Is your faith genuine or fake? Real fruit or fruit flavored? Can it give nutrition, reproduce? Or does it rot over time, go stale? We’re continuing our deep dive into FAITH, in this message of our Faith Check series – Fruitful Faith.

Jeremiah 24

After Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and the officials, the skilled workers and the artisans of Judah were carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Lord showed me two baskets of figs placed in front of the temple of the Lord. 2 One basket had very good figs, like those that ripen early; the other basket had very bad figs, so bad they could not be eaten.

3 Then the Lord asked me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?”

“Figs,” I answered. “The good ones are very good, but the bad ones are so bad they cannot be eaten.”

4 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 5 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Like these good figs, I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I sent away from this place to the land of the Babylonians. 6 My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them. 7 I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.

8 “‘But like the bad figs, which are so bad they cannot be eaten,’ says the Lord, ‘so will I deal with Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials and the survivors from Jerusalem, whether they remain in this land or live in Egypt. 9 I will make them abhorrent and an offense to all the kingdoms of the earth, a reproach and a byword, a curse and an object of ridicule, wherever I banish them. 10 I will send the sword, famine and plague against them until they are destroyed from the land I gave to them and their ancestors.’”

Let’s talk about this Bible verse not only as the state of the church in corona time – but also as believers in new seasons.

In this story there are 3 groups of believers:

• The believer that refuses to move to the next season –

• • Bad figs represented not only those against God but those that refused to follow the direction of God.

• The believer that moves to the new season but is waiting to get back to the old season
• The believer that moves to the new season and trusts Jesus

So how do we develop faith like the believers that move into new seasons and trust Jesus?

1 – The Time to Build is Now

People were exiled from their homes. They needed to build a new home. Don’t sit around waiting to get back to normal. This is your new normal.

When we build, we work on our faith and our trust. God will build us up and will not tear us down.

****Doing life in the comments**** 

What is it that you need to build? What do you need to construct in your life? 

When we build inside of new seasons we become like a house vs a tent – there is…

• protection
• limitless power
• sewage / sanitation
• fresh water

When we enter new seasons we need to build and not lament. 

2 – It’s Time to Plant in New Seasons

To set down roots in a new season. Roots represent a source of life. People did not leave when God told them to leave. They thought their source of life was connected to the routines and city they lived in rather than God.

The soil determines the growth of the plant. The root pulls the nutrients from the soil and the plant grows. Jesus is the root, but your season determines your growth.

Some of us are stuck in past seasons. All the nutrients have already been used. Jesus, the root, is telling us to move to the next season for new growth.

We need to move to the next season – mentally, physically and faithfully.

God’s desire is for us to connect to Jesus more that we connect to soil. Meaning – connect more to what Jesus is doing right now and right here; than what He did back then.

Complaining and grumbling is failing to see Jesus in this season. 

Xerox Case Study:

Xerox had the most successful single product of all time. They revolutionized businesses and homes.

They had ground breaking research; but the people in charge decided it wasn’t for them and gave all the technology to Steve Jobs. Xerox had the future in its hands, but the ownership thought it was meant for someone else.

Xerox is like a lot of believers… Reading the Bible and thinking it’s not for me its for someone else.

Jesus is speaking – are you listening to grow?

https://artgrid.io/clip/83735/paper-moving-through-rolls-on-printing-machine

***Like Xerox when we fail to listen, we fail to pivot***

When we fail to pivot into new seasons there are consequences.

3 core consequences from Jeremiah 24:10 as illustrations on this side of the cross and new covenant. 

1. Sword – When we fail to move into our next season we fight God, and we fight people that are living in the new seasons. We can become frustrated and angry with different viewpoints.
2. Famine – We are starving for Jesus to speak to us in our past seasons, but He is speaking from your new season. So you refuse to consume new insights.
3. Plague – Your mind becomes twisted and your heart is hardened towards the freshness of Jesus

2-Part Next Steps:

Part 1 – Build 1 new routine.

Part 2 – Leave 1 soil behind.

