Good Fruit | Kyle Idleman

Well, hello, Pando family. My name is Matt Robinson, and I'm a Grateful Recovering Alcoholic and Drug Addict, and I'm a pastor here at Southeast Christian Church, and we're so glad you're with us today. I want to encourage you to please, as you're connecting with us, to write in. I had an incredible time this week getting to respond to some letters from you all, and it was such a blessing for me to be reminded that, man, no matter what, we can stay sober no matter where we are, no matter what's going on in our life or where we find ourselves at, that we can stay sober, so writing back with you all that wrote in was such a blessing. So please, take some time, write in, let us know what God is doing in your life, let us know the one-at-a-time stories that are happening in your life, and it just means a lot to us to connect with you like that. Also, if you're enjoying the content that you're receiving through Southeast Christian Church on this Pando app, please don't take the guesswork out of that, and just hit the subscribe button, and that way, every time we load something new, be it Bible study, podcasts, worship gathering, every time we put something up, if you're subscribed, you're going to get it. So hit the subscribe button today and take the guesswork out of whether or not you've missed something that's popped up. You know, this is a weekend that is normally set aside to celebrate the sanctity of life, and so here on Pando with us at Southeast, that's what we want to do, too. We want to celebrate the sanctity of life, and sanctity of life simply means that we believe, because of what God has told us in His Word, that every single person has an intrinsic value that was created by God. So from the point of conception on, you have a value that God has given you simply because you are alive. You know, and I think for some of us, sometimes we think through the sanctity of life, or we allow other people's messages about who we are or how unvaluable we are, or we allow the thoughts about what we've done or circumstances in our life to kind of impact what we think about ourself. But on this sanctity of life weekend, I really want you to lock in on that value really is

determined by what somebody's willing to pay for something. Like if I have a watch that I want to sell you, and that watch is supposedly worth $1,000, and it's a great watch, and it's really nice, but if all you're going to give me is $100 for that watch, the value of that watch is determined by what you're willing to pay for, which is $100. So no matter what has gone on in your life, no matter what choices you may or may not have made, or what was done to you or done around you, anything that impacts your thought of that, this sanctity of life weekend, we want you to lock in on that, that your value comes from God who created you. I'm really excited for this sermon today. Kyle is preaching through a short series called Planted, and being deeply rooted is what we're talking about today, setting the foundation for our life. And so I'm confident that if you lock in with a mindset of, okay, God, what do you want me to hear today? There's going to be some great stuff for you to lock into that'll encourage you on your walk with Him. So let's get ready to worship. Sometimes you gotta dance through the darkness, sing to the fire, praise when it don't make sense. Sometimes you gotta stand down the giant, worship from the lion's den. Sometimes you gotta shout it from the mountain, louder in the valley, trusting that He's gonna get you there. Sometimes you gotta welcome the wonder, wait for the answer, worship with your hands in the air. I'll praise you anywhere. Praise, give Him praise. Come on. Give Him praise, give Him praise in the highest. He is worthy. Yes, He is worthy of all of the praise.

Hallelujah. Sometimes you gotta praise in the prison, cry out to heaven, shout till the doors swing wide. Sometimes you gotta stand on your shackles, brave it in the battle, worship with your hands held high. I'll praise you anywhere. Praise, give Him praise, give Him praise in the highest. Praise, give Him praise, give Him praise in the highest. He is worthy. ♪ He is worthy of all of the praise, give Him praise ♪ Come on, sing it out today. ♪ He is worthy of all of the praise, give Him praise ♪ ♪ In the highest seat, He is worthy, you see ♪ ♪ He is worthy of all of the praise, oh Lord ♪ ♪ Oh Lord, this is my testimony, God ♪ ♪ Faithful all my life, blessings day and night ♪ ♪ Countless reasons why, I'll praise You anyway ♪ ♪ Every promise kept, goodness every step ♪ ♪ Each and every breath, I'll praise You, come on, sing ♪ ♪ Faithful all my life, blessings day and night ♪ ♪ I'll praise You anyway, every promise kept ♪ ♪ Goodness every step, each and every breath ♪ ♪ I'll praise You anyway, oh Lord ♪ ♪ Praise, give Him praise, you see ♪ ♪ In the highest praise, give Him praise, give Him praise ♪ ♪ In the highest, He is worthy, yes He is worthy of all of the praise ♪ ♪ Give Him praise, give Him praise, in the highest praise ♪ ♪ Oh we love You, God, oh He is worthy, yes He is worthy of all of the praise ♪ ♪ Is worthy of all of the praise, just have Your way ♪ ♪ Oh He is worthy, yes He is worthy of all of the praise ♪

Church, we're so thankful for the Lord today. He is good and worthy to be praised. Sing this out. ♪ Don't forsake them, bless the Lord so seek His face ♪ ♪ Bend the knee and fix the gaze on Jesus ♪ ♪ They won't be shaken, come on and praise the Lord with me ♪ ♪ Sing if you love His name, come on and praise the Lord with me ♪ ♪ And lift your voice with me, He's worthy of all our praise ♪ ♪ And bless those who walk with Him, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage with Jesus ♪ ♪ They'll see His glory, bless those who die to live, whose joy it is to give it all for Jesus and for Him only, oh Jesus all for Your glory, come on and praise the Lord with me ♪ ♪ Come on and praise the Lord with me, sing if you love His name, come on and lift your voice with me, He's worthy of all our praise ♪ ♪ Sing if you love His name, come on and lift your voice with me, He's worthy of all our praise ♪ ♪ If we are offering all we seek, sing if you love His name, come on and praise the Lord with me, oh Jesus all for Your glory, come on and praise the Lord with me ♪ ♪ Come on and praise the Lord with me, oh Jesus all for Your glory, come on and lift your voice with me, He's worthy of all our praise ♪ Come on, lift your hands, let's sing. So bless God in the sanctuary. Bless God in the fields of plenty. Bless God in the darkest valley. Every chance I get. Come on, you sing. Bless God in every season, every circumstance. Hey! Bless God when nobody's watching. Every chance I get, I'll bless you. Bless God when the whip is falling. Bless God when the walls are falling. Bless God because He goes before me. Every chance I get, I'll bless you. Bless God for He holds the victory. Bless God for He's always with me.

