Tough & Tender - Week 7 - The CORE - Pastor Mike Novotny
Tough and Tender
Wk 7 - The CORE
Pastor Mike Novotny
Good morning and everyone happy Sunday, thanks for joining us for a week number seven of the sermon series “Tough and Tender”. Before we jump in today, it's awesome to be back after six Sundays of not being here, not being up on the stage really, made me appreciate what an incredible team of people we have here working downtown at the CORE, just quality of the services and the music. And the preaching is a pastor, some pastors, like, they are terrified to leave and they can't leave but have such an amazing team like, Pastor Michael to just knock it out of the park with Word of God is such a gift to me and I hope to you to my favorite moment.
Actually, before you clap, I want you to clap in a second is when I'm worshipping here and I'm sitting next to this couple one Sunday and I'd say hi to introduce myself and say, oh, we just, we just found this church and the people have been so nice to us and the music and the preaching. And then I realized halfway through the conversation, they didn't know who I was like, oh great. It's when you have new people coming in and they just love the community and the fellowship and the service is, that's not about any one person. It's about a team of people. So would you join me in thanking God for all the amazing people that make my job easier like Pastor Michael? All these clapping people are like 370 reasons why you should stay here at this church and not move to the Caribbean, but we are also praying for you.
Michael said, we spent six weeks covering the book of second Peter. Now, for the last two weeks of this series, let's tackle the little book called Jude. Imagine for a second that you and me, and all of us were gathered together at the best dinner party ever. I'm talking so much mouth-watering food, that there wasn't enough counter space to contain all of it. We had to put the desserts out in the garage. Someone brings a perfectly smoked brisket. It's right next to the fish tacos with a fresh mango salsa. There's a summer salad with strawberries picked, right? From the garden. Next to a heaping bowl of fresh mozzarella. There's the warm chocolate chip cookies stacked up on a plate right out of the oven stuck right next to the chocolate chip cheesecake.
Some of you will put two cookies and a slice of cheesecake in the middle. The food is like the best you've ever had. But there's something even better at this party, even better than the food. There's the people. You don't know what it is but you just click from the second. You step in the door. There's good people and warm people. People that let your guard down and help you relax, people that don't make you nervous, people who are so fun and funny that your face starts to hurt after a few minutes. You can't remember a better time. You have had it for years.
I try to be a good host. I duck downstairs to grab you your next drink, but as I'm down in the fridge is open. I smell something.
Something off.
Eggs. Gone bad.
And then my brain connects the dots. Gas. As I hear another roar of laughter in the party above me, I realize that there's a natural gas leak in the home where we're gathered. Which means I have to make a decision.
Crash the party. Or not. I don't want to scatter such a great time. I don't want to end the festivities. I don't want us all to run out to the street while the good food gets cold. I don't want to.
But I think you'd agree with me that I kind of have to
That's the phrase. I want to put it in your mind today. I don't want to But I kind of have to like have you ever been in a situation like that where you don't want to but you realize, you had to
Maybe it's that moment with you and your best friend and like you love her, but she's making some decisions that are not good for her, they're not good for anyone. And you don't want to have that, like, I love you, butts conversation. You'd rather just laugh and joke. Like, you normally do. You don't want to confront her for her behavior. But if you love her,
If you don't want to, You have to.
Are you dating someone or you're married to them? You don't want to have that like heart to heart define the relationship. Let's deal with some issue that's kind of growing and getting worse situation. You know, it's going to make an otherwise good night much more difficult. You don't want things to get serious. But a lot of you have been there, and you realize that if you care about the long-term future of this relationship, you don't want to but you kind of have to
Or parents or my parents had. Would you agree or not? That 42% of parenting is I don't want to but I kind of have to. I mean what Dad wants to turn the van around on the summer vacation? What mom really wants is to leave a full cart of groceries at the store so she can find a priest to like exorcise. the demon that has now possessed her little son's parents. We don't want to discipline our kids anymore than we want to change their diapers. We don't want to, but if we love them, we have to.
