2019-01-05-LIVE OAKS

Man, who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble. He comes out like a flower in Withers. He flees like a shadow and continues not and do you open your eyes on such a one and bring me into judgment with you who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean. There is not one. Since his days are determined and the number of his months is with you and you have a pointed his limits that he cannot pass look away from him and leave him alone. Becky Megan Joyce like a Hired Hand his day for there is hope for a tree. It'll be cut down that it will Sprout again and that it shoots will not cease though. It's root grow old in the earth and its stump guy in the soil yet at the scent of water. It will bud and put out branches like a young plant. But a man dies and is laid low. Man breathes his last and where is he? As Waters fell from a lake and a river waste away and dries up so A man lies down and Rises not again till the heavens are no more. He will not awake or be roused out of his sleep. Oh that you would hide me in Shield the place of the Dead. That you would conceal me until your wrath be past that you would appoint me a set time and remember me. If a man dies shall he live again? All the days of my service. I would wait till my renewal should come. You would call and I would answer you. Happy New Year, everybody.

Happy New Year joke just needs a hug a beaver red joke. But you try to hug him with all of his swords. He like that.

What show has learned through The Crucible of pain is that in ourselves? We have no power ability or strategy to employee to escape the reality. hopelessness in our fallen lights He even says that a fallen tree has more. Hope than falling man.

He needs a hug. He knows something is wrong. I go back to jove all the time. Joe knows that something is wrong and the answers are always just right there, but just beyond his grasp. Joe knows the truth that in of ourselves. We Have No Hoe. I find it amazing. Sometimes it is spoken of as a compliment. Sometimes it's a bit the derogatory to call somebody a snowflake, you know, because they're unique and precious. Have you ever watched the lifespan of a snowflake and how quickly it just disappears you catch Donnie has gone. You know bar salesmen how unique and precious we are ourselves. We have no hope. rotting wood has more hope than we Hey, Joe knows it, you know it again happy New Year start off really really is great all those Smiles we shared a minute ago there.

Right, maybe that's just joke clearly job has not met Tommy 20/20. You're getting to meet him right now. Tell me 20/20. Oh my goodness that dude shake his hand. Maybe you can get his autograph. I ruined it humility was on my list this year.

Tell me 20 20. In this church. Yeah.

We should should my dad switch to tell him. I just couldn't do it and Mara has always said that she's going to start calling me Thomas. And actually I joked that I'm two people Thomas. He makes all the right decisions Tommy Hitler.

and yeah, you got Pastor Tommy not Pastor Thomas, so again, Happy New Year

Tell me 20 20 is Asa same guy as tell me 2019 still kind of rhyme deliver those good 20 Tommy 2018. That doesn't that doesn't roll off the tongue. But every year I'm on the same. You're the same every year is going to be your year, right? This year's going to be my year. Just like last year was my year right and let me tell you something. Last year was awesome.

And that's the thing. There's always a but there's always that one more thing that we need. And then correct. We're always just one thing shy and ends it it'll be what it's supposed to be. I have taken on my life. I always I take that idea and I always

focusing on an on a thing on an actual thing an actual object a short list in chronological order starting in the second grade the things that I just knew that I needed so I had this so that would have been up to your I apologize to the old and the young pierce his second grade is that would have been 1986. So Tommy 86 he was convinced that all he needed was a wife.

I would daydream in the second grade about being married as a second grader like not daydreaming about. You know one day in the future, but that was the first thing I remember consciously thinking if I just had a wife, okay? Turn on the sixth grade. What I needed was to be able to continue using my patented organization station. If you're familiar with the Trapper Keeper, give her the Trapper Keeper, mine had a horse on it and you know the velcro and then there it is and it's got the, you know, the little tree rings binder in the pockets everything. Well what I did I turned it inside out cuz I'm a revolutionary and a bit of a rebel. So I turned it inside out and then I discovered that the page and then there's just call him and I had Post-it notes and I'd put you know the homework do and then I peel it off and put it on the homework and I loved it and it was a great week until Tell my teacher said Tommy put that toy away and I said put it away moment. I had a chance in the sixth grade. I had a chance to be organized and she ruined it her fault not mine if I only had a mini cassette recorder so I can record my thoughts because I had all kinds of revolutionary ideas films and books and end in projects. Just had a mini cassette recorder. I got it. I got them to hear your voice sped up. So.

