Embracing the Sacred: Unity in God's Love

"God I'm afraid to go up there you know, it's not the fear I felt when I first started teaching when you're like oh I'm wondering if these people will listen to me and if they'll like me that's a sinful fear because you're more concerned about what people think and and we've all gone through that it's why people have a fear of public speaking it's just what if what if they hate me what if they reject me but then you get comfortable up there and then you start going up there with confidence and and and you almost go through a phase where you like being on the stage and you like the spotlight and you just want those lights to be brighter and the crowds to be bigger and and it's hard because we grew up in a generation that taught us I must increase so that he can increase and so you start justifying well I've got to expand my reach it's okay to grow in my fame because this way I can bring God along with me I must increase so that he can increase how else is he going to do it it's not the scriptures we must we must in this generation now we have a chance and one last push a lot of us some of us uh you might not even made it this morning from last night but uh I was thinking I seriously went through my mind go the odds of everyone make it through the night at their age um but I'm going there's a we have a shot still you you know when I read the scriptures and I see what some of these people do when they see oh shoot that's what the law says like King Josiah we're going to change everything when when Ezra you know like you me like Gary mentioned last night just read from the book of the law from Daybreak until noon and the people are just standing reading from the law that's a part we skip like there's a chance for us to say no we've got to figure it out how do we make him increase how does this become sacred and not me and there's little things we've done in our church in our Gatherings where communion is at the center and if I teach I'll teach from the side and I know that's disruptive because it might mess up the video because the spotlights right there and maybe that's exactly what God wants that somehow the body and blood of Jesus it was Central and some Churches always been Center first 1500 years of church history communion was at the center and a lot of churches have continued that tradition but 500 years ago a guy named zwingley decided I'm going to move communion over and put my pulpit in the middle and then others started following suit and now the body and blood of Christ that once United us has moved aside and now you have pulpits and preachers thousands and thousands and thousands of them all of them preaching different things and then we wonder why the church is so divided but what if we taught people again what is sacred and what is common you know and I'm not saying we don't teach we teach but what if we what if our teaching time decreases and the reading time of his word increases you guys last night when I read through second Peter see I can see it from here this perspective I'm like the room changed it it there was a light and excitement in you that I can't muster up it was like internal it was manifesting externally there was just a joy in this room over the word of God now when I read second Peter last night did any of you disagree with Peter's words anyone have a problem with anything he said even chapter 3 there was nothing you see how Unity could be possible if we would spend more time reading the word of God and teaching our people to rever it and to love it to love it more than our stories our insights where they just go I want to hear from him and there's something about the public reading of scripture that is powerful that yeah that does what no one else can do because those words are living I'm I want to beg you again read his word more uh people are asking how do you read the Bible in two weeks I go I had friends that read the Bible in three days out loud they just took turns this let's just read through it cover to cover out loud took him 70 hours to go from Genesis to Revelation some of them took naps and this and that but someone was always reading and they just wanted to be in the room and read the word of God and they said I can't even explain what happened when we got to the end of Revelation and the room just went nuts about the return of Christ 70 hours out loud so that means you can read it silently in probably 40 hours cuz it takes about twice as long to read it out loud so we're not talking about impossible things talking about 40 hours you could do it in a week you know those screen time notifications that's all I'm going to say you know in our church I'll often have like my son-in-law usually leads us in communion just so I can just sit there in the presence of God and commune with him yes you know let me just read from um you know it says in 1 corini 10 um verse 16 he says the cup of blessing that we bless is it not a participation in the blood of Christ the bread that we break is it not a participation in the body of Christ because there is one bread we who are many are one body for we all partake of the one bread he says the cup of blessing that we bless is it not a participation in the blood of Christ the word participation I personally don't think it's a great translation it's the word coia participation feels very you know like did you participate in this yeah we we participate the word coia Co Fellowship fellow and if you look up that word one of the first definitions is intercourse it's talking about an intimacy amen and he says this cup that we bless is it not a coia this intimate act with the blood of Christ Christ now again I'm not