Tomorrow Needs You- Today Is Waiting

Oh hallelujah, I've been washed in the water, washed in the blood, because of you. Oh hallelujah. Come on, let's put those hands together this morning. And I'm clean, shame was stained on me, shame was runnin' deep, but your love was spilled on cavalry. Oh hallelujah, I'm clean, God, how can it be? I'm ransomed and redeemed, standing in your victory. Oh hallelujah, I'm washed in the water, washed in the blood, I'm as good as you. Oh hallelujah, I've been washed in the water, washed in the blood, because of you. Oh hallelujah, I'm clean, and I'm what I have done. But what you've done for me, and you've hated all upon that dream. Oh hallelujah, I'm clean, the love has overcome, and your mercy is supreme. And I'm dancing in your victory. Oh hallelujah, I've been washed in the water, washed in the blood, I'm as good as you. Oh hallelujah, I'm washed in the water, washed in the blood, oh, because of you. Oh hallelujah, I'm washed in the water, washed in the blood, I'm as good as you. Oh hallelujah, I'm washed in the water, washed in the blood, oh, because of you. Oh hallelujah, because you took away my sheep, and you nailed it to the cross. Come on, you've got to be running out there, hallelujah here. I'm right here, I'm loving this, 'cause it took away my sheep, and you nailed it to the cross. You got to be running out there, hallelujah, because it took away my sheep, and you nailed it to the cross. You got to be running out there, hallelujah, because it took away my sheep, and you nailed it to the cross. You got to be running out there, hallelujah, because it took away my sheep, and you nailed it to the cross. Come on, you've got to be running out there, hallelujah, because you took away my sheep, and you nailed it to the cross. You got to be running out there, hallelujah, because it took away my sheep, and you nailed it to the cross. Come on, you've got to be running out there, hallelujah, because I've been washed in the water, washed in the blood, I'm as good as you. I've been washed in the water, washed in the blood, all because of you. I've been washed in the water, hallelujah, because it took away my sheep, and you nailed it to the cross. Come on, we'll sing. Remember those walls who we call sin and shame? They were life-freezies that we couldn't escape, but we came, and we died, and we rose, those walls above.

Remember those giants we call death and grave? They're a light mountain that's still in our way, but we came, and we died, and we rose, those giants are dead now. This is our God, this is who is. He loves us, this is our God, this is what He does. He saves us, for the promise to be the great. Heaven and Earth who play, this is our God. King Jesus, remember that, he that's took our breath away. If he's so weak that we could barely break. But he burned everywhere, everywhere he would have spared. Now those alters in the wilderness tell the story of his faithfulness. He never wants to defell, and he never will. This is our God, this is who he is. He loves us, this is our God, this is what he does. He saves us, for the cost to be the great. Heaven and Earth who play, this is our God, King Jesus. Who pulled me out of that bed, he dead, he dead. Who paid for all our sin, nobody but Jesus. Who pulled me out of that bed, he dead, he dead. Who paid for all our sin, nobody but Jesus. Who rescued me from that grave, Yahweh, Yahweh. Who gets the glory and praise, nobody but Jesus. Who rescued me from that grave, Yahweh, Yahweh. Who gets the glory and praise, nobody but him. This is our God, this is who he is. He loves us, this is our God, this is what he does. He saves us, for the cost to be the great. Heaven and Earth who play, this is our God, King Jesus. Who pulled the cost to be the great. Heaven and Earth who play, this is our God, King Jesus. Heaven and Earth, King Jesus.

♪ All my words hold sure. I've got nothing. How could I express all my gratitude? I could sing songs as I often do. Every song will stand, and you'll never do. So I throw up my hands and praise you again and again. 'Cause all that I have is a hallelujah. Hallelujah. And I know it's not much, but I'm nothing else fit for a king. Except for a hard-seeing hallelujah. ♪ So we say, we've got a one response. So with our arms stretched wide We will the worst of you, yes So I'm gonna burn my lips And praise you again and again 'Cause all that I have is a heart, yes A heart in you And I know it's not much But I'm nothing else before the game You say I'm for a heart, singing out We sing Hallelujah We give you glory We give you praise For your worthy Lord Come on, guys, let's cry this morning She said, "Come on, my soul Oh, don't you get shy on me Lift up your song

