Confusing Things Christians Say - Week 4 - The CORE - Pastor Mike Novotny
Confusing Things Christians Say
Week 4 - The CORE
Pastor Mike Novotny
Welcome back to week, 4 of “Confusing Things that Christians Say”. This is a series all about slowing down to figure out those kind of cryptic things that you hear in church, because if you don't understand it, you can't enjoy it and you can't apply it. So let's slow down, pause our busy weeks. Try to understand these teachings from the word of God.
Quick show of hands. How many of you in your life have ever counted your steps? Everyone has a Fitbit or Smartwatch or just tracked it on the health app on their phone. Feels like, so all the latest rage, the old pedometers that some of you might have remembered have evolved with technology and everyone seems to be counting their steps these days and you've ever done that before, you might know that the magical number of steps that every human should take. According to the experts is yeah, ten. Ten thousand steps. But it's actually not true. You know the 10,000-step rule came from a really, really smart Japanese marketer. Way back in the 1960s, this Japanese company was trying to release their pedometer and I'll show you a picture the Japanese character for 10,000 looks like that kind of a person walking, right? And so they kind of made up this theory, that 10,000 steps is what you need in 10,000. Just happen to be the name of their company and it caught on and people started thinking. I neither 10,000 steps to be the healthiest, physically, emotionally intellectually had a chance with you little bit of research and if my research is right, it turns out scientists say, if you get between seven and eight thousand steps, that is so good for your body and so good for your brain in a culture where the average person gets 5000 steps as we sit down for work and sit down at home and scrolling our phones. And most of us don't work the farm anymore, but sit in front of a screen. Whether it's 10,000 or 8000 or 7000, what we've learned over the years is that your steps matter
The God who created you created. You not to sit and stare. He created you to walk and two step. And if you want to live your best, most healthiest life, you want your body to function like it should your brain to fire, like it's intended to. It is important to count and be aware of your steps. Now, I've had an interesting because when you open the Bible you will quickly find out that one of the most common ways to talk, not about your physical life, but your spiritual life, Is a walk with God. I didn't know this that way before the word Christian or Christianity was ever mentioned in the bible way before terms, like discipleship or the spiritual disciplines were brought up the earliest descriptions of people who are connected to the true. God wasn't talked about his faith or Christianity. It was talked about as A walk. Some of you might remember with it, the story of Adam and Eve, God was walking in the garden in the cool of the day. And they hid instead of walking with their God, a few pages later, let me show you a guy named Enoch. The Bible says walked Faithfully with his God page later. There's this guy named Noah, you probably heard of built a big boat. It says, Noah walked Faithfully with God and the Lord appeared to Abraham, the father of the Jewish people. And he said I am God Almighty. Walk before me Faithfully in the Old Testament. The most common way to talk about a really good spiritual connection with God was a walk. And when God's people, the people of Israel, went astray the prophets spoke to them. And I said, what does God really want from you? And this was their answer. He wants you to walk humbly with your God.
And then, Jesus shows up who claims to be God walking on two legs. And he sees this guy named Matthew, and he sees Mary. And he sees Peter and James and John and he says, Follow me.
Which I think is just a two-word way of saying walk with God in the Old Testament and the new back in those days and even today, what God cares about so much is how you walk.
I was asking myself, why would that be out of all the things that God could have said all the metaphors, he could have chosen? Why? When you're thinking of your connection with Jesus thinking about your spiritual life, why would God want you to think about walking? I never thought about about that before. I'm not sure if you have, but today, I want to give you my answer up. I've learned that there are three connections between walking and Walking with God, that are maybe the most important questions that you could ask yourself in your spiritual life. So, it's not only teach you. What is walk with? God is three big things. If you're taking notes here at home, grab a pen and write this down.
Walking in general, or walking with God requires a direction.
It's the first big idea. I want to share with you today on a direction. So when you get to the end of your driveway, if you're going to take a walk U-turn and pick a direction. Doesn't matter if you're going this way or that way, that's what walking requires if I was up here on stage and the set of if I did this and you said, Pastor Mike, what are you doing? I would say I'm walking and you say yes, you are. If I would do this.
You say, what are you doing, Pastor? Mike I say I'm walking right now and you say, no, you're not. Even to see someone about that looks really goofy. You're embarrassing yourself because a walk is just a direction. And that makes so much sense, spiritually, because God cares about our direction, he cares, the path that we take the road that we are on spiritually every day you get up and there's all these choices that you can make. And if you're going to walk with God, it means you choose the direction that God is going. You choose the things of faith. Faith. You choose the commands that God has said and you choose the promises that he has made.
So, here's a big question for your Sunday. What? What direction is your life going in?
If I'd asked you like what's your final destination? All right, if I'm to walk towards that door, I took a direction. And I take some steps and I might not get to that door with the first step or the second, but every step brings me closer and closer to that destination. So it was a big question for you. What's the destination that determines your direction?
