Masterpiece — Heretic — Dakota Duron

As Pastor Rich said, today we are continuing our collection of talks entitled Heretic. And last week we brought up a quote by Charles Spurgeon that I really think frames up what this collection is trying to do. And I want to put it on the screen. It says this, discernment is not simply a matter of telling the difference between right and wrong. Here it is. No, it's rather it is telling the difference between right and almost right. Anybody grateful for the word Pastor Rich brought last week, almost right? Because here at VU Church, our goal is to have a biblical worldview. What does that actually mean? It means that we don't want to see our Bible through the lens of the world. We actually want to see the world through our Bible. That's where we find freedom. That's when we find hope. And today as we continue this collection, I want to turn our attention to the book of Ephesians, chapter 2, verse 10. It says, for we are God's masterpiece. Somebody say masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Today I want to speak from the subject for the next few moments around masterpiece. Come on, I want you to look at your neighbors and say, you're a masterpiece. Look at both of them now. I see you guys. I see you guys. Come on now. Gotta show love to both neighbors. You're a masterpiece. Anybody grateful that God calls us his masterpiece out there? One more time, my name is Dakota, and the best part about me is that girl that's sitting on the front row. I've been married to Blair Duran for 10 years now. High school sweethearts, holler at your boy. We got married real young, and it was the best decision that I ever made. We have some products of our love. We have four kids, Emily Duran, Ava Duran, Dakota Jr., and our nine-month-old baby boy, who I feel like he's almost weighing as much as I am. His name is Dawson, everybody. Right now, my oldest, she is in kindergarten, and she went on her first field trip. It got me reminiscent about my school days. See, I didn't grow up in the county of Dade. I grew up in the dirty south in Louisiana. You can't make this up. The nickname for the city that I grew up in is called Ratched City. You thought Vice City was bad. You thought Sin City was bad. I'm from Ratched City.

Maybe you've looked at the education statistics, but man, it's crazy. Louisiana just hasn't been number one in education in the last few years. We take some pretty chill field trips. She's going to the Frost. We went to the Frost, but just minus $50 million. You know what I'm saying? We were going to the Gator Farm in Louisiana. But it did make me reminisce about this one science field trip that we went on. I had a teacher. Her name was Miss Debbie. She was trying to teach us about the planets. They said, we need a volunteer. Someone pushed me out. I'm like, thanks a lot. She said, Dakota, you're going to be the Earth. She said, we need some more planets. She's like, where's Saturn? Where's Mars? Where's the Sun? Where's Pluto? People wonder why millennials have trust issues. You taught us about a planet, then just 10 years later, you said it doesn't exist anymore. They started saying, Dakota, I want you to stand in the front of the room. So I stood there. They said, now everybody walk around Dakota. Walk around the Earth. And they said, when astrologers were looking at the universe, this is the way they first thought the universe worked. That every single planet, including the Sun, revolved around the Earth. So she looked at me. She said, Dakota, today everything revolves around you. I said, I like that. She said, but as they did more study and years of research was done and more technology was brought together, what they quickly realized is not everything revolves around the Earth. They said everything revolves around the Sun. And so in that moment, what she did is she took me out of the center. She put me with all the other planets and she moved the Sun to the center of the room. And then we all started walking around the Sun. What was she trying to help us do? She was trying to help us understand the order of the universe. And that was a revelation that so many of us students got that day. It's a good science revelation, but it's even more of an important life revelation. It's a life revelation that so many of us in our culture,

