NEW NORMAL | Week 5 | Sermon

So the big idea that we're gonna unpackage by the end of this is this, live with margin so you can live on mission. Live with margin so you can live on mission. We'll see what that means by the time we're we're done here. So we're in Acts chapter six. I just wanna go through the first seven verses

and then kinda talk about this a little bit. It says, but as the believers rapidly multiplied so this church is just exploding. By this point, it's probably 12 to 15,000 people going to this church in a city that only has a 100,000. A month ago, probably less than a couple months max,

the church was a 120 people after Jesus had walked with them for three and a half years. That's the new Holy Spirit came within the news of what he promised. It's gonna go crazy. I'm gonna use you guys and boom. Now it's just rapidly multiplying.

And then it says, there were rumblings of discontent. I should put that on my mirror as a pastor in a church because I have noticed that anytime a church is growing, like this one is going crazy. Not that like it. We're good. We we baptized 228 people last week. Ain't that crazy?

400 and like 30 people said yes to Jesus the week before, so that means there's a handful of you in this room that you got you came to Jesus. You still need to get baptized. Okay? So you're next. So get ready. There's still still a couple 100 there. But so but when that happens,

when when you're doing what God wants in in in growth, seems to always bring groaning. Just like as a trainer. When you're trying to get people to grow, there's groaning. And I think blessing brings burden. When God blesses,

it's not just to make our life easier, simpler, and less, you know, it's it's it does bring a burden to it. That's why Jesus said, take on my yoke. My yoke is light and easy. He still said it's a yoke. He has a mission for us. He has something to do. But he says, when you do it, you have my power. And it it there is some hardness to it, but it's going to bless you, and you're gonna have my power.

But it does happen. So what's going on here? What are they what's the discontent? The Greek speaking believers complained about the Hebrew speaking believers. Oh, what? Wait. You mean believers were mad at other believers in their church? That doesn't happen anymore.

I mean, remember how easy it was to go through COVID as a church? That made it so simple. Everyone got along and thought the same things. It was amazing. If you don't understand sarcasm, that's what it looks like. Okay?

It says, but what's going on? Why were they doing this? It says they were saying, the Greek speaking ones were saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food.

So in this day and age, like, the the church is basically personally vet. They're taking care of each other. And and one of the ministries they had was taking care of widows.

Because back then, there was no safety net for widows. There's no Medicare, Medicaid, no Social Security, none of that. Just like what it's gonna be for all of us when we retire. There's gonna be none of that left. So as the so to be a widow, especially Greek speaking, because they're all pretty much Jewish believers.

But why is there some that are speaking Hebrew and Greek? The Hebrew ones, they they were in the province. They grew up. They were from that area. From they still had their lands and and stuff like that. The Greeks were ones that came back from a dispersion.

Came back from when the Romans would just get mad when there's uprising and take 30,000 of them and ship them out to some part of the thing. And they usually end up being poor because they're shipped out and basically used like slave labor and sent somewhere where they didn't have ends. And so and then they had kids and they grew up and they're they're they didn't they were from a different culture now.

So they actually do speak a different language. And so they come back in this cultural clash. They but they were taking care of widows. And and so they they had this ministry and they're saying, hey. We're getting left out of this. So that's a problem.

And so what they did is they came to the the apostles, Peter and the 12, and and basically, they're like the elders and pastors of this church. And they're basically doing like we do today. Hey. Here's a problem. Fix it. You need to do something. And their answer is different.

Just like it should be today. Same problem as they have today. People see a problem. They get diskind. They get mad. Why is the pastor not doing this? What are you doing? So they dump it on them like, you need to do this. But look what they say. So the 12 called a meeting of all the believers. So they got the church together.

And it says, they said, we apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program. Now that sounds way more throw punchy than it is. What they're they're not saying a stupid food program, taking care of widows, or piddly,

and and, you know, like like that like like it'd be like being like, I need to preach, not deal with messy little kids. You know? But what they're saying is, we have we have a calling in how the church supposed to work, and they're called to preach, teach, prayer, vision,

and equip the saints. By the time of Paul, it's explained clearly in scripture. Pastors, teacher, they equip people to do ministry. There's a model that says we are all the ones that do the ministry. We're a body.

And everybody has different body parts, and it works towards the same thing. You have disconnected body parts, that's a murder scene. Okay? We're not a bunch of body parts that just sit around each other. That's gross. We're supposed to work together for the same cause of life.

And you have different parts. So they're the ones that are the preaching and the teaching and the guidance and the and and that. And what their main job is what my main job is to equip us, make us aware of needs, and challenge us to step into healthy habits and be the church and preach the gospel, which we're all supposed to share.

