Start Pursuing

Well thank you Patrick J for that incredibly warm welcome.

I was incredibly grateful for your friendship but you just got kicked out of the circle of trust and so men that's always a fun fun thing to walk up on stage and see that video that you didn't know was a get play that's awesome Grace. Well my name is Jason Gaston. Welcome to the seven churches. You heard Pastor JD say I have the opportunity to serve with a great team of people in our family ministry team and we are seeing God do some incredible things in the lives of our kids and our students here at the summit church.

In fact, this weekend all across the summit church. We have 45 different families being commissioned to raise their kids in a home that they would see their kids love Jesus. That set their hearts and affections on Jesus were also joined by all of our middle school students. This we can worship all at all of our camps this weekend which is awesome by something God is at work in the next generation. Here the summit that you been hearing a lot about that and it's through his grace and through his mercy through his power that were seeing that, but it's also through another set of people locates not just the staff right we have a great staff. I really believe that they got us brought some of the best staff we could ever ask for in our kids are student ministries but God is extending his grace in his mercy and his love to the next generation. Here the summit church through our volunteers to the people that give off their weekends to go and not babysit but disciple and investing your children to our middle school leaders into her high school leaders that are investing in the next generation. Those are the real heroes here at the summit church of those are investing the next generation so I want to publicly tell you how thankful I am for you and we honor you for the way that you selflessly give up your time, your energy and if that's the next great if you have your Bibles and open them up to the gospel of Matthew chapter 5 are to be in the first five verses primarily verses six and in verse three, in that order while you're turning there.

Will talk a little bit about something that we all have in this life and its assumptions okay assumptions just as I experience a few minutes ago I had a bad a false assumption that things that I would send a Pastor JD and private would remain private. Okay, you have an assumption in your life a little.

In a lot of ways is built on an assumption we we have assumptions that can embolden direct us in a lot of ways I heard a story several years ago about a young woman who made a pretty bad assumption that almost cost her her life. I can't remember her name but for the sake of time will discolor Julian okay so there's a young lady named Jillian and Jillian was a snake owner and Jillian owns a Python but are never the Python thing so for the sake of humor will name him Monty arrived mod every go see has arrived very, my people case, Jillian owns Monty the Python right.

She bottom when he was a little lad and began to feed him and take care of in one day. Eventually Monty got too big for his little aquarium so she thought me and Monty's been really good to me not to make him stay in his aquarium anymore, so let them roam free in the home right so that went on for a few years, she fed him his food, he did he join her on the couch, her TV show, or whatever you know and eventually she got so comfortable with Monty that she actually allowed Monty to sleep in the same bed, so Monty at the time got a 7 1/2 foot Python is now curled up in her bed sleeping on the pillow next to her. I don't think Jillian is getting married with a snake sleeping in her neck to her bed right so she starts to notice something weird about Monty.

It's her beloved Patty starts losing weight is getting older is not that old right but is losing weight. It seems as if he's getting sick and one morning she wakes up over the course about seven days he lost a lot of a lot of weight and that morning she woke up and Monty was not in his normal position anymore.

He wasn't curled up in the bed. He was actually laying lengthwise next to her on the bed so she freaked out. She thought this is the end.

Monty's gonna die. So what you do want to take him to the vet so she put them in the truck take some of the vet get to the vet.

She starts to explain to the vet all of the things that are happening with Monty and Dr.'s face begins to just lose all of its color and he says ma'am. Okay.

So you're saying Monty this past week has lost a lot of weight. Yes that's right.

And this morning when you woke up you rolled over. He was laying lengthwise. Next you. That's correct.

Said yes sir, that's correct. They said you cannot take Monty home would have to put him down and would have to put him down immediately. While most people in the right my would be cheering that steak right now pump that they deserve to die and not Jillian.

She was heartbroken because it was her pet snake and she was heartbroken and crying and so she said why what why does Monty have to die. He looked at her and he said Jillian your pet snake hasn't been losing weight because he's sick.

