Tomorrow Needs You - Beauty in the Broken

before we respond to God. So sing to the Lord a new song. Sing to the Lord and praise His name. Proclaim His salvation day after day. and His marvelous deeds among all people. And here's our part right here. For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise. So that's over here. So let's lift it up today. Here we go. Come on. As long as the Lord is known like the Lord is known like the Lord. You're the only one who is worthy. Ever I forgive, it's rich in mercy. I say, you say, you pull me from the pit. But you say, oh so, I can't get over it. I was born to the place before. I swear to the Lord will tell you I'm wrong. To the heavens, you're my King. I love you. I love you, Jesus. I give you my worship. You can have my whole heart. No one else needs a word. Like you are Jesus. You were lost in certain. Here's my heart. And you are no one else's a word. Like you are. All the highs, people of heaven. All the calm praises of your people. Every meal about it. Every tongue proclaim. You get all the glory, all the honor of the grace. Jesus, I give you my worship. You can have my whole heart. No one else's a word. Like you are Jesus. You were lost in certain. Here's my heart. And you have no one else's a word. Like you are. Like you are. I was born to the place before. I swear to the Lord will tell you I'm wrong. To the heavens, you're my King. I love you. I was born to the place before. I swear to the Lord will tell you I'm wrong. From my heart to the heaven to my pride. I love you. I love you, Jesus. I give you my worship. You can have my whole heart. Like you are Jesus. You were no teacher. Here's my heart. And you are no one else's a word. Like you are. Like you are. No one else's a word. Like you are. No one else's a word. Come on, you eat them. [Music] See ya. I got the joy of the Lord. Deep down inside of my soul. I get high in no more. I got a praise. I got the joy of the Lord. Deep down inside of my soul. I get high in no more. I got a praise. The one who broke my chains. And what else can I say but they need you to keep your way?

Because you just like her, just like Maybell, you just like mine I'm so grateful that you saved my life, not here to set you up And with my hands on my heart, I'll pass you in a frame but I'll sing in a chance Don't you save my life, not here to set you up Don't you just, don't you just like her? You put a song in my heart, I'll sing with all that I got 'Till the world you are, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I'll sing with all that I got 'Till the world you are, I'm gonna praise the world you brought You put a song in my heart, I'll sing with all that I got 'Till the world you are, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I'll sing with all that I got 'Till the world you are, I gotta praise you You save my life, not here to set you up And with my hands on my heart, I'll pass you in a frame but I'll sing in a chance Don't you save my life, not here to set you up Don't you just, don't you just like her? You put a song in my heart, I'll sing with all that I got You put a song in my heart, I'll sing with all that I got You put a song in my heart, I'll sing with all that I got You put a song in my heart, I'll sing with all that I got 'Till the world you are, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I'll sing with all that I got 'Till the world you are, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I'll sing with all that I got 'Till the world you are, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I'll sing with all that I got 'Till the world you are, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I'll sing with all that I got 'Till the world you are, I gotta praise you

You put a song in my heart, I'll sing with all that I got You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you

You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you

You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you

You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you You put a song in my heart, I gotta praise you ♪ Oh oh oh oh ♪ ♪ There is no one ♪ ♪ I think Jesus ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy ♪ ♪ There is no one ♪

♪ All that you see in life ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy ♪ ♪ There is no one ♪ ♪ Only Jesus ♪ ♪ And the God of glory to God ♪ ♪ Who was amazing ♪ ♪ He's divine ♪ ♪ He's seated on the road ♪ ♪ And God of love ♪ ♪ And holy, holy ♪ ♪ Christ is one ♪ ♪ He says that He's new to us ♪ ♪ And the Father's love ♪ ♪ Jesus Christ has been lifted up ♪ ♪ Holy, holy ♪ ♪ There is God of glory to God ♪ ♪ Who who else is amazing ♪ ♪ He's divine ♪ ♪ He's seated on the road ♪ ♪ And holy, holy ♪ ♪ Christ is one ♪ ♪ Jesus Christ has been lifted up ♪ ♪ And holy, holy ♪ ♪ And Jesus Christ has been lifted up ♪ ♪ Holy, holy ♪ ♪ There is God of glory to God ♪ ♪ And holy, holy ♪ ♪ There is God of glory to God ♪ ♪ And holy, holy ♪

