Vision Sunday A Mountaintop Experience

MESSAGE TRANSCRIPTION: 

 How are you doing? All right. We excited about vision sunday? Come on. Just pretend if you’re not really, just help me out, all right? No, I’m totally pumped and excited again. We are starting our 21st year of ministry together. Come on. Here at Community church. Can we celebrate? That’s hard to believe, man. So. And I’m more excited about the future of our church and what God wants to do in and through us here in the Poconos and beyond. And I’m pumped about just sharing this time with you. And I don’t know about you, but I’ll be honest with you. I love living in the Poconos. I know that might not be true for some of you. Some of you feel like, especially when yesterday it was -26 degrees with a wind chill factor. I mean, that was a tough morning. It was so cold. I went to start my car, and my key fob was frozen. My car wouldn’t even recognize the keys. That’s really cold, bro. Like So, but, you know, I still love living in the Poconos. And, you know, I hope that you would learn to love. Where you are, too. Because what’s the. What’s the alternative? Hate it. That’s no fun. And so I’ve learned just to love where I am. At whatever time, because I think that’s just a better way to live. And so I, you know, one of the things that I love to do here in the Poconos, one of my favorite places to go is out to the knob in Mount Pocono. And anybody ever been to the nob? It’s about a mile from here. We’re up here over 2000 feet above sea level. So if you’re from the city that’s at sea level and now you’re up here in the mountains, you’re over 2000 feet above sea level. And this is one the this is the highest point in the Poconos right here. It’s at the knob, and it’s a great lookout. And I love to go there. It’s a great place to make out with Becca. I mean, pray, just pray and press into the things that the Lord and she got faith. But you can see over there to the right, the slopes of camelback. And if you kind of go to the left, you can see the Delaware Water Gap. That’s actually where the name Poconos come comes from, from the Shawnee Indians. Actually, just to the left of the Gap is where Shawnee is. And the word Pocono literally means river between two mountains. So that’s what the Poconos means. The river between two mountains right there, the Delaware water rafting. Actually, if you looked a little bit further to the north, you could see the sky top. If you look over towards the west, you can see Pocono Manor and Kalahari and all that over there. And so I just this is one of my favorite places to go. And literally just to thank and to pray, to connect with God, and just to pray over the Poconos. I mean, you can see down into Cresco and Paradise Valley. You can see all the way over to Mountain Home. You can see Cana dances, you can see down to the tannersville, Scott run, and Martinsville down to Stroudsburg and East Stroudsburg and all the way out to Blakeslee and Broadview.

And I just love to pray and say, God, as I stand here on top of this mountain, will you do a great and powerful work. Can we see a move of God in this generation like you’ve moved in the past? And I just love to go there and connect with God. And you know, the interesting thing, and when you study the life of Jesus, you know, Jesus was an incredibly busy guy. He was an incredibly busy leader, but he was also a very strategic leader. I mean, people were always pressing in, always wanted something from Jesus, a little bit of his time, a little bit of his power, a little bit of his help. And he was constantly pouring himself out, like Paul said, like a drink offering, meeting, and serving the needs of people. But there was also times where Jesus, you know, he just had to get away from it all. All the people and all the pressure and all the demands. And he’d slip away into the mountains. To pray. To connect with God and to spend time with his Heavenly Father. And oftentimes, he would do this alone. But this one time in scripture, he takes a few friends up on the mountaintop with him, and this vision Sunday. It’s my hope and my prayer that we can go on a journey with Jesus and have a mountaintop experience with him. Because I believe that all that in life when you have a change of place. It can bring a change in perspective. Like, isn’t it true in life when you’re just going through the routine? You know your daily routine. You get up, you get ready for work, you get the kids ready to go to school, you drop the kids off, or you put them on the bus. You go to work, you work all day, you come home, you go to the grocery store, you make some dinner, you get the kids, you know, to where they need to be. And then you get dinner on the table, and then you do the whole bedtime routine, and then you get it up and rinse and repeat day after day after day after day. You see the same people you’re interacting with, the same people at work or at school, or in your neighborhood. And through the monotony, all of that, we can lose sight of what life is all about.