He's been losing weight because he starving himself for a big meal and this morning when you woke up and saw him laying next to you in the bed. He was sizing you up to eat you alive right nobody feeling good about that. That's an assumption that Jillian had that the snake was able to live in freedom and not really do her any harm. It almost cost her life that I'm pretty sure that story is not true. Okay, I'm pretty sure that I'm just a made up story that I read on Google because I may have googled it but in in Matthew chapter 5 when Jesus you like.

Did you just go from Monty the Python to Jesus in the sermon on Mount yes I did a Kevin youth ministry. That's all I can do that right. When Jesus shows up on the scene in Matthew chapter 5 the crowd that he was addressing and even the disciples that he brought near to him. The people have a lot of assumptions about what it meant to follow God. They had certain things that they were basing and building their life off of about what equated to them in their minds to godliness and mainly those two things flush themselves out in these two categories that religious activity and religious conformity equal godliness that my ability to act like a follower of God, or a godly manner.

A godly woman and my ability to do the things and to say the things right. I can I can play the part I can act the part. I can say the things that I needed to say it surely equated to me being a godly person now II think if were brutally honest and if I can be brutally honest with you. Many of us slip into that category so easily. We know what to say and we know when to say it, we can speak the newest Christian lingo that's on the market.

We know to say the gospel this gospel that brother, let me pray for you sister are praying for you all be blessed. We know how to say those things. I not only didn't do we know how to speak the language, which can be dangerous. We also know how to conform externally. We know how to look the part.

We were supposed to look the part example my children okay there there demons but they show up to church or they show up to school and the teachers like like you're not around them.

They know when to conform at the right times we do the same thing and listen that pass external conformity.

Everything looks good on the outside but is actually leading to death on the inside is what this series is all about faith and faith.

Everything is good externally but internally it's driving you to a place of death. Jesus not only flips the assumptions that these people have on their head. He does it out of love because he knows that if they continue to pursue the things that they're pursuing in the way that they are pursuing it. It will eventually lead to their eternal separation from God the father, which is why Jesus showed up on the scene today.

In the sermon on the mount were going to be talking about the pursuit of happiness. Jesus would use another word in the sermon on the mount he would call it blessed or blessed you say that where you grew up right will seek blessing right. I mean everybody is in the pursuit of blessing and some capacity right, some people say that this is the act. This is actually the greatest form of happiness that you could ever have. In Matthew chapter 5. A lot of people have called the Beatitudes they call it happy are the merciful, happy are the poor in spirit. They replace the word blessed with happy and that's because the Latin word for blessed. Here is yet to see you say it beta-2's gave him an old movie Beetlejuice. That's what I think of when I say that creepy movie rights to strike beta-2's Bantus literally means to receive the favor and approval of God is a Jesus is saying if you want the favor and approval of God.

This is your starting block. This is where it all begins. And that's what were all after is it not work after favor and approval in some capacity and hopefully were trying to find it before God the father and many of us all across the triangle today have different approaches on how we think we gain that favor. That's why here at the summit were so passionate about unpacking the gospel to us that it's not about our ability. You heard Pastor JD say this last week is not our ability to do. It's been it's what's been going on our behalf all the other religions of the world are based off of your ability or inability to perform, but are approval before God in the gospel is God's performance on our behalf in Christ Jesus.

These people that he's dealing with.

Listen, they have issues with the same truth. They're having a hard time grasping what it means to be a follower of God's now in Matthew chapter 5. I promise you'll get the text into second okay in Matthew chapter 5 there's an incredibly interesting parallel between the sermon on the mount were Jesus goes up on a mountain to instruct God's people in God's ways know so they can begin following God.

