Finding God’s Signs in Your Emptiness // Priscilla Shirer ?

Priscilla Shirer joins us for a special Mother’s Day weekend with a powerful and encouraging word on being a believing disciple of Jesus.

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hey there I am so excited to have the

opportunity to be with you like Point

Church I feel like saying Lake Point

Church family and the reason why I feel

like saying that is because you know I

born and raised right here in the

dallas-fort Worth Metroplex and my

entire life I have known about Lake

Point Church that’s kind of been holding

it down in the Rockwall area of town

we’ve been in Oak Cliff the south side

that’s where our church is Church I

still attend to this day that my dad

pastors and you know we live in a great

community don’t we where it seems like

God has put these incredible anchor

churches and ministries in the four

corners of DFW and so I want you to know

that that the ministry of your church

for all these years and all these

decades has gone far and wide and so it

feels like a gift to me to be able to be

a part of today and so I want to thank

you so much for the opportunity to do

that Pastor Josh and Jana thank you for

inviting me to be a part of Mother’s Day

and to be a part of the life of your

church again it feels like a gift to me

and I’m so grateful there’s another

reason why I want you to know that this

is a delight to me to be able to share

God’s word with you over the next few

minutes it’s because this is my first

year mother’s day without my own mom my

mom went home to be with the Lord

on December 30th though so just a few

moments ago and one of the things she

was saying to us as you know the last

weeks of her life were very clearly sort

of drawing to an end and she knew she

was going to be in heaven soon and we

were all kind of coming to grips with

that reality one of the things she said

to us was this cannot stop ministry this

cannot stop ministry so I know on

Mother’s Day what she’d want is for me

to be doing everything that I can to

still be pouring into the life of God’s

people so your invitation is a gift to

me on Mother’s Day thank you so much I’m

gonna pray and then we’re gonna jump

into a portion of Scripture that I want

you to dive into with me if you would so

if you know you got your cell phone

ready if that’s the way you look up

Scripture or if you actually still use a

Bible with paper pages like I do then go

ahead and grab that all old-school and

stuff however you do it is totally fine

but I want to show you something

the pages of scripture that I think is

gonna be an encouragement to every

single one of us no matter if we’re male

or female or if we have children or

don’t have children or whether we’re

single or married but I think

specifically it will be an encouragement

to moms on this mother Day Mother’s Day

moms like me who are raising children

and you’re right in the throes of it I

want to encourage you with it and I want

to help to propel you forward as you

continue doing what it is that God has

called you to do so let’s pray together

Lord Jesus I thank you for this

privilege and this opportunity to

celebrate in particular on this Mother’s

Day the moms who are holding it down

Lord who are doing what it is required

of them to raise the children you’ve

entrusted to them to us father I thank

you for them I pray that your blessing

would be upon them and over these next

few minutes that we’re gonna spend

together at Lake Point Church in your

word I’m asking that you would breathe

afresh on this passage father so that we

are all encouraged and so that there is

not one person under the sound of my

voice even though technologically

speaking we’re now distant from each

other but the Holy Spirit is going to be

able to take this message right into the

hearts and homes of every individual

who’s listening and that before our time

is over every single person will know

that today they heard the voice of God

do it father in your name I pray amen

well go ahead and get your Bibles ready

to the Gospel of John it’s one of my

favorite books in the Bible so just kind

of get yourself ready there toward the

second chapter because that’s where

we’re gonna land in just a few minutes

and as you get yourself there let me

just tell you what I was thinking about

as I was considering this passage the

book of John is one of my favorites

because John is real specific about

pointing out different encounters Jesus

had different conversations that he had

different messages he preached and he’s

real specific about the reason why he

says that they’re all going to be signs

that point people specifically to Jesus

so that they might believe that he is

who he said he is and I was thinking

about signs signs so up until recently

my family and I have lived in a fairly

rural part of the Dallas Fort Worth area

you may have heard of it Midlothian it’s

south of y’all quite a bit if you’re at

your local church there in Rock Walden

it’s very south from walk wall and we

lived there for quite a while and about

about ten years or so and the reason why

we moved to this fairly rural part of