And so when there’s a change, though, in perspective, and we interrupt our normal schedule, and we go to a new place, a new place can bring a new perspective. And I believe that Jesus wants us all to go with him on top of the mountain so that we can have a change in our place. So he could bring a change in our perspective that he can help reorient our life, to refocus our life, to bring our life and what matters most in life back into focus with him. So you all want to go on top of the mountain with Jesus today? Anybody want to go on a little trip? All right. So let’s take a little trip on top of this mountain. But before we do it in Matthew, if you have your Bible with you today, you can turn to Matthew chapter 17. And we’re going to look at just four verses versus 1 to 4 together, maybe a couple more, see how much time we have. But just to give you some context, this is three years in and out of Jesus’s ministry. 33 years old. He understands that now his time has come to lay down his life and to give his life as a ransom that he was going to pick up the cross and he was going to go up on Mount Calvary. He was going to lay his life down for the sins of humanity. He knew that our was drawing near. So he’s now trying to prepare his disciples for his soon-coming suffering and sacrifice and death. And in fact, if you read Matthew chapter 16, that puts Matthew 17 into context. He’s just helping his disciples, gang. This is what’s going to happen. You know, I’ve been preaching this for three years. I know you don’t fully understand it all, but this is what the son of man has come to do. My time, my hour, is drawing near where I will lay down my life for the sins of humanity. And then three days later, I’ll pick it back up again. They have this very candid and motivational yet disorienting conversation with him in Matthew chapter 16. In fact, as he’s with his 12 disciples, he says this to them as he wraps that conversation up in Matthew 16, verse 28, he says to them,.

Matthew 16:28 Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.

In other words, he says to his inner 12 disciples, There’s some of you guys that are here, not all of you, but some of you. You will actually get a vision of me that you’ve never seen before. Before you die, before you taste death, you will get a vision of what I will look like in my resurrected state. I will be revealed by the father in my glory. And some of you. Not all of you. Just some of you. I’m going to give you a vision of what is yet to come. You see, I believe. That, Jesus, He takes us onto the mountaintop. To help expand our vision. It says in verse one of Matthew chapter 17 Because Jesus is trying to say, Look, I want to help you see. I want to help you. I want to give you a glimpse of not only my glory but of what is yet to come for you. He says this in verse one.

Matthew 17:1 And after six days, Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John, his brother, and he led them up a high mountain by themselves.

If you’re taking notes. Here’s the thing. Three things that Jesus tries to teach us on the mountaintop. Three things. Number one, he takes me to the mountaintop. To get to that, we see a bigger picture. He wants to expand your vision today. He wants you to see things that you don’t see right here and right now. He wants you to start looking at life, your life, and the life around you through the lens of heaven. That’s one of the reasons I love to go up to the knob because when you stand up there, you can just see bigger. You can see farther. You can see more. And I believe this vision Sunday Jesus wants to help expand your vision. He wants to help you see bigger your life, bigger your relationships, bigger your future, bigger the business that you lead, bigger the children that you’re raising, how much they matter. He wants to give you a bigger vision for your life. And here’s what they saw. Verse going on, verse one to verse three. And it says.

MATTHEW 17:1-3 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him.

So here he is with his inner circle of friends, Peter, James, and John. And you’re like, Well, where was everybody else? Didn’t Jesus treat everybody the same? No, he did not. He actually spent more time with Peter, James, and John than he did with the other 12. You see why? Because he was strategic. He invested the lion’s share of his time into those leaders that were going to bring the most impact for his kingdom. That’s not playing favorites. That’s just good leadership. I mean, Peter, James, and John got to experience other things that the other disciples in Matthew nine. They got to see Jesus raise this little girl from the dead. And he said I don’t want you to talk to anybody about this. Don’t tell them what you see or what you what’s been done here. Also, in Matthew chapter 26 and just a few days from this experience, Jesus would go into the garden to Gethsemane to pray the night he was going to be betrayed and sold for 30 pieces of silver. And he goes even further into the garden, and he says to only three of them, Will you go a little bit further with me so that you can pray with me? It was only Peter, James, and John. It was only Peter, James and John and then also Andrew. They got to talk and question Jesus about the end of times. And so now he takes them and them alone up onto the mountaintop where he is transfigured you say, What does that mean, transfigured? Well, in theological terms, it’s called the Christophany. The Christophany. Christophany refers to the moment that Jesus. As he was standing on this mountain was transformed. That he gave those that were with him a glimpse of his future glory in his resurrected state. They got to see for just a moment what Jesus was going to look like when he rose from the dead. What he looks like now. As he’s seated at the right hand of the father? And it was powerful. I mean, Jesus has literally changed right in front of them. I mean, his clothes and his skin, it was white and red, shined as bright as the sun. I mean, you think some of our lights are bright around here? It pales in comparison to his transfiguration on top of this mountain. And also just to encourage you. Church, when you, if you die in Christ, believing in him, are raised from the dead, you too shall become like him. Oh, that’s coming, friend. It’s coming one day where you, too, will receive your glorified body in Christ at the resurrection. And then, just to add to the spectacular vision of Jesus, Jesus isn’t standing there alone. On one side, there’s Moses, and on the other side, there’s Elijah. I mean, these are like two childhood heroes of every Jewish boy. I mean, it’s not enough that Jesus is glorified. There you go. It’s like, my goodness. It’s like you got Derek Jeter on one side, Tom Brady on the other. It’s like, oh, this is too good to be true. I mean, for every little Jewish boy and Peter James, they’re just losing it. It is just mind-boggling. It’s just blowing their mind.

