January 10, 2021

The Room Where It Happens | Pastor David Hughes

Gosh, it is so great to see you today. Thank you for coming out. We got people in our rooms. So this great Lake Worth campus Lake Worth campus Glad you're with us. Day here at Sawgrass. Give it up for your neighbors who came to church today. Come on, loudly. Oh, yeah. You guys look good. A little cold here in South Florida, South Florida, South Florida. We get, like, three days of cold a year. We all own, like, three sweat search. If there's 1\/4 day, we have to recycle. But anyways, look, hold today. And we got people watching online all over the world to glad you guys give it up for online campus right now. Thanks for logging on. And by the way, stay with may. Some of you guys log on for, like, three or four minutes. Get distracted. Stay with me. I have a principal today, probably at the end of the talk That is so critical. That is so funny. If you will do this thing, this simple thing everyone can do. If you will do this, I can show you statistically you will exit 2021 with a greater degree of emotional, mental and spiritual health. Then you entered it right now. I promise you I can improve this scientifically. So hang in there with makes me all like log on. Then you go check your instagram Stay with me today. So, uh and the metaphor is a bit of ah historical metaphor. If you guys know anything about may have a bit of a history geek. I wanna talk to you about a giant rebuild, because right now, here, as we step into 2021 after 2020 we're rebuilding, aren't we? We're trying to rebuild. You know, our businesses rebuild our finances, rebuild our relationships, we build how we socialize after a quarantine and and social distancing. So everything is we're trying to rebuild emotionally, trying to rebuild spiritually. So I'm gonna give you some handles and tools how you can rebuild your life. The big idea is rebuild back when I say three. Shout the word rebuild 123 Rebuild! How do I rebuild my life? And we're gonna use history and we're gonna use Of course, the word of God will be in the book of Nehemiah in just a moment. Fact the next few weeks in the book of Nehemiah that no one came to church hoping the Pastor David would study the book of Nehemiah like, where is the book of Nehemiah, right between Ezra and Esther? No help, right? Use your table contents if you need to. Of course, is to cut up on your phone. But I'm telling this book is rich. It is so practical. It is so helpful Will be the book in the Amaya and again for context. Why this conversation about rebuild It simply said, Here's the reason why 2020 was hard. 2020 was difficult. 2020 was discouraging. Uh, 2020 was depressing. 2020 If you lost someone you love and many people did. We had people in this church who died from coronavirus. I have friends people that I love died of Corona. If you lost someone you love devastating. And according to the CDC, globally about 1.85 million people have died from coronavirus issues. That's that's huge. Having said that, I've heard people say this that 2020 was the worst year ever. Anybody say that Anybody said that at one point in the last few months I get anybody who said 2020 worst year ever whoever just said that just kind of y'all lying in church. Who said it? I've said it worst year ever put in the chat. If you said worst year ever and listen, it was bad, it was horrific. And if you lost something, if you lost your lost your business or lost your home or lost so when you love, I don't minimize your pain. But for context, I would say Terrible year, but not the worst year ever. Crazy year, by the way, 2020 is off to a pretty crazy start, in my opinion, to 2020 21 I mean 2021. Gosh, last last few days, it looks like it looks like the 13 month the 2020 right? So it z kind of crazy too. But 2020 worst year ever. I think if you met someone who lived during war one that was a horrific time, especially if you lived in Europe. Uh, we have members of the greatest generation in our church. Uh, very senior adults. They weathered the Great Depression. They weathered World War Two. I mean, worst year ever we have in South Florida, survivors of the Holocaust, they probably challenge of the 2020 is not the worst year ever, right? Even as far as a global pandemic, because, you know, this is mainly a medical and physical health crisis that the whole world's experiencing. But if you go back to almost exactly 100 years ago to the flu, called the Spanish flu by many of 1919 1920 again, the CDC says less than two million people have died based on coronavirus, the president pandemic. But back during that time, 50 million deaths more people died from the Spanish flu than who died in World War One. So it was a horrific crisis of health. In fact, crazy contrast is this. Of course, coronavirus is especially deadly to people or older to senior adults. The Spanish flu was especially deadly to Children under the age of five, so that generation didn't just lose. You know, tens of millions of people they lost their Children, they lost their future. Now why bring all this up? Why this context? I don't wanna minimize again or surely disrespect your pain on your frustration of 2020. But I just want to show you throughout history, God has placed in human DNA something so powerful he's done something in this species called people that is so spiritually so sacred that when times get tough, we