WEBVTT 00:00:09.419 --> 00:00:14.279 Welcome to ECB's weekly sermon podcast. ECB is 00:00:14.279 --> 00:00:16.600 an international church in Bangkok, Thailand, 00:00:16.760 --> 00:00:19.820 with dozens of nationalities worshiping together. 00:00:20.120 --> 00:00:22.980 We invite you to connect with us from wherever 00:00:22.980 --> 00:00:27.199 you are through our website ecb .asia or our 00:00:27.199 --> 00:00:31.079 mobile app. And now we pray that you are blessed 00:00:31.079 --> 00:00:36.320 by this week's sermon. Good morning, ECB. It 00:00:36.320 --> 00:00:40.659 is... Great to be here on this commissioning 00:00:40.659 --> 00:00:44.640 day for commissioning Pastor Pablo and to his 00:00:44.640 --> 00:00:48.280 new role as lead pastor at ECB. Pastor Pablo 00:00:48.280 --> 00:00:53.240 and I actually share the same birth country of 00:00:53.240 --> 00:00:57.299 Chile, and we grew up in the same city there 00:00:57.299 --> 00:01:00.259 in Santiago. But more importantly, we share the 00:01:00.259 --> 00:01:05.060 same eternal home. So it is an honor to share 00:01:05.060 --> 00:01:08.030 God's word with you this morning. Today I hope 00:01:08.030 --> 00:01:11.849 to leave you with an invitation. Transitions 00:01:11.849 --> 00:01:14.750 are usually pretty challenging, and so I also 00:01:14.750 --> 00:01:17.709 want to thank Pastor Rene for listening to the 00:01:17.709 --> 00:01:20.590 Spirit and following God's leading and for your 00:01:20.590 --> 00:01:24.269 desire to pass the baton well in this transition 00:01:24.269 --> 00:01:28.599 here at ECB. So thank you. I'd like to start 00:01:28.599 --> 00:01:31.400 out the journey, the sermon this morning, looking 00:01:31.400 --> 00:01:36.219 at the transitions in John 14, 25 through 29. 00:01:36.340 --> 00:01:39.920 But before we do that, let's pray. Lord, we come 00:01:39.920 --> 00:01:42.519 before you with grateful hearts. Thank you for 00:01:42.519 --> 00:01:45.099 the opportunity to commission Pablo today. We 00:01:45.099 --> 00:01:47.500 pray that you would guide in all the details 00:01:47.500 --> 00:01:51.000 of this leadership transition here at ECB. We 00:01:51.000 --> 00:01:53.500 pray that as we look at your word, that you would 00:01:53.500 --> 00:01:58.579 speak to our hearts today, to our hearts, and 00:01:58.579 --> 00:02:01.280 that you would draw our hearts to you. In Jesus' 00:02:01.359 --> 00:02:06.920 holy name, amen. John 14, verses 25 through 29. 00:02:07.359 --> 00:02:10.759 These things I have spoken to you. While I am 00:02:10.759 --> 00:02:13.819 still with you, but the Helper, the Holy Spirit, 00:02:13.939 --> 00:02:16.879 whom the Father will send in my name, he will 00:02:16.879 --> 00:02:19.659 teach you all things and bring to your remembrance 00:02:19.659 --> 00:02:23.960 all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with 00:02:23.960 --> 00:02:27.460 you. My peace I give you, not as the world gives 00:02:27.460 --> 00:02:31.159 do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, 00:02:31.400 --> 00:02:35.879 neither let them be afraid. You heard me say 00:02:35.879 --> 00:02:38.139 to you, I am going away and I will come to you. 00:02:38.199 --> 00:02:40.780 If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because 00:02:40.780 --> 00:02:43.199 I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater 00:02:43.199 --> 00:02:46.159 than I. And now I have told you before it takes 00:02:46.159 --> 00:02:49.419 place, so that when it does take place, you may 00:02:49.419 --> 00:02:52.800 believe. We have the scene here in the upper 00:02:52.800 --> 00:02:56.159 room just as the disciples and Jesus have finished 00:02:56.159 --> 00:02:58.699 the Last Supper and they're about to leave when 00:02:58.699 --> 00:03:01.900 Jesus announces that there will be a transition. 