'Cause you've got a line 'Cause you've got a song to give me praise Let's raise this room, c'mon now Come on, my soul Oh, don't you get shy on me Lift up your song Oh, don't you get shy Yes, so we dance Oh, come on, my soul Oh, don't you get shy on me Lift up your song 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs

'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs

'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs 'Cause you've got a line inside of those songs (crowd cheering) ♪ We give you hope ♪ ♪ Don't take it inside ♪ ♪ Don't take it inside ♪ ♪ 'Cause you gotta fight inside those arms ♪ ♪ Give me the hands of love ♪ ♪ So you're on my side ♪ ♪ Oh, my soul, oh, don't take it inside ♪ ♪ We lift up your song ♪ ♪ 'Cause you gotta lie inside those arms ♪ ♪ Give me the same heart ♪ (upbeat music) ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ (upbeat music) ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ (upbeat music) (crowd cheering) ♪ So I throw up my hands ♪ ♪ And praise you again and again ♪ ♪ 'Cause all that I have is a ♪

♪ You be a heart ♪ ♪ And I know it's not much, I have nothing else ♪ ♪ I'll lose ♪ ♪ Sing hallelujah ♪ ♪ You were the other all ♪ ♪ You were the other all ♪ ♪ For from you are all things ♪ ♪ Until you are all things ♪ ♪ You were the other all ♪ ♪ You were the other all ♪ ♪ For from you are all things ♪ ♪ Until you are all things ♪ So soul, soul 63 reads this. Oh God, you are my God. I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you. My whole body longs for you in this parched in weary land where there is no water. I've seen you in your sanctuary. You gazed upon, so I've seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory. Your unfailing love is better than life itself. How I praise you. I praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer. You satisfy me more than the richest feast. How I praise you with songs of joy, I lie awake thinking of you meditating on you through the night because you are my helper. I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings.

I cling to you. Your strong right hand holds me securely. So I don't know where you find yourself, but one thing that we can rest on is that his strong right hand does what? It holds us securely and we know he can hold us. We know he has the power to do that. And specifically, we are grateful that he has the power to do that because what he sent his son willingly to die for us. And so we're going to take some time this morning. In my prayer for the 830 service this morning is the same prayer that I have for the 1030 service is going to be the same prayer that I have for the 1230 service. I don't know what you had coming into this spot and in this moment. Family life, home life, work life, traffic life, getting into here, frustrations with whatever's going on, or maybe you're mountaintop. But no matter what that is, my prayer is that you take a second, take a moment and just push it to the side. And that this morning we can sit and hear from him. we're still wrestling with some things and we weren't able to like get our mind focused on Jesus wholeheartedly. Let's take a second to do that. To breathing his love and his grace and just sit with him. So we're going to give you guys a little bit of time with some slides. We're going to take communion. We're going to take it at your own time. Have a little bit of bread. Representing the broken body on the cross and a little bit of juice representing his blood that was shed on the cross for us. There's no pressure. There's no time for him. I don't even

care if the slides run out and something else comes up. If you need to sit and take a moment with Jesus, make this the time right now. So we're going to just give you a little bit of time in a space and come back to your teaching, grab a seat and take communion together. [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] Hey, I'm Aaron and I'm so glad you're here. At Pantana, we're all about doing life together. Whether you're looking to find community, grow in your faith or figure out what your next step with Jesus looks like, we want to help get you connected. If you're here on campus, swing by next steps after service. We'd love to meet you, answer any questions, and help you find your place in our community. Joining us online, take a minute to fill out a connect card through next steps. It's a great way for us to get to know you and keep you in the loop with everything happening here at Pantana. And don't forget to follow We Are Pantana while you're scrolling social media. You'll get event updates, behind the scenes moments, encouragement, and a few extra things that just might brighten your day. Being kingdom first means looking beyond ourselves and joining God wherever he is at work. We believe that church is who we are, wherever we are, and that means making a difference both inside and outside our walls. Your generosity helps make that possible. When we give, we're able to invest in people, meet needs, and bring hope to our community as we live out what it means to be a kingdom first church. To give, simply drop your gift in the giving boxes, give online through our website, or text give to 46356. Hey, thanks again for joining us. We can't wait to see what God will reveal to us in our time together. Pantana Church, how are we doing today? Hey, real quick, can we give it up for the worship team, for the band? Yeah. They are so incredible. They are volunteers, and they give up time with their family to serve on the weekend, and they are so incredibly talented and make my job a lot easier. So I am so grateful for them and the way that we are able to connect to God because of the way that they lead and serve. Hey, I want to remind you today that there are so many people tuning in from all over the country, all over the globe, and I want to give a very special shout out to our campuses, pin