What they're trying to do is say, hey, why don't you do it? And in a modern way of how many of us think about church, it would have been like they came and they would have expected Peter, you're alright, we're on it. We'll get we'll take care of this and just put it on our list to do. Alright. Great. You're a good pastor. We'll tip the church a little bit this week.

And that's it. But that's not what they say. We're not supposed to do that. You see the but they didn't say this ministry doesn't need to happen. They know it's a necessary part of reaching people, and it's a part of what the needs were in their particular community. So the ministry is focused on that.

What they're basically saying is, we need to point people to Jesus by loving them like Jesus. Loving them like Jesus is you meet people where they're at. You care for their needs. We're the hands and feet of Jesus. But why? We don't just love people like Jesus. We do that in the context of pointing them to Jesus.

And their job was to preach the word, show who Jesus is, teach and train, and equip.

And we we knew we still needed to do the other part, but a lot of churches say, it all on the staff, all on the people, and it's all about the personal needs and the needs. And the problem is the church stops becoming a church and it only becomes a charity.

If you'd like history, just go read about the social gospel movement, which is kind of a repeat of what's happening today. Young people go, but we need to be different as a church. And all we're doing is doing the social gospel movement. It's like, you know, the church got so about this is the belief set and real theological and all that, but wasn't doing

the loving people like Jesus, which they needed to. And so the social gospel got so into social things, so into this that you know what got left out? The gospel. That's happening again.

We're we're so into the church needs to be in the in the community and all, which we are. Believe it. Very much so. But not just to be in the community. And that's what they're saying. We need to do both. And the disciples like, we don't have the margin to do that, but it does need to happen.

So the church needs to be the church. And followers of Christ need to personally invest in what's going on. And that's their plan. So what do they do? They say we're not doing that. He says,

and so brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility. And then we apostles can spend our time in the prayer and the teaching of the word. The equipping, sharing the gospel.

Keeping keeping us on track that we stay a church, not just become a charity. Or become so theologically minded that we come this political, we just wanna rip on the world for everything that's wrong with it. It's both. And so they got this plan, select seven men.

And it says, everyone liked this idea and they chose the following. Stephen, a man full of faith and holy spirit. So it started to list these guys. These are people that they picked to be leaders of this thing. And and and they you could tell they were already involved.

They're already involved because they knew who they were. And so they they they they picked them. They went to them and said, hey, you're serving. We need you to step up and lead. Is this guy Steven, Philip, Procurus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenius, Nicholas of Antioch. Not Nicholas of Corinth. That guy was the worst.

No. I just said that because it's funny they said where he was. These seven were presented to the apostles who prayed for them as they laid their hands on him. So they picked these seven guys to lead, which little side point I keep saying, everyone think, we need to be like the New Testament church and everyone thinks smaller.

You know why we think smaller is because we like churches like the smallers are better. Why? Well, because the pastor actually did this for me and the pastor did that. Did you have this mentality that a good church is the pastor does everything for you?

Like, I'm the holy anointed pope or whatever. It has to be the one that takes care of everything. And and and and it's like my personal thing. And that will limit the size of a church. And if the pastor lets you do that, you'd stay small and then you think it's better.

And and then you think that's like the New Testament, man. They were small. Are you kidding me? I've already showed you where their numbers were. How big of a church is if you're looking at a widow's ministry? And you're dividing it, and you're only talking about the Greek speak, which was a much smaller population

of the church. And in order to take care of them, you needed seven leaders to do that? This church was huge. Because by the power of the Holy Spirit, people were doing what they're called to do. People were personally investing in the call of God. They were on mission.

And what was the result? God's message continued to spread. Verse seven. The number of believers greatly increased. How does it greatly increase over rapidly multiplying? It's even growing faster now. And then and it says in Jerusalem and many of the Jewish priests were converted to.

The key is in Jerusalem because in our next series, we're gonna talk about taking around how it ends up busting out by the power of God to go beyond Jerusalem and into the world.

And so here you have it. You have them this this church where they had a problem And instead of just complaining about the church and I'll go find a church that'll do this, the church stepped up and people personally invested and they solved the problem.

That's really how it's supposed to work. But why doesn't it work that way? We live in a culture where we get stuck, where people it's like it's this twenty eighty thing, you know. 20% of the people do 80% of everything in a church. This is not just in church. Like, you you go to a you go to a barbecue and 20 of the people eat 80% of the food. I mean, it's just the same thing. It's always, you know, something's going on. But but the reality is it's this it's it's it's our culture and how we've set it up to where we think, I just come,

but I don't commit. I'm just I I I just I just consume. And that's not how it's supposed to work. We're supposed to as we come to Christ, we need to be personally invested. We around here, we say go live intentionally by personally investing in what God's called us to and what he's made us to be.