00:03:02.900 --> 00:03:05.639 There will be a new way that the disciples will 00:03:05.639 --> 00:03:08.300 experience the Trinity. They have had Jesus face 00:03:08.300 --> 00:03:11.180 to face for a while, but now the Father is going 00:03:11.180 --> 00:03:14.280 to send them the Holy Spirit who is going to 00:03:14.280 --> 00:03:17.699 teach them and remind them of what Jesus has 00:03:17.699 --> 00:03:21.219 told them. If you were to read a little bit further 00:03:21.219 --> 00:03:23.280 in chapter 16, you would see that the disciples 00:03:23.280 --> 00:03:26.060 are not fully understanding what is going on, 00:03:26.139 --> 00:03:28.139 and their hearts are probably feeling some fear 00:03:28.139 --> 00:03:33.039 and anxiety in this transition. ECB is an international 00:03:33.039 --> 00:03:36.520 church, and so most likely all of you have experienced 00:03:36.520 --> 00:03:40.319 transition and can relate to fear and anxiety. 00:03:40.599 --> 00:03:43.080 Maybe even in the midst of this transition between 00:03:43.080 --> 00:03:46.199 Pastor Rene and Pastor Pablo, you may experience 00:03:46.199 --> 00:03:50.120 some anxiety, maybe even some fear. So I want 00:03:50.120 --> 00:03:54.900 you to get a glimpse of Jesus' character in this 00:03:54.900 --> 00:03:58.259 transition in John 14. He's about to go to the 00:03:58.259 --> 00:04:01.900 cross, which we'll be celebrating soon. He's 00:04:01.900 --> 00:04:05.120 about to go to the cross. And what is on his 00:04:05.120 --> 00:04:09.599 mind in verse 27? That his disciples will experience 00:04:09.599 --> 00:04:12.620 peace and that their hearts would not be troubled. 00:04:12.780 --> 00:04:15.479 That they would not be afraid. In fact, in verse 00:04:15.479 --> 00:04:18.850 28, he even longs for them to have joy. For as 00:04:18.850 --> 00:04:21.290 he is going to his father's house, the eternal 00:04:21.290 --> 00:04:25.069 perspective, he wants them to have joy. And in 00:04:25.069 --> 00:04:28.610 verse 29, he invites them to have faith. And 00:04:28.610 --> 00:04:31.189 now I have told you, before it takes place, so 00:04:31.189 --> 00:04:33.670 that when it does take place, you may believe. 00:04:34.189 --> 00:04:38.240 Have faith. The scene just before Jesus goes 00:04:38.240 --> 00:04:40.420 to the Garden of Gethsemane, just before he is 00:04:40.420 --> 00:04:42.839 about to be arrested, what does Jesus say to 00:04:42.839 --> 00:04:45.180 the disciples? I am inviting you to trust me 00:04:45.180 --> 00:04:47.740 with an unshakable faith. I want you to have 00:04:47.740 --> 00:04:51.279 the kind of peace that I give, not the kind that 00:04:51.279 --> 00:04:54.180 the world offers, that's a substitute that won't 00:04:54.180 --> 00:04:57.079 last. The kind of joy that I give, not the type 00:04:57.079 --> 00:05:00.939 that the world offers, that is a temporary high. 00:05:01.379 --> 00:05:04.870 The kind of faith that I give. Not that the world 00:05:04.870 --> 00:05:08.230 offers that will bring disappointment. This is 00:05:08.230 --> 00:05:11.389 good news. In the midst of transition, Jesus 00:05:11.389 --> 00:05:16.029 is offering peace, joy, and faith all through 00:05:16.029 --> 00:05:20.370 his sacrificial love. Now, the invitation to 00:05:20.370 --> 00:05:23.290 faith has always been a tough one for me. I like 00:05:23.290 --> 00:05:25.730 to control outcomes much more than I like to 00:05:25.730 --> 00:05:29.160 trust. Maybe you're with me on that. In fact, 00:05:29.259 --> 00:05:31.519 most of my prayers are about praying not to have 00:05:31.519 --> 00:05:34.120 to trust. Lord, if you would just solve this 00:05:34.120 --> 00:05:37.300 problem, dot, dot, dot, then I wouldn't have 00:05:37.300 --> 00:05:39.339 to trust you. Lord, if you would just provide 00:05:39.339 --> 00:05:42.459 financially, dot, dot, dot, then I wouldn't have 00:05:42.459 --> 00:05:44.639 to trust you. Lord, could you just make it so 00:05:44.639 --> 00:05:47.660 I don't have to trust you? So my prayers are 00:05:47.660 --> 00:05:52.439 always trying to not have to trust God. But the 00:05:52.439 --> 00:05:54.819 invitation from the Father is always to trust. 00:05:55.449 --> 00:05:58.850 to believe, to have faith. For that is what the 00:05:58.850 --> 00:06:03.290 relationship with Him is built upon. Years ago, 00:06:03.350 --> 00:06:05.269 in my early 30s, coming out of corporate America 00:06:05.269 --> 00:06:07.990 where I worked for United Airlines, I transitioned 00:06:07.990 --> 00:06:10.910 into ministry. I brought many corporate ideas 00:06:10.910 --> 00:06:12.990 with me into ministry and even wrote a thesis 00:06:12.990 --> 00:06:16.089 suggesting metrics for determining ministry success. 