And men and women are tuning in and prisons all over the country via the PANDO app. Yeah, can you help me welcome in each and every person joining us online? We are so grateful for you and grateful that you are part of the PANDO family. Hey, anytime I preach, I love to start with a passage of scripture. And one of the most beautiful ways that I know to honor the words of God is to simply stand. And so I want to invite you to stand with me as I read a passage from 1 John chapter four. We know how much God loves us. And we have put our trust in His love. God is love and all who live in love, live in God and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face Him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. Such love has no fear because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment. And this shows that we have not fully experienced His perfect love. We love each other because He loved us first. God, I thank you for your love today. I pray that we would encounter and experience the depth of your love today. Love that your word says is too great for us

to understand fully. But God, I pray that as we invite you here today, that your love would change our hearts, that it would transform our lives. And as your love changes us, God, I pray that you would grow our capacity to love others well, just as you have loved us. In Jesus' name, amen. You may be seated. I suffer from something called vasovagal syncope. Has anyone ever heard of this? Okay, a handful of you. Probably the medical professionals in the room. So for those of you that have never heard of vasovagal syncope, it is a fancy medical term to say that when I am very afraid, I pass out. And I have a lot of funny stories about this. One of my favorites was years ago, our family was enjoying a slow, relaxed Saturday morning at home, and the kids were eating breakfast around the breakfast table. And in this area, we have hardwood floors. And my son was a toddler at the time, and he was kind of nuts, like a typical toddler boy. He was just wild. And at some point, he stood up on his chair and he got animated, and he rocked back, and that chair tipped backwards, and you could hear his head hit the floor. And I went to him.

I jumped up so fast, I ran to him, I wanted to comfort him and hold him, and make sure he was okay. But none of that happened. Because before I could even register that I was afraid, I was out cold. And the next thing I remember, I was looking up at my husband, who had me in one arm, and he was holding my son and the other, he was holding both of us. And that's how it works. Before I even register what's happening, I've lost consciousness. And this must be a genetic thing, because both of my kids do it, too. In fact, I can't even make this up. As I was writing this teaching, I got a text message from my daughter's boss. She said, "9-1-1, we need you, me is passed out." We are like a bunch of fainting goats. (audience laughing) So here's what happens when you have extreme fear or anxiety, your heart rate drops, your blood pressure drops, and you lose consciousness. Before you even recognize how afraid you are, and it's really not dangerous unless you hit something on your way down, which unfortunately happens quite a bit. And it's something that's honestly a little embarrassing to admit, because there's nothing I can do about it,

because it's like my body's natural response to a sense of threat or danger. It just absolutely shuts down. And for me, that fear response Our bodies are wild. And maybe you don't have an extreme fear response like I do, you probably don't. But the reality is that we all have a visceral response to fear. Because that's what fear does. It hijacks our brains and our bodies. Because honestly, that is how we are designed. Fear is a protection mechanism. And maybe for you, your fears revolve around practical, logical things, like the financial instability of the economy or losing a loved one, losing your job, losing your marriage, your kids' safety, aging, illness, death, whatever it is, those are the practical realities that we all face. Maybe that's what you worry about. Or maybe you're much more existential and the fears you battle are around rejection, failure, not being good enough, making the wrong decision, not living up to your potential. I don't know what those fears are for you. But I'm certain that you're carrying some. Because we all are. Some conscious, some very subconscious fears running in the background of your life, like the apps that are always running on your phone and draining your battery. And for some of you, externally, you look calm. You look relaxed. You look laid back. But internally, there are fears that are keeping you up at night, stealing your joy and your peace. And so whether your fears are practical or more subtle, quieter, more hidden ones, it's still fear and it still has a grip.

