We Were Never Supposed To Stay Here | Pastor Marcus St.Julien | MOTIV8 Church

We live in a culture that trains us to seek predictable comfort, so we build stability and defend it with everything we have. We stack good jobs, safer neighborhoods, and neat routines until we mistake a chapter for a permanent address. We protect that security with walls and rules, then we panic when something finally breaks. We assume every disruption means failure or punishment, but we also see in Scripture that disruption often redirects. We read the original command to Adam and Eve as an outward mandate: be fruitful, fill the earth, govern creation. We understand that the first assignment moved people outward, not inward. We watch the Babel story and notice the people had resources, unity, and vision, yet they repurposed those gifts to stay put. We stopped obeying the call to scatter and instead built monuments to our own safety and fame. We observe that God did not collapse their work out of spite; we see God change their circumstances to fulfill the initial mission to fill the earth. We learn that comfort can look like blessing while it actually becomes a well decorated detour from calling. We recognize that scattering can feel like loss, but scattering can also be the mechanism that places us where our gifts actually matter. We admit that many of our towers do not look like towers at all; they look like jobs, marriages, routines, or church models we refuse to release. We choose to ask a different question: instead of asking why things fall apart, we ask where God might be trying to send us next. We accept that moving rarely happens without disruption, but we also remember that Jesus promised to go with those he sent. We commit to examine our holdings, let go of what cements us in place, and start moving toward the people and places we were originally meant to reach.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Comfort disguises itself as blessing We often call stability a gift and then clutch it like our identity. When comfort becomes the metric for faithfulness, we reproduce fear, not courage, and we shrink the reach of our calling. Letting the feeling of blessedness be only an occasion for obedience keeps us from spreading what we have been given. [00:18]
• 2. Disruption can be divine redirection Not every breaking point signals punishment; disruptions can redirect us to the work we were made for. When what we built no longer serves the original mission, a painful push can reorient our gifts toward purpose. We must watch where the disruption points and follow, not just lament what fell. [22:35]
• 3. Original calling demands outward movement The first instruction after the fall emphasized going outward to fill and govern the earth, not settling into secured comfort. When our energy turns inward to protect a place, we disobey that outward trajectory and waste potential. We should evaluate whether our plans advance the spread of life or simply secure our own. [06:49]
• 4. Letting go advances God’s mission Releasing a familiar life chapter does not always mean failure; it often opens a corridor for greater influence. When we surrender our permanent-residence mindset, we free ourselves to be scattered into neighborhoods, workplaces, and people who need what we carry. We move best when we trade comfort for obedience, knowing we do not go alone. [32:01]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:18] - Culture Trains Us For Comfort
• [01:32] - When Stability Breaks Down
• [04:56] - Introducing the Tower of Babel
• [06:49] - The First Command: Fill the Earth
• [11:51] - Reading Genesis 11 Together
• [17:26] - The Lord Came Down to See
• [22:35] - Scattering Fulfilled the Plan
• [25:29] - Comfort Versus Calling
• [31:38] - Invitation to Move and Go

1. In Genesis 11:4, the people said, “Let us build a city… so that we may not be scattered.” How does this contrast with God’s original command in Genesis 1:28?
2. The sermon mentions that “comfort can look like blessing while it actually becomes a well-decorated detour from calling” [26:13]. What examples of “well-decorated detours” were given in the sermon?
3. In Matthew 28:19, Jesus says, “Go… make disciples.” How does this connect to the idea of “outward movement” from Genesis 1:28?

1. Why did God confuse the people’s language in Genesis 11 instead of simply destroying their tower? How does this action align with His original plan for humanity?
2. The sermon states, “Disruption can be divine redirection” [22:35]. How might this perspective change how we interpret personal or communal setbacks?
3. Jesus promises, “I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20). How does this promise address the fear of leaving comfort or stability behind?

1. What “monuments to safety” (e.g., routines, relationships, jobs) are you holding onto that might be keeping you from moving outward? [28:33]
2. When have you experienced a disruption (e.g., job loss, relocation, relationship shift) that later revealed a new purpose or direction? How did it challenge your view of God’s plan?
3. The sermon asks, “Where are you building right now to keep yourself from being scattered?” [28:15] What practical step could you take this week to align your life more with “filling the earth” instead of staying put?
4. How might your daily habits or priorities shift if you saw your current season as a temporary chapter rather than a permanent address?
5. Jesus’ command to “go” includes neighborhoods, workplaces, and relationships. Who in your immediate circle needs to experience the hope you carry, and how can you intentionally engage them?
6. The sermon warns against mistaking “stability for faithfulness” [00:18]. What is one area where you’ve prioritized comfort over courage, and what would it look like to step forward in obedience?