If we’re not careful, we can make our Christian walk about what we can give to God. But the story of the Gospel doesn’t start with what you have given God. It starts with what God has given you: people. In week 3 of Launching In Victory, Pastor Charles teaches us how the people in our lives are gifts. He meant for us to fulfill our purpose together! If you’re looking to find purpose, this message is for you! Make sure to like and share with a friend!
hi my name is Bree and I have the
privilege of serving as Chief of Staff
here at Transformation Church at TC our
vision is to represent God to the lost
and found for transformation in Christ
and we just want to say thank you so
much for tuning in from wherever you’re
watching from if you haven’t already be
sure to like And subscribe we believe
that God has a word just for you so
let’s jump into today’s message
we are in uh this is week three of a
series called launch in Victory
everybody say launch in Victory
and the hope and the goal of this series
is really to be um the flame to your
faith for whatever it is God has called
you to start
now I don’t know what God has called you
to start
um but I know that in a room this size
with how many people are watching
through online church that there are
plenty of things that God whether
through a journal whether in a previous
season whether it’s just through your
time of prayer through confirmation
through your community there are things
that God has asked you to start
we all have something in our life that
God has asked us to do that he has asked
us to start and that’s all that word
means the word launch means to start to
begin something and I want to pose to
you through this series what has God
asked you to start
I want you to write it down what is it
has he asked you to start writing the
book that he gave to you when you were
15 the book idea that you downplayed
because you thought oh that’s not been
that big of a deal I don’t know I’m not
good enough
is it a business idea has he asked you
to start dating your wife because you
stopped in 1994.
shout out to still being married that’s
exciting but you gotta date your wife
and your spouse all through what has he
asked you to start has he asked you to
start being intentional with your
children at bedtime and not just saying
all right good night go to bed go to bed
be quiet go to bed go to bed has he
asked you to start praying over them
asking them like me and my wife do what
do you want to pray for these now listen
don’t ask a three and a two-year-old
what you want to pray for because you
could get literally it’d be the most
random stuff Luna’s like um I want to
pray for
um I want to pray for uh I’m gonna pray
for my leg my leg is hurting it’s
hurting mom
immediately just like we’ll find a place
that God can heal and then he heals it
immediately it’s amazing teach them if
their prayers work you’re like oh it’s
pain looking in the name of Jesus
is it better
before and Luna starts to run around the
house shouting is amazing
um but what does God asked you to start
many of us If we’re honest we have put
up um fake timelines and things that we
feel like we have to have in order to
start what God asked us to start only to
not realize that God knew what you had
and what you didn’t have when he asked
you to start and he didn’t ask you how
much money do you have in the bank
account uh are you really really good at
writing or have you produced a movie
before or have you done that no he
didn’t ask her he just said it’s time to
start somebody say it’s time to start
I wanted you to get that in here but it
is time to start I don’t know what that
means I don’t know what it is I don’t
know what small step you need to take
but it is time to start if you’ve been
waiting on confirmation if you’ve just
been praying God if you just give it to
me very clearly God I’ll let you know
like this is your sign I’m up here in
this pink jacket because the Blazer is
my safe place hello somebody and it is
time to start
it’s time to start we said this the
first week um because there’s this
saying that you might have heard it’s
not important how you start it’s about
how you finish and that is very true
it’s not important how you start but
it’s up the utmost importance that you
start
that statement it downplays the start oh
it’s not about to start it’s not about
to make of a deal just make sure you
finish well you got to start in order to
finish so this is me saying it is time
to start week one we talked about the
importance of prayer prayer is a safe
place to start it’s the place you go
when you don’t know how to start when
you don’t know which way to go and you
don’t know what advice to take what deal
to make place is the place we go prayer
is the place we go to bring all of
ourselves to God and allow him to speak
to us we talked about prayer last week
we talked about practice come on has
anybody been practicing this week
anybody been practicing something great
three of y’all applied the sermon all
right well
see you guys I’ll be here never again no
um
we talked about prayer we talked about
practice and I’m excited today
um this is honestly my favorite one for
sure for sure and I didn’t know it was
my favorite until I started um working
on it this week but I believe it’s going
to impact you powerfully today I’m going
to read a portion of scripture as we
always do and then
um we will jump right into the word
today this is what the Bible says in
James chapter 1
uh verse number 17 James chapter 1 verse
number 17. every good gift
and every perfect gift
is from above
every good gift and every perfect gift
is from above
coming down from the Father of Lights
with whom there is no variation
or Shadow due to change
every good gift and every perfect gift
is from above coming down from the
Father of Lights with whom there is no
variation or Shadow due to change I’m
actually going to stop right there I’m
going to pray for us we’re going to jump
in to the sermon Holy Spirit I thank you
that in these next few moments that you
would be the voice that speaks Lord that
through a broken human vessel that you
would supersede anything in me Lord to
speak to your children I get out of the
way so that you can do whatever you want
to do it’s in the beautiful name of
Jesus we pray and everybody said
um I have a question for you like I do
every single week uh are you good at
giving gifts who is a good Gift Giver in
the room like raise your hand don’t lie
some of y’all spouses looked at you like