going to try to Define that and I believe that's where we we get So Divine on so many things it's a mystery it's just a mystery I mean why did they have it at the center for all those years someone challenged me a few years ago they said you know how good is your church history I know it's it's it's all right you know I took church history class several of them and they go yeah but your church history is probably from the last 500 years he says you ever studied the first 300 years what did they do what did they do for 300 years did they read the Bible did they have the Bible parts of it but what do they do for those 300 years because it was centered around the body and blood of Christ it was centered around this participation this mystery this coinonia so you go and you gather I had a friend from India one time who drove me to an event and he's like wow I mean there were lights there were uh just crazy you know there were animals horses donkeys everything and he was like wow he goes you Americans are funny he says no one will show up if that speaker isn't going to be there we're some great band or something he goes in India when we hear that there's going to be communion we get excited I said wow I don't think I've ever seen that it's become common it cuts into our time our sermon time I don't want to cut into my sermon time so I'm not going to read chapters of the Bible I don't want to cut into my sermon Time by passing a plate or doing it however we do it it just takes a lot of time and yet if I told you hey this morning you can listen to me I've got a good sermon that I prepared or uh there's actually another room back there and Jesus is actually there in such a way that you can touch him like you could literally touch Jesus in there like just just touch his hand and then walk out it's your choice how many would stay in this room go I no I came to see Francis Chan man I sure hope this place would clear out and go I've got some shot at like I'll drive wherever I need to drive I'll fly wherever I need to fly if I could somehow commune with him like touch him and coin a kna with his body and blood see and how often did I stand up here going hey you know look at me I've thought some things through I've got notes and I've been working on all week it's like oh shoot we ran out of time well we'll do Communion next week I'll let you touch him next week cuz you came from me right came to hear another talk we can change this you guys this is what I read in this book there are people who step up and go this was wrong we blew it we blew it and it can change and there's a younger generation that actually wants it to change and if if we who've been around for a while would be humble and go you know what I think I messed up and in fact I'm sure I have here's some ways that I've messed it up and we need you guys to bring it back you know because you're that next generation and they're done with the celebrity culture they're done with all the gimmicks they want like what we just sang about like God are you telling me I could go and actually experience Your Glory are you telling me like like like this could be like a Matthew 17 moment on that mount of transfiguration where the cloud would speak I mean can you imagine if you were standing on if you had a choice again between listening to my sermon or going up onto a mountain and having a cloud envelop it and then hear the very words of God coming from that cloud what would you pick so how much do we believe that these are the words of God you know that we treat it like we just heard from the cloud and so in our gatherings I love our Gatherings because the pressure is off me now and when my son-in-law or whoever is leading Us in communion I'm just like so focused on him God I want to fellowship with you I want to coin and with you with your body your blood whatever that looks like I want as much of that as I can this is why I came is could My Flesh and Blood somehow coin Ina with the body and blood of Christ mysteriously God yes what I I don't understand it but I want this and then often I'll have my wife come up and just read a couple chapters of the Bible or anyone and and I just sit and I just soak it in and and everyone else does too it's like and so by the time I speak it's like or if I speak before the reading of scripture it's it's it's it's starting to take its rightful place and the word of God and the body and blood of Christ are starting to take its rightful place again and I'm seeing more of the younger generation go yeah that's what we want we want the sacred we don't need the hype anymore we don't need you to be cool we need you to be holy we we don't want you to fit in we actually want this to be something that's set apart okay so let's let's not try to draw people by the fact like hey we're just like the world let draw by okay I want to walk into something that is sacred that is different that I can't get anywhere else I can get good music on my phone but to fellowship with the body and blood of Christ to hear from God and have a chance of experiencing his glory okay that's why I want to go and gather that's why these Believers go what they're going to have communion I'm there because there's something that happens when we as the body come together and that's what I'm praying for even you know in Ephesians in Ephesians chapter 3 Paul says for this reason verse 14 I bow my knees before the father from whom every family in heaven and on Earth is named that according to the riches of his glory he may Grant you to be strengthened with power through his spirit in your inner being so that Christ May dwell in your hearts through faith that you being rooted and grounded in love