Let go of 1 thing from a past season. Maybe it was a glory that was awesome but God is calling you to a new glory. Maybe it was something tragic, and you have been holding onto that pain.

Have you ever seen an artist completely focused on their craft? Everything they do is intentional. Taking their time perfecting their art. They use their hands to shape exactly what is in their mind. This is our relationship to the Father.  We are in His hands as He shapes and crafts us. He is intentionally focused on crafting us…we are His masterpiece.

You are not a mistake. Your past has not disqualified you. You are the artwork of God.

We are continuing our sermon series Faith Check – a series all about faith through the book of Jeremiah. Today’s message is “Forming Faith”.

Jeremiah 18:1-4

The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord saying, 2 “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will announce My words to you.” 3 Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something on the wheel. 4 But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make.

• Clay  = you and me
• Potter = The Father 
• The Wheel… is the tool used by the Father to shape us.

Idol check – Do you talk to a person before talking to God? Do you count more on your work providing than God providing?

Doing life in the comments – (Add a comment to engage with us)

How do you stay Planted during the Process? with help from people? your word? 

• Water is Jesus – not only used to shape us, and mold our lives.

• Dry lake bed – cracks are everywhere it is evident water used to be present. Now it’s dry and desolate. If your faith feels dry and things are falling apart or cracked, it’s evidence you need to reconnect your water source.

https://artgrid.io/story/16162/Dry-Lake-Bed

• Kiln is the the Holy Spirit

There are 2 firings for pottery:

1. The bisque fire is to remove impurities and make the pottery stable enough to receive glaze or adornment.

2. The final glaze fire is to cover the porous pottery with adornment and also prevent absorbing external influences.

The Holy spirit likewise is transforming us from an impressionable vessel to sturdy enough to be adorned by the love of Jesus. then transforms us to seal us up from external influences that the enemy would love to distract us with.

• transforms us
• works out the impurities
• prepares us to be a complete vessel
• transforms us from temporary to long term – Sunday morning believer to daily disciple

How do we keep our faith on Jesus in order to grow? 

The Yahoo Case Study

Yahoo failed to grow because the cost was too high and the risk too great.

They were number 1 in search and an online portal to the world –  https://artgrid.io/story/16349/The-Writer

Someone listening here is failing to grow – because the cost of discipleship is too high for you. The cost of serving is too high for you. The cost of reading the Bible is too high for you. The cost of genuine relationships is too high for you.

The risk of losing reputation

The risk of Jesus not showing up when you call on Him

The risk of losing material possessions… a lot of people don’t tithe because their mind is on losing money instead of trusting Jesus.

How do we use faith to stay planted on the potters wheel, when we get past the cost and risk:

Jeremiah 18:15

‘For My people have forgotten Me,

They burn incense to worthless gods

And they have stumbled from their ways,

From the ancient paths,

To walk in bypaths,

Not on a highway,

God is looking at His people and says His people have left the road for a path

There was a difference between the ancient road and the bypath.

 – paved vs unpaved.

STOP avoiding the cost and fearing the risk!

In order to keep your faith on God through all the storms – like the pottery on the wheel in the hands of God….we need to hyper-focus on 2 things found in verse 15:

“People have forgotten me”

1 – Know Jesus personally

Pay the cost of time in reading and discerning. Pay the cost in pride of discipleship. Show up to our communion nights, be part of our Thursday Bible study. Start committing to the next steps we do weekly.

Our church inspires and gives practical ways to deepen our faith.

“burn incense to worthless gods”

2 – Worship Jesus always

Worship is your heart towards Jesus. Pay the cost, time and energy to worship Jesus. – – worship with your heart.

– sing

– serve

– do life together

Your next step this week – Get Connected

Connect to your word. Connect to someone you haven’t talked to since covid started. Serve. Sign up for Bible study Thursday night.

