When Your Faith Pushes People Away | Adam Weber

Now, something that I often see, though, is when a person first starts following Jesus and they hear all the things that I just shared. They're citizens of heaven in Christ. They can be forgiven. They have so much joy at first. At first, they're just so happy and thankful, and they can't believe that all this is true. But then, unfortunately, slowly over time, what can often happen is those things that used to be so fresh and exciting and powerful, slowly, they become normal and commonplace. So today we are continuing on in our series called Magnetic. And I shared this last week, but I've always thought that magnets are cool. I mean, even today, I just think they're so cool. As a kid, I used to think that they were like magic of some kind. Well, this strange interest must run in my family. It must run in my blood because my youngest son, Anderson, who's going into fifth grade, used to love magnets. And actually, he still loves magnets even today. By the way, Anderson is fully okay with me sharing the story with all of you, mainly because I'm paying him $5 to do so. Okay. So he $5. If you'd pray for his heart, I'm sure I will hear about it immediately when I get home, and he will try to coerce me into going to Family Dollar with his $5. But this right here is a picture of Anderson's treasures, and the colorful things are the magnets. Okay.

He's got some paper clips. He's got springs. He's got a screw. He even has the top of a bottle. Don't worry. It's not the top of a beer bottle. Actually, I think it is. Okay. But for years, though, if this kid of mine saw any small piece of metal anywhere, it was his. I'll never forget the day he and I were walking through a shady gas station parking lot when a small door like window latch thing caught his eye. Well, before I could stop him and just say, Anderson, it's disgusting. Don't my son was already beelining across the shady parking lot. He grabbed the old rusty latch, and he shoved it into his pocket. Okay. As the saying goes, one man's trash is Anderson's treasure. Okay. Benson Flea Market. Okay. There's free advertising. But Anderson, he loves his magnets. He loves them, and he loves to see what his magnet will attract and what it won't. He also has some other powerful magnets different than the ones that are colorful, and he loves to figure out what he can all pick up at the same time.

Okay. Speaking of magnets, though, a magnet is an object that produces a force that either attracts or repels certain materials. Okay. So that's a magnet, which we all know the definition of a magnet. What we shared last week, though, is that our lives are the same way. You see, just like a magnet, our life produces a force that either attracts or repels the people around us. Let me say that again. Our life produces a force. You often can't see it just like a magnetic field that either attracts or repels the people around us. And friends, this right here, all of us, we've experienced this with other people, right? Like, there are certain people in our lives that just attract us to them. Maybe you think about a specific neighbor of yours that's always so kind and friendly, and you're just drawn to them. But then there are others that just repel people, like a bunch of Chiefs fans, right? Their quarterback and his annoying little brother. Can't remember his name. Travis Kelsey. That's it. Side note, Taylor could do so much better. Okay, that's just saying. All joking aside, though, again, we've experienced this with other people. But friends, our lives do the same.

Our life, it attracts or repels people. And as Jesus followers, this is so important for us to wrestle with because it's no longer about attracting or repelling people towards us. Instead, the day that we started following Jesus, it's now about attracting other people to the Jesus that we found. You see, as Christ followers, you and I, we are called and we are commanded to be magnetic. Okay, so last week we talked about having a magnetic life. Next week we're going to talk about being a. Magnetic Church. I cannot wait to share about that. But today, though, I want to focus in on this. What does it look like to have a magnetic faith? Like, what does it look like to have a faith in a walk with Jesus that attracts people, not just to us, to the Jesus that we follow? And so today to answer this, I again want to look at the words of a guy named Paul. If you have a Bible with you, I want to invite you to open it up to the book of Philippians chapter four. You can use your physical Bible, use the Bible on your phone. Today, we're just gonna sit in this chapter throughout the message. And Paul, he wrote this letter from prison to a group of Jesus followers, a group of his friends, actually, in the city of Philippi. And nearing the end of this letter of Paul's,

