Welcome to Healing Scars with Pastor Burton. Here you'll find practical, relevant, biblical information.
The Bible will be broken down verse by verse so that you get the full context of the scripture to better grow in your relationship with Jesus.
Good morning church, welcome to Sanctuary. Welcome to everybody streaming us online as well.
It's great to have you with us. Last week, definitely, I touched on a bit of a hard subject for a lot of people.
It's actually a subject for a lot of people and that's okay because we need to, right?
We can't just skip out on the things because they're hard.
This week though, we're going to lighten it up a little bit more. It's not going to be as hard.
Christian life, it's already hard, isn't it? It's hard enough.
The way we respond to things as Christians, as believers, is definitely different from how other people, especially those in the world, respond.
There's a whirlwind of craziness around us.
You think about all the stuff that's going on, you have different areas that are up and up, people over the elections that are coming up,
and then you look at people who are, well, let's just say at this point they're suffering, where the hurricanes hit back east, not just one, but two, back to back, right?
I saw, I was seeing in the news, there's another storm out there that might be threatening the area as well.
The way certain people respond versus the way believers respond are totally different.
Instead of panicking or stressing about certain things, I'm not saying that we don't because there's definitely certain things that we feel some angst about, right?
A little anxiety, but we still don't respond in the same way because we have a connection with the Father.
We pray, and when we pray and we exercise that connection, we have this peace about us, right?
It's an unexplainable peace. It's a little touch of hope.
As Philippians 4, 7 says, that's the Philippians chapter 4, verse 7,
and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Well, what's that peace, right? Well, it's found in Jesus. It's found in our connection to Jesus.
It is that hope that comes with Jesus.
The way God sees peace, though, is very different from the world.
It's not this concept that's thrown out now of good vibes, good feelings, all that stuff where it's very much kind of goes inside crystals and all that.
It's just, oh, I'm going to send you vibes, really? How are you doing that?
Especially when you're hundreds of miles away.
It's not that mentality that says I'm not going to get pulled into a conflict or an argument.
Sometimes that hard talk needs to be had. That's just life.
The way God sees the world is very different.
It's that knowledge that comes from our trust in God.
The knowledge that we have, that connection with the way he sees things,
it's very much that knowledge that comes from knowing that he's working all things for the good of his kingdom and ultimately our good.
It's not the small picture that we're focused on right in front of us.
It's the big picture, right? It's the long run. It's the long game.
It's that piece that we forget about because as humans, we're so focused on the here and now, not the what's to come.
God, he knows what's best for us in the long run.
It's that future at the table with Christ that we should all be focused on.
We find that peace and we're able to reflect on that hope best when we're working in accordance with God's will.
Even Jesus said, your will be done, not mine.
We're very selfish creatures. We forget about that. It's not what we want.
It's what he wants.
You know, it's God, he says that peace into our hearts and our minds where we're working in accordance with what he wants for us.
When we pray and we ask, hey, what is it that you need me to do?
What is your will? When we're working in his will, we're praying in his will, you know, traffic jams, car troubles,
troubled relationships, dealing with difficult people or difficult situations in our lives and at work.
You know, even a simple phone call is my my lovely wife reminded me earlier this week when I was kind of like, haha, I was kind of dreading that call a little bit.
Right.
It's those things when we when we reflect, it's like, you know, Lord, Lord, be with me, guide me, guide my mind, guide my temperament, guide my words.
And things flow a lot better.
You know, just the other day, a good friend of mine who's dealing with end stage cancer made that decision to stop chemo and all of her various therapies and just go to comfort measures.
Now, for us as the friends and for her family, that's a hard decision.
We don't want to lose somebody that we care about.
However, for her, the Lord granted her peace.
To be as comfortable as possible in the time that she has left surrounded by her friends and her family.
Until he says it's time and calls her home.
And she has very much a piece of that.
That past that piece that surpasses all understanding, even for us, it's like, how can you be at peace with dying?
Because regardless of how prepared we think we are, none of us really wants to die.
Right.
If we were told, hey, you're dying tomorrow, would we be at peace with that?