00:06:17.170 --> 00:06:22.430 Talk about not wanting to trust. Mission organizations 00:06:22.430 --> 00:06:24.310 were interested in being able to track and determine 00:06:24.310 --> 00:06:28.750 success in ministry. And I was busy creating 00:06:28.750 --> 00:06:30.769 systems, some of which simplified and some of 00:06:30.769 --> 00:06:33.189 which complicated the very thing that God was 00:06:33.189 --> 00:06:37.470 doing. I like efficiency and organizing. And 00:06:37.470 --> 00:06:39.790 I've come to find out that God is just not as 00:06:39.790 --> 00:06:42.310 interested in efficiency and organizing as I 00:06:42.310 --> 00:06:47.069 would like him to be. Jesus, who on his way to 00:06:47.069 --> 00:06:50.399 the cross with his disciples. In the midst of 00:06:50.399 --> 00:06:54.720 transition is offering peace, joy, and faith 00:06:54.720 --> 00:06:59.060 in an upside down and non -intuitive way. And 00:06:59.060 --> 00:07:01.399 there it was in the middle of all my striving 00:07:01.399 --> 00:07:04.480 and organizing ministry to make my life work 00:07:04.480 --> 00:07:06.879 apart from God. Yes, you heard that right. I 00:07:06.879 --> 00:07:11.379 was using ministry to make my life work apart 00:07:11.379 --> 00:07:13.899 from God. But that's for a different message. 00:07:14.120 --> 00:07:17.560 In the midst of my striving, God got a hold of 00:07:17.560 --> 00:07:21.250 my life. in a way I'd never known. And he brought 00:07:21.250 --> 00:07:25.170 me face to face with a gospel I knew but had 00:07:25.170 --> 00:07:28.310 never lived. The gospel had become a system for 00:07:28.310 --> 00:07:32.509 me of checks and balances and not a life of faith. 00:07:33.589 --> 00:07:36.769 God invited me into some very tough years of 00:07:36.769 --> 00:07:40.550 processing my own childhood wounding, my own 00:07:40.550 --> 00:07:43.410 story of my childhood sexual abuse, which I had 00:07:43.410 --> 00:07:45.790 buried deep into my heart for no one to touch. 00:07:46.730 --> 00:07:49.610 And then God invited me to a more challenging 00:07:49.610 --> 00:07:53.050 task, to process my own waywardness out of my 00:07:53.050 --> 00:07:55.670 wounding and how I had created a life around 00:07:55.670 --> 00:07:58.990 me to keep me safe and that my very strategies 00:07:58.990 --> 00:08:03.170 for survival deeply hurt the people closest to 00:08:03.170 --> 00:08:08.149 me. I was doing more for Jesus, but I was not 00:08:08.149 --> 00:08:13.139 becoming more like Jesus. So as you, ECB, began 00:08:13.139 --> 00:08:14.839 this year going through Treasures of the Journey 00:08:14.839 --> 00:08:17.360 series, I would like to share three treasures 00:08:17.360 --> 00:08:19.579 in my journey that I hope will encourage you 00:08:19.579 --> 00:08:22.899 as a congregation and you, Pastor Pablo, as you 00:08:22.899 --> 00:08:25.839 step into the role of lead pastor here at ECB. 00:08:26.000 --> 00:08:28.379 Then I'll close with an invitation for each of 00:08:28.379 --> 00:08:32.059 you. Treasure number one, learning to live from 00:08:32.059 --> 00:08:36.299 my identity rather than for my identity. One 00:08:36.299 --> 00:08:38.220 of the biggest shifts in my own heart as I began 00:08:38.220 --> 00:08:40.659 to really grow in the gospel was learning to 00:08:40.659 --> 00:08:43.700 live from God rather than for God. You see, because 00:08:43.700 --> 00:08:47.259 of my wounding, I believed in the God that was 00:08:47.259 --> 00:08:50.519 always disappointed in me. And I had learned 00:08:50.519 --> 00:08:52.860 so much in my church life that I was to live 00:08:52.860 --> 00:08:54.799 for God and that I must perform for his acceptance. 00:08:55.000 --> 00:08:57.600 And in all my ministry leadership, I was performing, 00:08:57.659 --> 00:09:00.220 trying to make God pleased with me so that my 00:09:00.220 --> 00:09:03.960 life would work. Do you hear the exhaustion? 