It's just a moment. You don't have to share this with anyone. You don't need to tell the person next to you. I just want you to be honest with yourself for a moment. What are those fears for you? What are those fears for you? Because everyone is afraid of something. And the problem with fear is that it wants to control us. Fear keeps us small and isolated and exhausted. And fear is a liar. It reminds us of our shame, our guilt, our regret. It will ask the question, what if you fail? And so what do we do with that? This series is about all the ways that fear keeps us stuck in yesterday, distracted from today and afraid of tomorrow. That scripture actually gives us an antidote to fear. Now you know what an antidote to fear is? It's like a remedy or a cure. An antidote stops or neutralizes the harmful effects of something. It is a remedy that relieves. I think about like the Hunger Games, one of my favorite series of all time. Katniss Everdeen is an absolute legend. And in the Hunger Games, Katniss receives medicine after being stung by Tracker Jackers. That's an antidote. Or maybe you're not a fan of the Hunger Games, which I don't understand. But it's the same idea in Batman, right? In Batman Begins, Bruce Wayne develops an antidote to scarecrows, fear toxin. And each of these stories understands something true, that when something threatens to overtake you, you need something stronger to counteract it. And that's exactly what scripture says about fear.

First John 418 explicitly says what the antidote to fear is. Perfect love expels all fear. Only prefer the way that the NIV version says it, perfect love drives out fear. Perfect love drives out fear. The antidote to fear is love. The remedy, the cure to fear is love. The force that is stronger than fear is love. I want to be really clear about something though, before I go any further. This is not a verse about anxiety. It is not a subtle way of saying that you need more faith. And maybe you've heard this verse used in that context before, like your anxiety or your fear is a faith problem that you could just pray your way out of. That's not what this verse is saying. And certainly, that's not what I'm trying to communicate. So if you've experienced shame because of the way that this I want to apologize for that. And I want you to hear me say this, that that is not actually what this verse is about at all. So what is it about? For some of us, our spirituality, our relationship with God, it is connected to fear. And so in context, this verse is not about everyday anxiety, it's not about fear of danger, it's not even about reverence for God. This verse is saying that we don't have to fear God if we understand how much He loves us, how perfectly He loves us, because His love for us is complete. So if we truly experience His love, we don't have to be fearful about His judgment

or His condemnation. If we truly understand His love, there's a safety and security that comes from that love. So we don't have to hide or perform or protect. And because of that safety and that security, we are free to pursue Him and His calling on our lives. We don't have to be afraid of failing Him or disappointing Him because His love for us is perfect. So security comes first, security in His love and then courage. And courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is feeling afraid and doing it anyway. It's doing it anyway. I wanna show you a practical example of this in Scripture with a man who battled a lot of fear. We're gonna look at two chapters in Exodus, Exodus chapter three and Exodus chapter four. Here's the context for these verses. Moses is out in the wilderness, tending sheep. What I can only imagine is an incredibly boring job. And Moses has been doing this for 40 years after fleeing Egypt as a fugitive. And in the middle of an ordinary day, he sees a bush on fire. And I know many of you are familiar with this story. The problem is that the bush isn't burning up. And so Moses goes to take a closer look and that's when God speaks to Him out of the flames. Here's what God says in Exodus three, verses seven and eight. I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I've heard them crying out and I am concerned

about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them. I have seen, I have heard, I'm concerned. I'm coming down. That's what God is saying to Moses. I wanna rescue my people. Now what I love about this is that is not a distant God. That is a God that is paying attention. He's paying attention to his people's suffering. And now he's paying attention to Moses too. And then God tells Moses exactly what he wants him to do. So God is expressing his love for his people. He's saying, I heard their prayers. I see their suffering. I wanna rescue them. And Moses, I'm choosing you. I'm going to use you. And so he tells Moses, I want you to go back to Egypt, confront Pharaoh, lead my people out of slavery. And Moses, understandably, is afraid. He literally starts arguing with God. Look at what he says in chapter four verse one. Moses says to God, what if they won't believe me? Or listen to me. So get this, like the God of the universe is literally saying to Moses, Moses, I want you to do this. And Moses is like, ah, hmm, no. Hard pass, not interested. Why?