Bless God for He's always worthy. Every chance I get, I'll bless you. Come on, give Him praise. Every chance I get, I'll bless you. Amen. Come on and praise the Lord with me. Sing if you love His name. Come on and lift your voice with me. Come on and lift your voice with me. Oh, bring it on for me. Won't you sing, won't you sing? Come on and lift up your holy hands. He's worthy of all our praise. He's worthy of all our praise. Sing you're worthy. You're worthy of all our praise. Come on, that's true church. Can we celebrate that together today? Amen. You guys can grab a seat. Amen. Psalm 34. I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak His praises. I will boast only in the Lord. Let all who are helpless take heart. Come, let us tell of the Lord's greatness. Let us exalt His name together. Let us sing together. Taste and see that the Lord is good.

Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in Him. We're gonna take a moment to pause as we worship and we're gonna remember the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Our refuge, our hiding place, our safe haven. And you see, Jesus came to be put to death on a cross, a perfect savior for a price that was ours to pay. And the cross is evidence of His faithfulness, of His goodness, of His kindness, of His mercy for us. And I don't know about you, but me, when I take a moment just to pause and to reflect on what that means for my life, I can't help but turn my attention to Him, to point all of my affection towards Him, to make Him the center of everything. So that's all this moment is, a moment of refuge if you need it. I don't know what you're walking through. Like we just sung, maybe right now you would look around your life and you would say that is a field of plenty season. Maybe you see blessing everywhere you turn, that's amazing. But I know for some of us today, maybe you woke up this morning after a night where you went to bed and all you had to hold onto was the hope you have of today, a darkest valley night. Wherever you find yourself today, there is hope in Jesus because of what He's done on the cross.

There is refuge in Jesus because of what He's done on the cross. So as you hold the elements, as you reflect, as you give Him thanks, would you just take a moment to make Him the center of your perspective today? And then the invitation is to respond by taking communion and then would you give Him the praise that He deserves, church? You can do that whenever you're ready. Three of a Kind I could sing your name for all my life And still find more to love each time Jesus be the name ever on my lips It's sweeter every time that I call on it There's just something about your name There's just something about your name There's just something about your name That makes me cry holy There is no other name There is no other name There is no other name Jesus you're worthy You have been the friend who never left I won't forget your faithfulness Jesus be the name ever on my lips It's sweeter every time that I call on it There's just something about your name There's just something about your name There's just something about your name

That makes me cry holy There is no other name There is no other name There is no other name Jesus you're worthy There's just something about your name There's just something about your name There's just something about your name That makes me cry holy There is no other name There is no other name There is no other name Jesus you're worthy So worthy Lord In church we believe that in the name of Jesus There is power, there is healing Love and life and peace And we want to declare the name of Jesus Over this place this morning As we worship we lift up all glory And all honor to him Because he is so worthy of our praise Let's sing this out together Jesus your name is like the morning light The one that darkness can't deny The resurrection and the life Jesus, Jesus Your name can save, your name can heal Your name can make the storm be still You never fail, you never will

Jesus, Jesus Jesus the bread and life broken for us The wounded and the worthy one The first and last and soon to come Jesus, Jesus The King who overwhelmed the grave The Lord who will forever reign The name above all others ♪ The name Jesus ♪ ♪ Oh, Jesus be the name ♪ ♪ Jesus be the name ♪ ♪ Oh, Jesus be the name ♪ ♪ That gets all the glory ♪ ♪ Jesus be the name ♪ ♪ Jesus be the name ♪ ♪ Oh, Jesus be the name ♪ ♪ That gets all the glory ♪ ♪ Jesus be the name ♪ ♪ Jesus be the name ♪ ♪ Oh, Jesus be the name ♪ ♪ That gets all the glory ♪ ♪ Jesus be the name, be the only name ♪ ♪ Jesus be the name ♪ ♪ Jesus be the name, that gets all the glory ♪ ♪ All the glory, yeah the glory of Jesus ♪ ♪ Be the only name, the only name, the only name ♪ ♪ Jesus, Jesus ♪ ♪ Jesus be the name, Jesus be the name ♪ ♪ Jesus be the name, that gets all the glory ♪ We sing this out.

♪ Jesus be the name, Jesus be the name ♪ ♪ Oh Jesus be the name, that gets all the glory ♪ Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Jesus, we are calling on your name. We believe that there is power in your name and there's healing in your name. We believe there's freedom in your name. And God, I know there are people who are sitting out here right now and they're questioning that because of what's going on in their lives, because of the storms that they're facing. God, would you let them know that right now, that you see them, that your presence is real, that your promises can be counted on, that you are faithful through the ups and downs and through the storms of life, that you're there. And God, would you give them the humility to cry out to you, Jesus, to say your name, to speak your name, to know that our hope really is only in you and in your name alone. And it's in that name that we pray together.