don't give up When times get hard, we don't just roll over and die. Now what we do as a species by God's divine design is when times are hard, we don't lay down. No, we stand up way fight back. We bounced back and in Jesus name we build back. So 2020 was Ah, hard year. This is our year that we rebuild. Amen. So I get it. You're 2020 sucked. Dana. Preachers say the word sucked. Well, guess what? Probably shouldn't. I shouldn't say it very often, but yes, 2020 did suck factor. There's a sermon for the title for the sermon. Should be 2020 suck because it sucked. It sucked, by the way that word offends you. Back with Zane was like four or five. He asked me, Hey, Daddy, is the word sucked? Is that a bad word? I said, Well, the word sucked is not really a cuss word or a swear word. It's not a great words. We decided so once a month. Year a word he gives it once a month, right? Once every 30 days. Here's my once a month 2020 sucked, but my prayer is 2021 is very different. 2021. I'm not here. Some pastor slash prophet predicting your 2021 is gonna have no challenges and no problems. And no division. Man, it's been weird America this past week. Weird, right? Things going on. So I'm not saying it's gonna be better. I think it will get better. I think it will slowly normalize, right, Because even as a kid, no one stayed home anymore because of the Spanish flu. Eventually things normalize, but it might take some time. So this is not about you know it rebuilding out there. But you re building, rebuilding your habits, your heart, your relationships, your disciplines, your finances. This is our year to rebuild were in the Book of Nehemiah. Why The Book of Nehemiah, This obscure Old Testament book. Here's the reason why The Book of Nehemiah, if you don't know this book, is the best book on the issues of inspiration, motivation, solid success strategies of proactive, positive principles that will forward your progress. It's if you lead anybody. The book of Nehemiah is maybe the best book on leadership, not in the Bible, but in literature. You lead anybody if you lead a Fortune 500 company or you're the co captain of your junior varsity basketball team. If you're the night manager at Wendy's, you lead three people. You need to study this remarkable book. If you have goals, any ambition. This is your book now in January often have a Siri's like this on the idea of building or rebuilding. Last year was called Built the Last, and I sometimes start the January Siri's. With a statement like this, I could really help you. This will change your life unless you're lazy. If you're lazy person, I can't help you. In fact, last year I said, if you're lazy person, you probably need to stay home until the February. Siri's come back for the February Siri's because it's a cute little relationship Siri's, and that will help you. But if you're lazy, I can't help you. So I just told you to stay home. I'm not gonna tell you to stay home this this year. All right? Thank you for coming. And I tell you, stay. Help. See? I told you last year because I needed your parking space this year. I don't need your parking space this year. Thank you for coming. We do have we have solved the parking problem. The church by the Glades. There is now sufficient parking. If you're worried you haven't been back because the egress just take you 20 minutes. Get off property at Sawgrass. No longer a problem. Two minutes, all it takes to get off. So I don't need your parking space. And listen, if you if you are feeling a little lazy these days, I want to give you a little grace. 2020 could foster lethargy, especially the quarantine, right? Anybody else could just be this candidate I found myself. I'm like a fast moving person of forward moving person. I'm really terribly aggressive life and I just found myself just moving slower. I'm not sure if it zoom. Mini is You can do it in your underwear. I don't know what it waas or or feel like. You have to shave for three days during quarantine. You could do life in your jam. Anybody else? Just 2020 Made you feel kind of lazy. Anybody? Anybody Now You work hard for five minutes. Well, if I need a break, right, I just So if you're feeling somewhat lazy, I want to give you some grace. But here, this is also my prayer. That God would awaken you That God would inspire you that God would reignite a sanctified ambition in your heart. Right? That you would attack this year. We survived last year will attack this year. We'll make stuff happen in 2021. This is our year to rebuild, right? Say three. Shout the word rebuild. 123 Put it in the chat Rebuild. This is the Year book in Nehemiah. Great book on leadership and success strategies. If you're not even a believer, these principles will translate you. So don't log off. Stay with me again. I have a vital principle principle somewhere near the end of the talk. Let's jump right into the book of Nehemiah. There's a wonderful, great study. And by the way, this this great study is and this great study on leadership starts with a problem. So to set the stage, you go to Nehemiah. Chapter two, you turn to Nehemiah chapter to let me show you something that Nehemiah says in Nehemiah, Chapter one. Then they said to me, he's here speaking in the first person. Those who survived the exile verse three are back in the province and in great trouble and disgrace. You need to read. The wall of Jerusalem is