If you agree with all that you realize that there are times in life, where it's not comfortable and it's not easy, and it's not what we'd prefer. But sometimes if you're thinking down the road of the health of a friendship or relationship or a kid is is going to maturity, even if you don't want to have to, I want to tell you all that because it's important in your spiritual journey that you realize that sometimes Church,
It's like that too.
When I stand up here and look at you. When you sit out there you're watching at home and you're looking back at me. I think what both of us would want. Is the fun stuff of the Christian faith? And there's lots of it. Yeah, I want to talk about the greatness of God, the fact that he is right here with us and with his people, I want to gush to you about the Forgiveness of the Cross. The Fellowship of the Holy Spirit and the power of the mighty name of Jesus.
If you took the time to get dressed and maybe shower and drive all the way over here with the gas prices being with, I bet you want to hear that there is a God who knows you? And yet he loves you, a God who is for you and has plans for you. Doesn't matter what you're going through. Doesn't matter how much you weigh, or how smart you are. Like, there's a reason. God has you on this planet, a great purpose for your life that you can find and rejoice. And that's what you want. That's what I want. They don't want to come to church and hear some bible-thumper but you feel the Flames of the fires of hell and once they get yelled at and then give an offering and call it a Sunday? We don't, we don't want that.
But if I ever, smelled some spiritual threat in the air.
Go to switch the analogy if I ever knew that there was an active spiritual shooter in the building.
What would you want me to do?
Crack a joke and tell you more about Jesus.
Sometimes in this part of our life, just like all the other parts of our Lives, we might not want to But we agree that we have to
And that's really what the book of Jude is all about. Jude if you're not familiar is just this one chapter, a little book tucked away in your the end of the Bible right before the Book of Revelation Jude, it appears was written by the half brother of Jesus. Also, born of Mary, after Jesus was born, and Jude wanted to speak to his Christian friends and tell them all these great, great things about being a Christian, that's what he wanted. But at the end of the day, he ended up with a letter that wasn't maybe what he first wanted. But what he knew his friends needed.
We've been talking about tough and tender in the Bible. And if I had to summarize the book of Jude, and if you ever seen one of those like New York pastrami sandwiches with, like 10 inches of meat and two, little slices of bread, It's a book of Jude. A little tender in the beginning. Little. Last verse or two. And then just a tough sandwich to swallow. But you knew he had to. And that's what you're going to find out. Why? So if you have a Bible with you or just want to follow along with me on the street and listen to the opening words of the book of Jude, here's what he wanted.
He writes, Jude. A servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James to those who have been called who are loved in God. The father kept for Jesus Christ. Mercy. Peace and love be yours in abundance. Difference. He loves his people although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation, we shared. I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God's holy people. Gadget. I was so eager. I just wanted to write you a letter about the salvation that we share, Jesus, Save Me, Jesus saved you. That's why we have been called by God. The Father loves us so much. Why he's keeping us for heaven with Jesus Christ that I wanted to write a letter filled with mate, mercy and peace and love. That is yours through the name of Jesus in abundance. That's what I wanted to do.
But, Jude says, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith.
The word contend in the Greek language that Jude wrote in has the word agony in the midst of. It's like a wrestling match is going to be agonizing. It's gonna be like stepping into the Colosseum or a boxing ring or going to war or being a hard-working farmer. It's going to be hard. I need to tell you to content, agonize for the faith.
But not some Faith or just whatever you want to believe in the Christian faith. That Jesus handed to his Apostles that's been handed down to the audience of this day. It's like a treasure and someone's going to try to wrestle it away from you. I need to urge you to fight back. I need you to fight for what is historically and biblically, true. So someone didn't snatch this out of your hands before. It's too late, then That's what Jude’s letters all about.
It makes you wonder. Well, what was up?
What happened that made Jude write that? What is he saying to his dear friends? Hey, I wanted to talk about the good stuff, but I got to tell you to fight against these people who want to do bad stuff is happening over the answer to continues for.