Moses and Elijah, two of the great forerunners of Christ, the great prophets of the Old Testament, who, by the way, also had amazing mountaintop experiences of their own with God. Moses, when he stood on top of Mount Sinai, and the Lord spoke to him and gave him the law, the Ten Commandments, and the Lord passed by, and he had to turn from him because he couldn’t handle the brightness and the beauty of the Lord’s face. And then Elijah, when he went toe to toe with these pagan priests, and he calls Fire down from heaven on top of Mt. Carmel. Talk about a mountaintop experience. And now here they are with Jesus on the top of Mount Transfiguration. And everything is amazing. It’s just too good to be true. Until Peter opens up his mouth. Here’s what he says.

MATTHEW 17:4 And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

In other words, Lord, this is so good. I don’t want this to ever end. I want us to stay here forever. I want us to camp out. And everybody knows if you go camping, you got to have a tent. So I’m going to make a tent over here for you. Jesus. And a tent here for Moses and ten here for Elijah. And I just want us to camp out here and dwell in your presence. And I just want to spend the rest of my time here on Earth worshiping you on the top of this mountain. In other words, forget all the other nine losers down at the bottom of the hill and forget all the thousands in the masses and the millions. That are hurting and lost. Can you just be our own little holy huddle? Just us four. And no more. Jesus. Oh, this is so. You see, what he said was so bad, so theologically incorrect, and so also just flat-out insensitive. It was so bad. Dear old Luke, when he wrote his account in his gospel. Gospel Luke, of what happened here? Luke wasn’t there, but he interviewed the eyewitnesses, Peter, James, and John. And when he wrote this, he tries to cover for old Peter and paint him in a little bit better picture. In fact, here’s what Luke said about this trying to cover for Pete. He says this in Luke chapter nine, verse 32.

LUKE 9:32-33 Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. 33 As Moses and Elijah were starting to leave, Peter, not even knowing what he was saying, blurted out …

Oh, it’s so good. I’m so glad we’re here. I never want this to end. Let’s just camp out here on top of this mountain forever. I’m going to make three tents. It’ll be like a memorial. We’ll never forget what happened here. We’ll stay here forever. Peter, not even knowing what he said because he was. Here’s what happened. I fell asleep. Jesus invites us to go on this journey, to have a life-changing vision-changing perspective for the future. And we’re through a tough climb. Mind if we just lay down here for a minute. Jesus. And this wasn’t just a one-off for these guys. Peter, James, and John Because what would happen just a few days later, the night that Jesus would be betrayed by Judas, and he goes to his favorite place to pray, the garden of Gethsemane, and he leaves the other nine disciples behind, and he says, Hey, Pete, hey, James, hey, John, come with me. And he goes further into the garden with him. Would you just sit here and pray with me for an hour? And Jesus goes on even deeper into the garden and comes back. And what were these three guys doing? Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. That’s all Luke says. Peter was so tired. And so we’re Jimmy, and so we’re John. And they fell asleep, and they almost missed the whole thing. Can I just encourage you today? Wake up. Don’t miss God’s vision for your life. Don’t miss His vision for you and your family, your kids, your future for 2023. Wake up. He wants to help you see the bigger picture. Don’t miss it. So Peter wakes up, and he’s let us know what’s going on, and he just starts blurting this out. Blurting it out? Oh, this is so good. Let’s just stay right here. So what was so wrong? With what he said. What was so bad? About what was so theologically incorrect. What did he miss when he said. What he said. Well, listen to follow Jesus at the core of what it means. To follow Jesus. It is to be committed. To what Jesus is committed to. Let me say that again. To follow Jesus. At the core of what it means to follow Jesus is to be committed to what Jesus is committed to. And Jesus was very clear. He said, Here’s why I’ve come to start a movement that’s going to change the world. He didn’t come to start a new religion. He came to start a movement that would change the world. And a movement that loses vision for the mission quickly becomes a monument or a museum on Christmas Day.