Amen. You may be seated. When my oldest daughter was in preschool, she came back from a birthday party that she went to with a parting gift. When they left that birthday party, they gave every kid a goldfish and a Ziploc bag. I don't know if this is still a thing, but this was a thing, you know, 20 years ago. So, yeah, still a little bitter about it, honestly. Now we have something that costs money we have to take care of, something that'll give us the opportunity to teach our four-year-old about the fragility of life and the cold reality of death. Thank you for that. Let her spend an hour with you on a Saturday afternoon, and that's what she comes home with. But we did what you do. Went to the pet store, got a fish tank, spent too much money on it, colored gravel, little castle, treasure chest that opened and closed. That fish was living a pretty good life. Better life, honestly, than I lived in college. Like, when I was in college, I had a mini-fridge, and I had a roommate who said to me on day one of college, let's see if we can go the whole semester without washing our bedsheets. And so we did. That fish was living a better life than me.

Magical life for three days. And then it didn't turn out so well. Fish went belly up, died. We had a moment of silence and flushed it down the toilet, but I was already financially invested in all the fish stuff. So we went to the pet store, got another fish. That fish had a magical week. Lasted a little bit longer, but then that fish died. Another moment of silence. Went back to the pet store to get another one, and this cycle just repeated itself more times than I cared to admit. And at one point, I asked the guy at the pet store, like, what's your return policy on these fish? And he said, sir, they're $2. And I said, yeah, but I've spent 40 bucks, and there should be. some kind of loyalty program. I noticed the fish got harder for the employee to net out of the tank. Like, when we would walk in, the fish would see us. And they would all swim behind the filter and hide, because word had spread among the fish community that this family is a death sentence. And I just kept thinking, we got bad fish. We just keep getting bad fish. And probably around fish number five or six, someone at the pet store asked us a question that had never occurred to me.

The guy said, how's your water? I'm like, what do you mean, how's my water? It's wet, what kind of question is how's my water? Water's water. And he started talking to me about things like pH levels and ammonia and chlorine and tank cycling and words that I would never associate with the $2 goldfish. And here's what he said. Most of the time when fish keep dying, the fish isn't the problem, the water's the problem. It's the environment, and the fish will thrive. And we'd been blaming the fish, shaming the fish. But the fish were just responding to the environment that we were putting them in. And so I want us to think about life in this way as we start a new year. Because right now, a lot of us are naturally thinking about where we are in life, and why am I growing or not growing? Why am I thriving or not thriving? Why am I not becoming who I want to be? Why am I not growing into the person I'd hoped I would? Why am I not different this year than I was last year? Why do I keep going through these ups and downs? How many more years is it gonna be this way? When will things finally change for me? Is this just the way my life is always gonna be? And we start to shame, and we start to blame. And some of you are really struggling with that right now.

Like you walk in here really upset with yourself because of the situation you're in, the way things aren't any different now than they were last year, the year before that. And so here's what I would say to you. Instead of blaming yourself, instead of saying, well, I just need to be more disciplined and more consistent, and I just need to try harder and do better, instead of just saying, well, maybe if I buy the planner and download the app or join the gym, things will be different. What if you change the environment? What if you focus on the environment? Because for a lot of us, there's a reason why, you know, we do our very best, but then February, our resolutions have gone belly up or they've been flushed down the toilet. It's because we are focusing so much on what we do or what we're producing, but not enough on where we're planted. And so I wanna talk to you from two different passages of Scripture this morning. One's from the Old Testament, we're gonna look at Psalm 1, and then we're gonna flip over to Matthew 7 and look at a familiar passage, a story that Jesus tells in Matthew 7. What I want you to catch about these two passages of Scripture is they're very different in some ways, different genres, one's Old Testament poetry, one's parable, different authors

who lived hundreds of years apart, and yet they're largely gonna make the same point. They're gonna use different word pictures to do it, but they're largely gonna make the same point, and that is your life is a result of where you plant yourself. The house you build is determined by the foundation you decide to build on. So we'll start in Psalm 1, and then we'll flip over to Matthew 7. Psalm 1. Blessed is the one who does not walk and step with the wicked, or stand in the way of sinners, to stand in the way that sinners take, or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight, the person who delights in the word of God, delights in the law of the Lord. Blessed is that person. And they meditate on his law day and night. I'll tell you what that person's like, David says. That person is like a tree that gets planted by streams of water, and because it's planted where it's planted, it yields its fruit in season, and its leaf doesn't wither. Because it's planted where it's planted, because of the environment it's in, whatever they do prospers. And so we see this image in scripture

of someone who delights in the word of God, who meditates on it, described as a tree planted by streams of water. And that tree is gonna produce fruit because of where it's planted. It's not that the tree is better than the other trees that aren't planted by streams of water. It's not that that tree is trying harder. It's not that that tree wakes up and white knuckles its way to being fruitful, doesn't attend a conference on fruit production or download a fruit app. But because of where it's planted, fruit is inevitable. Because of where it's planted, fruit is inevitable. And so here's the principle for us as we start this new year, is position determines production. Or if I could just say this maybe a little more pragmatically, where you're planted determines what you'll produce. And what we tend to do is focus very much, especially this time of year, on what am I producing, what am I not producing. And instead of focusing on what am I producing, the challenge is gonna be to focus on where you're planted. That's it, because where you're planted is what's determining what you're producing or not producing. It has to do with where you're planted. So imagine two identical tomato plants.