in our society need to learn today. Because today so many of us have been building our universe around our wants, our needs, and our desires. But I came to declare to somebody, that's not the order that God intended. He said it's supposed to revolve around, not the S-U-N, come on somebody, the S-O-N, and his name is Jesus. Can we give Jesus some praise in the house? Our life is not meant to revolve around us, but listen, it's just the honest truth, that's what society teaches us. And last week we heard this topic, it says a heretic isn't someone who hates the truth, someone who edits it. And do you know what studies would show that you and I do when it comes to editing the truth? Our pattern is that we edit the truth in our favor. What is that called? It's called individualism. If you're taking notes, that's what I want you to write down today, because this is the lie that we're gonna try to debunk together. There's a quote by Friedrich Nietzsche that says this, you have your way, I have my way, there is no right way. Do you know what that quote entails? That's the gospel of individualism. That yeah, we can coexist, but you can't tell me what's right, I can't tell you what's wrong,

there is no truth, you have yours, I have mine, but I just wanna tell somebody, that's not even almost right. Because Jesus was very specific when he talks about the way. And he was specific and loving when he said this, I am the way, I am the truth, I am the life, no one gets to the Father except through me, this ain't right. We need to listen to the gospel of Jesus, not the gospel of individualism. And that there's a working definition that I wanna use today of individualism is this, my preference is of most importance. So what does this actually look like when it's played out in our lives? Think we can see it together. It means my goal is my happiness. It means my purpose is realizing my desires. And it means my identity is what I feel. You say Dakota, how does this even apply to me today? Well, I think it's paramount that you discover the soil in which you are growing in and also your kids are growing in. Because studies show that the United States of these Americas is the most individualistic country in the world. So why is it important we talk about it today? Because this is what we're being taught. This is what's coming through our music.

This is what's coming through our TV shows. That we would build our lives around us and we feel it, don't we? It's the social media age. We take a photo, but it's not just good enough to take a photo, we gotta edit it to make sure we look good. We take a group photo, you know where your eyes go right when you see the group photo, to yourself. We make a post and we use this language. Yeah, I'm gonna check on my post. Is it a post or a person? I have these kids in my house and the other day I brought a smoothie home. Yeah, I didn't bring three, I'm not no sucker. I'm not paying $28 for three smoothies in these streets. I bought one and I brought it home and I poured it in three cups. I told you I'm from Ratched City, y'all. And when I handed my cups to my kids, my oldest daughter, she looked at hers, but quickly she looked at her sisters and her brothers and she said what? She said what? I want the one with the most. She wasn't happy that she got a cup. She wasn't happy if she had what they had. She wanted the most. And 2 Timothy, man, it already called the shot. That's why you need to read your Bible because the Bible can help reveal the past.

It can help reveal the present, but how many of you understand it's revealing the future? And in 2 Timothy it says, but mark this, there will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves. Lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents and ungrateful, unholy. I just came to declare at the 10 a.m. that this life is not about you. This life is not about me. This life is about the one true God and he has a name and his name is Jesus. Come on, how many of you believe he's the one that deserves all praise? Say, Dakota, I don't know, man. I read the Bible and it seems really, really. Personal. The Bible is personal. But all those scriptures you're quoting out of the epistles of the New Testament were not written to an individual. Gotta understand the context. They're written to churches. Romans, Corinthians, Philippians. These are churches that they're writing to. So yes, they have individual promises, but they're written to be received in the culture of community. Somebody say community.

Community. Some of us are like, but you don't understand. I got a promise. And I read about promises to specific people. Listen, write this down. Every promise to a person is about a people. I'm gonna say it again over here. Just take a walk. Every promise to a person is for a people. When God promised to Noah, it was for a people. When God promised to Abraham, it was for a nation. When God promised to Paul, it was for the lost. When God promised to David, it was not just so he would be king, but he would lead his people to the one true king. But that's not what we like. That's not the way we like to read the Bible. We like to look at David and be like, oh, started from the bottom, now we here. I don't think that verse came from the Bible. Where'd that come from again? We won't go there. We want to read it as a success story, right? We want to read it like, oh, if he did it, I can do it. If he made it to the palace, I can make it to the palace. When did it become about making it to the palace? I don't think we should read David as a success story. I think we should read David and see exorbitant amounts of mercy. I think we should see uncomfortable amounts of grace.