broken. Thank you is broken down and its gates have been burned with fire. Its case had been burned with fire. Okay, what's going on here? Well, well, Nehemiah is a Jew. So of course he has a heart for Jerusalem, the capital city of Israel. And he learns for some friends as they come back from a journey to Jerusalem that Jerusalem has been decimated was taken place. Um, well, you know, in 5 87 BC, due to generational sin due to the fact that God's people kind of love God out of the equation. Where Jews, that God's chosen people Israel, God's chosen nation. God bless Israel. God, birth Israel. God cared for Israel. But as as they can a journey through life they started. Leave God out of the equation. And guess what If you tell God. Hey, God, I got this. God, you stay over there. If you stiff armed. God! God, I don't really think I need you for this. God will respect that decision. God would not violate your autonomy. God, I want to step over your free will. So if you say to God, God, I wanna leave you out of this area of my life. Got to say good. I'm out. Good luck. So God took off his hand of protection of his people left them on their own. What happened is defeat. Betrayal. Decimation. So in 5 87 BC, the Babylonian invade Israel and they lay waste to Jerusalem. They destroyed the temple of Solomon and they weigh laced way laced to the walls. The walls are in ruins now. Why is the wall a big deal in the ancient world? You don't have a wall. You didn't have a people. If You didn't have a wall. You didn't have a city. You didn't have a wall. You didn't have protection. So a wall was vital. You were completely exposed to invading armies. Nomadic Raiders, Warlord. You had to have that protective wall. And for decades, Jerusalem had no wall. The wall was in ruins. They had to find a way to rebuild the war. So here in chapter one, Verse three, this leader named Nehemiah here is about the fact that Hiss City no longer has a wall. That is the problem. That is the issue. And God gives him a vision. God gives him a god dream. See, sometimes your passion will flow out of your problem. Sometimes your passion will flow out of your pain. I mean, sometimes your misery becomes your mission in life. Meaning? You see this thing that really just stirs your heart because it's broken. And you're like, My gosh, someone needs to fix that Brokenness. Someone has to step into this. This situation got, um either someone See? I don't know. You might notice about you. God made you God loves you. And God has a vision or a dream for your life. A mission for your life. And here's what it is is never about your fame or your influence is simply about his kingdom and other people. Now don't bless you, too. But God's mission is always big impacts his kingdom in the world, right, what God is doing in the world. And it will bless other people first and foremost. So God has this dream. He starts to well up in Chapter one in the heart. This guy named Nehemiah to help fix the broken wall to rebuild the broken wall. I love the greatest story in the Bible about leadership of motivation is not a build. It's a rebuild. He didn't initially build the wall. He's gonna rebuild the broken wall. Guess what? We're rebuilding everything right now in year 2021. So he's gonna do that. That happens in Chapter one and listen. So it's a biblical story about rebuild. I got historical narrative. I want to show you as well. And I just love any story about rebuilding. They stirred my heart. They motivate me, right? I make me feel good. I I love stories like any sports fans. Um, any sports fans checking? Uh, if you're Hurricanes fan in the late nineties, the hurricane program football program was disarray. They've been champions before, but got hit with N C. Double A Sanctions law scholarships. And Butch Davis stepped in and rebuilt that program by 2000 and one, I would argue, may be the best college football team ever to take the field. They put more guys in the probe that was pros than any other team to that point in college history. That was a rebuild, not a build business world. Steve Jobs. You know, he built Apple. Then they got sideways and they fired him. Never fire a genius, by the way, they fired him and the company began to flounder after a while. So after they fired him, they rehired him. And he built Apple into the tech giant. It is today. You see his time and time again. Uh, Johnny Lawrence. Johnny Lawrence. After Mr Miyagi and Daniel Russo took down Cobra Kai, he rebuilt Cobra Kai or I mentored McGill. You don't watch Netflix. That's a great show. This is a great show anyways. Okay, How about this Junk food, Junk food. Give it up for junk food to church by the glaze. I mean, what is a better junk food than Twinkies than Twinkies? Remember, Mom? And the little Twinkie in your lunch is a kid. Oh, I got a Twinkie when you trade the Twinkie. I'm not trading my Twinkie. Right. Twinkies have been successful since 1930 decades, but in the great recession of 2012, the hostess corporation, maker of Twinkies, went bankrupt. So what they do give up, lie down? No. You fight back, you bounce back there. People in the R and D department back and begin to reinvent and re think the Twinkie. Who wants a Twinkie this morning? Who wants some Twinkies? Come on. Right in the front row. Who wants Who wants a Twinkie? Way on the back? Yeah, behind the back. Shot coming out. You're right