>> Pastor Eric
00:00:00.601 Well, amen. And good morning once again.
00:00:03.480 Something we all said we would never do is to forget.
00:00:07.801 So 25 years ago, just this past Friday, we remembered what took place on 9/11,
00:00:13.530 2001. And just a show of hands, how many of you remember where you were that day?
00:00:18.660 If you're over 30, pretty much you remember where you were.
00:00:21.750 Something so powerful, something so memorable.
00:00:23.730 Even I've heard of stories of people in Europe and around the country, they
00:00:27.030 remember that day so vividly as well.
00:00:29.730 And I was in my high school years, and I remember exactly where I was, in Mr.
00:00:34.350 Johnson's social studies class. I remember where I was sitting.
00:00:36.901 I don't remember pretty much any other class, but I remember that class, looking at
00:00:40.020 the TV as the teachers and everyone was discussing whether we should be sent home
00:00:43.560 or not. And, well, it's interesting because just a couple of months before that,
00:00:49.410 my family decided to take a vacation to New York City, and we were on the top of
00:00:53.220 the one tower, the one next to the one with the antenna.
00:00:56.190 I don't remember north or south, but I remember being on the top of that building.
00:00:59.790 I remember being on the 108th floor, I believe it was, looking down.
00:01:02.731 They have a glass observation deck.
00:01:05.071 You kind of look down over the side of the building.
00:01:06.630 If you're afraid of heights, it was not for you.
00:01:09.030 As a young kid, I was like, "This is awesome." But it was so real to me when the
00:01:14.280 towers got hit because I was there. I'd seen it. I'd been on that building.
00:01:19.845 And I think something unique in me, maybe more than some of the other kids was that
00:01:24.780 had never been there. But what I want to bring emphasis to is you remember what
00:01:29.310 happened after 9/11? People flooded churches.
00:01:35.040 I wasn't even a Christian at the time, and I remember seeing and hearing people
00:01:38.370 flooding to church. I remember, as the one line in the video said, we were united.
00:01:43.410 We were one nation under God, as was originally intended to be.
00:01:48.105 And I think of now 25 years later, and there's so much division.
00:01:51.271 There's so much disunity. There are so many people picking and choosing other things.
00:01:55.380 What would it take for us to be a people who are back in unity for the Kingdom of
00:02:01.351 God, who are pursuing the things of God, who are prioritizing being in church and
00:02:05.910 around the body of Christ, and not fighting over such petty things that we—
00:02:11.101 At that time, all those petty things stopped to matter nearly as much because we
00:02:14.641 had a common enemy. And that common enemy, we still have a common enemy.
00:02:20.070 It's evil. Whether it's under the name of Bin Laden, Hussein, whatever it is, the
00:02:25.080 enemy is still Satan. We have an evil enemy.
00:02:28.215 And what if Christians, especially, we could come together with one goal, that
00:02:32.790 we're going to overcome evil with good?
00:02:35.340 We're going to overcome the darkness with light.
00:02:38.280 What if it was a priority of ours to be so hungry and pursuing God that that's what
00:02:43.650 drives us, that's what motivates us every single day, and really be a people who
00:02:49.141 are united, one nation under God? That's my prayer for our nation, and that's my
00:02:54.120 prayer for our church and our community.
00:02:55.740 We can't affect the entire nation, but we can affect our community.
00:02:59.115 We can affect our school districts.
00:03:00.450 We can affect our workplaces and wherever God puts our feet.
00:03:04.620 I pray it doesn't take another major tragedy to bring unity in our country and a
00:03:08.400 revival like we saw in 2001. So with that, let's pray, and then we'll jump into
00:03:14.010 today's message. Heavenly Father, God, we thank you, God, for the brave men and
00:03:19.380 women, God, as we remember 25 years ago.
00:03:21.421 But God, we thank you for the first responders, the police, the firefighters, the
00:03:25.230 people who put themselves in harm's way, the ones that run up the stairs as
00:03:28.921 everyone else is evacuating. They run into the flames as everyone's leaving them.
00:03:33.781 God, I thank you for those who put their lives on the line.
00:03:36.840 God, we thank you for your Son, Jesus, who laid down his life so that we could
00:03:41.671 live. God, I don't take that for granted.
00:03:44.296 God, I pray every single one of us would remember to be grateful, to be thankful
00:03:48.300 for what we've been given, for how much you've blessed us.
00:03:51.960 God, we remember those 2,977 lives that were taken that day.
00:03:56.130 And God, we honor them. And God, may we live our lives as we did, as we initially
00:04:00.690 did, with that revival, with that life, and God, with that purpose, pursuing you.
00:04:06.180 God, bring us back to be one nation under you. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
00:04:13.620 We're kicking off a new series titled "Morning, Noon, and Night." Over the next
00:04:18.870 four weeks, I'm going to be unpacking some things, very practical, looking at
00:04:23.880 scripture and how do we apply it to our lives.
00:04:26.460 I'm a big believer in we don't just read the Word, we do the Word, we apply it to
00:04:30.360 our lives. You're going to see some of that throughout today's message.
00:04:33.750 And this is exciting because every single one of us has a rhythm of life.
00:04:39.120 You have a rhythm to when you wake up. You have a rhythm when you go to work.
00:04:41.730 You have a rhythm when you go to bed. You have a rhythm if you work out.
00:04:44.701 If you work out or exercise. Some of us do, some of us don't.
00:04:48.210 But we have rhythms in our life. And even if your rhythm is inconsistent or
00:04:52.650 sporadic, you have a rhythm. That's your rhythm. We all have a rhythm.
00:04:57.600 Is it healthy or is it unhealthy, is the question.
00:05:00.750 And I want us to get to healthy rhythms of life, especially healthy spiritual
00:05:05.970 rhythms of life. Because you can't expect to be spiritually strong in life without
00:05:11.670 a strong plan and a healthy spiritual rhythm.
00:05:16.201 How can we expect to hear the voice of God? How can we expect to pray to God?
00:05:19.800 How do we expect to worship God in a lifestyle of worship, not just when the music
00:05:24.240 starts on Sunday, if we're not experiencing him in a natural and a spiritual way
00:05:29.835 throughout the week as well? So we're going to talk about spiritual disciplines
00:05:34.380 over the next four weeks. And there are times when it may get a little — not to say dry,
00:05:39.270 but very practical, very nuts and bolts — very "I'm going to help you."