Here's the explanation for certain individuals. Whose condemnation was written about long ago. I've secretly slipped in among You their ungodly people who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality, and they deny Jesus Christ, Our Only Sovereign and Lord that there were some people certain people who weren't just like out there in the world, or on the internet, instead, they had slipped in. He says, among you, there's people sitting next to you in church, there are voices that you are hearing within the walls of the church and they're telling you very, very dangerous things that can take away your faith. If you're watching at home or you're here, grab a pen and write this down here. The two dangers that Jude is so concerned about number one, These people say that Grace is a reason to sin. He says they pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality, free pass to do whatever you want. So, these people are saying that Jesus isn't really Lord. Quote, they deny Jesus Christ, Our Only Sovereign and Lord.
In other words, these people that secretly slipped in the church were saying, Hey, listen, if God is love If on the cross, Jesus didn't die for some of the sins. But all of the sins. If it's true that however much you send the grace of God has always got you covered, if it's not about you but undeserved love saves you in the end then
Why fight against temptation? Why not just sin? Whether you get drunk or not, Jesus forgives you with his Mercy in the morning. Why? Why not have a few
If there's no, like exception to the full forgiveness, that Jesus finds the cross. Why would you do the hard agonizing work of resisting. What do you find in your own heart?
And you can end up at this second thing he warned about why follow Jesus as Lord, if Jesus has laid out this path and it's a narrow difficult path to follow. Why not? Why not live your truth? Why not be your authentic self? Why deny part of your own heart to follow Jesus? If at the end of the day Jesus is going to bail you out anyway. The logic makes sense.
Being a Christian is beautiful, but it's hard. What if it didn't have to be some people said, What if you write your own story, make your own choices. Decide what's right or wrong for you? And at the end of the day, say, hey, I'm a Christian. And Jesus forgives.
You think there's anyone who might have slipped in the Christian church that says that today, too.
A few of, you know that every year I had the opportunity to go to a local Christian, High School and talk about a little book that I wrote concerning sexuality and Christianity. Really cool. The kids get to ask these anonymous questions to me. I kind of find out where they're at, and do my best to teach them. But there's actually something that I've noticed in the last I'd say three years in that class.
These are seniors in high school. Many of them have just been immersed in the grace of God through years of Christian education and Sunday services and Christian homes. But what I've noticed Question after question, after question, in growing amount in recent years, is the idea Well, if Jesus forgives.
Here's one. Anonymous question. I wrote down verbatim Someone asked me Pastor Mike, the Bible says, every sin is Forgiven So, doesn't that mean that an unrepentant gay person? Or an unrepentant straight person is still going to heaven if they're Christian.
Following the biblical plan for sexuality is no joke. It is very difficult whether you're straight or gay. So why bother if you end up in heaven because every sin is Forgiven, why? Why fight it
Doesn't just have to do with sexuality though, right? You can make the case for anything. Why honor your parents? Why follow the biblical plan for marriage? Why forgive the people who have hurt you? I love someone who's difficult to love. Why be generous with your mouth? Why do any of the hard things of the Christian faith? If If every sin is Forgiven,
Now.
I don't want to spend the rest of the sermon. Looking angry and stern and shouting at, you know,
I don't want to.
But maybe for some of you. I have to.
That's actually what Jude does.
Following verse for Jude goes on a 15 verse rant. It is a hyperlinked Old Testament story saturated on and on and on rambling, ish rant to make one single point. And the point is no Grace, does not replace repentance. No real followers of Jesus, don't really reject him as Lord. No, real Christians, they do care about their sins and their struggles. They do pick up their cross and follow Jesus. That's, that's to its point. Henry Dahl 15 verses of his letter together. Did you bring a helmet with you today?
All right, here's what he says, you might not recognize every reference in the story, but I hope you get the big idea. He says, verse 5.
