In The Moment

Speaker 0 00:00:01 Well, Hey everyone. Welcome to Valley Creek church, wherever you're joining us from. We are so glad that you are joining in with us today. And can you believe that it's just two weeks away from when we are going to start gathering again at our campuses on Sundays for our weekend experience, it's almost here and I cannot wait to see you there. So, Hey, we have been in this series called along the way. What has God been teaching me? Because it's been a really unique season with a lot of things to learn. And really you could probably say unique might be the greatest understatement of all time. I mean, 2020 has been the most bizarre, crazy, hard to believe that it's real year that I have ever heard of or experienced in there has been so much to learn and discover this year. Like maybe you discovered you look really cool and a mask kind of feel like a superhero, or maybe you discovered that zoom. Speaker 0 00:00:56 Isn't just how fast you can get to some place. Or maybe you discovered, like there's a lot of great stuff to watch on TV or maybe discovered there's stuff to do besides watch TV, whatever the case. There's been a lot of things to learn or to discover, but not just about the quirks of life also about Jesus, like maybe you learned that during the season, you didn't quite have the passion for Jesus that you thought you did, or maybe you learned that you have a whole new level of passion, or maybe there were some truths about God that maybe you were holding onto and you, and you knew there were true. And now maybe there's some things that you're beginning to doubt and to wonder, I know it's been a really challenging season. I know it's been hard for you, but Jesus has been there all along the way, every step of the way, with things for us to learn and to discover about him. And so those are the things we've been sharing. And so along the way, here's what I've learned. Here's what God's been teaching me is about moments that life isn't found in the worries of tomorrow. It's found in the moments with Jesus today. It's the, our lives. They're not meant to be lived for tomorrow. They're meant to be lived in the moments of today because Jesus has moments for us every day. I mean, think about moments. Moments are just a brief period in time. Like, just look at me right now. Look at me. Speaker 0 00:02:26 You see there, we just had a moment. I mean, moments are so quick and they're so fleeting, but yet they're so powerful. I mean, if I was to ask you to tell me about the most meaningful times in your life, you would tell me about moments like the moment your eyes met with that person that would become the love of your life. That moment, when you first saw your child, that moment, when you got your first apartment or your first home and you walked in, it was still empty and all, but it was yours or that moment. And with the bat hit the ball and you knew that is gone. Or maybe those moments when things didn't go quite right, like that family dinner or that date night and the food burned and, you know, stuff broke and people got sick. And there was that moment when you realized it was never about everything going perfectly, it was about being together and not all the moments are highs. Speaker 0 00:03:20 Some of them are lows. Like maybe that moment you got that doctor's report that you didn't expect that moment that you realized you got left out a moment when the hurt was so bad. You didn't know if you could go on. It's amazing how quick moments can be and yet how they can last a lifetime. But no matter how high or how low the moment is, Jesus has been there all along the way with life for us. And when it comes to moments and really to this year, 2020, I really think John Tintin could be the theme verse for this year. Jesus says that the thief Satan comes only to steal, kill, and destroy, but I have come that they may have life and have it to the full. So Satan just wants to steal, kill and destroy every moment in your life. But Jesus wants you to have a life full of moments and moments that are full of life. Speaker 0 00:04:22 But here's the, here's the lies that Satan wants to get us to believe that that life is just about getting through it. Just kind of surviving until tomorrow, or it's all about what we can do, what we can accomplish or what we can have, or, or, or he wants to get us all swirled up in the what ifs. What if I lose my job? What if I get sick? What if I can't keep up this lifestyle? What if I lose that relationship? He wants you to get your eyes all onto the worries of tomorrow and take them off of today because he doesn't want you to see the truth that Jesus has moments today. Moments full of life for you. And I know like this year in particular, 2020 is unlike any other has been a year for us to really take our eyes off of today and put it on tomorrow. Speaker 0 00:05:07 I mean, I can't tell you how many times I've heard people say, I just want this year to be over. Can it just be 20, 21 already? I can't tell you to tell you how many times I've said that and I've thought that, but we're missing out on what Jesus has forced today by looking at tomorrow. I mean like, like right now, are you in this moment right now? I mean, I get it. I've been going to church a long time and like, maybe you're sitting here. You're, you're thinking about lunch or you're going to the Lake later, but Jesus has a moment for us right now, because long before this year, long before the COVID happened, I mean, Jesus spoke some words just really directly to this. If you look in Luke 12, Jesus says that is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life. Whether you have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear for life is more than food. And your body is more than clothing. Look at the Ravens. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, but God feeds them and you are far more valuable to him than any birds. Can. All your worries, add a single moment to your life. And if worry can accomplish a little thing like that, what's the use of worrying over the bigger things. Speaker 0 00:06:28 I mean, these are the words of Jesus and we can read those and things. It's kind of like rhetorical questions, but what if we just hone in on those last two verses those two questions and really these are the words of Jesus. Like he's speaking these and let him actually ask us these questions. Can all yours, your worries, add a single moment to your life. And if worry, can't accomplish a little thing like that, what's the use of worrying over bigger things. Well, Jesus is telling us is that worry, steals, kills and destroys the life that Jesus has for us today. I mean, we want to answer those questions and say like, you know, yeah, yeah, yes, yes, we think they do. But, but they don't, all the worry does is steal, kill and destroy the life Jesus has for us. But if you're like me, maybe you've read the Bible and certain parts of scripture, he kind of feel bad for everybody else. Speaker 0 00:07:23 Cause you're like, man, I know that's for me. That's what this passage is. Like. I feel like it's just for me, cause I have so much trouble living in today. I'm always focused on tomorrow, worried about tomorrow, stressing about tomorrow. And if not tomorrow, just like the next few hours or even the next few minutes, am I thinking about just what's the outcome? What's the result what's going to happen? And I'm so focused on the next thing that I completely miss. The thing that I'm in the moment that's in front of me. Like, do you ever feel like that? There's great things that are happening all around you, but you're so focused on the next thing that you completely miss. The moment that you're in, you're missing the life that Jesus has for you like this, this year, this season, this last several months, it's been, it's been a roller coaster for me. Speaker 0 00:08:14 I mean, I've had some of the quietest and slowest times and I've had some of the most busy and intense times, but what I've seen is really no matter what the pace of life has been, I've had a focus on tomorrow and I'm missing out on what's happening today. Like we have four kids and during some of the slow, quiet and slow times during the shelter in place, we got to do some really cool stuff as a family. Like we would go on on evening, walks through our neighborhood together. And uh, we, we got some new board games and everyone in our family is really competitive. So that made for some super interesting times. Uh, we had every week, we'd have a build your own pizza night where everybody kind of got to make their own pizza. So some really stuff. And I was there for the moments, but I realize I miss the moments. Speaker 0 00:09:00 Cause there are several times where afterwards my wife would, would talk to me about something that happened in the moment or one of the things that the kid kids shared that she wanted to take deeper. And I realized like I had no clue what she was talking about. Cause we were on that family walk and you know, I was there, but I was already thinking about what I had to do when we got back. We were playing that game and I'm so confused, concerned with like, who's going to win. What's the outcome going to be? Or what's what's about to happen or making those pizzas and you know, how are they going to come out and how are we going to join mirror? Or what do we have to do next? Like I would be in the moment, but I would completely miss it. And there was during the slow times when it got busier and more intense, I was still around, but I was always thinking about the next next event, the next thing then the next preparation that I had to do and moments were happening where I could have received life, but I was missing all of it. Speaker 0 00:09:52 I was missing the experience and that verse was so true. Like could all those worries and the stress of tomorrow add a single moment. No, but they could still kill and destroy so many of them. And so really what God has been teaching me is life isn't found in the worries of tomorrow. It's found in the moments with Jesus today. So how about you? I do feel full of life right now. Or do you feel full of worry and full of stress? Like maybe there's been moments for you over this last several months with your spouse, with your kids, with friends, with Jesus, where there was life for you to receive, but you've missed those moments with the worries and the cares of tomorrow. Because from the time we wake up until we go to sleep, moments are happening all around us. When you're meeting people, you're hearing things and seeing things you're at work, you're at school, you're at play, you're eating. I mean, in all of these, there are moments of life that are happening all around us, but we completely miss them. Speaker 0 00:11:03 But when you stop looking at tomorrow, you can clearly see today and everything you need that full life is in that day. The moments of every day and Jesus was the master of this. I mean, truly, it's