There's an interesting parallel there. Between that and in the Old Testament when Moses goes up on the mountain to meet with God and receive the 10 Commandments. Okay it. If you remember the story right. Moses and the Old Testament goes up on the mountain to meet with God where he would receive is what we know as the 10 Commandments right so Moses goes up to read and receive instruction from God to go down to give to God's people what they had been asking for, which were some rules in a wall to help them understand some things. So why Moses and exit is chapter 32 while Moses is up on the mountain meeting with God to get the instructions from God. Okay, mainly like you shall have no other gods before because that's how God talks me Old Testament rights shall no other gods before me. Check it or don't commit adultery, all in) Exodus chapter 32 while Moses is up on the mountain meeting with God himself. What's happening below the people are doing the very thing that God is forbidding them not to do their constructing it idle, a golden calf that they would bow down into worship to this is going to show us that from the very beginning of history, listen from the very beginning of history, we see that the demonstration the standards of God's righteousness cannot be accomplished by sinful human beings by themselves. We need some one to step in to assist in the process. You cannot get to God by your self, God has to pump to you and hear Jesus on the Mount is getting ready to unfold the same exact thing to his disciples in Matthew five figure Matthew five verse one now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and he sat down, his disciples came to him and he began to teach them saying this blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth, and blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. If you are taking notes today and I hope that you are now would be a good time for you to pull that out as I'm getting ready to give you your first point in your first point is this like our lives are spent in constant pursuit of something are lots your life. My life they are spent in constant pursuit of something look in Matthew chapter 5 or six Jesus says blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. What Jesus is saying here is you're going to hunger you're going to thirst after something in your life you are going to pursue things every single person under the sound of my voice today is in pursuit of something and that's not a bad thing. It's a human thing right.

You were created to pursue. We all have different pursuits.

You are in this room right now you are in one place you're hoping to get to another. Therefore, we call that a person you might be here and you might be a guy who's been dating a girl you're hoping to build a family. Right you been dating this girl philosophy like a year to three right will call five. Data for five years. Okay you need to start pursuing that woman. If you want to build a family dude. All right if you like you put a ring on it right but you're the sassy good ass daddy first. Don't forget that important step.

You're welcome. Okay, so her after her you you you have are like mad. She's there. She's waiting for you to pursue her in that capacity. Do it. You're welcome.

Okay, maybe you're here and you're pursuing a career you just finished your academics.

You just finished studying. Maybe you can read going the military because you are pursue a career in the military.

Maybe you just started your first job and you're working really hard and diligent and sometimes long hours because he wants the ability you want to use the gifts and the passions that you have. To build a career for yourself. That's a good thing. Maybe you're here and you're in pursuit of healthy living cat just started working out at the gym about a month ago called 80 training and it's not because I want to get huge right I'm in my I'm in my 30s I have three kids. I don't care about getting huge anymore. Okay… Just want to be healthy.

Why do I want to be healthy will, because I want to sit across from a dude one day you want to take my daughter's hand in marriage.

I wanted to ask me look me in the eye that would be able to walk my daughter down the aisle. I would be able to sit around the campfire with my boys. 20 years from now sipping on coffee talk about the big deer that we just shot that morning right that's all rednecks role is that we do. I guess that's what I wanted to. Maybe you're here and you're after the pursuit of wisdom is what you've come to this area to go to some of the best universities and schools that we have the author offered author offer. Maybe. Maybe you're here for seminary because you're pursuing godly wisdom. Or maybe you're just one of those people that really likes to read books on the side right you love to soak things up. You are in the pursuit of wisdom.

Maybe you are pursuing pleasure. Maybe you're an adrenaline junkie you love to jump out of a perfectly good airplane with a little pack on your back like if you think that sounds like a great idea make maybe you just are so addicted to it. You love to hide the feel that it gives that's a good thing. It makes you feel like you're alive right or maybe on the flipside of that. Maybe you're so addicted to pleasure that it's actually sent you in a different direction because you're so addicted to sexual pleasure.

Things like that that made it actually led you to a place where you signed up on account for Ashley Madison your pursuit of something maybe you are a high school student just a few years ago and he will wanted to pursue with your life. Athletic dominance and that's why when the recruiter set across from you. You decided to sign your national letter of intent to the North Carolina State Wolfpack right that's for you by Peapod Raleigh okay I love you I Chapel Hill is leave and they are leaving their walking out right now were all in pursuit of something right. We all pursue something. There is a pursuit that you in your seat today. You are going after number two we pursue that which we think gives us value and happiness, we pursue the things that we think will bring us joy bring us value and ultimately give us happiness.