there. All right. They begin to rethink the Twinkie. They didn't give up, and they reformulate the recipe, and they doubled the shelf life of the Twinkie. It would now stay on the public shell for 323 years. Okay, 65 days, 65 days. Yeah, and they bounced back from bankruptcy. So whether you know, in the corporate world, in sports or in history or in history. The creative piece. I was trying to explain something. I'm a history geek. I will own that. The devastation after World War Two. So this is your people in the church lived through some of this now for America. As we fought with the Allies against the Axis powers against the Nazis, we paid a horrific price. We lost some of our best people in that generation. We have men and women give their lives on battlefields, but America fought. No battles on American soil mean the 48 states. There were no battles. There's no Battle of Nebraska during the during the World War two you with me, But in other parts of the world, very different in North Africa, the Pacific mainland, China, former Soviet Union Gosh, Europe. We won the war, but Europe was decimated. It was in ruins. Uh, London. London was bombed for 65 days straight at one point. Uh, Tokyo. Of course not Europe. Tokyo A quarter of a million homes and buildings were destroyed by the end of the war. Uh, European cities like Berlin Berlin, 80% of the city center destroyed. Warsaw pulling 90% of the city center. So millions of deaths yet millions of homeless, no infrastructure and somehow Europe had to find a way to rebuild. If you study your history books that are no battles fought on American soil, Americans sacrifice greatly to help Europe rebuild. We gave to Europe the equivalent of $130 billion and system our best builders construction people on engineers to help them rebuild. So again, as we try to calibrate how devastating 2020 was there in times in history that people had to rebuild and the principles remain the same. So what is the book in Nehemiah or War Two or 2020 versus 2021? How do we rebuild? Don't miss a week. I'm gonna show you principles. Every week I'll lay the foundation today. That's where you start. Building is always the foundation. I got one big idea today will begin reading together in Nehemiah. Chapter two, Nehemiah, Chapter two. I love the Book of Nehemiah. Now the words will be strange. I'll explain. I'll unpack everything. Verse one. Here we go. Right to read. All right, here we go. You got sound good here at the start of the year. In the month of Nissan. Start there. No one has the month of Nissan in your daytime or or calendar phone, right? All right, so let me help you understand? This is Nehemiah, Chapter two. You go back to Chapter one, regard births. This vision, right? This this mission, this dream in his life that he should be the one to help rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. That's in the month of Kivilev. No help there either. Okay, here is the main thing I want You know, it is four months between the two. So it is 120 days. Sometimes God gives you a vision and you get this passion thing. But God gives you no window to do anything about the vision for a season. You have this passion and you want to change your life or change your circumstances. Change your world. But right now you feel like you're in the wrong place and you're not position to make that change. So what do you do during that time? You plan make preparations and you pray. One person clapped one time for prayer. You should clap more for prayers. Okay. Notes Thank you. Too late. No pity. Applause. You missed your window Prayer. Prayer, prayer. So if you check out chapter one the M. I spend a ton of time praying. And by the way, when you think you have a god dream praying through, don't just respond. Pray through, go to the scripture, make sure it aligns with Scripture. And so he spends hey spends form. And that's frustrating. By the way, when you want to do something right now and God makes you wait, maybe your whole 2020 you were waiting. We wait a lot in 2020. Now we're waiting for things even still waiting for things to normalize. So sometimes God gives you a burden and you have to wait. So it's in the 20th year of King Art. Exerts Is that says That's how we know this is a true story. That date would be 4 45 BC In case you think the Bible is a fable? Religious myths. No, it's historical. It documents. We can check the Scripture for accuracy was he looked at other historical and archaeological records. So we have this king, this Persian King, he says Now, when the wine was brought to him. I took the wine and gave it to the king. Why is he because he's he's the wine steward. I'll explain that in a moment. He's the wine. Stewart. I have not been sad in his presence before. So the king asked me, Why does your face look sad when you're not ill? This could be nothing except sadness of heart. I was very much afraid. What's going on there? Okay, so Nehemiah, for lack of a better term, is in customer service. He's the wine is sort of the king, and the king is measuring his expression. So here's just a sidebar. Take away. If you take care of people, be happy. If your job is taking care of people of customer service, be positive. I love when people do that. 11 people seem like they're happy to have a job, and they're happy to take care of you and to serve you in that moment. I know we can't see you smile