you was crazy come on some husband was
like yeah I’ll give good gifts and your
wife just looking at you like really
like
some of us are uh good gift givers some
of us are better than others and um now
when we got when I got married to early
uh married to early married to Abby
early on I would have said I was
significantly like just honestly
significantly more the better Gift Giver
I’m just not I’m not gonna lie I’m not
going to brag but my gifts were popping
and um but as we have grown in our
marriage she has just like flipped a
switch the last like two three years and
just like she started doing stuff that
she’s like you can’t do nothing back to
it’s like oh you were thinking about
doing that oh well I bought you that and
this and you’re going to Paris for a
week also if you want to know like she
just started doing ridiculous stuff now
I’m back peddling trying to keep up I’m
like okay what can I do that she hasn’t
done yet I don’t know maybe I can and
it’s honestly created a little anxiety
it’s a big prayer point for me so just
pray Hallelujah if you got any good gift
ideas just to DM me on Instagram anyways
um but uh I want to know I started
thinking this week what makes a great
gift like what makes a really good gift
and I actually want to ask three random
people you’re about this is your time of
Sean I’m going to bring you up on stage
so I need three people who want to
answer a couple questions for me up on
stage just raise your hand if you open
ain’t nobody want okay you right there I
saw you right come on you right you got
your hand raised right there yeah yes
you you raised you why people raise
their hand and look around like you mean
me yes anybody you right here come up on
stage I need one more person from over
here one more let me see where’s
somebody here I see you standing up okay
maybe your friends are pointing at you
boom right here come on up come on up
come on give it up far come on you got
to go quicker than that you kind of
walking around you got come on hustle
baby hustle hustle hustle all right um
we’re gonna do a little interview here
again it’s not in front of a lot of
people but there are probably 20 000
people watching this I hope you don’t
have a bad answer
um I’m just kidding you there’s no bad
answer to this all right come up front
here come here stand right here please
um first you got to tell me how are you
are you well I love your shirt does it
say nana are you a Nana
fixing to be a Nana in two weeks come on
by the grace of God okay here’s what
we’re gonna do
um I’m gonna ask you all some questions
they are theological and hermeneutical
questions so I hope I’m joking I made
that up that’s not true
um I’m gonna ask you what is the best
gift you’ve ever gotten
and why that now listen I know we’re in
church so you probably taught Jesus or
salvation or the Holy Spirit those are
all great answers but I want to just
like you know kind of Flesh answer like
just the one that’s like just like what
was this is just best and whoever has
their answer first can go first so I’ll
let y’all she got okay go ahead tell us
your name where you’re from and your uh
what’s the best gift you’ve ever got my
name is Jay Renee Williams I live in
Broken Arrow
shout out the Broken Arrow and the best
gift I got was for my 25th anniversary
my husband gave me a crystal slipper I
was you Cinderella
I’m now babe I don’t know if I can get
you a crystal slipper this year but 25
years I will get you a crystal well for
the 25th anniversary it’s supposed to be
silver and I was talking to my best
friend and told her I don’t want silver
I want something Crystal and he just
heard it and did it
at all now give it up for this man
we’ve been married for 25 a
clipper
a little she said it was a little
Crystal slipper it was a little
Christmas
Brave to say and forever for and Forever
After forever
ever again your name favorite gift and
wife hmm
I just got my best gift my name is
Curtis Hopkins and I just got tickets to
transformation
[Applause]
that is amazing
[Applause]
wow okay okay that’s very good that is
very good
you’re technically supposed to be
watching online but it’s We’re not gonna
talk about the details of it man we’re
not going to talk about
it man you just moved here from South
Carolina
third week come on give it up for Curtis
this is a transformation Nation
wow that is amazing are you expect me to
follow something like that I don’t your
nana I don’t know I just thought you had
like okay so my best gift my name is
Rebecca armor trout my best gift was
several years ago my daughter was 12
years old and I was saving to get to a
trip for
long story but anyways I’ll sum it up
you’re good so she comes to me and she
says she had gotten her Christmas
presents and she said Mom I’m giving you
my money for your trip
can you give it up for our uh
contestants here on this made up game
thank you very much thank you very much
[Applause]
um
that was amazing wow that went way
better than I thought it was gonna go in
my head
um
so we had three different gifts that
were given and they all had elements of
I think three essential things that it
takes to make a good gift the first
thing for some of us when we think about
a good gift is a good gift um is one uh
the first factor is price sometimes you
know you get a good gift and it’s just
expensive I don’t know how much Crystal
slippers are running these days but I
bet you they’re not cheap
there’s a price then um there’s the
planning like just the process of like
you got to plan it out he overheard a
conversation that is you don’t know how
hard that is as a husband like that guy
is here it’s heard from God probably for
his whole life um
there’s the price there’s the planning
and then there’s things um it’s personal
so it’s not just random there’s a price
there’s planning and it’s personal these
are three things that I want to use as a
framework to divide to Define good gifts
that are given in our life things that
are of high price things that take
intentional planning and things that are
not just for everybody but it’s personal
to us
what what makes a good gift you know in
scripture there are the word gift is all
throughout scripture it’s mentioned many
different times but
um today we’re going to nerd out a
little bit I’m going to talk to you
about some Hebrew words for gifts so you
can just uh this is not because I know
Hebrew I looked it up I got a friend who
knows Hebrew and so I was like hey man
make sure I’m saying he’s right blah
blah blah so um there are two words for
