Sunday Morning 1st Service | Back on Course #3 | Pastor Rob Thomas

Aug 16, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When the Broom Tree Becomes Your Only Companion

A weary prophet sits under a desert shrub, begging to die after spiritual victory. Isolation warps perspective, making us believe lies about being alone. Like Elijah, we withdraw during exhaustion or failure, convinced no one understands our struggle. Yet isolation magnifies problems and distorts truth. God responds not with rebuke but gentle correction, reminding us we’re part of a broader story. Healing begins when we reject the lie that we’re the only ones left. [55:41]

Elijah went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it, and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” (1 Kings 19:4, ESV)

Reflection: What current struggle have you been carrying alone, believing “no one would understand”? How might inviting one trusted person into that pain shift your perspective?

Day 2: The Roof Temptation of Unchecked Isolation

A king lingers on his palace roof when he should’ve been leading troops. Isolation creates space for temptation to flourish. David’s choice to stay behind removed accountability, making sin easier. Like him, we often withdraw from healthy rhythms during success or stress, thinking we’re “safe” alone. Yet private struggles grow strongest in shadows. True protection comes through staying connected to those who know our weaknesses. [57:46]

In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. But David remained in Jerusalem. One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. (2 Samuel 11:1-2, ESV)

Reflection: What protective rhythm (group, friendship, or routine) have you neglected lately? How could restoring it guard your heart this week?

Day 3: Thirty-Three Miners and the Miracle of Shared Rations

Trapped 2,300 feet underground, Chilean miners chose “we live or die together” over isolation. Crisis reveals our need for others’ strength. Like their strict food rationing and prayer schedule, spiritual survival requires swallowing pride to depend on community. Shared burdens become lighter; shared hope grows brighter. The rescue reminds us no one emerges from darkness alone. [01:01:21]

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, ESV)

Reflection: What “emergency ration” of strength are you trying to stretch alone? Who could help carry that burden if you asked?

Day 4: When “I’m Fine” Cracks Under the Weight

Three panelists testified: trauma buried becomes poison; addiction thrives in shadows; polished masks crumble. Like Kevin’s paramedic story or Jamita’s hidden grief, isolation promises protection but delivers despair. Healing began when they said “yes” to coffee invites, tearful prayers, and messy conversations. Vulnerability becomes lifeline when we stop performing and start being known. [01:10:09]

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2, ESV)

Reflection: What mask have you worn this month to hide your true struggle? What one step could you take this week to let someone see behind it?

Day 5: Jonathan’s Wilderness Search for a Hiding Friend

A prince treks through rugged terrain to find his despairing friend. True community pursues. Like Jonathan seeking David, Godly friends don’t wait for perfect conditions—they initiate. Spiritual friendships require friction (“iron sharpens iron”) and consistency (“warn each other daily”). These relationships don’t avoid hard truths but speak them with love, keeping each other anchored to Christ. [01:32:29]

And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God. (1 Samuel 23:16, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your life needs you to “go to Horesh” for them this week? What friend helps you find strength in God when you forget how?

Sermon Summary

Spiritual drift does not usually show up with a big dramatic announcement. It starts quiet, like a boat left untied that slowly moves away from the dock. The call to get “Back on Course” names isolation as one of the biggest reasons a person drifts and then stays stuck. Isolation sneaks in during hard seasons, strained marriages, financial setbacks, scary diagnoses, failures, offenses, and deep disappointments. The polished outside stays visible, but the real weight gets carried alone.

Ecclesiastes says “two people are better off than one” because the one who falls alone is in real trouble. Elijah shows that danger after Mount Carmel. God had just answered by fire, Baal’s prophets had been defeated, and Israel had turned back to God. Yet Jezebel’s threat drove Elijah into the wilderness, away from his servant, under a broom tree, begging God to take his life. Isolation did not just make Elijah tired. It distorted reality until he believed, “I’m the only one left,” while God knew there were still 7,000 faithful.