Dallas is because it was far enough away

from the city to feel like we were

worlds away but it was close enough

where we could get there in a hurry you

know the Starbucks was just around the

corner and you know girl you know that’s

important that we get to the Starbucks

so the Starbucks was just around the

corner and the Barnes and Noble’s nearby

and Dillard’s wasn’t too far super

target on hand took us about 10 minutes

to get into Cedar Hill where all those

things were but once we drove back on

that little two-lane road toward

Midlothian where our house was

we literally felt like we were worlds

away and you know as I mentioned I have

three sons so I believe in go outside

and play I don’t know if you still

believe in that but that’s what up

that’s what I believe in to this day

they need to go outside and play so I

wanted to move into an area where there

was a little bit of yard you know things

boys need in their life like trees and

bugs and mud and stuff like that and so

anytime my boys still to this day have

the nerve to come to me and say mom I’m

bored I say do you see that tree out

there go play with the tree I don’t care

what you do with the tree but go enjoy

yourself outside so we lived there for

all those years where they were little

they are 17 and 15 and 11 now so older

but when they were little we were

outside all the time one of my closest

friends in the world lives across the

street from where we were she has a huge

pond in front of her property we’d go

over there and fish and you know we just

enjoyed living out there in all that

space here’s the problem with living in

the country though when it’s dark it’s

dark and anytime somebody wanted to come

and visit me I would always try to get

him to come during the day before the

Sun set because it’s easier to find that

way but if for whatever reason they had

to come out in the evening time after

the Sun had gone down and it got dark

not only would I give them just sort of

regular old typed out texted directions

I would also give them some specific

signs to look for I’d give them some

landmarks

I’d say girl don’t just look for the

particular wording that’s on the

sign where you got to turn left or turn

right because maybe you know in the

country some brush has grown over and

now you can’t see all the wording on

that I would say look for the big red

boulder that’s sitting on the corner

right there or I would say look for the

huge sign that’s in front of an entire

neighborhood then you’ll know that

you’re headed in the right direction or

look for the horse farm that you’ll see

when you make that sharp left because

there’s some signage around there that

you can pinpoint it’ll let you know

you’re still on the right path and of

all the signs that I would give them to

look for the very first landmark was the

one that was most important it was the

one that would let the person the

visitor that was coming to see me it

would let them know that they were

indeed on the right path so that when

that road got longer than they thought

or when the curve was a little sooner

than they expected it to be they would

know because of that first sign that

they were headed in the right direction

this is what’s so interesting about

John’s book John says to us that he has

written about specific signs in his book

as a means to point people to Jesus in

fact you don’t have to turn there I’m

gonna read it to you he ends the book by

saying I want you to know exactly why I

wrote everything that I pinned under the

inspiration of the Holy Spirit exactly

why I wrote it in these pages he says I

want you to know why I’m gonna read to

you John chapter 20 verse 30 and 31 he

says many other signs Jesus performed in

the presence of the disciples and

they’re not written in this book but

these these are the ones that have been

written here for the purpose of making

sure that you believe Jesus is the

Christ the Son of God and that believing

you may have life in his name

John admits there’s a whole bunch of

other signs that he could have written

down but he said I specifically didn’t

write down everything I just pinpointed

some of the signs because I believed

under the inspiration of God’s Spirit

that these would be the signs that would

be most strategic and letting you know

that our God is who he says he is and

that he can do everything that he says

that he can do so I’m starting here you

know to dig into this book thinking to

myself well not only do I want to know

what all the signs are but I want to

know about the first sign because just

like when I give directions to someone

coming to visit me

very first sign often is the most

important sign

it’s the landmark that’s gonna tell you

right up front

that you are headed in the right

direction it’s like the first couple

chapters of a book that you may be

reading or the first musical bars of a

pianist rendition of a song

it’s those initial inaugural things that

sort of grab our attention they pull us

in they make us stay tuned for the rest

so since I knew how important it was

that the first sign be something really

seminal and important and critical I