♪ Holy, holy ♪ ♪ Holy, holy ♪ ♪ Christ is one ♪ ♪ Jesus Christ has been lifted up ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy ♪ ♪ There is no one ♪ ♪ Holy, holy ♪ ♪ Jesus Christ has been lifted up ♪ There is no one, only in Jesus. There is no one, only in Jesus. There is no one, only in Jesus. Just for a moment, we can lift our hearts in our hands to the one who is worthy. Maybe it's the first time you've just kind of come into the presence of the Almighty God and experience this. What's amazing is that we don't have to be perfect to come before the Lord. In fact, Jesus is the reason why we can be here in this place and be there right where you're at and worship Him face to face and only Jesus. That's why we just declare your word, not ours, only you Jesus. Who else, who else could take our place? Who else could take our sin and our shame? Who else could redeem us and lift us up out of the pit and give us life and forgive us of our sins and cast Him as far away as the East is from the Wellness. Who, who else could do it? Only Jesus, only you Jesus. Can we just sing that song one more time? Who else is worthy? Who else could take our place? Who else has died only in Jesus? Jesus. For us to stay in this atmosphere of worship, but go ahead and grab a seat and prepare the elements of communion as you do. What Jesus did for us on the cross, that's what we're celebrating here in this moment. And we do this every week because it is the cornerstone of our faith. And that's why our mission at Pantanos is to love people to Jesus, not to us, not to this building, not to Benson campus or anywhere. We love people to Jesus, and then we can launch passion at difference makers.

In fact, this week we're sending about 100 people to Rocky Point, Mexico to build homes, right? Yeah, come on. And that's the reason, because, man, God has done so much for us. And He's called us now to go, to be a light, to love people wherever we are. So they're going to be building homes and loving on the community down there. Every year we ask that He would just pray over them for the next week. God would go before them and behind them and just surround them with protection, yes, and traveling safety and all that. But mostly that He would let His light shine brightly out of their lives. So we're going to be praying for them for the next week. But for this moment, I just ask you just for a second. Maybe you can today and your mind's just been 100 different places. There's not a better chance and not a better thing for us to focus on than what Christ did for us. So I'm going to invite you to do that just for a moment, and maybe you need to surrender some things. Maybe you need to get some things in your life reordered that are kind of out of alignment. There's a great chance to do that. When you're ready, you can receive the elements. But God, we pray, Jesus, we thank You. Thank You for being worthy. God, thank You for taking our place on the cross. Thank You for offering His life and life to the full. In Jesus' name. Amen. ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪

♪♪ Hey, Pantano. I'm Liz, and I'm so glad you're here. We believe life is better together. Maybe you're looking for community, hoping to grow in your faith, or just wondering what your next step with Jesus could be. Wherever you are, we'd love to help you get connected. If you're with us on campus, stop by next steps after service. We would love to meet you, answer any questions, and help you find your place. If you're joining us online, take a minute to fill out the Connect Card through next steps. It's the best way for us to get to know you and to keep you in the loop of everything happening at Pantano. We can't wait to take this next step with you. Scrolling on your phone during this message? We see you. Make sure to follow We Are Pantano while you're there. You'll get event updates behind the scenes moments, a little encouragement, and a few surprises to brighten your day. Everything we do on campus and beyond is about helping people take their next steps with Jesus and live that out in real, everyday ways. And that kind of change happens because of people like you. Your generosity creates space for growth, honest conversations, meaningful relationships, and real life change right here in our community and beyond. To give, simply drop off your gift in a giving box. Give online or text Give to 46356. Thank you for your faithful generosity and for being a part of what God's doing through Pantano. [MUSIC] Everybody's phone is alerting them that I'm showing up today. >> [APPLAUSE] >> Hey, Pen channel, let's celebrate a little bit more. Why don't we welcome all those that are actually watching us online.

Let's welcome them in today. >> [APPLAUSE] >> I also want to let you guys know that we have over 1.1 million views on the Pando app, viewed across, yeah. >> [APPLAUSE] >> We want to welcome our Benson campus in as well that's watching us. And our Gospel Rescue mission is with us here today. >> [APPLAUSE] >> So back in September, I went to a church conference. And I remember that when I walked into the church conference, it was, I thought it said the conference theme was actually bald and beautiful. >> [LAUGH] >> So I thought that this actually conference was going to be for me and I was going to receive and God was going to give me a special blessing. But the minute that I turned up put on my glasses, it said bold and beautiful. Do you see those contrast of those two words? Bold and beautiful. It's usually two words that we don't see in the same sentence. And that kind of brings me into today's message. Actually has a similar contrast. Today's title is beauty in the broken. Say that with me, beauty in the broken. And when we think of beauty, we don't think of brokenness in the same sentence. And vice versa, when we think of brokenness, we don't think of beauty in the same sentence as well. You see, when I was a young pastor, I used to smile all the time. I remember that I would smile wherever I went, whether it was at the store or at my house, wherever I would be, I just had this smile on me. And it was like pasted on me. It was like kind of like the joker.

