What Now? What Next? - Innovation Not Indignation, Part 1

When you turn on the news or log on to social media. Are you mad at what's going on in our world.

We discourage I mean downright angry particular person or people group could anger can make us move into action brings help in healing but that anger can destroy our soul which anger do you have that's today welcome to this edition of living only in the vision of these daily programs is to intentionally disciple Christians, the Bible. If we can be honest for a second. How did you answer the question of recent events in our world because either react with good or have you developed feelings of present in this program. She continues it is serious now.

What next, by examining the disruption in human history, challenging believers to consider a different response to seasons of disorder orders trip with his talk innovation, not indignation, what you really think about what is that is caused you to be angry. The most what picture in your mind what experience, what group of people. What is it and this is very very important for what will happen the rest of our time together want to just pause for a moment. Go ahead and shut your eyes and ask the Holy Spirit to bring to mind and we all had conversations we've all been really ticked off want you to really get in touch with what is that for you. Suspend judgment for just a minute just true false. Whatever you things have made you mad. There are people or events or injustices things that are just wrong in your passionate and you talked about an event coffee over and you've probably posted about it Lord as we think about what makes us angry which you now teach us how to respond in ways to build your kingdom in Christ name. I'm going to keep reminding you of what the goal is to look in your notes is to help followers of Jesus determined God's will and your priorities for your life and your ministry in these rapidly changing. In this challenging world that we live in making and becoming disciples today in this environment means that we have to focus on Christ rather than causes of the top priority. There is very very important causes, but our focus is gotta get back to who Jesus is.

In our first love us personally, being willing to be all and to do whatever he wants. Second has a response and the response has to be healing, not hostility. There's a lot of anger there's a lot of hostility. We as believers have to be agents of healing. And third, we have to pry it prioritized relationships over real estate.

What I meant by that is, instead of thinking that things are going to happen just in places or successes.

Building buildings are doing things are things that you can measure Jesus always started with relationships close and in the family, brothers and sisters, friends, how you treat the kind of people you invite into your world that are really different than you and the context of the series I'm gonna keep reminding you is there's three important things to remember three things to remember number one you are living in one of the rarest moments in all of human history. Think of it as 100 years ago there was a global pandemic you live in a technological explosion. We have artificial intelligence that's changing things super rapidly with corporations that are far more powerful than whole countries. We have been breaking down of the institution of marriage, the family, we have division in the church we live in a polarized world, especially in America, racially great confusion about gender ideologies that are contrary to everything you believe are surfacing here and around the world.

At the same time there's a global movement of God across Africa, Southeast Asia, parts of India were God is working like never before.

I mean tens of thousands of people are coming to know Christ daily across the world during a really rare moment of history and everything's getting shaken and I believe God is going to shake everything except that which cannot be shaken. Second, God's biggest moments have been birthed and seasons of dire distress. Think of that when Jesus came. The world was in dire distress when he tapped no lock on the shoulder and said you have a plan B, the world wasn't dire distress Moses all my this bondage of the world in dire distress. Gideon meant everything's terrible. Why don't you put the dire distress. Esther wipe out every Jew on the face of the earth. It's in dire distress. Nehemiah God's agenda is completely in the pit.

I know your business guy I know you feel adequate formal theological training you got position you got power and wealth and I want you to move and get your heart dislocated into my agenda in the whole history of Israel turned around and we could go on the New Testament, whether it was a Martin Luther or Huss or Tyndale or the Moravians or Wesley or an awakening.

Every major movement of God happens in these levels of dire distress you're living in a time that's rare in all of world history, God's biggest movements are birthed in times like this. And third, God's pattern of deliverance Brooke provides direction and hope you got your notes circle direction and circle. Hope if you would study all those people that I just said something about you would find have some extraordinarily things in common. Their ordinary, often helpless, often powerless, they usually feel desperately inadequate. I could never do this. I'm just a fisherman.

I'm just a if I do this I might get killed. All throughout history scripturally church history. God finds ordinary people who are humble dependent, desperate, but they believe and they take a risk and they step out and they make great sacrifice and then what God does is so amazing. No one is ever confused about who should get the credit. Just the way he works. Paul would even say in the first chapter, first Corinthians that God uses the things that are not to confound the things that are he would say that church, not many of you were wise. Not many of you were the super intelligent. Those are three important things to remember and then is one important thing to never forget major disruptions challenge the status quo and result in indignation mean, that's a mouthful right we throw words around looking your notes I've given you the actual definitions a major disruption of disruption is a disturbance or problem which interrupts an event and activity or process. In our case, the whole world you're living in a moment where the whole world got disrupted and when that happens, the status quo gets challenge the status quo is the existing state of affairs, especially regarding that which is social or political. And I mean it's getting flipped around like never before, and finally it always results in indignation.