Just this last Christmas. My daughter walks into the living room. We just finished opening all the presents and getting ready to make a big Christmas dinner. I’m just kind of relaxing, drinking my tea, sitting in the chair, and she comes in, and she says, Hey, Dad, I got to tell you something. She’s 19. I said, Oh, what’s up, honey? Merry Christmas. What do you need to tell me? She said, Well, yesterday, on Christmas Eve, I made a little bit of an impulse buy. I said, Oh, well, what did you buy? She said A ticket. I said a ticket. A ticket To where? She goes. Paris. I said, Oh. Who are you going to Paris with? She says. By myself. I had two thoughts that ran through my mind. I think the first one was Don’t ruin Christmas, Dave, don’t ruin Christmas, don’t lose it, don’t ruin Christmas. The second thought that went through my mind was every scene from my favorite Liam Neeson movie, Taken. I was just like, Hold it together. Just hold it together. I have a particular set of skills. I will come and find you. I was just every scene. You know, I’m the worst-case-scenario guy. My little girl’s going to go to Paris by herself, 3470 miles away. And I know that because I follow her every single day on the find my phone app. And I tracked every I knew, everywhere she was every moment of the day. And I’m flipping out. Oh, my God, don’t ruin Christmas. What’s going to happen? She’s going to be abducted. And then I’m just. But it’s all in my mind. But my dear, beautiful wife, the free-spirited one of our relationship, she just looks at me. She’s like, Oh, Dave, don’t worry. She’ll be fine. I mean, Becca grew up as a missionary kid flying all over Asia, as a kid from the Philippines, she’d just fly to Korea and, like, she’s like, Yeah, I used to fly. I said, Yeah, You remember the story you told me the one time you got arrested in the Thailand airport? They thought you were a drug mule because you’re. You remember that? Or was it Hong Kong or something? And I was like, Yeah, that’s what’s going to happen to Kate. But the longer we’re together, the more I’ve learned that my wife’s voice. Sounds just like the Holy Spirit. And so my daughter went to Paris on her own for a week, and she was fine, and she had a great time. And I just love the fact that we have raised a strong, godly, independent woman. She loves Paris. So I was expecting her to call me and just say, Hey, can you just box up some of my stuff and send it to Paris? Not coming back to the Poconos. But she was actually a little homesick, and she missed all of us, and she wanted to come home, and I thought it was great, but I would talk to her every single day. I was tracking. I stalked her. I just mean, honestly, let’s just call it what it is. I stalked her, and it upped my prayer game for a week like nothing ever has in the past. And I called her one day we’d face time, and I just wanted to, you know, live this trip with her, you know, And I was telling her about went back, and I went there a number years ago, all the favorite places where you got to do all this stuff. I said, How is your day to day? She goes, Oh, you mean death day? I said, Death day. What’s death day? She goes, Well, just the way it worked out, I ended up going to I want she’s got all these, you know, poets and laureates and religious leaders of the past that have all, you know, died and been buried all throughout Paris. And she just wanted to go see all of their graves. And so it ended up she went to this church, and all these dead people were buried there at this church. And she went over this cathedral over here, and all these dead people are buried there. And then she went over this other all these dead people that she went to the catacombs. If you know anything about Paris and the history of the catacombs. Millions and millions of people were buried under the streets of Paris. And she went in, she saw all of the bones piled up, and she called it death Day. But what struck me, she said she went to this church and that church. In this cathedral. That cathedral. She had to pay to get in there. Because they’re museums. Full of dead people. And relics. Of days gone by. Churches that were once filled with living people passionate about Jesus and serving him and the world around them have now become museums. Where people pay to see the dead people and the art and artifacts. You see, a church that loses the vision for the mission of Jesus will quickly go from a movement to a museum like that.