Have you ever felt so alone it weighs on you? Where you’re longing for an answer that seems forever away or impossible? Not actually talking about coranvirus and the ongoing stay at home orders. I’m actually talking about leprosy. Lepers were required to stand 6ft away and wear cloth face masks. Crazy similarity to today, right? We are continuing our “Can’t Cancel Hope” looking at people in the Bible experiencing their own isolation, dark, hidden, places holding on for the HOPE that is Jesus. Today, we’re in Matthew 8… a message that places our biggest breakthrough from a million miles off to just 6ft away.

Matthew 8:1-4

When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.

What closes the gap of our breakthrough?

Matthew 7:7-8

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

How do you get closer to breakthrough?

1) Receive – you gotta listen to receive. 

word > precedes > breakthrough

2) Positioned – you must position yourself at the foot of the throne.

The reason we fail is not believing. The reason why people secretly lack faith is from bad positioning…

The leper calls Jesus Lord. Lord – meaning: owner, person I belong to….

Jesus had disciples. He had a church services. But up to this point people called him teacher, rabbi…. why do you think Jesus asked the question later on who do people call me? Who do you call me?

Many people follow Jesus and have not positioned Him as Lord.

Is Jesus your teacher? Or is He your Lord that teaches?

**Join the discussion down below in the comments**

Discussion question today is – How can you personally position Jesus as Lord this week?

The leper called Him Lord publicly, bowed at his feet and worshipped Him before any healing ever happened.

3) Motivated – Why was he motivated?

He wanted to rejoin community, he wanted to do life together….

Jesus reached out his hand and touched him.

2 perspectives.

1st – Leper that needed a breakthrough.

2nd – Jesus who showed the man His love.

For some of us we are in the shoes of the leper needing breakthrough.

For some of us we need to realize that we need to be the shoes of Jesus.

There is a 3rd perspective – the crowd that stayed on the sidelines. They watched but did nothing.

!!Our church does life together and takes the next steps.!!

Jesus healed 3 people after Church.

• Leprosy – those that society rejects.
• Centurion servant – those that we hate
• Peters mother-in-law – those we love

Jesus demonstrated His love through healing.

YOUR NEXT STEP: This week is to demonstrate the love of Jesus to someone. Someone that bothers you, someone you hate, or someone you love. But most importantly it needs to be someone who doesn’t live with you.

How do you keep hope alive for the best, when it’s been so long you’re tempted to settle? Have you ever been hungry? Standing in-front of an open fridge again and again? Checking the pantry over and over… Nothing looks good enough. The first few times you leave empty handed. But eventually…The hungrier you get…. the more you’re willing to settle for. We’re continuing our “Can’t Cancel Hope” series today with the Man Himself – Jesus. In the scripture today the devil tests Jesus 3 different ways. Each test is actually an exchange. I want you to look at what the devil is trying to exchange. Because what the devil tries to exchange with Jesus, is what he tries to exchange with us too. It’s Independence weekend. Let’s find freedom through temptations in our life.

Follow along with Pastor Matt here:

Matthew 4:1-11

4 1-3 Next Jesus was taken into the wild by the Spirit for the Test. The Devil was ready to give it. Jesus prepared for the Test by fasting forty days and forty nights. That left him, of course, in a state of extreme hunger, which the Devil took advantage of in the first test: “Since you are God’s Son, speak the word that will turn these stones into loaves of bread.” 4 Jesus answered by quoting Deuteronomy: “It takes more than bread to stay alive. It takes a steady stream of words from God’s mouth.”

Jesus is starving. Jesus is hungry.

The devil tries to force Jesus to transform the stone to bread.

1. The first exchange is what we consume, or take into our life.

Because you have not consumed and fed on the Word of God in weeks, months, years…you are willing to settle in your life.

You settle by turning the stone into bread.

The devil tries to get us to exchange what we consume.

• A stone represents anything that tries to replace or distract you from the Word of God.
• If you genuinely look at your calendar and your bank statement you will instantly see what stones you are exchanging.

The Bible declares that hope is Jesus. But the Bible also explains that the Word was with God at the beginning of creation, and that Jesus is the Word.

So when we consume the Word, we develop our relationship with Jesus; and when we develop our relationship with Jesus – HOPE grows in our life.