I think we should see supernatural empowerment in just a case study that says God can use anything for his purposes on this earth. Is there anybody that can testify that God's used your hangups, that God's used your mess-ups, that God used you, not because of how good you were, come on somebody, for how good he is? Can we give him praise today at the 10 a.m.? Don't read the Bible like, I'm gonna use this text for my success. You're manipulating and perverting the text for something that was never intended, but that's what we do with individualism. And when it comes to not wanting to be in community and wanting to be individualistic, really what I hear people say is, man, Dakota, I love Jesus, I just don't like the church. I know that not everybody in here is on TikTok, but if you get on TikTok for just a moment, you're gonna find somebody that is trying to evangelize Christianity in isolation. They are going to try to evangelize and justify why not just that you could, but why you should do Christianity on your own. I just don't see where they see it in scripture. Because listen to me, we gotta clarify something. Are we called just to believe in Jesus? Think about it. Are we called just to love Jesus?

Oh, hold on, I think there's another part of the sentence. I think we're called to love Jesus and be like him. So now we need to change the question, because can you love Jesus and not love the church? Of course you can, but why are you asking that question if you're trying to be like Jesus? The better question is this, what was Jesus's stance on the church? What was Jesus's stance on a body of believers? Did he ever preach a gospel that said do it on your own, or did he send people out two by two? Good. Did he ever just go to the disciples individually and never bring them together, or was it a group of 12 that he used to disciple to reach the world? Because the last time I checked, when it comes to Jesus's stance on the church, not only did he love the church, and I know Jesus died for you, and I know he died for your family, but I believe what scripture says is he laid down his life for his, his church, his bride. Is anybody grateful for the body of community that we're able to belong to? He laid down his life for his church. for the church, so I don't know if that's a good question. I don't know if I wanna listen to that theology because I don't think it aligns with the word of God.

But the reason that we have an issue with it is really at the root, if we're being honest. We don't necessarily have a problem with the church, we have a problem with people. And what we're trying to do is justify bitterness and justify holding people off. But in reality, what scripture says in John 13, in fact, it was Jesus himself, he said, a new command I give you, love one another. As what? I have loved you. Here it is again. So you must love one another. By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another. This is the most redundant verse in history. Why do you say it three times, Jesus? I think it's because he knew how much we'd struggle with it. Yeah. Because it's not just that you don't, you have a problem with the church, you have a problem with being in real connection with one another. And so because we don't like that in the world and in culture, here's what happens. We try to bypass God's order. But eventually, we try to bypass God altogether. Anybody grateful for the city we live in of Miami? Come on, put your hands together for the greatest city in the world.

But Miami, it's just a really big city. And big cities all over the world, do you know what they're usually known for? Being godless cities. What I find interesting about godless cities, that term, is what they mean is a lack of church participation. But do you know the cities that have the lowest church participation and are godless are the highest in another category? Horoscopes, new age spirituality, and sidekicks. That's interesting. You said you're godless. You said it's not a spiritual place. But the very places that are keeping these places in business are people who say they're not spiritual. No, you're spiritual. You just want spirituality that's all around you. Because it's easier to receive the results of a fortune than being in relationship with a father. That's called a transaction. You want the information without submission. But I just want to tell somebody, spirituality will not save you. Any other religion will not save you. We're not preaching spirituality at VU Church. We're preaching Jesus Christ. That because he came down to this earth, he lived a perfect life. We are set free.

Somebody better give him praise in this place. We're not just spiritual people, we're Jesus people. We don't preach the gospel of spirituality. We preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. And I just want to make sure that you understand how the cycle of individualism is affecting everything we do. So on the screen, I just have a few different points. Marriage, individualism perspective, how they serve me. Kingdom, oh in my marriage, I'm supposed to submit and sacrifice for my spouse. Next one is parenthood. Individualism is all about how does my child make me look? How is he adding to my reputation? But how many of you understand, your child was not born to pad your ego. You're supposed to be a shepherd for your child. In Proverbs, it says train up a child in the way he should go. The next generation is gonna take this farther than us. We have to do our job to lead them. Let's look at friendships. Individualism, I want people who help me get what I want. Hey, you can be around as long as you just affirm me. You can be around as long as you just, every time I give a good idea, you just agree with it, even if it's to my detriment. But that's not a godly friend, is it? Kingdom says people that sharpen you on Proverbs 27.