Then the thing I needed was just to be out of high school. If I would just get out of high school. And then the thing was if I could just get out of college and then it was if I can just have a job and then it was if I could just keep a job.

There was a cell phone. I remember this like it was a just a cell phone. That's all I needed was a cell phone and and God help me. It was at it was a cold call from AT&T and I agreed to buy from the ship it to me and that's it, man. I was off to the races on the rest is history. I'm a president CEO of a giant Global Corporation cuz I got to wait now just cost us a lot of money wasn't cell phone. Then it was the PDA not public displays of affection. Fantastic. That's more of like what I need in my day rather than in my life every day. No personal digital assistants what I need the Palm Pilot if you recall if you remember right cuz you can thank you honey. And it was it was fantastic until it wasn't anymore and then it was I kid you not a black 1997 Volvo 850 Turbo acquired it again globalfit. No, I'm not. Where is that car? I sold it to my brother-in-law and then it broke down in Oklahoma.

Who's bigger house honey? You still with me on this one? Maybe just a little bit bigger house something to eat feels as though as the human beings in our house get bigger the house needs to but no it it seems to shrink. Children bigger house trained to be just had a bigger house, then it was an iPhone and then it was an iPhone 3-g and then it was the iPhone 4 than the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 7 than the iPhone 10 and now the iPhone 11 Pro now, I'm set that's all I need. I definitely will not need the iPhone 12. Those are all the iPhone setup.

And then a congregation In a Pulpit of my own. That's all that's all I need right and this.

All right.

This clicky keyboard. This is what I needed this whole time. This was Santa brought me this. This is what I really needed all these years. And let me let me see you. Let me see if it'll work phone.

right Adjust sound like productivity.

So now I can start writing all of the books. I have about 13 books that I seriously they're all written down titles and everything and I can start writing them and now I will because I have the clicky keyboard. How transparent can I be. I'm also wasting time. This is a fun moment. Let's just enjoy it. When I started here full time, and I keys to the building. I think I probably wasted about 6 hours of Jesus's time and money cuz I was convinced that a church age there had to be an old clicky keyboard in some closet somewhere because there was writing I wanted to do as a pastor always wanted to be a writer and I just had the clicky keyboard to move on and then brother Elijah gave me a keyboard that was almost clicky and it helped a lot but now it's fully clicking. So now boom I can I can write the book. The book will be called the success of faithful failure by line, but don't read it or you'll ruin my point. Do we have the graphic we have to cover? Yes, the success of faithful failure.

I don't read it or you'll ruin my point.

We're always one thing away. If we just had that one thing. If I could just get healthy if if she or he could just get healthy if she or he would just come home. If I could just get this one debt paid off if I could just fix this van.

I could just come and give me a couple kidney. So maybe we can start a kidney Club you and me and my kidneys are on the way out. Apparently I could just get rid of this one stone. You know what I kept the kidney stone that I passed and I'm so trophy. It was if the tiniest was integral to get saying that was ruining me right ruining me. If only but that's it. Right that's really all they are finding insignificant things that we decide are standing in the way of us being everything that we know we can be and if we just had this one thing and it's new, it's always new, isn't it new? But if I just had this one new thing this one new relationship this one new season this one new opportunity this one new chance to be one more chance and then it's going to be because we love knew where the chest with everything. That's a new the problem is. Nothing is new. Nothing is new Under the Sun. And this time it's not new and that's what's so funny about New Year's resolutions. Right New Year's resolutions. Okay new brand new. Okay last year, it was brand new and fresh and didn't work either before brand new fresh. It didn't work like you for that brand new fresh didn't work. But yet we're still calling it new. It's the same old thing year after year after year. If only this one if only I could just visit New this new reality this new thing this new shiny object this new truth this new circumstance new. It's got to be new but there's nothing new Solomon says it includes the Aztecs one. The words of the preacher the son of David King in Jerusalem vanity of vanities says the preacher vanity of vanities. All is Vanity. What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils Under the Sun a generation goes a generation comes for the Earth Remains the sun rises the sun goes down and hastens to the place where it rises the wind blows to the South and goes around to the north around the round goes the wind and all its on its circuits. The wind returns all streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full to the place where the streams flow there. They flow again. All things are full of weariness. A man cannot utter it the eye is not satisfied with seeing nor the ear filled with hearing what has been is what will be and what has been done is what will be done and there is nothing new Under the Sun. Is there a thing of which it is said see this is new. It is been already. In the ages before us there is no remembrance of former things nor will there be any remembrance of Latter things yet to be among those who come after? You know, but what is Solomon now?