gift the more primary one and let me
look at it so I don’t butcher the uh
pronunciation of it or my friend will
make fun of me um the first one um is
Minka everybody say Minka
there you go yeah you nailed it I could
be saying that wrong and all you just
said it wrong and just blame it on me
but
um this word is used all throughout
scripture and it just simply means a
present a gift or um or specifically it
is a a gift to Jehovah that’s what this
word means in here is all laced all
throughout the Old Testament even
mentioned sometimes in the version of
Greek in the New Testament and this word
all it means is a gift to Jehovah and we
see this all throughout scripture that
there is a part of following Jesus that
is the gifts that we offer to God the
gifts that we offered to him the first
time that this word is mentioned in
scripture is two chapters into the Bible
I think maybe three chapters in in
Genesis where Cain and Abel come to give
an offering to God if you don’t know the
story there’s two brothers and one
brings the Bible says an offering in
faith and one brings just after some
time had passed God acknowledges one
gift and doesn’t but this is a gift
given to Jehovah all throughout
scripture it mentions the different
types of these gifts we know that we
give offerings as a gift to God we give
our tithes as a gift to God Romans 12
tells us to present our bodies as a
Living Sacrifice to God and Jeremiah
talks about our worship is a gift we
give to God and this is a great gift and
these are important gifts that we should
give to God that our life should be a
gift that we give back to him out of
understanding the gifts that he’s given
to us but I want to for today
um make a very clear delineation that
the story
of the Bible
has nothing to do with the gifts we have
given to God
I know sometimes we get focused on that
we should be giving gifts to God we got
to make sure that we’re doing the right
things that we’re giving our tithe that
we’re giving our worship and absolutely
you should do our things but there is a
primary narrative in scripture and it is
not um the Hebrew word Minka that is
about what we have given to God there’s
another word that the definition of this
and it’s Matana this word is mentioned a
lot fewer times but is not a gift to
Jehovah it is a gift from Jehovah
these gifts significantly outweigh any
gift we could give to God
then it’s mentioned a couple of times
but I want to talk to you today about
God’s greatest gift
what is God’s greatest gift in your life
now if we all went around the room and
tried to answer that question we would
all possibly have different answers man
some of us would thank him for things
that have happened that we never thought
we would happen we would thank him for
experiences that I’ve had maybe it was a
blessing that happened in your life
maybe it was a miraculous healing but I
want to ask today what is God’s greatest
gift
the first time that Matana is used in
scripture is numbers 8 verse 19. look at
what the word says and I have given you
the Levites as a gift or a maternal to
Aaron and his sons from among the people
of Israel
the first gift not to Jehovah but of
Jehovah is this mentioned right here for
I have given you the Levites if you
don’t know the Levites were a group of
people
I want to walk you through scripture
today and allow you to see what is God’s
greatest gift
in Genesis 2 God says it’s not good for
man to be alone
and he gives the gift of Eve
in Genesis 21 God promised uh Abraham a
child and he answers that prayer for him
to have a child in the gift of Isaac in
Genesis 25 Isaac and his wife are trying
to have a child and God gives him the
gift of Jacob in Genesis 30 Jacob and
Rachel are trying to have a baby and God
gives the Matana or the gift of Joseph
in judges 13. Manoa is trying to have a
baby and she’s Barren but God gives the
gift of Samson and in Samuel Hannah is
trying to have a baby
and God gives the gift of
Samuel
um I want to work from this uh idea and
principle today
that the greatest gift
that God has ever given
outside of the gift of Jesus
are the people in your life
God’s greatest gift
laced throughout scripture
are people
if you look at scripture God always
answers prayers
with people
this is how he’s always done it when
Abraham and Isaac start to pray he
answered their prayer with a person
when Isaac and his wife started he
answered his prayer with a person when
Hannah goes to the uh goes to the priest
Eli and says I I’m trying to have a baby
God always answers prayers with people
and my question today is do you see the
people in your life as the greatest gift
God has ever given you
now I know when we start digging into
the Nuance of this question it’s like
well what do you mean the greatest gift
God has ever get what if the people that
you love the most and the people who get
on your nerves
because it’s not just a certain type of
people because some of y’all were like
absolutely the people that I like in my
life that are good that are kind that
ain’t wild those are the no no no I’m
talking about all people
all people
for God so loved the
oh not some not the ones you like not
the people that voted like you not the
people that like your Instagram so you
like them back follow for follow not
those people
you never follow for follow come on I’ll
follow you you follow me back people do
that all the time hey man you follow me
on Instagram no I’m not gonna follow you
on Instagram watch I follow you on
Instagram I don’t know anyways uh
but do you see
the people in your life as the greatest
gift God has ever given you
now if we were to be honest um some of
us don’t like the idea of admitting
something that God created which is the
very fact that everyone in this room
needs people
to reach your purpose to launch in
Victory you need like need need need
you desperately need people we talked
about prayer you need prayer we talked
about practice you need practice but one
thing that is vital if you are going to
start anything if you’re going to do
things is you need people
now I know the reason is so uh awkwardly
quiet you’re looking it’s like well I
don’t technically need like I don’t need
people you know I’m saying like that’s
nice but sometimes I have people around
but I don’t need anybody because we have
bought in to the American culture of
self-made
oh I’m self-made
you know ain’t nobody there for me I did
this by myself
we’ve bought into this idea that is
actually not a Biblical concept let me
