Established | Rodrigo Vargas

It's been a few weeks for me. I think I might be rusty. Nah. But I want to tell you some why I was singing that song is as I navigate the storms of my life and carry the burdens of a church and try to claim authority over them. I'm excited yesterday. I finished my sermon. I prayed over it. I did this whole thing and I went out with Pastor Sarah all afternoon long. We went to rummage through an estate sale. That was fun. You know, go buy stuff. Old people died and left you, you know. We didn't buy anything. It was too old for us. And then, and then, I ain't gonna lie to y'all, we went to Walmart because Walmart has this like a fashion line for men. Don't sleep on it, man. I'm telling you. These pants are from Walmart. I'm telling you. And then we went to a nice dinner. It was great. It was great night. But the devil is alive. In the middle of the night, your boy, the devil tried to take me out. I got a stomach bug. I thought it was over for you but I was, hey listen, I was standing on the bathroom sink and I said, Lord is this it? Are you taking me to see you, Lord? I was sweating. I looked like the green emoji, you know what I'm saying? That green emoji, that was me, literally. There's a moment I was like, I was about to pass out. Poor Pastor Sarah's dead asleep. She don't know what's going on. But it was in that moment that I took authority over my body. The first thing I said is I won't throw up and I didn't throw up. And then I said the word is enough to heal me for I am an overcomer. And in the mighty name of Jesus, tomorrow come hell or high water. I'm preaching this word to the people of God. I'm preaching this word. I woke up rough and I probably need a long nap today but here we are full of fire and spirit, amen? Man, if this is your first time with us, I want you to know that you aren't just simply another guest to us, you're an answered prayer. We also want you to know that we exist to connect people to God with the life-giving message, the gospel of Jesus Christ. And that gospel says that it doesn't matter where you've been, what you've done, what you're presently experiencing or what doubts may weigh in your heart, he loves you right where you are. But he also loves you too much to leave you where you are. So if you came to get refuge, I believe refuge is on the way. If you came to look for sanctuary, I believe in the mighty name of Jesus

sanctuary is here. Across the airwaves, this includes every one of these incarcerated people that are watching right now through the Pando app. We love you Union Houston, can you help me welcome our Union prison campus? Hey, look, I tell you all the time, I may not be able to see you but you're never out of my heart and we look forward to the day that you walk in through those doors, man. So we've been in this sermon series called Rooted, it's all about becoming established in a loving relationship with Jesus Christ. A relationship Jesus Christ died to give us. So this is important, we've been on a journey, biblical journey about being rooted, about being grounded and about being established in Christ. Today I am coming to you with the word simply to talk to you about being established. Our faith is more than a Sunday ritual, it's more than religious activities, it's more than just a mere experience. The Apostle Paul says and where I got we got this rooted message series on, he says and this is in my own words, don't just know about Jesus, let Jesus fully live inside of you. Let him take over your heart, your mind, your habits, your pain and your purpose. When your life is deeply rooted in God's love through Jesus Christ, you'll begin to understand that this is bigger than religion, it is bigger than your feelings, it is bigger than knowledge itself, it's the overwhelming, endless, life-changing love of Christ. A love so wild. wide it reaches everybody so long it never gives up so high it will pull you out of darkness come on now and so deep it meets you in your lowest moments of your life and when you truly encounter that kind of love it won't just inspire you it'll begin to transform you feel you and make you more like Christ in every area of your life that's found in Ephesians chapter 3 verses 17 through 19 today we're going to look at Matthew chapter 7 verses 24 through 27 just four verses tucked at the end of what's known as Jesus's famous sermon the Sermon on the Mount also known as the Beatitudes now I want to tell you what that word Beatitude means because it ties into our sermon the Beatitudes is literally a Latin word that means blessedness blessedness these four extremely relevant verses are filled with revelations for the times we're