Solomon also has not met, 2020.

And I'm going to get it done. I'm going to get after it right I'm going to get her done me. I'm going to do it. Profound moment years ago back in youth ministry, which I thought was a chapter long past and all the sudden. I'm on a plane heading to a mission trip in New York City nazworth approaching. I hadn't seen that the skyline, you know, the Manhattan skyline from there hadn't seen before and I just see this laid out in front of me just incomprehensible and immediately had the most profound thought the thought was if I had a thousand years I couldn't build that and all that's going to burn. What am I doing?

What am I doing? If I don't have a hope. To build a fraction of what I just saw through the window of an airplane. And what do I think I'm going to accomplish today and tomorrow if I'm chasing after the material?

This is what Solomon teaches us. He teaches that the material is immaterial.

No matter how new it is. It isn't.

And won't be by our hands.

We cannot make anything new. I talked about it before and building furniture at best. I was a wood reassembler. I wasn't creating anything Only God Can Make A Tree.

if we labor To give birth to material newness by material means it will be stillborn every time. All the white of all the knuckles in this Sanctuary cannot move one ounce of anything eternally valuable.

CS Lewis said all that is not Eternal is eternally out of date.

Is this a new this is going to make the difference it didn't before and it's not.

If it is to be valuable, it must be eternal. And if it is eternal it is always knew.

Like Eternal does it mean we're going to live to be a billion years old and still like run a 5k. eternal life means eternally new

If it is eternal, it is always knew it's Evergreen.

If you've heard a sermon before right your hearing one now, I'm saying words you're hearing them. Okay, I could preach a sermon about eternal newness or you could just smell the top of a baby. Just smell the top of a newborn baby's head and and you you have smelled a sermon about nudes. innocence and if you if I don't have you ever have you smelled newborn baby head, I find that essential oil. I will diffuse that manana.

Add a newborn. I've had a few of them around and dumb. I was I was holding it was Nora. I was holding Nora in the lobby of our church, and I was like a calling calling my dude and dude. note to hear this smell this smell what nose on up and just so it goes

what a mic in what numerous it smells like something that is is is pure in freshen and untainted. That's what you want to know that you could be.

That's what that's what we're doing after. We want that freshness. We want that Nunes. We want to know that can be true.

Our hearts are correct about the value of the new our hearts are correctly you are right new is what you need.

You do need to be new you need what is new in your life and around you we're right on that but here's the thing. Here's what the flesh does our flesh take the truth of that and turns it into a vaporous idle of something material.

When my oldest daughter was born Alan and I wasn't enough smelling her head. I things were difficult between my wife and I it was a difficult season with two kids having a kid. We didn't even have a really a clue how to really be married. We're still figuring this out in this baby comes and and bless her heart. She she's anti-sleep. She still has a night owl like hoot when she came out.

And if things were very difficult between my wife and I was a very is a strained season for us. I had just dragged us all the way up to North Carolina and and Mary's family and and mother was down here and I had just started a new job. It was just it was difficult and that Christmas just and I don't know just weeks old. We are blessed. We're gifted with a new to us 1997 Isuzu Rodeo in Immaculate shape in my 91 Cavalier said amen. I'm tired. Can I quit now? And I said to chip. That was what I named my Cavalier. Yes. Thank you, sir for your for your service will appreciate it. And I and I drove all I drove up to North Carolina in my new to me. It is nicest car I've ever owned and I was even aware of this.