No, not really.
Not without God.
You know that that piece is like no other. But where does it come from?
It's that precious gift that we receive in Jesus Christ.
Hope is what sets Christians apart from other people.
Hope defined by the Oxford dictionary is a feeling of expectation and a desire for a certain thing to happen.
A feeling of trust and the want for something to happen or be the case.
The Bible takes this a little further though.
Biblical hope is the expectation with certainty that God will deliver on his promises and do all the things he said he'll do.
In other words, biblical hope is confidence expectation.
And that is a difference.
It's confidence because outside of biblical hope, there's no confidence in there.
It's like, oh, I hope. I don't know.
But when it comes to Jesus, we know beyond the shadow of a doubt, we know.
That's why we're able to rely on biblical hope and we're able to rely on God and Christ and find that peace in times of hardship.
We're going to go into this a little bit deeper though.
Let's all open up our Bibles and our Bible apps.
Let's turn to 1 Peter chapter 3 verses 13 through 17.
So 1 Peter chapter 3 verses 13 through 17.
The word says, And he who will harm you, if you become followers of what is good.
But even if you should suffer the righteousness for righteousness sake, you are blessed and do not be afraid of their threats nor be troubled.
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asked you a reason for the hope that is in you.
With meekness and fear, having a good conscience that when they defame you as evil doers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be shamed.
For it is better if it is the will of God to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
So we're going to go through this little piece by piece.
It's going to bring me to my first point.
God has your back.
God has all of our back.
When we're looking here in verse 13, who can harm you if you're a follower of good, right?
We're saying if you're a follower of God.
Romans chapter 8 verses 31 through 33, the word puts it like this.
When then shall we say to these things, if God is for us, who can be against us?
Who did not spare his own son but delivered him up for us all?
How shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
Who shall bring a charge against God's elect?
It is God who justifies.
Now God, he made the sacrifice in Christ for us.
He put it all on the line for us.
He separated a piece of himself for us.
He went through pain, torture, humiliation for us.
So who can stand up to the creator, the maker of all things,
who's willing to allow his own blood to flow to cover us and to cover our sins?
Nobody.
Nobody has the power to do that.
Nobody has the power to take the king off from high.
There is no one higher.
There is no one stronger.
So when it comes to knowing who has our back and who has our best interest,
who's going to go to bat for us when we need it the most?
I know that my father Brooks might have friends in low places,
but I've got a father in the highest.
Plain and simple.
I know who has me.
And no matter what comes, at the end of it all, I know it's going to be okay.
Regardless of what pain and what suffering is to come, I know it's going to be okay.
I know that that ransom was made, that ransom was paid,
so that we, you and I, and everybody else out there who chooses to accept that gift,
can be reconnected with God.
To have that peace, to have that hope,
to have that relationship through Jesus.
It's not enough just to know.
We have to have a relationship.
And it doesn't get any better than that.
That's the best relationship right there.
A relationship with the Almighty.
Who can top that?
There is no trump card for that.
Not one.
You know, it comes down to, what's that?
The president's calling?
Tell him to pound sand.
I've got more important things to do.
I've got an appointment with the highest.
There's nobody that's going to come before that.
I don't care what party they're in.
He's coming first.
That chance to sit at the table with him is going to come first every time.
That chance to sit and talk with him about anything is going to come first.
That chance to sit there and praise.
You know, for us as believers, being able to sit at the table,
this is like the groupies that travel and follow bands.
They want that VIP ticket, sit up in the front, like, ah!
Right?
And they're pumped, they're excited, like, I get to go backstage.
I'm going to meet him.
I'm going to get an autograph.
I'm going to have him sign my shirt.
No.
I'm going to go sit at the table with Jesus.
Because he's already signed my heart.
We respond different.
Coming into verse 14, with all this said, doesn't mean we're going to be on easy street.
It's not going to be all candies and roses and nice things, right?
In fact, that's not even a promise God has made us.
As a matter of fact, throughout the Bible, it says exactly the opposite.
Jesus himself said the opposite.
He said life is going to be tough.