>> [LAUGH] >> Somebody went, ew, that's exactly it. I smiled all the time, I would just throw in a smile everywhere where I went. And people would look at me and some people would be like, ew, awkward. And then other people would see, I think this guy's making fun of me. And honestly, sometimes I was, but it wasn't all the time. But I remember that season in my life years ago where a lady told me something. She told me, Salul, I love your smile. Your smile enlightens me, but she also said, don't ever lose it. You see, my wife Norma was with me and at the time that she said it to me, she was like, eh, she's trying to hit on you. And I was like, hey, you can't blame her, I have charisma. >> [LAUGH] >> But I would remember that season in my life where I felt like if I were to title that season in my life, it would be my Philippians 413 season. Where I could do things all in Christ, who strengthens me. I felt invincible, I felt like I can conquer the world. I felt like nothing can knock me down. And I remember that that season was a season where I felt like I was untouchable. That I could conquer anything. In fact, I remember my very first sermon was about adversity. And man, I felt like I preached it really, really good. Like I had life all figured out. But how many of you guys know that there's a difference between preaching about adversity and actually going through it? Mm-hm, tell the person next to you, you're hearing it? You see, I had no idea. Had no idea how much pain, how much loss, how much betrayal, how much disappointment was still ahead of me in the years to come. And somewhere along the way, I'll be honest with you, I started to lose my smile.

I started smiling less. Today, I still smile, but I just don't do it as often. But all of a sudden, as I remember this story, I finally understood what the lady told me, why the lady told me not to lose my smile. Is it she knew something about life that I hadn't experienced yet? Because pain changes you. Say that with me, pain changes you. Pain makes you cautious, it makes you hesitant. And sometimes pain makes you afraid to take risks. And sometimes you're not afraid because you lack faith. You're afraid because you remember how much it hurt last time. How many of you guys are with me? How many can relate? But this is what I've discovered over the years. I haven't lost my smile. God has just been changing the reason behind it. And I see that even today, when bad news comes, when sometimes I catch myself thinking, "Okay, God, what are you about to do? What are you up to now?" And as a student, I started to remember all that God has brought me through the smile I'm gonna keep smiling and you guys are gonna think I'm the joker again. But the smile comes back. Not because everything's okay. Not because everything hurt less. Not because I haven't never felt betrayal before or disappointment, but because I learned that even when I don't understand what's happening, God is still at work. Say that with me, God is still at work.

You see, when I was younger, I smiled because I thought I could conquer anything. But today, I smile because I know I don't have to face anything without Jesus. And I kinda wanna illustrate something for us today. I want you to look at this picture of this clay jar. And this kinda resembles our life. We feel that life should have everything put together. This is, if I were to label this era in my life, this would be my Philippians 413 clay jar. Where we start out thinking that we're stronger than we really are, but then life happens. Loss, betrayal, failure, and disappointment. And after everything that happens to us, we start to feel blows that actually crack the walls of our clay jar or crack the walls of our life. And then all of a sudden, there's another crack added, another disappointment, another loss, another betrayal. And we just keep cracking. And eventually, we begin to wonder where there's anything beautiful left. But what if life's cracks aren't the end of the story? What if the beauty that God is creating isn't what we see on the outside, but the faith that he's strengthening on the inside? 'Cause I know something. I'm not the only one carrying scars here today. You've been carrying scars, raise your hand. If you haven't, raise your other hand. 'Cause we all came in carrying scars.

We've all experienced cracks. And some of you walked in here today with a smile on your face, but behind that smile is a story nobody knows. Maybe it's a marriage that fell apart or a child that you've been praying for or a diagnosis that you never expected or a betrayal that you never saw coming. And here's what happens when life hurts us enough times. We stop seeing ourselves through what God says about us. And we start seeing ourselves through what life has done to us. We begin believing, I'm damaged. I'm a failure. I'm not enough. I'm a disappointment. I'll never be the same. And before we know it, what happens to us becomes what we believe about ourselves. But can I remind you of something today? Can I? Yes, okay. Just because life has broken something in you, doesn't mean God has finished doing something through you. And I don't know if I need to repeat it for those of you back in the room, but I'm gonna do it anyway. Just because life has broken something in you, doesn't mean God is finished doing something through you. (audience cheering and applauding) Yes.