I said to myself I think things going to be okay. And I was like, but I'm driving up 95 by myself, and I'm like I think things going to be okay. Cuz I have a new car.

Mary stay down here to be with me with mom and she's learning how to be a mom and I was just so excited about my car and we lived in the very steep driveway and my trash can was down at the bottom of the street and terrible to walk down all the way down. So I thought I am I everything is going to be okay. My life is now complete. And then like it hit a thing or something in the trash can like and went all the way down the side of the road about material. It wasn't new to me anymore. It was dead to me.

Not sure anymore. It's not it's not it's not Flawless anymore. It's been tamed and so it's worthless.

And that's how you have felt Time After Time After Time After Time. You've tried you you got yourself detail.

and dang by somebody else's garbage or maybe your own and they're like

maybe next time

why we turned to the material and think that new material is the answer is nothing new Under the Sun with hidden vent this thing. Israel thought at one time that they needed a new God. Exodus 32 starting verse 1 when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him up make us Gods who shall go before us as for this Moses. Fella the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt. We don't know what has become of him. So Aaron said to them take off the rings of gold that you that are in your ears of your wives you Sons your daughters bring them to me. So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron and he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said these are your Gods o Israel who brought you up out of the land of Egypt? When Aaron saw this he built an altar before it and Aaron made a proclamation and said tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord. And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings and the people sat down to eat and drink and Rose up to play.

We are no different.

If there's any question about Mankind's ability to make God's out of that which is material and tangible Look Back 2 verse 5. I saw this for the first time study in this first fights has went and saw that he built an altar before and Aaron made a proclamation and said tomorrow. She'll be a feast day will be a feast to the Lord and in your Bible is probably like a capital l capital O capital r capital d That's Yahweh. Aaron called the golden calf Yahweh.

This is Yahweh. This is the guy that saved us up out of Egypt. This is the 1997 Isuzu Rodeo that will bring you how your phone make you the husband. You always thought you could be and father and keep your job and Evans Fantastic.

Thank you, Jesus.

Tomorrow should be a feast to Yahweh.

Israel just made petunia or Bessie or whatever the cows name should have been they think they just made it. With the work of their hands, they melted down the gold and made it and they call it y'all awake they call it God that is what we do with our hands. We fashion ourselves God. We we make offerings to it. We make sacrifices to it. We place our hope in it. We call it God. When we just made it.

Forever ever wonder why baby cow like of all the objects of all the things baby cow. Here's Here's my thought here's my opinion. No one has ever said. Oh my God. It's a baby cow run for your life.

A baby cow has never demanded anything of you. Am I wrong? What kind of weirdo? A baby calf has never required anything of me. But it's shiny and we can put all our hopes on it. We can see it we can we can we exchange was right there where we could see it with it.

A god of our design will serve us. We won't have to serve it and that's the LIE we believe every single time. I am going to make this right I'm going to make this new.

weirdest the glory of new will never belong to you.

We are right new is what we need, but it's not a work of these hands as though we could do anything to make these and less dead than they were when we set out on the task in the first place.

And if our task is material than even our best efforts will still be just that material. We need a new nurse, but but not of this kind.

We need new names, but not of this kind.

For Wonder another irony, I love ironies. We are grasping and clawing and struggling and trying to fight our way back. Do you? I am 41 years old on this spring chicken, right? My days are numbered.

And yet I got to be honest with you on my list is to Blue Stussy pounds get in better shape drink more water bottle.

Is weird is where are our greatest mistakes and regrets? in our youth that we're so desperate to return we've got to get back there.

For all our mistakes are leaving.