The devil wants to remove hope by preventing your relationship with Jesus.

Location is important – 

Matthew 4:1 describes the Spirit as leading Jesus to the wild or wilderness.

Greek definition is – solitary, lonely, desolate, uninhabited

In your loneliness is where the devil tests you the most. 

Before moving forward in the sermon I want you to grab your phone or device right now and head over to the comments. Whether you are watching live or later… We are going to pause the sermon and do life together. I’m going to give a question and I want you to leave a comment and also engage in other peoples comments down below. 

“What is a stone in your life?” 

Matthew 4:1-11

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, 6 and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’” 7 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”

The devil tries to get Jesus to jump off a high place to see the angels catch Him.

2. The second exchange, Jesus references testing God. 

The devil tries to exchange faith for thoughts, the devil wants to steal your faith and exchange it with thoughts.

• 1st exchange was what we allow into our life
• 2nd exchange is what we think… Any thoughts that questions your relationship with God.

There are people who have been struggling with their faith, because they allowed the devil to exchange their thoughts for their faith.

Did anyone catch the first word the devil says to Jesus in this test…. IF… you are the Son of God… This was an attempt to cause insecurity, doubt in WHO He was.

• The moment the devil begins whispering doubt in your ear is the moment he is scared of you.
• He is trying everything to exchange your faith with doubt.

How do you reclaim your faith?

• You stop testing the insecurities the devil whispers in your ear.
• You read the Word to know who you are and Whose you are.

The lack of Bible in your life is connected to your lack of confidence. Your insecurities and doubts are hard to overcome when you don’t have the Word.

Matthew 4:1-11

8-9 For the third test, the Devil took him to the peak of a huge mountain. He gestured expansively, pointing out all the earth’s kingdoms, how glorious they all were. Then he said, “They’re yours—lock, stock, and barrel. Just go down on your knees and worship me, and they’re yours.”

10 Jesus’ refusal was curt: “Beat it, Satan!” He backed his rebuke with a third quotation from Deuteronomy: “Worship the Lord your God, and only him. Serve him with absolute single-heartedness.”

11 The Test was over. The Devil left. And in his place, angels! Angels came and took care of Jesus’ needs.

The devil tries to get Jesus to bow down and worship him..

• first exchange was what we allow into our life
• second exchange was what we think

3. The third exchange is what we worship

Worship is serving. The devil is after who or what we serve. The devil exchanges serving God with serving anything or anyone else.

This test is about worship…Serving God is our worship.

This is the scariest point because some people don’t realize that the devil has swapped God with something else.  The devil will spend more time convincing you to dedicate your life to anything but Jesus.

The devil will try and convince you, that if you simply dedicate your actions to someone or something, all the doors will open and everything will be good.

God says it so plainly… “do not allow your heart to be divided.” 

Every day your actions are for God. Sunday is not the only day for Worship.

This test is where most believers fail Monday through Saturday. 

When your relationship with Jesus only moves forward on Sunday, it is evident the devil has split your heart; and convinced you that the busy-ness of life is first priority over God.

I want you to have Hope through temptation.

Your next step TODAY is make Jesus a priority in your life.

If you would truly make Jesus a priority in your life:

– the Word of God would not be exchanged for anything.

– your faith would not be exchanged for your thoughts. 

– and your worship would be undivided

What do you do when you feel stuck? Or are in fact stuck… like we’re all stuck at home right now. Stuck with limited options for how we’re used to living our lives these days. Do you panic? Do you fight it? Do you shutdown? We’re in our “Can’t Cancel Hope” series where we look at people in the Bible who were in dark, isolated, places; and how they kept hope alive.

Follow along with Pastor Matt here:

Acts 9:8-9

Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

Internal stuck happens usually when God is teaching humility to show you the kingdom. Kingdom being your relationship with Jesus and with People.

Philemon

1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,

To Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker— 2 also to Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier—and to the church that meets in your home:

3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

External stuck is usually the devil trying to exchange humility with pride, envy, jealousy, bitterness… to tear down your relationship with Jesus and with people

Paul is doing life together even when he’s stuck.