living in and Jesus closes the Beatitudes with a weighty warning filled with life-changing truth Matthew 7 Jesus confronts judgment and hypocrisy he challenges people not to obsess over the flaws of others but rather don't ignore the condition of your own heart he calls us into honest spiritual reflection is what he's doing he teaches the about the persistence of prayer unwavering faith and wholehearted trust in God however verse 15 he pivots he pivots from giving us a message about being blessed the hope of Jesus the hope of the gospel and he pivots with a serious warning watch out for false prophets I believe we're living in the age of the rise of the false prophets of ferocious wolves ferocious wolves dressed in sheep's clothing charismatic smooth-talking convincing hourly spiritual but inwardly dangerous creating their own version of truth my god I want to drop some names right now keep your mouth shut pastor odd you will recognize them by their fruit that's the problem with us Americans we want an influencer for a pastor we don't want to look at the pastor that has actual fruit we don't want to look at the pastor that doesn't do the sexy things but actually goes into the prisons that actually mentors and loves on people that are going through recovery that actually loves to preach to our people to our campus in the in the in the prison I love to do that I don't need to get booked into a conference I don't need to be the lead speaker at a seminar this is the place I'm called to this pulpit is where I'm called to fruit are they faithful are they loving are they compassionate do they love children the way Jesus did you know even little Zion knows the truth about that she she knows Zion is one of the children of one of the pastors here she says pastor rod doesn't get mad at children he only gets mad at the grown-up and I said that is true that is true that is true Jesus is warning us that many people will be deceived and on the day of judgment listen we don't like to talk about this in church there will be a day of judgment well we will all stand before Jesus and some of us will say Lord Lord didn't we prophesy did not serve at Union you did our time it wasn't on our worship team at Union Houston my God and Jesus will say I never knew you I don't know about you

but those words rattle me spiritually I don't want to hear those words I didn't I didn't give up my old life and start this whole new life of burdens that and carry in my cross to hear I never knew you no no no I want to know I want to hear job good and faithful job well done. see it is possible to build a version of Christianity around what feels good, sounds good, satisfies the flesh. while never truly surrendering our life to Jesus for true transformation Jesus warns us without giving us, he never warns us without giving us the actual truth. he never exposes deception without revealing the truth of what will keep us established. so turn to your Bibles Matthew chapter 7 verses 24 through 27 and would you stand as we read the Word of God Jesus says therefore everyone, not some, not the church, not the saints, not the pastors, not the prophets, not the influencers, but everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. then the rain came down and the streams rose and the winds blew and beat against that house yet it did not fall because it had its foundation on the rock. but everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. the rain came down the streams rose and the winds blew and beat against that house and it fell with a great crash. let's pray. Father God we thank you. thank you for your word. Jesus we honor you and lift high your name. you are a banner over us right now. and in your mighty name we ask you to send the Spirit of God to minister to us, to speak to us, to reveal to us, to show us the things that we've been missing and that we need to start applying into our lives. if there is anyone here that is in a place of despair, finding themselves hopeless, Lord today speak to them specifically. for I know today is a day of divine appointment. Holy Spirit help me deliver this message and that it may honor and satisfy our Lord Jesus. and I pray this in Jesus mighty name and the people of God said amen amen amen. you may be seated you know there's many ways to build a home and Jesus's words are still

relevant today as they were 2,000 years ago. you you can throw together a couple of sticks and some banana leaves right and and build yourself a little home a little shack on dirt right. now we here in Texas you can get you a little old manufactured home and go out into the country right and put about I don't know 30 cinder blocks down and boom you got yourself a house until them tornadoes come right. or you can build on true foundation a real foundation. now here's what's interesting is a real foundation takes time. engineers must go and survey the land that you want to put the foundation in. they you know what they survey the land for? they survey the land for fault lines, for floodplain. so when you buy a house they'll tell you oh this isn't a floodplain. they'll look at it for toxic materials in the ground. contractors will clear the land, will level it, will trench it, will measure it, set the rebar got and then pour all the concrete and then you got to let it sit long enough for it to cure. can I tell you pouring a foundation, building a foundation is lengthy, it's costly, and it's hard work. so what I'm about to talk to you today is lengthy, it's costly, and it's hard work. however what's built that way will last. it will stand hundreds if not thousands of years withstanding rain, storms, hurricanes, and Jesus's words teach us something deeper than just just construction. What I'm trying to tell you is what you build on matters. What you build on matters. Storms will hit every house, especially if you live in Houston, Texas, right? We've been through, we've been through hurricanes season in and out. My God, we survived Harvey. We know all about storms, but only one will stand once it blows over. Let's read that again. He said, the rain came down, the streams rose, the winds blew, and they beat against that house. Yet it did not fall because it had its foundation on the rock. Verse 25. There's one thing that is consistent with Jesus is that it's not a matter of if, but a matter of when. He never says if, he says when. He prepares us truthfully. In this life you will have trouble, but take heart. In my teaching is what he says. Jesus says, and then the rain came. He's letting us know, listen, you want to live the blessed life? You need to know how to get through your storm.