Anybody grateful for our crews? Anybody grateful for our teams? Here's one, money. Individualism, what profits me personally? What kingdom says is this, where your treasure is, your heart is also. Is there anything about your generosity that showcases your values of being a Christian? Sexuality, individualism, what I feel with who I want, with who I want, free love. Kingdom though is this, avoid sexual immorality and control your body, 1 Thessalonians 4. Sexuality is supposed to be a source of strength for our marriage. Let's talk about being a son or a daughter. Individualism says selective relationship. So many of us in this room, because now we're adults, because now we got our own families, because we got our own kids, and we're doing something a little bit different. What we've done is just we've stiff-armed our parents, but what scripture says that's attached to a promise is honor your father and mother. Is anybody grateful for the parents in the room? As you go to VU Church, we pray that you'd be a better Christian, but we also pray you'd be a better wife, you'd be a better husband, you'd be a better son, you'd be a better daughter, you'd be a better mother, you'd be a better father.

It's supposed to affect every part of your life. Christianity is not just supposed to be a belief mechanism, it's supposed to be a behavior mechanism. That's when we actually see the results. And then lastly, it's time. Individualism, we use time really for one reason, to maximize gain. But kingdom mentality, we use time to maximize impact. Matthew 28 says, go. This idea of time, especially in Miami, when you start studying individualistic places, what you discover is, do you know that big cities like Miami, we walk faster than other places. Like, it's proven. Look at your neighbor and say, slow down, slow down. Chill out. I just got in trouble with somebody, they just told their wife to chill out. Don't ever say that. When it comes to time, it's like, we don't have enough of it. This past Wednesday, we had an incredible VU High night. I started the night, oh, let's go, VU High. This next VU High night, I'm really excited, because we got four students preaching at both locations. Let's go. I started the night at South Miami, I ended the night at Miami Gardens, and it's so funny, because the same answer I get

when I'm talking to a mom of multiple kids, a business person in Miami, is the same answer I get when I talk to a middle school student in Miami. How you doing? Busy, man. Not going on. Man, the social studies class is killing me. It's like, you're 11. You anybody ever notice everybody's busy? It's like, most conversations I'm in is just each other telling how busy we are. So that's why the issue of time is difficult, especially whenever you start looking at time, and all you're thinking about is yourself. Because the way that people who are individualistic, the way they're thinking about time is they're only thinking about it through the lens of their purpose. And so because they want to achieve, achieve, achieve, that means they have to do, do, do. But in reality, when it comes to how we do our time, if you actually just change your mind, and you focus on the right thing, it will help you use your time more wisely. Because as you focus on your purpose, you will lean more to doing, doing, doing. But as you think about your mortality, AKA, you gonna die, it actually pushes you to more communal activities.

Think about it, man, this is true. If all you're thinking about is your success, oh, you're gonna be on the grind all the time. But if you think about, man, life is a vapor, it changes some things. And some of us, we have this checkup every time we go to a funeral. I have never gone to a funeral and walked out with a family member and walked out with a friend and then go, man, I only have so much time for that project. But I've walked out of funerals over and over again and people go, man, that's just a reminder, I only have so much time with these people. Some of you, the issue with how you're using your time is not just what you're doing, it's what you're thinking. How many of you understand? We don't just need to think about ourselves, but we need to think about the kingdom of God and the impact that we're trying to make. Listen, that was, that was the key to the early church's success. They really believed that this life is a vapor. They really believed some crazy stuff, like Matthew 25. Therefore, keep watch because you do not know the day or the hour. Do you know what that did in their heart? It created urgency, because when you actually believe that Jesus could come back at any time, it doesn't make you wanna sit back and go, I'm gonna do me.