I don't know, but I imagine it's because he's afraid of rejection. He's afraid of failure. He's afraid of, for his physical safety, if he were to go and confront Pharaoh. All reasonable fears. We have all been there. So God spends some time assuring Moses. And I would encourage you this week to make some time to read both Exodus chapter three and Exodus four, because you can learn so much about the character of God in this interaction between God and Moses. And God actually gives Moses the ability to perform these incredible miracles. Just trying to convince Moses, like, Moses, you can do it, I'm with you. But Moses isn't done arguing. Here's what he says in verse 10. Oh Lord, I'm not very good with words. I never have been and I'm not now. Even though you have spoken to me, I get tongue tied and my words get tangled. good with words. He's not a public speaker. He gets nervous. He doesn't know what to say. And he's like, "God, you have got the wrong guy." I promise you. So God assures Moses again. He says, "Don't worry about that." Verse 12, "I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say." God is literally addressing every fear, removing every excuse. So how does Moses respond? Moses starts begging God. He literally pleads. Please send anyone else. Moses is like, "I don't care who, just not me." This sounds so familiar. And I'm not qualified. I will mess it up, send someone else. And in this moment I think

about Moses, he has never been more relatable, because his excuses really aren't that different than yours and mine. And so today I wonder for you, what's that thing that God has put in your heart that you've been arguing with Him about? That dream that feels too big, that chance of failure too real? God, I don't think I'm the right person. I'm not sure I have what it takes. What's that thing for you? Ten years ago we moved to Tucson. And I had been trained as a therapist. I had both my bachelor's and my master's in social work. And then I had spent several years under a supervisor getting my license. But any time you move, you have to apply to that state board. And I had to apply to the board of Arizona. That was kind of a lengthy process. It took about six months of just waiting, and I was unable to work at the time. And so instead what I did is I hiked. Hiked every day all across Tucson. They didn't have much going on. Both my kids were in school. And as I would hike, I would pray. And I would pray these really holy prayers. Like God, what are you calling me to do? God, what should I do? God, show me, speak to me. God, I want to know what your purpose is for me. Reveal your calling. Like all these really spiritual prayers. But here's the problem. I knew exactly what I was called to do. I just didn't want to do it. And years earlier, actually God had put a dream in my heart to open a wellness center. And I remember praying, God, what should I do? And God was like, do you remember? I already told you. And I was like, ah, I don't know. I don't know if I really heard from you. I don't know if that's it. And when I look back on that season in my life, you know what I recognize is that I was deeply afraid. Like what if I didn't really hear from God? What if this is a bad idea? What if I fail? What if I can't do it? What if I'm not good enough? There were so many questions and so much doubt. And so I just argued with God. I sounded just like Moses. And there were really weird days where I was like, God, what do you want me to do? And he was like, I already told you this. And I was like, ah, is there anything else? Anything easier? After a few years of living in Tucson, I opened my business. Thank you. Yeah, it is worthy of celebrating, but here's the truth. Most days, I still feel very afraid. Full of doubt and questions and fear. But here's what I come back to again and again and again that God is with me. And that God's presence is the greatest example of his love, that I'm not alone, that I've never been alone. And that security that God's love has given me, that safety gives me the courage to keep going even when I'm afraid.

To show up every day and to step into what I believe is God's calling on my life. God's purpose for me. And when you go back to this encounter between God and Moses and Exodus, You know what God doesn't do? God doesn't condemn Moses' fear. He doesn't dismiss it. He doesn't shame Moses for it. He answers it with presence. When you look back at Exodus chapter three, when God first calls Moses and Moses says like, who am I to do this? Moses is literally asking like, why would you choose me? And God doesn't even answer the question. He just says one very pointed thing to Moses. He says, Moses, I will be with you. And then he says it again in Exodus 4, 12, I will be with you. And that is the pattern through this whole story. God's love for Moses, God's love for his people. It is marked by presence and honestly, the best examples of love always are. They always are. And so in this whole interaction, it's clear that fear led Moses to argue with the call of God. God is saying, Moses, I'm choosing you. And Moses is like, you have the wrong guy. I cannot do what you're asking me to do. And eventually in chapter four, God's patience runs a little thin with Moses. But he's not letting Moses off the hook. He just won't send him alone.