Though, you already know this, I want to remind you that the Lord at one time. Delivered his people out of Egypt. His people. But later God destroyed. Those of his people who did not believe And the angels holy perfect angels. That God made the Angels who did not keep their positions of authority, but abandoned their proper dwelling. We call them demons. These God has kept in darkness bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great day. In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer, the punishment of Eternal fire in the very same way on the strength of their dreams. These ungodly people slipped into the church.
They pollute their own bodies, they reject Authority, and they Heap, abuse on Celestial beings. But even the Archangel Michael when he was disputing with the devil, about the body of Moses did not himself dare to condemn him for slander, but said, the Lord rebuke you. In other words, this is about what God says, not about what I think the Lord rebukes you. Yet these people, these false teachers, slander, whatever they do not understand the very things, they do understand by Instinct as rational animals. Do will destroy them. Woe to them. They've taken the way of Cain, they've rushed for profit into balaam's, are they have been destroyed and Korah's Rebellion. These people are blemishes at your love feasts eating with you without the slightest. Qualms, their sin doesn't bother them a bit. Shepherds who feed only themselves. They’re clouds without rain blowing along, by the wind autumn trees without fruit and uprooted twice dead, they're wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame. Wandering stars for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.
Enoch, the seventh from Adam prophesied about them. See the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts, they have committed in their ungodliness and of all the defiant words, ungodly, Sinners have spoken against him. It's people are grumblers, fault finders, they follow their own evil desires. They boast about themselves and flatter others for their own Advantage. But your friends, remember what the Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ? Foretold they said to you in the last times there will be scoffers who follow their own ungodly desires.
Because of the people who divide. Who follows me or natural instincts? I do not have a spirit.
Follow the theme. There's a lot in that tough message from Jude but I heard him say three times in just those closing words, they follow their own desires, they follow their own desires, they follow their natural instincts are not following Jesus that they're not repenting of their sins. They are following themselves and are doing what they want to do. And do you think they ended up? Okay. Could you live for themselves and yet somehow end up with him shooting us know.
Ask God's Old Testament people Israel. What happened when they turned their backs and didn't repent of their grumbling ways and ask the scorched Earth of Sodom and Gomorrah. What happens when people live their own truth sexually? I asked Cain, the son of Adam and Eve, whether God, cursed or Cora, who had no time for Moses is authority, whom God personally killed. You do you? And you end up without him.
It's a heavy message from Jude.
But what he's trying to say to you and to me is that living spiritually is a lot like living physically.
I need a deep breath right now. Maybe you do too to do this with me. Just breathe in really deeply.
Breathe It Out.
That's how you live, right?
All this oxygen in the air that your body needs to survive. So we breathe it in.
And then you know, we can't just keep breathing it in. We have to breathe something out right now because oxygen is what we need to live but because there's something we have to get out of us and that's what Judah says about faith. Is there enough of God's love and Jesus Grace, and they are to forgive you for everything. For sure, you could send a thousand more times than you do, and there would be enough forgiveness at the cross for you, we breathe it in. We love to
But if you never breathe out, your sin and repentance. If you never say I'm sorry, God. If you never feel the heaviness of wandering away from the Good Shepherd, Jesus, Can your soul live?
Can you just say, God is love Jesus, saves God, forgives.
No.
Does not have the Faith, the works. And anyone who has slipped into your life or your social media feed, or your family and convinced you that because of the Cross, or because of the big heart of God, you can hold your sin in and live with it that teaching will kill you.
True Christians are not perfect. Far from it. Real Christians are not fully obedient far from it. But the genuine Christians care about the Commandments of God. They do.
If you know what God says are not doing what God says and have zero plans to change your ways so that you can become What God Says. Are you a real Christian?
Are not people who have the holy spirit inside of them desire to follow Jesus. So if there is no desire in your heart to follow Jesus,
You don't have Jesus.
I don't want to ask this question, but I have to ask, are there any of you here today?