Same variety, same age, same potential. One gets planted in a garden, rich compost, full sun, drip irrigation, weeded, the whole thing. The other plant gets stuck in a small plastic pot, put on a windowsill on the back porch. It gets watered when somebody remembers, which isn't very often. Fast forward four months and consider the difference between those two plants. One plant is gonna be loaded with tomatoes, the other is gonna be spindly and barely clinging to life. And here's the question, what's the difference between the two? It's not that one plant was better than the other. It's not that one plant gets to be proud of itself because look what I did, I tried harder and I accomplished more. It's that it got positioned in a different condition. It got planted in the right place. And I would just encourage some of you with this, that the reason you're really frustrated right now, you're spiritually frustrated, you're frustrated in relationships or you're frustrated with yourself, it likely is not necessarily an issue of your desire, of what you want, of who you wanna become. It's not likely primarily an issue of effort. It's probably an issue of location. And if you focus on where you're planted,

fruit will be inevitable. That's Psalm 1. Flip over to Matthew 7 and Jesus tells a story that makes the exact same point, really. Starting in verse 24, Jesus says, therefore, in other words, in conclusion, he's just finished preaching the Sermon on the Mount where he's given lots of practical application. This is what it looks like to live as one of my followers. And he says, because of that, because it's true, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock and 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 person who built his house on the sand and the rain came down and the streams rose and the winds blew and beat against that house, but it fell with a great crash. So you got two builders building houses. They both have access to the same information. They both sat through the same sermon. The issue is not information. The issue is implementation. Like the way it should work, something like this, information, you get exposed to God's word,

you hear his truth, you receive it, and it leads to some intention, to some conviction, some awareness that, okay, I need to do things differently. My way hasn't been working. I'm gonna go a different direction. And that intention should lead to implementation. What I think most of us in this room, if we were honest, would say is we get stuck here. We end up living so much of our life here where we've got the information. I'm not gonna tell you anything you don't already know. And we feel some intention. You don't really need to convince me that I need to do things differently. I get it. But we just can't seem to move to implementation. The clothing companies have built an entire industry on the gap between intention and implementation. There was an article in the Wall Street Journal that explored the growing popularity of exercise apparel. And the article said that exercise apparel, the market in the US has increased by nearly 50%. That's $100 billion retail industry. Lots of people buying exercise apparel. But you know what has not changed? People exercising. Like, we love buying exercise apparel, but there's not any direct correlation between how much exercise apparel gets bought and how many people exercise.

And they use the illustration of yoga pants. Yoga pants sales went up 45% in one year. The amount of people doing yoga stayed the same. Didn't go up at all. Meaning that yoga pants are really just pants. They're just pants. Not really yoga pants, if you don't do yoga. But there's no correlation. Now here's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna make this really dangerous parallel between yoga pants and the Bible. Oh. There has been huge. growth in Bible sales numbers, which is beautiful. I couldn't be more encouraged by that. Like Bible sales in 2025, we're at a 21-year high. We sold more Bibles last year. Yeah, that's worth applauding. That's incredible. People are hungry for hope, and they're hungry for direction, and they've kind of figured out, like, the world's answers don't work. 21-year high in Bible sales. We sold more Bibles in 2025, twice as many Bibles in 2025 as we sold in 2019. But the question isn't really information, it's implementation. It's the yoga pant question. Like, you can have multiple Bibles, and you can download the Bible app, and that's good, and that's great. But are you building your life on it? Does it change the way you handle conflict? Or no, not really. Does it shape the way you think about money? Does it direct how you think about raising your kids? Does it determine how you approach dating and marriage? In Matthew 7, we see the difference between these two builders, these two houses, is the difference

between information and implementation. So here's what I want to do. You've got Jesus in Matthew 7 that tells, really, two stories. We think of it as one story about two different people, but it's kind of two separate stories about two different builders. And a way to really understand the primary point of Matthew 7, these two parables, is to pay attention to where they're similar, and then to especially circle where they go in different directions. Because where they go in different directions is the primary point of the passage. So let's just do that together. First thing that we see, if you just lay these two stories down next to each other about the wise and foolish builder, is we see—I mean, it seems obvious, but let's just say—they both build a house. They both build a house. And I would say that's true for you. That everyone builds a house, like everyone builds a life. You're building one right now, built a little today, you'll build a little tomorrow. Some of you have a blueprint for the house you're building, and you're really working the system, you're trying to follow the blueprint. Others of you, let's be honest, you're just winging it. You're just throwing up some boards and stacking some bricks, but you're still building a house. And if you think of your life as a house, think of it perhaps as a brick house made up of hundreds of thousands of bricks, each of them representing a decision that you've made. One brick is how you responded to your spouse this morning when you were frustrated. One brick is how you handled your money last month. One brick is a conversation that you had, or maybe you avoided with your teenager. Another brick is what you watched, or what you scrolled, or what you clicked on when nobody was looking. Another brick is an apology you made, or maybe one

you've refused to make. Brick after brick, and we're all stacking bricks, we're all building houses. So we notice that in the parable, but that's not the primary point in the parable. Keep reading, you see both of them build a house, but the next thing you see is that both houses face a storm. And that's true for you too. Everybody builds a house, every house will face a storm. What's interesting in these two stories is if you lay down the descriptions of the storm in each story, they are identical. Verse 25 for the wise builder, verse 27 for the foolish builder, both say the rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house. Same storm, same wind, same rain. And I don't know if that encourages you or discourages you, but it's true. Wise or foolish in your building, rain still comes, wind still blows. You still get the diagnosis, you might still deal with the divorce papers, you might still have a death that makes no sense. Wise or foolish, there's still pain, there's still suffering, there's still heartbreak, there's still addiction. Wise or foolish, you're going to deal with different storms. But here's what a storm does. A storm reveals what foundation you're building your house on. A storm doesn't create the difference, a storm exposes it. And this is where our stories go in two different directions. Because we read that the wise builder built on a foundation of rock and the foolish one built on a foundation of sand. And Jesus defines a rock foundation as anyone who hears his words and puts them into practice. That's what it looks like to build your house on the rock, that you hear his word and then you implement them. Now here's what I especially want to draw some attention to is the wise and the foolish builder both hear the