The storm is coming. And so what we have to ask ourselves today is, what have I built on? What have I built on? I want to give you the real life account of two different builders. This is why this is important. The first builder we find in scriptures, his name is Noah. I love the story of Noah or the accounts of Noah because Noah is, was a farmer, you know, like old McDonald. He just had chickens and donkeys out there. He's just a farmer. He's just a country hit. He lived out there in Sealy, Texas and one of them cinder block trailer homes. Okay. But he's happy. He's just a hit. He's a farmer. Yeehaw. He uneducated, right? He doesn't have an engineering degree. He doesn't have, he didn't, he, hey, where's the best architectural firm in Israel? He had no investors. He had no board of directors and he had no resources. Let's be honest. He would be the last person you call on. Don't say, Oh, I call on, listen, you know, you and I both know on paper on his CV, we know don't hire that fool to build an, a ship that will, will save all humanity. You're, you're just not going to do it. But the word of God says the following, this is powerful. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time. And he walked faithfully with God. He is righteous, blameless and faithful. Why? We're about to find out why he was not educated. He was not famous. He was not wealthy, but he was rooted. Are you seeing what I'm saying? He was rooted. He was righteous. He was blameless. He was faithful. He was true to God's word. And so when God trusted him with a word of what was coming of what to build and how to build it, 300 cubits here. What's a cubit by the way? I'm still trying to figure out what a cubit is. And 50 cubits there, some wood here, go and get it, put, shave it down, put it in. You know what Noah did? He heard the word of the Lord and he put it into practice, immediately followed it to the letter. You know what he didn't do is, ah, that doesn't feel good. That, that, ah, it offends my politics. There was no pushback. There was no second guessing from Noah. There was no calling a consult. Let me call my mentor real quick. Hey, what do you think about this word the Lord just told me? He just obeyed. He put the words he heard into practice. There's a second builder I want introduce you this is a company by the name of White Star Lines. They were resourced by the best financial institutions. Basically the Rothschilds. You feel me? And we all know I like a little conspiracy. Okay the Rothschilds are always involved in something nefarious. Clip that and put it on

Instagram it's okay I take the heat I want all the smoke. They always behind the nefarious stuff. Engineered by brilliant naval architects y'all. Built by thousands of skilled workers. Using the most advanced technology of their day. They declared this ship unsinkable. The Titanic by the way was the symbol of human achievement. Proof that ingenuity wealth and expertise could conquer even the roughest of seas. And it sank on his first voyage before ever ever hit the other shores by hitting listen to me a remnant of an old storm. Oh my god that's the word. Listen some of you here are hitting the remnant of an old storm. Noah's Ark built by a farmer following the Word of God survived the cataclysmic global event that even scientists say yep this happened. The Titanic built by the best humans had to offer sank before it ever reached its destination. Can I tell you what you build on matters most when your world gets rocked. When your world gets rocked what you build on matters most. Jesus was spot-on. Then the rain came. Hear me out. Both of them experienced the storm. The flood came for Noah and the iceberg came for the Titanic. Whether they knew it or not it came. Your troubles, your problems, your pain, your despair don't care about your credentials. It could care less about how many degrees you had. It could care less about how successful you are. They don't check your bank account to make sure that you're ready for the problems that are coming. Suffering doesn't care how much you know, how much you memorize, how many followers you got, or what your reputation is. Storms is no respecter of persons and the only thing that determines whether you stand or crash is what you build on. Because if there's one thing I recognize is that storms reveal what's real. It's the only way we learn. I hear you talking all the time, right? Hey, how you doing? Blessed and highly favored, Pastor. Is that the same to you talking when you're facing calamity? I've learned this the hard way. Navigating my own stories of my own life. The truth is that storms of life do two things that nothing else can do. I drew this from my own experience and I could see it in Scripture. This is why Jesus is saying. If there's, we live in a part of Houston, right outside of Spring Branch, that is notorious for foundations