00:05:43.470 But also, it's exciting because I believe I'm going to be able to help you have a
00:05:47.310 plan. Maybe you already have a plan with some of the things we're going to cover,
00:05:50.490 great. But if you don't, and I find most people don't have a good spiritual rhythm
00:05:55.560 to their life, I'm going to hopefully give you tools, some practical ways that you
00:06:00.180 can apply spiritual disciplines to your life. And here's my promise.
00:06:05.370 If you apply them to your life, I guarantee your life will get better.
00:06:09.600 Doesn't mean you're going to make a bunch of money, doesn't mean all your problems
00:06:11.701 go away. I believe your life will get better, and we have to define that, and I'll
00:06:15.720 define that for you. But spiritual disciplines, I want to be very clear from the
00:06:18.930 beginning of this, are never about earning God's love.
00:06:24.151 We don't read our Bible more, pray more, worship more, serve more so that God loves
00:06:28.320 us more. We don't practice spiritual disciplines to get God to love us.
00:06:33.630 We practice spiritual disciplines because he already loves us.
00:06:38.250 That's got to be number one. And it seems like a small differentiation, but it
00:06:42.750 makes all the difference. If we try to just read the Bible more and pray more and
00:06:46.710 I've got to show up at church more, I've got to do more, I've got to give more so I
00:06:49.710 can earn God's love, we're falling into religion.
00:06:53.070 We're falling into just the works-based mentality, which I know so many of us have
00:06:57.300 or grew up with. Instead, we've got to see how he already loves us.
00:07:01.890 Because Jesus died for us, he demonstrated his love for us while we were sinners,
00:07:07.020 as Romans 5:8 says. Now we do spiritual disciplines.
00:07:11.100 Now we do the right things, not to earn a relationship with him, but to
00:07:16.651 develop our relationship with him.
00:07:20.401 Think about any relationship. My wife and I, we're in a marriage.
00:07:23.850 So I'm not doing all these things so that we can someday get married.
00:07:26.820 We're already in relationship. We're already married.
00:07:30.151 So because we're married, now I do the right things. I want to listen to her.
00:07:33.690 I take time with her. I spend quality time with her.
00:07:36.151 We do the right things in a relationship to develop it, not trying to start that
00:07:41.430 relationship. So how do we build rhythms that help us live in relationship
00:07:47.460 with Jesus? We're going to start today with the most foundational rhythm that we
00:07:51.331 can do. It's starting with the Word of God, the Bible.
00:07:55.260 We must have a healthy spiritual rhythm of reading the Word of God.
00:07:59.820 Now, if you've never read the Bible before, it can be intimidating.
00:08:03.360 It can be overwhelming. It can be like there's so much there.
00:08:06.870 And there is, but there's some very practical steps I'm going to help you with
00:08:10.440 today to help you know how to read the Bible, and this is the most important thing
00:08:15.360 you can do. The best spiritual rhythm you can do, if you do nothing else, start
00:08:20.550 with reading the Bible. It's foundational.
00:08:23.581 In fact, a famous preacher from the 1800s, Charles Spurgeon, known for saying,
00:08:28.620 "A Bible that's falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn't." Now,
00:08:34.470 my wife always makes fun of me because mine's literally falling apart.
00:08:37.454 And it's not because I'm perfect, it's because I use it, I write in it, I highlight
00:08:40.711 it, I put sticky notes in it. And there's pages that just as I open it, it just falls to
00:08:45.750 the right stuff all the time. And I'm like, there's a passage I go back to over and
00:08:49.830 over again. A Bible that's falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn't, is
00:08:55.170 not somebody who knows it all, but someone who knows how much they need God.
00:09:00.000 My Bible's falling apart because I know I need to go to God continually,
00:09:03.480 consistently, over and over again. God, I can't do this on my own. I need you.
00:09:07.410 God, I need answers. I need help. I need to help the next person that's coming to
00:09:10.920 me. God, I don't want them to have my answers. I want them to have your answers.
00:09:14.730 That's why my Bible's falling apart. It's not what I know.
00:09:17.880 It's I know how much I need him. And the more we need God, the more we see that and
00:09:22.230 come to that reality, the more your Bible becomes important as well.
00:09:26.586 Do we all understand the importance of the physical body — our physical bodies?
00:09:30.396 How many of you eat more than once a week? Show of hands. Any of you?
00:09:34.176 A couple of you don't. Okay. I don't know how you do it, but we all eat more than
00:09:37.896 once a week, right? We all eat more than once a day, unless you're fasting.
00:09:41.736 But all of us eat consistently. We eat. Why?>
00:09:44.556 Because our physical bodies need the sustenance. They need nourishment.
00:09:49.296 Our spiritual bodies are no different.
00:09:51.096 Our spiritual selves, we need sustenance, we need nourishment daily, if not
00:09:55.896 multiple times a day. That's the series title, morning, noon, and night.
00:09:59.766 It's multiple times. If you're going to eat at least three times a day, you should
00:10:02.886 be reading the Bible at least three times a day.
00:10:04.596 You should be feeding yourself spiritually as well.
00:10:08.031 But often, we come to church one day a week, and we think that we're going
00:10:13.986 to get fed, and then it's going to sustain us all week, and we never open the Bible
00:10:18.591 the other six days. Or if we miss church a couple times, we come once or twice a
00:10:22.836 month, now you're really starving, right?
00:10:25.476 And if our physical bodies, if we only ate one meal, say you only eat lunch today,
00:10:30.980 and you're not going to eat the rest of the week, what happens? You get weak.
00:10:35.616 You starve. You get hangry. Nobody wants to be around you.
00:10:38.976 All these negative things happen if you don't eat throughout the week physically.
00:10:43.507 Why do we expect anything different to happen spiritually?
00:10:46.507 We come to church, we hear a message, we take notes, we get fed, and then we don't
00:10:50.257 open the Bible, we don't feed ourselves spiritually the rest of the week.
00:10:52.626 What's going to happen? You're going to be weak. You're going to be lacking.
00:10:56.016 You're going to be starving spiritually, feeling disconnected, isolated, maybe
00:11:00.486 anxious and depressed, and feeling a certain way in your old self.