thought you and I might dive in to the

very first sign because if John thought

it was important enough to be the first

landmark the first sign to point us in

the direction of Jesus so that by

believing or by reading we would believe

that Jesus is who he says he is then I

thought of John thought it was important

enough to be the first sign but you and

I should take our attention there and

see why now I want to make sure you

remember before we read this story

that’s gonna be fairly familiar to you I

want to make sure that you remember that

signs are never designed so that you can

be impressed with the sign any sign that

you’re so impressed with that you never

take your eyes off of the actual sign

itself that means that sign might be

cute but the sign is not doing its job

signs aren’t designed necessarily to be

impressive for the ultimate purpose of

drawing your attention to them the goal

of the sign is to introduce you to

something else it’s to point you in a

different direction so all of the

miracles of Jesus the signs the

landmarks the messages he preached the

conversations that he had the encounters

that we see throughout the entirety of

Scripture all of those signs if they

never lead us to Jesus we’ve missed the

point of the sign altogether and the

very first sign that Jesus that John

draws our attention to is in John

chapter 2 look at verse 1 through 11 it

says on the third day there was a

wedding in Cana of Galilee the mother of

Jesus was there and Jesus also was

invited his disciples they also came to

this wedding verse 3 says

that when the wine gave out the mother

of Jesus said to him they don’t have any

wine anymore and Jesus said in verse 4 a

woman what do I have to do with you my

hour has not yet come but Mary knew

better she said to the servants in verse

5 whatever he says to you you do it and

so verse 7 Jesus said to them fill the

waterpots with water so they filled them

up to the brim and then he said to the

servants take some out now and take them

to the headwaiter so they took it to the

headwaiter

and some were in between verse 8 and

verse 9 a miracle happens because it

says in verse 9 that when the headwaiter

tasted the water which had become wine

he didn’t know where it came from but

the servants who had drawn the water

they knew what had happened the

headwaiter called the bridegroom and in

verse 10 he said to the bridegroom

doesn’t everybody usually serve the good

wine first because you know after

drinking the good wine everybody would

be a little bit too confused to know

when the poor wine had started to flow

so he said doesn’t everybody normally

serve the good stuff first and when men

have drunk freely then that was just

poor but you you saved the best stuff

until now verse 11 this was the first

sign Jesus did in Cana of Galilee and he

manifested his glory and look at the

last line of verse 11 and his disciples

believed in him I don’t know about for

you but for me that begs a very

important question because this text

says that after this sign the disciples

started believing in him that tells us

it’s possible to be a disciple who

doesn’t believe it’s possible to be

someone who has a relationship with

Jesus who walks with him who talks with

him who’s in fellowship with him who

goes where he goes who does what he does

who participates with him who eats with

him who has conversations with him it’s

possible to be a disciple but not really

be a believing disciple I’m talking

about someone who

whole life has yielded to him who

depends on him and trusts him who

doesn’t lean on their own understanding

when adversity comes or trials come or

hard stuff comes like what you and I are

facing right now the global crisis that

we’re all facing and all the personal

crisis we were already facing before the

global one showed up a believing

disciple is someone who trusts him and

believes that he is still on the throne

he is still calm he is still sovereign

and that he is not displaced and

surprised by the things that surprised

us I don’t want to just be a disciple I

want to be a disciple who believes a

disciple whose whole life is fully

surrendered and dependent upon Jesus

Christ

so John writes this sign and he says

this is the primary way that I know to

make sure that you begin to really put

credence and who Jesus is that your life

now even just you know where you’re a

Christian and name only where you go to

church every now and then you know

Easter Christmas when it’s convenient

that you’re not just a Christian in name

only but you don’t just behave a certain

way around certain people that you don’t

just you know read a Bible verse a day

to keep the devil away you know it’s not

like some ritual for your life you you

actually have a living breathing fervent

vibrant relationship with Jesus where

you pray where it’s not a a last resort

where prayer is your priority where you

look forward to fervent conversations

with him and where with every crisis

that you face before you seek the input

of anybody else you’re seeking the input

of your great God through the spirit as

he lumens his own word in your life I

want to be a disciple who believes and

