We’re all chained to something. Are you ready to be free?
would you be okay if I preached you for
a little while before we shut this down
thank you worship team you’ve you’ve
been incredible week haven’t they been
great you got to be in good
cardiovascular shape to lead worship
that you think’s I think my son Graham
was like dad are you gonna wear
are you gonna wear cringy clothes to
youth X it’s like what you’re talking
about he’s like are you 38 now so just
just like it what he’s saying I know
it’s terrible but um don’t get it
twisted I still I still can speak
I started out speaking to youth before I
was a pastor this is what I did all the
time and it wasn’t big groups like this
it was usually 10 15 20 kids me and
Holly traveled all over the state of
South Carolina preach into little youth
groups and I let the music and I did we
didn’t we certainly didn’t have all of
this but what you see here but that’s
how I started and I was a moon preacher
back then I hadn’t really learned much
about grace yet I just telling kids
don’t have sex and smoke weed and so I
just yelled at them for an hour and
because that’s all I knew to do and told
him they’re going to hell and it was
effective
[Applause]
but now I get to be your pastor I know
some of you are members of other
churches and we’re glad to have you but
I really want to speak to if I can say
it this way I don’t I don’t mean like
I’m adopting you or I’m gonna help pay
for your college but I want to speak to
my kids tonight and one philosophy that
I employ when I preach to you is I
preach deeper to you than I would to
your parents and that’s counterintuitive
because you would think that the younger
people need to dumb down but I don’t
believe that I think the older someone
gets the less able sometimes they are to
really receive by faith what God’s Word
says and I’ve always found that I can
preach my deepest stuff to younger
people so when I prepared for this I
certainly didn’t put together anything
sugar-coated and I think you’ll see that
but um it’s a principle that I want to
bring from Philippians chapter 1 now if
you’re watching online this weekend in
church I’m gonna continue this message
so this will be part one I’ll be back in
the pulpit I’ve been away for about six
or seven weeks I would ask all of you to
do everything you can to get some quick
rest and be back in church this weekend
because I’m gonna I’m gonna unwrap this
throughout the weekend and so this will
kind of be part one and actually Zack
you’ve heard me preach from Philippians
one a few times you remember I preached
on a Piccard okiya stretched your head
forward
you remember I preached on New Year’s
Eve a message from Philippians one about
I’m glad it happened and yet I saw
something in this passage that I thought
would be so appropriate and and really
connect to what the other speakers have
shared Pastor Mike on Carter one of my
best friends in the world Pastor Mike
the time
[Applause]
you really don’t need another message
they gave you enough to live off of for
12 months but let me see if I can
connect some things that’ll help us
really anchor what God has already
spoken in your group times and
everything how are y’all doing over
there by the way if I don’t look at you
much while I preaches discuss Hollies
over there and typically my attention is
diverted so that’s the only reason why I
rarely look at this side of the room but
I’m conscious of your presence and
appreciative of it as well let me read
you a pretty long Scripture okay hey
tonight if you want a shout you can
shout you don’t have to if you want to
take notes you can take notes you don’t
have to but I do want you to lean in and
I don’t need you to cheer me on while I
preach or anything like that
so if something hits you shout but if
something hits you in a different way
and you need to just sit and think about
it that’s okay too
or maybe while I’m speaking God will
bring up an issue and you start taking
notes and you quit listening to what I’m
even saying but you’re writing down
something else God is speaking that’s
okay too I just want to give you
permission to engage with this message
the way that you need to for your soul
tonight it’s an important one
Philippians chapter 1 verse 12 now I
want you to know brothers and sisters
that what has happened to me has
actually served to advance the gospel as
a result it has become clear throughout
the whole palace guard and to everyone
else that I am in Chains for Christ and
because of my chains most of the
brothers and sisters have become
confident in the Lord and they’re all
the more to proclaim the gospel without
fear it’s true that some preach Christ
out of envy and rivalry but others out
of goodwill the latter do so out of love
knowing that I am put here for the
defense of the gospel the former
preached Christ out of selfish ambition
not sincerely supposing that they can
stir up trouble for me while I am in
Chains but what does it matter
see Paul’s not young anymore he doesn’t
think everything is important he’s not
trying to get validation from people
anymore he’s been he’s been serving God
for over 30 years and now he’s got that
old man swag where he just doesn’t care
anymore if you like me or if you don’t
like me he says I’m not so consumed
about that what does it matter the
important thing is that in every way
whether from false motives or true
Christ is preached and because of this I
rejoice yes and I will continue to