cracking. As a matter of fact, if you ever come to my house, my daughter Eva's room has like this crack like right here. Like it's ugly. I'm about to name that crack. I'm gonna give it a name of some sort. The Strait of Horboos. That's what I'm gonna call it. This thing is an eyesore. And so about a year ago or so, I had an engineer come out and tell me, hey bro, like is my foundation cracked? And he came out there and he did all these gadgets and these calculations. Little Asian guy had a calculator bigger than my iPad here. And he just told me, no your foundation is fine. However, you have some leaning here that you probably want to address in the next five to ten years. You got to make sure that you grade, you water, and all that stuff. He says, your foundation isn't experiencing shifting pressure. Here's what I'm trying to tell you is, pressure magnifies your problems. I got I got some shift in my foundation you hear that but it's the pressure that's gonna crack it see you may have never thought of it this way but when you're dealing with problems pressure has a way of magnifying them let me tell you something you may have pressure at work I'm talking men are notorious for this you have pressure at work and you come home and you take it out on a poor spouse and kids come home and kick the dog what did the dog do to you it's because you've got pressure at work because because because you work for the daughter of Satan I worked for the daughter of Saints whoo my god worship music all the way home I didn't want to take that stuff with me to my house listen you may have listen you may have pressure at home maybe maybe I I don't know man or woman maybe you're like the nagging spouse what is the problem say it's better to be on the roof of the house on the corner of the house and with a nagging wife maybe your problems out I'm talking real real maybe the problems at home and you go and you take it out at work you don't work like you're supposed to you don't work well with your co-workers you're mean to them you're short with them your productivity is low because you have pressure at home every single one of us I'm gonna prove it to you every single one of us will experience the joys of a flat tire moment in life can I get an amen some of

us will have few you know but if you listen here's the thing that I've learned about a flat tire moment if you're already low on funds if you're already late for work if you're already battling some health issues if you're already carrying some tension with the relationships you're carrying that small problem will suddenly become DEFCON 4 you're contacting your spiritual leader pray for me intercept tell the whole prayer team we got a fast spiritual attack the enemy's out to get me this was over the dream I dreamt about the Lord was warning us no no no you're making mountains out of molehills because pressure really magnifies what's already happening I'm about to bring it bring it home underneath the surface and so what you've got to look is you got to look underneath you you got to look inwardly at your soul let's remember what Jesus said why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye while ignoring the plank in your own verse 3 of chapter 7 life has pressure you ready for this one but so does hidden sin and so when you have hidden sin it adds pressure to your already faulty foundation pressure from unrepented sins it means that you believe Jesus died for you but you're not willing to repent about smoking weed every day you're unwilling to repent for using the money that's supposed to go to your family and let me go buy some dope let me go to the bar it means that you are not willing to relinquish that to the Lord let me give you this one unconfessed sin this is a big one unconfessed why I'm gonna tell you why you you have unconfessed it is you have attached shame to that sin but I want to tell you about a cross on Calvary that shattered that shame but you got to confess the sin for Calvary to become real in your life pride I don't need no one know my business wives don't tell nobody about her business. Don't you go tell pastor about her business, it's me your problem. Hi Pastor! I can always tell when a couple walks in and they're like walking on eggshells right they're walking on eggshells right oh they must have gotten a fight in the car and I try to get the man I always try to get hey what happened bro you know and and the wife's like because hey she knows the moment I get him alone he ain't gonna help but oh man I messed up you're all right don't you have to tell pastor what's pastor gonna think I'm gonna tell you