starting in chapter four, verse one, Paul says this. He says, therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stay true to the Lord. I love you and I long to see you, dear friends. Again, he's writing this letter to his friends. For you are my joy and the crown I receive for my work. Again, he's writing this letter to his buddies in the city of Philippi. And then in verse four, he shares these words of encouragement with them. He says, always be full of joy in the Lord. Again, he's writing from prison. Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again, rejoice. Let everyone see that you are considerate and all that you do remember the Lord is coming soon. Paul's telling his friends to rejoice, to always be filled with joy. Let everyone see that you are considerate and you are joy filled in all that you do. Friends, listen to this. If you and I wanna have a magnetic faith, have a faith that is joyful and genuine. Again, if you wanna have a magnetic faith, have a faith that not only attracts other people to yourself, but to the Jesus that you follow, have a faith that is joy filled and genuine. As Jesus followers, I would argue that one of the most magnetic qualities a person can have is their joy.

And they just have this joy that's unexplainable. A joy that is genuine, a joy that is real and honest. In case we don't know, as Jesus followers, the joy we have is a different kind of joy. But you see our joy, it's not based on what we have or don't have, it's not based on our circumstances, it's not based on our finances, on our status, on our Instagram followers, or even things that are really, really important like our health. Instead, exactly like Paul tells us, it's a joy found where? In the Lord. That's right, it's a joy found in Jesus. It's a joy based in him and not anything or anyone else. It's a joy found in his promises. It's a joy found in the fact that we are citizens of heaven, which Paul talks about in chapter three of Philippians, and that this life isn't the end. Instead, it's only the beginning. It's a joy found in the fact that Jesus died on a cross. And because of a cross, not wishful thinking, we can be forgiven of our sin. It's joy found in that. It's a joy found in the fact that the tomb is still empty. And because the tomb is still empty today, you and I, no matter our past or brokenness, we can be made new in Christ. Once again, it's a joy found where? In the Lord. Friends, I'm just saying, if you have a faith

that is joy-filled and genuine, it's magnetic. It's magnetic. Now, something that I often see, though, is when a person first starts following Jesus and they hear all the things that I just shared, they're citizens of heaven, that in Christ, they can be forgiven. They have so much joy at first. Like, at first, they're just so happy and thankful, and they can't believe that all this is true. But then, unfortunately, slowly over time, what can often happen is those things that used to be so fresh and exciting and powerful, slowly, they become normal and commonplace. And all of a sudden, it's like, well, of course, Pastor, I'm forgiven. Tell me something I don't know. And of course, Jesus died on a cross for my sin. And of course, of course, of course, and the joy that we used to find in Him and these things, it starts to wear off. And when it does, us believers, instead of being joy-filled, we somehow become angry that the world around us isn't like us. And instead of being joy-filled, we get angry about things like church, and church isn't exactly how I think it should be. Instead of being joy-filled, we become critical.

And even mean towards our heathen neighbors, somehow forgetting that we were once so lost ourselves or just in general, we become these bitter, negative people. Ironically enough, all in the name of Jesus, while having a heart and a life and a faith that looks nothing like Jesus because it has no joy. That crazy. You see, God is the source of joy. So if we don't have much joy inside of us, could it be that we have little to none God inside of us? So, friends, before you know it, instead of being joy filled, you turn into a church curmudgeon. And instead of your faith attracting people to Jesus, your faith is actually the source of what repels people from him. The most heartbreaking example is seeing angry Christian parents ever seen them. Their faith is just so angry and judgmental, and all the time they're miserable, so much so that their kids graduate from high school and these kids, they can't run fast enough from God and church and Jesus and the Bible. And not because they're not running away because the world is so bad and morals are going sideways. No, it's simply because of mom and dad's faith and their whole lives repelled truly. If you want to have a magnetic faith, have a faith that is joy filled and genuine. A joy that Paul tells us is found in the Lord. Quick side note. If you ever need a good laugh pro tip, go follow the church curmudgeon.