rejoice I know you think I’m crazy for
acting happy when my life gives me no
reason to be happy but I’m gonna keep
doing it for I know that through your
prayers and God’s provision of the
Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened
to me will turn out for my deliverance I
eagerly expect and hope EPPICard okiya
Greek word then I will in no way be
ashamed but will have sufficient courage
so that now as always see when God has
seen you through enough stuff you don’t
fear the future because you know God is
already there and when God has already
been faithful to you on one level you
don’t have to look around your shoulder
to see if the devil’s gonna win this
time because you can know that God’s
past faithfulness is a predictor of his
future faithfulness so you can walk in
the confidence to know that God did not
bring me this far to leave me and if the
devil could have killed me he would have
killed me by now but the hand of God is
on my life I said you didn’t have to
stand up only if you want to if you want
to so I know that what happened to me
will turn out for my deliverance so that
now as always Christ will be exalted in
my body whether by life or by death for
to me to live is Christ and to die is
gain man if I’m to go on living now
that’ll mean fruitful labor for me yet
what shall I choose
that’s the that’s the thing okay what
shall I choose I don’t know I’m torn
between the two I kind of want to die
cuz I’m old and I’m going to heaven and
heaven sounds kind of nice cuz right now
I’m in this prison and I’m awaiting
trial before Caesar and I don’t know if
I’m gonna live or die and I got a lot of
enemies so it’d be kind of nice to leave
this earth so part of me wants to go
which is better by far but it is more
necessary for you that I remain in the
body I’m convinced of this I know that I
will remain and I will continue with all
of you for your progress and joy in the
faith so that through my being with you
again your boasting in Christ Jesus will
abound on account of me
the title of this message is choosing
your chains choosing your chains you
know what I hated about being 15 I hated
not having control over my own life I
hated the sense that I didn’t get to
make my own decisions I hated the sense
that somebody was always telling me what
I couldn’t couldn’t do and I hated the
fact that there were so many things that
I didn’t get a choice in like it went
all the way from what time I had to be
home I didn’t get to choose that it went
from even certain friends that I could
and couldn’t hang out with because every
once in a while my parents would make a
seemingly arbitrary decision that
certain kids weren’t good for me to hang
out with and I hate it I think I’m a
control freak because I always hated
this sense that I wasn’t in control I
hated when I couldn’t drive I hated when
I was dependent on somebody else for a
ride I hated that I didn’t get to choose
my own classes that they told me which
classes to take
I hate it something about being young
didn’t agree with me because I hated the
sense of having no control how many of
you were kind of like me and you’re a
little bit of a control freak and you
don’t like being in situations I mean
even this week how many of you it was
kind of hard for you to not have your
normal routine because you like being in
control it was hard for you to go along
with the different schedule it was hard
for you to show up in certain places at
certain times because not what you’re
used to
yeah there’s something and it’s not all
of us I know some of us don’t really
mind but some of us really like to be in
control and when our sense of control is
threatened it makes us anxious
it makes us irritable it makes us afraid
and and only bring that up because we’re
seeing the Apostle Paul right who is
like the most important missionary of
all time and he’s in a situation now at
this point in his life where the
circumstances are outside of his control
and he’s locked up as a prisoner and
he’s been falsely accused of some things
that he didn’t do and so now he’s riding
back home to this church that he started
now this church that the church at
Philippi was the first Church he started
in Europe and the way he started it was
one time he was there and he was having
some meetings and they locked him up in
prison and at midnight he was singing
and praying and and and God sent an
earthquake to the prison and when he
started praising God the prison started
shaking and his chains came loose and
not only his chains but everybody’s
chains around him which by the way this
is a side note that has nothing to do
with my sermon I need you to know your
praise breaks chains so the next time
depression comes on you and and you feel
bound and the next time you feel like
your situation is bigger than your
strength is I need you to know and touch
the person next to you and say my praise
breaks chains
so I don’t I don’t just have to sit in
situations and and pray for God to get
me out of them I can praise God in
difficult situations and if I keep my
mind right and my spirit right and my
heart set on things above my grace
breaks James that’s why some of you have
felt the joy of the Lord in your life
over the past three days because you’ve
been praising God at a new level and
while you’re praising God James are
falling off off of your mind chains of
addiction chains of insecurity Saints
break when praise rises I wish elev
youth would take over elevation church