Because brokenness, it doesn't mean worthlessness. Wounded doesn't mean you're unusable. And struggling doesn't mean God has abandoned you. So let me ask you something. What are the very places where you feel the weakest are the places where God wants to reveal his greatest power? And this is what I want us to look at today. This is our main idea today. Fear focuses on what is broken. Faith looks for what God is building. Can you repeat that with me? Fear focuses on what is broken. Faith looks for what God is building. You see, fear looks at what is broken and says, you're finished, you're done, you're not qualified. But faith looks at the promises of God and said, he's not finished. And that's what we're gonna be looking at today. We're gonna be looking at the story of Apostle Paul because he helps us understand why. And it's a very clear picture that we're gonna be looking at today. So if you have your Bible, I'm gonna invite you to open it up to second Corinthians chapter four. Now I wanna give you a little bit more context here. Paul is writing to the church in Corinth. And if anybody understood what it meant to experience hardship, it was Paul. He had been rejected, beaten, imprisoned, threatened

and persecuted because of his faith. But yet, you don't see in this scripture that Paul describes himself as someone that God has abandoned. Instead, you see a different thing. And that's what we're gonna be looking at. We're gonna be looking at Paul's life and what he says, through fragile people. Guess who the fragile people are? Us. Four things that God can do through fragile people. The first one, the condition of the vessel doesn't determine the value of the treasure. And we see that in 2 Corinthians 4, 7. And we see that it says, we now have this light. We have this what? This light shining in our what? Hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God and not from ourselves. Now, let's kind of narrate this. Let's illustrate this. Look at this clay jar. So Paul kind of describes back-- well, if we look at Paul's days, I'm sorry, that clay jars were ordinary household containers. Nothing particular, nothing impressive about them. They were fragile. They could chip. They could crack. They could break.

And Paul says, this is what we're like. We're ordinary. We're fragile. We're imperfect. But this is what I love about this verse. That God chose to put something extraordinary and something ordinary. I don't know if you caught that, but let me repeat it. God chose to put something extraordinary and something ordinary. And it says he placed the great treasure. What exactly is that treasure? If we go back to verse 6, Paul tells us, it's the light of knowing the glory of God through Christ Jesus. So if you've met Jesus, you have the light. And it also says that the treasure is the gospel, the life-changing presence and power of Jesus. And Paul tells us that that's what we have inside of us, but he also tells us why God has placed this treasure inside of us. And he says so that everyone would know that the extraordinary power comes from God, not from us. Say not from me, but from Jesus. Now, church, I don't want you to miss this. God never intended the jar to be the impressive part. Turn to your neighbor and say, you're not that impressive. Wives, you're welcome. [LAUGHTER] But you're not.

What's impressive about you as a Christian, as a follower of Jesus, is the light inside of you. It's Jesus. It's the treasure that's in us. And I want us to look at the same jar. The damage hasn't disappeared. But what catches your attention now? The what? The light. And suddenly, we no longer focus on everything that's wrong with the jar. We're looking at what's shining from the inside. Now, imagine placing this jar in the middle of complete darkness. That's our world. That's what you're surrounded with most of the time. Now, imagine placing this in complete darkness where there's no street lights, no buildings, nothing. Just darkness. What we know is even a small candle can be seen from an incredible distance when the conditions are right. And here's what I love. The darkness doesn't have to disappear for the light to be visible. But this is the picture that Paul is showing us. That the power isn't the jar. The power is the treasure inside of it. But here's the reality. Some of us are so focused on what life has done to us

that we forget what Jesus has placed within us. Most of us look at the darkness surrounding our lives, and we've got to understand that that doesn't diminish the light of Jesus that's living inside of us. God doesn't have to repair every broken place in our lives before His light can shine through us. Life may have cracked the vessel, but it never had the power to diminish the treasure. You see, our weakness doesn't make Jesus weaker. Our imperfections don't diminish His power. God doesn't need a perfect vessel to reveal His priceless treasure. And that's the good news, because if that was the case, none of us would qualify. When something beautiful happens in our lives, nobody can confuse it because the power comes from Him and not from us. The power is Jesus. How many can say amen to that? The second remarkable thing that we see that God does through fragile people is number two. The pressure of life cannot cancel the power of God. Say that with me. The pressure of life cannot cancel the power of God. I don't know if you noticed, but I like talking back. will never face pressure. He promises that the power inside, it comes from him. And that's what Paul is gonna show us in these next verses in verses eight through 12. I want you to pay close attention to these words.

And it says, "We are pressed on every side by troubles, "but we are not what, crushed. "We are perplexed, but not driven to what, despair. "We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. "We get knocked down, but we are not what?" Destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you. I want you to pay attention to Paul's first words. Pressed, but not crushed. Perplexed, but not driven to despair. Hunted, but never abandoned. Knocked down, but not destroyed. And I love that. And I know where some of you guys just went, you guys have that song playing in your head. I get knocked down, but I get up again. No, you guys don't remember that song? Paul isn't saying, he never gets knocked down. He's saying getting knocked down doesn't mean God's finished. And I think somebody needs to hear this today. You can be knocked down without being knocked out of God's purpose.