00:11:04.446 You're going to lose your strength.
00:11:06.277 So in order to have spiritual strength, we must have a spiritual rhythm of our
00:11:11.106 life. Because the Bible ultimately is not just information. It's not just textbook.
00:11:16.507 It's not historical details. The Bible is ultimately, we read it to know God, to
00:11:22.176 know who He is, to know His character, His nature. And think about this.
00:11:26.527 The creator of the universe, the one who created you, knows you and
00:11:32.406 has something to say to you. God is not silent. He's given us His word.
00:11:38.196 He speaks to us still today because His word is alive and well.
00:11:42.277 It speaks to us, and we can hear from the creator of the universe that He wants to
00:11:47.406 have a life-giving relationship with each and every one of us.
00:11:52.146 2 Timothy 3:16. Paul's teaching to Timothy, and he says, "All Scripture," talking
00:11:57.606 about the Bible, "All Scripture is inspired by God." That word "inspired"
00:12:03.576 in the original Greek language is to be breathed.
00:12:06.486 All Scripture is breathed by God, that He put breath in...
00:12:11.796 His breath inspired men — over 40 authors on three different continents, over
00:12:17.376 66 books that make up this one Bible that we have, over about 1,500 years' time,
00:12:22.896 this one story, one thread that God was speaking.
00:12:27.546 He says, "All of the Scripture is useful to teach us what is true, to make
00:12:33.396 us realize what is wrong in our lives.
00:12:36.036 It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right." Now, I love
00:12:41.735 that the Bible doesn't just tell us what we're doing that's wrong, but it tells
00:12:46.086 us what to do right. We've all experienced at some point, maybe it's a boss, maybe
00:12:51.727 it's a parent, maybe it's a spouse saying, "What you're doing is wrong.
00:12:54.816 Hey, don't do that." Maybe your spouse said, "Don't put the wet towel on the
00:12:58.326 floor." Right? Or, "Don't put the dishes in this way," or, "Don't do that." The
00:13:02.826 Bible shows us what's wrong, but it corrects us and shows us how to
00:13:07.236 do it right. So it's not just a negative, it's a positive, a constructive thing.
00:13:12.306 And actually, verse 17 says, "God uses it to prepare and equip his people
00:13:18.276 to do every good work." It's equipping. It's to teach us.
00:13:23.736 It's to sharpen us. It's so that we can do the work that God has called us to do.
00:13:29.436 Yesterday, I went and bought a new sander at Home Depot. I needed a new sander.
00:13:33.157 My other one broke, and I haven't opened it yet.
00:13:36.336 I haven't read the instruction manual, haven't put it to the work that it needs to
00:13:39.816 get done. Now, if I never open that tool, I never read the manual, I never use it,
00:13:45.876 and the wood that I need to sand never gets sanded, can I get mad at the wood?
00:13:50.767 Can I get mad at the tool? I can just blame the sander.
00:13:53.886 It's the sander's fault that the job's not getting done.
00:13:56.227 It's the sander's fault that the work is not getting done. I can't blame the tool.
00:14:01.026 I have to open it. I have to use it. I have to put it to the work that it needs to
00:14:05.046 be applied to in order to see the results. The Bible's the same way.
00:14:11.286 If we never open the Bible, if we never read the instructions, if we never apply it
00:14:16.746 to our lives, we can't blame the Bible, and we certainly can't blame God.
00:14:21.727 We can't say, "God, why is my life falling apart?
00:14:23.706 God, why is this struggle happening? God, what's going on?
00:14:26.316 I can't seem to get things right." If we never open the Word, how do we blame God
00:14:31.267 when He's given us the answers? He's given us the instruction manual for life, and
00:14:37.116 really, we have to start by opening it and reading it.
00:14:41.496 If God has spoken, we should listen.
00:14:44.856 I get phone calls a lot throughout the day, and you get those spam calls.
00:14:49.086 You get calls throughout the day that you just know there's a loan, car warranty,
00:14:54.066 whatever it is. They're trying to get you for something.
00:14:57.007 I don't answer most of the phone calls I get in a day, but when Rachel calls, I
00:15:00.546 answer it every time. Why is that? Because of relationship.
00:15:05.136 My kids and my wife get my attention. Relationship creates attention.
00:15:11.076 And if you have a relationship with God, there should be an attention that we give
00:15:15.936 Him. We give Him our attention. We give Him our priority.
00:15:19.731 And Jesus said in John 17:3, "Now this is eternal life, that they know you, the
00:15:25.566 only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." Our primary purpose of
00:15:31.536 reading the Bible isn't just to learn about God, yet you can do that.
00:15:36.066 The primary purpose is actually to know God, to have a relationship with God.
00:15:40.626 That's why He gave us His Word, so that we would know and encounter who God really
00:15:46.626 is. You know when you read the Bible what happens? You encounter your creator.
00:15:52.625 You encounter a healer, a redeemer, a provider, the one who has saved your very
00:15:58.715 soul, who's forgiven your sins. When we read the Bible, He comes alive to us.
00:16:03.306 We know Him in a real and personal way.
00:16:05.916 In fact, the entire story of the Bible can be summed up in one sentence, that God
00:16:10.267 is pursuing mankind to bring us back into a right relationship with Him.
00:16:15.757 That's ultimately the gospel. That's ultimately what the Bible is communicating.
00:16:20.646 God pursuing us to bring us back into relationship with
00:16:26.586 Him. It all has to start with a relationship with God.
00:16:31.657 Another reason we read the Bible is it doesn't just show us about God or show us
00:16:35.947 God. It shows us who we are. Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the word
00:16:41.886 of God is alive and powerful." Again, it's not a dead textbook.
00:16:45.966 It's alive and powerful. "It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword,
00:16:51.666 cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow.
00:16:56.346 It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires."
00:17:01.956 It cuts — the cut between joint and marrow — it goes deep.
00:17:05.736 It gets beneath the surface. It's not just breaking the skin.
00:17:09.156 It gets deep within, as the Word actually exposes our innermost thoughts and
00:17:14.497 desires. The Word, God Himself, knows everything you've ever thought, anything
00:17:20.526 and everything you've ever done. He knows every intention and motive of your heart.
00:17:26.166 Now, most of us, we should probably say, "Oh my." But guess what?
00:17:30.036 He still loves you anyway.