say this cuss word for you Independence
you know independent Independence isn’t
the goal of your relationship with Jesus
you know God didn’t create you to be
independent
I love being up here and messing with
people’s Theology and then your mind
like starts like about to explode let me
tell you the first not good in the Bible
it is not good for man to be
so then why you fight your whole life to
be alone
why your whole life I don’t need nobody
it’s fine forget them I don’t need them
I’ll never need nobody again and I’ll
decide right now I’ll get wherever I
want to get by myself
I’m self-made
really so you was there when your mommy
and daddy was doing the uh
you was there when you self
you ain’t self-made literally you ain’t
self-made
why would God make it
to where you would have to need people
you didn’t teach yourself to walk well I
technically did my mama said I got him
nobody helped okay
you didn’t teach yourself to talk
you and we have this like we have bought
into the idea that once I get grown I’m
not gonna need nobody
I don’t need nobody I don’t need no help
I don’t need and that is not the way God
set it up
in the garden
he looks at all of his creation ooh the
son yeah good oh the star is good oh
yeah the animal is good oh separating
the waters oh good oh this is all good
wait wait wait wait wait wait there is a
big problem here
it is not
this is not good
he’s gotten a a one chapter and one
verse into the Bible
and God stops creating
and looks and says there is one thing
that I have to make sure they know is
not good
it is not good for man to be alone
the reason I’m bringing this up today is
because many of us have tried to
supersede the gift of people and still
reach purpose
your purpose when you start to write it
down it doesn’t include people it skips
over the people that didn’t believe in
you it skips over the people that you
don’t like it skips over the people that
aren’t like you it skips over the people
they didn’t believe me fine I don’t need
nobody okay I feel you and that may be
tough that they didn’t believe in you
but it’s not actually if you listen to
that voice you will live your whole life
and you will reach your purpose by
yourself
some of the most lonely people in the
world people with millions of dollars
Successful by themselves
what good is all the money with nobody
to give it to
what good is all of the praise with
nobody to share you know some of the
most Lonely People Are People that stand
on stages and people scream and cheer
for and they go behind stage and have no
single person to acknowledge it with
so why are we working so hard
to not need people
why are we working so hard to say and
here’s the truth I get it
because people are um God’s greatest
gift
but the truth is they are also the
source of many of our greatest griefs
the God’s greatest gift
and they’re our greatest grief people
how do you hold the tension
of what God created of what God formed
and say this is the greatest gift I’ve
put in your life
but it’s also going to be the place
where you experience the most grief
and sometimes we ain’t honest with the
grief that we’ve experienced
there’s a a writer a theologian he wrote
he said America has no idea how to
grieve
grief we think when you think of grief
you just think of someone passing away
that’s not what grief is
everybody in this room right now
regardless of someone has passed away in
your life recently or not everyone in
this room is grieving something
this is gonna be a little bit of a
therapy therapy session today everybody
in this room
you’re grieving what you’re grieving a
misplaced expectation
grief is I thought they were going to
live longer
so I didn’t say you I love you as much
but now they’re gone
and the gap between what I thought was
going to happen and what actually
happened is grief
some of us are grieving the college we
thought we were going to go to
the marriage we thought we were going to
have
the friendships we thought would still
be here by now I thought that person if
anybody else leaves me they’re gonna
stay with me and we’re going together
and now you’re here alone
we’re grieving that I thought my
business was going to work out better or
I thought we would have more money by
now or I thought I would have moved here
and God would have acknowledge that I
was faithful and I moved so I did it God
and what everybody in this room is
grieving something and if we’re honest
many of us the greatest source of your
grief is people
people that took advantage of you
people that hurt you
people that genuinely didn’t believe in
you maybe when they should have people
who didn’t acknowledge how powerful
their words were
they say get out of here you’re always
in the way
and you held on to that word you’re
always in the way
and now you’re 35 and married
and you won’t Express what you really
need
to the person that is the most
significant part
of the relationship you’re in in your
marriage and you won’t why because you
held on to the grief of another person
and now you’re projecting that into that
really I’m always in the way so I can’t
really ask for what I really need
but then there’s
um another side of people they are grief
but they’re also the greatest good
I thought of this um that some of us
would like to imagine because of the
pain because of the real things that
have happened in our life what would if
we didn’t have people in our life we
wouldn’t have as much pain
like if I just didn’t have all like if I
wouldn’t have gone through that hard
relationship if I wouldn’t have gone
through the divorce if they wouldn’t
have cheated on me if they went all of
these things and we think if it just
with these certain people weren’t in my
life then I wouldn’t have as much grief
the only problem is
a world without people
is a World Without Pain that’s true but
it’s also a world without purpose
because the whole reason
you have a purpose the whole reason God
created you is to serve people
I started thinking this week what would
it be like
in some of us and I’m naturally I get up
here and do this and run and shout and
scream but I’m naturally introverted so
I recharge by being alone by some good
jazz and just staring out a window like
that’s just how I get recharged and I
thought about what would it be like if
it was just like you would just buy
yourself on the planet just you
it wouldn’t be as painful
you wouldn’t have the pain of a breakup
you wouldn’t experience the grief of
losing somebody
you wouldn’t go through the frustration
of that hard conversation and how they