word. And so I want us to just think of a profile of the foolish builder. Because the tendency might be to think, well the foolish builder just didn't go to church. The foolish builder didn't grow up going to Bible camp. The foolish builder to have a Bible in the house. No, that's not the issue. The foolish builder heard the same thing. The foolish builder went to church. The foolish builder sat through the sermons. The foolish builder could quote some verses from memory. The foolish builder sat there and took notes. It wasn't an information issue. It was an implementation issue. He heard love your enemies, but he held onto the grudge. She heard be anxious for nothing, but she kept white knuckling her way through life. He heard the love of money is the root of all evil, but he just kept chasing it. He heard husbands love your wives, and he just kept prioritizing himself. She heard forgive as you've been forgiven, but she held onto the bitterness in her heart. They both heard it, but only one of them built on it. So what's that look like for you? Just maybe take one area of your life and ask yourself this wise and foolish question. Like what foundation am I building on here? What's it look like in your dating life to build on a foundation of sand? If you're building your dating life on a foundation of sand,

then maybe you're building on this approach to your romantic relationships that you're incomplete until someone comes along to complete you. Or maybe you're building on this quiet panic that everyone else is paring off and you're gonna get left behind. And so you ignore red flags and you compromise on things that you said you'd never compromise on, and you move too fast physically because it feels like connection, but it's not. You date people you'd never marry, and then you wonder why the house just keeps falling. But when you date on a foundation of rock, well, you've rooted your singleness in something different. You've rooted your singleness in what Scripture says about who you are and your identity, that you are already complete in Christ. That marriage is good, but marriage isn't God. You're building your life on Jesus. And so when loneliness hits, you don't grab for the first available option. When relationships end, you're disappointed, but you're not destroyed. Why? Because your worth is not built on your romantic relationship status. It's built on Jesus. It's a different foundation. What's it look like in your marriage? If you just think about your marriage,

if it's built on sand, well, then your marriage is built on feelings or emotions. And you get your expectations of what your marriage should look like. Your blueprint for your marriage is this combination of romantic comedies and your parents' dysfunction and social media algorithms and your porn habits. And then you have this approach, well, as long as I'm happy, I'll stay in it. And a storm comes and the house falls. But a marriage that's built on the rock is different. You've rooted it in Scripture, about what the Bible says around covenant and sacrifice. You've built a foundation of commitment instead of feelings. And you know that love is patient and love is kind and it doesn't keep a record of wrongs and you struggle with that. But you're committed to it. And you look to Jesus to be your example in loving your spouse. And so when the storm comes and the storm comes, the house stands firm. So I want to, as we start this year, get real practical with this. I'm gonna give you three practices to commit yourself to this year as you think about planting the tree by streams of water and building a house on a foundation of rock. Here's number one practice,

is daily saturation. Psalm one speaks of the person who meditates on God's word day and night. And that word meditate, it's kind of a, you know, it's kind of a unglamorous word image, but it's a picture of a cow chewing cud. That's the word meditate. It turns it over and over. It chews, it swallows, it brings it back up and it chews again. And then it swallows it and then it chews it again. That's the word meditate. That's what it looks like to meditate on God's word. That you're turning it over and over in your mind. You're pulling all the nutrients out of it. You're asking yourself questions like, what's this mean in my marriage? What's this mean for my money and my anxiety and these fears that I've been struggling with? What's this verse mean for that? What's it look like to implement God's word in this area of my life? Some friends of ours announced at the beginning of the year that they were starting a sardine diet. It's not what you, well, it is, actually. It is exactly what you think. You just eat nothing but sardines, like breakfast, lunch, dinner.

You open up a can, grab a fork and try not to think about it. That's the diet. You'll never guess. It didn't work. You know why it didn't work? It's because they didn't stick with it. Now, I give them credit because they lasted longer than I would have. I promise they did. But three, four days into it, they're like, we're not doing this anymore. And I think that this is one of our challenges when we think about scripture. We start the year and we have kind of a sardine diet approach and we're gonna read the Bible in a year. And by the way, if you're doing it, I want to do nothing but encourage you to do it. discourage you in that, this isn't meant to discourage you. But Genesis in January is not that hard. February, you're in Leviticus and you start reading about, like, you start reading about mildew regulations and what to do if your house has a rash. And you start skimming. By March, you're 17 days behind. The Bible app is sending you passive-aggressive notifications. It's gaslighting you. You quietly delete it and pretend that you never started.

And the laughter is a recognition that there are plenty of people who know what it's like. So don't treat the Bible like a sardine diet. If it feels like too much, then read a verse or two, sit with it for a day or maybe even a week, honestly. Memorize it. Think about that verse in the morning when you're driving in the car, bring it to mind. Write it out and stick it on the mirror in your bathroom and just ask yourself, like, how's this apply to my life today? Two on it. And we're gonna give you just a Bible reading plan from the Bible Project. If you text the word Bible to 733733, we'll send you a Bible reading plan if you just text the word Bible to 733733. But I'll tell you, what you're gonna get when you see that is a lot. My encouragement to you is not to feel like I've got to read all through this and check that box and move on to the next, but you can read until you get to a verse that you find kind of convicting or it just strikes you differently or you wanna learn more about it and stop there. And chew on it and think about it and apply it. Daily saturation, number two, is Holy Spirit and illumination. Holy Spirit, illumination.