what pastor's gonna think you're a human being dealing with things I'm not gonna ever look at you any different husbands and wives have been fighting for 8 000 years you know what I'm saying Adam and Eve will break her in why'd you eat the apple you told you you were standing right there these fig leaves itch why'd you pick fig leaves bro arguing since 8 000 years ago my wife looked for things to argue with me about go to my daughter's graduation and it takes us to a dead end I said okay I'm driving can you look at where we're supposed to go they all like looking at me like bro I can't take you don't want me to text and drive and you're like looking at your tiktok so looking at sourdough recipes get off tiktok and tell me where to go we find where to go and and I'm driving I'm like wait wait there's a parking garage with that my daughter's instructions say parking garage but my wife says commencement parking right here and at that point it was like so I parked in the commencement parking and then when we got closer to the theater the parking garage our darling instructive daughter told us the parking was right there and all of a sudden what was her mistake of telling me commencement parking right here became my fault you see the parking garage like I can't believe this I can't believe this it's been happening for 8 000 years so I'm trying to tell you so don't ever be afraid like you know like to your pastor the more I know the more I intercede for you the more I'm gonna give you the word of God pride but it's pride I it sounds funny and silly right it's your pride I'm gonna tell you something pride is the sin of Lucifer and when you're prideful and you don't I don't need nobody in my business neither did Lucifer hardened hearts I'll never let them do that to me again unhealthy habits whether it's drinking lusting masturbating fornicating idolatry abusing substances whether legal or illegal all of it is unstable and it's the foundation that is beneath us we blame God listen we blame God for the consequences of what we've built our lives on the storm only exposes what's underneath some storms don't sink you with the waves you can see they sink you with the hidden iceberg beneath the surface some of us not are we are titanic and then suddenly even the smallest of issue causes exaggerated reactions you want to see an honest moment in church raise your hand if you ever had an exaggerated

reaction it's not going to be many hands exaggerated race explosive emotional responses like I can't believe right hopelessness oh my god it's the end of the world is it did you hear the horns you hear the trumpets or something I didn't hear them you know anger anxiety despair depression you know what we did we go get pills for it have you ever overreacted to a situation later to realize the real issue wasn't that moment but it was everything that you built that moment up to be what if the real problem is not the problem itself but you've built your identity your joy your peace your purpose your security on the wrong foundation because whatever is broken in your foundation whatever cracks whatever cracks you've been patching up with religion and busyness and performances and excuses and pretending pressure will find it pressure doesn't create the problem, it merely reveals that it was there all along. The person that loses his job and falls apart wasn't destroyed by the layoffs. He destroyed himself by building a foundation, by finding his identity in that job, by worshiping it, by canceling his connect group because he's gotta go to this seminar, because he's gotta go up in stature, because he's gotta do something. And so you built your life on something not strong enough to withstand the pressures of life. That relationship crumbles under hardship wasn't killed by the hardship, by the offense, by the betrayal, let me tell you something, the cracks were already there and the pressure just made them impossible to ignore. The second thing I've realized is that stress reveals sins. Let me give you the definition of stress. Stress is the body's reaction to any change that requires adjustment.

It's what psychologists call the fight or flight response. You heard that? Can I say it this way? I realized that God has wired us in such a way to recognize threats and respond physically. Watch this, when you're under stress, your heart raises, your heart rate raises, right? You're breathing, start breathing, right? I can always tell when my wife is under stress and she can tell when I'm under stress, right? We have two different reactions, but we know each other enough to know, oh, he's under stress, right? Something physically, I clenched my jaw, right? Right? I mean, these are physical. Your senses sharpen, your palms get sweaty, right? My feet get sweaty. Yeah, I've been watching TV shows with people hanging off cliffs and stuff, you know? And I'm like, why are my feet sweaty? God, dog. You know, stress, I like that adrenaline stuff, you know? Everybody responds differently under stress. Some people explode in anger. Some people get defensive and attack you for you just trying to help them. Some play the victim, you know? They play the victim. Oh my God, this always happens to me.

You know people like that? Don't point at them. Don't look at them. Hey, we all know that one person. Oh my God, it happened to me again. We're under attack. I thought the word of God said that we are co-heirs with Christ. Co-heirs with Christ. Not a smidgen of what Christ got, but we share the inheritance with Christ. So you can tell they're not built on it. They're built on what happened to them. Some people break down crying. Some just shut down, give up altogether. But what if some of those reactions are really something deeper spiritually? What if the reason we panic, we strive, we crumble, we control, is because we truly don't believe we're secure in Christ? This is the truth. This is the truth that we aren't actually saved, that we aren't actually forgiven, that we aren't actually redeemed, that we aren't really children of the Most High God. Why? Because we've been hiding something. The enemy doesn't need to make up new lies about you. He just amplifies the shame you're already hiding in your hearts.