broke your heart or how they broke trust
with you but you know what else you
wouldn’t have
you would never laugh
you wouldn’t have nobody to laugh with
or act
because some of y’all are the act like
we left with you but some people sorry
but uh
you don’t have the pain of the breakup
but you also don’t share the intimacy
and the love of a marriage that is 25
years long when your spouse gets you a
silver I mean a crystal slipper
I mean very clear she don’t like silver
she wants Crystal
but you can’t here’s the idea you can’t
get one without the other
and I want to allow us and possibly give
us permission today to hold both truths
that some of the greatest memories you
will ever have in your life are from
people and some of the most painful
experiences you will ever have in your
life are from people
in that tension do you see them as a
gift
do you see the pain you have experienced
from people as a gift from God
Joseph in scripture he has Brothers he
God gives him a dream he goes to these
brothers and he tells them his dream the
brothers because they’re of their
immaturity they get jealous of his dream
and possibly because a little bit of
Joseph’s Pride because he walked around
saying yeah I had a dream y’all was
bowing to me I had a dream come on we’d
all throw our little brother in the pit
if he came up talking about what we was
doing
um
but he comes up to him and the people
that are supposed to be the safe place
for his purpose
they’re supposed to be the people that
you can tell hey God spoke to me God
gave me a vision and I’m about to start
following that he comes to those people
and they throw him in a pit
they sell him to slavery
years later he’s standing in front of
them as number two in command over all
of Egypt and there’s these famous words
that happen that are beautiful in
scripture and also sometimes we have
used out of context even in songs that
we all love this is the scripture he
says he says um you meant it for evil
and what some of y’all just finish it in
your head but God turned it for good
I hear you you shook your head but
that’s not what the scripture says
you look it up you meant it for evil
and God meant it for good
this is where you start getting into
people’s belief on what God does or
doesn’t do it I’m not about to argue all
that but what I do know is those are the
exact same words that speak to someone’s
intention behind what they’re doing what
it says is even though you would never
have wished this grief or nor I would
have wished this grief on me God had an
intention behind this grief
oh man I’m just I’m trying to help us
because we only praise God when life is
good we only praise God when we get a
blessing we only place God when we get a
check in the mail but you never praise
God for the hard situations in your life
so that leaves two-thirds of your life
left out not praising God
this is why you don’t have joy because
you only praise God when good things
happen and you think that’s only the
time you praise God he’s only worthy
when I get a check in the mail he’s only
worthy when what I wanted and what I
prayed are all the exact same thing he’s
only wanted when he answers to I only
worship him when he answers the prayer
how I prayed it
so this is why you go throughout your
life
and your Journal has gaps in it
let me be very more clear your church
attendance has gaps in it
reading your Bible has gaps in it
prayers have gaps in it why because you
only praise God you only talk to him
when he gives you what you want oh that
sounds familiar I have three of them
they’re little kids
well you gotta I want a cake right now
well baby it’s 6 A.M
and as much as I would love to give you
a cake I don’t even have a cake and if I
had a cake I wouldn’t let you eat it
right now and all of a sudden the
three-year-old is grieving what
what I thought I was going to have and I
was going to have this cake and now I’m
not gonna have this cake and now I’m mad
and I you gotta give me what I want
is that how you praise God we say stomp
your feet you stomping your feet
I’m trying to help you find the strength
to praise God in us here’s what I’m
trying to help you do Paul says it in
Scripture
he literally is talking it’s the
scripture we use to try to win
basketball games when our team isn’t
good I can do all things through Christ
who strengthens me
now your team isn’t good you’re not
gonna win and it’s not God’s fault
you’re just not good at that don’t blame
that on God
I can do all things man I’m about to no
you’re not actually because you’re not
good at that thing
but before that he says I have learned
how to be content
I’ve learned how to praise God when I
had everything I wanted
and descriptions go I got everything I
wanted so I can do all no he says I’ve
learned how to praise God when
everything went the right way but I’ve
also learned that when I’m Shipwrecked
on an island by myself God is still
worthy I have a question is God still
worthy when you’re experiencing grief is
God still Worthy
because honestly the modern church does
not know how to worship a god when bad
things happen
see I knew God didn’t have a plan for my
life
I knew my prayers didn’t work I knew he
didn’t hear that see that’s why I don’t
pray because they never work how you
know they didn’t work
here’s the tension you prayed what you
wanted to happen
you prayed God if it works out this way
but what you did is you prayed your will
so don’t speak too soon talk about your
prayers haven’t worked
oh man some of y’all’s prayers have
worked a long time ago you’re just
grieving the answer to your prayer
the breakup was an answer to prayer you
didn’t pray it that way you didn’t mean
it that way but oh my goodness trust me
sweetheart God saved you when he
answered that prayer
[Applause]
walk around defeated discouraged my
prayers don’t work God don’t hear me
that’s why I don’t go to church no more
you
you are now
taking
your limited experience you’ve been on
Earth however long
and now you saying I think I figured out
how God
works
I think I got it and if I pray this way
he’s going to do this
and then he doesn’t do that
it’s like oh well God does it he didn’t
hear he must have not
what if
your prayers are currently working you
just don’t see it
what if
what if the grief
what it I’m just asking I’m not gonna
say it is because you might come up here
and try to fight me because I don’t know
what happened in your life but
what if
the place that you’re holding
as pain
as you’ve just you know those parts of