00:17:33.187 That's only a love that God can have.
00:17:35.062 When God can see you and know you totally, and still accepts you and loves you,
00:17:41.106 that's the love of God. That's the kind of love that God has.
00:17:44.437 The Bible, when we read it, it exposes us.
00:17:48.666 It exposes our motives, our attitudes, our pride, our fears, but it also exposes
00:17:54.306 our potential and our purpose in this life.
00:17:58.326 The Book of James compares God's Word to a mirror. Starting in verse 21.
00:18:03.187 He says, "So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives. Humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls."
00:18:14.751 He says, "Accept the word of God humbly, but don't just listen to God's word.
00:18:18.996 You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves." Verse
00:18:24.756 23, "For if you listen to the word and don't obey, it is like glancing at your face
00:18:30.516 in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like." Verse
00:18:36.138 25: "But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you
00:18:41.388 do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing
00:18:46.399 it." Now, that doesn't say that you have to obey the word completely to receive
00:18:51.708 salvation. He's not actually talking about salvation, he's talking about blessing.
00:18:55.458 This word will save your soul. Your faith and your trust in God will ultimately
00:19:00.693 lead you to salvation, but the obedience comes after salvation.
00:19:04.998 The blessing comes after salvation.
00:19:08.268 But he compares it to a mirror. So if any of us look at a normal mirror, what do you see
00:19:13.909 looking back at you? Your reflection, right?
00:19:17.089 And how many of you, you look at the mirror and you don't like what the mirror is
00:19:19.983 showing you? Anybody, we're going to be honest, right?
00:19:22.548 You look in the mirror and you go, "I don't like what I see." Do you change the mirror?
00:19:27.318 Some of us deal with those filters on our phones.
00:19:29.358 We say, "I want to look like that. I want to look like this."
00:19:31.909 No, we look at the mirror. We don't change the mirror, we change ourselves. Right?
00:19:36.168 We go, "Oh, my hair looks bad. Oh, I got something in my teeth.
00:19:38.988 Oh, man, my makeup's messed up." Whatever it may be.
00:19:41.358 We look into the mirror; its job is to reflect what is looking into it.
00:19:46.698 That's it. The Bible, as a mirror, as James says, when we look at the law, we look
00:19:52.668 at the Bible, it shows us who we really are.
00:19:55.848 It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.
00:19:59.688 It shows us the stuff as we read and we say, "Oh, I don't like that.
00:20:04.024 I need to change that in me." Unfortunately, the world and many so-called
00:20:08.839 Christians say they look at the mirror of God's word and they say, "I don't like
00:20:12.798 that. I'm going to change it. I'm going to change the mirror because it makes me
00:20:17.868 feel bad that this thing that it says is sin, I don't really want to be sin, so I'm
00:20:22.188 going to change the word of God." That's like taking a mirror and making it a
00:20:26.208 carnival mirror, making it one of those funny mirrors that make you look skinnier
00:20:29.508 than you really are, or taller than you really are.
00:20:31.368 Whatever it is that you're going for. We don't change the mirror of God's word.
00:20:35.988 We look at it, and its job is to reflect in us what's really in us and say, "I
00:20:40.518 don't like it. I need to adjust me. I need to change the way I'm thinking.
00:20:44.839 I need to change the way I'm acting.
00:20:46.038 I need to change the way I'm talking," and all those behaviors, once you have a
00:20:49.909 relationship with God, that behavior modification comes because God is then
00:20:55.458 transforming us. This is very important. The word doesn't condemn us.
00:21:01.668 It confronts us so God can transform us.
00:21:05.659 Ultimately, the goal is to be transformed, conformed not into the image of this
00:21:10.428 world, but to be conformed into the image of Jesus.
00:21:14.598 Jesus himself said in John 3:17, he does not come to condemn the world.
00:21:19.368 He said, "I came to set the world free." So even Jesus, and the word itself,
00:21:24.468 doesn't condemn us, but it confronts us, it calls us out, brings conviction so that
00:21:30.318 God can then transform us. Jesus himself lived by the word.
00:21:35.448 In Matthew 4, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there
00:21:40.368 by the devil. For 40 days and 40 nights, he fasted and became very hungry.
00:21:46.788 Most of us probably couldn't do a day of fasting, right? We struggle with that.
00:21:50.628 We get hungry. Well, you're probably all hungry sitting here for 47 minutes of me
00:21:54.468 talking about food so much. But Jesus went 40 days, 40 nights.
00:21:58.488 He fasted, didn't eat a single thing in this hot wilderness, being tempted by
00:22:04.458 the devil himself. It says, "During that time, the devil came and said to him, 'If
00:22:09.618 you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.' But
00:22:15.618 Jesus told him, 'No, the Scriptures say, "People do not live by bread alone, but by
00:22:21.108 every word that comes from the mouth of God."'"
00:22:25.938 Jesus was at his most vulnerable time in his adult life, especially,
00:22:32.328 hungry, thirsty, isolated, lonely, apart from all of his friends.
00:22:37.368 He didn't have his disciples yet. This is before he launched his public ministry.
00:22:41.778 He was being tested in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights.
00:22:46.159 Satan himself coming after him, tempting him.
00:22:49.578 And every temptation, Jesus responded to that temptation with what?
00:22:55.053 The word of God. He recited the word of God back to Satan. That's how he overcame.
00:23:00.589 What he's quoting here is from Deuteronomy, chapter 8.
00:23:03.468 He says, "I don't need bread. I need every word that comes from the mouth of God."
00:23:08.598 But how did he know how to do that? Because Jesus knew the word.
00:23:13.788 So when temptation comes, when you're hangry, when you're lonely, when you're
00:23:18.198 isolated, when there's heat and the pressure's on, what comes out of us is what
00:23:23.448 we've already put in. If you wait till you need answers and your life's falling
00:23:28.188 apart to start reading the Bible, it's almost like it's too late.
00:23:31.983 It's never a bad time to do that. But instead, put the word in you now so that when
00:23:36.948 the time comes, you have the word of God that's just going to flow out of you.
00:23:41.208 It's going to shift and transform your mind.
00:23:42.918 You're going to be able to stand firm against every attack.
00:23:47.718 And next week, I'm planning to talk about prayer and fasting and helping us
00:23:51.228 understand how do we pray, how do we fast, what does this mean for us in 2026?