He's already just, that's it. You know what Jesus said about the hearts? He said it's full of violence, sexual immorality, murder, murder in our hearts, especially when there's hidden sin. We haven't surrendered to God. The enemy knows your unresolved sin, and he creates an instability, whispering, they'll never love you. They'll never forgive you. You'll never be enough. That was my whisper for so long. You'll never be enough. Nobody cares. Nobody understands. words that are truth that will destroy the lies that i just read to you jesus does jesus loves you jesus forgives you jesus knows you jesus understands you and not only does he see you he will meet you at your lowest place in life with mercy when you bring your entire life with humility and honesty what what if the stress is isn't just emotional what if it's not what what if that fight or flight feeling is revealing areas of life that need to be still need to be surrendered and crucified because when we stop trusting god when we stop putting him first when we try to find peace purpose joy when we try to find identity and security in the things of this world the foundation beneath you will crumble maybe stress the stress fracture isn't random at all it's just what you've built your whole life on i believe the spiritual reaction to a spiritual condition requires spiritual alignment because when life squeezes you what comes out of you is whatever you're full of when pressure hits and nobody is looking who do you become you become bitter do you become a raving maniac angry at everyone and everything do you become controlling self-medicating self-serving or do you become steadier

more prayerful do you become a worship warrior do you become anchored in jesus christ the answer will reveal what your foundation is stress is one of the most honest spiritual diagnostic tools god has allowed into your life it doesn't flatter you stress is not going to flatter you it is it doesn't hide your weakness it's going to expose your weakness it reveals what you're really established so here's what we're going to do is the things we need to be establishing the question is we must answer today is what are you building on what are you building on what are you building on jesus said the rain that wise man built on the rock what is the rock well i'm gonna tell you what the rock is and i found that these are three anchors that hold that rock three things that when your world gets rocked will hold you three things you must be establishing i gotta be honest with you i'm only gonna get to one today and i'm not gonna hurry it up because this message is too powerful it's it's too important it's too relevant and there's a lot to chew on and digest so we're going to start with one you're going to end with one and we'll continue next week but you got to build on the word of god you got to build on the word of god you got to build your life on the word of god you got to build your life on the word of god jesus is explicit everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them in to practice that's the rock the world the word of god put into practice i i know this isn't a very sexy word i'm about to give you especially in the world of seeker friendly churches and attractional churches you know but we adhere to this word here at union houston and we believe that it carries power you don't want to know what that word is the word is obedience obedience to the word of god not to doctrine i'm not talking about obedience to doctrine i'm not talking about obedience to your denomination i'm not talking about obedience to your pastor or even a church i'm talking about being obedient to the word of god so when it says turn the other cheek turn the other cheek when it says that you should pray for those who persecute you should pray for those who pray when it says that you gotta love your enemy you better darn well he means love your enemy when he says you gotta love your neighbor the way you love yourself you gotta love your neighbor the way you love yourself Jesus often said, let those who have ears hear. The actual word he uses is Sheba. You've heard this from me.

It literally means to obey or to put into practice. He says this in Luke 8, 11, verse 28. Blessed are rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it. Not the person who attends church every Sunday. Not the person who is faithful to their connect group. All those things are good. Right? All those things are good. Not the person that owns the biggest Bible. Right? The fanciest Bible. Not the person who can quote scripture for every problem in your life. Right? But the person who hears it and does it. The word is not meant to be admired from a distance. Oh, look at that. If my wife would just apply that to her life. That's what we do. That's what I mean by, you know. If so and so would actually read the scriptures. Know that truth. This is what we do. It is meant to be built into the architecture of your life. It gives you life. It gives you sustenance. Noah didn't just hear the word of God. He obeyed it. Exactly. Explicitly. Completely.