You don't ask most of young Americans like under 25, what the goal of their life is what their destination? You don't, they say two things. I'll be rich. I won't be famous.
I won't be an influencer. I want to make my own Tick, Tock Channel, I wanted to blow up. I want to find a job that pays the bills. I want to travel experience or whether one be rich. Won't be famous. They run after things that well might work forbid. But finding someone who's rich or famous and asking them if they've arrived at the peak of joy and peace and satisfaction with the direction that your life is going in is so so important. That's what Jesus, did 2,000 years ago. Spoke these words in Matthew chapter 6,
He said, do not worry saying, what shall we eat? Or what shall we drink? Or what shall we wear for the pagans? The people who don't know, the true God, the pagans run after all these things and your heavenly father knows that you need them. But seek first, God's kingdom and God's righteousness.
You notice the directional language. Jesus had some people so worried about what they were going to eat, what they were going to wear, and what the latest fashion is. They don't just walk in that direction they run after all those things. They're so passionate about what is temporary and not lasting. Jesus wants the 180 that way of thinking and say, no, no God knows what you need is going to take care of you instead. Seek first, the things that God says seek first, your king. Who is God seek first? The righteousness that comes through Jesus, that's what leads to Lasting peace and eternal life. There's actually I'm just thinking the other day, how passionate people get how passionate I sometimes get about really, really temporary things. Like fashion and sports and the latest shows. Did you see this movie? Did you see the show on Netflix? And if you happen to skip it a year from now, no one will be talking about that same show back when I was growing up in the 1980s wearing a fanny. The pack was super fashionable that nowadays if you down the street, my fanny pack you in trouble. People are going to judge you fast, but, but if you take that fanny pack and turn it into a crossbody bag, you are super fast. I asked my 15-year-old daughter. If I could wear a crossbody bag while I preached and just like unzip, a little bible out of and she said, dad know, you're not going to do that. All right, we're running after fashion. We gotta jump on Sheen and websites and go to the mall and find the latest things but it's so temporary a guy after the first service told me when I was a kid. Pastor Mike, we had a pet rock. They literally put a rock in a box and poked holes in it, and it became our pet. Who is the genius that marketed rocks? Children, right? But we run after the new season, the new game of fantasy football, the World Cup and it's all exciting for a moment sometimes. We pour our energy and our time and our money into it, but Jesus knows that you can run after those things but they're not going to help your heart in the end.
And so Jesus says, if you're going to walk in some direction, walk first towards God and his promises. If you go after God, it might not be the easiest path in life but you will discover something so profoundly beautiful. So comforting something that can get you through anything, you can find God himself,
Makes me think of my family's recent trip to Glacier National Park. Show of hands, how many of you have ever in the glacier before? Maybe 5% of who it is in. I did not give the state of Montana enough credit until I stepped foot in one of the most beautiful places. I think. In this entire country, I'm we parked at this, really popular hike. It was a couple miles long, and you'll the trail just goes in One Direction and I'm looking at it and it goes up. Right? So we're walking. We're stepping in, we're like a half mile and it's late June. So not all the snow had melted gets were trudging through snow. People are slipping and falling, it was tempting to turn around but then about halfway up the trail, guess what we saw. A goat but not just any goat a baby mountain goat. And you would have thought that the Lord Jesus Christ had returned on that mountain. Like people are pulling on Victor's snapping at this amazing site. And we keep walking and let me show you the best part. I'll show you a picture of my family, got to the end of this Trail, we get to this. Just a quick glacial Lake the crisp air. There's like Bears feeding Down Below in this big mountain that rises up above. I was so glad that we did Give up and change our Direction. I was so glad that we followed the simple signs that led to this destination. We could see it. The moment we stepped out of our car but we were stepping closer and closer to the most beautiful things we've ever seen in our lives.
I just want to tell you, that's what it's like to walk with God. To be a person of Faith who's seeking God. Not because it's easy. Not because trusting in Jesus' promises as simple or repenting of your sins isn't complicated. It's very tempting to sit down or turn around, get back in the car and drive somewhere more simple. But Jesus said that, if you walk this narrow road with him, you will end up with something way better than a mountain, you will end up with your maker. The one who made the mountain to reflect, just a bit of his Beauty. No one gets to heaven and wishes, they would have picked a different direction.