John says that the primary way I know to

begin to make you a disciple who

believes is to write down a story of a

time when I saw Jesus step into

someone’s emptiness and fill it back up

he said the primary sign is when I saw

somebody giving the best they had to

give and their best was not good enough

and Jesus stepped into that emptiness

and fill

right back up okay I’ve got bad news and

good news the bad news for us is that

our best likely will never be good

enough for the marriage that you have

for the children that have been

entrusted to you mom

for the dynamics on your job

entrepreneur for the business that

you’re trying to build ministry servant

for the for the ministry that God has

entrusted to you the outreach that

you’re poor in your life into the

creative ideas that you have the gifts

that you have the talents that you have

finances that you have the interests

that you’re able to sew into that

endeavor or that person the emotional

investment that you have for that a

relationship of yours you and I can give

our best and oftentimes we will find in

fact more than often most of the time

we’re gonna find our best is not good

enough no matter how much we give no

matter how much we invest no matter how

much we pour in we’ll constantly feel

like our best is not good enough that’s

the bad news

but the good news is that he gives us

his best to implement into every

circumstance of our life can I tell you

right now how important it is to me to

hear this message and this principle of

John chapter 2 because right now in the

throes of raising these teenage boys I

don’t know what I’m doing I’m looking at

them going through the struggles that

are similar to what we faced you know

for me it was like in the 90s I

graduated from high school in 93 so

coming up through the 80s and the 90s we

had struggles too and the pressure of

our peers and of course having to steer

clear of immoral choices and I certainly

was not perfect at any of any of that

but what I do know is that the pressures

I see my sons facing have escalated and

mushroomed so much so because they have

much more at their disposal 24 hours a

day then we have had access to many of

us and so as a mom trying to raise young

adult men I feel like a fish out of

water and I feel like every single day I

keep on trying to give my best to the

best of what I know to bring of advice

or of boundaries or of discipline or a

consistent fun or hospitality

for them and their friends I mean I’m

doing the best I can but can I tell you

that most every night I going I go to

bed feeling like my best wasn’t good

enough again none of us can be in our

own strength and in our own power what

we need to be to satisfy all of the

demands and the needs of the aspect of

our life and it seems like the gospel

writer knew that so he wanted us to know

that the primary way the seminal way

that we can begin to see our own life as

a sign that points people to Jesus is

when we have given our best and our best

isn’t good enough that means that

instead of being discouraged and

disappointed because we feel overwhelmed

and outmatched and like we’re the

underdog in some area of our life

instead of being disappointed maybe we

should actually sit on the edge of our

seat with our chin in our hands leaning

forward to catch sight of when Jesus is

getting ready to show up at this party

the party of our lives and show us that

even when our best isn’t good enough

that’s when he begins to turn water into

wine he begins to actually make

something not just good but better than

what you ever had in the first place

it’s a promise that I’m so grateful for

in my own life and John is showing us

that actually the primary way we see

Jesus is in the seasons and the times

and the areas of our life where we keep

on giving keep on doing keep on serving

keep on investing and we keep on feeling

like we’re falling short could it be

that that’s the exact area of our life

where Jesus is waiting to be invited to

the party so he can show us what it’s

like when he fills up that thing that

has become empty and difficult and hard

for us in our lives this is the primary

sign that John wrote down and I believe

that it’s one of the primary signs from

our own lives that show us that Jesus is

who he said he is now not only is it an

important sign for us because we get

introduced to Jesus in a very palatable

tangible way when we’ve got emptiness in

our life or disappointment in that way

and

life you know it’s one thing to know him

in the pages of Scripture like it’s one

thing to have read about and y’all know

as I said a minute ago I grew up in

church I grew up you know sitting on the

second the second row of pews piano side

right behind my mama right on the side

where the piano was I mean I grew up in

church I know what it is like to hear

incredible Bible teaching from my dad

who stole my pastor to this day I know

what it’s like to know about the God who

had power enough to divide the Red Sea

or the God who had power enough to say

to Joshua and the Israelites walk around

the walls and then he causes the walls

to basically implode on themselves I