Without editing it down to what was convenient, what was comfortable, or what was palatable in his day and age. Let me tell you something. Noah received this word. He was already old. Okay? He was already old. And they thought, all the people around them thought he was crazy. Because he's saying it's going to rain for 40 days and 40 nights. It's going to rain. And they're like, rain? What is rain? See, what you miss about the story of Noah is that it had never rained before. Rain didn't exist. Noah was saying something is coming you've never seen before. And for, listen to me, 120 years this man built, followed, obeyed, got made fun of. They thought he was crazy. Look at Noah and his children. They clowns. He wasn't making it comfortable, convenient, or palatable for his culture. Yet the scripture says he was blessed. The word of God is not a self-help tool. I'm so tired of these self-help books. Here's what you need. You don't need another self-help book. You don't need another self-help coaching strategy. You need to digest this word of God. You need to start applying the word of God. You need to start knowing and living out these scriptures. The word of God is not a spiritual supplement. Some of y'all treat the word of God like it's your spiritual supplement, the way I treat protein and creatine.

No, the word of God is hitting the weights in the gym. It's doing the work. You got to grind that thing out. Hey, listen. Some of y'all are trying to drink spiritual protein and not hit a single weight in your life. I'm not going to call you out, but you know what I'm thinking of you. There's something wrong with me. The word of God is not just a daily ritual, a routine we do. The word of God is the rock that every follower of Jesus Christ, every disciple of Jesus Christ must build their lives on. Listen to me carefully. Far too many people are living deceived. We've allowed, listen, you've allowed the standards of this world shape you. You've conformed to the ways of this world by watching news outlets. But you don't understand, Pastor Rod, Fox News. Breitbart, that's another one. They love Breitbart. Okay, these are all human beings spinning the stuff with their biases, y'all. Tell me what it says in Colossians chapter one. That's what I want to know. I don't need to know what Fox News and CNN say. So many of us have built. Let the world shape us through influencers, politicians, cultural voices, trickster preachers who sound like they know. He got a new revelation from God. Coo. So special. I wonder why the apostle Paul never mentioned you in his epistles that you were coming. God, you're gonna save humanity with this new revelation. Get, get out of here, bro. Snake oil salesman.

And what they do is, but listen, it's not all their fault. Part of it is our fault. We wanna go to churches where we're told what we wanna hear. Oh, he good, he good, because he made you feel good. But did he change your life for good? That's what's important. Give me the rawness, give me the real, real. I need to know that I need to work on my holiness. I need to know that I need to work on reverence. I need to know that I need to work on my unrepentant sins. That's what I need to know. I don't need you to tell me how great I am. The Lord already told me that. And so these half-truths are fed to people and is dressed up in wisdom because they're on the biggest stages because they're all part of the church industrial complex. And we take those lives, even the ones that sound spiritual and we build our lives on them. And then it comes crashing down. And we say, oh, I'm church hurt because so-and-so had an affair. Well, I could have told you he was gonna have an affair. He had wolf written all over him. You know what I'm saying? Like, it didn't take rocket science. Just look at the fruit. You know, just look at the fruit. We build on success as defined by the world.

We build on money and materialism. We build on political ideologies, cultural ideologies, racial division, selfish ambition, personal feelings. What's the other one they do is your ancestors. Man, if y'all don't get out of here with this ancestor stuff. The ancestors were having orgies in the middle of a jungle. Okay? That thing you call indigenous, like traditions, it's witchcraft. They just didn't know the word of God. I'm gonna have the indigenous tribe of Houston reach out. Good, I'm gonna tell you where to find the God you were worshiping in the plains of Wyoming. I'm gonna introduce him to you. His name is Yahweh. He is the beginning and the end. I got no shame in what I believe in. Neither should you, but you gotta build on it. It's okay to offend some people sometimes. Some even build on religious ideas all while rapping it. Y'all love doing this. Some of y'all Christians love doing it. You rap it in biblical language. And then when life collapses, so does your faith. Because the foundation wasn't never on God's word. I want to remind you what Hebrews chapter four verse 12 says for the word of God is alive and active. It didn't say that it lived and it worked. It says it is alive and active,