So God agrees to send Aaron with Moses. And so Moses and Aaron, now go to speak with Pharaoh. And that's when the plagues happen. And if you want to know the end of that story, you can just watch the movie. But here's what I want to remind you of today in this interaction. Is that Moses had a calling on his life. But fear stood in the way. The voice of fear was loud. But God's love for him, marked by God's presence gave Moses the courage to go. Fear led Moses to argue with the call of God on his life, but love motivated him to go anyway. And Moses went because eventually the voice of love became louder than fear. And I don't know what God has put in your heart. Maybe it's a dream that you've been arguing with him about. Maybe it's a person he keeps putting in front of you. Maybe it's something small and ordinary that you've never spoken out loud to anyone. Take just a moment and reflect on that. What is that thing for you? That thing you feel called to, but fear is standing in the way. Here's what I know. The antidote to fear is love. It's not a life without fear. It is a life where the voice of love is louder. And look, sometimes we overcomplicate God's calling

in our lives. So if you're here and you're like, I don't know what God's calling is for me. I've never heard the voice of God. I want to assure you, I really haven't either. Not in an audible voice, not in that way. Most of us just sense the spirit is calling us to something. And by God's grace, we can be obedient in that. But I want to simplify it for you. If you're here and you're like, I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I don't know what God would want me to do. The scripture is clear, love God, love people. We don't have to overcomplicate it. It really is that simple, it's just not easy. But the problem is that fear can hold you back from loving people the way that God has called you to. And here's the part I want to remind you of today, that your capacity to love people is directly related to your experience of God's love for you. Your understanding of God's love. Because you cannot give away what you haven't received. So when you've truly experienced how deep and how wide his love is, you cannot help but love others. It is an outpouring of the love that we first experienced from God. We love each other because he loved us first. Security first, security that comes from God's love, then courage.

So when you feel like God is calling you to something, whether it's something big like starting a business or something smaller like sharing your faith It always does. Just like it did for Moses, just like it did for me. Fear will always show up. Author and writer Bob Goff says this, "Most of our decisions are driven by love or fear. Figure out who's doing the talking, then decide what you'll do." Maybe you haven't ever heard of Bob Goff. Maybe instead you'd like to hear it from the great theologian Ted Lasso. I heard this line in a recent episode on the other side of fear is freedom. Fear is real, but you're not choosing love alone. You're choosing it with a God who loved you first, a God who loved you more than you could ever understand, and a God who is with you. Fear wants to trap you in yesterday, distract you from today, and make you afraid of tomorrow. But Jesus wants to free you from your past, meet you right where you are today, and give you hope and purpose for what's ahead. Because tomorrow needs the person that God is forming today. And that starts here. God's love leads us into God's purpose. Security first, because of God's love, then courage. Last week, so many of you took a step forward to let go of your past and to walk in freedom.

And now the next step is to discover the calling that God has on your life, to step into the purpose and mission, and to be about kingdom work. And what I'm telling you is that when you hear that call, when you sense that purpose, you are going to be afraid. Whatever it is, it's going to be scary. Do it anyway. Do it anyway. So here's the invitation this week. First, receive. I want to encourage you every morning. I don't know if you spend time with Jesus as a normal part of your rhythm, but I want to encourage you to. And here's why, because that's how we allow the voice of God to get louder than the voice of fear. So even if you can just spend a few moments every morning, just allowing God to speak to you. Allow him to confirm who you are because of him. Sitting in the truth, the reality that you're loved before you've done anything to earn it. Imagine if you believe that you are loved from your very core. If you trusted that second chances are possible. If you knew that no matter what you've done in your past, God still has a future for you. Imagine how that could change you, how that could change everyone around you, the antidote to fear is love. Understanding the depth of God's love, which then compels us to love others.

And that's the second part, take one small step. That thing that you've been arguing with God about, that person that he keeps putting in front of you, that ministry that you want to sign up to serve in, whatever it is, take a step this week. You don't have to understand the whole calling just one step. Moses didn't know everything that was going to happen. He just went. God was with him, and Moses trusted that. And that's how you and I can live a life on purpose, a meaningful life. It is not a life without fear. It is just a life driven by a greater calling. Love gave Moses the safety and security to obey. And I believe that love will do the same for you, because tomorrow needs the person that God is forming today. I want to invite you to stand with me. We're going to close in prayer and worship. And I want to pray a prayer from scripture over you, a prayer written by the Apostle Paul in the book of Ephesians. And I just want to invite you, if you're comfortable, for a moment, to just hold your hands just like this in a posture of receiving. And here's what I want to pray over you. Here's what we do sometimes is is we judge God's love or we try to understand God's love based on human relationships It is not anything like that God's love for you is perfect. It is complete. There are no strings attached. It is unconditional God loves you just as you are and scripture says it's hard for us to even wrap our heads around that But through the power of the spirit, I believe that's going to be possible today