your heart that is like the the closet
like it’s in our front entryway like
when you walk in our entryway it’s like
this is a nice house what’s in it don’t
open that door
just don’t
you go in that door you may not come out
brother I don’t know what’s
we all have those doors emotionally
things that you’ve just put in the
bucket of that’s bad
I don’t want to remember that that’s not
good God didn’t answer that prayer God
didn’t do that
and I understand the human response to
that but what if behind that door
is the only thing
that can allow you to be formed
to be more like Christ
because here’s the thing the good in
people
is God
but the grief we experience from people
is the very thing that proves if you got
God or not
my brother just got it he literally I
said that he said he turned with it
the only way
you can walk in forgiveness
is if
you got somebody that you holding
unforgiveness against
[Music]
the only way
we know if you have peace that surpasses
understanding is if your job ain’t
peaceful
[Music]
the only way you know that his strength
is made perfect in your weakness
you gotta have weakness
[Applause]
and to be honest with you the reason I’m
skipping up here
is because
many of our faiths
are extremely
immature
and we have not learned how to hold the
tension of good that was God
and the grief
we haven’t learned to
and it’s the biggest discouragement to
our purpose
the people in our life well if they
wouldn’t have done that to me I would
have had a better start if they were
absolutely and this is not a sermon that
oh this is this and I’m not talking
there are things that have happened that
I cannot explain that I would never wish
on anybody that are so I can’t even
begin to touch the Nuance of all of
those things but what I am saying today
is could
that grief
disguised in the form
of your aunt
be the very thing
that makes you go to God and say God
if you don’t do something in my heart
Auntie so-and-so
is about
to catch
these
hands
it’s the only way
it’s the only way he can form you to be
more like him is the grief it’s the pain
it’s the disappointment and I’m coming
to tell you today that many times that
pain that grief
it’s in the form of people
and can you acknowledge
that one of the greatest gifts God has
ever given you
are the people in your life
the first time that that word a gift of
Jehovah is used is God
giving the gift of a group of people the
Levites to Aaron
it’s the first time the context every
time there’s something first that
happens in the Bible it’s a very big
deal if you want to get into studying
your Bible the first that anything
happens it’s a very very big deal
significantly because of the promises of
God because the way of scripture works
is a very big deal the first time
God says I want to show you how I define
this word gift
when I give gifts it’s in the form
people
now I read the scripture um
in the beginning it’s James it says this
uh every good gift
and every perfect gift is from
above
you see when God
wanted to answer
the prayers
of thousands of years
when God wanted to answer the prayers
of the Israelites that struggled in the
desert for 400 years when God wanted to
answer the prayers of the prophets that
cried out and prophesied when God wanted
to answer the prayers of humanity you
know what he sent
a person
the greatest gift truly you’ve ever
received
is the only good and perfect gift
this scripture James it’s talking about
Jesus
every good and perfect well there’s only
there’s only one perfect gift
and it says this coming down from the
father of Life who came down from heaven
to is Jesus
God sets the picture of how he answers
the cries of his people by making Jesus
a person
and then later on in scripture in John 4
we see this Jesus is standing in front
of a Samaritan woman and he says this to
her if you knew
the gift of God that was standing before
you
what does he say he says you don’t have
the ability to recognize when God has
given you a gift
and right now it’s me
but when I’m gone
because all humans are made in the image
of God according to Genesis 1 27 every
time a human is born it is God re-giving
the greatest gift a person
do you see
that person that caused you pain
as possibly
I know that’s
I know that’s tough
I know I’m not up here just talking
about something that I’m not really
walking through right this sermon came
out of me being like God well they did
this and they did blah blah blah blah
and God said Charles if you don’t see
them as a gift
this guy said to me if you don’t see
them as a gift you won’t be the pastor
they need
real people this ain’t like ethereal
like yeah it was somebody on Instagram
in the comments saying it wasn’t like
it’s somebody in my life like and God
said you have to stop focusing on the
grief and you have to realize if you
would let me this is the greatest gift
I’ve ever given you because it would
allow you to become more like me
what if
the grief in your life
is God trying to give you something that
pushes you to become more like him
you wanna know how you get patience
God just make me patient okay
you know how you answer prayers in the
form of people that person that be
sitting at your work hey man oh you
gotta they just get on my last okay
you want to know how to trust God
regardless of what he gives you
regardless of what you have or don’t
have ask job
many of us in fact not many of us jobs
help mate
his wife
when God took everything
this is in scripture he says she says
why don’t you just Curse God and die
because that’s the human response
I worship God
because I have all this money because I
have all these things but if all of that
gets taken
there’s no reason to worship Him
what about the fact that you not
thinking about your heartbeat right now
I’m self-made you don’t lungs breathe in
out in out in out in out that
this is the little stuff that get me
hung up balling crying in worship is
that I’m not I didn’t step up out like
there are things that are happening
neurologically and physiologically in my
body that are being held by the string
and the Strand and the orchestra of God
and many of us
have not learned
but I’m praying by the power of the holy
spirit that we would learn
to hold the tension
of the good people in our life
and the people that have caused grief
and the only way you are able to stand
in the middle of that is if you
understand that they are a gift from God
now here’s um how I close
the only way
you struggle to see other people as a
gift
is if you’re not able to fully live out
Matthew 22.