Okay, I promise it will fill you with the joy of Jesus. Continuing on Paul's words in verse eight, Paul goes on to say this. And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing, fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right and pure and lovely and admirable. I love these verses. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. This is usually where we stop memorizing the scripture. Paul goes on to say, though, keep putting into practice. Let me read that again. Keep putting into practice for the person in the back. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me, everything you heard from me and saw me doing. And the God of peace will be with you again. Policy starts by sharing all these things to think about things that are true and excellent and good and worthy and holy. But then in verse nine, just to highlight this again, keep putting into practice, keep putting into practice all you've learned and received from me, everything you've heard from me and saw me doing. Keep putting into practice. Paul's telling us, don't just think about it and don't just know it. Paul says, put it into practice, live it out, live it out. Hear this. If you and I want to have a magnetic faith, have a life that matches your words, want to be magnetic, have a life matches your words.

I just got to say, in the 19 years that I've been a pastor, I can't count the number of times that I hear from people outside the church. And this isn't going to be any news for us. I can't count the number of times that people from outside the church have said something like, Yeah, I want nothing to do with church or God or Jesus. Because Christians, they say one thing and they live another. Basically, I can't count the number of times that Christians have repelled me from God is what they're saying. Unfortunately, this isn't anything new because Jesus actually highlighted and he confronted the same exact thing himself. You see, speaking of religious people, the people that Jesus consistently repelled were the religious. It was the Pharisees, the people who said they love God. And yet their lives said something completely different. Oddly enough, the sinners and tax collectors, they weren't repelled from Jesus. They were constantly drawn to him. The people far from God, they couldn't get close enough to him all throughout the gospels. You'll even hear it say that the sinners and tax collectors, they were pressing in to Jesus. They couldn't get close enough to him. Just listen to these words from Jesus himself. He's speaking to some religious followers. He says, Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people's faces.

These are some intense, heavy words spoken from Jesus. He's telling these religious people, your lives by saying one thing and doing another, it's shutting the door. It's literally keeping people out of heaven. You religious people, your life, you say one thing and you it's literally repelling people from God. Same is true for us. Jesus is telling us when our lives don't match our words and our faith, we might be shutting the door of heaven on the people around us. Friends, over the years, I've heard so many Christians say things like, well, pastor, I know that already and I want something deeper. Yeah, I've heard that passage before. I've heard a message like that before. Can I just say that knowing and learning about Jesus is only like 10% of being a Christ follower? You have to do it. You have to live it out. I don't know about you, but for me personally, I can't hear enough messages about forgiving people who have screwed me over. I need that one again. Loving my neighbor, work in progress. Loving God with my whole heart, not just a part of my heart. So mine is straight. Yeah, I need to hear that every single single day. Just to ask, what do you already know about God that you're not living out? What do you already know that you're not doing?

It is so much easier just to keep learning and learning more about God than it is to actually follow him. And that's why often it's like, I just want to keep learning and learning and learning and learning and learning. Hardest thing about following Jesus isn't just reading the Bible, it's living the Bible. Friends, when we actually do this, we begin to actually live out the things that we already know. When we have a life that matches our words and our faith, when we do the very basic things that Jesus tells us, seriously, show me a person who forgives. Well, show me a person who loves and serves other people. Well, show me a person who just radiates and loves Jesus. I'm just saying, if we do this, our faith, it will be so magnetic that the people around us will start asking us questions about Jesus. Can you just tell me about Jesus? All of a sudden, you're angry co-worker. Hey, I know that you go to church, right? You're going to be like, whiplash. What? Yeah. Can you tell me about Jesus? Hey, you go to church, right? What? Yeah. Could you tell me where do I go? Live it out. Magnetic. So I want to go back to Paul's words one more time.

In verse 18, Paul says this, at the moment, I have all I need and more. I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me. They are a sweet smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God. And this same God, I love this part, this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. In Christ Jesus. Let me read a part of that again. I just love that. I have all I need and more, Paul tells us. And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches. You see, Paul's telling his friends about all the insane ways that God has provided for him. He's like, he's provided so much. I have more than I need. And he's telling his friends that the same awesome God will generously provide for all of them too. Don't miss this. If you and I want to have a have a magnetic faith, have a big God, have a big God. Want to be magnetic? Have a big God. Back in high school, before becoming a Christian myself, I used to always think if there's a God and he's truly awesome, wouldn't he change so much about a person? And this right here, even as a little kid, I'd ask this question.