00:09:06.639 --> 00:09:09.700 The issue is that living for God makes me the 00:09:09.700 --> 00:09:12.980 initiator of life. And God is the only initiator 00:09:12.980 --> 00:09:16.360 of life. He breathed life into Adam. And I am 00:09:16.360 --> 00:09:19.840 designed to be a receiver of life, which requires 00:09:19.840 --> 00:09:23.919 humility and surrender. And those are not words 00:09:23.919 --> 00:09:27.610 that I'm accustomed to living out of. The invitation 00:09:27.610 --> 00:09:30.129 from the Father is to live from God. Throughout 00:09:30.129 --> 00:09:33.490 scripture, God has already given us many banners 00:09:33.490 --> 00:09:37.570 of identity, such as loved, delighted in, significant, 00:09:37.929 --> 00:09:41.690 adopted, chosen, righteous, and many more. These 00:09:41.690 --> 00:09:47.029 are banners of identity who I already am as a 00:09:47.029 --> 00:09:52.409 believer. Can I begin to trust God with who he 00:09:52.409 --> 00:09:56.850 says I am? Most of us spend our lives living 00:09:56.850 --> 00:09:59.769 for these things, chasing after these things, 00:09:59.830 --> 00:10:02.850 not from these things. When I live for significance, 00:10:03.169 --> 00:10:05.870 I will run around and prove my worth and I will 00:10:05.870 --> 00:10:10.090 make you prove yours. When I live from significance 00:10:10.090 --> 00:10:13.769 in Jesus, I can actually meet you where you are 00:10:13.769 --> 00:10:18.210 and walk with you on this journey of faith. The 00:10:18.210 --> 00:10:20.470 same holds true for if I live for being delighted 00:10:20.470 --> 00:10:22.509 in. I'll run around seeking the eyes of people, 00:10:22.669 --> 00:10:27.070 TikTok, Instagram. Whereas when I live from being 00:10:27.070 --> 00:10:29.870 delighted in Jesus, I actually have the capacity 00:10:29.870 --> 00:10:36.870 to delight in others. The incredible shift in 00:10:36.870 --> 00:10:38.909 my heart changes the way I approach every day, 00:10:38.990 --> 00:10:42.370 every conversation, every task. It makes me a 00:10:42.370 --> 00:10:45.669 funnel for the work of God, for the Spirit of 00:10:45.669 --> 00:10:48.629 God in and through me. It unblocks the channel 00:10:48.629 --> 00:10:54.220 so He can do His work. Here's the issue. A simple 00:10:54.220 --> 00:10:57.379 definition of ministry is holding these banners 00:10:57.379 --> 00:11:01.940 of identity over someone else. The problem is 00:11:01.940 --> 00:11:05.980 that you cannot hold the banner of identity over 00:11:05.980 --> 00:11:08.799 someone else if you can't hold it over yourself. 00:11:09.320 --> 00:11:11.580 If your banner is over you, don't say loved, 00:11:11.679 --> 00:11:15.759 delighted in, adopted, righteous. then you have 00:11:15.759 --> 00:11:18.299 no capacity to hold that over someone else. The 00:11:18.299 --> 00:11:20.100 other problem is that the banners that you do 00:11:20.100 --> 00:11:21.779 hold over yourself, which are usually banners 00:11:21.779 --> 00:11:25.840 of contempt, hatred, that might say, I'm a disappointment, 00:11:26.039 --> 00:11:32.120 I'm too much, I'm not enough, then I will hold 00:11:32.120 --> 00:11:39.320 those banners over someone else. So now there 00:11:39.320 --> 00:11:42.320 is a reason that we struggle to believe our identity 00:11:42.320 --> 00:11:46.830 in Christ. Because our woundedness will always 00:11:46.830 --> 00:11:51.370 lead to our waywardness. So the invitation for 00:11:51.370 --> 00:11:56.190 today is can I begin to trust the Father with 00:11:56.190 --> 00:12:01.929 whom he already says I am loved, delighted in, 00:12:02.009 --> 00:12:07.149 child of God, justified? Can I begin to trust 00:12:07.149 --> 00:12:09.769 the Father with who he already says I am as a 00:12:09.769 --> 00:12:12.590 believer and begin to live from my identity? 