00:23:56.899 So come next week for that. But why don't we read the Bible?
00:24:01.578 I think every one of us, we know we're supposed to, right?
00:24:04.248 We know we want to read the Bible, we're supposed to read the Bible, but knowing
00:24:07.488 we're supposed to do something and then actually doing it are two different things,
00:24:11.748 right? We all know we're supposed to eat healthy and exercise regularly and all
00:24:14.659 that stuff, but doing it is not always as easy as knowing we're supposed to do it.
00:24:20.013 And those common objections or reasons I find that people say they don't read the
00:24:24.558 Bible, number one is, "I don't have time."
00:24:28.218 People say, "I don't have time to read the Bible.
00:24:29.628 I'm just so busy." And part of why I'm doing this series right now, Healthy
00:24:33.738 Spiritual Rhythms, is because I believe most of us are overwhelmed, are too busy,
00:24:39.438 our schedules are too full. We're just running around, running on fumes, and we
00:24:45.348 need to get some healthier rhythms in life so that we're healthier.
00:24:48.964 That's my heart for every single one of us.
00:24:51.078 I want us to be healthier so that we can get stronger, so that then we can go help
00:24:56.058 more people. If we're all drowning, how are we going to help the next person that
00:25:00.138 comes in drowning, right? We need to get healthy spiritual rhythms.
00:25:03.122 So most of the time people say, "I don't have time," or, "I don't understand it."
00:25:06.858 Now, if you don't understand the Bible, it could be you have a
00:25:10.128 difficult-to-understand translation.
00:25:12.649 Not the King James, but it's a harder-to-understand translation written in a
00:25:16.653 different time period with a different language.
00:25:19.578 It's just more difficult to understand.
00:25:21.768 Or maybe you have a different type of Bible.
00:25:24.258 Whatever it is, if it's hard to understand, it could be you're reading in a spot of
00:25:27.888 the Bible that's just harder to understand.
00:25:30.409 I always recommend start with the Book of John, the Gospel of John.
00:25:34.728 It's going to help you. It's cleaner. I recommend NIV, NLT.
00:25:39.408 These are different translations or versions.
00:25:41.808 If you don't have a Bible, I will give you a Bible. We have Bibles here.
00:25:45.348 I will put one in your hand free of charge and show you right where to go and how
00:25:49.188 to start reading. Because again, this is the most important rhythm you can begin in
00:25:53.748 your life. We want to help you understand the Bible. Start in the Book of John.
00:25:58.339 It'll help you have a relationship with God.
00:26:00.798 It highlights Jesus and that relational aspect.
00:26:03.663 Then you get to all the other things, and we can help you with that as well.
00:26:08.149 Many times people say, "I get distracted." Any of you ever got distracted reading
00:26:11.089 the Bible before? Okay. How many of you lied in church before?
00:26:14.958 Raise your hand because we all get distracted from different things.
00:26:18.468 And trust me, I'm up here saying I get distracted when I read the Bible, too.
00:26:22.458 Especially when I'm reading during the day or on my phone.
00:26:24.558 I'm reading on my phone, and notifications are popping up, right?
00:26:28.008 You can really simply put "do not disturb" on your phone and read your Bible on your
00:26:32.029 phone. I highly recommend a paper one because the notifications don't pop up on
00:26:36.228 this screen. They pop up in my pocket, wherever the phone may be.
00:26:39.288 But we get distracted, and that's okay.
00:26:41.688 But when we actually want to put a priority, we don't struggle with time, we
00:26:46.758 struggle with our priorities and with rhythm.
00:26:50.118 And 15 minutes a day is all I'm asking you to start with.
00:26:55.488 15 minutes. You know what 15 minutes a day is in your day?
00:26:59.419 It's a little bit more than 1%.
00:27:03.108 1% of our day is 15 minutes that we can give God undistracted, nothing else
00:27:09.078 going on, just saying, "God, I'm going to give you 1% of my day."
00:27:13.279 That doesn't sound like very much, does it?
00:27:15.558 Even to give him an hour is almost 5% of your day.
00:27:20.508 Can the creator of the universe, who created your soul, who's blessed you
00:27:24.318 abundantly, who saved your very soul, get at least 1%?
00:27:29.118 If you could get up to 5%, that's even better.
00:27:31.578 But to start somewhere, start with 15%. Here's the key.
00:27:35.688 You are able to have a healthy spiritual rhythm, and it can start with 15 minutes a day. Start with 15. You can build on it from there.
00:27:45.612 How do we read the Bible? Let's get extremely practical.
00:27:48.822 I don't want you to leave here today going, "I know I'm supposed to read the
00:27:51.222 Bible," and you don't do it. I want you to leave here today saying, "I know how to
00:27:54.972 read, and I know what I'm supposed to do this week." I'm going to give you a
00:28:00.522 four-letter acronym to help you remember this.
00:28:04.482 It's READ, R-E-A-D. I looked up a bunch of them, somewhere like seven things or 12
00:28:09.792 things. I said, "What if we just go extremely simple?" Four things we can do all
00:28:14.712 together all this week. We're going to read the Bible.
00:28:17.382 So the first one, R, it stands for read. Read the Bible.
00:28:21.462 I know it's obvious, but don't rush through it.
00:28:25.542 And don't try to wake up tomorrow and say, "I'm going to read the entire Bible this
00:28:28.992 week." Start small. For 15 minutes, you can read the Bible
00:28:34.481 undistracted and just take a few minutes, take a few moments, and just start
00:28:38.263 reading. If you've never read the Bible or it's been a while, you're like, "I need
00:28:41.036 to get back into it," the Book of John, chapter one, start reading.
00:28:46.572 Start reading for 15 minutes. The goal is not to see how much of the Bible you can
00:28:52.122 consume. The goal is to see how much the Bible can consume your attention.
00:28:57.192 Again, that relationship requires and creates attention.
00:29:01.992 Morning, noon, and night. You don't have to read in the morning, but that's usually
00:29:07.513 a better time before you're distracted.
00:29:09.013 If you've got to get up early and get the kids to school and do all these things,
00:29:12.912 that's fine. Wake up 15 minutes earlier to get that 15 minutes in.
00:29:17.832 And maybe you're here and you're like, "I'm already reading 30 minutes a day.