Let me say it to this side of the room. You can be knocked down, but you can't, but you without being knocked out of God's purpose. One more time for me. You can be knocked down without being knocked out of God's purpose. What does that mean? You can be hurt and still be held by God. You can have questions and still have faith. The presence of trouble doesn't mean the absence of God. And as we've processed this a little bit more, I want you to process with me what Paul doesn't say. Paul doesn't say we're pressed, but we don't feel the pressure. No. He doesn't say we're perplexed, but we don't understand everything. But we understand everything? No. And he doesn't say we're knocked down, but it doesn't hurt. No. Paul acknowledges the reality of suffering, the pain, the betrayal. While he's still declaring the sustaining power of Jesus that's within him. Because God's power is improved by how little pressure we experience. Sometimes it's revealed by how he sustains us in the middle of it.

You see, I can look back at my own life and I recognize that. 'Cause I grew up, experienced things that no child should ever have to experience. At a young age, I experienced the abuse. I was carrying pain that I didn't know how to process. And I carried that for the majority of my life. And that pain followed me. It shaped my decisions. And I remember that by the time I was 18, I found myself under arrest and lost. And I remember seasons when my life felt overwhelming, when I couldn't see a way forward. And even after giving my life to Jesus, life didn't suddenly become easy. There were still disappointments. There were still betrayals. Still moments when I questioned whether I had enough strength to keep going. And the biggest pain I felt was losing my father. I didn't know how I would get back from that. But now I look back. And I could see that even when I felt like I was falling apart, God was still holding me together. And here I am today, not because I've always been strong, not because I've always gotten it right, but because God's faithfulness has been greater than my weakness. How many can say God's faithfulness is greater than my weakness?

(audience applauding) But I want us to be careful about something. Because sometimes when people experience tragedy, we tell them everything happens for a reason. And I know we mean well with that, but we don't need to call evil good. We don't need to pretend that suffering is beautiful and that God asks us to celebrate what wounded us. But we do have a promise that we can remind them of. And that's given in Romans 828. And it says, and we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. And I want you to notice what this verse doesn't say. It doesn't say everything. Tell the person next to you, uh-uh. Not everything that happens is good. It says, God is working. Even in the middle of things that aren't good, and that's a big difference. God doesn't have to be the author of our pain to be the author of your redemption. And sometimes the greatest testimony isn't that God kept us from every painful experience in life. It's that he never abandoned us in the middle of them. So don't mistake the pressure that you're under for the absence of God's power. The pressure may be real, but so is the power of God. And here's where Paul's message becomes even more beautiful. That God doesn't simply sustain us so we can survive.

He gives our lives a purpose that reaches beyond ourselves. And this brings me to the third thing that God can do through fragile people. God can create beauty through a life that is still healing. Can you repeat that with me? God can create beauty through a life that is still healing. Verses 13 through 15 say, "But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, "I believe in God so I spoke." We know that God who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you. All of this is for your benefit. And as God's grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving and God will receive more and more glory. I don't know about you, but I notice a confidence in Paul's wording here. And maybe that's what we need to ask. Where did Paul's confidence come from? We see here that Paul's confidence comes from the resurrection of Jesus. Paul knows at the same God who raised Jesus from the dead is the God who holds his future. And because of that, he keeps getting up even in the middle of the pain. He keeps going in the middle of suffering. He keeps moving, he keeps believing, he keeps sharing Jesus even in the middle of adversity.

But why? Because Paul understands something way more powerful that his life is connected to something bigger than his circumstances. And we see here, because of that, people are hearing the gospel. People are experiencing grace. And God is receiving the glory. And this is what I love about this, that God just isn't working in Paul. God is working through Paul. And I believe that that's what God wants to do in each and every one of us as the clay jars. God wants to work in us and through us. And you'll see people hear the gospel, experience grace, and God will receive the glory through your life. Listen to what Paul writes in another letter, in Ephesians 2-4, for he says, "We are God's what? Masterpiece. Say it with me, for we are God's? Masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do good things that he planned for us long ago." I know we've heard this before. We are God's masterpiece. And I love that word because it's taken me time. It's taken me time to really understand what that means. Because nobody goes around,