I think for many of you who grew up in church, this point is what was missing from your Scripture reading. That you're trying to read it, kind of like a subject, maybe you had a commentary or a textbook and you're reading through it with information, but it's lacking illumination. I think of the Pharisees in the New Testament who had Scripture memorized. Like, they could quote Deuteronomy. You know that book, You Can't Make It Through? Like, they had it memorized. And yet, they completely missed Jesus standing right in front of them. Information isn't enough. Like, saturation isn't enough. You need someone who'll connect the dots to your life and turn the lights on. That's the Holy Spirit's role. First Corinthians 2.14 says, the things of the Holy Spirit are discerned through the Holy Spirit. The Word of God is inspired by the Holy Spirit and if you're gonna have the Word of God connected to your life, you need the Holy Spirit to guide you in that, to help you in that. So, when you open up God's Word, just a small change. If you will just pray a simple prayer when you open up God's Word to read it.

If you just say, Holy Spirit, I can read the words, but I need your help. I can't make them come alive. Open my eyes and show me what I don't see. And Jesus told his disciples in John 16, 13, when the Holy Spirit comes, he will guide you. He'll be your guide into all truths. Like, he's a guide. This is what he does. It's part of his role in your life as a believer. A few weeks ago, my son and his wife climbed a mountain in Ecuador called Mount Timberazo. It's in the Andes Mountains. It's more than 20,000 feet above sea level. Here's a picture of them. Like, what you see in the background are clouds. So, they're above the clouds. If you measure the center, from the center of the earth, Timberazo's peak is the farthest point from the earth's core. So, in that sense, it's even higher than Everest. Technically, it would be from the core of the earth, the top of the world. But here's the thing. They weren't allowed to do it alone. Didn't matter if they wanted to.

It's actually required that you hire a guide. It's not suggested. It's not recommended. It's required. Because it's dangerous to do it without a guide. People die on that mountain. Altitude sickness alone can be fatal. The weather can change in minutes. There's no cell service. There's no trail markers. Now, you get a guide, and I'll tell you what the guide doesn't do. The guide doesn't carry you up it. The guide doesn't say, okay, hop on. I'm gonna do all the work. No, you're still climbing. You still got your ax pick, and you're still climbing. But the guide shows you where to step, and when to rest, and tells you when you need to pick up the pace. They see what you can't see. And this is the Holy Spirit's role for us with the scriptures. That you can have a great commentary, and you can memorize books of the Bible, but without the Spirit, you're climbing blind. He is your guide,

and he just does for you what you can't do for yourself when you study the Bible. He shows you things that you won't see on your own. He takes you to places that you can't. find by yourself. So this year, daily saturation, but every time you open God's Word, just pray a very simple prayer. Holy Spirit, illuminate it. Holy Spirit, apply it to my life. Holy Spirit, help me see what I'm not seeing. Number three is immediate application. And this is what separates, again, the wise and the foolish builders, the implementation. Now, I think for most of us, what makes implementation so hard is procrastination. It's that we're willing, just not right now. What's missing from our application of God's Word is immediacy. We're putting it off. We're planning on it, but now isn't a good time. We're gonna get to it when things slow down, when I can focus on it. And so my challenge for you this year is immediate application, because the reality is, most of us listening right now don't need the sermon. You don't need new information. I'm not telling you anything you haven't thought of before, you didn't know already.

What we don't need is more information. What most of us need is implementation. So you ask the question, what do I already know that I haven't done yet? You already know you need to forgive that person. You've known it for months, maybe years, and you're waiting for more clarity. You're waiting for it to feel easier. It's not gonna feel easier. Send the text, make the call, write the letter, quit carrying the bitterness in your heart. It is poisoning all of your life. You already know you need to have a hard conversation. You're putting it off because you're afraid of how the person will respond, or you're thinking that they should be the one to initiate. Stop waiting. Have it tonight, it doesn't need to be perfect. It can be humble and be honest, but don't put it off. You already know you need accountability in some area of your life. Maybe it's around your screen habits. You've told yourself it's gonna be different this year, but it's not. You told yourself that last year, and you think you can do it on your own, but you can't. And so send a text to someone you trust before you leave this room. Don't do it next week, do it now. If you don't have someone like that,

then in a few minutes, as a church, we're gonna have some prayer time down front. Come forward and ask somebody for prayer, and tell them, I need prayer in this area. Some of you know you need to get into the word daily. Like, this sermon isn't new to you, you know this. Make it harder for yourself to not do it. Put the Bible on your pillow, so you have to move it in order to go to bed. Delete the app on your home screen that's consuming your mind, and replace it with a Bible app, but take some action. You already know you need to be baptized. You knew it last year, and you're meaning to, you've planned to, but you haven't done it for a while. Now is the time. Immediate application is usually the gap between information and implementation. It needs to be immediate. So let me end here, where Jesus ended. You know, I don't wanna be a downer, but 2026 has some storms in the forecast. In the forecast. Some storms are coming your way. And I don't know what they will be exactly, but I can tell you rain is gonna fall, and streams are gonna rise, and the wind is gonna blow. And it might be a diagnosis or a death, it might be a market crash or a prodigal child, a pink slip, a pandemic, I don't know what it's gonna be.

And we've talked in this message about storms metaphorically. I think that's okay to do, I think that's consistent with how Scripture uses storm language, and yet I'm not so sure when Jesus was talking about a storm in Matthew 7, he was speaking metaphorically. I think perhaps he was speaking about a specific storm that's coming. The reason I think that is because of the context of Matthew 7, right before Jesus tells his parable of the wise and foolish builder, which is kind of a sweet little parable you could teach to children, it comes out of a very different tone, but it's the same sermon, like it's the same breath. Jesus says in Matthew 7, verses 21 through 23, right before the wise and foolish builder, and not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my father who's in heaven. Not everybody who just knows the information, believes the information, but the one who implements, one who builds a house in this way. Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?