what does Matthew 22 say I’m glad you
asked I have a Bible right here
Matthew 22
greatest commandment you must love the
Lord your God with all your heart
all your soul and all of your mind
this is the greatest commandment and the
second is equally important
love your neighbor
that’s where we end the scripture love
your neighbor
love God by your heart’s all mine and
love your neighbor as a lot of Church’s
Vision love God love people that’s you
love God you love your name that’s not
what
love your neighbor
as
yourself
so that means your uh framework
of it’s God then it’s others isn’t
biblical
this is why God put me on the planet
literally to challenge paradigms that he
didn’t put in the Earth
because you’re looking at me crazy
you must love the Lord your God with all
your hearts all in mind this is the
first and greatest commandment the
second is equal to love your neighbor as
your self
but we put loving yourself in the
category of pride
you judge people on Instagram when they
post a selfie they prideful
maybe some of them just love themselves
you know why that’s so awkward because
if we’re honest
many of you couldn’t look in the mirror
and say I love you
and not be talking about anybody else
God’s biblical view of how he set it up
is love me I am first I am Primary in me
you live breathe and have your being and
love your neighbor as much as you love
yourself and the truth is some of us
that’s what we’re doing
it makes sense why all your
relationships are broken
makes sense why you don’t have Grace for
people make sense why you don’t let
people mistaken come back from those
mistakes it makes sense why you’re not
able to look at people and say yeah they
deserve that because it makes sense
because you’re only loving them as much
as you love yourself
[Applause]
and the invitation of Jesus is we going
to talk about loving other people
with that’s the whole reason for the Son
of God did not come to be served but to
be a servant of all your purpose is
wrapped up in people absolutely but
according to the greatest commandment
look at what the Bible says it says the
entire law and all the demands of the
prophets are based in these two
Commandments
the whole Old Testament he said I could
sum all of that up
love the Lord your God with all your
heart soul mind and love your neighbor
as
yourself
do you love you
not ethereal
let’s talk just sit in that do you love
yourself
do you wake up in the morning
saying to yourself I’m so proud of you
that’s not
that’s not a lot of our self-talk
is dang it you shouldn’t have done that
they know you’re not you’re not as good
you’re not as good as them you’ll never
be
the thing you step outside your house
trying to live out the greatest
commandment
God love God I love God and I love God I
love other people so you’re trying to be
kind of keep people you’re trying to be
patient you’re trying to be loving
you’re trying to have faith you’re
trying to do all these things
but the reservoir that you’re pulling
from
is barren
There’s No Love in there for you how in
the world you’re gonna get something for
somebody else
you wanna know why it’s so hard to love
your kids
because you have not come to terms with
the mistakes you made in high school
so you can’t love yourself no more
you haven’t come to terms with how you
thought your life was going to go
so you’re sitting in this empty Barren
Wasteland
scratching up saying if I could just get
enough love for people
if I could just gather up more things if
I could just love I gotta be more like
God I gotta love people I gotta love
people man
and God is saying yes
but I want to give
the gift I sent was
for you God so loved the way that he
gave his only it’s for you to know that
you are loved
and this whole sermon
hinges
on you understanding
that their is only one way
you view
people
as the greatest gift in your life
and that is for you
to fully embrace the truth
that you
are God’s greatest gift to humanity
it’s you
after the person of Jesus
completely perfect completely holy the
only person that could save us
from our broken
state
you
are the answer to people’s prayers
it’s you
you’re made in the very image of God
you’re the only thing with his DNA on it
it’s you
and some of us Rush past
so quickly we rush past loving ourselves
so fast
and then we just try to live out of this
will of like why does God love people
I’m just gonna be kind I’m just gonna
yeah yeah all of that will come love
your neighbor
as you love yourself
this week
some of the most powerful words you
could say in the mirror not referring to
anybody else
because I love you
I’m proud of you
yes you wouldn’t be here without God yet
it’s only because of the grace of God
but I have to rest
here’s the language my friend uh Pastor
Brie she says you got to learn how to
Delight in yourself
this is one of the most awkward the most
awkward conversations ever at my house
Brian uh errands from our best friends
in the world they come to the house we
just stay up talking about random stuff
Brie always got a list of these deep
like psychological questions people like
what you’ve been doing Bree and she was
like do you love like your inner child
do you feel at peace with who you’ve
become over there I’m like dang Bree let
me get some food man I’m tired like
this is real
one time she was like why don’t we go
around the table
I’m like what we’re about to make fun of
each other got jokes I don’t know like
why don’t we just take a moment to just
Delight in ourselves
that’s weird
I don’t want to do that
but slowly
there are moments where I’ve learned
literally this these happen all the time
because the biggest area of God has
grown me is being able to have patience
with these little babies that I love so
much that for some reason we decided to
have
um
the moments very rarely
where I’m able to be patient like all
the way through I start off very patient
like I don’t give myself a credit I
start off like come here Daddy loves you
so much and then after being down here
for like 30 minutes I’m like if you do
not get away from your sister I promise
that I will pray for you so hard
I’ve had to learn
how to walk away
and said that was a good job Charles
proud of you
and I just want to ask how much does
that affect the people in your life
how much is the fact that you don’t feel
proud of yourself
you’re not proud that you made the right
decision you’re not PR you’re not you
haven’t given yourself like you know
what you almost made that horrible
decision and by the grace of God you
didn’t good job
this is so y’all are like this is so
weird okay
what is the Bible
so you don’t have to argue with my words
just go take it up with the best-selling
book of all time
take it up with the Holy Spirit take it
up with someone who inspired who spoke
the Stars into existence you don’t got
problems great after you figure out how
Mars and all the planets are hanging up
in the sky take it up with God
on why he said
stop trying to love other people more
than you love yourself
you want to know why Jesus didn’t do any
miracles
until
he got settled in himself
you miss it it’s the baptism of Jesus
he walks in he gets the affirm he lived
before he does anything
he has to get settled in the affirmation