with your mask, but you can still smile with your eyes. So I'm just telling you this. So if you're Elissa working at my gym behind the counter, thank you for always saying hello and goodbye and greeting people and smiling. If you're Danielle at my other gym, I go to same thing, very positive. I like Jim's anyways. Positive, encouraging. If you're a server and you're happy and I know it's tough, you're on your feet and long hours and it's cove it. It's weird, but if you'll be happy and positive, polite and get the order correct, God will bless you with better tips. Hey, man. Amen. So if you're in customer service, be happy. But Nehemiah is not doing that. The king spots the fact he looks all grumpy and sad and melancholy. Right? What's wrong? And the reason he says he was afraid. He wasn't afraid the king wouldn't tipping. He was afraid the king would fire him if you check your Bible. Persian Kings. When they fired you, they used real fire, right? So actually you could kill him, right? So 00 my goodness. So it starts out kind of a dire moment here in the palace, in the courtroom of the King. But I said to the King, may the King live forever. Good manners, good manners. May the King live for it. Why should my face not look sad When the city where my ancestors are buried a k a Jerusalem lies in ruins. Its gates have been destroyed by fire. Then the king said to May fired. You're fired. Look what he says! What is it you want? I love this. So I prayed to God. Okay, so if you reach after one He spent like hours and days and prayer. Very prolong active prayer life. So sometimes you just spent a long time premier. Other times That's what I call a shotgun prayer when you like in the moment. And you want God to invade that moment, right? Right. So he goes, Oh my gosh, I think is my window right here. Take action of hope. The king doesn't kill me. Hope he helps. May God God help him. God touch his heart. God, step into this moment! Stepping in this job interview right now. Step in. It is my first date with her And she said that. Kiss her. Help me! God, I don't want to do right. Help me Help me figure this thing out right now. And so he bites. Got into that situation. I answered the king. If it pleases the king. And if your servant has found favor in your sight, let him send me to the city in Judah Jerusalem, where ancestors are buried. Get ready so that I can rebuild its Wow! You clap for that man's awesome me. Here's what I need your help with. And again, I don't be the spoiler. But God answers the prayer. The king releases him, The king empowers him, and the king resource is him. Sometimes God will step up and pay your bills for you. That's what happens. So it's a massive thing. But it happens. Happens as as he praised now. Now why read this passage? One idea. Have multiple ideas in the weeks to come, but got one leadership idea. One idea. To help you get unstuck from your 2020. You want to rebuild your life? Here it is. Nehemiah had the smarts to put himself in the room where it happened. In the room where it happened, by the way, is a little tip of the hat for the Hamilton fans in the room, and Hamilton fans and review recognized being the room. What happens? See, I love this detail. You may not know from this story. So his burden, his mission is for Jerusalem. Here's the crazy thing. Nehemiah has never lived in Jerusalem a day in his life. He was born, raised, grew up now, had a job in Babylon and Babylon was 1700 miles away from Jerusalem. So what do you do when you have this burden for this far away place? You can't even get to right. What? What do you do? What do you do? Well, And he has his job again. He's the the wine steward. He's the wine guy. He's like, Oh, he's like the Somali A No, no, not that fancy. Uh, he's like the manager of the ABC wine department, right? No, no, no. It basically it's low level security, low level because the wise through it has a job not just to bring the wine, but to taste the wine. It tastes not to see if it had a beautiful bouquet or Frank No, no, to make sure I wouldn't poison. Because the main way you assassinated King back in these days, you you'd use some kind of contaminant to poison him from toxin. And so you have the wine guy drink it first. Then you watch them for a few moments. So listen. His job is not really hard. The job description simply don't die, right? I hope I don't die on because when I die right, that's his job. And listen if we read the Book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah is a talented, hyper intelligent, intuitive, gifted leader, and this job is so under challenged, his skill set. He's so overqualified, he's way better than this job. But he stays now. Stay back. God, given the vision four months before for a place 700 miles away He didn't pick up and run away. When I'm sure if he is a servant or slave, the slaves ran away in the ancient world. Moses ran away. We want a slave. But most his brother was a slave. He ran away 83 years of age. Erin. Right? So slaves ran away. He didn't run away. He didn't quit his job and he don't appreciate me. I'm outright. I'll have this big giant dream I'm in. I'm special right now. He stayed, He stayed, He stayed. Now here's proactive. He planned prepared and he prayed. But he prayed. Any state prayed and he stayed. Who is this word for a dreamer? There's some dreamer watching online right now. Some dreamer