Indignation is anger or annoyance by what is perceived as unfair treatment and see the interesting thing if we can be objective for a moment the things that made you so angry other people from different backgrounds were rejoicing about thinking.

Justice is finally coming there. Such anger and indignation depending on your lens, your perspective, the left is angry and the right is angry conservatives and progressives are angry church people were nonchurch people.

Atheists are angry people that empower angry people that are not empowering angry you live in a world with just it's flooded with indignation and I want you to get that because here's what I want you to see. Next, let's look at the greatest disruption that ever happened in the world. How was Jesus disruptive kingdom focus member. That's what he came. The kingdom of God is among you, his healing ministry and his relational priorities. How were they received key disrupts the whole world. The status quo gets shaken, people working to get angry from all kind of backgrounds and I want to walk you through something and I found myself each time, going through a biblical theology.

A lens that's really big because I don't think we read the Bible that way anymore. You know we got into what I read my chapter very short chapter of daily bread or I read two paragraphs of Jesus calling or I opened you version and that's my first of the day, but you don't think theologically, you don't think biblical you don't think big picture.

We haven't developed the lands in which we take all of that we know of Scripture in life and what Jesus said and look at it and said this is the reality. How do I filter all that's coming so I don't expect your mucking to go through all the passages but I've given them to you if you really want to learn something I always say get a cup of coffee because I love cup coffee me to me a great day to put your feet up French roast open my Bible Lord speak what I want you to do is I'm just gonna walk through very briefly how did people respond him he can't get this this is God.

This is God witnesses Jesus. This is love incarnate. This is light everything he's going to do is get to do the right thing the right reason and the right way to love the most people. If so, how do different groups of people respond to him see what I want you to get is that what were saying is very normal human nature. So I just went through.

You see see it flowing to the Gospels are you ready for this. How did his family respond.

I've given you the passages there in Mark three and John seven. His mother and his brothers response to his ministry and growing popularity and all the demands on his life assumed that he was emotionally and mentally unstable. They went to rescue him, and when they went to rescue him.

He innovated to tell your mom your brother to hear what you know. I mean that's the first priority right right right. He pauses it who are my mother's my brothers and he looked at his disciples. He says everyone who does the will of God, these are my brothers, my brothers, my sisters, another words family relationship is bigger than blood its alignment with God and his purposes in the purposes of Jesus in John seven. His brother say hey if you think you're such a big stuff. Now this is the tipping version. Some of this right you not to read big stuff like where's that basically that you think you're such a big stuff. Once you go to the festival and show off all your miracles in the belief because now you guys go ahead.

He later goes the text says because his brothers did not believe in him. What about his hometown with the story picks up.

And in Luke chapter 4 succumbs to his hometown, and he's been preaching in various synagogues and he just comes out of the temptation he's filled with the spirit he goes to a number of different small little cities. He comes to his hometown that given the scroll he opens up Isaiah he reads from the place about the telling of the coming of the Messiah that the good news will be preached to the poor. The Lamb are gonna walk the blind are going to see and then he closes it and then when a rabbi sat down.

It meant he was speaking with authority and he sees sits down it says in your hearing. This has been fulfilled. Translation what I just read about the Messiah you're looking at it and it's very interesting this is.

This is so much like us. They were so amazed at his words and then they started said to one another. Who is this Joseph's son translation you think you are, you grow up here he is in a something like you think you are his family was really saying you think you are.

I think you kinda lost it and then he attacks their nationalism. He says you know of who do you think I am that a prophet isn't honoring his hometown.

He innovates there lens in view of him from Joseph, the boy who grew up here to a prophet and you're not honored and then then he sorta goes for the jugular and said you know there were a lot of widows during the time of Elisha but none of the widows in Israel were helped and fed.

But Elisha did this to this widow in this place, who was a non-Jew. There were a lot of lepers in the day and none of them were healed except Nan from Syria and it says they were. They just thought he was amazing.

Now they are. Are you ready indignation there enraged in his hometown take him out to the edge of the hill and push them off and he comes back through them. What I want you to see is the indignation that happens in the response even to truth and life and love the religious establishment basically says if you read from Luke five on through up through Luke six could you think you are. You think that our theological school, and so a man is lowered down is a paralytic in Jesus as your sins are forgiven and there enraged you think you are only God can forgive sins and the innovation is. I want to get a whole new view about where authority comes from and he says well the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins which is easier. You know the stories right take your pallet walk and each time to heal, touch and and they say who do you think you are what you trying to do what's he doing it completely upends the status quo. He didn't attend their school. He challenges their traditions.