00:29:20.712 I've already got a whole devotional life." That's great.
00:29:24.342 Could you add 1% to your day? Could you add 15 minutes more to what you're already
00:29:29.533 doing? Because consistency matters more than convenience.
00:29:35.052 If you wait till you have enough time, you'll probably never do it.
00:29:38.292 We put the highest priority things on our calendars,
00:29:42.342 right? If it's really important, I think many times we feel bad.
00:29:45.132 We go, "If this was so important, I would just do it." No, if this was really
00:29:49.182 important, you would schedule it. It is perfectly fine.
00:29:52.422 I highly recommend you schedule your prayer time, you schedule your devotion time,
00:29:57.102 you schedule date nights, you schedule things that are important and a high
00:30:01.393 priority in your life. And yes, I'm preaching to myself, honey.
00:30:07.992 So read, number one. Number two, E, examine.
00:30:11.112 Don't just read the words, but read with the right questions.
00:30:14.022 Here's just some of the questions. You can put them in your own words.
00:30:16.902 Just some of the questions that help you think, not just reading the words, but as
00:30:20.893 you're reading the Bible, ask the question, what does this say about God?
00:30:24.732 What does this reveal about his character, his holiness, his faithfulness, his
00:30:28.992 nature? What does this say about God?
00:30:31.783 Because that's what we want to learn first and foremost.
00:30:34.122 What is this telling us about who God is? Number two, what does this say about me?
00:30:40.632 Now, not to be self-focused, but God, what are you showing to me, that mirror, what
00:30:45.342 are you showing to me that I need to change, I need to be honest about, I need to
00:30:49.453 consider confessing something I need to get rid of?
00:30:52.272 Maybe it's I need to take a step of faith in trusting you.
00:30:55.632 Whatever it is that you need to do, ask God, "God, what is this saying about me?"
00:30:59.772 Number three, what is God asking me to do? Is there a command? Is there a blessing?
00:31:05.112 Is there a warning? Is there a next step of obedience that God is asking you to do?
00:31:10.482 Many times I'm reading and God shows me something, I say, "I'm supposed to go do
00:31:14.172 this. I'm supposed to go take this step now based on what I read in the Bible."
00:31:19.332 Number four, how should I respond?
00:31:22.152 We're not just supposed to read the word, but to respond to the word, which ties right
00:31:26.082 into the next one, letter A, apply.
00:31:29.082 How do we apply the word to our lives?
00:31:32.712 So we read, we examine, we ask the right questions.
00:31:36.132 God, examine my heart, examine my life, and then how do I apply it to my life?
00:31:40.063 The goal here isn't to learn information in our heads, but to be transformed in our
00:31:45.447 hearts, to allow the word of God to transform and conform us into his image.
00:31:50.862 As James said as we read a little bit ago, "Do what it says."
00:31:56.263 And that's not always easy. When it says love your enemies, pray for those who
00:32:00.882 persecute you, to die to yourself, to take up your cross daily.
00:32:05.862 That's what I'm talking about when it says do what it says.
00:32:07.902 We don't just read that and say, "Oh, that's nice." No, we actually have to do it.
00:32:11.953 We have to go and make disciples. We have to go and love people.
00:32:15.627 We have to go and share the good news.
00:32:18.313 It's supposed to change how we live our lives, and if it's not changing how we live
00:32:22.813 our lives, we're missing out. We're missing the whole point.
00:32:27.162 So we read, we examine, we apply. Number four, we declare.
00:32:31.813 The Bible's originally written, and we have it so it's to be read.
00:32:36.283 It was originally given in an oral culture where they didn't have paper Bibles
00:32:42.342 for everyone. You had to go to a synagogue or a church setting like this to hear
00:32:46.422 somebody teach the word of God. So you could hear it, and the Bible says that faith
00:32:51.342 comes from hearing the word of God. It builds us up. It stirs us up.
00:32:55.752 So we need to hear the word. So also, not only do we need to hear it, but we need
00:32:59.563 to speak it. There is power in your words when you speak God's truth
00:33:05.352 over your life, over your family, over your circumstances.
00:33:09.612 When you're sick, it's not, "I have a disease," it's, "God still heals." Whether he
00:33:14.592 does or not, that's up to him. But we should be speaking the truth of God's word
00:33:19.302 over our lives. God, I speak this promise of blessing.
00:33:22.872 God, I speak the promise if I raise my kid to honor you, to love you, to serve you
00:33:27.252 and know you, there's the best chance he's going to have to actually give his life
00:33:30.372 to you in the end. Those are promises of God.
00:33:32.742 Those are blessings that we can speak and declare his word in and over our lives.
00:33:38.203 Not only are we going to speak it to others here, but then we hear ourselves speaking
00:33:42.013 the word as well. And also, don't only read the Bible alone.
00:33:48.192 We can read the Bible with others. We read the Bible with our spouses, with our
00:33:52.002 kids, with friends. Get together and read your Bible.
00:33:56.082 Talk about it every day you can. Ask other people.
00:33:59.502 Like on Sunday morning, you come and say, "Hey, how are you?" "Good." "How are
00:34:02.382 you?" "Good." Next question, "What are you reading in the Bible lately?" Or, "Hey,
00:34:06.942 let me tell you what I just read yesterday," or, "this morning as I did my
00:34:10.961 devotional for 15 minutes before I came to church, guess what God said?
00:34:14.743 This is what I read in his word." Let that be in our conversations.
00:34:19.932 You always have something to talk about when you're reading the word consistently
00:34:24.222 and daily. So this rhythm, morning, noon, and night.
00:34:27.882 The psalmist wrote this in Psalm 1, and we're going to close in just a few moments.
00:34:32.922 He says, "Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked or stand
00:34:37.692 around with sinners or join in with mockers." Verse two, here's the key verse, "But
00:34:42.763 they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night."
00:34:48.972 Day and night. That's in every day.
00:34:51.312 Not one Sunday or one day a week or one Sunday or one day of the month.
00:34:56.862 Every single day, day and night. And when they do that, they're like trees planted
00:35:02.322 along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season.
00:35:07.632 I want us to be a people who are like trees planted by the riverbank, where that
00:35:11.893 life source of Jesus is flowing through, providing life and sustenance to us so we
00:35:16.992 can bear fruit each and every season.