So how do I do that? How do I do that? Because we do have this church model that's that's focused towards consumerism, not family. Consumerism, not community. And when you have consumerism, you have this mentality. I come. I'll give a little bit. I'll do that, but it's really your responsibility.

And and and and COVID revealed that a lot. A lot of people think of his church as I come to consume content.

So you look for a church that has the best content. I like their music. I like their children's program. I like the pastor, and I just wanna consume content. I wanna hear the best preaching. COVID really revealed a lot of people like that because if you just wanna consume content, you got you had to stay home and watch church on TV. And a of you with kids, like, they never came back. They're like, well, this is nice, man. I just the kids can run around. I could do church, and we could just sit here. And then we have our day more free. We don't have to drive. We don't have to drive. We don't don't have hear the we don't have to the

Now if you're coming here to just consume content, that confuses me. You know why? We have this thing called the Internet. There are so many better preachers than me out there. I am not kidding you. They are really really good.

And and and I barely can hold the English language together when I'm up here, to be honest. Last night, man, I pulled a Mitch McConnell in both services. I just froze up and couldn't remember my spot. Kept going, I think I got it. And then I

so then I didn't know what to do so I just pulled a Biden and started walking around like trying to avoid sandbags and stuff.

But seriously,

if you wanna just consume content, you could stay at home and you could watch the best of the best. But that's not the point of being in church. And I'm assuming that's why you're all in the room.

But I think we struggle with this. We struggle with I don't think I can. Well, let's talk about what it is to personally invest first. If I'm gonna create personal investment, there's there's three things. The first one is I need to invest in. What do I need to invest in? Two things. I need to invest in reaching in and reaching out. As the churches that we're called to do, reaching in, serving the body of Christ. That's what they were doing with the widowed ministry. We all have gifts. We all have talents. We're here. We're supposed to show the world love by how we treat each other. We have to be connected to do that.

So serve within the body of Christ. And and then secondly, we need to be reaching out, sharing Christ in the world. So a lot of what we do here is targeted for the people that aren't here yet.

And that's why I say, hey, as part of our service, we serve. We make this great environment. It's why, you know, and I'm thankful that a lot of people do. We spread people out, but I'll say, hey, don't go to the service now. Go to that. It's gonna happen again. I'm just warning you right now. At some point here, pretty shortly, I'm gonna say, I need some of you to stop coming to the service again. We did a good job of spreading people out. They're pretty even. You're right. We're doing alright here, but keep bringing your friends. But just it'll come,

and that's where you'll groan. What's the deal, man? I kept up in this church for ten years, and they want me to sacrifice for the sake of the lost? Why would I do that? I know that's the mission statement and the whole purpose of the bible and what we're supposed to be about, but why would I do that?

Do your last set of squats. Come on. You wanna get healthy? This is what we do. It's what we it is the job. My dad used to say that. I go, how did you make it through three wars? How did you do this and survive and not go crazy? He goes, it's the job. If you're a follower of Christ, it is the job.

This is what we're called to. We we sit here. So many of you sit here week after week going, well, love Jesus. I get all that, but I am really struggling with what's my purpose? Is my life really gonna matter? And then you come, but how do I find this out? How do I find this out?

Now you know. You found it out. No I'm not talking about I'm talking about real life. I know that's something I should do, but where is purpose?

Everything else, you think it'll fill you, it'll only fail you. And so we need to invest our lives in this. How? We invest with four things,

our time, our talent, our treasure and our testimony. First, it starts we we invest our story. You realize your story can can can really help people. You can lead someone to Jesus. Now if you're shy about it, I'll talk about Jesus a lot. Just drag them in here. We'll tag team it.

But the reality is my prayer for everyone who's a believer in here is you have got to experience what it's like to lead someone to Jesus yourself. To let the Holy Spirit work through you and you just watch a life change for all of eternity.

You think you're trying to find out isn't there more to this life? Is there something more meaningful and purposeful? Do that a couple times and then come back and tell me, But

the other things, our time, our talent. That's what these men did. They had a talent. It's interesting. Those names of those seven guys, you know what's interesting about that? They're all Greek names. So where did they find the solution? From the people that speak the same language.

There is a ministry that God has specifically gifted. You have certain gifts. If you know the Lord, you have been given a spiritual gift. I don't know if you're aware of that, but it's specifically for serving in the body. You have been given the ability to speak the language of a certain ministry and help transform lives.