why he could speak those words in Luke, like was so much authority and why they feel so relevant and powerful today. It's it's not just what he said. It's how he lived his life. He lived in the moment of every day. And in fact like the most famous prayer of all time is the Lord's prayer. We're in Matthew. Jesus is teaching us how to pray. And one of the things he says is give us today our daily bread. It's like, don't worry about tomorrow. Don't worry about next week just today. And even though he was born into the world for a single purpose to defeat death on the cross, he didn't focus on just the, the end and give no worries or care of today. Speaker 0 00:11:56 Like he lived in the moment of every single day. I mean, we tend to think of the life of Jesus is just Christmas and Easter, just his birth and his resurrection, but that would just be four chapters in the gospels. And there's 89 chapters in the gospels. There's so many chapters because they're so full of the life of Jesus, the moments that he had in his life. And in fact, there's this verse in John that I love and John 21, it says Jesus did so many other things as well. And if every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have enough room for the books that would have been written. That's awesome. I mean, Jesus lived so much life. There were so many moments that if we actually wrote down all of them, the world could not contain the moments of jesus' life. His life was a constant along the way. And along the way, living in every moment moments with the father moments, with his disciples, moments of encountering others, he knew what his destination was, but he lived in the moments he took advantage of everyone. Speaker 0 00:13:07 How could he do that? Like how, how was Jesus able to live a life? So full of moments and moments that were so full of life? He was aware. He was aware that the father was with him in every single moment. I mean, Jesus only went where the father was going. Only did what the father was doing. Only said what the father was saying. And he was so aware of who he was, who his father was and what his purpose was. He was aware that his father was in every moment. And so he took advantage of every moment. And that's why the world could not contain all the moments of his life. Here's a great question for us. Like, are we aware that God is with us, Speaker 0 00:13:56 The story of your life look like, would it be just a few chapters, maybe a highlight or an accomplishment, or would it be a novel like filled with the moments of life because that is God's heart for you, that you would be aware that he is with you, that you would be so confident in who you are and who he is and what you've been created to do that you would be able to live fully in the life of every moment and that your story would be so big. There'd be not room enough to contain it, all the books and stories of your life. That truly is God's heart for us. And so Jesus actually continues in that passage in Luke 12. And he gives us a key to how we live this out. He says, seek the kingdom of God above all else. And he will give you everything you need. So don't be little flock for it. Gives your father great happiness to give you the kingdom. Speaker 0 00:14:59 What'd Jesus is saying, he's like, Hey, it's right here today. Not tomorrow. Today, seek the kingdom. It's not off someday, somewhere. It's not out of reach. It's available right here today. You can grab it and it has everything you need all the life that you need. And Hey, don't be afraid. Don't be worried. Don't be stressed. Valley Creek. You me cause God. And he's a really good dad. It gives him happiness to give us that kingdom, to give us those moments full of life. That's what Jesus is saying is it's all about trust, trust, over worry, trust that living in the peace of the kingdom means you don't have to be worried about this inferior world. You see the kingdom of God is where the rule and reign of God is. It's where God's very presence is. It's a kingdom of life that is meant for us to be experienced in every moment, not just waiting out someday, not out of reach something for us to seek and to define. Speaker 0 00:16:13 And Jesus knew it's in those moments with God, where we would experience the life that he has for us, we would get to experience that kingdom. You see it's in the moments with Jesus that we experienced the life of Jesus, because he brings that kingdom with him everywhere. He goes in the most powerful, insignificant moments in jesus' life were when people had encounters with him as he was going from one place to the next and he would heal somebody or he would give sight to the blind or he would call him a storm. He would feed thousands, all these experiences with him that released life. And Luke, Luke sevens. One of my favorite chapters is scripture because it's just this moment after moment. After moment after moment, it's just an experience. Experience. Experience is spirits with Jesus, where life is released. Jesus comes upon this Roman officer and who has this sick servant, that Jesus, that he wants Jesus to heal. Speaker 0 00:17:09 And he comes upon this funeral procession after that, where there's this widow, who's now lost her only son. And, and then right up to that, there's a message that comes to him from John, the Baptist and his discouragement as he's sitting in prison. And then rod to that is that this dinner where a prostitute comes and just weeps at his feet. And in every one of these