Then if you watching sitting at home, who are holding your breath,
But to be clear, I'm not talking to people who are struggling with sin,
You might feel like an F plus Christian today. You face-planted in your faith, you came in and there was so much you needed to confess. I'm not talking to you. That's real faith. Aren't even talking to those of you who are struggling so badly with the same that you're addicted to it, and you go back to it day after day after day, it doesn't seem like you're getting better but you just, you wish you could be different because you know, that's not what God wants. That's actually real Faith, too. There's some talking to you. And if you know, “But this is what God says.”
And you just don't care.
Is that you?
Are there any guys here today who are living and sleeping with their girlfriends who think that God's design for sexuality does not apply to them.
Do you think in Hebrews 13:4 where God says the marriage bed should be honored by all, for God, will judge the sexually immoral? Do you think?
Do you think you get a free pass from that? Just to test your compatibility and save a few bucks on rent.
Is there anyone here today who thinks good? Sexuality is defined by what you feel and desire by instinct.
Instead of what we find in the scriptures,
As if what your heart wants is, what defines goodness instead of what the heart of God wants.
Are there any husband's here today? Whose co-workers, and clients get more love, attention and affection than their own wives.
Feel like they always get the worst of you and the last of you.
Are there any wives here today whose husbands have forgotten what it feels like to be respected when they come home?
Many parents are step parents here today, who have used their anger to control children.
Such a twisted and abusive way that will scar the way they understand God as a Heavenly Father. Do you act all nice at church but behind closed doors, our kids know.
Are there any kids here today? Who think that because you're 15, you're 12, you're 18, that honor your father and mother is optional?
Any teens here today?
Maybe some will go to that Christian High School who party underage?
And you honestly think as long as you're not addicted or drive drunk that, it's cool with Jesus.
Are there any grown-ups here today, who are of age? Who think the same thing.
Is there anyone here today? Who is so Republican? That when they drive on the highway past those handmade signs in the farmer's field that mock and degrade the president you think it's funny. Because deep in your heart, you hate him.
The angels are not laughing.
Is there anyone here today who's actually bought the narrative? That it's your body?
Did you make it?
Did you actually believe this that that a couple, a woman, anyone gets to decide when life begins as if you are the Lord who creates life and decides it?
Is there anyone here? Who publicly on social media supports, the murder of children because if think it, you think it makes you compassionate towards grownups
There any pro-lifers here today? Who vote to defend life in the womb every single time and yet, when real humans are struggling with the real things that lead them to abortion. The fact is, you do nothing.
There's some of you who give more to feed your pets. Then you do to feed the poor.
There's some of you here today think that you can have a strong faith in Jesus without organized religion.
No Pastor, no community, no structure, no communion, but you're going to be fine, right? Because faith is a personal thing, never mind, the Old Testament, or the new, the apostles, or the prophets, all the books of the Bible.
Is anyone here holding their breath? Waiting for the service to be done, waiting for this episode to be over because you really, you know, what the preacher rants for a bit threatened you with hell, but you're still going to do it.
Some of, you know, I would much rather make a dumb joke standing up here. Then threaten you with hell. I don't want to
But for the sake of your soul, I have to. If you hold your breath and live for you and never repent, you might think you're good with God. You might think you're going to a better place, but on the day that you die, you will bang on the Gates of Heaven and Jesus himself will appear through the bars. And he will say, Do I know you?
I'm begging you to breathe today.
I'm trying to persuade you that whatever you're getting out of holding on to that sin. In the end, it is so small compared to the bigness of what God wants for you.
That's why Jude ends this section of his letter with these powerful words, he says. But you dear friends, there's a contrast by building yourself up in your Most Holy Faith and praying in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord, Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Be merciful to those who don't save others by snatching them from the fire to other show, Mercy mixed with fear hating, even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh. What's the answer in a world that tells us? Do you do, you do what you want? Follow your heart. You'll be fine. Write this down here. Jude’s response. He says no, you dear friends? Keep yourselves in God's love.
