You are HERE & You Matter!! - Pastor Matt Keller

Jun 07, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: You Are Here – Three Words That Change Everything

When life feels chaotic, God’s first instruction is to recognize where He has placed you. Just as a map’s “You Are Here” marker clarifies direction, embracing your divine placement anchors purpose. The Israelites in Babylon were called to build homes, plant gardens, and seek their city’s welfare despite exile. God doesn’t waste your location—He uses it to multiply His light. Your neighborhood, workplace, or campus isn’t accidental. Start where you stand. [49:27]

“Build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters… Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” (Jeremiah 29:5–7, NIV)

Reflection: Where has God placed you today—physically, emotionally, spiritually—that feels like “exile”? What practical step can you take this week to seek the welfare of that place?

Day 2: Not All Voices Are Created Equal

In a world of endless opinions, discernment is survival. False prophets in Babylon peddled empty promises, just as today’s influencers often prioritize trends over truth. Social media voices build followings; pastors build foundations. Your spiritual health depends on rooting yourself in God-ordained teaching, not algorithm-driven content. The local church remains God’s primary voice—a place to grow deeper, not just scroll faster. [58:54]

“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.” (Ephesians 4:11–12, NIV)

Reflection: Which voices dominate your daily input—life-giving shepherds or reactionary influencers? What one adjustment can you make to prioritize rooted wisdom over viral noise?

Day 3: Desperation Is the Doorway

Chaos isn’t meant to paralyze you—it’s designed to push you toward God. The Israelites’ exile forced them to rely on God’s promises, not their comfort. When the world feels unstable, your desperation becomes the catalyst for divine encounter. Seek Him wholly, and watch restoration begin. God’s plan thrives where our self-sufficiency ends. [01:07:48]

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13, NIV)

Reflection: What area of life feels most overwhelming right now? How might God be using that tension to draw you into deeper dependence on Him?

Day 4: Imperfect People, Perfect Purpose

Churches don’t hurt people—broken people do. Just as airport rudeness or work conflicts don’t make us quit traveling or careers, church hurt shouldn’t isolate us from community. The body of Christ is flawed but essential. Healing happens when we lean into grace, not exit the family. [01:01:56]

“Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.” (Psalm 92:13, NKJV)

Reflection: Have past hurts created walls in your relationships with God’s people? What step of vulnerability could help you rediscover the gift of imperfect community?

Day 5: Restoration Starts With Your “Yes”

God’s endgame isn’t chaos—it’s redemption. The Israelites’ exile birthed a remnant that rebuilt nations. Your obedience in darkness fuels restoration in others. Every marriage healed, addiction broken, or heart renewed at Evolve proves it: your “yes” to God’s call changes stories. Stay planted. The harvest is coming. [01:10:00]

“I will… gather you from all the nations… I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.” (Jeremiah 29:14, NIV)

Reflection: What “yes” has God been asking of you—serving, forgiving, risking—that feels daunting? How might that obedience spark hope in someone watching your life?

Sermon Summary

Jeremiah writes a letter into Babylon and names the moment with God’s voice, not nostalgia or panic. The letter tells exiles to stop treating this as a layover and start living like a people sent. God says, “I have sent you,” which flips the map: exile isn’t accident, it’s assignment. The text then commands ordinary faithfulness with supernatural consequence: build houses, plant gardens, marry, “multiply there and do not decrease,” and “seek the welfare of the city.” Babylon is dark, but the darkness becomes the backdrop where the light of covenant life can actually be seen. The call to “seek the city’s shalom” means their flourishing and the city’s flourishing rise or fall together, because God has tied their welfare to their neighbor’s good.

God, not the newsfeed, defines where “you are here.” The contrast between darkness and light invites the church to trade doomscrolling for deep planting. The letter next warns that not every voice carrying God’s name carries God’s weight. False prophets in Babylon offered shortcuts and soothing dreams; God, through Jeremiah, says to refuse them. Ephesians witnesses that Jesus gives apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to build a people, not a platform. A local church voice carries covenant responsibility; an influencer carries a following. Planted people flourish; drifting ears fracture.

God’s plan inside the chaos is not escape but desperation. “Then you will call… you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” The swirl is meant to press disciples into first-love pursuit, away from slow compromise. When nonnegotiables quietly become negotiables, Babylon seeps in; when hunger returns, a remnant becomes irreplaceable. The promise that anchors the letter is not vague optimism but covenant intent: God knows the plans, and those plans pull a people back to his presence.