know and have read about the power that

Jesus had in the New Testament to raise

up Lazarus from the dead I got it I mean

I got it down I know the stuff but it’s

one thing to know it but then allow what

we know to now not satisfy us but

actually become a little bit of a divine

agitator because now that we know it we

want to experience it we don’t just want

to know about how powerful he is we want

to see that power operating in our

marriage and as we invest in our

children and in our financial dilemmas

our small businesses some of you have

been so affected by what we’re going

through right now we want to see him

step in in our own health crisis and the

needs that we have in our life we don’t

just want to read about it we want to

see about it John says this is the way

the way is when you’ve got emptiness and

it needs to be filled up and you can’t

do it that’s the part of your life where

you start looking to the horizon Jesus

is coming if you’ll let him in and he’ll

show you the miracle of a lifetime how

he takes your messes and make some

miracles how he takes five loaves and

two fish a little bit that you’ve got

and he multiplies it and all of a sudden

people are able to be fed in your life

emotionally physically they’re able to

be fed your business your ministry the

people that are entrusted to you through

that outreach that you are invested in

people are able to be satisfied that you

know you could have never satisfied

given your own limitations and your own

boundaries so not only is this his way

of showing us that this

the way we personally meet Jesus but the

people in our sphere of influence namely

on this Mother’s Day your children they

will not come to know Jesus not just

here but here they won’t come to know

him because mom was a perfectionist who

was rigid and had to have everything

right all day long every day what is

going to draw them to Jesus is when they

see a mom who knows how gosh I’m trying

to learn this to walk with the rhythms

of grace to recognize that man I’m so

not perfect I have so many weaknesses

and so many lapses in judgment and like

I’ve said to my kids often listen I’m

apologizing right now for all the stuff

as an adult you gonna have to talk to

your counselor about because I already

know I’m not doing everything right I’m

hoping that as they see me in situations

like these people were right here in

John chapter 2 where they’ve given their

best but we recognize that man without

Jesus the single workout as they see

that emptiness principle operating in my

life and how I depend on Jesus how I’m

prayerful when they were younger I used

to let them intentionally catch me

reading the Bible I wouldn’t do my

devotions behind closed door I did it

right smack dab in the middle of the

living room or at the kitchen table so

that when they woke up they would catch

me inviting Jesus to the party and

saying Jesus I actually need you today

to help my family to help my sons to

know who you are and to see you by your

spirit at work in our lives so I’m not

just interested in what testimonies like

this will teach me but and what it will

teach and show and how it will influence

the people that I’m impacting in my

lives and again on this Mother’s Day as

we think about our children I just want

to encourage those of you that are

mothering and you feel like you can’t do

it single mom you just give it

everything you’ve got and you feel like

it is just daily

not enough can I encourage you encourage

you in knowing that not only is Jesus

getting ready to

troduce introduced himself to you in a

real practical way but your kids aren’t

gonna come to know him in a very special

way not because you were perfect not

because you had it all together not

because you were enough but because you

weren’t enough and they saw Jesus

stepped in they’re gonna be able to give

the testimony about how their mama did

the thing not because she was excellent

and amazing but because they watched

Jesus support her support your family

dynamic I want that testimony for my

children because I don’t want them to

just be churchgoers I want them to be

boys and then men who are warriors for

the kingdom of God and they love him

with their whole heart with all their

strength and with all their mind I’m

praying that as I walk in the rhythms of

grace as you walk in the rhythms of

God’s grace where we admit that the best

we have to offer has run out as we admit

that and Jesus steps in and fills it

back up to the brim I’m asking that that

will be in the eyesight of our children

and that it will influence them in a way

that will be a ripple effect

generationally in each and every one of

our families you know one of my son’s

I’m he’s 15 now but when he was 3 years

old I’ll never forget this was a day

when the offering basket had gone by at

church and he’d missed the opportunity

to put in you know the dollar or two

that we had given him as a

three-year-old and we’ve been trying to

teach the boys this principle of tithing

and how important it is to give to the

Lord what is due to him and to honor him

in that way so after service he said mom

I missed the opportunity you know in his