And the fact of knowing what is to come and being a follower of Jesus actually makes it harder.
You know, that question is asked, would you rather know the past or the future?
And most people are going to say, I want to know the future.
Well, guess what?
We have the Bible. We know the future.
We know what's to come.
It's really hard.
Especially not knowing the time that's going to come.
Yet as we go through day by day, week by week, century by century, we see more and more prophecies fulfilled all the time.
We see more and more science coming all the time.
In John chapter 15 verses 18 through 25, so John 15 verses 18 through 25, Jesus said,
If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you.
If you were of the world, the world would love its own.
Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
Remember the word that I said to you, a servant is not greater than his master.
And if they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.
If they kept my word, they would keep yours also.
But these things they will do to you for my name's sake, because they do not know him who sent me.
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin.
But now they have no excuse for their sin.
He who hates me hates my father also.
If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin.
But now they have seen and also hated both me and my father.
But this happened that the word might be fulfilled, which is written in their law.
But Jesus hated me without a cause.
He's kind of a rebel without a cause.
Pastor Mike made a comment about an old movie earlier.
There we go.
Little James Dean there, right?
But no, Jesus really was.
He went against the norms to a certain extent.
But it's to help set that example and bring us in line with what the Lord wants for us.
We know, especially based off of what Jesus said here, life is going to be full of obstacles and hardships.
And there's going to be a lot of ups and a lot of downs.
There's going to be a lot thrown at us, right?
Those are spiritual attacks especially.
And it's going to make it hard to keep sight of what's important.
You know, each of us is like that sailor up in the crow's nest sitting with the eyepiece looking out for land, right?
When that fog and those storms and everything roll in, it gets real hard, especially when there's no lighthouse to be seen.
Jesus is our lighthouse.
Yet it's a struggle that we all take on.
It is a struggle that we all accept and know is going to be a part of our life as believers because we know what is to come.
There's going to...
It's going to get to the point of pain.
It's going to hurt.
Jesus knew.
He knew the pain.
He knew the torment.
He knew the fear, which is why we see in Luke 22 when he's on Mount of Olives, right?
Mount of Olives.
He experienced that fear.
He knew what was coming at him.
He knew that it was right around the corner, hours away.
He didn't want it to be so.
But he knew what was right.
He knew what he needed to do, doing the right thing for the right reason.
He knew what was expected of him.
He knew what was expected of us because we have the Bible, because we have the Word of God.
Now, he didn't want to go through this.
Who would?
You wouldn't?
I wouldn't.
Who wants to get nailed to a tree?
But he knew.
He knew what was coming to pass.
Just as we know what's coming as we get closer and closer.
And we see more of what the Word has warned us about.
More of what the Word has told us to prepare for.
And we get to see it with our very eyes.
But as believers, whereas the rest of the world is seeing chaos and it's filled with doubt and fear,
we get to remain calm.
We have that peace inside because we have that hope that Jesus brought to each and every one of us.
And when the dust settles, we know where we're going to stand.
Just as we know where we stand right now.
Which brings me to our next point.
What's your answer for having hope?
So coming to 1 Peter chapter 3 verses 15 and 16.
I'm not going to read them again.
Don't worry.
I already read them once.
You know, as believers, we're not to be fearful.
We're not to get caught up in all this nonsense of the world.
We're not to be afraid of fear mongering that the media and all these people, these supposed, you know,
these trying to think of it, I'll just say entertainers.
You know, you got all these people on YouTube and all, I can't think of the term for it.
But you know what I'm saying.
You know, you have all these people that get caught up in it and they like to spin it and spin it this way and spin it this way with the what ifs and all that.
What if what we're really being told is this and you know, you need to get some that try to put a little bit of the word in there and they put a spin on it.
What's that called?
Let me see here.
Oh, yeah.
Satan did it.
It's called a lie.
Right.
Because they feed on all these little things.
And Jesus told us we're not to get caught up in all this nonsense.
Instead, we're to keep our eye on the ball.
In other words, keep our eye on Jesus.
You know, it's basically what it's telling us is we all need to go into that that back office that we all have.
It's called our heart.