Just because you can’t see someone doesn’t mean you can’t do life together…

Can we break down what doing life together is? Its mutual impact. 

It’s about what we are giving and receiving. Don’t be that person who thinks they know more than Jesus.

Your impact is not determined by your situation.

Paul impacted hundreds if not thousands of people. Even when he was in prison he still impacted. 

Sermon title is “Hope is Now” – Hope is not getting out of a situation. 

Hope is with you in your situation. 

What are you and Jesus doing while you’re stuck?

Mutual impact 

Philemon 4-7

Every time your name comes up in my prayers, I say, “Oh, thank you, God!” I keep hearing of the love and faith you have for the Master Jesus, which brims over to other believers. And I keep praying that this faith we hold in common keeps showing up in the good things we do, and that people recognize Christ in all of it. Friend, you have no idea how good your love makes me feel, doubly so when I see your hospitality to fellow believers.

Here’s what “Doing Life Together” looks like through Paul’s eyes:

1. Praying for each other.
2. Being thankful for each other.
3. Feeling joy and happiness when the other person is doing well and successful.
4. Genuine love for each other.
5. Communicating with each other.

Romans 12:15 

Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.

Who is he doing life together with? Who is he impacting?

• People that are in the same situation – family, relatives, best friends…
• People going through what you’ve gone through –  Oneisimus
• People far away – who is long distance? How can you do life together? Paul did life long distance before technology. 

Pick a person to do life together outside your home. 

Your next step this week: write a letter to someone long distance. Share with them how they build you up. Speak into their life. Write a letter as if you were Paul writing a letter. 

How do you keep hope alive from a distance? Remember the first day of “social distancing”, we’ve been here awhile now. Reflect on some of the actions you had to take at the beginning – setting yourself away, shutting out friends and family, isolating… Remember when it felt abnormal? When you wondered if there was a possibility you could be hurt if you got too close to someone else? This is the next message in our “Can’t Cancel Hope” series where we look at people in the Bible going through dark times, places, isolation and how they kept hope alive.

Follow along with Pastor Matt here:

John 4:13-19

13-14 Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again and again. Anyone who drinks the water I give will never thirst—not ever. The water I give will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life.”

15 The woman said, “Sir, give me this water so I won’t ever get thirsty, won’t ever have to come back to this well again!”

16 He said, “Go call your husband and then come back.”

17-18 “I have no husband,” she said.

“That’s nicely put: ‘I have no husband.’ You’ve had five husbands, and the man you’re living with now isn’t even your husband. You spoke the truth there, sure enough.”

19 “Oh, so you’re a prophet!

The woman at the well was socially distancing herself from her own community for several reasons, and these reasons still plague the church today. 

Why do people socially distance themselves in Church and community?

1 – Fear

2 – Past Hurts

3 – Insecurities

The cure to social distancing is Jesus. Jesus deals with our fears, hurts and insecurities. 

John 4:27-30;39-42

27 Just then his disciples came back. They were shocked. They couldn’t believe he was talking with that kind of a woman. No one said what they were all thinking, but their faces showed it.

28-30 The woman took the hint and left. In her confusion she left her water pot. Back in the village she told the people, “Come see a man who knew all about the things I did, who knows me inside and out. Do you think this could be the Messiah?” And they went out to see for themselves.

39-42 Many of the Samaritans from that village committed themselves to him because of the woman’s witness: “He knew all about the things I did. He knows me inside and out!” They asked him to stay on, so Jesus stayed two days. A lot more people entrusted their lives to him when they heard what he had to say. They said to the woman, “We’re no longer taking this on your say-so. We’ve heard it for ourselves and know it for sure. He’s the Savior of the world!”

The key to breaking out of social distancing is….

1 – Be honest with yourself and Jesus

2 – Turn Tragedy into Testimony

Our church is digging deeper into what God has called us to do. And what He has called us to is ‘doing life together‘.

Your next step today is: messaging someone who is not living with you…

Start with “How can i pray for you today? Here is how you can pray for me.”