But I'll tell them plainly, I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers. And then verse 24. Therefore, Anyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house. It's the same breath. And so it seems to me that perhaps Jesus is speaking of a different kind of storm than metaphorical, but rather an apocalyptic storm, where the wind is the judgment of God. That there will be a storm that will ultimately expose your foundation. And it's inevitable, and it's coming, and we are closer than we've ever been before. And your only hope on that final day is not what kind of house you've built. Because we're all, I don't know if anybody's told you this, but we're all fixer uppers. Like none of us are building a house that's gonna pass the test of that storm. It's not about the house you've built on that day, it'll be the foundation you've built on. And the foundation is a who. The foundation is Jesus. The rock that we're building on is not our spiritual disciplines or our moral track record, it's that what gets us through the storm

isn't the fact that we're like, hey, you know what, in 2026, I actually did make it through Leviticus, so like that's not it. The rock is Jesus. 1 Corinthians 3, 11, for no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. And when that final storm comes, and when you stand before a holy God, and the wind of his judgment blows, you will not survive because you've built an impressive enough home, you will survive because you are in Christ, as Jesus says in Matthew 7, because he knows you, he knows you. And you know him. His righteousness is our foundation. And here's the really beautiful news. His death has paid for every brick you got wrong. Because I know I'm talking to people who are listening to this message. And the house you've built is a mess. And it just feels too late. It feels like you've just stacked too many bricks, and it's just too broken, and the foundation you built on was a foundation of sand, and you know it now, but what can you do about it now? It just feels like it's too late. And it's not. Like this is the good news of the gospel.

That Jesus comes, and he looks around at our fixer-upper, and he doesn't say, oh, I think I can do some home repair here. He says, this whole thing's coming down. And he gives us a new foundation, and a new home. Old is gone, the new has come, is what we celebrate. And so as we start this year, think about where you're planted. What's the environment? Are you a tree planted by streams of water? Are you building your house on a foundation of stone, or a foundation of sand? But the real question is, who are you building on? The real question is, do you know Jesus? Does he know you? Let's pray. God, I pray that this year would be different, that we would recognize just this gap that a lot of us are living in between intention and implementation. I know, I'm talking to lots of people who have good intentions. They don't have to convince me of that. I know that that's true, because I know me. I know I mean well. I know I intended things to be different. But God, would you allow this year to be different, because we are building our life on your word, and when we're building our life on your word, we are building our life on you, Jesus,

because it's all about you. And so would you, God, just let that mark our church family this year, that daily saturation would just be who we are. And Holy Spirit, would you just bring God's word to our minds and our hearts at the right time? And would you allow us to experience freedom and grace? Would you allow us to experience something different because of the way that you work in our hearts through the word of God? And then would you give us the courage to just practice this immediate application, that we wouldn't put it off, that we would humbly and courageously, with your power and by your power, that we would live it out. Can't do it on our own. We need your power, we need your grace. It's in Jesus' name we pray, amen. So we're gonna give just an opportunity to do what we've talked about. If there's a decision that you've known you needed to make, but you haven't made, immediate application, do it today. Maybe for some of you, that is baptism. You've thought about it, you're ready to do it, you just haven't done it. Don't wait. You can go to our next step room over here on the first floor, we'd love to help you with that. And for others of you,

you're in the midst of a storm right now, and you're trying to weather that by yourself, it's not working very well. And we're gonna have our. prayer team in just a moment. They're going to be down front. And while we worship, I would just encourage you to come down and ask for prayer. And you might feel like, it feels a little awkward. I don't want to be singled out. Every single person in here is either in the midst of the storm or has one coming. If we can pray for you, we'd love to. If you're in the balcony and you think, well, it'd take a little while for me to get down there. Come on, we will wait on you. Nothing more important you can do than just come and say to somebody, would you pray for me? We need each other. So we'd love to have the privilege of doing that. And as we worship, I just encourage you to chew on this. Don't let your mind go to the games quite yet, traffic, lunch. Just chew on what we've talked about. Meditate on God's word. Let's stand together as we worship. ♪ We live for you, only you ♪ ♪ Jesus, the name above every other name ♪ ♪ Jesus, the only one who could ever save ♪ ♪ He's worthy of every breath we could ever breathe ♪

♪ We live for you, we live for you, oh ♪ ♪ Holy, there is no one like you ♪ ♪ There is none beside you ♪ ♪ Open up my eyes in wonder ♪ ♪ Show me who you are and fill me with your heart ♪ ♪ And lead me in your love to those around me ♪ ♪ Thank you, Lord, you're worthy ♪ ♪ Worthy of every song we can ever sing ♪ ♪ We call Him worthy, worthy of all the praise we could ever bring ♪ ♪ Thank you, Jesus, worthy of every breath you could ever give ♪ ♪ We live for you, oh oh oh, oh Jesus ♪ ♪ Jesus, the name above every other name, sweet Jesus ♪ ♪ Jesus, the only one who could ever change, He's so worthy ♪ ♪ Worthy of every breath we could ever breathe, we live for you ♪ ♪ Oh, we live for you, we sing holy, holy ♪ ♪ There is no one like you, there is none beside you ♪ ♪ So open up my eyes in wonder, show me who you are ♪ ♪ And fill me with your heart and lead me in your love to those around me ♪ ♪ Nothing else compares to you, Lord, you're worthy, so worthy of our praise ♪ ♪ You're worthy of our lives, so we give them, Lord, oh I will build my life upon your love ♪ ♪ It is a firm foundation and I will put my trust in you alone ♪ ♪ And I will not be shaken, oh I will build my life upon your love ♪ ♪ It is a firm foundation and I will put my trust in you alone ♪ ♪ And I will not be shaken, oh I will build my life upon your love ♪ ♪ Take and hold me, there is no one like you ♪ ♪ And there is none beside you ♪ ♪ Open up my eyes in wonder, Lord show me who you are ♪ ♪ And fill me with your heart and lead me in your love to go ♪ ♪ In your love to go, oh we sing, hold me, oh there is no one like you, there is none beside you ♪ ♪ Oh Lord, would you open my eyes, oh show us love, would you fill our hearts again, oh so we build a life for you Lord ♪