here in one of the rooms, Lake Worth here at this campus. And you got these big dreams, and you're like, you know, I'm gonna quit my job. They don't appreciate me Anyways. They don't get the I'm the smartest guy. I'm gonna quit my job. I got this big dream. Okay. Oh, how about how about this? You know, I'm gonna drop out of school, drop out of school because many people have been very successful without getting a degree. This marriage doesn't make me happy. I don't have biblical grounds, but God wants me to be happy. I'm leaving this thing. Question. Did God tell you toe leave? Did God tell you to quit? God didn't tell you to quit. Don't quit. I've been working my sobriety so long. I saw these urges and I'm just gonna give up. But leave my 12th. Did God tell you to quit? Yeah, because if God didn't tell you to quit, you better not quit. You're about to tap out on God's plan. God's preparation season. You're about to remove yourself from the room where it may happen. So again, this books about leadership, leadership, successful people, successful people leaders have this neck for doing the right thing at the right time. At the right place. Right thing, right? Time, right place. Let's talk about the issue of timing issue time. I went to a conference years ago. I was a young pastor. Like that was brand new here. I'm in my thirties. I'm taking over church by the glaze way smaller back then a k a. Coral Baptist Church broken, dysfunctional church. I wanted, devour and learned anything on leadership I could, so I was reading these guys books. I will not mention his name. This guy had amazing books that at the bookstore member bookstores at the bookstore, his books would face cover out because it really popular leadership books. I'm reading his books, and he's like he's in a conference in Atlanta. I went to the conference, landed her to speak his phenomenal speaker. I'm like, Yeah, that's great. He had these, like, these leadership rules, if you will. And one of the rules was this leaders. He had this great voice. Leaders. Leaders make the right decision at the right time you make the right decision at the right time, you will be a great leader like Yeah. Oh, yeah, that's it. I'm gonna make the right decision at the right time. Yeah, I'll be a great leader. Then he'll be like, How do I know exactly when that right time is Forget making the right thing. I don't know the right s. So when he was describing it was not a strategy. He was describing the end outcome, right? Eso Listen, how do you know the right time That's hard requires prayer and discernment. It's hard. What's easier to recognize is the wrong time. Yeah, I mean, the right time. We all do that. We all knew what was gonna We would have put all our money in stocks back in March because that was the right time, right? When do you pull out? No idea. Right, but but the wrong time, the wrong times. Way easier to spot some things. It's just the wrong time. You wanna move? You wanna have a conversation? You want to do something? They're staring at me. OK, I'll give an example. So it's your anniversary. It's your anniversary and and your anniversary is one of the big ones. Lisa says if the anniversary ends in a zero or a five, God should step up. Those are big ones, right? So I got a 51 a couple years now I gotta step up with those big ones. So So it's your 10th anniversary, but she says, Honey, I wanna do that. I wanna play in this one. So guys still get her something nice. Get her a great gift. But you come home from work. It worked well late that day. Man, you find out she has sent the kids to spend the night at her mom's house and the dinner is on the table. She didn't cook. It had to deliver to your anniversary. Right in. The wine has been poured, the candles were lit and Marvin Gaye is playing in the background. My brother, that is not the right time to talk about the family budgets. Now, that's a great topic. At some point, you talk about the family budget, Not then you're talking about right? Then that night, Well, not land the place you wanted to land. All right? Wrong time, Wrong time, Wrong time, Wrong place, Wrong place. right place easier than right time. I'll describe that in a moment. But the wrong place is kind of obvious. I want so much time because you know whether you're a Christian, you're just someone watching. Right now we're in this room. You don't just want to self sabotage. You know, there are certain places you go to if you go to these environments after time spent there, you get stupid. Don't stare at me. You go to that place you go that place with those friends. They're stupid and their stupid is contagious. And you make decisions that you regret and feel shame for afterwards. Stay away from those environments. That's not hard to figure out that success for dumb people right there. Figure that one out. If you keep doing those places, you're dumb in Jesus name. So I wanna make the right decision at the right time. I love Nehemiah. Nehemiah has his burden to change things in Jerusalem That's 700 miles away. He doesn't quit his job. He's under challenged by his job. He's not appreciated by his job, but he remains in the room. See, he had no power, but he arraigned in a room where he had proximity to power. Our exerts. He's had great power. He's just a wine guy. Didn't get frustrated. Just a wine guy. I should be like the Vice King or something. I