"Hey, Masterpiece, how you doing?" (congregation laughing) Or do you? Does your wife call you Masterpiece, man? You're like, "Heck, no." (congregation laughing) We don't go around calling each other Masterpiece. Maybe we call each other damaged, complicated. I've seen some of your Facebook status, (congregation laughing) or working progress. But here the word, Masterpiece, our pastor's told us time and time again what it means. In the Greek it means the word poema. And I like it 'cause it's almost in Spanish, poema. And what it means is God's poetry and motion. I don't know if this is bringing some clarity to you right now. But even in the pain, the loss, the cracks. God is working in you and through you. His poetry is in motion. And like I said, a lot of us struggle calling each other Masterpieces or thinking of us as Masterpiece, but that's what Paul is saying who we are in Christ Jesus. And I don't want you to miss this, that God created us anew in Christ Jesus to do the good things that He planned for us when long ago there's already a plan and a purpose for your life. In other words, God just isn't simply restoring us

so that we can feel good better about ourselves. He's creating something in us so that we can accomplish something through us. And here's what I want us to understand. Being God's Masterpiece doesn't mean every part of life looks beautiful right now. It's about one or two per service, so yeah. (audience laughs) What does that mean? We all struggle. But what it means is the master is still at work. There's a story in Nazeem, Nazeem Phasil's book. We've asked you to follow along in the book called Tomorrow Needs You. If you haven't heard the last two weeks message, I'm gonna invite you to go back into our archives and listen to 'em. But I'm also gonna invite you to commercial for next week. Nazeem is actually gonna be here with us next week. So don't miss out, bring somebody with you. But a story in the book, there's a story about a pastor named John Mark. In John Mark, he experienced so much emotional pain that he reached a point that he started struggling. He started to see a reason to keep living. But through the loving intervention of his wife, he began searching for Jesus. And while his struggles with anxiety and depression didn't suddenly disappear, he began discovering hope and purpose once again.

And eventually he pursued his calling, eventually he pursued his ministry and he planted a church. But what does it move me about this story isn't the fact that he became a pastor again. What moves me about this story is that someone who wants struggle, he started to see a future and be discovered once again that God still had a purpose for his life. His struggles didn't magically disappear, but God was creating beauty in a life that was still healing. And that makes me wonder. How many of us are still waiting until everything is fixed before we believe that God can use us? How many of us are still waiting until we feel stronger? How many of us are still waiting until we have all the answers? Or how many of us are still waiting until we finally feel qualified? But let me ask you, what if God is inviting us to participate in something beautiful right now? Not when everything is perfect. What if God is inviting us into something beautiful right now? Because this is something that I've discovered. You don't have to be completely healed to begin helping someone else experience the love of Jesus.

Now that doesn't mean ignoring your own healing or pretending that you're okay when you're not. Sometimes the most faithful step you can take is to ask for help, ask somebody to walk alongside of you. But we must know that our brokenness doesn't automatically disqualify us from God's purpose. Let me tell you a story about Van. Van is 67 years old. He has spent 45 years of his life in prison and he still has five years to go. He grew up in a Christian home, but he converted to Islam in 1991. And eventually he became a leader in the Muslim community. Last September, he started attending our Pentano, God Behind Bars, prison campus. And on Easter, he recommitted his life to Jesus. (audience applauds) But here's where the beauty begins to emerge. God began using Van to reach other Muslim men. One of them, Julius. He was another Muslim leader. And also he just gave his life to Jesus. Yes. (audience applauds) And today, van is sharing his testimony and he's helping incarcerated fathers become fathers to their broken relationships with their children. And just a few days ago, he forwarded an email to one of our God Behind Bars leaders. And this is what he said.

"My health's good, mine's clear, and hearts at peace." You see, van still has five years left behind bars. But God isn't waiting for his release to use him. His past may explain where he is, but it doesn't determine what God can do through him. And that's beauty in the broken. And that's exactly what God is reminding us today. That some of the most meaningful ways we can love people to Jesus happen through ordinary moments. And encouraging conversation, an act of kindness, a willingness to serve. You don't have to have all the answers. You just have to be willing to let God work through you. Because sometimes the beauty God is creating in you becomes the hope someone else needs to see. And that brings us to our fourth and final, remarkable thing that God does through fragile people. The strength you can't see. Because while God is working through us to reach others, he's also doing something within us. And that's where Paul takes us next. Verses 16 through 18, he says, "That is why we never give up. "Though our bodies are dying, "our spirits are being renewed every day. "For our present troubles are small "and won't last very long. "Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them "and will last forever.