Jonathan Edwards said this Jonathan Edwards is an old famous preacher. This is what he said.

He said when a creature is in that state that is most agreeable to the proper perfection of its nature, then it is in its most happy state on so you break that down for us. In layman's terms your fridge a second okay when is a teacher most happy when they teach.

When is a hunter most happy when he's hunting right when is a carpenter most happy when they are constructing their project when is a runner happy there never happy because running from the devil right nobody knows where that is nobody right there never happy when is a picture happy when he's in the bullpen, but when he's on the mound pitching in the game. We are most happy. Listen we are most happy when we are doing what we in our very beings in our very nature long to do and are designed to do. Have you ever been in a job that did not match up with your skill set and you absolutely hated it. Anybody okay.

That led to a life of what frustration you like. That's me right now bro. Okay them in that. So what are you doing you are now in the pursuit you are looking for another job right you you want to look somewhere else. You're out of your element. Don't listen, don't. Don't miss this kid, this connection that Jesus is making in Matthew five years. He notes that the five nature by human nature. Every person on the planet is going to pursue something, but he also knows that the jacked up nature of our heart reveals that our pursuits are actually out of alignment for what they were created for Romans chapter 1 verse 25 says this we exchanged the truth of God for a lie and we worshiped and served the created things rather than the creator and until this pursuit finds a resting place in your life you will constantly go on living in frustration and the reason you live in frustration is because you have made secondary things ultimate thing you've made things that God created you to pursue him. The pursuit of your life should be after him. You've taken that you placed it in other places you've given secondary things in ultimate type weight in your life and you are going to be constantly frustrated until your soul finds a Resting Pl. in God. Why because we were made for him to enjoy him to bask in his glory, to enjoy the good things that he has to offer us from his good hand. Remember that quote a creature is most happy when it is according to its design us all of us. You mean we we were designed for God, Augustine, an early church father quote that we like to throw around a lot in church actually knew this quite well when he said God has made us for himself and we are restless until our souls find rest in him now because as the summer church. I have to quote it's like in the contract somewhere I have to quote the man of the hour, the tower power Charles Spurgeon okay so your Spurgeon quote for the day. Men are in a restless pursuit after satisfaction in earthly things. They will exhaust themselves in the deceitful, the likes of sin and finding them all to be vanity and emptiness.

They will become very perplexed and disappointed. Never been there. I have but they will continue their fruitless search, though weary, they still stagger forward under the influence of spiritual madness, and though there is no result to be reached except for that of ever lasting disappointment yet they press forward. They have no forethought of their eternal state. The present hour absorbs them, they turned to another and another of Earth's broken cisterns, hoping to find water were not a drop was ever discovered yet. Sounds to me like Spurgeon had done some Old Testament reading and studying on the book of Ecclesiastes and one of the wisest men ever step foot on the planet. Solomon who he would at the end of his life begin recounting all of this pursuits all of the pleasure that he pursued all of the wisdom that he gained his career in leadership. He would look back and say I built all of the things I erected many great monuments that I I let my people well and you know what he would end up saying at the end of it all meaningless vanity vanity emptiness, emptiness, like a chasing after the wind. Never seen anybody run after the wind know because it's foolish.

You can't grab a hold of you can't grab that's what listen. That's what Jesus is saying we pursue secondary pursuits. It is emptiness it's foolish. It's like a chasing after the wind. That's why Jesus says if you want to pursue things it has to be visual pursue things that will give you full fulfillment and filling in life. It has to be the pursuit of righteousness, the pursuit of kingdom things is the only thing that is going to satisfy your inner longing, but word of kingdom pursuit start great question. Glad you asked. Point number three kingdom pursuit begins with a proper posture kingdom pursuit begins with a proper postulates exit go back to the first the first beatitude that Jesus gives us here this is work godly pursuit begins.