00:12:13.179 --> 00:12:16.559 instead of for my identity. Second treasure, 00:12:16.940 --> 00:12:19.960 learning to trust God to write the impact stories 00:12:19.960 --> 00:12:22.600 of my life rather than turning good desires into 00:12:22.600 --> 00:12:26.580 required goals for more impact. Another shift 00:12:26.580 --> 00:12:29.080 in my heart has been learning to actually desire, 00:12:29.379 --> 00:12:32.500 learning to go after the dreams and hopes that 00:12:32.500 --> 00:12:37.700 God has put in me. The issue is that as I begin 00:12:37.700 --> 00:12:41.909 to engage with desire, I often feel pain. And 00:12:41.909 --> 00:12:44.610 so subconsciously, I turn my desires into goals 00:12:44.610 --> 00:12:48.129 so I can achieve success and feel better about 00:12:48.129 --> 00:12:53.029 myself. While it may be a great desire, it may 00:12:53.029 --> 00:12:56.590 be a terrible goal. For example, my wife loves 00:12:56.590 --> 00:12:59.549 gifts. And 30 years ago, we had just been married. 00:12:59.590 --> 00:13:01.690 We were celebrating her birthday for the first 00:13:01.690 --> 00:13:06.049 time as a married couple. I had a great desire 00:13:06.049 --> 00:13:12.220 to pick out just the right gift for her. What 00:13:12.220 --> 00:13:17.320 I thought was a beautiful dress. Don't worry, 00:13:17.379 --> 00:13:21.740 I didn't get her a blender. I thought a beautiful 00:13:21.740 --> 00:13:24.340 dress would be the perfect gift. And I bought 00:13:24.340 --> 00:13:26.620 this dress. It was plaid green and blue with 00:13:26.620 --> 00:13:30.659 a bow on it. And my desire was for her to really 00:13:30.659 --> 00:13:35.559 enjoy this dress. But once I purchased it and 00:13:35.559 --> 00:13:38.220 spent the money on it, my desire quickly turned 00:13:38.220 --> 00:13:40.320 into a goal. Now she has to enjoy the dress. 00:13:41.710 --> 00:13:44.669 The issue is that my wife now becomes an obstacle 00:13:44.669 --> 00:13:48.289 or an asset to my goal, and it places an unfair 00:13:48.289 --> 00:13:53.470 demand on her to enjoy the dress. Let's just 00:13:53.470 --> 00:13:55.730 say my goal was not achieved when she returned 00:13:55.730 --> 00:14:01.950 the dress. When I turn desires into goals, the 00:14:01.950 --> 00:14:03.929 people in between me and the goal suddenly become 00:14:03.929 --> 00:14:07.809 assets or obstacles to the goal's success. People 00:14:07.809 --> 00:14:11.149 are never meant to be assets or obstacles. This 00:14:11.149 --> 00:14:13.250 happens all the time in ministry. Many years 00:14:13.250 --> 00:14:15.190 ago, our family arrived in Romania and I began 00:14:15.190 --> 00:14:18.570 working with a Romanian ministry. I had a desire 00:14:18.570 --> 00:14:21.330 that God would raise up Romanian ministry leaders. 00:14:22.409 --> 00:14:25.009 Then I turned it into a goal, not only a goal, 00:14:25.110 --> 00:14:28.830 a ministry goal. And I was going to invest in 00:14:28.830 --> 00:14:30.490 them and they would help me achieve my ministry 00:14:30.490 --> 00:14:33.570 goals. Did you know that people are not always 00:14:33.570 --> 00:14:36.620 interested in being an investment? but prefer 00:14:36.620 --> 00:14:41.200 being in a relationship? Again, the issue is 00:14:41.200 --> 00:14:44.200 now these Romanian leaders had to become obstacles 00:14:44.200 --> 00:14:46.940 or assets to me achieving my ministry goals. 00:14:47.220 --> 00:14:49.860 The very people I had desired for God to raise 00:14:49.860 --> 00:14:52.559 up now became obstacles to my goals' success, 00:14:52.700 --> 00:14:55.620 all because I wanted to write the impact story 00:14:55.620 --> 00:14:59.340 instead of trusting God that He is the only one 00:14:59.340 --> 00:15:02.610 that really gets to write the impact story. So 00:15:02.610 --> 00:15:04.649 the invitation, can I trust the Father with my 00:15:04.649 --> 00:15:08.490 desire without turning it into a goal, demanding 00:15:08.490 --> 00:15:12.049 that I get to write the impact story, or even 00:15:12.049 --> 00:15:15.490 discard desire, get rid of desire, because I'm 00:15:15.490 --> 00:15:19.870 unwilling to sit with Jesus in the pain of unmet 00:15:19.870 --> 00:15:25.090 desire. Which brings us to treasure number three, 00:15:25.210 --> 00:15:29.509 learning to go to God and experience His presence. 