this weekend she would show up at every
campus with this same energy I wish you
a jump I wish you would clap I wish you
would holler I wish you a scream show
your parents how to do it you might be
an example for your parents
now Paul is writing to this church at
Philippi that he founded a long time ago
and he’s updating them on his situation
and it’s not good he’s in prison he’s
been here for a while and nothing is
changing he has to stand before Caesar
and Caesar is either gonna let him live
or kill him because he’s accused of
being a cult leader and from this prison
cell he writes a book to the church at
Philippi about joy and freedom you
missed it he wrote a book from prison
about joy and freedom you still didn’t
get it because when you get what I’m
just saying you’re gonna you’re gonna
understand that what happens next in
your life is not dependent on your
environment or your situation or your
genetics and Paul’s like I want you to
know that even though I’m in Chains even
though I’m I’m stuck here for a little
while let me just see if I got the right
message because I prayed about it
waving me if you have a situation that
you have to go back to where you feel
stuck in it you know so so this is this
is the message we need tonight because
Paul is stuck in a situation he did not
choose the situation but watch what he
does and man when I saw this I was like
some kids are gonna get set free on
Friday night
[Applause]
no I’m serious he said verse 13 it has
become clear throughout the whole palace
guard and to everyone else that I am say
the next phrase out loud in Chains for
Christ that’s a strange thing to say
because it’s not like Jesus is the one
who put him in Chains and it’s not like
God is the one who does bad stuff and
it’s not like God made your parents get
a divorce or it’s not like that God had
your dad walk out when you were a little
boy so you’d be raised without a father
and it’s not like God gave you the shame
that you’re carrying around Paul says
I’m in Chains for Christ now I wasn’t
chained by Christ God did not do this
but now that I’m in Chains I am making a
choice everybody say choice that’s
really when your life changes not when
you sing a song pray a prayer or even
come to a experience called youth X but
what has to happen tonight for this
change that has started in your life to
continue and move forward and make a
difference you have to make a choice and
I don’t think you understand the power
of a single choice Paul said I’m
choosing in my situation to see my
change as something God can use this
makes no sense to the natural mind
because Paul could preach to so many
more people if he wasn’t in these chains
Paul could start so many more churches
if he wasn’t in these chains Paul could
go and raise offerings for churches that
were poor Paul could fight the good
fight and take the Word of God forward
all through the Roman Empire if not for
these change but here’s what he does he
looks at the thing that seems to be
holding him back
and he says I didn’t juice these things
I didn’t want to be here
I don’t like prison food I don’t like
this orange jumpsuit I don’t want to be
here I hope God gets me out I’d like to
be back with you I did not choose these
James and some of you have situations in
your life tonight that you did not
choose some of you have sickness in your
body some of you have mental disorders
some of you have panic attacks some of
you have eating disorders some of you
have learning disabilities it’s not that
God gave you those chains but now you
have to choose if God doesn’t take them
away if God doesn’t remove the chains
will you use the chains to glorify his
name and show the world that even in my
chains I’m free
even in my chains I’m saved even with
these chains on my feet I have a Living
Hope it’s the choice you make he made a
choice
one little choice he could have chosen
in this moment to assume that God did
not love him because why would God leave
me in this prison if he loved me and
some of you will walk away from God
because he won’t give you the answer to
the prayer that you wanted and you won’t
even understand that God is using the
thing that you want him to take away to
show the world who he is through you
[Applause]
and so you make choices now right now in
your life about the kind of person you
want to become you make some good ones
you’ll make some bad ones the kind of
people you’re gonna let into your life
the kind of people that you’re gonna
that you’re gonna really show yourself
to the the kind of language that you’re
gonna use it’s fine it’s just little
choice
God ain’t gonna give you a brain tumor
if you cuss that’s what I used to preach
when I was a mean preacher but I don’t
believe that anymore I believe that the
grace of God is good enough to cover
anything you do but the grace of God
does not cancel out the consequence of
my choices and you got some choices to
make and they’re not gonna be big
choices I clapped him he said four
hundred people made decisions for Christ
in our middle school and youth high
school likes and look let’s go ahead and
let’s go and celebrate it what’s goin
celebrating
let’s go in celebrating
that’s a big choice
Oh theologically speaking you didn’t
choose God he chose you so it wasn’t
even your choice that saved you it was
God’s choice to call you out and to
snatch you and to cleanse you and to
call you but this is not a sermon about
big choices this is not about who you’ll