But are you willing to take the time to do it? And then obviously, it was distributing money and food and all that treasure. Our resources need to join the cause. This is what we need to invest with. But we struggle with that.

And and and like I said, I'm not throat punchy just to be mad at people. I love you. I'm a trainer. I'm a spiritual I want you healthy because I know what it's like to feel healthy. Your life is better. It's better.

But we struggle. We feel like we can't. Why? Because we have a hard time with this third thing. If I'm gonna create personal investment, we're back to the big idea. I need to be living with margin so I can live on mission. Or my deeply theological way of saying, if you live with margarine, your life will be butter.

Dad joke completed.

The problem we have with creating personal investment is this one in our culture, I believe. I believe this is the reason why so many of you just when I share your time, your money, you gotta join, you gotta you gotta get to that, you gotta be in community. You

I actually am a positive person. I believe most of you want this. You just don't think you can.

And and you're stuck. You just don't think, I don't have the time. I don't have the money. I I just can't do this. And the truth is you're right. You can't living the way you're living right now because you don't have margin. That's why you can't. That's a cultural problem. Americans do not live with margin at all.

Every time we've designed some technology that's supposed to save time, we just increase the things we do. We don't actually work less or spend less time. We just try to do more. Every time we get more money, we do what's called lifestyle inflation.

It tracks with us. So when we say I can't, everyone who says I can't, I've had people that I've talked to about giving. They're like, there is no way. I am broke. I can't afford to give. And I go, if you mind me asking, how much do you make? They're like, I make $300,000

a year. And I'm like, if you can't give, that's in the top percent of people earning. Who's gonna give? I go, I make significantly less than that, and I give. I don't think it's a money issue. It's a margin issue.

We let our lifestyle inflate because we we think that we're supposed to. Matter of fact, I I read a couple articles. One was this morning in my newspaper because I'm old.

And and then it talked about the like, it it's called the regular rich in our country. How there are a lot of people that are regular. They make up to, like, over a 150,000 to 300,000 a year, and most of them feel like they're poor.

Literally feel like they're poor. And so they interview these people. Why do you feel that way? And some of you are in this room. You feel like, I can't. I'm done. I'm not I'm not that well off. I'm doing alright. I know I'm not dying. But but why do you feel you're poor? There's a couple reasons. One, social media, the seeing everything. We see all the billionaires, all the millionaires, all the people that have more. And compared to that, you're like, why I can't do that?

You think that people that make more, then you automatically don't have the problem with comparison anymore.

And and and so then they feel like they're tight. And then they feel like they're pressured. And then they one guy says, well, you know, it's like this. It's like just because I make more doesn't mean I'm any better off because, you know, your lifestyle has to increase. He said it like it has to. Like, it's automatic.

Like, once you make over a 150,000 a year, they make you sign something. Well, we're gonna give you this pay raise to a $151,000

a year. But that comes with you have to get this level. You gotta buy a car that's at least this expensive. You have to live in at least this neighborhood, you gotta put your kids in no less than five things all the time, and you gotta go all in and act like they're gonna become a professional at all those things, and you gotta who in the world

have to?

It's we have this culture that says this because we're not margin. And the other reason I mean, think about the margin. There was another study that just said that people that say they live paycheck to paycheck. If you don't believe me about making more, it's not a matter of money. It's a matter of margin.

This study did, okay, people that make $50,000 or less, 76% of them say they're living paycheck to paycheck. On that amount, I'm surprised there's 24% that don't say that. I mean, doesn't it take about $40,000 a year just to put gas in your car nowadays? But when they got to a $100,000

a year, it drops to to to to well, 50 to a 100 drops to 64%. A 100,000 drops to 43%. But then you go to a 150 to $200,000 a year, it goes back up to 47%. Then you get to $200,000 a year, it drops to 28%. So that's good. It's dropping now. They maybe found that that that breaking point. But then up to 250,000

plus goes back up to 31%. If it really was a matter of more money, there should be this dividing line that you got to the point that you don't have to live paycheck to paycheck. It should go straight down till it's zero.

Why does it go down? Well, then goes back up, then kinda dropped, then goes back. You know what? Here's my theory because I know people. It was it was paycheck to pay. You started to make money. You started to do well, and you're like, okay. I'm doing well. I'm not living paycheck to paycheck. I'm pretty good. I'm at this level. And all of sudden,

let's go spend more. You jump up there, you and you start spending more. Now you're that way, so the number goes down, then it spikes back up, then you make a little bit more. And for a little that that 50,000 base, you kinda behave yourself, and then all of sudden you get that video, it's like, oh, I don't have to behave myself anymore. And boom, you're right back in.