may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the bread and length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled with all the fullness of God he say I'm on my knees because I want something mysterious like a power to strengthen you in your inner being I'm not trying to rile you up with a talk you know and convince you to walk to an altar or whatever else not to say that's I'm just saying I want something deeper that is actually a power that is inside of you that that that where where you're you're strengthen it and and what I love about it that passage is it says so that you together with all the saints that there's something that we can receive here together the Bible talks about this you know first John he says look no one's ever seen God but if we love one another somehow his love manifests amongst us see I used to love my time I still love my time alone with God where it's just me him the word of God that's it I love it I love it but lately the last few years I've Loved even more being together with true brothers and sisters that also want this Glory cuz something happens when the church assembles when we gather together for the right reason with one heart and one Spirit now we all come in with our agendas well I want this I want this I want this I wish the church was more like no but we all just go Show Me Your Glory Show Me Your Glory I come here cuz I want to see your glory I want to commune with your body and blood I want to hear from the word of God that's all I want and so I'm going to love my brothers and sisters and we're going to come and together say Show Me Your Glory there's something about that there's something about when we gather together and together with the Saints that we able to comprehend just how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ it's when we get to know the love of Christ know the love of not know about the love of Christ but know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge I can't teach you I can't just put it on a screen and go look God loves you here's why it's beyond knowledge there's some mystery that happens and we need to bring back mystery amen I mean that's what what what what the scripture says I just want to be a known as a servant of God and stewards of the mysteries of God that's why he says we we just want to be we just want to Steward the mystery well that's our job look there's there's a mystery that I there was a mystery that happened to me when I was a teenager I heard the gospel and something happened in me and it's mysterious and it was real the reason why I know it's real because I'm standing here over 40 years later going you know I I'm still standing you know and and I love him even more and I love his word even more and and now I'm I'm like revering even I even have a greater fear like God I don't want to take away any of your glory I don't want if you're on your throne and all those angels are just surrounding your throne like Revelation 5 I don't want to turn the attention go wait a second look at me I want him to keep staring at you God and I want to encourage everyone else to keep staring at you and those who aren't looking at him I want you to look at him we've got to figure out how do we do this how do we do it the word of God says something happens when we're together and I just want to say just a couple more things and I want to read scripture again it has to be real to us amen every like you need to know the love of Christ I'm not going to assume I will assume that everyone in this room knows about the love of Christ but I'm not going to assume that you know the love of Christ Paul is writing to Believers here he's writing to Believers and he's on his knees praying for Believers he he says you know in the beginning he says you know Paul and Apostle Christ Jesus to the church he's talking to the church in Ephesus who are faithful in Christ Jesus and then he explains I'm on my knees praying for you that you may know the love of Christ which surpasses comprehension that you may be filled with all the fullness of God that I will not assume in this room that you know the love of Christ that you may be filled with all the fullness of God in fact I want to get on my knees and ask for that to happen because there's a mystery of knowing the love of Christ really knowing it to where you truly are C crying out from your spirit ABA father and it's you and you commune with him and it results in this Joy inexpressible like a joy inexpressible a peace that's beyond comprehension it's unfathomable how joyful and peaceful we are because of the grace of God this is a mystery and we have a better shot at it when we are together with all the saints because for some of us it's not natural to believe that we are loved some of you like me my mom died when I was born giving birth to me and then my dad gave me up for adoption cuz he didn't want me so so I was on the earth no one cared about me in fact I all I was was a burden there's no one on the earth that actually wanted me my Aunt ends up taking me from my dance you know he already had the person uh picked out who was going to take me just some random lady and she took me away from him and sent me off to Hong Kong to grow up with my grandmother until it was too hard for her and then she made my father take me back but he didn't want me by then he had a another child my older brother and sister and they didn't want me no one wants me on the earth so there's nothing in me where where I just naturally know that I'm loved yeah no the natural is no one wants me everyone would rather I didn't exist but God but God God but God being rich in Mercy because of the great love with which he loved us it's it's