Right.
We need to go find that big filing cabinet that's been sitting there in the back collecting all sorts of dust.
And we're going to open that sucker up and we're going to rummage through it.
We're going to find all these old files, the hate, the malice, the discontent, all the stuff that the world tells us that we need to do and gives us a big to do list so big that we actually have files for it.
Right.
All this big stuff.
These receipts, these empty I.O.U.s from the world, those empty promises.
And we're going to take all this stuff and we're going to take it out and we're going to take it over here.
It's that nice dumpster we like to call the garbage can or file 13 and we're going to throw it all in there.
Because what do we do?
We have all this space and that space is not reserved for all this junk.
That space is reserved for Jesus to come into our lives, for the Holy Spirit to come into our lives.
And what the Holy Spirit does is he comes in and he starts ordering it.
He puts the little tabs on there with the little labels.
Right.
Maybe color code things, but he takes the system and he makes it make sense and he puts things in there like grace, mercy, conviction, forgiveness, love.
Hope.
Hopes in there.
Now we have a whole new system in place out with the old and with the new.
Really in with the Almighty.
It's different because instead of getting caught up with this, we're not caught up with this and our life changes.
We're not who we used to be.
Right.
The word tells us we're new creatures.
So all that that stuff is gone.
All the all the chaos has now been tidied up and now we have peace.
It's Jesus in control.
It's not us.
We've taken all of our stuff out, put it to the side.
We've given Jesus charge over that heart, over that cabinet.
Right.
And when he's in control of everything and we recognize it and we start seeing his plan, even if it's a little is peace.
It puts us at ease.
It helps us to relax.
Because no longer.
Is it us trying to control things?
It's not on me.
My battery's just died.
Hold on a second.
There it goes.
Now we have power.
Batteries died.
There we go.
OK.
We're live again.
It's a lie.
This is the right month to make that joke.
Right.
That's right.
I'm not dressed up as a bunny.
I've dressed up as a bunny once in my life.
I was about this tall.
I don't have the knees to support that anymore.
So as I was saying, it's nice for us because we're no longer in control.
We've given up that control.
We've handed it all over to Christ.
Now he's in control.
He's the one who's driving the ship.
Right.
He's got the car.
He's kicked back.
He's not just kidding.
But he's driving us.
Right.
He's the one who's in control and it helps us to relax because you know what?
The burden to make those decisions is no longer on us.
For us, it's just, Lord, what do you need?
What will you have of me?
Your will be done.
And it brings us peace.
It brings us into alignment with his will.
And regardless of what people say or do, ultimately, when you get these people who are going to talk trash about you, and they will, there's always somebody.
It might even be someone you consider a friend, but there's always going to be somebody, a coworker, anybody.
Because the enemy is always at play.
And the enemy is always lurking around that corner, too, looking for that weak link, that place that he could attack.
There's always going to be someone out there talking trash, trying to slander you, trying to paint you in a bad light.
It might even be yourself.
Yeah, that's true.
It could be yourself.
You're right.
It could be yourself.
Because sometimes we are quite often, I shouldn't even say sometimes, quite often we are our own worst enemy, right?
We like to put ourselves down.
We're like, aren't you not good enough?
Yeah, you are.
You might see yourself as a nobody, but God sees you as a somebody.
See, this is one of those areas, it's one of those stumbling blocks that trips up a lot of Christians, a lot of believers.
And there's a few reasons for it.
All right.
And it comes down to the different points of view.
Because there's many who like to think that they need to take their faith and their hope, and it's something very private, right?
It's just between them and Jesus.
Jesus knows my heart.
No, no, no, I'm not going to get caught.
I don't want to argue about it.
I don't want to fight.
No, it's just mine.
It's just mine.
Right?
And we all know people who are like that.
They kind of bottle it up and hold it inside.
It's like, no, it's just mine.
You stay over there.
Stay on your side of the street.
You know, they hold on to the faith that they have or the hope that they have, and they treat it like golem, right?
Exactly.
Oh, my precious.
Kill it.
Mine.