"So we don't look at the troubles we can see now, "rather we fix our gaze on the things that cannot be seen. "For the things we see now will soon be gone, "but the things we can not see will last "a long forever. "I don't want us to miss this. "I don't want us to miss what Paul just saying. "There's another contrast that we see here. "Though our bodies are dying, "our spirits are being renewed every day. "Outwardly we're getting weaker, "but inwardly God is renewing us. "And sometimes the strength that God is developing in us "doesn't look anything like we thought strength "was supposed to look like. "I see this in my life when I was younger. "I thought that being strong men fearless, "being bold, being willing to take any risk "and take anything on. "But as life has continued, "life has taught me something different. "That sometimes strength looks very different. "Sometimes strength is getting out of bed "when your heart is grieving. "Sometimes it's praying again after the last prayer "wasn't answered the way I hope for. "And sometimes it's choosing to forgive someone "who deeply hurt you. "And sometimes the greatest act of courage "is simply saying a prayer, saying, "Jesus,

"I don't understand what you're doing, "but I'm not walking away from you. "I'm not walking away even though it hurts, "even though there's pain and disappointments. "And what we see is that's not weakness, that's faith, "that's endurance, that's the kind of inward renewal "Paul is talking about. "Now I want to be clear about something. "Paul isn't saying that suffering automatically "makes us stronger. "Paint can leave us wounded. "It can leave us discouraged. "It can leave us needing help. "But what we know is that through his grace, "through his work, through his presence, "and the people he places around us, "God can renew us while he's still helping us "work through the pain. "And that renewal changes us." As I thought about this message, it kept on taking me back as my life as a young pastor. And I could see so many things. I could see that I thought I could conquer everything. As I said, I preached my first sermon about adversity. But what I know now is that guy right there, he had a lot to learn, a lot of pain, a lot of suffering, a lot of discouragement has gone by. And maybe I'm not as fearless as I was back then. But I know something today that I didn't know back then. I know what it's like to have my faith tested

and discover that Jesus is still faithful. I know what it's like to have questions and still trust him. I know what it's like to feel weak and discover that his power has never diminished. And this is what I've learned. The courage isn't always the absence of fear. Sometimes courage is the decision to remain faithful when you know exactly what pain feels like. And those words are powerful. Paul's words are powerful. He reminds us that our present troubles as real and painful as they are cannot compare to the eternal glory that God is preparing us for. Paul doesn't minimize suffering. He's helping us see it from the perspective of eternity because the things we cannot see right now aren't the things we can see right now are not the whole story. What we see today isn't all God is doing. Faith doesn't deny what is broken. Faith believes God is doing more than we can see. And one day we'll see the fullness of what he's been doing. I want you to listen to this promise and maybe this is the reason why you're here today. In Revelations 21.5 it says and the one sitting on the throne said look, I am what?

I am making everything new. And then he said to me write this down maybe some of you need to write this down for what I tell you is trustworthy and true. I want you to focus on that. Maybe you've been focusing on the pain and the discouragement and all the pressure of life. But maybe you came today to hear this. Hear the words of Jesus saying look. I am making everything new. It doesn't say I'm making everything look new. It's saying I'm making everything new. And that's the ultimate hope of our faith. That one day God will make everything But until then, we get to be part of his eternal work by loving others, serving people, and bringing hope to those that are hurting. I want you to invite to look at the jar one more time. It's still cracked. The damage is still visible, but the light is still shining. And here's the image that I want you to remember. And this is what I want you to remember. The cracks don't create the light, and they don't have the power to extinguish it. John 1-5 says the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. In other words, Jesus is the light. Jesus is the treasure, and has the power, and his power has never depended on the perfection

of the people who carry him. The cracks tell you that you've been what you've been through, but the treasure reminds you of who has brought you through it. And maybe that's what some of us need to change our perspective today. We spent so much time looking at what's been broken that we stopped looking for what God is building. But church, your brokenness is not the end of the story. And what you see today is not all God is doing. So remember, fear focuses on what is broken, but faith looks for what God is building. Now I wanna ask you a question today. I wanna make this a little personal for you today. What broken place in your life has been getting the most of your attention. Maybe it's a relationship, a disappointment, or something you've been afraid of to face. And what if instead of asking God, why is this broken, you start asking God, what are you building? And how can I be part of it? Because God doesn't simply invite us to admire the beauty that he's creating. He's inviting us to participate in his work. So I wanna leave you with a next step. How many are ready for a next step? That's it. How many are ready for a next step? (audience applauding) Here's your challenge. Create beauty in one broken place this week.