It doesn't make you sit back and go, no, I just wanna build my business. If you actually believe that Jesus Christ is coming back, it makes you go. I want to tell as many people about this Jesus as I can. This life will end. We have to make sure that we keep that in mind and it will keep us in check. Why? Because death clarifies meaning. So let's actually get some tools. Let's get practical. We've talked spiritual. Let's get practical. How do you combat individualism? I want you to write these four things down. Number one, God's word. I did not say godly content. That's my disclaimer. You heard me. I did not say Christian podcast. I did not just say a sermon. I said God's word. And I put this first because one of the greatest misconceptions of the early church and when the early church got off track was when people only said, you know what, just let them explain it to me. No, you're missing revelation that God wants to give you in your own house. Let them speak to you because as you actually digest those things, guess what's going to happen? You're going to understand the narrative that God is doing something more than we think he is. Number two is prayer and fasting. God's already spoken. That's God's word. But God will also continue to speak as you pray. What is prayer? Here's just an easy point for somebody that's new to church. Prayer is just connection with God. In prayer, I want to do two things. I want to speak and then I want to let him speak. And what is fasting? Anybody grateful that twice a year we have our 21 days of prayer and fasting as a church? What is that for? It's to keep our flesh in check. It's to make sure we understand we're determining the direction of our life. Number three, I love this, serving and giving. What is giving? Money is a representation of our time. We're saying, God, I trust you with my time. I'm going to put my money to build the kingdom of God that I am a part of. What is serving? It's going, God, I don't just want to receive. I want to give. Come on, one more time. Can we make some noise for the servant leaders? Make it even today possible. So what's your next step? It's not just to hear it, but try the growth track today. They're not going to make you sign any contract, but if you go in there, you can learn about how you, yes you, you can make a difference in the kingdom of God. And number four, relational connection. Come on, anybody love our VU crews out there? Make a little bit of noise. Here's where VU crew works, where you don't get there late and leave early.

Just trying to tell you the secrets to VU crew. Don't point at people, man. You're crazy. Why? Because then you're just getting the content. But we're not a crew for the content. We're a crew for the relationship. I hope in prayer, we're a crew for the relationship. I hope in prayer request time at VU crews, it's not just everybody going like this. It's crazy because when people ask what's going on in your life, you're down to gossip about it, but are you down to pray about it? Let us be crews that when people say, what can I be praying for you about? That there are bold requests of supernatural healings that we're praying for, of provision that we're praying for, of salvation that we're praying for. This is how you combat spiritualism. But let's be honest, different times in our life, whenever we hear this phrase, we're a masterpiece, we think it's all about us. Now, I just want to help you today. If you're carrying a burden that you weren't meant to carry and you've aligned everything to orbit around you. Yes, you are a masterpiece, but here's another way to say that. You are a master's piece. I said, you are a master's piece. You're not the whole thing. You're a piece of the story that God wants to tell. You're a piece of the building that God wants to build. You're a piece of the plan that God wants to walk out. All this takes the pressure off because now I know two things. It's not all about me and I am the masters. I am Jesus Christ. I am God's chosen. I am a royal priesthood. Somebody needs to understand that in Ephesians, what it says over and over is for we. Somebody say, we are God's masterpiece. He has created what? A new in Christ Jesus so can do the good things he planned for long ago. yeah you are a masterpiece but can I tell you we are a masterpiece but we have an individualistic society saying no we're the whole thing and because of that we're not just the individualistic society guess what we are we're the anxious society why because you're trying to play God you're trying to carry something you were never intended to carry you're trying to win approval that you already have because we're isolated we're the insecure generation constantly thinking about what people think of us oh you need to consider what God thinks of you how proud he is of you how he shows in you and sets you free we're the depressed generation why because we're just thinking about what