It's like someone's going to try to steal it or damage it, rip it away from them, tarnish it in some way, right?
They got to keep it boxed up in hell, and they got to spit-shine it, you know?
Get those special cloths and just rub it down.
You know, that ring for golem is how people treat this.
You know, it's their precious.
And they turn it into an idol of its own.
They have to hide it away from everybody.
Others think they have to be obnoxious and boisterous about it.
They come in, and they're yelling, and they're loud, and they're proud, right?
They're up in your face.
How are you doing?
Do you believe in Jesus?
I believe in Jesus.
Oh, but you know what?
I'm going to be loud, and I'm going to be obnoxious.
I'm going to see you have something that I just don't like about you.
Maybe it's that shirt you're wearing.
You have an ear pierced.
Maybe it's that music you're listening to in your car on the way into the parking lot.
You know, oh, you're homeless.
These are the people, you know, they're loud, they're obnoxious.
They want to conform everybody to that cookie-cutter mold that they believe that they fit in.
And then they tell them, you're going to hell, you're going to hell, you're going to hell, you're all going to hell.
But I'm not, because you all understand it is I'm perfect.
I'm great.
They turn themselves into an idol.
They start falling short.
They start falling shy real quick, right?
They have to yell and sing it on the mountain for everyone to see.
You know, another way of saying it, it's kind of like that drunk, you know, those drunks that go into the I love you mode.
They want to hang on everybody and, you know, get in your face.
You're like, man, I wish you brushed your teeth.
That drunk that's lost control of their faculties and doesn't even know it, these guys are drunk on themselves.
Instead, the truth is, like most things, you have this side, you have this side.
Usually the truth is kind of right here in the middle, right in that little area, right?
Because we need to have an answer and we need to be ready to share it when it's asked of us.
Our lives, our choices, our kingdom perspective, the reason we do things the way we do, believe the things that we believe.
We have to be gentle and loving when we do it, though.
We have to be gentle and loving and we have to share our testimony.
And that's really what's being asked here.
When it says that when the word tells us to have an answer ready to have an explanation available.
It's saying be prepared to give your testimony.
That's really it. Don't over read into it.
Don't overthink it like, oh, well, I had this time and I had that.
Oh, and then there was this and then the Bible says this, this, this, this.
No, what is your testimony?
What has Jesus done for you in your life specifically?
Because that is what's giving you hope.
And that's what you need to be ready to share.
You know, it's not just who Christ is.
It's not just what the word says.
But what has happened and how we're better people for it, how it's changed us.
We need to position ourselves so that not only when we're spoken to, but when we're observed by others at a distance,
because there are other people who will not engage with you.
They're just watching from a distance, waiting to see how you're going to trip up next.
So as believers, it's not just an onstage offstage.
It is our very lives.
When people hear us talking, when they see us doing things, they know, hey, this guy's different.
You have all these people over here and maybe what they're doing is OK.
But this guy is separate from the rest.
You know, it's when we're seen, when we're heard, and that hope that's in us, that light that's in us is more easily seen by others.
And that light, that's the Holy Spirit, right?
That's the Holy Spirit in us.
They might not even recognize it because they don't know him yet.
It's like, what's that different? What is that shining, that light, that joy that comes from them?
When I'm around them, they make the room light up and everything just seems, and it's refreshing.
And it's on us to make sure that the hope that the Holy Spirit's brought us, it's not covered up.
It's not, oh, my precious.
It's let out to shine.
It's like Superman ripping open his shirt, that big S coming out, right?
So that is supposed to be a hope.
Holy Spirit, help for others to see.
Let it shine.
So the word says, let your light shine before others, right?
We've heard this.
Let that light shine so others can see Christ in you.
Because when they see Christ in you, that's when they can come to know him, when you share your testimony.
Say, oh, that sounds like a good dude.
I need to know more about him.
I'd like to meet him, right?
Going into verse 16, you know, I already hinted on this a little bit ago.
I hit it just a little bit.
People are still going to talk trash.
It's just a fact.
That's life.
And the closer the enemy sees you getting to Jesus, the more he's going to do, the more attacks are going to be made, and the more garbage is going to be said about you and what you're doing.