And so my prayer is that you would encounter and experience the depth of God's love because those are deep waters And then as we get rooted in that love is that love becomes our foundation my next prayer is that God would speak to you Some of you have been asking God to speak to you about purpose about calling about what you're supposed to do and Then some of you know exactly what you're supposed to do and you've been letting fear hold you back And I'm just gonna pray that the Holy Spirit gives you courage to obey that God's love would compel you to love others well Ephesians 3 16 through 20. I pray that from his glorious unlimited Ritches resources. He will empower you with inner strength Through his spirit Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him your roots will grow down into God's love and Keep you strong and may you have the power to understand as all God's people should how wide how long how high and how deep his love is May you experience the love of Christ though it is too great to understand fully Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God Now all glory to God who is able through his mighty power at work within us to accomplish infinitely more Then we might ask or think in Jesus name Amen My God is good amen If you feel so comfortable to stay in this moment of worship, feel free to lift your units and make your way to the altars We say this last song The city sure is Jesus is my He's been my fourth man in the fire time after time Born of his spirit Washed in his blood And what he did for me on cover is more than enough I trust in God My Savior You're the one who will never fail He will never fail I trust in God

My Savior He won't ever fail Perfect submission All this address As I know the author of tomorrow So this is my story And this is my soul I'm praising my risen King and Savior all the day long I trust in God My Savior Who will never ♪ And love ♪ He won't ever fail. You will never fail us now. Oh, oh oh. I'll just sing this out, sing I saw it. I saw the Lord, any hurt, any answered, I saw the Lord, any hurt, any answered, I saw the Lord, any hurt, any answered. That's why I trust Him, that's why I trust Him. I saw the Lord, any hurt, any answered, I saw the Lord, any hurt, any answered. ♪ I sought the Lord, any hurt, any answer ♪ ♪ That's why I trust Him ♪ ♪ That's why I sought the Lord, Lord ♪ ♪ Any hurt, any answer ♪ ♪ I sought the Lord, any hurt, any answer ♪ ♪ I sought the Lord, any hurt, any answer ♪ ♪ That's why I trust Him ♪ ♪ That's why I trust Him ♪ ♪ I sought the Lord, any hurt, any answer ♪ ♪ I sought the Lord, any hurt, any answer ♪ ♪ Any hurt, any hurt, any answer ♪

♪ That's why I trust Him ♪ ♪ Any hurt, any answer to me ♪ ♪ That's why I trust Him ♪ ♪ That's why I trust Him, God ♪ ♪ My Savior, the One ♪ ♪ Who will never, who will never play ♪ ♪ Who will never play ♪ ♪ Who will never, who will never play ♪ ♪ I trust in God, My Savior, the One ♪ ♪ Who will never play ♪ ♪ Who will never play ♪ ♪ I sought the Lord, any hurt, any answer ♪ ♪ I sought the Lord, any hurt, any answer ♪ ♪ I sought the Lord, any hurt, any answer ♪ ♪ That's why I trust Him ♪ ♪ That's why I sought the Lord, I sought the Lord ♪ ♪ I sought the Holy, any hurt, any answer to me ♪ ♪ I sought the Lord, any hurt, any answer ♪ ♪ That's why I trust Him ♪ ♪ That's why I trust Him, God ♪ ♪ Oh, Holy, Oh, I sought the Lord ♪ ♪ Oh, when You call Him today ♪ ♪ Oh, when You say, Jesus ♪ ♪ Oh, I believe You ♪ ♪ I trust in God, Oh, I trust in Him ♪ ♪ Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh ♪ ♪ Oh, Oh, Oh ♪ ♪ I trust in God, My Savior ♪ ♪ I say, I want to sing that out with me ♪ ♪ Who will never fail ♪

♪ He will never fail ♪ ♪ I trust in God, My Savior, the One ♪ ♪ Who will never fail ♪ ♪ He will never fail ♪ ♪ Oh, Oh ♪ (upbeat music) (upbeat music) It's a beautiful family, we know who we can trust in, we know we can rest in and rest on. We love you guys, we're praying for you guys. that you come in contact with. Give them the hands and the feet of Jesus, right? Let's love them well. We love you all. We'll see you guys next week. [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] (upbeat music)