We long for a clean State week this late when we long for a fresh start a new chance. Psalm 51 10 through 12 create in me a clean heart o God renew a right Spirit Within Me cast me not away from your presence take not your Holy Spirit from me restore to me the joy of your salvation and uphold me with a willing Spirit. But then at this point we we we jump in and we weren't we we write our own verse 13 to this passage. We write our own next verse and it goes like this and then Lord. I promise I'll do things differently.

If you would just give me a fresh start this if you would just wipe my slate clean then and check it out. David actually. Does this in verse 13 verse 13, then I will teach transgressors your ways and sinners will return to you. Deliver me from blood guiltiness. Oh God. Oh God of my salvation and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. Oh Lord, open my lips and my mouth will declare your praise.

The newness we need it's not the shiny clean slate. We imagine it to be. The nudist I need is not to go back to May 30th 1978 in Bethlehem and do things right this time, Pennsylvania.

We're not the first people to share this foolish false. Hope that if we would just have a clean slate we could do it, right?

And John 3. starting a verse 1 there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus a ruler at the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night. And said to him Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him. Jesus answered him truly truly I say to you unless one is born again. He cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said to him how can a man be born when he is old and he interest second time into his mother's womb and be born. Jesus answered truly truly I say to you unless one is born of water and the spirit. He cannot enter the kingdom of God that which is born of the flesh is flesh. And that which is born of the spirit is Spirit. Do not Marvel that I said to you. You must be born again the wind blows where it wishes and you hear it sound but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the spirit. Suits and Nicodemus is thinking I mean okay in concept if I could be born again if I could have it to do over again if I could have a fresh start a clean slate and she probably yeah, but you know, that's that's impossible to accomplish and kind of gross to imagine so I don't see your point Jesus. And what Jesus is saying is? No. Not talking about flesh. I'm not talking about the material. I'm talking about something so much deeper so much more true than you can comprehend. I'm talking about newness that you cannot possibly fathom newness of a kind you have never experienced before.

Not Material not flesh born of water and spirit. What's this water? And spirit thing we have grown up in the faith and being spiritually born that kind of makes sense. What's his water? And spirit. Jesus is a losing alluding to Ezekiel 36. Starting verse 25 while I read this answer this question to yourself. Who's who's list of resolutions? Does this sound like Who's to-do list? Is this listen Ezekiel? 36 725 I will sprinkle clean water on you. And you shall be clean from all your uncleanliness? And from all your Idols, I will cleanse you and I will give you a new heart and a new spirit. I will put within you and I will remove the Heart of Stone from your flesh and give you a heart of Flesh. I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to have a my rules. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your father's and you shall be my people and I will be your God.

This is what God says she is going to do.

What's his resolution? Tell of his people with a covenant that cannot be broken or he is not God. She will do it. He will accomplish it.

He will make us a new in a way. We cannot possibly fathom. Back in John 3 in person. I Nicodemus said them how can these things be? Jesus answered him. Are you the teacher of Israel and yet do not understand these things truly truly. I say to you we speak of what we know and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earlier things and you do not believe how can you believe if I tell you Heavenly things no one has ascended into heaven, except he who descended from Heaven the son of man.

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness.

Show my son of man be lifted up. That whoever believes in him may have eternal life that is it the serpent Parts did weird right? Give me all just a bit that. I admitted that I wasted time finding a clicky keyboard. You can admit that the serpent part is weird.

from numbers 21

During The Exodus. Thank you, bro.

You can't interrupt him. He does not like it.

numbers 21 Starting a report from Mount hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom and the people became impatient on the way and the people spoke against God and against Moses, but there is no food and no water and we loathe this worthless food. Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people. huisen furniture The Lord, okay. I just thought maybe you thought you needed to get the spectacles. The Lord sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people so that many people of Israel died God's hand is doing and the people came to Moses and said we have send. Who is spoken against the Lord and against you pray to the Lord that he take away the Serpent's from us?

Tell Moses prayed for the people and the Lord said to Moses make a fiery Serpent and set it on a pole. Everyone who is bitten when he sees it she'll live. So Moses made a bronze serpent, but in actuality it's copper there where they are crazy with copper mines. This copper in this part of the world is is is blood red.