He's going to try to slander you.
He's going to try to tarnish you.
He's going to try to dim that light that shines from you.
He doesn't want other people to come to Christ.
The fact is, the more Christlike you become in your life, the harder your life is going to become because the enemy is going to step up those attacks.
And he's going to use all the tools that are available to him, nonbelievers and fallen angels alike.
So not only are you fighting a battle in the spiritual realm, but you're fighting it in the physical.
He's going to take those pot shots at you.
But here's the thing.
When you live Christlike, when you do the right thing for the right reason and you let his light shine, it becomes harder and harder and harder for the enemy to attack you and to keep that pressure on.
And do you know why?
Anybody?
Because you're no longer giving him the ammo he needs.
He can't sit there like that Leonardo DiCaprio meme for whatever movie it is, like, right there, right there, right there.
Look, look, look.
You're not giving that to him anymore.
So he can't use it against you.
You just made his work that much harder and his that much easier.
As long as you're doing the right thing for the right reason, the lies that are spun, spin nowhere.
They're out there and they're no longer seen with any kind of merit because eventually as people get to know you and they see what you're doing, all those lies and that nonsense that's being said, it very much turns into the boy who cried wolf.
And what happened with the boy who cried wolf?
That's right.
If you're not familiar with the story, the little boy, little shepherd, he went out and he kept crying wolf, wolf, wolf, getting all these people to come to his flock to make it easier for him to do his job.
Right?
He's kind of lazy that way, getting everybody else to do the work for him.
And he did this so many times that eventually people stopped coming.
They stopped believing him because they knew he was a liar.
He burnt every bridge that he had.
He turned away every potential friend that he had.
So when the wolf did come, he fell victim.
When you're not giving things to the enemy, he can't do anything.
When all you're throwing out there is love and the hope of Christ.
The good things, the right things.
Guess what?
The time comes for help.
He'll be there.
And everybody he sees you and knows you and knows the light that's within you, they'll be there.
So stand tall.
Take the hits when they come because they're going to come.
And it's going to get easier and easier because the enemy is going to get worn down.
Right?
We've seen this in boxing matches.
You get a guy and he just stands back and he takes the beating.
Rocky takes the beating.
Eventually it gets easier because this guy is worn down.
And for us it gets even easier because eventually it gets to a point where we're not even feeling the hits anymore
because the armor of God is what's taking the impact.
That armor of God is impacting us.
So as long as you remain in the light of Christ doing the right thing for the right reason,
you're going to be beyond reproach.
Jesus is going to take care of us.
And we're going to be the ones that he uses to set that example for others to follow.
And when we follow Christ, of course, we're covered in his blood for the Father to see.
We have that hope that comes from forgiveness.
Which brings me to my last point.
We're going in.
We're heading for home here, guys.
I promise.
Choose God or the world.
Blah, blah, blah.
Getting tongue tied there.
Choose God or the world.
There's going to be times things are going to happen.
We're going to question our faith, sometimes to the point that when good things come about,
we're just waiting for that other shoe to drop.
It seems pretty good.
Something's going to happen.
Something's off.
I just don't see it yet.
I don't know what it is.
But that other shoe is going to drop.
And we're going to talk to what we said earlier about being our own worst enemy, right?
And when this happens, we let things like doubt take hold.
This is very much like Gideon.
When we go back to the book of Judges, Gideon was that reluctant leader, right?
So much bad had happened.
And so many of the Israelites, they were on the run for their lives.
They were basically living in caves, you know, taking care of the wheat behind different barriers,
trying to keep out of sight, out of sight, out of mind, right?
And they'd been beaten down for a long, long time.
So when the angel came and appeared to Gideon and said, hey, this blessing is here.
You're going to go when you're going to do this.
And you guys are going to be able to come out of hiding and you're going to be back up here.
He was filled with doubt.
He didn't believe.
He was like, really?
I don't know.
So much to the point he had to ask for proof because he didn't believe that this is actually an angel from the Lord, right?
He was so caught up.
He had faith.
It was very little.