moments, there was an experience with Jesus where the life of the kingdom was released. And there was healing for that Roman officer's servant. And there was life for that widow's son. And there was encouragement for John the Baptist and there was forgiveness and love for that prostitute. And we can read that. And we, and we think about those moments. We just think about Jesus and, and, and what he did and what happened. But what about the people in those moments? Speaker 0 00:17:55 Like what if Jesus had walked right in their lives and they had missed it? I mean, the kingdom came right into the life and what if they missed it? What if you messed it, you see a life with Jesus. Isn't meant to just be talked about to me known about it's meant to be experienced in tangible moments with Jesus. So over these last few months, and have you missed those moments with Jesus, and here's the thing, if not, like you don't have to feel bad about that. You can feel inspired by the moments that are there for you, the life that you can find, because like, I know I've missed the moments, but I'm so glad for the ones that I didn't like. One of my highlight moments out of this last season was during our one 67 series and this, those on Sunday, and we're doing the service at home. Speaker 0 00:18:53 And in that service, we were invited to just kneel down and put out our hands and actually invite God into the room and vitamin to our home and invite him into our lives. So the moment is literally burned into my mind when all six of us, myself, my wife, our four kids, we knelt down in our living room. And with our hands out, we all invited God just into our home, into our lives, into our family. And that moment has brought me so much life, especially on those moments on other Sundays, when I'm, when we're like, would somebody pay attention? Like, would you quit playing games and like eating and messing with that, just pay attention. And I go back to that moment on our knees, with our hands out, and it's brought me so much life and I've realized like, I'm so glad I didn't miss that moment. Speaker 0 00:19:46 And I don't want to miss any moment because moments come when we respond to what God is inviting us to. I mean, that day we were invited to respond to, to kneel down and put out our hands and invite God into our space. And because we responded, we had this incredible moment with Jesus as a family. So when we invite you to respond, it's not about doing a churchy thing. It's about having an experience in a moment with Jesus. Let me tell you about a guy who came to men circles that we have here at Valley Creek. This was the guy who he'd been following Jesus for a while, but, but during these last several months, he just he'd made some bad decisions and he just got really discouraged and he went and re familly following God to, to just hiding from God. And he was just in this place of a lot of shame and a lot of doubt. Speaker 0 00:20:40 And, and when the invitation came to come to circles, he wanted to go, but he just fought this battle. Like, man, I just, God doesn't want me there. I, that's not a place that I belong anymore. And so he wrestled with it. And when the day came, he, he, he knew that's the only place that I could find hope. And so a little late, he shows up and he sits down at a circle and, and we were in the essential series and we were talking about the grace of Jesus and now him and every guy in that circle, they all share that moment. When, with tears in his eyes, he he's sharing this story. And he's sharing of how the grace that he found in that moment with this circle gave him the hope that he could turn back to the father and that the father was right there with arms open, welcoming him into the family. Speaker 0 00:21:33 And he's now been there every single week since receiving the grace and the life of Jesus. You see, this is why we invite you to things. And you're like, you invited us to stuff all the time. Like I know, I know, but it's real. He didn't miss the moment with Jesus. And we don't want you to miss those either. And this is why Jesus main message. The thing that he said the most was, Hey, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, Hey, change your thinking, the kingdom, the life that I have for you, it's at hand it's right here in every moment for you to have. Speaker 0 00:22:15 So here's a really honest question. Have you experienced those moments with Jesus? And if not, what's keeping you, it's it. The worries and cares of tomorrow? Is it the what ifs? Here's one last question for you. If you could live the last seven months all over again, would you do some things differently? Probably so, okay, stop right now. This is the moment. This is the moment and God is saying, I have forgiven your past. I am holding your future. And I am with you today. I am holding your past. I have forgiven your future and I'm with you today. This is how God invites us to live. Would you pray with me? So Lord Jesus, we thank you that you are with us in every moment. Jesus. I just pray that, that our awareness would grow, that you are with us Speaker 2 00:23:47 And that you have healing and you have peace and you have a life for us. There's so many today. And every day for Jesus may be marked with moments with you. May we let go of tomorrow and take hold of today and may our, our church, this family, our lives, may they be filled with moments and with moments that are filled with life, we love you, Jesus. And your name. We pray. Amen.