So Moses made a blood red copper serpent set it on a pole. if a serpent bit anyone he would look at the bronze Serpent and live.

God saying I am remember never when they melted down there gold made a cute little baby cow. And called it in me.

This is me.

This is my kingdom. This is my Justice. This is my wrath.

I'm not helpless. Not a teddy bear. I am Yahweh.

I am who I am. I am wrath I am ruin. Die by the Venom of your idolatry or look to me lifted high and live.

We have to we have to hear the Venom of that proclamation to truly receive the sweet nectar of this one John 3:16 for God so loved the world. He gave his only son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. Wait. We don't read that verse in context very often do we Here it is. Breaking in 14.

As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness picture of that scene picture that reality picture the picture of the serpent pictures of Venom picture the dead bodies piling up.

Picture that the unfiltered rat in Judgment of God, that's what Jesus is referring to. That's what he's bringing up. That's not a reality about himself. He's trying to keep hidden because it makes him seem mean he's bringing it right up. Remember that time that I killed all of those people with venomous snakes.

but remember how if they looked upon

they would be saved.

That whoever believes in him may have eternal life for God so loved the world.

Son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life in other words. God loves you so much that he gave his only son so that you can believe in him not be condemned and be eternally new.

Romans 6:23 for the wages of sin is death. But the free gift of God is eternal life eternal newness in Christ. Jesus our lord. We think that we can take our own lives in our own hands and with the right circumstances conditions skills commitments to preaching shorter magic formulas and the right number of Fresh Start. We can finally do it. Right we can finally get clean for when we start out with Jobe says who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean there is not one.

or Isaiah 64 we have all become like one who is unclean and all our righteous. Deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf and equities like the wind take us away. There is no one who calls upon your name who Rouses himself to take hold of you for you have hidden your face from us and have made us melt in the hand of our iniquities. In other words all we have done. Our efforts is melt ourselves down.

And the fire of self-righteousness and cast ourselves as our own faults Idols not new just re-cast as such. The glory of new will never belong to you.

Put in 2nd Corinthians 5:17 if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away behold. The new has come.

That's the glory of the do the truly new and the work and the glory belong to him.

Listen to Revelation 21. Then I saw a new Heaven and a new Earth for the first Heaven and the first Earth had passed away and the sea was no more and I saw the holy city New Jerusalem coming down out of Heaven from God prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying the whole The Dwelling Place of God is with man he will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will be with them as their God. he

he 4 wipe away every tear from their eyes and Death Shall be no more neither shall there be morning no crying or pain anymore for the former things have passed away and he who is Seated on the throne said behold. I am making all things new.

Also, he says write this down for these words are trustworthy and true. And he said to me it is done. It is done. You didn't finish your list. heated it's done.

I am the Alpha and the Omega the beginning and the end to the thirsty. I will give from the spring of the Water of Life without payment.

There's no New Year's resolution there. There's no to-do list. This isn't the promise of a clean slate. This is the promise of no slate. This is the promise of a new dawn. This is the promise of never dusk.

We need to stop trying and Just Surrender. Just Look to Him lift it up and lead and live. There is no do there's only receive. So are you thirsty? Are you hungry?

offered this is not something that you have to do. This is something that has been done. If you're thirsty, here's living water to drink. Are you hungry here to the living bread to eat without price? from you

Is the price was paid by him? He accomplished it. He has done it he has conquered has he conquered you.

All all that God is asking for his surrender.

So we celebrate communion where to celebrate communion in symbol here and I'm going to celebrate communion around a meal. Satisfying and feeling just like Jesus's. So the band's going to come back up there going to play You're going to pray we're going to pray and answer that question first before you come forward. Are you truly thirsty? Are you truly hungry? You're not a better you away from Satisfaction You're Just Surrender.

Answer the question. Are you surrendered and if you are come and receive without price the body and blood of Jesus come down the center and will offer you the elements then returned your seed and then I will pray over them and will take together as one body, but come without price when you're ready and receive from Jesus.

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