00:35:19.902 But we have to be people who meditate, who read, who study, who pray through the
00:35:25.002 word of God day and night, every day, morning, noon, and night.
00:35:29.712 Took it up to three things. Morning, noon, and night. We can do that.
00:35:33.132 Now, I was listening to a podcast this week.
00:35:36.582 A guy was talking about how his neighbor is Adele. Anybody know who Adele is?
00:35:39.792 The singer? Whether you like her or not. You've got to love the voice.
00:35:43.242 But Adele, his neighbor's Adele. He said he heard her singing one time, and he's
00:35:47.382 like, "It sounded awful." And he goes, "I went over to talk to her.
00:35:51.627 I was like, 'What?' I thought maybe something's wrong." And she just said she just
00:35:55.542 practices singing her songs over and over and over again.
00:36:00.432 And he said, "How many times do you sing that song before you go perform it live?"
00:36:03.762 She goes, "Probably an average of about 100 times." Now, this is Adele, one of the
00:36:08.893 most talented, gifted people, the best in her trade, and she's practicing
00:36:14.562 daily. She's doing vocal exercise. She's doing physical discipline.
00:36:17.592 She's practicing her own songs 100 times before she steps on a stage.
00:36:24.072 He mentioned Tiger Woods, and I looked up Bryson DeChambeau. He's more common.
00:36:28.393 One of the best golfers in the world.
00:36:31.123 Bryson DeChambeau hits about 400 golf balls at the driving range in one session.
00:36:36.132 He's practicing eight to nine hours a day as part of his routine with physical
00:36:40.873 exercise and training and discipline. Discipline.
00:36:44.532 He's already the best in the world. Why does he need to practice?
00:36:48.576 Or Steph Curry, the number one shooter, the best shooter in the NBA of all time, he
00:36:54.547 still practices 500 to 1,000 shots every single day.
00:37:00.456 He says in peak season, he drops it down to 300 because he doesn't want to get too
00:37:03.786 tired. This is the best in the world, the greatest, most talented men and women in
00:37:09.636 their field, yet they need to practice. They need to have spiritual discipline.
00:37:14.106 How much more do we need daily discipline, daily practice, that reading the Word,
00:37:20.226 have that spiritual healthy rhythm?
00:37:23.406 It sometimes can feel old, but how much do we realize we need it?
00:37:27.666 We need to have daily practice, daily discipline.
00:37:31.266 And I believe that's part of why, as Christians, we don't feel spiritually strong.
00:37:36.576 We don't see God moving in our lives.
00:37:38.677 We don't see life pouring out of us because we're not daily disciplined to read the
00:37:43.567 Word. If we're not doing this, we're not putting a priority on having a healthy
00:37:47.436 rhythm, why would we expect to be spiritually strong?
00:37:50.736 I don't expect to lift heavy weights unless I'm lifting heavy weights throughout
00:37:54.006 the week. I don't expect to be healthy unless I have a healthy rhythm throughout
00:37:58.686 the week as well. So God calls us to be spiritually
00:38:03.396 disciplined. And I want to tell you, I hear from people occasionally, "I can never
00:38:08.616 read the Bible. I'm not a good reader. I can't do that. I wish I could.
00:38:11.916 I tried once and I can't understand it." I want to tell you something. You can.
00:38:17.346 You can in Jesus' name. Maybe you need someone to come alongside you.
00:38:21.006 Maybe you need someone to help you understand some things.
00:38:23.706 I'm willing to get you connected to somebody or do it myself.
00:38:26.856 There's tons of people here who would love to walk with you to help you understand
00:38:31.446 the word of God and have a practical way that you could read.
00:38:34.896 There are Bible plans on the YouVersion Bible app.
00:38:37.836 You can do it with friends, so you can help one another be accountable.
00:38:41.886 And if you need any help, I would love to help you with that.
00:38:44.256 We'll probably post it this week on social media, some Bible plans or ways that you
00:38:48.156 can get the Bible app right on your phone.
00:38:53.466 So ultimately the goal of this series is not so we learn a bunch more Christian
00:38:56.797 language. We don't get more religious.
00:39:00.216 The goal of this series is that we become more like Jesus. Jesus knew the Word.
00:39:06.006 He prayed, He fasted, He worshipped, He served, He gave, He loved.
00:39:10.686 That's what our goal is. I want us to become more like Jesus.
00:39:14.016 To do that, we need to learn the rhythms that Jesus had.
00:39:21.516 Would you please stand to your feet?
00:39:23.317 I'm going to close us out with a prayer, and I want to give you a challenge.
00:39:27.696 15 minutes a day for seven days.
00:39:34.356 Put this up on the slide. Healthy spiritual lives are built through healthy
00:39:38.286 spiritual rhythms. Read the Word, know the Word, live the Word.
00:39:44.136 If you leave here today with nothing else, grab a hold of that.
00:39:46.206 Read the Word, know the Word, live the Word 15 minutes a day or add 15 minutes to
00:39:51.246 what you're already doing. We can give God at least 1%. Just start there.
00:39:56.121 And I'm going to encourage you, share it with others, do it with others, post it on
00:40:00.456 social media, tag the church, whatever it is.
00:40:02.616 Get the word out that we're together going to encourage each other to read
00:40:06.320 the Word, to know the Word, and to live the Word. Let's pray.
00:40:09.696 Heavenly Father, I thank you, God, for this day. God, I thank you for your Word.
00:40:13.776 God, I thank you that we don't have to figure everything out on our own, but, God,
00:40:17.076 you give us the instruction manual.
00:40:19.266 God, that you give us the perfect example in your Son, Jesus.
00:40:23.436 God, I thank you that we can have healthy spiritual rhythms, that we can read your
00:40:29.226 Word, that we can be spiritually strong because of your grace, because of your
00:40:34.506 love, because of your ability and putting ability in us.
00:40:38.946 God, I pray for every single one of us, God, that we would be a people who
00:40:42.547 prioritize your Word. God, even if it starts with 15 minutes this week, God, every
00:40:48.006 single day we take a little step forward, one more step of obedience, reading
00:40:53.706 your Word, knowing your Word, living by your Word.