This right here was one of my main reasons for saying, hey, Christian, you guys, you're believing in fairy tales. Because this awesome God that we all board our minds out on didn't seem to change anything. about the Christians around me. And so it's like, if he does exist, if he does exist, he's a small God and he has no power. And honestly, I think I'll hard pass on that. Once again, though, Paul's telling us, he's telling all of his friends in Philippi, we have a big God, we have a truly awesome God, a God who has glorious riches, a God who loves to provide for us, and he provides for us more than we can even need. So that was me in high school. Fast forward to today. I'm so fortunate right now to have so many Jesus friends in my life that just by being around them, I'm reminded by how big God is. Just by being around them, I'm just reminded of who God really is. I think about my friend Jim. I think about my friend Bob and Paul and Tyler and others as well, just by being around them, I'm reminded that God, that he can do anything, that nothing's impossible for him. And these people, they just draw me closer. It's like they pull me closer.

You could say they attract me closer, not just to themselves, but to the big God that they follow. You see, friends, when we have a correct understanding of God's greatness, it's then that we can hand over our worries and our cares and our anxiety over to him. When we understand that God is big and all powerful, we can know that if God calls us to something, that he's gonna provide for us every single step of the way. When we understand that God is big and that he's all present, we can know that our loved one who appears to be so far from God can't get away from God's presence, even if they tried. When we understand that God is big and that he spoke the heavens and the earth into existence, we can know that God can speak hope into the darkest situations in our lives. He can speak hope into our marriage that's dead. He can speak hope even into our cancer diagnosis. And to be so clear, by doing so, we're not trying to make God big, he is big. We're not trying to create something that doesn't exist. No, he is huge, so much bigger than we can fathom. You see, the truth is just the opposite. If you make God small, if your life displays a small God,

he's not the God found in Scripture. That God doesn't exist, he's not real. You display a small God, you and I, when we do that, we are creating a God ourselves. And maybe it's just the German Lutheran in me talking, but for most of my life, I have to confess my God was so small, so small. Most of my life, my God had no power. Most of my life, he had no ability to change anything. And if he did, what? You can't do that. The God I grew up with, there's not a chance that he could raise a dead man back to life. But thankfully, through Paul and Jesus and all of Scripture, along with my friends, Jim and Bob and Paul and more, he remind me and they point me to the God, the one true God. Was so great. A God that is all powerful. He's all present, he's all knowing. Who else is worthy? No one. No one. You hear this, when we begin to know that our God isn't small, he's great. When we get a glimpse of who he truly is, friends, it will not only change everything about us, it'll transform everyone around us, why?

Because we will display a glimpse of who God truly is. He is big, he is whole, he is awesome. So a couple of weeks back, I went to a tattoo place in town. A place that I've been maybe a few, too many times lately, okay? My wife the other week, she's like, why does it say Tim in your schedule? And I'm like, I have no idea who Tim is. We just hang out at a tattoo shop, okay? Honestly, I think it's the best shop in Sioux Falls. The owners are awesome. Such good dudes, insanely talented. But I probably wouldn't say that it's like a beacon or a place that is filled with like a bunch of cleaned up, straight-laced church people, okay? Do you see what I'm trying to say here? Two weeks ago, when I went to get some more ink, the other owner, not Tim, but a guy named Tyler, immediately said hello to me. And I don't know what it was, but I, before he even spoke, I instantly knew something was different. Like he said, hello, literally, that's all he said. And I was like, I don't know what's different, but something's different about this guy. I could just sense it. Something is different about him. So Tyler walked me in, he brought me to Tyler, again, the other owner who does my work. But instead of going back to work like Tyler normally does,

instead, Tyler just stood there. He started asking me questions about God. He started asking about my story and about Jesus. I just got to say at this point, I'm thinking to myself, what in the world is happening right now? Like, where am I? And so Tyler's asking me these questions, and I just asked him, Tyler, what's God doing in you? Like, something is different, like, what's different? He shared, well, over the last couple of months, I've started reading the Bible. That's new. I've started listening to different pastors online. He said, I don't really have a powerful story like other people, but I just want to know more about Jesus. And I said, well, first off, I disagree with the powerful story part. Like, I literally cannot believe that we are having a conversation right now about Jesus. And then secondly, I said, can I just ask, like, what happened? He said, a few months ago, like, why are you so curious about Jesus? And Tyler said, well, about three months ago, I was hanging out with my uncle. See, years ago, my uncle started following Jesus. And since then, in the best way, my uncle is just a totally different person. And every time I'm around him, his faith in Christ, it impacts me.