He challenges their authority.

Even the disciples the longest time ever recorded in Jesus ministry is Mark chapter 1 is a great chapter and mean Mark is written to a Roman audience so there's not a lot of details it's bang bang bang bang bang the word immediately. I think It's like 45 times in the gospel. It's mom. And here we go, and it's a very long day of ministry and at the end of a long day.

He teaches and then Peter's mother-in-law sick. He heals her people hear about it. They come from everywhere and you get this picture of he's up I mean late into the night, casting out demons in the Texas and everyone who came was healed as Rev. went to bed exhausted.

Disciples are going.

We this is unbelievable man we thought he was.

We thought he was the Messiah. He is the rock star, and so everyone goes to bed and then verse 35 says a great while before dawn, Jesus awoke and went out to a lonely place and I think he had because it was fully human.

He had to do with all the temptations that we do and he had to remember this is why I came.

I'm he's getting the press mean he is the most amazing and then it says, his disciples came to him and says you need to come back. The crowds are swelling. You thought last night was great. It's got to be better. In other words, were worthy inside groupies.

You're the rock star. Let's get it on. He says no I'm not going back unfulfilled expectation to the disciples I must and in Greek, there's a little work all day. The EI is a day of necessity, no words it has the idea of this unequivocally has to happen. He says I must go to other towns and preach the gospel of the kingdom for this is why I came little bit later the ministry continues and you know the story in Mark chapter 8 the book of Mark, goes like this.

This is who he is. Follow me on to take you.

You be fishers of men. In Mark chapter 8 is the turn in the turn is see all the disciples thought Messiah massage economies can make things right right here so as to make things right. He's going to take down Rome.

Israel's gonna be reestablished and working to be the inside guys working to sit on thrones with him.

This is a great deal in Mark chapter 8 he asked two people say they are and you know the story, Peter gets it right. You're the Christ the son of the living God. And from that point on the text says he begin to tell them how he must suffer before the religious leaders and the scribes and the Pharisees and died on the third day be raised again and the guy that got it right took him aside and basically supports never don't know what you think it understand what was happening there prosperity gospel was basically Peter goes, no, no, no, I I signed up for a crown not across Jesus that if you follow me, get behind me Satan you member. Why get behind me saying you don't have on your mind and on your heart, the things of God. You have it on the things of men. You followed me and you made sacrifices, but in your heart of hearts. It was about your weight, your agenda, your prosperity, your life, what you want and he is none of you to follow me you to be like a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies because the change of violence in the chaos and the hurt and the pain that's happening in this fallen world require supernatural power and supernatural power requires resurrection power and there's never a resurrection unless there's death and he invites them not to get there crown. Now he invites them to go with him to the cross to lay down their life the way he lays down his life so that she could fill them with the kind of power that they would do the very things that he is done. All I want you to see is over and over and over every single person in his life responds in some way with indignation and anger. In fact, he basically says to his family. There's a new family excessive's hometown.

I'm a prophet. He says to the disciples that I am the priest between God and man.

And it's a new agenda and a priest is to lay down his life and when he gets to the government establishment what member pilot who is this nobody is a political hot potato. Maybe, maybe we can use him, and he sends them over to another religious leader and then when push came to shove, or killing. Yes I know is innocent but you member of the conversation. So are you looking yes yes and I'm truth and anyone who obeys the truth follows me he loved. She was perfect. He was light he was truth, he fulfilled the prophecies healed. Thousands of people and the response that he got from his family from his disciples from the government's hometown was indignation anger why he rock the boat and God is allowing God didn't cause the pandemic. But God uses everything don't you quote that when a good friend gets cancer when there's a car wreck. They don't understand what you quoted one another for we know that God works all things together for the good to them that love God, according to his purposes, and we we stop there and the way we three translated, that is, he's going to work it out good for you. Something good is going to come out of this. We have a whole generation of people that are disillusioned with Jesus and Christianity because they don't see the good, because it's been re-translated as the good for you and your life working out and you'll be happy you have a great marriage and if you want to have kids and couldn't then just follow Jesus know give you kids and if you don't have money to follow Jesus know give you money and if you get up you have bad health. Just follow Jesus in verse 29 doesn't say who work out for good in terms of your circumstance.

It says the good will be through the difficulty and the pain and the hurt in a fallen little world and this my minuscule thing called time he will conform you to the image and make you more like Jesus preparing you to use you in ways where you experience him and are used by him and that is the good that will produce and in his great grace and kindness.