David shows the same danger from another angle. At the time when kings went off to war, David stayed behind in the comfort and isolation of the palace. Bathsheba was not the problem. This was a David problem, an isolation problem, a heart problem. Being alone did not force David to sin, but it removed the guardrails, the normal accountability, and the rhythm that should have helped protect him.

God designed human life for community from the beginning. Before sin entered the world, God said it was not good for man to be alone. Jesus himself, though he had perfect communion with the Father, chose shared life with the Twelve and wanted Peter, James, and John near him in Gethsemane. Acts 2 shows a church devoted to teaching, fellowship, meals, prayer, and shared life, not casual attendance when schedules opened up.

Real community means being known, not just being friendly. Iron only sharpens iron through contact, closeness, honesty, and friction. Jonathan found David in the wilderness and helped him find strength in God. The call is not for a dozen deep relationships, but for a few people who know the real condition of the heart and help keep life on course.

Key Takeaways

1. Isolation distorts reality fast. Elijah’s isolation turned a real threat into a false conclusion. The wilderness made him believe he was the only faithful one left, but God gently corrected the lie with the truth of 7,000 others. Isolation often sounds convincing because exhaustion and fear make false thoughts feel like facts. [55:41]
2. Guardrails disappear in hidden places. David’s sin began in a place where he should not have been, alone in the palace while kings went to war. Isolation did not make him powerless, but it removed the people and rhythms that could have interrupted temptation. Hiddenness gives sin room to stack one compromise on top of another. [58:53]
3. God named loneliness before sin. Genesis shows God calling man’s aloneness “not good” before the fall ever happened. Community is not just a rescue plan for broken people, but part of God’s design for whole people. The need for others is not weakness, immaturity, or lack of faith. [64:10]
4. Being present is not being known. A person can sit in church, smile, serve, and still keep the deepest burdens locked away. Real community begins when the polished version gives way to the truthful version. The testimonies showed that healing often started with one risky yes, one honest conversation, or one person finally being let in. [83:02]
5. Friction can sharpen faithful friends. Iron sharpens iron only through contact, and contact often brings discomfort. Offense does not always mean community has failed, because sometimes friction exposes the very place God wants to sharpen. Running from every uncomfortable relationship can keep a person dull, guarded, and drifting.

## [89:35]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[46:18] - Back on Course Recap
[48:01] - Isolation Sneaks In Quietly
[52:16] - Point One: Isolation Is Dangerous
[53:31] - Falling Alone Is Real Trouble
[54:08] - Elijah Under the Broom Tree
[57:17] - David Alone in the Palace
[61:21] - Chilean Miners Survive Together
[63:54] - Point Two: Designed for Community
[66:35] - The Early Church Shared Life
[69:38] - Real Stories of Leaving Isolation
[87:54] - Point Three: Known by Real People
[89:35] - Iron Sharpens Through Friction
[92:29] - Jonathan Strengthens David
[97:19] - Questions for Honest Response

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!” [53:31]

Genesis 2:18
“Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.’” [01:04:10]

Proverbs 27:17
“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” [01:29:35]

Acts 2:42
“And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” [01:06:35]

1 Samuel 23:16
“And Jonathan, Saul's son, rose and went to David at Horesh, and strengthened his hand in God.” [01:33:09]

Observation questions

According to Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, what specific help does one person give another when someone falls? [53:31]
What are some of the situations that can quietly push a person toward isolation? [48:21]
In Genesis 2:18, what does God say is “not good,” and when in the biblical story does He say it? [01:04:10]
What habits of shared life are listed in Acts 2:42? [01:06:35]

Interpretation questions

Elijah believed he was the only faithful one left, yet God said there were still 7,000. What does that reveal about the way isolation can distort a person’s view of reality? [55:41]
David’s fall happened when he stayed back in the palace instead of going where he should have been. How can being in the wrong place spiritually or relationally remove important guardrails from a person’s life? [58:53]
If God said it was “not good” for man to be alone before sin entered the world, what does that suggest about the need for community? [01:04:10]
Proverbs 27:17 says iron sharpens iron. Why might real sharpening require not just closeness, but also honesty and friction? [01:29:35]