marry I’m not talking about that tonight
we got years to figure that out
I’m talking about the choices you’re
gonna make tomorrow the little choices
because though the way the enemy works
he’s so he’s so smart he knows if he can
get you to make little choices that
compromise who you are
today’s choices will become tomorrow’s
chains little choices so if he can
introduce you to something just a little
something if he can just get you to
experiment with porn right now it can
lock something in your mind and it’s not
that looking at a little bit of porn
will send you to hell or make you a bad
person but if he can get you to make the
choice to to do it once then maybe you
do it again and so it was a choice you
know we make these choices you make a
choice to lie and you know you tell your
parents you were there and and you
weren’t but it’s just a little choice on
what’s a little lie
the problem with choices is I want you
to put choice on the screen is that
choices become habits
I’m not here to beat up on you
look I I’ve made some really dumb
choices that at the time it just seemed
like you know a little thing it didn’t
seem like a big deal and maybe it wasn’t
but the problem is you become what you
repeatedly do and so when you make the
choice just to do the little thing
whatever that little thing is it’s not
always porn or or lies it’s anything I
noticed this all the time in my eating
because I’m not able to just enjoy a few
chips for me is either broccoli or the
whole bag of Doritos I have no
self-control and no self-restraint so I
don’t have moderation in my life and not
my choice becomes a habit and when
something becomes a habit it becomes
automatic and so now I’m not even really
choosing to do it anymore
I’m not even choosing to lash out
anymore so I made the choice to be angry
because I lose my temper all the time
and if I respond in anger all the time
and I just learned how to solve stuff
with anger it’ll work and it’ll push
people away and it’ll get me through
situations but then it becomes a habit
and before I know it I’m not even
choosing to get angry anymore it’s just
automatic and now it’s no longer a
choice it’s not a choice anymore it’s
gonna be on a choice it’s gone beyond a
habit it’s become automatic and now it’s
my identity now it’s not even just what
I do it’s become Who I am and now I
can’t separate my identity as a child of
God because he still loves me but I
can’t feel his love or see his love or
since his love because I become more
identified with my chains than his grace
and it didn’t look like a chain at first
it was one choice but the choice became
a habit the habit became automatic and
then it became my identity and now it’s
my nature and I’m a choice uh-oh stuck
No
can you help me I just need somebody to
help me I don’t know who would you help
me
do you mind for this yeah you’re mine oh
yeah dad that leather guy you’d be good
to up even though I need him I just he’s
first one I saw yeah let me use them he
seems like the right one I’m not
rejecting you or nothing like that it’s
just that his his wrist is the right
size for this illustration yeah so
that’s the only reason why because I
didn’t I didn’t realize when I was
making those choices stand right there
that while I was making little choices
the enemy was trying to get me
in this chain because now he knows held
are you if I can get him to make some
choices while he’s 14 somebody come
tighten this for me cuz I’m yeah here I
got I got I got I got it guys just
kidding
just want to see if you’re willing cuz
now I got you cuz I convinced you that
these little choices don’t matter and
then it became a habit that became
automatic and you thought it was who you
were and now second nature so now I can
just now I got you let’s see now
if I came at you with this chain you
would run because you would see it for
what it was so I don’t comment you with
the chain I come at you with the choice
but I got you so now you’re not 14
anymore you’re 18 but some choices that
I got you to make that became habits and
became so automatic and ingrained and
you just did it over and over again
because practice doesn’t make perfect
practice makes permanent and so now I
thought that’s who I was and I became
ashamed and I’m just dragging you and so
now you’re 20 23 years old and you’re
going to get married but when you were
14 15 16 I got you chained by your
choices so now walk this way you’re
gonna try to go love your wife but I’m
not gonna let you cuz I got you on this
chain some will pull you back into some
stuff that’s gonna keep you miserable
and bound and down and out
[Applause]
and this is why we preach to you like we
preach to you because I’m tired of
seeing God’s children and chains chains
of fear and shame and regret to where
you can’t think straight and now now the
enemy becomes your master you know
you’re gonna be a slave to something
everybody in this room is going to serve
something what are you gonna serve Paul
called himself a servant of Jesus Christ
I’m not a slave to sin any longer those
chains are broken so now Paul says and
this is the good part of the message
Paul says because of my chains God is
being glorified in fact he said if you
gave me the choice to get out of these
chains or to stay in these chains if
staying in these chains means that God
gets the glory
I choose the chains so God if you can
use me if you want to use my story even
all the painful parts God you can use me
cuz I’m not a slave to sin I’m not a