should be a counselor. I should be a diplomat. I should have limited that. Keep doing your job. Stay in school. Keep working your grades. Make it happen. Right? Stay there. I'm just the assistant night manager at Wendy's. Be the best assistant night manager at Wendy's they've ever had. Stay in the room habitually. What happens? Because eventually, if you stay in the right place, the right time will come if you stay in the right place. Did you catch what happened after? After months of prayer and preparation and making these mental plans in his life, the king says, What's up? You're not normally sad, normally happy, positive, Great. So what's going on? And he cared enough. They had enough relationship, had enough credibility and enough competence as the wine guy. When the king said What's going on? I guess what I guess. I guess that I've never want help that before you want a resource that before, but I'm in. I'm in put yourself in the right room in the right room. One of the biggest stars in Hollywood history was Harrison Ford. Is Harrison Ford Great career? Indiana Jones. Hans Solo? No. His career early on, floundered. He didn't do very well in Hollywood. Had to get a second job. Like many actors, he got a job as a carpenter, so he became a really good carpenter in any time he could. He took a job at the studio not as an actor, as a carpenter, building sets and stuff, hoping to be put himself in the right room at the studio. Eventually, someone might meet him and talk with him, and he might find out. Sure enough, George Lucas notice you're a really good carpenter. These hard conversations. I'm also an actor. Here's my head shot, right? Why don't hire you but up. I'll use you to read for this movie. Movie will be called Star Wars, just back in 1976 77. Not to read for a role, but to read against other actors as they read for roles he didn't invite into audition, just to read against other actors as he read the different roles he thought guys pretty good. All he had done was put himself in the room where it happens. You're environments matter. So the land, this thing I'm out of time. All right. So here's my thought. 2021 is your year to come back to church. It is your year. If you're not back in church, you're back in church habitually every week. Unless something catastrophic happens. You're here every week. This is your habit. You'll be blessed if you do. Why? Because God makes you some promises to make sure the best promise. This one is so big. I don't even know what to do with it completely. But I love a promise that Jesus makes. Can you trust a Jesus promise every time but the chat? You can trust your Jesus promise every time. So Jesus, in Chapter 18, Matthew's Gospel Verse 20 makes this remarkable promise, he says were two or three there's a quota minimum are gathered together in my name. I am there, I am there. You gather in my name. I'm there. I should I will be there in there. Missed. I don't even know how to impact that. I'm not sure what theologically that all means. But that's a pretty exciting problems, because Jesus never shows up to spectate. If he shows up, he's changing someone's life. If he shows up, he's changing your reality. If he shows up, and I know you will not see him with your eyes here and I'll be the ears. But he always keeps his promise. So right now in this room, we got way more than three people. He is here. He is here. He's the singular celebrity that we celebrate. He is here right now. So when Jesus shows up, he shows off every time. Now, how does this promise apply to people who are watching online? Okay, fair question. Because most people are so watching online. By the way, if you're watching and you live in South Dakota or you live in Brazil or the Bahamas or Burundi or Belgium, I get it. Thank you for watching. Right now. Can this apply to you cause you're watching by yourself on your smartphone? You gotta have three. Okay. If you're watching and you're focused like so we all like Listen, people watch church and kind of scrolling check Instagram at the same time. Liars. Yeah, e Given example, she said, I could use this picture, but this is Lisa. Last Sunday during the Sunday 6 p.m. service, this was Lisa on the couch. And so she's She's watching church on one side and then she's watch watching the Titans games where Titans fans. And so she's watching the game more than accident. Church, now to her defense, had already been to to live services before that. Alright? But she was just involved in the Shatt response. She had invited people to watch, so she was doing a bit of both. That is not what I'm talking about. So if you're watching church and making your coffee, your bagel and screaming at the kids at the same time, you're not focused. But if you're focused and you are engaged, you make one. I make two. We need a third, get involved in the chat or get involved in a watch party. Or better yet, invite someone tag someone. And then when they get involved in the chat, you guys gonna talk in church. I think that makes the quota of three in Jesus name. I'm not sure how Jesus shows up digitally, but I think he'll show up and I think especially you connect to a life group. You're doing church. You're doing church now. If you live in South Florida and you've been sheltered in place since since March, that's fine for you. But I bet a lot of folks in South Fort who are out and about I meet