It's the same thing with dieting. Just back to health. It's yo yo dieting. I was really good. I lost some weight, but I didn't really create margin. I just forced. And then boom boom boom boom boom boom. So the problem is we think we can't because we don't create margin. And I know margin is a buzzword.

It was out there when I was still on social media. I'd say, I need margin. And everyone's like, but what I saw when they answer what they're doing, it seems like it's an excuse to not do the things you should be doing.

I need margin. I that's why I don't have to go to church every week or get involved. I'm spiritual in a different way. I need margin. I don't have to I need margin. I lock myself in the bathroom and ignore my kids for two hours a day. I need margin. It's like it seems like the problem isn't

it's margin doesn't work unless you pick the right things to create the margin with. That's the problem. And we struggle with that. And it's all through scripture. There's margin being created. Even in this passage, margin. The disciples were protecting margin. These seven men stepped up because they had the margin.

They didn't say, well, you know, I know I'd be good at it, but you know, it's really busy at work right now and you know my chariot commute is getting harder.

A lot of us were were so stressed that when I say we need to you're so stressed financially, so stressed with time that when I say we need to serve, you just feel like I'm beating you over the head and say, add one more thing. And I get it. You know, I just just just this morning in the same newspaper, by the way,

there was an article, headline that says Arizona was number one in something. Yay. We're number one. What was it? Confrontational drivers.

We're number one. We are the most confrontational driving state in The United States. And then it listed in their survey, here's what they discovered. Here's why. And it says that the the reason that makes you confrontational driver is one, it says, one, you're already stressed when you get in the car.

It says, you're already angry. And then it says, you're late, and there are lots of traffic. Think about that what that just said. Arizonans probably have the least amount of margin because we have the fifth one, and it's 250 degrees outside. And my air condition is like

and so it's like, I'm hot. I'm already angry. I'm I'm I'm late, so I'm stressed. And now there's all these knuckleheads on the road getting in my way. That's the note. Do you know what that says is? You don't have margin. You're either so busy,

you're so tired, you can't get up in time and get ready, or you're gotten to do too many things before you get somewhere, you're rushing from meeting me, or you're going from work, I gotta get the kids because then we gotta get to the sports, and then we gotta get to this, and we gotta that. So then you're angry and you're mad. And here's the problem. When margin goes up,

when margin goes up,

I mean the lack of margin goes up. See? There I go again. See? Terrible communicator. Sorry. When I fall for that, when do that, when I don't live with margin, people are marginalized.

Ministry doesn't happen. The mission doesn't go forward. My life doesn't work right. And people around me as well as me suffer. You know why? Because when all that happens, I'm angry already. I'm already late. I'm already stressed. Now there's traffic. You're mad at people. You confront. You get discontented.

You get angry. You feel stressed. And when that happens, when margin decreases, our stress goes up. Our focus narrows. We become self centered. Relationships suffer. Right? Even in driving. Our relationships with the drivers around suffer. We give them the number one finger. And you know what that means.

And if you do, you're a bad person.

That's why I'm here. There you go. Exactly. That's awesome.

And then when that happens, we tend to focus only on our personal needs. We get stuck in our story. And it actually causes your mental capacity to shrink. You're like, I just can't even fathom this. I can't deal with this. I can't even. And then when you hear me say, here's what we need to be. You're like, you're dumb.

You're mean. You know, we end up we turn into the Israelites in the Old Testament. You know, it's funny how what they said when the prophets would come and tell them the truth.

There's actually a passage. It's one of my wife's favorite. She talked about it. She goes, it's so funny. They start yelling the prophets like, why do you why are you saying such mean things? They literally yell at the prophet, why are you telling us mean things?

Some of you think I'm telling you, you're a believer in Jesus. You come to church and I'm saying personally invest because that's what God built us for. That's where real blessing comes. That's where health comes from. That's where life comes from. The way it's supposed that's where where your identity should come from. And and you're like, why are you being mean to me?

We had a person recently reach out and they were really mad. They they wanted what little giving they'd given back because I told people if you're a Christian and this is your church and you come here consistently, you know the Lord. If you don't serve, you're literally kinda sinning.

Because the bible says when you know what's right and you don't do it, that's sin too. And God calls us to be the body of Christ. She got so mad that she wrote a letter. I want my money either given to this charity or given back to me.

And she says, because I can't believe you had the audacity to tell me to she said, to try to not only did I give, I gave you money, but now you're trying to extract free labor for the organization.