That first second will make you realize that heaven makes Montana look like a McDonald's. Parking lots To see the face of God will make baby goats look. Very uninteresting, right? God the god of love and power and Justice. I just want to tell you, you don't have to run after fame or beauty or fashion or money. You can live a simple humble life. No one might know your name but if you are going in God's direction as you follow Jesus, you are so close to the most beautiful destination that you can even imagine. Walk with God. Pick the direction that goes to the best destination. Number two, is that I was walking with God. Requires it requires action
All right. So God was in the direction of that camera and I pick the exact right direction. Then I stood here,
And you said, Pastor Mike, what are you doing? I'm walking. I've picked my direction. You say no, you're not, because gotta take a step, right? That's obviously implied in walking and that's how the Bible talks about the Christian faith. The Apostle Paul is talking about Temptation and the battle in all of our hearts. And he writes these words. So I say walk by the spirit, And you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. Since we live by the spirit, let us hear it is kept in step. With a Spirit.
So, with every decision you have to make, if you're a Christian, the Holy Spirit who you're walking with, he takes a step. In the direction of obedience or holiness. Or trusting. God's promises. And the Christian Life is essentially knowing where the spirit is stepping because, you know, your Bible and then following in faith and trust and holding this yourself When you could blow up and speak your mind or you could be patient, that's keeping in step with the spirit when you can live with the guilt and shame of things you've done or step into the Forgiveness, that is all yours because of Jesus. That's keeping in step with the spirit. I'm going to warn you. The spirit moves.
The spirit steps frequently and fast Spirit. Doesn't take breaks, doesn't sit down, doesn't take days off. Doesn't rest on the curb in the ways of sin, the spirit is moving in the direction of Holiness because he is the Holy Spirit.
It makes me think of the insanely fast women walkers in my wife's family. So my mother-in-law candy. I'm not sure. If you've met her, she's in her 70s now and she is like the fastest seven-year-old Walker you will ever meet. She walks every day and she moves fast. And she raced my wife was only 5 foot 3 to walk super fast. I'm about 6’2”, I got really long legs. I'm pretty athletic. I thought I'd have to wait for him. Those legs, just move. And now we have two daughters. So guess what we train them to do? We train them to believe in Jesus and Walk very fast, right? So mama, mama, we push. Those kids. Sorry. Years ago before my girl said, like stretched out and going through puberty, we're in Boston. We're trying to get to this restaurant. We could have just paid five bucks for an Uber, but we didn't throw walk-in. It's raining. There's big puddles. And one of the classic quotes in our family that we still repeat to this day is Kim and I remove him. One of the girls is keeping with us and others Lincoln behind and she says, but mom my little legs, like, come on, get it up here. Will leave you behind in Boston and you'll end up with a funny accent, right? So we gotta move, we gotta move, but now, Get this broken. Am I have gone through puberty this stretched out there taller than mom so guess who has a little as legs in the family? Boom. So now we're leaving him behind so now she's got to keep up with us, right? We move fast. Generationally but why do we do that? Because we want to get as fast as we can to the best destination. There's good food and we want to get there. There's a mountain that we want to see. We push our kids hard, not because we want to sabotage them or make them suffer, but because we know if they can move fast, they can see things that other people can't.
And this is exactly what the Holy Spirit does.
But there's some of that's going to happen to you today and he's gonna push you, he's going to take a big step. You might feel like your little legs can't keep up. He's not going to slow down because he wants what's best for you.
Someone's Really Gonna annoy you before this week is done, right? Love your kid. Like your brother might be a classmate, might be a teacher here. We tend to just sit down and stew and get snarky, but the holy spirit is going to take a couple of big steps toward patience. And kindness. Love is I want you to live with division and dysfunction in your home or your relationship. So he says, come on. Come on, keep up.
And some of you have really tender consciences, you're going to think about something you did or said you just going to sit down that just punish yourself Feeling. So unworthy of being a Christian Spirits going to move you say no no, no, this is a faith. That's about forgiveness, salvation, and cleansing a Jesus, who saved? You don't save yourself. You don't get to sit there and punish yourself for your sins because you have one who was punished for your sins in your place.
You're going to go with friends and a fantasy football. Draft people going to be having one drink too many. The spirits can take a big step towards sobriety? I don't know. I care more about this moment. I care about tomorrow and I care about the next day. I care about your self-control, I don't you chained by the bonds of addiction. Think about someone who's hurt you and your past. And the world would say you have every reason just tear them down and retell the story. But the spirit says, no, I don't want you to be bound by that bitterness, I want you to take a step and forgive that person in, in Jesus' name. It's step after step, after step, after step the Christian life is not just the direction of Heaven. One day we'll get there. It's about the daily choices. We make that God knows the best for our souls.
So here's the homework. I want to give you today. When you just sense like you're at one of those moments when you feel Temptation, we you just like, oh, I could say this. I want you to picture the Holy Spirit six feet in front of you.
Just looking back at you.
This is a better place to be. Don't let the devil convince you that that's standing or sitting down in a sinful habit. Is going to be good for you. In the end, it will not. It might be easier, it's not good for you. That's a lead us not into that Temptation. We pray to God. Deliver Us from Evil. Help us keep in step with your spirit.