slave to fear I’m a child of God
[Applause]
fact you know what Paul say him Paul
says I’m chained to grace in that good
this illustration is gonna take a
positive turn right now my man cuz I was
the devil but now I’m gonna be God let
me show you what happens when you get
chained to grace touch somebody say I’m
chained to grace okay give me verse 17
again I think that’s the one
Paul says some people like me some
people don’t some people are helping me
some people are hurting me but the
important thing knows verse 18 the
important thing is no that’s the wrong
verse – what’s the one that says yeah
there it is
the important thing is this 18 the
important thing is now whatever you put
next after that determines what your
chained to I picked the right kid he
gets it he said the important thing is
that I fulfill my purpose if if you get
chained to popularity how people feel
about you can always just jerk you
around and if they like you you’re good
and if they don’t you’re you’re you’re
down if you get chained if you make the
most important thing in your life right
now you know how much you’re gonna have
one day or or if you make the most
important thing in your life how you
feel at any given moment and the whole
thing about your life is that you’re
chained to your feelings then the enemy
is always gonna have you on it’s chained
and it can yank your chain anytime he
wants and your faith will go up and down
and in and out but if you say the
important thing is and this is the
choice this is the choice that I would
love to see you make tonight while
you’re young right now before you’re all
bound up I know you’ve made some
mistakes before but it’s not too late
God got you here just in time I mean
just in time just in time
to break the chains before it chokes the
life out of you you made it just in time
that’s what this week was about it
wasn’t about a battle tone it wasn’t
about a dance party or a DJ thank God
for all of it
God brought you here to break the chains
while there’s still time
so you could fulfill his purpose for
your life shout it again say I’m chained
to grace Paul said these chains on my
feet don’t determine my joy because my
purpose is to fulfill God’s calling on
my life so now here’s what happens
what’s your name you’ve been up here all
this time Luke Luke let’s say you try to
get away from God and let’s say you make
a choice today that you know what the
priority of my life is the presence of
God not popularity not the opinions of
people not some accomplishment that’s
gonna be empty when I get it anyway i’ma
listen to my pastor tonight and he’s
telling me that the only thing that
matters is what Paul said mattered the
only thing that matters is the purpose
of God in my life I’m chained to Grace
I’m chained to purpose so now watch this
Luke try to get away from me
mmm-hmm I might be old but I live bro
you change the grace come on I need you
to celebrate that even if I want to get
away
try as parties no sir if you can’t
escape these things who the Sun sets
free is free indeed great doctor see no
God says I’m not done with you yet
I’m not done with you yet I know about
the addiction and I chose you anyway and
I want you to I want you to stop
tormenting yourself over things that you
can’t control
[Applause]
there you’re choosing your chains
tonight you want to be chained to the
grace of God are you want to be chained
to your feelings you’re gonna be chained
to fake friends who come and go
look I went to my 20-year anniversary
high school anniversary last month
they’re good people
and I know that they’re I know that
they’re important to God but what they
think of me isn’t important to me
so I’m trying to preach this to you now
why would you change yourself to
people’s opinions who aren’t even gonna
be in your life in 20 years that’s it
right
[Applause]
that’s why something you tried to run
from God and you couldn’t you tried not
to believe in God but that little thing
won’t go away
because there’s a calling on your life
you were chained to the grace of God and
if you make the choice to become a
worshiper it’ll become a habit and when
it becomes a habit
it’ll become automatic and when it
becomes automatic
it’ll be your identity worship is not
what I do
worship is Who I am I’m gonna be
somebody in the back to jump up and
worship God like you know who you are
it’s mine
it’s my nature I let you keep this
remember this night
[Applause]
stand up God chose you he chose you to
be in that seat he chose you to live in
that house I understand some of you are
in abusive situations Paul was 2 doesn’t
make the situation okay
God is greater than the situation he’s
even gonna use those chains so I’m
choosing today to chain my life to
something bigger than what happens to me
or what I feel about it I got to make
this choice because I can’t spend the
rest of my life just getting dragged
around the devil yankin might change
anytime he wants to I belong to God
I’m his I’m his servant and that means I
can’t spend any more time serving stupid
stuff that doesn’t matter the important
thing
[Applause]
whatever you make important is what you
change your joy to whatever you make
important is what you change your peace
to if you make this God my God the
everlasting God the God of Abraham the
god of Isaac the God of Jacob if you
make this God Yahweh Emmanuel God with
us if you make this God your God nothing
on earth will be able to move you
nothing on earth
[Applause]
you