His hope pretty much grounded out at that point.
He needed a sign.
So he asked for a sign.
And that's very much how we get when this happens.
This is one of those points in our lives where we should, you know, I'd encourage you, you know, we should all reflect on Matthew 14.
Matthew 14, this is when the disciples were out in the boat, right?
Jesus, he did a little bit of reprieve.
He just go out and later on he comes out walking on the water and I go, it's a ghost.
Peter says, if it's really you, tell me to come and walk to you.
He says, come out, right?
I'm paraphrasing, of course, times for times sake.
He tells him, come on out.
Because he asked for proof.
He had doubt, right?
Very much, you know, the way of the world, what we see, what we hear.
So when we see something that's spiritual, something otherworldly, especially, we're really doubtful.
Really doubtful.
So Peter asked for proof.
He says, come on out.
Two things happen here.
First, he had faith.
He's like, I know that voice.
He's telling me to come in.
I'm going to be OK.
He steps out of that boat and he starts walking on the water.
It's a miracle, right?
As I checked, none of us here are walking on water just like that.
I know if I step out of a boat, I'm going to bloop, which is OK, because I really like the water.
I really like to swim.
But he had faith.
He was focused on Jesus.
And he had that faith that comes from knowing Jesus says to do something, you're going to be able to do it.
It's going to come through.
It's going to be delivered.
But then what happened next?
Number two, his focus shifted just a little bit, right?
He took his eyes off the ball.
He took his eyes off of Jesus.
And instead, he started focusing on the world, what was going on around him.
The winds were picking up.
A storm was coming in.
That's a trap we all fall into on what happened at this point.
He did exactly like you and I do.
He dropped out of that water.
Lord, see, right?
And Jesus like, you little thief, come here, you moron.
Let me help you up.
You're stupid.
OK, no, I didn't really say it like that.
But you know what I'm saying?
It was as he was little faith.
Really?
You lack faith.
That's why you fell.
And why did he lack faith?
Because he started focusing on the storm, the things that he knew of, the worldly things.
That doubt and that fear crept into his heart.
He opened up that filing cabinet and said, I'm just letting Jesus man it.
He's like, you know what?
We should probably just stick this little file in there to him.
Things went wrong.
He derailed.
Had he kept his eyes on Jesus, that little doubt, that little fear would have been squashed like a bug.
Just done.
And he'd have been able to go out there and just make that beeline and walk straight to him.
Right?
But he didn't.
And that's what you and I do.
So what everybody on this world does, we take our eyes off.
Instead of doing what we're told to do, focusing on what we're supposed to be focused on, we pay attention and we start listening to what the enemy is saying.
And where Jesus is talking to us in a gentle whisper, gently and lovingly.
The enemy is yelling at us, hey, guess what?
You're going to fall, dummy.
You're not good enough.
You're not Jesus.
You can't do that.
You're going to drown.
And that's what we hear in our focus on that instead.
If only we kept our eyes on Jesus, right?
Now, you've probably heard this in a number of ways.
Choose your heart.
Being okay is hard.
Being the best is hard.
Being weak is hard.
Being strong is hard.
Choose your heart.
Being in shape is hard.
Being weak is hard.
Being out of shape is hard.
Being fit is hard.
Being lazy is hard.
Being disciplined is hard.
Choose your heart.
Going through life without Christ is hard.
Going through life with Christ is hard.
Choose your heart.
The difference is when we choose to live with Christ instead of living on our own, we have hope.
First Peter chapter 2 verses 18 through 21.
So First Peter chapter 2 verses 18 through 21, the word says,
Servants be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and Gentile, but also to the harsh.
For it is commendable if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering, wrongfully.
For what credit is it if you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently.
But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God.
For to you, excuse me, for to this you were called because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that you should follow his footsteps.
James chapter 1 verses 2 through 4, the word says,
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
That patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete lacking nothing.
We're going to be tempted. We're going to have to go through trials. We're going to have to go through tribulations.
We're going to be tested.
And it's in these moments that our character is being tested, right?