00:40:57.381 And, God, I pray for every single person in this room, everyone watching online, if
00:41:01.686 they don't know you in a real and personal way, God, maybe they feel like this is
00:41:06.216 so crazy or this is so out there, they're never going to do this, God, I pray you'd
00:41:10.266 show them that they can make that decision today to begin a relationship with you,
00:41:16.236 that they can give their life to you, that it's the greatest decision they'll ever
00:41:20.856 make is to choose to trust in you. As we were singing earlier today, God, to trust
00:41:26.586 in you, to seek you, to pray to you, and, God, that you answer the prayers of your
00:41:31.927 people. You hear us, and, God, I pray that if there's anybody here today, they know
00:41:38.496 they need to commit or surrender their life to you, God, they would make that
00:41:42.067 decision right here and right now.
00:41:45.606 I'm not going to embarrass them. I'm not going to call them out.
00:41:48.246 God, we just want them to give their life to you.
00:41:52.250 So if there's anybody here right now, I pray you make that decision.
00:41:56.317 Say, "God, I'm giving my life to you. God, I want to be in that relationship.
00:42:00.246 I want to understand what it means to know you as Father,
00:42:06.756 as the one who forgives me of my sins and the one who leads me in my future."
00:42:13.146 God, I pray right now for those people making that decision, God, that they would
00:42:17.196 leave here different than the way they came in.
00:42:18.936 God, they would leave here knowing they've given their life to you, and, God, today
00:42:22.221 starts a new day, that they can begin to know you, they can find freedom in you,
00:42:27.246 God, that they can discover their purpose in you, and, God, that you'd use them to
00:42:30.817 impact their world around them. In Jesus' name I pray, amen. Amen.
00:42:36.246 Well, you can be seated. A couple of just quick announcements, and then we'll be
00:42:39.966 dismissed. Today we're doing Next Steps in just a few moments, about 15, 20
00:42:45.966 minutes. Out the back doors to the left, there's a Next Steps room right down the
00:42:51.096 hallway. Even if you didn't sign up, you're welcome to come and stay and check it
00:42:55.297 out. What Next Steps is, is a class we offer typically two times a month where we
00:42:59.886 want to help you learn more about Freedom Church, how we got started, how we're
00:43:04.177 structured. We already shared the six-month updates.
00:43:06.936 We usually give some update on things happening here at the church, but we'll also
00:43:10.506 help you take some personality and gift assessments as well because we
00:43:16.400 want you to learn more about you to discover your purpose and how to make an
00:43:20.106 impact. If you can't stay today or you can't plan to come next week, we have next
00:43:25.026 Sunday after the 11:00 a.m. service as well.
00:43:27.456 So you can scan that QR code or go to our website on our Events page and get signed
00:43:32.586 up to be with us next week as well. And tomorrow we're having a men's event
00:43:38.466 right here in the church. Where are all the men at? Come on, give a hoo-rah, right?
00:43:43.761 Got to give it a man prime. We're having pulled pork nachos as a food.
00:43:48.336 There may be some buns and some other snacks and goodies as well there.
00:43:51.861 Feel free to bring some extra stuff as well.
00:43:54.396 Non-alcoholic, I feel like I have to say that sometimes.
00:43:57.276 But tomorrow night, 6:00 p.m., the event is casual. It's informal.
00:44:02.196 It's designed for men to get to know some other men.
00:44:05.616 Men, you cannot say you don't have any friends in the church if you don't show up
00:44:09.036 tomorrow, right? I don't know anybody. I feel all alone. Come tomorrow.
00:44:13.236 You can be there. Teenagers are welcome as well.
00:44:15.726 There's nothing we're going to get into too deep.
00:44:17.256 It's just a casual hangout time to eat some food, get to know some people, play
00:44:21.547 some cornhole, some yard games, things like that. Bring some friends.
00:44:25.776 You don't have to sign up, but if you know you're coming, you have an RSVP, it'll
00:44:28.866 be really helpful to scan that QR code or go to our Events page just so we make
00:44:32.826 sure we have enough food. Also, in two weeks, we have child dedications.
00:44:38.346 What we believe here at Freedom Church is parents making the decision for their
00:44:42.396 children that they're going to dedicate them to God.
00:44:44.766 That means they're going to do everything they can to train them, to teach them, to
00:44:48.786 point them to Jesus. It's ultimately up to those kids to choose to follow Jesus as
00:44:53.256 they grow up as well. But we love child dedications. It's a special day.
00:44:57.606 Rachel and I are going to be dedicating Brielle in two weeks, so we invite you to
00:45:00.906 come. Make sure you're here for that, but also invite friends and family.
00:45:05.016 If you want to dedicate your child, you've never done that, and you'd like to do
00:45:07.927 that here at Freedom, you just have to scan that QR code or same thing, go to the
00:45:11.166 Events page on our website, and you can get signed up, and we'll be able to help
00:45:15.817 you understand everything you need to do for that day.
00:45:18.216 And last but not least, if you could stand to your feet, we have a social media
00:45:22.567 slide. I just want you to be able to see it.
00:45:24.427 This is a way that you can stay in touch, stay in the loop on all the things that
00:45:28.177 are happening here at Freedom Church.
00:45:30.246 How about we all just take our phones out if you have it?
00:45:32.946 You can actually scan that QR code right on the screen, and it pulls up a landing
00:45:38.436 page for our YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, all the ways that you can stay
00:45:43.836 connected. Follow us, subscribe, all those things, like everything we post,
00:45:48.756 comment. It's just a great way we can be a church community beyond just Sunday.
00:45:53.706 There's always the sermons. The messages are online as well.
00:45:57.306 So feel free to share that, post about that, and I'm going to pray, and then we'll
00:46:01.386 be dismissed. Heavenly Father, thank you, God, once again, God, for who you are.
00:46:05.406 God, we are grateful. We are thankful for you. God, we trust in you.
00:46:09.427 God, I pray we'd be a people that, God, we would at least give you 1% of our day
00:46:13.806 fully, totally committed to you. God, I pray that we prioritize reading your Word
00:46:19.146 morning, noon, and night, that, God, we would be a spiritually strong people who
00:46:25.177 other people can rely on and count on for strength when they don't have it.
00:46:29.166 God, I pray your Spirit would go with us. God, grant us your grace.
00:46:32.706 God, help us fall in love with you and with your Word. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.
00:46:38.047 You are dismissed. Have a great week.