In one place, take one step, do it this week. Start a conversation. Encourage someone who's hurting. Help someone in need, or ask for help in your own broken place. Just remember, you don't have to fix everything. You might not be able to repair everything that's broken, but you can participate in something beautiful that God is building. So can I ask you something? Stop waiting. Stop. Stop waiting. Stop waiting until your life looks beautiful before bringing beauty into someone else's life. Remember, the jar doesn't have to be perfect for the treasure to be powerful, and neither do you. Ask Jesus where he wants you to create beauty and then take the step. Take one faithful step. Can you imagine if every single one of us today would take that faithful step? Imagine if every one of us would create beauty in one broken place this week. We would become a church where people don't have to pretend that they're okay. A church where broken people find grace, where they find healing, and where they find the hope of Jesus. Not a church that hides and glorifies its brokenness,

but a church that believes that Jesus is greater than its brokenness. I want you to leave with this image of the clay jar. The cracks are still there, but so is the light. The world doesn't need to see how perfect our jars are. The world needs to see how powerful our Jesus is. So don't confuse a difficult chapter with a finished story. Fear focuses on what is broken and faith looks for what God is building. So church, that's your next step. Go create beauty in a broken place. Let's love people to Jesus, because Pentanel, tomorrow still needs you. I want you to invite you to stand with me. And if you're committed to taking that faithful step today, raise your hand, and close your eyes. Let me pray for us. Father, thank you. Thank you that you see every broken place in our life. Forgive us for the times that we focus more on what's broken than on what you're building. Remind us that our weakness has never diminished your power, and our pain has never diminished your love. Father, for those that are hurting, I pray that you bring healing. For those that are discouraged, I pray that you restore hope. And for those who feel disqualified, remind them that you still have a purpose for their lives. Jesus, show us one broken place where we can create beauty this week. Give us the courage to take the next step and use our lives to love people to you. We trust you with our yesterday, we invite you into our today,

and we place our tomorrow in your hands. In Jesus' name, amen. ♪ I know who I am ♪ ♪ 'Cause I know who you are ♪ ♪ The cross of salvation was only the sun ♪ ♪ But now I am chosen ♪ ♪ Forgive me ♪ ♪ And I have a future ♪ ♪ It's worth living ♪ ♪ 'Cause I was in, in, in, in, in a grave I was called by ♪ ♪ Born and raised back to offer ♪ ♪ I was made for me ♪ ♪ So why would I make ♪ ♪ A bed in my shame when I found some of us ♪ ♪ Is running my way ♪ ♪ I'm a white heart ♪ ♪ I was made for one ♪ ♪ 'Cause I know who I am ♪ ♪ 'Cause I know who you are ♪ ♪ The cross of salvation was only the sun ♪ ♪ And now I am chosen ♪ ♪ Forgive me ♪ ♪ And I have a future ♪ ♪ It's worth living ♪ ♪ 'Cause I was in, in, in, in a grave I was called by ♪ ♪ Born and raised back to life again ♪ ♪ And I was made for more ♪ ♪ So why would I make ♪ ♪ A bed in my shame when I found some of us ♪ ♪ Is running my way ♪

♪ I know who I am ♪ ♪ I was made for more ♪ ♪ For sure it's sweet to clear today ♪ ♪ Darling ♪ ♪ Oh, yeah ♪ ♪ You called on my day ♪ ♪ I sing on your praise ♪ ♪ Darling ♪ ♪ Oh, yeah ♪ ♪ You buried my mess ♪ ♪ I'm not going back ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ You called on my day ♪ ♪ I sing on your praise ♪ ♪ Darling ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ You buried my mess ♪ ♪ I'm not going back ♪ ♪ 'Cause I was made to be ♪ ♪ 10th in a grave ♪ ♪ I was called by men ♪ ♪ Born and raised back to life again ♪ ♪ I was made for ♪ It's why would I make a bed in my shame When I'm out to the grace It's running my way I know why it goes That I was made more It's why I want today to be It's simply a grave I was born findin'

Born and raised back to life for me I was made more It's why would I make a bed in my shame When I'm out to the grace It's why would I make a bed in my shame When I'm out to the grace It's why would I make a bed in my shame When I'm out to the grace When I'm out to the grace It's why would I make a bed in my shame I've got gold in my hand You've got my hand, I've seen I've got red I've got gold in my hand I've got gold in my hand 'Cause I wasn't made to be taken away I was born findin' Born and raised back to life for me That's it Church I was made more No longer It's why would I make a bed in my shame When I'm out to the grace I'm running my way, I know I am yours I was made more Don't give a praise to me Hey man, the one who's called me May we go and may we be light Through every part of our life To every person around us God let us shine brightly

Let us be your hope Let us be your hands and your feet And your love In the world that desperately needs it In the name of Jesus That everybody said, Amen Amen, have a great week y'all (music) (music) (music) (music)