What? You know who says that? A customer. You know, don't you hate when you go to a place at the restaurant and and you they they don't wait on you, which is fine. You don't have to pay a tip. Order and then they give you the number and then they bring you your food.

And then it used to be you leave and then they come and clean up the table. How mad do you get when now they play have those tables says, please, they want you to bust the table. Don't you get mad at that? How dare them? I mean, I'm paying $14 for a burrito still and I gotta clean the table off? That's what a customer says.

If me saying God expects us to be this, we're a body, we're a family, this is and this is actually healthy, extract free labor. I'm trying to show you the way to freedom and and and the way to purpose and the meaning and what God's called us to be. And you might not say it that way, but you might feel it that way.

How dare him ask me that he doesn't know my story. He doesn't know what's going on. I know this. If you can't do what God said you can do, if you don't have the time or money, then you're doing something wrong with your time and your money. That's what it means.

Because guess what? God will always give you what you need to do what he asked you to do. And that's the challenge. And I think our real struggle is, like I said, I'm not mad at us. I just think we're overwhelmed with this idea of margin. We're just why?

If this is so true and so real, why don't we do it? Why do we feel stuck? And I think it says we think we can't because we won't. Now that sounds brutal. But that's not it doesn't mean I think we think we can't because we're afraid we won't live a fulfilling life if we do this. We think that we'll miss out.

We'll think that we'll be falling behind and live a life that not worth living or it'll be too much suffering. It'll be too hard. I just read a study where they're trying to figure out why people are leaving church that are even believers

And I think it applies to people who still stay in church, but you get really you don't serve, you get really erratic, you come they say the average church grower that says they're committed to church now comes every third week.

And they think that's fine. Why is this happening? And they thought, you know, COVID, difference in political opinions, all the standard things. But the reality is this study has come with this belief that I believe is true, is that that

it's the American way of life and how we find identity is now in direct conflict with the biblical definition. The biblical definition of what it is.

And what do I mean by that? The reason we don't live with margin is because we are taught in our culture now that who you are, your identity is found

in the what. To what? What I do and what I have. What I do is kind of the what's my job, what's my career. Even as Christians, we believe that. Yeah. I go to church. I'm part of that. But my job outside of here is really where my identity is. That's not true. And when you make it that in the what,

it also becomes what you have because status,

things, what I own, the car I drive, where I live, how many things my kids are involved in, how smart they are. Because then parenting becomes I gotta pass this on to my kid. I gotta teach them that it's about success. It's about what you do. It's about this. And then it becomes about what I have. And what I have, I'm not just talking about things.

I'm talking about what kind of opinions do I have. What's my political opinion? What's what's my what's what's my sexuality? What do I have as far as what am I attracted to? What are my likes? This that's personality, and that's passions. We have things that we're drawn to, and not everything we're drawn to is right.

But we've now made that who we are. That's become in direct contrast. So now a lot of Christians are trying to come. I'm embracing the world's definition, especially the American way of what identity is,

and still trying to come to church. And then when you hear that's not who you are, and then if especially if you hear that the Bible says, what you think is you is not even considered moral according to God. Now you have a problem with God.

And that's the problem. The problem is you're listening to a lie that those things are making you who you are. The what's make me who I am. No. They don't. And those what's are not always wrong. We're supposed to work. Work is a thing that God gave. Adam and Eve had a job even before the fall.

We are we do get value from work. We get blessed. Having kids, you know, being a parent is a blessing, but it's not an identity. Being married is a blessing. It's not an identity. Some of you, it's not even a blessing.

Those aren't who we are. That's not our identity. Our identity is not found in any what. It's found in a who? The Lord. He created us in his image. He gave us, he knows how we're wired.

He designed us and he called us. And then he loved and Jesus died to give us that identity and that life. We don't need to go find an identity. We need to embrace the identity God has given us. And that is now. So here's the problem. If identity is found in the what's coming here and hearing sacrifice,

give, serve, be in communion. Our American way of life is not set up to be communal anymore. It's set up to be consumer and individual and competitive. And so it is really hard for us to come in here and embrace that view of life and actually engage in the life of the church the way we're supposed to be.

And so you get so now attendance is only like, it's pretty good for me. I like to hear some good stuff. It encourages me to be a better person. And some of you come here because you still have that busyness aspect. Hey, it makes my kids act a little bit better. So I want them in a program.

But when it doesn't fit your schedule, you don't come. You don't give because you're like, I'm not gonna give that. I'm just taking what I need and I'm gonna move on because I need my money for all this other stuff.