sharper than any double-edged sword. It penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and the attitudes because it's full of murder and sexual immorality. The word of God is alive. It is active. It is not dead history. It is an ancient philosophy. It is present tense word for your present tense storm. Come on now. If it cuts through, listen, it cuts through our motives. It cuts through our pride. It's gotta hurt. It's gotta offend you. I'm tired of people saying, pastor, why were you talking about me? No, God was talking about you. It cuts through our thoughts, our attitudes, our flesh, and it exposes what is truly ruling your heart. And here's the danger. You can hear the word your entire life. You can aim in the best of preachers and still never be established in the word of God because hearing it without obedience is like building on sand. The difference between the. wise man and the foolish man in jesus's parable was not what they heard

both heard the word of god the difference was what they did once they heard the word of god the storm you are facing may be bigger than money it may require more than doctors it may require more than attorneys they may require more than counseling it may require more than a miracle it may require more than wisdom and support but none of those things can hold life together if it is not established in the whole word of god i have to be honest with you i believe this is a prophetic warning for the times we're living in i'm going to jump into that part next week i got some good stuff too i'm going to touch on all the things you've been hearing in the news even if you're not currently in a storm listen to me a storm is forming somewhere on your horizon i've had to learn that myself the world is filled with confusion and darkness wars rumors of wars ukraine russia us iran israel invading their neighbors pushing back boundaries division among the nations the pakistanis don't like the indians the indians hate the chinese tension across the globe rapid technological advancement through ai hey let me tell you something it's reshaping humanity before our very eyes at a very rapid rate if you don't believe me just watch a documentary called the ai doc and the first 15 minutes will rock you to your core a culture so confused that we live in people actually debate basic truths about identity what is a woman what is a man uh i know about morality i'm gonna hit some tough ones i'm gonna i'm gonna be honest with you with you if you have a baby in a womb that is life it's life it's like you can hate me you can call me whatever you want you can you can call it your choice but here's what i'm calling it it's called murder that's what it's called and just because the united states government says it's okay to murder your unborn child the word of god says you have no right to that child that child is his and before you even knew you were pregnant he had sent them to you that's the truth it's hard isn't it if your footing is not firmly on the whole council of the word of god which is the only thing that doesn't move it's the only thing that doesn't fail is the only thing that is eternal is the only thing that is sure is the only thing that cannot be shaken if you don't put your trust in that your mind will be shaken your spirit disturbed

your faith is stabilized but those who hear the word of god and put it into practice building on firm foundation they'll stand so what is the spirit of god speaking to you right now and i want to close with this encouragement maybe this word was tough it was meant to be tough but i also want to give you the truth that the word is god you see the word of god i've learned says that in the beginning was the word word and the word was with god and the word was god and you know what else that scripture says it says that the word became flesh and he dwelt among us that means that the word knows your pain that means that the word knows your weakness that means that the word knows your emotions your fears your mental anguish and he knows your suffering jesus suffered more than anyone will ever suffer yet he stepped down from heaven and he walked among broken people like me and you the word the word suffered and the word died for us the word says that his love for us is this that while we were still sinners the word christ died for us the word knew you before your parents ever held you the word knows the numbers of hairs on your head the word is the only one that can truly save you that can truly sustain you that can restore you redeem you rescue you and that word has a name and his name is jesus christ of nigeria baby and if any of this resonated with you today this is your moment to fully surrender and say jesus i don't want a piece of the word i want the full counsel of the word of god be written on the tablets of my heart today i choose to stop building on shifting sands of the world today i choose not to live on bread alone but by every word that comes out of the mouth of god today today i choose to be established in the word of god would you stand with me we have prayer partners up here at the front i'm here to pray for you i want you to bow your heads and close your eyes for just a moment i'm letting the spirit of god move in this place to really speak to you i really said this in the beginning and i say it again i know someone here today came with a divine appointment to hear exactly what god has for you what god wants for you and what god wants from you i want to offer you an opportunity to receive the word into your heart and to say i believe jesus is the son of god that he lived suffered and died for my sins and was buried but on the third day he rose again so that i can live a new life and today i choose to give my life to him be established in the word of jesus so if that's you would you do me a favor shoot up your hand

shoot up your hand shoot up your hand shoot up your hand shoot up your hand yes lord yes jesus thank you god god thank you lord that you are still in the saving business that you're still in the healing business lord and in this place we declare that we have the authority to overcome our storms to overcome our problems