God’s goal behind the pressure is restoration. He vows to be found, restore fortunes, gather what’s been scattered, and bring his people home. Desperation in the church becomes restoration in the city. Sent sons and daughters, young and old, become a steady light in neighborhoods, campuses, and workplaces, a family on mission whose rooted life makes Jesus visible where fear, anger, and confusion have set the tone. Babylon doesn’t get the last word; the God who sends also gathers and heals.

Key Takeaways

1. Exile becomes assignment for impact Exile looks like loss, but God names it sending. When disciples embrace sent-ness, ordinary faithfulness becomes strategic mission. Assignment reframes attitude, habits, and hope, turning survival mode into seed-sowing. [55:01]
2. Seek the city’s shalom, multiply The covenant life refuses retreat. Building, planting, marrying, and multiplying are public acts of hope that leak blessing into hostile space. A church’s welfare rises with its city’s welfare, so prayer and presence move together. [54:28]
3. Guard the voices shaping your soul Not every “God” label carries God’s authority. Jesus gives builders of people, not collectors of clicks, and planted ears learn wisdom, stability, and obedience. Formation requires boundaries, or Babylon will catechize by default. [59:58]
4. Chaos is meant to birth desperation Cultural confusion is a summons, not an excuse. Holy hunger reclaims what compromise dulls, making holiness plausible and witness credible. Those who seek with all their heart find God near and find courage to live different. [66:47]
5. God’s pressure aims at restoration Divine discipline is restorative, not punitive. God gathers what fear scatters and restores what sin erodes, then sends restored people as restorers. Desperation in the church becomes healing in neighborhoods, campuses, and families. [70:00]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[44:25] - Edmonton hello and family vibe
[45:32] - Meet the family and new granddaughter joy
[47:39] - Have you ever felt lost?
[49:10] - You are here: locating the moment
[50:15] - What is going on in this world?
[51:08] - Does the church still matter?
[52:12] - Jeremiah’s letter into Babylon
[53:50] - Sent into exile: not an accident
[54:15] - Build, plant, marry, multiply, seek shalom
[55:01] - We see exile; God sees impact
[56:42] - Light on campus and in the city
[57:43] - Watch your voices: refuse deception
[59:12] - Fivefold gifts vs online influencers
[61:36] - Church hurt, honesty, and healing
[64:52] - Phones aren’t neutral: attention warfare
[66:47] - Plans, prayer, and holy desperation
[68:41] - Nonnegotiables, difference, and witness
[69:33] - God’s goal: restoration and gathering
[76:21] - Invitation to know Jesus
[78:29] - Blessing and vision for the house

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Jeremiah 29:4-7 (NLT)
“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem: ‘Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away! And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.’”

Ephesians 4:11-12 (NLT)
“Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.”

Observation Questions

What specific actions does God command the exiles to take in Jeremiah 29:4-7, and how do these actions contrast with a mindset of temporary survival?
According to the sermon, how does the church’s presence in challenging environments (like modern “Babylon”) create opportunities for light to shine brighter? [56:42]
What distinction does Ephesians 4:11-12 make between the roles of church leaders and the influence of social media or other external voices? [59:58]

Interpretation Questions

Why does God tie the exiles’ welfare to the welfare of Babylon (Jeremiah 29:7)? How might this principle apply to Christians living in culturally divided or secular spaces today?
The sermon warns that “not every voice carrying God’s name carries God’s weight.” How does Ephesians 4:11-12 help believers discern which voices to prioritize? [58:27]
Jeremiah 29:12-14 links seeking God “with all your heart” to restoration. Why might desperation in chaotic times lead to deeper reliance on God rather than compromise? [01:06:47]

Application Questions

What is one practical way you can “seek the welfare” of your neighborhood, workplace, or campus this week? How might this intentional act reflect hope in God’s assignment for you? [54:28]
Reflect on the voices you regularly listen to (podcasts, social media, etc.). Do they align with the “builders of people” described in Ephesians 4:11-12? What boundaries could you set to guard against unhelpful influences? [59:58]
When cultural chaos feels overwhelming, what habits or practices could help you turn toward “holy desperation” instead of slow compromise? [01:06:47]
In what area of your life (family, work, community) have you slipped into treating your current season as a “layover” instead of an assignment? How can you shift toward “deep planting” there? [55:01]
The sermon emphasizes that “desperation in the church becomes restoration in the city.” How could your small group intentionally pray for or serve a local need to embody this truth? [01:10:00]

Sermon Clips

67s

#PastorsNotInfluencers

“There is a huge difference between your pastor's voice and the social media influencers you follow. Can I tell you the difference? One is building a following. One is responsible to build you. All voices are not created equal. Church, there is power, wisdom, blessing, favor that comes on our life when we make a decision to be planted in a local church and thrive under the teaching of that local church ministry. The church, not social media, is God's number one voice to a hurting and broken world. Psalm 92 verse 13 says, planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. It does not say scrolling in the courts of online. It says, planted in the house of the Lord.”