And then we teach our kids the same thing. We get them on that that that that the rat race. We get them on. You gotta do this. You gotta do that. You gotta and then and then we teach them that it's all about the whats. It's all about the whats and you can never be bored because hard is wrong. Hard is bad. Feeling stress is bad. So I don't want you to be bored, I don't want you to be this, I gotta give you a million activities that we can't afford or I'm gonna hand you a phone and an iPad and shut you up, so because I have no margin, so I need you to do that so I can at least have a little time, so we let that happen. And the problem is the way our brains work when we can never be bored and we're always looking electronics proven over and over and now they know this. And looking at social media really distorts the way you view yourself.

And you have a problem because if you go for the what, you watch social media compared to all of that, you feel like a loser. And then you work harder and then you're stuck, and then kids can't get bored. And when you can't get bored, here's the problem. You will never become creative. We live in a culture now that's losing creativity.

We go down the drain. We start fighting with each other all the time. All we care about is stuff. We want views, likes, TikTok videos. That's all we do. We're consumeristic and wanna be entertained.

When I was a kid, it was my mom used to say, it's good to be bored. Because when you're bored, you'll evaluate life. You'll look at things different. You'll figure something out. You'll start to be creative. You'll figure out solutions.

But now that we can't do that, and a lot of us grew up in that, a lot of us are training our kids to grow up in that, we sit there and something looks hard, and we're like, oh, this is so bad.

So then you come to church and I am like the most throat punchy person I know. My wife, you know, was telling something what to do. I go, why do you why do you always have to tell people what to do? I go, that's what I do. I tell people what to do.

But here I'm not telling you what to do. This is. I'm just telling you what this says.

And if you embrace the wrong way of looking at it. You're mad at me. And we are so individualistic. Some of you can sit in this room and say, I don't agree with him. I think he's wrong and I think church should still be this way. So I'll still come and sit here. And I'm just gonna do it my own way. We become

aggressive drivers. I'll still get on the road with you, but I'm just gonna flip you off every time you ask me to do something.

And you know what happens when you do that? I know the bible says you rob God and you think that's what I'm saying. But what God says is you're not just robbing God, you're robbing yourself. You're just robbing yourself. Because when you live, when you try to follow Jesus,

but live through the identity and the ways of the world, you're never going to find happiness. You're never going to be content and you're going to miss out because we're afraid. And then we get on that rat race. Know rat race, they call it rat race because you know rats get on the spinning wheel and

they run but they don't get anywhere. Which is funny when I was a trainer, I'd walk into the gym and see people on treadmills.

Same thing. They think all I gotta do is run on the treadmill more, work harder, be busier. More more more more more. I'm up to an hour a day, and I'm not losing any weight. You know how much calorie you know what you earned after an hour on the treadmill? Maybe a whole cookie if it's small. But

when you run for an hour, felt you put in so much effort. And you get so hungry, you're like, that doesn't matter. And then we buy fat free stuff. So it's this fake thing. It's fat free. It still has calories. You just ran for an hour. You burnt 400 calories. You just ate 900 calories of fat free Entenmann's cake.

You're now in the negative even though you went to the gym. That's how we live. And then many of us do that spiritually.

The problem is you gotta add the food. You gotta add the weight. You gotta add the strength training. There's other things you gotta do to be healthy. But we just keep running harder and harder and and going nowhere. And that's what the rat race is. The rat's he's not getting anywhere. And lot of you like, I can't do what you're asking me to do. I'm already running as hard as I can. But you gotta stop. You gotta stop the rat race. And I'm gonna teach you the secret right now. It's simple. Write this down. Put it on your refrigerator. You wanna know how to win the rat race? I know how to win it. You know how?

You stop being a rat. That's how. You gotta stop being a rat. Quit trying to run faster to go nowhere. That's what God says over and over and over again, That we need to build margin. It's the only way to win. Are you willing to do it? And how you do it is not add.

The biggest amount of failures when you hear me say stuff like this, okay, I'm gonna start serving. I'm gonna give. I'm gonna put God first. I'm gonna be about the church. I'm gonna do what this means. And and and all you're gonna do is keep everything the same and try to add this.

That's just making the margin deficit bigger. And human nature is, when you do that and your life starts to implode, last on is first gone. Doesn't matter about importance. You notice companies do that too.

You get hired and you're obviously way better than other people that have been there longer, but they have a financial pinch. They just go, we'll we'll be fair. Last hired, first fired. Well, that's what we do with our life. You add on the things God's called you to. You didn't replace,

so now you're even more stressed. You're like, it didn't work. And what do you cut? The thing you should have kept. So the only way you're gonna build margin, just like physical health, the only way you're gonna spiritual health is you're gonna have to make some tough decisions.