It's being molded all the rest of time. It's in these small fleeting moments that seem huge that we're being tested.
Right? A lot of people say it's in these moments that they can't hear God.
The old saying goes the teacher is often quiet during a test.
Right?
It's seeing how we're going to react under pressure.
It's searching for our weaknesses so we know what we need to work on next.
You know, in the Marine Corps, we have a leadership principle, know yourself and seek self improvement.
And very much comes from this.
Because we all have weaknesses and as we strengthen up in other areas, we develop weaknesses in others.
And it's better for us as believers to have this happen because it helps us to grow and it helps us to grow in our relationship with Jesus.
For us as believers, it's better for us to go through this so that we learn to be vulnerable.
So that we suffer.
And not wear a mask like we're some kind of superhero.
Because we're not.
We do this so that when others look at us, they can see where our strength ultimately comes from.
And it's not us ourselves.
It's Christ.
It's the Holy Spirit in us building us up and giving us strength, giving us that supernatural strength that we on ourselves cannot have.
That we ourselves do not wield.
And ultimately when they see it, and we're able to point the light to him, they see his glory and they recognize it's his light.
And all of us are attracted to the light.
It lights our pathway. Who wants to walk into a dark room? Nobody. Who wants to walk into a room that's lit? Everybody.
And that's what that does. The light reflects off of us to shine them down the path that they need to go to so they can come into that relationship.
Coming to know Christ, it's our homework here on earth.
You think about it, nobody goes into a new class and just knows everything.
I don't care how nerdy they are and how smooth it seems to come to them when they're up at the board solving problems or answering questions.
Nobody comes into a new job and just knows it all. Everybody's trained.
Everybody has homework.
And coming to know Christ is our homework here. Starting that relationship and learning how to develop it here.
Relationships start as strangers, but they don't stay that way.
Everybody comes to Christ as a stranger, but nobody stays that way. Well, if you believe.
And that is the key component. If you believe.
When you have that hope that's formed inside of you, when you accept that gift.
And as we we know Christ and we learn and we know that others need to come to him before it's too late.
That's when we personally accept. Taking on the mission of the Great Commission.
Something I'll go into in a later time. We don't have time for it. If you have questions about what that is, come see me.
But the Great Commission, going out sharing the gospel with the world for others to come to know him.
Said it's hard to go through life without Christ. It's hard to go with it. Choose.
Lukewarm isn't an option.
It's fall is going to be as hard as life is. It's going to be fall.
It's getting really tongue tied today. It's going to be far harder for those who don't know Christ when they go stand before him.
And he says, Be gone. I don't even know you. Right.
So it's important that you make your choice.
You ask yourself, are you willing to give up the world's empty promises and IOUs for Jesus?
Or do you place more value in the world?
How big is your hope and how strong is your faith?
Have an answer for it all. Let us pray.
Lord, we know that it was painful for Jesus to come and walk your earth, to see and feel our pain,
and ultimately take the cross for each and every one of us to reunite with you.
We thank you for taking on a debt we couldn't afford and paying it as we would never be able to do it on our own.
We thank you for the hope that you've given us and your promises, both those that are fulfilled and those that you've yet to fulfill because we know you will.
We ask that you refresh daily and help us where we falter.
You promised that you would always be with us and guide our steps and give us the words to explain our hope when called upon.
And we're so thankful as we know that this isn't a one-time promise that you fulfill, but something that you do daily.
We ask that we never forget it, that we never take this gift for granted.
We ask that you remind us that it's our duty as believers to serve and by doing, shine your light for all others to see in a dark world.
A firm reminder that no one, not a single person is alone in their suffering and that you're always there and you're always loving us through thick and through thin.
And all of us people say amen and amen.
Let's go ahead and stand for the benediction.
The Lord bless thee and keep thee.
The Lord make his face shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee and be gracious unto thee.
The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace.
May the God of hope fill you all with joy and peace as you trust in him so that you may overflow with hope and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Remember you are loved and you are blessed. Now go and be the church.
Thank you all for joining us here today at Healing Scars with Pastor Burton.
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We look forward to hearing from you all. God bless.