And when Peter says, No, no, no, let’s just make this a memorial. Let’s build a tent here. Let’s stay here. And it’s like almost it doesn’t tell us what Jesus actually said to him, but I know what he had just said to him, and it would be like, Peter, don’t you understand? Haven’t you listened to a word that I’ve said for the last three years? I have not come to be worshiped on the top of the Mount Transfiguration. I have come to die on the top of the Mount called Calvary and to give my life as a ransom. For many, I have come to do what the father has sent me to do. He says.

LUKE 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost.

In other words, Peter, we can’t stay here. This is not the time to just sit here and bask in my glory and worship me forever. This is the time to get off this mountain and go down to the people who are hurting and helpless and hopeless like sheep without a shepherd, as he a compassion over the people of Jerusalem. We can’t stay here, Peter. There’s people. That need to be loved. And reached and accepted and welcomed and healed and taught and changed forever by my grace and by my glory. Jesus takes you up to the mountaintop. So that he can help you. See the bigger picture for your life. What do you see? Your life is bigger than just you. It’s bigger than just. Getting up and going to work. Starting a family, raising kids, and retiring in Florida someday. Sipping on little fancy drinks by the pool, playing a round of golf. Oh, that God would give you a vision that he would expand your vision for the big life that he’s called you to live. For him. See Jesus. He came to start a movement, not live in a. A museum. His heart is to dwell with the people at the bottom of the mountain. His heart draws us to the people to make room for them, to befriend them. To love them, to welcome them, to listen to them, and to bring them into the community, the body of Christ, his church. And so. Jesus, one of the last things he says from a different mountain. The Mount of Olives. Before he ascends back into the heaven to the right hand of the Father, where he is today, he gives us the vision. On Vision Sunday. This is something I prayed and came up with. I don’t get to choose it as a follower of Jesus. He told us what the vision is. He said in Matthew chapter 28, one of the last things he said.

MATTHEW 28:19 Jesus says, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, son and Holy Spirit.”

And teach them. To do everything that I to obey everything I’ve commanded you to. That’s the vision for us. For my life, for your life, for the life of this church. It’s about people and helping them. Learn how to live and love. Like Jesus. See. Jesus never meant for us to ever stay in one place. We always have to be people that are moving out. We are the sent ones. Jesus said, as the Father has sent me, I am sending you. Come on, guys, let’s not get stuck. Let’s not get stuck in a rut and then rot away until Jesus comes back. Come on, let’s. Let’s stand up, Move off this mountain into the lives of people in our neighborhoods and the streets that we live in. The places that we go to work. The people we rub shoulders with, the friends that we have at school. Let’s move out on mission. Oh, I pray that God will help you see the bigger picture. Let me move on real quick.

Here’s a second thing. Jesus teaches us on the top of the mountain. He teaches us how to listen. How to listen to his voice. So, Peter, he wakes up from his little cat nap. Almost missed the whole thing. He doesn’t know what’s going on. He just starts talking. Here’s what we do. Here’s what we should do. Here’s what I think that you do. He just starts casting his own vision. Imagine this while Jesus is being transfigured before his eyes. He starts coming up with his own plan, with his own vision, and then all of a sudden, he’s interrupted by God himself. Look at it.

MATTHEW 17:5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.’