C B G people are out and about all the time, You know, I met him at the gym. I met him at a restaurant. Hey, are we open or were open? I've not been back yet. Why? Don't be back. Well, is it safe? You got the gym not wearing your mask. Is it safe? Um, listen, do you all feel safe? We provide a safe experience. We temperature check. This is a 2000 seat room and you could you could sit there, up up in the corner, by yourself. No one within, like 30 ft of you if you want Thio. As far as we know, we're meeting in live services at two campuses since September. And no, no. A tender. No member, No volunteer has gotten sick at church by the Glades, so yeah, it's safe. Come back to the room where it happens. Don't Don't log off. Don't log off. I'm talking because I know you guys are gonna walk off at this point, but they will log off. You know how that goes, because I want to show you how statistically I found this survey that if you will engage in church habitually, you will emerge 2021. Healthier than you are right now. I know this pandemic is first and foremost physical and medical, but there are other dimensions. We know. Last year we took a hit. The recused down ticks in mental health. Uh, gosh, you know, everything from domestic abuse to marital tension, to divorce, to alcoholism, drug use, Sadly, suicide. Heather said she's no more people have died of suicide than coronaviruses past year. Um, this has been hard on people. If you've been frustrated and depressed this past year, I get it. I wanna help you do a simple thing to help you get healthy. So I found this This survey remark Very credible survey about people appraising their own level of mental health from 2019 and appraising again in 2020. How what do they do? They feel like they have more mental health or less mental health, less emotional well being or less. The stats were clear. Now, Every time we feel bad, we always think there's something else. I had this thing I was missing. If I had that something I was missing, I'd be fine, like a lot of us lost jobs or lost clients or lost portions of income in 20 twenties. If I had more money, I wouldn't be so stressed out. So I found this. People who made under $40,000. Yes, we're more stressed out. 18% decline people reporting how much mental health they had from 2019. How much well being they had in 2020. So yeah, money makes a difference. At the same time, it also brought down people who made $100,000 to whatever right millionaires. Maybe their mental health declined. Even Mawr. It's not money. How about this? May be my age my age. What age is a factor? They surveyed people 30 to 49. They had a 20% drop. So maybe I was younger. Young people, the young people, whether this physical thing better, I guess what 18 to 29 24% drop Mawr. Senior adults have been through a lot in this world, man. Senior adults are smart. They weathered World War two and maybe the Great Depression. They had a decline in 23%. Every single category. There are 19 subsets men, women, all races, politics. Republicans were more depressed, Democrats from or depressed, independence from or depressed. But the biggest drop of any group was this. People who attended church or religious service seldom or never, a 31% decline and their own appraisal of their mental health huge 31. Just in one year, 31% drop the only positive in 19 subsets, the only the only people that came out stronger and better ready people. And by the way, people who attend church once once a month, once a month or twice a month did almost as bad as people didn't come because when you all come once a month and thank you for coming once a month. But that won't make the difference. People surveyed who came every week to a religious gathering had an uptick. We're healthier mentally by 9.5%. The only group no well David? No, of fence. But what group of pastors did this survey? What? This is a National Gallup poll. It's not a Christian poll. They could explain why. I can explain why when two or three more show up. Jesus shows up. He is a healer. He is a restore. He will refine us. He will remake us. He will reinvigorate us. He will rebuild us. Get back to church. Get back! He did you say you have to believe it all? I'm sure I'm a Christian. I'm not sure. I believe the whole Bible thing. Just show up. You show up and God will show up. And when God shows up, he shows off and you'll change your life. So every week, back in the house, get back to the house. If you live in Zimbabwe, you're watching online. But if you live in South Florida and you're out and about, get back to the house. Pastors cares about church attendance. Yes, I do. But I care about your health. I care about your physical health. But I care about your emotional health, your mental health, your spiritual health. God made us to gather God made us for community if you're not been back, listen to sermon translates really well in line, but nothing can replace the worship in a room like this with other people. It is so powerful it creates a habitation for God. Get back to the room where it happens. Amen. Father. God, there's somebody here. They're going to start their 2021 by making life's most brilliant decision giving their life to Christ. They're gonna rise up and rebuild by allowing Jesus to invade their life. Their prayer partners take their place right now. What a great weekend to choose baptism in Jesus name, we pray. Amen.