00:15:30.029 --> 00:15:33.250 rather than going through God to get the outcome 00:15:33.250 --> 00:15:37.669 I want. Finally, I want to encourage all of you 00:15:37.669 --> 00:15:40.389 as you dream of what God will do with ECB in 00:15:40.389 --> 00:15:43.629 the years to come to see God as the answer and 00:15:43.629 --> 00:15:47.409 not use God for the answer. We tend to add spiritual 00:15:47.409 --> 00:15:50.250 language to our requests to go through God as 00:15:50.250 --> 00:15:52.870 if he were a little genie and we had to get the 00:15:52.870 --> 00:15:55.710 outcome that we want rather than going to God, 00:15:55.850 --> 00:16:00.009 period. This past October, my wife and I were 00:16:00.009 --> 00:16:03.850 in Nairobi, Kenya, when we received a call that 00:16:03.850 --> 00:16:07.710 our 23 -year -old daughter, who is at the university, 00:16:08.009 --> 00:16:11.850 Karina, was in the hospital ICU completely unable 00:16:11.850 --> 00:16:14.549 to use her legs or move anything from the waist 00:16:14.549 --> 00:16:17.840 down. You can imagine our distress and our longing 00:16:17.840 --> 00:16:20.539 for God's work and healing in her body. We flew 00:16:20.539 --> 00:16:23.299 to the U .S. where she was. It was devastating 00:16:23.299 --> 00:16:26.159 to walk to that hospital room. She was paralyzed 00:16:26.159 --> 00:16:30.240 from the waist down. We spent 30 days in the 00:16:30.240 --> 00:16:32.320 hospital with her. We cried out to God to heal 00:16:32.320 --> 00:16:36.840 our daughter, just fix her. We eventually had 00:16:36.840 --> 00:16:39.500 to come face to face that we were more interested 00:16:39.500 --> 00:16:43.039 in what God would do with our daughter than his 00:16:43.039 --> 00:16:46.009 promised presence and comfort. In the situation. 00:16:47.389 --> 00:16:51.450 So often we use God to get the outcomes we hope 00:16:51.450 --> 00:16:56.149 for. But following Jesus means we get God. We 00:16:56.149 --> 00:16:58.529 get his comfort and presence in the middle of 00:16:58.529 --> 00:17:02.559 the worst circumstances or nightmares. But so 00:17:02.559 --> 00:17:04.579 often we don't value the presence of God. We 00:17:04.579 --> 00:17:07.339 just need him to fix our situation. Isaiah 43 00:17:07.339 --> 00:17:10.559 says, Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have 00:17:10.559 --> 00:17:13.539 called you by name. You are mine. When you pass 00:17:13.539 --> 00:17:16.019 through the waters, I will be with you. And through 00:17:16.019 --> 00:17:17.940 the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you. When 00:17:17.940 --> 00:17:21.079 you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned. 00:17:21.220 --> 00:17:23.640 And the flame shall not consume you. For I am 00:17:23.640 --> 00:17:25.900 the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your 00:17:25.900 --> 00:17:31.890 Savior. And our response is, I don't need your 00:17:31.890 --> 00:17:34.029 presence, God. How about you take some of that 00:17:34.029 --> 00:17:36.829 water and put out the fire? God, I just need 00:17:36.829 --> 00:17:40.349 you to get me out of pain or come through with 00:17:40.349 --> 00:17:43.390 me when we are asking. Come through what I'm 00:17:43.390 --> 00:17:46.509 asking you. Please make my daughter walk again. 00:17:48.470 --> 00:17:53.869 So the invitation, can I trust the Father with 00:17:53.869 --> 00:17:57.670 his presence even when the ground is shaking 00:17:57.670 --> 00:17:59.990 beneath our feet as it did this week in Bangkok? 00:18:00.839 --> 00:18:03.880 Can I experience his comfort, his presence in 00:18:03.880 --> 00:18:06.680 the midst of my pain instead of demanding that 00:18:06.680 --> 00:18:12.420 he fix my situation? So as we return to the upper 00:18:12.420 --> 00:18:15.000 room in the midst of transition in John 14 verse 00:18:15.000 --> 00:18:19.940 27, Jesus says, peace I leave you. My peace I 00:18:19.940 --> 00:18:23.099 give to you, not as the world gives do I give 00:18:23.099 --> 00:18:27.660 it to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither 00:18:27.660 --> 00:18:31.049 let them be afraid. In the midst of transition, 00:18:31.309 --> 00:18:37.430 fear and anxiety, can I trust the Father? Not 00:18:37.430 --> 00:18:41.450 to fix or get the outcomes I want, but to experience 00:18:41.450 --> 00:18:45.630 His peace, presence, and comfort. So as we close, 00:18:45.970 --> 00:18:48.789 I just want to give a charge to Pastor Pablo 00:18:48.789 --> 00:18:51.609 and to each of you. It has been a privilege