little three-year-old way he’s holding

up the one dollar bill and and I said

it’s okay don’t worry because at our

church in the four-year lobby area

there’s a box that sits there and

anybody that wants to actually

throughout the week anybody could show

up at the time and they could put in

their offering in that low box so I said

after church don’t worry when the crowd

clears out we’ll go out into the lobby

and we’ll we’ll put the put the dollar

and don’t worry we’re gonna go give to

the Lord so after everything cleared out

we were talking with people you know how

you do after church just fellowship it

and enjoy it everything cleared out then

I walked with my three-year-old towards

the lobby and as we were walking

I’m teeth

the principle I’m trying to remind him

what tithing is what offering is that

it’s not just a donation no we are

giving to the Lord what he’s owed what

he’s due for how good he has been to us

so I’m teaching him this principle we’re

going to give money to the Lord as soon

as we step in the lobby our worship

leader at the time comes bounding down

the staircase on the side from his

office towards the lobby now this guy

had a gregarious personality he was

always on the platform at church because

he was the worship leader so my boy saw

him every single Sunday here he comes

bounding down and down the stairs

JC my second son sees the dollar in his

hand that I’ve just told him were giving

to the Lord and he sees this guy that he

sees every single Sunday high and looked

it up on the stage and he says is that

the Lord explained to him nobody

that ain’t the Lord and in fact no human

is I think sometimes in our church

culture which in a way I wonder as he’s

shaken up our church culture with

everything that has happened with this

shelter-in-place mandate I wonder if

this is going to start to shake off some

of the df’ some of the ways we have

deified humans we’re people that really

are our servants we have kind of lifted

them up to the fact that we have

forgotten that no human is the Lord

in other words can’t nobody do for you

what Jesus did in John chapter 2 okay

nobody be for you what only Jesus can be

for you can nobody satiate and satisfy

the demands and needs that you have when

you feel overwhelmed the way Jesus can’t

it doesn’t matter what their talent is

what their gifting is we thank God for

that how they maybe help us to rightly

divide the word of truth we praise the

Lord for our leaders and our servants

and our preachers and our teachers but

we can’t give them the allegiance that

only deserves to be given to one and his

name is Jesus Christ

just in case John wants to make sure you

know he intended for you to see this

sign I just want to point one thing to

you point out one thing to you in

closing verse 1 he says three key things

to let you know he wasn’t

around when he wanted to give you this

sign as the primary way way that our

lives become a billboard for the

goodness and grace of God did you notice

that in verse one he says that this

happened on the third day and that he

points out that this wasn’t just a

random party but it was a wedding and

that he also seems to trip over himself

with this detail he wants you to know

that Mary the mother of Jesus was there

I mean all of this detail do you know

that Mary is only mentioned one of the

time in John’s Gospel that is at the

crucifixion John wants you to see Mary

here at this wedding and at the

crucifixion he wants there to be

assertive a logical bridge over there to

the crucifixion so that you will always

remember that your insufficiencies are

covered by the blood of Jesus Christ

shed on Calvary that in whatever way you

feel that you are weak and insufficient

as we all our his grace is sufficient

for you but not only that he wants you

to know this happened on the third day

because he doesn’t just want to point to

a crucifixion he wants to point to a

resurrection he wants you to know that

the same power that got up out of the

grave is the exact same power that is

available to you and me through the Holy

Spirit every single day so that when we

are weak his strength is perfected in

our weakness but not only that he says I

also want you to know that this happened

at a wedding and I’ve got good news for

you there’s another wedding that I think

is closer than we could ever imagine

where the bridegroom is going to return

the Trump is going to sound the dead in

Christ will rise first and those of us

who are alive and remain we will meet

him in the sky and the bridegroom is

coming for his bride and in that day

there will be a union and a wedding the

likes of which you have never seen

before john wants you to know he’s not

messing around with this sign he

specifically gave it to you and to me so

that on this Mother’s Day in the year

2020 we would never again forget that in

our weaknesses his strength is made

perfect be encouraged know that it’s

okay to be exactly who God has created

you to be

and

and rely on His grace and goodness he

will take everything even the hard

things and turn them around until they

work for your good and for his glory in

Jesus name Amen