of his father
because he knew I can’t go out here
doing all these Miracles not knowing
where my love comes from
because if I do I will start to attach
to the love of the people I created and
I will live and die by their compliments
I will live and die by the good and bad
that happens to me I will live and die
by what they say by me I am settled in
the fact that my father said this is my
son this is my daughter this is my child
this is the one in whom I am well
pleased
and if he’s proud of you
I just say don’t argue with it
why you spend so much time arguing well
God you know the bad things I did and
God you know and God should okay okay
okay but he said
I’m proud of you
I love you you are made in my image
I’m just asking you I’m inviting you
two
acknowledge the fact
that there are people praying prayers
all over the years
and could it be that God placed an
answer in the form of you
some of you there praise your
grandparents prayed
and you were the answer to that prayer
some of you there are prayers that
pastors are praying right now and you’re
the answer to that prayer there are
people
addicted
hurting broken praying God if you could
please just
ain’t nobody sent
you
and the only way you’re able to step
into
loving God and loving people
is to hold the truth that you
with all your problems
with all the mistakes
are God’s greatest gift
to humanity
Holy Spirit
thank you
thank you
there are um
I’m going to close out but I’m just I’m
sensing that there are some of you that
the Holy Spirit he just really
he really wants to settle in your soul
that you are that you um that you are
loved and you have something to be proud
of
some of you feel like there’s nothing in
your life to be proud of you’ve made too
many mistakes you’ve done too many bad
things you’ve done you’ve just you’ve
messed it up or maybe you you maybe not
even um some of us aren’t focused on all
the bad things it’s just we move so
quickly through life
that the natural tendency is just to
skip over the good because you’re trying
to fix all the bad
skip over skip over the good skip over
just get to the bad that’s not the way
Jesus did it or God did it in creation
he acknowledged all the good
he saw the first day
and said it was good
he saw the second day and said it was
good the third the fourth the fifth then
he gets and says you know what this
isn’t good
the Rhythm the pace the invitation of
Jesus is to follow in his example to be
a Christian means to be a little Christ
well in the beginning he set out the
picture it’s good
it’s good
could it be that there’s something that
you could acknowledge not in your own
human will
but by the Holy Spirit partnering with
you
wow God
thank you for using me
God man we’re still here look at I can’t
believe we get to do this
man that that there are some things that
maybe I wish would a little diff went
different but God we’re here
I want to invite you today
to understand that you are loved
so much
and that from that love
God could use the good in people
and the grief
to form you to continue to show the love
of God
look God we’re so grateful for your love
we’re grateful for your mercy your
mercies that are new every morning
and God I pray right now that your holy
spirit will just Comfort people reassure
people affirm people bring Clarity to
people who have been confused bring
Vision to people who have been blind
Lord I Thank you that you would do
something that only you can do
every head so bad every eye still closed
there’s somebody in this room and
watching online that I want to give you
the invitation to accept Jesus as your
lord and savior it’s the best decision
you could ever make he is the greatest
gift of all there are thousands of
Prophecies of this one gift and he
showed up in the person of Jesus he’s
not an idea he’s not a concept he’s not
something high up in the sky he is a
person that the Bible says is near to
the Brokenhearted if you’d like to
accept Jesus as your lord and savior I’m
going to count to three if you’re in the
room I’m gonna ask you to raise your
hand if you’re watching online I ask you
to raise your hand as well why because
the Bible says in Romans when you
believe in your heart confess with your
mouth that Jesus is Lord you shall be
saved I believe in that acknowledgment
on the outside is solidifying what God
is doing on the inside
one God loves you so much two you want
to accept Jesus as your lord and savior
three lift your hand right now all over
the world in the room
listen as a church family we’re going to
pray a prayer right now
and it’s for the benefit and the
celebration of those who are coming to
Jesus this is a moment that heaven stops
everything and celebrates and we’re
going to pray together and then we’re
going to celebrate with everybody in the
room repeat after me say dear God
thank you for loving me
dear Jesus
I admit
I’ve made mistakes
save me change me transform me in Jesus
name I pray
amen
Transformation Church can we celebrate
people oh come on people just gave their
life to Jesus
the Bible says that literally Heaven
stops when one person accepts Jesus as
their lord and savior we’re so proud of
you we’re so grateful for you Hey listen
if you just gave your life to Christ
we’d love to know about it you text the
word save to the number that comes on
your screen our team would just love to
connect with you encourage you give you
some resources now that you’ve come to
know Jesus Hey listen uh we’ve got a lot
of amazing things coming up in our
church and we’re going to take some time
uh after I get off the stage uh we’ll
have something called TC post where
they’ll give you resources they’ll let
you know when important updates that are
coming and we’re so grateful that you’re
a part of everything that God is doing
here
um again we’re so excited to be opening
back up we’re excited for our conference
flood Sunday we’ve got seven days of
prayer and fasting coming up on
September 26th you do not want to miss
it and uh listen I heard from a little
birdie that September 26 uh you may be
able to show up in person before we open
up so if you want to pull up to prayer
is open friends so September 26th if you
want to get an early start to homecoming
weekend join us on September 26th all
throughout the week every single night
we’ll be gathered here together to be
able to pray and fast and to hear from
God on everything he’s going to do as we
launch a victory listen we love you so
much we’re so proud of you and more than
that God is proud of he loves you as a
plan and purpose for your life and like
we say every single week I need
everybody in the room to help me say it
go out and live a transformed life we’ll
see you guys
thank you so much for watching this
message we pray that it encouraged you
we also want to say thank you to our
faithful partners and givers here at
Transformation Church it’s because of
your generosity that this Vision has
been made possible if you’d like to
partner with us in giving you can text
give to
82-8282 or you can visit our website
also be sure to like subscribe and check
out our other sermons as well as our
live Sunday experience that begins at 10
45 a.m Central Standard Time now go out
and live a transformed life
[Music]