Don’t listen to him. Listen to him. Don’t listen to this guy. Listen to that guy. I cannot stress how important it is for you, as a follower of Jesus Christ, to learn how to hear the voice of God in your own life. You need to learn how to discern the whispers of the Holy Spirit. Those gentle nudges, those whispers, those promptings to learn how to tune your spiritual antenna, to hear God as a speaking God. He is not a quiet God who pulls back and lets us just kind of group through the darkness, trying to figure it out on our own. We serve a god of the revelation. He’s revealing things to us. He’s speaking to us. And if you can learn how to hear the voice of God, it can save you a lot of trouble. Because here’s what happens. Listen to this. Don’t miss this. There are some people. Even godly people, spiritual people, and even leaders. That looks godly. That sound godly. But we’ll say the wrong thing at the wrong time in the wrong way. And if you listen to them, they will lead you down the wrong path. Listen to Jesus. He said, My sheep will know my voice. He said, He who has an ear, let them hear God is a speaking God. He speaks to Listen to him. You know that word. Listen, If you really look and dig a little bit in the Greek, it’s written in the present participle, which means listen and keep on listening to Jesus. You don’t just listen to him once, friend. You listen to him on a daily basis. And the more you learn to hear his voice, the more he speaks to you. Embedded in that Hebrew word listen also means obey. Yeah, they just used the word here, but it also meant obey. So listen and keep on listening. Obey and keep on obeying. And you’re going to end up at the right destination. Come on. If you learn to hear his voice, listen to what is God speaking to you? Where is he leading you? What is he saying to you? We went through a week of prayer and fasting.

What if God says to you, I just read research this last week that was just conducted; 80% of Americans admit. To feeling lonely, isolated, disconnected. 80%. Look around. It’s eight out of ten of the people in the row. You’re sitting in lonely, isolated, and disconnected. What is God speaking to you? It might sound something like this. You need some friends. Like some real friends. Like good friends like. Like friends that are going to. Help you, encourage you, inspire you. Challenge you to live a life for Jesus. You need friends. You don’t have to do this on your own. What is God speaking to you about? Your life, about your relationships, about behaviors, about decisions that you need to make? I can’t answer that. Only you can. But I know this God is speaking. Hear his voice. Obey his voice. Well, back to the story I got to wrap up.

MATTHEW 17:6-7 When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. But Jesus came and touched them, saying,“Rise, and have no fear.” 

You don’t have to be afraid. It’s going to be okay. I’m here. I’m with you. But he challenges us. To really be about what he’s about. He confronts us has Jesus ever confronted you about maybe your compromised, compartmentalized version of Christianity. I know he has me. But if I hear his voice and I obey it, he can give me a bigger vision for my life and for my future. And what he was saying to Peter then was a word of confrontation. Rise. Come on, get up. This is not a time to worship me. This is not a time to bask in my presence. That time will come soon enough when we’re gathered around the throne in heaven. But, Pete. James. John, this is not a time to worship. This is a time to work. Let’s get off this mountain. Let’s go build a team and let’s go out and change the world by loving people. Here’s the third thing. I love this. Not only do they take me to the mountain, they help me see the bigger picture. To learn to hear his voice. But last of all, to help me focus on what matters most.

To focus on what matters most

Matthew 17:8 And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

In other words, the cloud was gone, the voice was gone, the lights were gone, Moses was gone, and Elijah was gone. And all they could see was Jesus. And my friend. This vision Sunday. My prayer is that God would if you’ve somehow, for some reason, and I get it, life gets in the way, and sideways energy comes along, and it gets us off track. But if we could just fix our eyes on Jesus. He’s the author and the perfector, and the finisher of our faith. Let’s not make this whole thing more complicated than it has to be. Let’s just be about Jesus, and let’s be about people. Because if it’s not about Jesus and it’s not about loving people like Jesus did, then I don’t want to be about it. We are in the people’s business, and we are the people of Jesus. And we don’t just see people for, you know, the way the world sees them. We see them the way that God sees them, and we are called to go and love them and invite them and welcome them and help them grow in their faith because that’s what Jesus was all about.

We exist to inspire people to live a fully surrendered life for Jesus.