65s

#BiblicalLeadershipMatters

“See, there's this belief that's crept into the church world today that all voices are equal. Can I say this very simply? they're Not according to Jesus. Do you wanna know what Jesus said? Ephesians chapter four verses eleven and twelve says this, so Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors, and the teachers to equip his people for works of service. Why? So that the body of Christ may be built up. According to the Bible, Jesus only gave five gifts to the church, and it doesn't include social media influencers. Somebody with a microphone and a studio in their guest bedroom or basement is not the same as your pastor's.”

54s

#MultiplyAndThrive

“God talking. He says, I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. Then here's his instruction. Look, he says, build houses, live in them, plant gardens, eat their produce. Verse six, take wives and have your sons and sons and daughters. Take wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage that they may bear sons and daughters. Look at this phrase. Multiply there and do not decrease. Somebody say multiply. But, look what he says, seek the welfare of the city where I, God says, have sent into exile. Pray to the Lord on its behalf for the city that you're in. Why? For in its welfare, you will find your welfare.”

50s

#SentToMakeImpact

“Number one, we see exile. sees impact. God essentially says to them, hey, stop thinking this is temporary and start adjusting your strategy. In other words, yeah, the world is crazy. Yeah, the world is messed up out there. But guess what? I have sent you here to make an impact. In every generation, God raises up his people. He raises up his church to make an impact in the world around them. And Evolve Church, can I just tell you, we are responsible? Those of us who are followers of Jesus, we're responsible for God's word, our way, for our day. That's what we're responsible for. We're responsible for God's word, for our day, in our way.”

65s

#LightInDarkness

“We're responsible, church. God has given us his word for such a time as this. Can I just encourage us? The darker the darkness gets, the brighter the light of Jesus can get. Some of us, we need to stop consuming nonstop negativity and start doubling down on the light of God's word. Is the world getting darker? Yes. Does that mean there's opportunity for the light to get brighter? here. Let's let's don't miss this moment. That's why I love what you're doing on campus. It matters because there are 40,000 students at the U of A who are living in darkness and they're desperate for the light. Your pastors drove us through there two days ago. We drove through campus. My heart was broken.”

81s

#CampusLightMatters

“And Evolve Church, can I just tell you, we are responsible? Those of us who are followers of Jesus, we're responsible for God's word, our way, for our day. That's what we're responsible for. We're responsible for God's word, for our day, in our way. We're responsible, church. God has given us his word for such a time as this. Can I just encourage us? The darker the darkness gets, the brighter the light of Jesus can get. Some of us, we need to stop consuming nonstop negativity and start doubling down on the light of God's word. Is the world getting darker? Yes. Does that mean there's opportunity for the light to get brighter? here. Let's let's don't miss this moment. That's why I love what you're doing on campus. It matters because there are 40,000 students at the U of A who are living in darkness and they're desperate for the light. Your pastors drove us through there two days ago. We drove through campus. My heart was broken.”

49s

#WhereAreWe

“Anybody else look around the world today and feel, I don't know, a little lost? Anybody know what I'm talking about? Like, you you get on social media, you you watch the news, and anybody else asked the question recently, what in the world is going on? Like, has the world lost its mind? To which the answer is yes. What's happening? Right? Like, are we in some parallel universe, some some time warp of craziness that we're living in? When we look around the state of the world, the the economy, the the moralism that's falling off the cliff, the chaos, the anger, the fear, the uncertainty, the the mental health, the the generalized overwhelm of everybody, it's easy for us to ask the question, where are we?”

53s

#DontConformToChaos

“All of this chaos in our world isn't supposed to push us away from God. It's supposed to push us toward him. We're the saved ones. We're the followers of Jesus. We're supposed to be the remnant here who aren't caught up in all of the craziness. But if we don't recognize what's happening, then we'll just end up conforming to the world and becoming like the world around us. And my fear is that so many of us who are followers of Jesus, because we're not recognizing the world we are now we have been sent to. We are here. Because we're not recognizing it, we're just conforming to it. And things that a few years ago in our life were non negotiables suddenly kind of over time just slip and become now negotiables.”

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You are HERE & You Matter!! - Pastor Matt Keller

Devotional

Day 1: You Are Here – Three Words That Change Everything

Day 2: Not All Voices Are Created Equal

Day 3: Desperation Is the Doorway

Day 4: Imperfect People, Perfect Purpose

Day 5: Restoration Starts With Your “Yes”

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

You are HERE & You Matter!! - Pastor Matt Keller

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