Application questions

Where has isolation been quietly growing lately—in pain, disappointment, fear, offense, busyness, or something else? What has that looked like in daily life? [48:21]
Being present is not the same as being known. Where is there a temptation to keep showing the polished version while carrying the real burden alone? [01:23:02]
Hidden places remove guardrails. What rhythms or relationships have been missing lately that normally help keep life on course? [59:36]
Real community usually starts with one honest step. Who is one person that could be trusted with a more truthful conversation this week? [01:38:40]
Some people run as soon as relationships get uncomfortable. When friction shows up, is the usual response to withdraw, defend, stay shallow, or work through it? [01:29:35]
Jonathan strengthened David’s hand in God. Who has done that before, and who might need that kind of encouragement now? [01:33:09]
One simple step can begin to break isolation. What would that step look like this week—a text, a phone call, coffee, saying yes to an invitation, or asking for help directly? [01:39:18]

Sermon Clips

46s

#AloneIsNotGood

“``Guys, this is interesting. Now we we obviously we talk about this in marriage and this verse is quoted in weddings. But guys, that's not the point I'm trying to make right here. I'm saying this this is the first time in the creation account that God said something was not good. What was not good? That man was alone? Listen, understand this. Before sin ever entered the world, God identified isolation as a problem. Before the fall, isolation was already identified by the father as a problem.”

49s

#IsolationLeadsToSin

“If you remember, God doesn't want put one ounce of blame on Bathsheba. He 100% puts it on David. This was a David problem. This was an isolation problem. This was a heart problem. What followed was a waterfall, a cascade of sin, one after another, adultery, deception, and we know eventually murder. Now the text makes a point of telling us that David was alone when he should have been with his men. Being isolated didn't force him to sin, but it removed the natural accountability that he should have had and the northern normal rhythm of life that should have been there to protect him in a moment. Instead, he was alone with his thoughts and his temptations.”

70s

#IsolationDistortsReality

“Fear takes over. Isolation had convinced him of something that was not true because God comes back and gently corrects him and says, no, there are still 7,000 faithful who have not bowed their knee. Elijah's isolation didn't just make him tired, it made him lose sight of reality. I'm the only one and nobody can understand. I'm all alone. true. Not the truth. Many of us have been there. After a busy season or a disappointment or a failure or a setback, we start pulling back. We stop answering calls. We tell ourselves that we just need space. And before long, our perspective has shifted just like Elijah's. And we find ourselves, we we believe we are more alone than we actually Nobody can possibly understand what I'm walking through. Really? You really think there's something new under the sun today? You really think there's somebody who can't possibly understand what you're walking through?”

57s

#DoLifeTogether

“They met together at the temple every day. They met in homes for the Lord's supper and they shared their meals with great joy and generosity. Guys, this is not casual attendance. This isn't just whenever I can make it. This isn't whenever it's convenient. This isn't when my schedule opens up and I have enough time. This is dedication to a shared life. I was thinking the New Testament is filled with one another commands. Have you ever thought about that? We're told to love one another. We're told to serve one another. We're told to encourage one another. We're told to bear one another's burdens. We're told to confess our sins to one another. There's all these things and none of that's possible if we hold people at a distance all the time. We can't fulfill any of these commands if we're holding people at distance constantly.”

42s

#FewDeepRelationships

“And here's the deal, you don't need a dozen deep relationships, guys, but you do at least need a few people. You need a few people in your life who truly know you and are truly committed to helping you keep your life on course. And guess what? There's people who need you to do the same. So understand, if you don't have anybody in this life who knows the real you, who knows what's really going on down deep inside of your heart, that's not a small problem. That's a significant problem.”

46s

#IntentionalFriendship

“Guys, we need people who remind us who we are in Christ in the moments that we forget. Guys, how do you know that sometimes we really do begin to forget who we are in Christ because the circumstance, the situation, the disappointment, the hurt, the failure seems so much bigger and it's all our attention, it's all our eyes seem to to gaze upon. Remember it changes our perspective, it distorts it. Right? The kind of friendship I'm talking about, it doesn't happen by accident, it requires consistent intentionality.”