It's not ad, you have to replace. With time, what are you gonna not do so you can't do this? With money, how are you gonna get your finances arranged? And what are you gonna cut back? So you can. And really margin is money. It's like we are so far behind people can't give. We can't even save.

The best way to live on margin and money is it's simple. Give 10%, save 10%, live on the rest. The average American does not live on 80% of their income. You know what the average American lives on? 123% of their income.

We need to learn how to spend less and focus more. And you know what happens when you do that? Less stress. You're not worried about money all the time. The things you think more money will give you, but I've already proven it doesn't because you can always lose that. We need to focus. Like in my story, I stopped.

I got off social media. I told you guys about it. And there were some good things about social media I missed. Like knowing when people's birthdays work. My family is much more upset these days. My life, my kids, I'm like, it's your birthday? Sorry. No, I'm not that bad. I can at least remember theirs.

I put it in my calendar.

But I needed some more margin. Not it was time. It was time I didn't need to spend, but it was also emotional energy. I only have so much emotional energy. I'm in a very high emotionally energy draining profession.

And so when you start scrolling down, you see stuff. I find myself getting sucked into stories. Like, you walk by some

like, my my my daughter, they'll they'll watch those stupid reality shows, dating shows. I'm like, that's the dumbest thing. But if I watch, like, that person is such an idiot. I gotta see how this plays out. And then you start getting emotional. Why are they so stupid? It's the same thing. Social media is like that twenty four seven. And I get sucked into stupidity, and then I realized I think it's fun and it help and people say, it helps relax me. They've done studies. You say you're relaxing, you're not relaxing. Your brain is not able to like, your emotions are not able to like, it actually raises cortisol.

You do not get more relaxed when you do this. You say it does, but it doesn't. And here's why I say this, because I want you to be clear. When you say, what am I asking us to do as the church then?

When it says to go all in and personally invest, you might have heard me say that means I give up my whole life. I live like a monk. No. We're talking commit to church. This is an important place to be. It's an hour. Probably an hour and eleven by the time I'm done. It's it's serve.

And some of these ways we can serve is just like an hour. Just serve one of the other services. Come to one, serve at one. So now you're up to two. Let's give it a little time drive, two and a half.

And get in community. If you're in a small group and you're community with people, if it's once a week, maybe three hours. Now we're up at five hours. Spend time with God. Give him fifteen, thirty minutes, something, whatever, but start somewhere. So you're up to like six, seven.

And if you choose to lead and be a super, like a more of a sort of you add another three, four hours, you're up to maybe ten, twelve hours a week. Some of you all are super servants. You'll go fifteen hours. But I'm talking anywhere from six to ten hours a week is all we're saying. And then arrange your finances and start giving. Start being generous so we can keep the ball moving forward.

Here's my point with social media. You're like ten hours a week. Where am I gonna find that? The average American is on social media two hours and fifteen minutes a day. That's fifteen hours a week. If that's you, I just gave you the ten hours back and five hours that you can start going to the gym.

You can find time if you look for it. You can find money if you look for it. We can find margin. But you have to decide to. You have to decide to. You know, I wanna close with this simple. I'm gonna read the words of Jesus. I'm just gonna read them. This is gonna be our closing closing prayer.

It's in Matthew six because he says all about what it means to put first things first and make it right. Golly. I should've put this. Here we go. Matthew six starting verse 19. This is our closing thought and prayer. Let Jesus say it better than I've spent forty more than forty minutes.

Don't store up treasures here on earth where moths eat them and rust destroys them and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven where moth and rust cannot destroy and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there is the desires of your heart will be also.

Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your whole body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is.

No one can serve two masters for you will hate one and love the other. You'll be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.

That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life whether you have enough food and drink enough clothes to wear isn't life more than food and your body more than clothing. Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in Barns for your heavenly father feeds them And aren't you far more valuable to them than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow.

They don't work to make their clothing. Yet Solomon and all of his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

So don't worry about these things, saying what will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear? These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers. But your heavenly father already knows all of your needs. Seek the kingdom of God above all else and live righteously.

The only comment I'll make here is live righteously means live the healthy habits of what it means to know Jesus. And when we do that, he finishes with and he will give you everything you need.

Gotta choose to live with margin so we can live on mission, so we can really experience a healthy life the way God intended. Amen. That's it. Love you guys.

Thank you for joining us online this weekend. Let us know if we can help you in any way. And make sure you follow us on social media, connect with us on the we are Rock Point app for prayer and everything happening here at Rock Point.