This is what he says.

Blessed are those who are poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, not what split for sure that we know what Jesus is not saying in this place. What is not saying is that your external poverty earns you the favor and approval of God that your external circumstance of being without you think that is not what earns you the favor and approval.

If it was, why would he instruct his disciples to take care of those that were in that place that's not what he saying what he is saying is this to be poor in spirit literally means to to posture your life in such a way like that of a beggar that you would posture your heart in your life every day with the posture of every never ever encountered someone who was begging never walked in the city of Durham or Raleigh or wherever it is you live or maybe went on a mission trip and you encountered someone begging they are posturing themselves in such a way that says I am in need of something that I cannot provide myself filming this two different postures that we take with our lives and we do it every single day there's the posture of pride that says I'm good.

I don't need it. I don't need your help friends need your assistance. I don't need your advice in my career I don't need you God. That's the posture of pride. But then there's the posture of humility' ability and listed according to Scripture. This is the posture that God begins his work in our life. The posture of humility. God deliberately designed the gospel when I say the gospel. What I mean by that is his plan of rescuing you from your great need. He deliberately designed the gospel in such a way to strip you of all of your pride and leave you without any grounds of boasting in yourself.

He completely destroys it.

There's no grounds at all. None. And the best part of that that's intentional by God.

That is his grace towards us. Why because it's our pride that got us into this mess to start with God.

I don't need you. I don't want you to go about my own way and it's our pride every day that keeps our hearts attached to secondary pursuits and so it's by God's grace that he orders that are laterally postured in humility, not in pride. And if you want to be a man or a woman that pursues kingdom things.

It going to have to start with an all out round by Bette Rabbi around total knockout battle with your pride every single day. You and I are going to have to go to war against our pride.

Nothing less than nothing. Nothing destroys our pride like rehearsing the truth of the gospel to ourselves daily limit just just do this will demonstration for you here. Ephesians chapter 2 verse eight for it is by grace you have been saved through faith, not by works works is I'm good I can accomplish this I got. It's not by your work. It's by grace you been saved through faith, so that no man may boast. Boasting grace James chapter 4 verse six God opposes the proud but he gives grace to the humble. Did you catch that it's not that God just kinda shakes. He said like there they go again. God stands in opposition to us in our state of pride, but he gives grace to those of us that posture lives in humility.

Proverbs chapter 13 verse 10 arrogance leads to nothing but strife. We know people like that right. We work with them. They might be in our home.

Okay like they got it all their good rights and the arrogant person everywhere they go. Strife and strife in suits.

There is strife in suits, but wisdom is gained by those who humbly accept advice. My favorite San Quentin chapter 12 verse nine but he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in your weakness. He goes on to say therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

You know what we love to boasting our ability, not the writer in San Quentin says it we find filling in power in boasting in our weakness. This lesson, the posture of the beggar is the posture that God longs and desires and that God blesses when we posture our lives in such a way every day like that of a beggar God fills you.

He does not leave you empty. He feels you everything with everything that you need for life and godliness. Listen to your walk with Christ. Your your first step your walk with Jesus.

It starts with the posture of humility, but you know what it is sustained every day in your life with the posture of humility David in the Old Testament was known as a man after the heart of God called him a man after God's own heart. You want to be a man or a woman after the heart of God proximity you would be near to the heart of God proximity to the heart of God begins with the posture of your heart, where God can work in what way are you posturing your life today is the posture of pride.

