebrews 11 one Faith shows the reality of what we hope for. It is the evidence of things we cannot see. Mary waited for nine months. It was three days of silence after Jesus's death before he resurrected. It was a silence that showed the apostles that God was always. There was eight days between Thomas screaming at God before God answered Him. 40 days before Noah made landfall, 40 years before the Israelites found their promised land, 400 years before the Messiah showed up. They waited. They were also obedient and continued to serve and to worship Him. I would ask that most of you probably are in this waiting season of God. What's my purpose in this? You probably know it some up here, but when I ask you guys to do to ask the words to come up for some of you, if you're saying I'm going to wait until I'm married again to commit to Christ, I'm going to wait to serve until those pain stops.

I'm not going to get baptized until I see this. Does a judgment happen to this other person? Maybe. I don't say yes to Jesus until my mental health gets straight. I want to encourage you to bring that to the altar. That's that thing that is preventing you from surrendering to God that then you're awaiting for that that purpose surrender that pain. If you need to surrender that desire to isolate yourself, to hide yourself, if you need to surrender those poor habits, to distract, surrender that that gossip, the shopping, the porn, the alcohol, surrender your pride so you can see seek counsel. You don't know everything but we know the one who does surrender your times that you can find your spouse.

Find you, find yourself in God's presence. Surrender the season of waiting. Surrender this gift that you didn't want. Because even though that gift is for that gift has a purpose and that gift is for your good and God's glory. And if you don't know, if you don't know what to do, it just hurts so much. Bring it to the altar if you need help. Unflinching those hands from that pain and from that memory, bring it to the altar. Those things that are terrible. What God can use to turn weapons into against his enemy and for a light for the hopeless. And if you're that hopeless person, there's also space for you here. The altar. Let's pray.