to 00:18:51.609 --> 00:18:54.109 Pastor Pablo. It has been a privilege to sit 00:18:54.109 --> 00:18:57.460 under your teaching. Pastor Pablo, one of the 00:18:57.460 --> 00:19:00.099 things I appreciate the most about you is your 00:19:00.099 --> 00:19:03.799 compassion. I also appreciate not only your heart, 00:19:03.980 --> 00:19:09.519 that people know about God, but that your heart, 00:19:09.559 --> 00:19:13.039 that people actually know God. You create a space 00:19:13.039 --> 00:19:17.460 for people to share their hearts as you share 00:19:17.460 --> 00:19:20.400 your heart. And you set the stage for God to 00:19:20.400 --> 00:19:24.579 do His work. One of the biggest things the enemy 00:19:24.579 --> 00:19:28.279 could do to derail you, It's to attack your identity. 00:19:29.400 --> 00:19:37.180 To attack your identity. To invite you to live 00:19:37.180 --> 00:19:41.259 for significance rather than from significance. 00:19:41.720 --> 00:19:44.680 To live for these banners rather than live from 00:19:44.680 --> 00:19:47.720 these banners. These things that God has already 00:19:47.720 --> 00:19:51.250 named you. My prayer for you, Pastor Pablo, will 00:19:51.250 --> 00:19:53.869 be to stand under these banners, trusting the 00:19:53.869 --> 00:19:57.529 Father with who he says you are as you lead ECB. 00:19:59.970 --> 00:20:02.670 To Pastor Pablo, the elders and ministry leaders 00:20:02.670 --> 00:20:05.710 at ECB, in just a few chapters after John 14, 00:20:05.750 --> 00:20:07.789 we come to John 17, where Jesus is now in the 00:20:07.789 --> 00:20:11.289 Garden of Gethsemane. In John 17, Jesus gives 00:20:11.289 --> 00:20:14.799 us his prayer. And it says, this is right before 00:20:14.799 --> 00:20:17.380 he goes to the cross, it says, to the glory that 00:20:17.380 --> 00:20:19.619 you have given me, I have given to them that 00:20:19.619 --> 00:20:22.920 they may be one even as you are one. I in them 00:20:22.920 --> 00:20:24.940 and you in me that they may become perfectly 00:20:24.940 --> 00:20:27.859 one so that the world may know that you sent 00:20:27.859 --> 00:20:32.619 me and love them even as you loved me. One of 00:20:32.619 --> 00:20:35.519 Jesus' greatest prayers for us is our ability 00:20:35.519 --> 00:20:38.819 to relate to one another as the Trinity relates 00:20:38.819 --> 00:20:42.359 to one another to put his love on display. What 00:20:42.359 --> 00:20:44.680 God wants to transform in us is greater than 00:20:44.680 --> 00:20:47.500 we've ever imagined. He wants to transform the 00:20:47.500 --> 00:20:51.019 very way we relate. So for those of you on church 00:20:51.019 --> 00:20:54.660 leadership working together and hoping for what 00:20:54.660 --> 00:20:57.380 God will do here at ECB, I would encourage you 00:20:57.380 --> 00:21:01.460 not to turn your desire for ECB into goals. As 00:21:01.460 --> 00:21:03.079 soon as you start seeing each other as assets 00:21:03.079 --> 00:21:05.559 or obstacles to the success of the mission, you 00:21:05.559 --> 00:21:08.240 won't walk with each other and love each other 00:21:08.240 --> 00:21:11.359 and relate to each other like the Father, Son, 00:21:11.829 --> 00:21:14.650 and Holy Spirit relate. And just to clarify, 00:21:14.769 --> 00:21:16.730 this is not about avoiding conflict or living 00:21:16.730 --> 00:21:19.509 without rupture in relationship. There will be 00:21:19.509 --> 00:21:22.710 rupture. The question is that can we trust the 00:21:22.710 --> 00:21:25.630 Father and receive the gifts of repentance and 00:21:25.630 --> 00:21:28.630 forgiveness to move towards that repair? How 00:21:28.630 --> 00:21:30.950 things progress here at ECB matter and how you 00:21:30.950 --> 00:21:33.109 care for each other and love each other in the 00:21:33.109 --> 00:21:35.710 process says a lot about what God is doing in 00:21:35.710 --> 00:21:38.390 your hearts and lives. May you never replace 00:21:38.390 --> 00:21:42.279 what the Spirit is doing at ECB. with strategies 00:21:42.279 --> 00:21:46.180 and goals. To the congregation, you are in a 00:21:46.180 --> 00:21:49.980 season of transition. There will be a new season. 