I love that the choice of words, you expect them to say keep yourself in God's truth. Don't like all of it. Instead he says no no no let's not forget that. The God who is truth? He's always loved.
The pastures might look greener somewhere else, you could wander away from him, like, sheep going astray, keep yourselves here because this God loves you so much.
The world out there cannot give you heaven. The world out there will run out of mercy and time for you. Not God. Keep yourself in God's love, pray about it. Build yourself up and remind your children of it. And I don't just say to those of you for whom this sermon was not really meant. If you are repentant, thank you, God. Thank you, God. If you honestly believe that denying your own heart to follow Jesus is worth it, say a prayer of thanks. That many people do not believe that. Thank you, God, for keeping me right here. Building me up in this Faith as I wait, for the mercy of Jesus Christ.
She looks forward to the future of the day when Jesus returns when everyone who had been holding their breath will experience instant regret. And those who have been struggling and fighting against sin and wondering maybe in the back of their minds, is this worth it will see the face of their glorious Savior and God and say every second So if your repentance keep repenting,
If you're not. It's not too late.
I wrote on the top of my sermon today, Mike Be strong and courageous.
And then I wrote in Spanish “palabras duras. Corazones Suarez”.
Hard words.
Soft hearts.
I pray that my words and choose words today as hard as they were, might create a soft repentant receptive heart. Follow Jesus as Lord and lives in his grace.
By God's crazy timing. Last Monday. I was at the produce section of my favorite grocery store. And I noticed the man next to the salad staring at me. He said “Pastor, you don't know me, but I want to show you something.
It's a middle-aged man pulls out his wallet. He opens it, he pulls out a piece of paper and he unfolds it and I notice it's a printed version of a sermon that I once preached on sexual purity. And I saw all over it, I couldn't read the words, but I saw his personal notes, and underlines and asterisks, he looked at me and his eyes, tears starting to fill his eyes. He said pastor, you said, As long as we're still fighting. Right. I'm still fighting.”
And I wanted to say to him in front of the salad, amen. Amen. I want to say that to you to you might be fighting. You might feel like you're losing, but if you are repentant, you are winning. The devil wants to have you to own you to get you to follow your own heart. If despite all the things inside of you, the desires and instincts that you find, you say, no. Jesus is worth it. You are winning. If you actually believe that giving up the pleasures and treasures of this world is worth it because Jesus has in store for you, eternal pleasures at his right hand and treasures that this world can't touch. You are winning if you're not holding your breath, but saying again today, God forgive me and breathing in His Amazing Grace. You're not losing, no matter how weak your faith seems you are winning. So, my dear friends, if you believe that, if today, you will join me in
And we all can take a deep breath.
Next Sunday, I don't have to say what I have to. I can say what you and I both want to and all of us with joy and grace in our hearts can get back to the party.
Let's pray.
God, we live in a culture that seems to honor you with their lips, but then they tell us always to follow our hearts.
They make such a big deal out of this life and our relationships in our romance, and our money and our bodies and everything. They just don't talk about what happens after this life. So, thank you, God, for opening our eyes to it. She said she once said, what sense does it make? If we get everything in this world, but we give up our soul. And so today, God, we thank you for the book of Jude. We thank you for the smelling salts. That snaps us back to what's real and what endures forever. I pray God that there's not a single soul listening sitting here today that runs from your truth. If there's anything that I've said that they have doubts about God made it, not run, but reach out and ask that as Jude says, we can show Mercy to such doubting and questions and we can save those who are so close to the fire. I got we want to be a church. The preaching is primarily the things we are for.
But your glory and your goodness God but never help us to become that at the expense of what we sometimes need to be a church, that is full of grace and truth. It is 200 proof. So please in ways, we can't see, just bless this message, bless your truth may have produced in us with those hard words. Some soft hearts that are always ready to receive the word of Jesus. He probably thinks it is a beautiful and worthy name, and all those here, who believe it join their voices. And they said, amen.