If it’s not about Jesus and it’s not about people, we’re not going to be about it. Can I get an amen from somebody? So I’m going to ask that Tasman you could come, and I know I’ve gone long, and I want to just I just want to just end with this. Here’s where we are as a church. Listen to this. And it’s good. And by the way, if you were looking for some kind of institutional vision, you got the wrong church. You got the wrong guy. It’s not just about buildings and programs, and that’s all institutional. I believe if we get this right, God’s laid on our hearts. He’ll take care of the new campus in the Lehigh Valley. He’ll take care of every resource that we need. If he takes care of every program, he’ll take care of all that stuff. If we get this right, here’s what’s happening in our church right now. Last year, we had 1297 people, almost 1300 people that live in the Poconos. Come to our church for the very first time, and many of them are coming back. You’re really quiet. Let me say that again. 1300 people. That’s more than the previous three years combined. And you know why that happened? It’s you. I mean, I know it was God, but it was God working through you because that’s what God does. God works through people. And the way you show up around here, the way you love people, the way you serve people, the way you pray, the way you invite, the way that you give. The way that you welcome your life Giving spirit. 1300 people showed up for the first time. We didn’t know that was going to happen. We haven’t seen those numbers for over four years because of COVID. You remember nobody wanted to go anywhere, especially church. We were shut down like a year and a half. But all of a sudden, look what happened. Look what happened. That’s 1300 new sheep right here in our pasture. And you combine that with another group of people around here because I don’t know about you. Jesus is the good Shepherd, and he calls me to be a pastor. The word pastor comes from the word pasture. Where there is a shepherd who oversees sheep. So a pastor is simply a shepherd of people. And Jesus is the Good Shepherd. And the Bible says that a good shepherd knows the condition of their flock. They don’t just count the money.

They count the people, and they know where all the people are. In their spiritual process of formation. Are you with me? So, people, they accuse me of being all about the numbers. We don’t count people in our church. I’m like, Really? Do you count the money? What’s more important? The money or the people? The people. Every time. Every time. So don’t come at me with that self-righteous attitude. Oh, we just. We don’t count people. Every number represents a name. Every name represents a soul. Every soul represents an eternity. So here’s what I know. 1300 new sheep showed up here last year. And then when you combine that with a group of people in our church, we call them weekend only. We got it because we live in the Poconos, and some people come to the Poconos on the weekend only like they don’t live here. They don’t work here. They just come on the weekends. Right. And so we got a group of people in our church that just come on the weekend only. They’re not engaged in any other way around here. They come here because they love it. And I’m so glad that you’re here. And I love you. And I hope you’ll keep coming back.

But there’s something more than just showing up here on a Sunday. It’s engaging. You’re taking your next step, getting into community, getting some friends in your life. They’re going to really be real friends that you can honestly talk about what’s going on. Friends are going to encourage you, help you grow in your faith, and be there for you. It just it’s what? That’s why we say we’re family because that’s what the church really is about. They met in the temple courts on the weekends, and then they met in their homes during the week, and they broke bread together with glad and sincere hearts. And so when you add 1300 people to the other weekend, only people here’s what we have 3500 sheep without a shepherd right here in our pasture. 3500 sheep without a shepherd. We’re shepherding over 5000 people on a monthly basis around here. Adults. 3500 of them. Our inner pasture, but not connected to the community. I’m not okay with that. Are you? 3500 people. When Jesus looked and saw them, he said they were like helpless and hopeless. It breaks Jesus’s heart. It breaks my heart that people. Are disconnected, isolated, and feel only. So our singular vision this year. It’s to go after sheep. And help as many of the 3500 sheep get connected around the community around here. And we’re making room for more. And we’re raising up more leaders to make room for more. I mean, what’s the alternative? We just want to pick out of the 3500 who we don’t want them to have a pastor. Let’s just start with the age. There’s like 350 of them. Your last name ends in A. You don’t get a pastor. All right, let’s go to the B’s. We’re not going to do that. I’m not okay with that. The vision is you. The vision is people. The vision is you and your next step. So here’s how we’re going to wrap this up. On your seat when you came in, there’s this little spiritual pathway card. Would you just go ahead, grab it? And it’s really hot here and just waving at me because I’m just And if the musicians want to come. That’d be great. All right, you got it. Now, just grab a pen. There should be one in the seat back in front of you. Borrow one. The lady has a purse next to you. Just start rummaging through her deal and just see what you know. See what’s in there. Now, here’s what. Here’s the vision is you. So this is you on the left side. It’s personal. It’s where you are in your personal walk with the Lord. Where are you? And on the right side is where you are in partnering with the church to help build this kingdom here in the Poconos. So on the left side, have you made a decision to drop everything and follow Jesus? 