♪ Thank you Jesus, Lord you are so worthy, you are a firm foundation and I will, we will put our trust in God alone and we will not be shaken, thank you Jesus ♪ ♪ Thank you Jesus, Lord you are so worthy, you are a firm foundation and I will, we will put our trust in God alone and we will not be shaken, thank you Jesus ♪ ♪ This is my confession, of sinners I'm the worst, I know my need for saving grace, a life not built on words ♪ ♪ This is my repentance, from all that I've done wrong, I walk away from who I was and daily lift my cross, we sing ♪ ♪ I believe Jesus is the Christ, I believe he's the Son of God, he's my Lord, my Saviour, my Comforter, oh hallelujah, I'm born again ♪ ♪ This is my salvation, made righteous in his sight, only through the death of Christ, oh I am raised to life ♪ ♪ And oh I believe Jesus is the Christ, oh I believe he's the Son of God, he's my Lord, my Saviour, my Comforter, oh hallelujah, I'm born again ♪ ♪ Oh, I'm born again, yes, thank you Lord, I'm born again, yeah, I'm born again, I'm born again ♪ We declare ♪ In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, I'm alive, been given new life, been given new life, and death doesn't own me, I'm chosen, I am a child of God ♪ Come on, declare ♪ Give the new life ♪ ♪ In the name of the Father, the Son, the Spirit of life ♪ ♪ Give the new life, give the new life ♪ ♪ Death doesn't own me, I'm chosen by His holy blood ♪ ♪ Give the new life, give the new life ♪ ♪ I've been given new life, I've been given new life, you said ♪ ♪ And oh I believe that Jesus is the Christ ♪ ♪ And oh I believe He is the Son of God ♪ ♪ He's my Lord, my Savior, my God blessed ♪ ♪ And Hallelujah, I'm born again ♪ ♪ Yes, I'm born again ♪ ♪ Yes, I'm born again ♪ ♪ Thank you Jesus, I'm born again, yes, I'm born again ♪ ♪ Oh, I'm born again ♪ What an incredible message for me to hear in this stage, in this season of my life. And I love how God seems to bring the things that I need and show up exactly when I need them. And that sermon was filled with so many things

that land specifically with me as a person in long-term recovery. And I'm hopeful for you that you're able to lock into that, that it doesn't matter really where we are, it really matters about where we plant ourselves or where we are rooted at. And this phrase that I've locked on that's been so helpful in my sobriety that I have to live in consistently is that no matter what, me and God can figure it out. And I hope maybe you can take that mindset as well as you listen about building your life on a foundation that can handle that when storms come. So much of us, for me, I end up thinking, well, if I can just get through this, or if this just happens, or if I can just get to here, then everything will be all right. And knowing that storms are gonna come is a reality, but knowing that my foundation is on God and He cannot be shaken, that it does not matter what comes, no matter what, you and God can figure it out. Thank you for being with us today. I wanna remind you that on Thursday, we have a podcast dropping that's specifically, specially just for you. So please log on Thursday, catch up with us there, learn about some more stuff as we try to continue to offer things that can equip you, that you're trying to live this life

so that you can see God moving in those one-at-a-time moments in your life in the place that you're at right now. And as we've been doing, it's one of my favorite parts of our time together. We're gonna close our time today with our prayer. So if you would, let's just take a breath. No matter where you are, you're sitting in a place with headphones and lots of people walking around and it's loud or lots of distractions, just take a minute. Let's take a deep breath. Let's center ourself. And then if you would, would you please pray this prayer with me? Prayer, oh God, early in the morning, I cry to you. Help me to pray and to concentrate my thoughts on you. I cannot do this alone. In me, there is darkness, but with you, there is light. I am lonely, but you do not leave me. I am feeble in heart, but with you, there is light. I am weak in heart, but with you, there is help. I am restless, but with you, there is peace. In me, there is bitterness, but with you, there is patience. I do not understand your ways, but you know the way for me. Oh, heavenly father, I praise and thank you for rest in the night. I thank you for the new day and I praise and thank you for all your goodness

and faithfulness throughout my life. You have granted me many blessings. Now let me also accept what is hard from your hand. You will lay on me no more than I can bear. You make all things work together for the good of your children. Lord Jesus Christ, you were poor and in distress, a captive and forsaken as I am. You know all man's troubles. You abide with me when all men fail me. You remember and seek me. It is your will that I should know you and turn to you. Lord, I hear your call and follow. Help me. Oh Holy Spirit, give me faith that will protect me from despair, from passions, and from vice. Give me such love for God and men as will blot out all hatred and bitterness. Give me the hope that will deliver me from fear and faintheartedness. Amen. Thanks so much for being with us today. Can't wait to see you guys again. Excited for how God is going to move in your life this week.