it's one of those things where in the flesh I to know so me know what I'm talking about man when I'm when I'm tied to a tree by my father and he's grabbing branches and just going after me and I'm just like screaming please stop Welch all you know when you crying you can't even make noise anymore and then the worst is he just leaves me in the yard tied to a tree and it's getting dark and I don't know if I'm allowed to untie myself and get in the house wow wow wow wow then you're telling me that God loves me and desires me and I'm supposed to know from the core of my being this love you can't talk me into that a mystery has to take place together with the Saints and there's a verse in um Matthew 55 that I never really noticed before I'm sorry Romans 5:5 it says hope does not put us to shame because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit wait so it says that God's love his love is somehow poured into my inner being by the Holy Spirit see there's a love that is beyond comprehension it doesn't necessarily go through your ears into your cognitive reasoning and and you know and then it makes this transfer into your heart no it's poured straight into your heart from the Holy Spirit and I was meditating on like God is this true you can just pour things in into the center of my being how does that work because I thought I had to understand it through my cognitive reasoning and then something happens up there and then it has to slowly work its way down and I believe God revealed to me he goes well then what do we do with all these special needs kids they can never know me or do we have a God so powerful so powerful that he can pour the love of God through the spirit into their hearts and this is our only hope I want to pray that all of you I don't know your background there's a lot of insecurity in Ministry because we don't know the love of Christ we can't just sit here do nothing and just know that holy holy holy God has so much affection towards me we we still get into this works mentality for those of us who could never qu quite earn our parents' love or approval but their approval is not the same as love you know and we're chasing after something that God says don't chase that it is finished Hallelujah I am loved I am so loved and I want to pour my this is what separates us from every the rest of creation we are able to receive the love of God this is what he wants for us he wants us to know his love he created us in His image so that we can actually know and that he can actually abide in us that the father and son would actually come and live with us and the spirit would actually dwell in I was made in a mysterious way in the image of God just as the father and son is one just as the father has loved the son so has the son loved me and he's inviting me into this Union this eternal Union of father son holy spirit so I can actually receive his love and be filled with all the fullness of God hallelujah that's a mystery I'm after Hallelujah know it and we want to lure people in with raffles you guys this is a mystery this is an awesome mystery it's awesome and I believe this morning I can come before the throne of grace and ask God to just pour his love by his Spirit into your hearts to wear that mystery that took place in my heart at 15 it lasted it lasted and I believe that for some of us who believe and we are believers like the Ephesians were Believers that he can do something mysterious in our inner being to where we're rooted and grounded in love not performance not fear we're rooted and grounded in love amen and he'll give us strength to comprehend together with all the saints that somehow this mysterious Gathering will produce in us the ability to comprehend to know the love of Christ to know how wide and long and high and deep and to truly know God is crazy about me right now amen I'm telling you guys some of you will understand understand what I'm about to say for years as a pastor I could stand in front of a crowd and with confidence go I love Jesus Christ but I could not with the same confidence say Jesus loves Francis Chan there was something that that felt arrogant about that see that's That's what Satan does he goes oh that's Pride like no that's gospel that's gospel you know like there's something about I can't say you know like like John admit it when you read John and he calls himself the Beloved disciple doesn't it bother you and if you were one of the other disciples and he kept calling I'm the one he loves right it seems arrogant it seems arrogant to say I am the one that he loves and and for years I I thought I want to be Elijah on Mount Carmel man Bring it on Bring it any faith and I want to call down fire from heaven or I want to part the Red Sea or or or when when El when he when when he just calls down fire whenever he want once burns up 5050 people 50 more come watch this boom there I want to do that I want to do that I look at all these things I want to do it's only been in the last year or two where I've thought to myself God if I could do anything that I read about in this book it's when John lays his head on the chest of the Creator and judge and then he defines himself that's right as I'm the I'm the Beloved I'm the one that leaned my head against his chest can you imagine how secure you are at the moment you have holy holy holy God who's far above all rule Authority power and Dominion above every name that is named and will be named and now your head is on his chest come on now and you know he's okay with it and he loves it he he's the Beloved disciple all my life I've looked at other people in this book oh I wish I was like that I want him I want this and now I'm going God I just want