That’s what follow means. Have you made a decision? Have you surrendered your life to him? The next step is to be baptized. That’s going to happen next week. And I would love it if you haven’t taken that step to baptize you into the family of God. The next step is to read the Bible. We call it soap. We teach a very specific process of how you read the Bible, how you write down scripture, you make an observation, you apply it to your life, and then you pray. You just do that every day. And you grow in your faith, and you learn God’s will because God’s will is contained in God’s Word. The next step is to learn how to pray. Develop a prayer life. And the next step is. It’s called 7 seconds, but it’s listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit and not allowing yourself to talk you out of what the Holy Spirit told you to do within 7 seconds. So it’s quick. Listen. I will hasten and not delay. The Bible says to obey the commands of God. So that’s on the personal side. So where are you now? Draw a box around where you think you are. If all you’ve done so far since coming to community church is to drop everything and follow Jesus. And you’ve prayed that prayer to receive him into your heart. Wonderful. Draw a box around. Follow. did everybody get a box? yall draw a box. Now on the right side, on the partnership, the corporate side, the church, the family VIP. That means you’re a very important person around here. That means you’ve been to our church in the last year less than four times. You’re new around here. You’re still deciding. Do I really want to make this my church all? So maybe that’s where you are. You’ve been here less than four times. You might be here for the very first time today. You would draw a box around VIP. Now for those of you. You’ve been here more than four times, but you’re a weekend-only person. You would draw a box around a weekend only. Around weekend. That’s just kind of where you are. And that’s okay. We love you. We want to help you grow. Then if you’ve joined a group where you’ve joined a serve team right here, you stepped into generosity, or you’re doing all of that, what we would call as being living a fully surrendered life. And now you’re inviting more people to come into the family of God. So on the right like Draw a box where are you self-evaluated. This is really between you and God. It’s what matters most on the left-hand side. Do you have a box? All right. Now, all of you, look at me. You’re thinking, What’s my next step? Here it is. Ready? Wherever your boxes go. Down one. That’s your next step. Personally and also with the church. We can’t stay here, gang. We can’t. You can’t stay where you are. Don’t get stuck in a rut. So where’s the circle on the left. And where’s the circle on the right? That’s your next step. For many of you on the left, you’ve made a decision to follow Christ. Your next step is to be baptized. Let’s do it next week. And I’m going to baptize you next weekend. Call your friends.It’s gonna be a huge party. My buddies are going to be here. They’re going to love Sean. And let’s get you baptized next week. On the right-hand side, most of you would probably be on this weekend. You got your box around the weekend. Or maybe you’ve got the box around VIP. Here’s your next step. Get in a group. Join community. Get some friends, and grow in your faith.

 Community church is, I believe, filled with some of the best people in the Poconos, the most loving and welcoming and kind, caring, compassionate people. And, by the way, pretty stinking fun too. It’s not a drag. Like my best friends are in this church. I met them here, and so can you. So draw the box, and now draw the circle. Here’s what I can tell you this. Even if you’re a VIP today, you’ve been here less than four times. You don’t have to just be part of the weekend. You can get right into a group today. You can do that today. We make room for everybody. All right. All right. So now, here’s the vision. The vision is you and your next step. Take it. Imagine what would happen if hundreds of you, thousands of you would, take your next step. It’s one last piece of information. I’ll just tell you about it briefly. The next step for our fully surrendered folk is to activate you around here to make more disciples. So you’re maturing your faith, and you’re in a group, you’re serving, you’re inviting your friends, you stepped into generosity. You’re probably even leading around here. I’ve written a 14-day mentor guide called A Full Surrendered Life Guide, where we’re going to have one on one mentorship. Men with men and women with women. 14-day deal. To help you mentor you, disciple you and answer for you a lot of the whys. Why do we do this? Why do we be baptized? Why do we need to be saved? Why is it important that we gather here on the weekends? Why is it important for us to be in community and join groups? Why is it important to serve others around us? And so imagine what would happen if thousands of you were able to go through a one-on-one mentorship 14-day process this year. How would that change you? How would you grow in your faith? How would that change your family, your life? How would that change our church? How would that change the Poconos? Gang, if we all do this together? We all take our next step. We make room for more. We grow. We get off this mountain and go into new depth together. Changes everything. So that’s my prayer for you. God give you a bigger vision, help you see the bigger picture that you’d hear his voice. You know what he’s calling you to do. And it’s one of these things right here. That you’d obeyed his voice. And that you would make it the focus of your life. To live in love like Jesus. Let me pray for you.