God I remember the day that that you rescued me and you save me. I remember that I was here, but today I'm here. What's the posture of your heart look like today I want to close by reading the parable of the prodigal son in the gospel of Luke chapter 15 you know it's sometime later after the sermon on the mount after Jesus says you know you very first beatitude. If you want to you want to start following me. You have to take the posture like that of a beggar.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven is your pursuit must be after kingdom things and not after secondary things. Sometime later he would illustrated beautifully in Luke chapter 15 in his life, as is teaching the people he began to say this, there was a man who had two sons, the younger one said to his father. Father give me my share of the estate so he divided everything that the son created to know the love and acceptance and joy and pleasure of the relationship with the father looked at the father and said I don't need you but I want the things that you owe me, so I'm going to take them and I'm going to go about on my own. If that sounds familiar, it should. Genesis chapter 3 with Adam in the garden of Eden was created for you.

I was created to know you but I want to take what I deserve them to go about my own way.

The prodigal son is no different.

Verse 13 not long after that, the younger son got together all that he had any set off for a distant country and there he squandered his wealth in wild living. He threw it all away strong squandered it all the pursuit of pleasure. He gave a lot of weight to pursuit of wisdom, the pursuit of a career gave a lot of weight to it only got worse for him. Look what else he says, and after he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country and he listened. He began to be in great need. Can't help but think that God in that moment was beginning to show the prodigal that his posture was here and he needed it to me here, but the prodigal did listen to try to fix it on his own. Look what happens next. So he went and he hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs he tried to keep building his own life in his own career is over. Susan's own ability. He longed to fill his stomach with the ponds that the pigs were eating, but no one would give him anything. It got so bad for him that he found himself longing to keep the scraps from the ping. Then in verse 17. The story begins to change when he came to his senses. The Greek word for repentance is that Inouye it means to have a change of mind when the prodigal son repented when he had a change of mind when he came to his senses, he said, how many of my father's hired men have despair and here I am starving to death. My father is a father that lavishes his love and his grace and his mercy on all. Not just as children but even as hired men in here and mine out in the foreign country pursuing the things that I think are of the utmost importance.

What am I doing here.

I will set out and go back to my father and say to him. Father have sinned against heaven, and I'm sending in you on the longer worthy to even be called your son. Make me like one of your servants. Never been to a place we had to go back to somebody and tell them that you wronged them. Could you imagine that moment you lived your life and posture in your life like this the whole way but God began to break you and eventually had to come back and humbly ask. No we have a misconception about God that we think in that place of repentance and God looks at us and think they are again there back. They want more grace, 70×7. An old rundown is not the love of your father is clearly chapter 15 listen to what the father did. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him and he ran to his son and he threw his arms around him and he kissed him and he welcomed him back home. Even though the sunset I don't need you. Even though the sunset I hated you, even though in that culture. That was a sign of completely cutting everything off.

He was dead to the father the son in his repentance came back to the father and the father did not stay far off. The father ran to his son. The father pursuant his son.

He ran to him and he covered him in his love and his joy and his acceptance and they are the son found his identity again as a son, your heavenly father has been pursuing you, and he did it through his son Jesus on the cross, will you continue to pursue secondary things and give them godly weight, they will leave you frustrated your entire life. What is the posture of your heart and pray with me.

Maybe you're here today and then you you recognize yourself as the prodigal pursuit of things and you think you you happiness and joy. The call of God to you is the same as that of the father to the prodigal son come home returned to me come to me all you who are weary I will give you rest. Come to me in your repentance and I will take you from death to life, but you have to come in humility you cannot come in there and it starts with this recognizing your need.

I'm a sinner and I'm in pursuit of my own things and I recognize your love and mercy towards me in Christ. I believe in Jesus Christ. Thank you for saving. Maybe you're here today and you been walking with Jesus for a long time, but the posture of your heart is turned into a posture of pride and honor, posture, and humility. The same call from the father to his children is there for us come to your senses and repent posture your heart in such a way where God in your weakness can fill you.

You may be weak, but his spirit is strong in you, God, we thank you for your work that you were doing in this place. Rethinking that in our place of humility in a place not posture like that of a beggar God. That's the place we find a complete need independency on you, and we lose self-reliance got destroyed us of our pride break our knees and open up our hands and we may be a people that are known as a people of humility.

Great need of your filling. We love you. Thank you for your work in this place today. In Jesus name, amen