He often does make you more upwardly mobile, and chooses to heal and chooses to intervene and may give you a great great marriage but you know what we weep, we sold a bill of goods that Jesus never promised. We have a lot of disappointed people. Jesus never promised you can be healthy, wealthy and happy.

He promised you can have peace in the midst of storms you can have joy in the midst of circumstances, you can have purpose in the midst of chaos and there's an eternity waiting for you and as you follow follow all the things that the world promises that never delivers he delivers here among us him in its radical listing to part one of the trips message innovation not indignation will be right back with his application for this teaching series.

What know what next have recent events in our world opened your eyes to some major flaws in the 21st-century church. Are you wrestling with the status quo. In the old adage, that's just how things have always been done well in this new series chip encourages us to revisit the foundational truths Jesus taught and reconsider how we are to lovingly engage with people by using the word Christ is an acronym chip highlight six life-changing ways we can continue making disciples. Especially in these disruptive times. You don't want to miss a single part of this timely series. For more information about what now what next go to LivingontheEdge.org or call AAA to 333-6003 that's AAA 333-6003, or LivingontheEdge.org will chip toward the end of your message today. You talked about this next generation and how they are disillusioned to Jesus in the gospel.

And sadly, the research suggests that nearly 70% of young people post high school are rejecting their parents face that's a staggering number. So what is Living on the Edge doing to reach that group. One day we have about a million people who listen every week to Living on the Edge through our various formats, and our goal in the next two years is to double that with a very focused target audience is the next generation. And if you can reach next generation. There's two things you have to do Dave number one you have to be where they are and so that social media that's YouTube. That's the digital world that streaming.

The second thing is as though I I love to teach God's word and I love being on college campuses and actually go to a church with very young people. I realize that there's some other younger communicators that can speak into today's issues in a far more powerful way than me because they have young children or their dealing with technology or what's happening in their world.

With the shift of morality in the gender fluidity and so as people have already heard. I'm inviting a team of young communicators with me and our goal is to double our audience and so the infrastructure required the recruiting of some fellow teachers providing for all that is good to be very, very expensive, but I don't think the Gospels changed and I think there's a real spiritual hunger. I just think we Living on the Edge we need to take our message to the next generation at a place and in a way that they really get it. It's going to be expensive and difficult proposition to double our audience, but we feel called to do it by God were committed to making it happen. And I'm asking our listeners during this year and match will you help us and it couldn't be a better time because every dollar that's given up through December 31 at midnight is double dollar for dollar. So here's my question. Will you help us reach the next generation will if you believe God is calling you to join that future with us, we'd be honored to have you on our team and wall were in our December match every gift we receive will be doubled.

Thanks to some very generous friends of the ministry. So now is a great time to become a financial partner to send a gift or to become a monthly partner. Just give us a call a 8883336003, or if you prefer to donate online, go to LivingontheEdge.org app listeners just Donate for all of us here. Thank you in advance for your support as we wrap up today's program. Let me just ask your personal question. Who are you angry with me and who is that person that I mean down deep. There's low levels of resentment or just anger or you just don't understand them or what group, what is that group that is doing things are saying things that just have you every time you watch the news about that or you are around them. I mean you just are like livid and here's what I want to get to anger can be one of the most positive emotions granted by God to address injustice and what's wrong with the world. Jesus got angry. He turned over tables. He called religious leaders on the carpet. I mean, he was angry at things that were wrong. That led him to act in ways that were loving but the Scriptures very clear were actually commanded in Ephesians 426 be angry, yet do not sin.

Do not let the sun go down on your anger. Anger is not a sin but the kind of anger that produces resentment, bitterness, abusive language malice has you posting things saying things and blaming other people is not just counterproductive, it will poison your soul. So here's the solution number one recognize where your angry number two. Get before God and forgive them.

I don't care how much you disagree forgive them. Number three. Ask God to help you love the very people that you're angry with in the way to start is to pray for them and and it'll it'll be hard but pray for them because until you have some empathy in your heart and recognize they believe what they believe, and it makes sense to them. You will never love them well. Our anger doesn't produce what God wants. Let the anger lead you to make a difference. But let's release the poison that's coming with it. You and me. Let's do it today. You know an easy way to share chips messages is with the chip and remap with just a couple attacks. Any message you choose is on its way to your friend, someone in your family or on social media to help others who could benefit from the truth of Scripture and its encouragement.

And don't forget to include a quick note about how it made a difference in your life will be with us again next time. When she continues his series.

What know what next Bill Davis Steve Drewry saying thanks for listening to this edition of thing on the