52s

#SpiritualFriendship

“Maybe you'd admit that sometimes you have moments in life where you really need somebody to come along and help you find strength in God. Jonathan comes along and shows what a spiritual friendship, a godly friendship is really supposed to look like. Jonathan didn't just offer kind words. It wasn't just a, hey, I'll be praying for you, brother. He got down there and he walked with David. He helps him find strength in God. He strengthened David's faith when David was at risk of of of of completely losing heart. David needed somebody to know the real situation and was willing to move toward Jonathan, not hold him at a distance.”

49s

#IronSharpensIron

“sharpening only happens through contact. You want to become a sharp tool in the hand of God? It only happens through contact. Iron sharpens iron. So that means it requires if you got two pieces of iron right next to each other, they're not gonna become sharp until they come in contact. It requires closeness. It requires honesty. And, guys, it requires friction. And, man, do we hate friction. We hate friction in our relationships.”

35s

#HandleConflictBiblically

“Healing, well, that shouldn't happen in church. Yes, it should. We're human beings. Somebody's gonna hurt your little feelings. And you have the choice that you're either gonna get up and tucktail and run and isolate yourself or you're gonna handle it biblically. And you're gonna take care of it. You're not gonna let anybody have that much control of your life that their words send you off course and off into left field. Sharpening only happens through contact. It requires closeness, honesty, and friction.”

35s

#DailyCommunity

“every day. Guys, the kind of relationships I'm talking about, they are not occasional. They are every day. It's it's it should be consistent enough that the people in your life, they should take notice. They should be able to notice when you start to drift. Even when you're trying to hide it, even when you're trying to put on a good face and keep it yourself, even when you're trying to see all the right words, usually that people that are close enough, they can see right through that. And they can look you in the eyes and say, no, no. What's going on right now?”

40s

#IsolationSkewsThinking

“Now, here's the thing I want you to understand. In this isolated place, when you get isolated like this, what happens is your perspective gets completely distorted. How many of you would agree that when you get by yourself isolated and you're tired, you can get stupid in your thinking. You can start thinking things that aren't aren't even true. You can start believing them. And that's what we find happening here. And and Elijah goes on to tell God, he say he he he tells God, he said, I'm the only one left who's faithful and hasn't bowed their knee to bail.”

41s

#GrowThroughCommunity

“God designed listen, guys. God designed spiritual growth to happen in relationship. You wanna be spiritually mature? It happens in relation. Yes, you need to spend time with the Lord, but you're really gonna grow in relationship with other believers. I know so many people that think they are so spiritually mature that they don't need the church. All they're doing is stunting their own growth in God.”

45s

#FrictionMeansCommunity

“And it's funny to me because people get so offended. I know people that have left the church, they've left the church again, and they've gone to another church, they left that church. Why? Because somebody keeps hurting their feelings. Well, that shouldn't happen in the church. Oh, yeah. You're there. It's gonna happen. I'm there. It's gonna happen. And if this is true, that iron sharpens iron and it requires friction, I would propose this. If there's not friction in your life or relationship friction, if you aren't occasionally having the temptation to get offended, you're probably not in community and you're probably not where God wants you to be.”

59s

#SurviveTogether

“Panic and despair could have destroyed them quickly. Instead, the men made a critical decision. They refused to face the crisis as 33 isolated individuals. They organized. They appointed a leader. They rationed the food with strict discipline so that it would last. They established a prayer routine. They gathered twice daily to cry out to God. They assigned roles. Some cared for the weaker ones. Others maintained hope. Others kept order. The shift leader, Luis Urzua, later said that the turning point was the moment they decided that they would live or die together. May we live or may we die, we're gonna do it together. Isolation would have bred chaos and hopelessness, but community gave them structure and encouragement and the will to keep going. Guys, listen. After sixty nine days underground, every single one of them was brought out alive.”