Walking with God. Pick God's Direction. Take some Holy Spirit action.
This brings us to the last thing I want to share with you today is maybe the most obvious thing that I never thought about walking with God. Can you fill in this next blank by yourself? Implies God.
You can walk in general without God, but if you're walking with God, as the Bible frequently says, that means you are with God, I love this idea. The Bible doesn't talk about walking like towards God like he's the reward at the end of some big Marathon it talks about walking with God. Like, Forgiving strong. Wonderful savior is not just waiting until you do. All the work. He is with you to help you. Strengthen you to pick you up and carry you.
Forgive me for one last family, vacation story right Yellowstone with my family. We push hard this morning. Hike, we grab some lunch and it's just another epic place. We wanted to see it. We're going to hike past the grand prismatic if ever seen. That really weird multicolored thing to this like a hidden waterfall, we had packed a lunch, it was going to be so great but we're like a quarter of a mile in And my youngest kid hits the wall.
Right, her legs are dragging behind. I can see it on her face. She's asking me how far we got to go or not even close.
And so in love kind of get down on one knee and I Grab her around her shoulders and I see sweetie. I know you're tired.
But there are Grizzlies around here. What I said was hop on,
She looked at me, she jumped on all 100 pounds of her,
And I could just, I could hear the happiness in her voice as I started to step. And I don't know why to this day, but I started to count the steps. I was taking, I carried her from one step, and then two, and then 10 and the 20. Like, I got 200, and she starts laughing. She just did not expect someone to do the work for her, and her happiness starts to build, and build, and build. And I'm a pretty competitive guy. So then I started asking I wonder how long I could carry this kid, so I get to 100 steps and then 200 steps and then, three, and four, and five.
Five and six and seven. The Niner. I act like I'm gonna set her down in a thousand-mile 1001 1002. 1,100, 1,200 1,300 1,400 1,500, until I finally cashed out at 1000. I remember 1554 steps. I dropped my kid and my body. My 42 year, old body was totally wrecked for four days. And when I set her down, she was so happy. And she was so grateful, and we made it to the most amazing lunch under this beautiful waterfall chick. Couldn't do it by her own strength. Things like she has someone who loved her to carry her. And I think about that phrase walk with God, and that's what Jesus did. Just a billion times better. It wrecked his body, too But he walked with us to carry us.
You know that old Christian poem, maybe your grandma had in her wall footsteps over it. There's just one set of tracks in the sand, that's because we walk with the God who carries us, and we're just not strong enough, not good enough to make it to God. Jesus is the one who picks us up, throws us over his shoulders, and walks all the way to a cross. Where he makes us good enough for God.
I love this passage from the book of Peter, Peter says, Christ suffered. Once for sins. The righteous. That's Jesus for the unrighteous, that's us. Why? To bring you to God.
If you think of the Holy Spirit, just a thousand steps ahead of you. You might think I can't get there. I'm never going to be that good. I came to church too late. I've messed up too many times. If you see this as a walk to God, you might despair. But if instead friends, you see this as a walk with God, The God Who strengthens, you step-by-step and picks you up. When you fall who carries you, not 1,500 steps but all the way to the Gates of Heaven will, then just like my daughter, The Joy arises in your heart. Your excitement about Christianity builds,
But I got to say the older I get and the more people I meet I am so so grateful to be a Christian.
I talk to people from other belief systems and other religions and and all they are is a standard that is lightning fast that you can't keep up with be good, try harder fix it. The scales, the karma all it is is telling people like my daughter, come on or the grizzly. Bear of condemnation will get you Christianity is the only religion. It is so profoundly, beautiful. I hope you believe in it and never abandon. It says that there is a God who is so full of love and strength that he picks us up when we mess up carries us on his shoulders, even if it costs him everything, even if it cost him that,
And this is why I love, love, love this simple phrase from the front to back the Bible that you and I get to walk with God.
According to Rolling Stone, one of the 500 Greatest Songs in human history is by a rapper who's gone by many names. Kanye West is how I remember him. It's called Jesus Walks. Never heard this amazing song, Kanye is praying as he's rapping that God would show him the right way so that Kanye's feet wouldn't fail. But, there's this part in the chorus that always gets my attention. Kanye says that he's afraid to talk to God because of his wrongs. He's afraid to connect with God because he and God haven't spoken in so long.
Man, I wish Kanye was sitting here in the front row.
I think he's going to watch at home but if he does Kanye, I won't tell you this. You walk with God, you don't be afraid. None of us have to be afraid to talk to God, displayed our sins, and our failures, no matter how long it's been, we walk not to him, but with him. Why Christianity is the greatest message the world has ever known. That's why Walking with God, is maybe the best summary of it. So my brothers and sisters, Sons and Daughters, who are carried on the shoulders of Jesus. Let's walk.