00:21:50.599 --> 00:21:53.160 There will be new systems here at ECB. There 00:21:53.160 --> 00:21:56.200 will be changes. When you experience pain in 00:21:56.200 --> 00:21:58.759 those changes, may your heart not move to getting 00:21:58.759 --> 00:22:01.279 stuck in statements about the way it used to 00:22:01.279 --> 00:22:04.599 be, but may you surrender that space in your 00:22:04.599 --> 00:22:06.920 heart to the Father and bow on your knee as a 00:22:06.920 --> 00:22:09.240 receiver of life where the source of life comes 00:22:09.240 --> 00:22:12.529 from, God himself. My prayer for you is that 00:22:12.529 --> 00:22:15.390 you can trust what God says about you, that you 00:22:15.390 --> 00:22:18.069 are his and that you will experience his presence 00:22:18.069 --> 00:22:21.470 and love in the midst of transition, and that 00:22:21.470 --> 00:22:24.769 you will actually have the capacity to be present 00:22:24.769 --> 00:22:28.970 with each other and to love well. And finally, 00:22:28.970 --> 00:22:31.690 to the children and teens at ECB on this Family 00:22:31.690 --> 00:22:33.789 Sunday, do you know that you are not created 00:22:33.789 --> 00:22:36.430 to be perfect? You don't have to perfectly play 00:22:36.430 --> 00:22:38.630 the violin, piano, and be on the swim team by 00:22:38.630 --> 00:22:42.299 the second grade. You will face struggle, but 00:22:42.299 --> 00:22:46.140 in your struggle, you are created worthy of love 00:22:46.140 --> 00:22:49.480 and belonging. My prayer for you is that while 00:22:49.480 --> 00:22:52.000 you are here at ECB, you will have curiosity 00:22:52.000 --> 00:22:55.640 and courage to explore the wonderful uniquenesses 00:22:55.640 --> 00:22:59.940 of how God made you and be reminded of his great 00:22:59.940 --> 00:23:04.559 love for you. And to those who don't know this 00:23:04.559 --> 00:23:08.279 Jesus, the one who can offer such peace. Jesus, 00:23:08.299 --> 00:23:10.500 the one who says in the midst of all your mess, 00:23:10.799 --> 00:23:14.299 in the midst of all your dysfunction, I'm staying. 00:23:14.960 --> 00:23:17.240 When everybody else leaves the room, I'm not 00:23:17.240 --> 00:23:20.160 going anywhere. I am staying. I have come that 00:23:20.160 --> 00:23:23.920 you may have life. My prayer for you is that 00:23:23.920 --> 00:23:26.680 you will talk to someone today to get to know 00:23:26.680 --> 00:23:30.880 the one named Jesus who knows how to love perfectly. 00:23:31.440 --> 00:23:35.359 Let's pray. We thank you, Lord, for your gift 00:23:35.359 --> 00:23:37.880 on the cross, that you took all of our sin and 00:23:37.880 --> 00:23:41.440 gave us all of your righteousness. We thank you 00:23:41.440 --> 00:23:43.740 that there is nothing that can separate us from 00:23:43.740 --> 00:23:47.000 your love. We thank you for Pastor Rene's leadership 00:23:47.000 --> 00:23:49.579 over these past years, and we thank you for Pastor 00:23:49.579 --> 00:23:51.759 Pablo being willing to step into the role as 00:23:51.759 --> 00:23:55.180 lead pastor at ECB. We pray that you will bless 00:23:55.180 --> 00:23:58.660 him and his family in this role. We pray, most 00:23:58.660 --> 00:24:01.140 importantly, that you will give him faith. And 00:24:01.140 --> 00:24:04.359 all of us... who believe in you, faith to trust 00:24:04.359 --> 00:24:07.819 you that with who you already say we are, deeply 00:24:07.819 --> 00:24:10.960 loved, significant, delighted in, in your hands, 00:24:11.079 --> 00:24:13.819 and on our worst day, we are wrapped in your 00:24:13.819 --> 00:24:16.519 robe of righteousness. In the wonderful name 00:24:16.519 --> 00:24:25.880 of Jesus, amen. Thank you for tuning in to the 00:24:25.880 --> 00:24:30.299 ECB Sermon Podcast. Whether near or far, if you 00:24:30.299 --> 00:24:33.539 are looking for community or are in need of prayer, 00:24:33.859 --> 00:24:37.079 we welcome you to engage by sending us an email 00:24:37.079 --> 00:24:42.460 to office at ecb .asia. If God is calling you 00:24:42.460 --> 00:24:45.180 to support our ministries, you will find giving 00:24:45.180 --> 00:24:49.000 options on our website. And remember to join 00:24:49.000 --> 00:24:51.059 us next week. God bless you.