50s

#ConnectedNotJustOnline

“Sixty nine days on a few cans of tuna and a few cookies. Experts have studied the rescue and they have said that their the guy's decision to lean on one another rather than descend into isolation is the primary reason that they survived. Guys, if they had all tried to do their own own thing, I don't believe any of them would have made it out of life. So I want you to understand you can be surrounded by like right now, you're surrounded by people, but you can also be totally isolated because you aren't making any kind of connection. You can have hundreds of online connections, you can have thousands of followers and nobody really know what's truly going on in your heart and your soul. And when that happens, drift comes much easier.”

89s

#BeKnownNotJustSeen

“Alright, guys. So isolation is dangerous. God designed us for community. And number three, staying on course requires people who know the real you. Staying on course requires people who know the real you. Guys, have you know that most all of us are really good at putting on a good face? Most all of us are really good. I mean, we're like experts. If we could get paid for faking it till you make it, we'd be rich. Again, look, gathering together with the church, coming to church is awesome. That's great. But being known is even better. You can come, like I said, you can come and you can sit and you can fill a chair, but being truly known changes everything. There's a difference between being friendly and being known. Like I say, many of us we are we are skilled at surface level communication. We can we can be so nice and so inviting and and and say all the right things like at church on Sunday or even at work. But yet carefully guarded when it comes to the deep parts of our heart and our life.”

68s

#GuardrailsOfCommunity

“Guys, when we remove ourselves from the people who know us, we often remove the very guardrails that were set in place to protect us and keep us on course. Many of us have experienced the same thing. It may just look a little different. We stay home when we should be with others. We keep our struggles private. Guys, as youth pastor, I've said this a 100 times. As Sean and I were youth pastors, I don't know how many times kids would come to us upset and crying at different things, and they would say, this is going on in my family, you won't believe what happened to my mom and dad, and you believe my dad did my mom and then different things. But they told us we can't tell anybody so you can't. You know, and I'm going, your kid is broken down because of what's going on at home. And they've been told to isolate themselves and they can't share with anybody. Guys, can't do that to our children. And we model it ourselves. What if we were open and honest and said I got a problem. I need help.”

58s

#DontSlipOut

“Guys, listen. Community is so important. We say this all the time. Guys, I have seen over the years, I have seen so many people leave the church. And you know, one of the very most common answers I hear people say I just didn't feel loved. You know, I missed two Sundays in a row and nobody called me. What I found is that most people who say those words, they're not involved in anything outside of Sunday morning. They show up and they slip out. They don't let anybody truly in. Let me tell you, if you hold people at arm's length and you only show up here on Sunday morning, guys, don't see be surprised when it's not noticed when you're missing.”

67s

#WhoWillYouLetIn

“Maybe like some of the folks we talked to here a minute ago, maybe it's trauma from your past that you've truly never dealt with and you felt like you've just barely been holding it together for weeks, months, years, maybe decades. And like heaven, you're coming to that place where you're afraid that you just aren't gonna be able to contain it any longer. And I'll tell you, it's it's it's gonna come out eventually. Where have you been isolating yourself? Second question I want you to ask yourself is who do I need to let into my life more fully? Who do I need to let into my life more fully? For Will, was a handful of folks. For miss Jamita, it started with some of the ladies. For Kevin, it was his wife. Ask yourself right now, who do I need to let into my life more fully? Again, if there's not somebody who knows the real condition of your heart, of your life, of your soul, that's not a small problem. But it starts with letting someone in.”

47s

#TakeOneStepIn

“is one step I can take toward real community this week? What's one step I can take toward real community, toward letting somebody in? All three of our panelists, they answered that question. I love miss Jamitas. Say yes. Just say yes. Some of you, it's gonna take a little more intentionality. Maybe you don't have anybody actively inviting you. Maybe you're gonna have to reach out to somebody and say, hey, can I buy you a cup of coffee? Will you come sit with me for a bit? I need to share what's been going on in my life. It looks different for all of us.”

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