He's like, my uncle, he's just so humble and gentle, and my uncle has a pure heart. He's got a deep love for Jesus, and he just exudes it all. Like, he just lives it out. I'm like, right there. And then Tyler said, there's no doubt that my uncle's faith in Christ, it is what has led me to the path that I'm currently walking on. How awesome is that? Basically saying, my uncle is magnetic. His faith is magnetic. But I want all of you who are Christ followers to hear, Jesus wants to do the same thing in and through you. At the job you already have. In the family that you're already a part of. With the friend group that you're already friends with, but pastor, you have no idea. Like, I'm already on like my second marriage, pastor. Like, you have no idea. Like, I'm like 90 days sober. You have no idea. Like, my wife and I, we haven't had sex in a long, long time. Our marriage is pretty much dead. Like, you have no idea the things I've done. Oh, me too. If you keep your eyes on Jesus, you just run towards him in the most genuine, joy-filled way. Somehow, someway through your imperfect, broken, jacked up life,

people will begin to see Jesus in you. I gotta share, after Tyler said all this, I said, well, random question. Are you going to church any place? He said, well, not really. Adam, what times are the services at your church? I was like, one second, let me get my phone. And so I looked at Instagram and I tried to find a post with the service time. I'm here all morning. I literally had no idea what the service, I'm like nine or something, like 10, 11. I'm not sure, like just come. We got plenty of services to show up. You'll be great friends today. This is Tyler's and his family's third Sunday in a row with us. How rad is that? Can we put it up? And speaking of being magnetic, after Tyler and I got done talking, he took a few steps away and another guy in the shop that works there randomly said to me, he said, so yeah, I actually just got a study Bible for myself. Then I'm like, is this a monastery or a tattoo shop? What is happening here? And I was like, well, what's that about? And he said, well, it's a study Bible for you. And I'm like, what?

And he said, well, it's a study Bible for me. And I was like, well, what's that about? And he said, well, it's probably because Tyler just keeps talking about God. And I'm curious myself too. Magnetic. Friends, I still cannot believe what God is doing in and through Tyler right now. And I thank God for. what he's up to. Today, just to sum up everything we've talked about from from Philippians chapter 4, everything that we've covered, if you and I want to have a magnetic faith, a faith that not only attracts people to ourselves, but so much more so to the Jesus that we follow, have a faith that is joy-filled and genuine. You want to have a magnetic faith, a faith that just pulls the person farthest away from God. You're like, there's no way you could possibly ever reach him. Have a life that matches your words. If you want to have a magnetic faith, stop creating fake gods. Some of you may need to give up the God that you grew up worshiping, that was so small he couldn't change anything, he couldn't do anything. You want to have a magnetic faith, have a big God. Follow Jesus, the God who has no beginning or end. If you do, I promise, I don't care how broken, jacked up, messed up you've been. Other people will be pulled towards you. They'll be pulled towards the Jesus inside you because you, friend, will be so magnetic. Let's pray. Gracious Father, we come before you and we worship you. You're so much greater than we can fathom. You're good in a way that we don't understand the word good. You're holy, you're so holy that angels cover their eyes when you're in your presence, and yet you're a God who runs towards us, and you speak to us through imperfect humans like the Apostle Paul. God, today I specifically pray for that person who's here. They're following you, but they just feel like they can't be used by you in their workplace because they're an electrician, or they're a banker, or they're a teacher, or they're a nurse, or they

might be a tattoo artist. You can shine through anyone who simply pursues you. And so, Lord, I just even think about who are the people in our lives right now that we can begin praying for. We can begin just praying that you would stir something in them, and somehow, some way, they would see Jesus inside of us, and that you would just transform them like you're doing so with us. Lord, we love you, we thank you, we pray all these things in the name of Jesus across campuses, all God's people said, amen.