we want to achieve but haven't yet trying to tell somebody we were never called to be just the masterpiece we were called to be the master's piece come on put your hands together if you're grateful team can come up why is this important because we'll continue to be anxious we'll continue to be depressed we'll continue to be sad and sorrowful if we think we're the whole thing but when we believe and know we're a master's piece here's what we'll receive the master's piece we talked about it at the beginning culture's goal is happiness but I just want to tell somebody in the room I found something better and it's a piece that surpasses all under stay it's hard to even explain because it's not something that I earned it's something that I received why because he gave it to me and when you stop trying to prove who you are and understand who you are I promise you're gonna walk in that piece and you're gonna walk different and you're gonna talk different look at your neighbor say that piece is yours I just want to give somebody a better goal the master's piece we know our purpose we know our goal but here's a question that we still ask ourselves right who are we who are we like as an individual what is our identity and really as you study this topic there's two different answers to this question the first comes from a word called meritocracy and I know this hit some of the men in the room that we are what we accomplish we are what we accomplish that's why people that accomplish many followers people who accomplish having a wealthy lifestyle people who accomplish their hopes dreams and desires we don't just celebrate them more we respect them more because we believe listen they are worth more you say why is that a big deal why is it a big idea that I believe that people who accomplish more are worth more because what that means is people who accomplish less I hope as we say this out loud we realize how insane this thinking is you are not your net worth your net worth does not equate to your soul worth you were bought by the blood of the lamb and we're not preaching meritocracy we're preaching mercy I am what I deserve that's the opposite of the gospel but it's not just meritocracy is it the second thing that we see is that we are

what we want we are our desires so there are people fighting in life their sole mission is to tell you I am what I want we live in a beautiful city that has art basil and has all these things going and if there's a great masterpiece that's going to come to our city do you know what does not happen they don't just drop it off and see it when you see it you know what they have an unveiling party So, they gather people, they throw a party, and you walk in, and that masterpiece is covered in a veil. And they talk about it, and the artist talks about why they made it. And then at one point, what they're going to do is they're going to do a countdown. Five, four, three, two, one. Everybody makes some noise. The Betty Cannon's going, and what do they do? They take off the veil to unveil the masterpiece. Do you know what I find is interesting? I find interesting, no one in the art world has ever confused the veil with the masterpiece. But in the church and in Christianity, we confuse our flesh with our soul. Don't you understand? I am my money. Don't you understand? I am my sexuality. Don't you understand? I am my accomplishments. Don't you understand what I've done on this earth? And God is looking down from heaven. He's going, why are they bragging about the veil? You're not the veil. It's time to have an unveiling ceremony and take off the sin in the flesh that's hiding who you really are. Oh man, I don't know if you've been to a wedding recently, but when the bride is coming down

the altar, the way that she starts the journey of intimacy is she takes off the veil. Some of you are so unhappy with your relationship with Jesus, it feels like something's in the way. Oh, there is something in the way. It's called the veil. It's called your flesh. It's called your sin. You're identifying with the wrong things. Does anybody want to identify as a Christ follower? Does anyone identify as a son and daughter of the King? I don't want to identify with the veil. When Dwayne Wade had his statue unveiled, I don't know if he was happy with it. He goes, who is this? Who is this? Can I just tell you? That's probably the same reaction you're going to have as you go through this thing called sanctification. Oh, I thought I was the veil. Who is this? No, you're not even going to recognize with the love that you're about to have. You're not even going to recognize yourself with the peace you're about to have. You're not even going to recognize yourself with the power that you're about to have. You're not even going to recognize yourself with the anointing that you're about to have. Oh, does anybody want to go on the journey of being like Jesus? Why don't you stand up all over this place? Somebody say, take off the veil. I refuse to identify with my flesh and my desires. I will identify as a son and daughter of the King. I will go all in.