to know that I'm that loved yes yes you are I just want to be that disciple that can lean my head on your chest and I I never noticed that the word beloved is just the words be loved yeah I like oh I should have known that but I have a hard time just sitting and being loved I just feel like I got to earn something I got to do something rather than just take a piece of bread drink of a cup and just be loved by him amen just to hear his precious words that he speaks to us and go wow I just want to be loved by him God I pray for my brothers and sisters right now that if any of them are just struggling with being loved change us Lord make us like John Lord help us to just be loved be known for being loved help us that if we're going to boast in anything that we boast in being known and loved by you not because of anything we've done or will do it's blasphemy it's because of your grace it's because you are love and you so loved that you reconciled us God bring joy back into our hearts not because our church is growing not because we have more followers but because we have the confidence to lean our head upon your chest and just commune with you May our joy be from fellowshipping coin Andia with your body and blood and going who are we to coin Ania with your flesh and blood to hear your words to see your glory and not be consumed God may this be the joy of Our Lives please Lord fill us and God give us ears to hear right now help us see ourselves on that Mountaintop as we listen to your word I pray for Supernatural attention span right now for those of us who've been con addicted to our phones give us reverence to set your word apart as we listen to your word out of Ephesians 2 and 3 just listen to this I'm just going to listen to this and enjoy these words of love from God my ab father and you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked following the course of this world following the prince of the power of the air the spirit that is now at work in the sons of Disobedience among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh carrying out the desires of the body and the mind and we're by Nature children of Wrath like the rest of mankind but God being rich in Mercy because of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead in our trespasses made us alive together with Christ by Grace you have been saved amen and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the Heavenly places in Christ Jesus so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable Riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus for by Grace you have been saved through faith and this is not your own doing it is the gift of God not a result of works so that no one may boast for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh called the uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision which is made in the flesh by hands remember that you were at that time separated from Christ alienated from the Commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of Promise having no hope and without God in the world Jesus but now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ for he himself is our peace who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of Commandments expressed in ordinances that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two so making peace and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross thereby killing the hostility and he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the father so then you are no longer strangers and Aliens but you are fellow citizens with the Saints and members of the household of God built on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Christ Jesus himself self being the Cornerstone in whom the whole structure being joined together grows into a holy Temple in the Lord in him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the spirit for this reason I Paul a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's Grace that was given to me for you how the mystery was made known to me by Revelation as I have written briefly when you read this you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ which was not made known to the sons of men in other Generations as it has now been revealed to His Holy Apostles and Prophets by the spirit this mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs members of the same body yes and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus Through The Gospel of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace which was given me by the working of his power to me though I am the very least of all the saints this Grace was given to preach reach to the Gentiles The unsearchable Riches of Christ and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the Heavenly places this was according to the Eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our lord in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him so I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you which is your glory for this reason I bow my knees before the father from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named that according to the riches of his glory he may Grant you to be strengthened with power through his spirit in your inner being so that Christ May dwell in your hearts through faith that you being rooted and grounded in love may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the bread and length L and height and depth and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled with all the fullness of God now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think according to the power at work within us to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever amen [00:01:17]