9/5/2021 | Trinity UCC Sermon Only | Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III

0:13 Let us take this moment and go to the Lord in prayer at this time. Search us, O God, and know our hearts. Try us and see if there is any destructive way in us. When you discover what does not belong, it is our request that you will take it away from us and cast it into the sea of forgetfulness as far as the east is from the west, that it may never return again. we are thankful for your love. We are thankful for your grace and for your mercy.

0:54 I ask, O God, that you will allow your word to go forth and not return void. Utilize this moment. Use me in spite of me. And place grace and mercy next to me. And allow your anointing oil to flow. Just as it flowed upon Aaron's beard. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight. O Lord, you are my strength. and you are certainly my redeemer. Holy Spirit, do thy will, do thy will. Holy Spirit, in the mighty, magnificent, awesome, majestic, powerful, and saving name of Jesus, who is the Christ, we pray. And the people of God who love God may say, Amen. I would invite you, if you have your Bibles with you, or you just have your phone with you, I would invite you to turn with me to Exodus chapter 20, beginning with verse 11, and we'll be going to verse 17.

2:08 Exodus chapter 20, verse 11 through 17. And it reads this way from the New International Version and a portion of the New Revised Standard Version, beginning with verse 11. We have verse 12 printed, but we're going to start with verse 11. And it reads this way, For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Honor your father and your mother so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. You shall not murder.

3:07 You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. you shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his male or female servants, his ox or donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor. Another translation is don't get jealous of your neighbor. don't sit around wanting everything that your neighbor has. Whatever is in their household, whatever they may have, don't sit around thinking you ain't got enough. May the Lord add a blessing to the reading and hearing of God's holy word.

4:08 You may be seated in the presence of the Most High God. We want to put a tag here on this text that we are looking at. And we're continuing in a series. We're in a series just entitled the Sabbath series, that we are looking at the implications of the Sabbath. We started last week just looking at this idea of the Sabbath and the power of resting and why God works six days and then says you must rest, And that there is resistance in this idea of holding on to the Sabbath and practicing the Sabbath. And I've been really intrigued and blessed by this word, looking at the commandments. I was sharing with Monica that I've done Bible study on the commandments, but not preached, not preached specifically in and around the Sabbath and found that there's so much that is rich in reference to our growth, in reference to who we are and how we are to grow and develop as people in Christ.

5:24 And as I was studying and praying, there is a revelation that came looking at this word that I believe is for everyone, that will set you free of so many different things that weigh us down. And this particular revelation is as simple, but yet it is powerful, that I want you to know that what God is saying within this text is something very simple, is this, that you are enough. That you are enough. The you that God has orchestrated you to be is enough. You are by no means finished growing. We are by no means complete. That God is still writing chapters in our experience and in our lives.

6:23 but it is important for you to know that you are enough. As a matter of fact, with your mask on, I'm going to ask that you just simply say, I am enough. Just turn to your neighbor and say, I am enough. You need to write that down in your spirit, put it in your journal, in your prayer journal, and remind yourself that you are enough. There is no person, I'm here to let you know, this may mess some of you up, there is no person that will make you complete. Now, now somebody may compliment you. Somebody may bless you, but, but nobody's going to make you complete because to say that somebody makes you complete is literally to spit in the face of God. Because you're saying to God that, that even though you knew me before I was formed in my mother's womb, I'm not complete. You, you didn't complete me. You didn't finish fashioning me. You did not complete all that you needed to do, and therefore, I have to find somebody to complete what you didn't do. But I'm here to let you know that you're complete and that you are enough. You were born complete. There was no job that can give you peace. There was no house or city that will give you what you are missing. The revelation you must know is that you are enough. You have all the tools to live out an intentional life. You are enough. Now please do not mistake goals and achievement with acceptance. We all have goals, but a failure to accept who you are and become comfortable with yourself will turn every goal into a meaningless endeavor.

8:22 You need to understand the magnificence of your birth. That really you should not be here. Based upon even how science looks at birth, it is a miracle that anybody is born. It is an utter miracle that percentage-wise, all that it took for you to be fashioned, to come into this world and to exist, that literally there was so much conspiring against us, but yet you are here. And we live in a society of ever-increasing dissatisfaction where we are always searching for internal peace through some external means. We are captured, I like to put it this way, Kevin, by the algorithm of spiritual decay.

9:18 You know what we do. We're in this time period, in this nation, in this world. And some of us do it. Some of us online are doing it. Some of us may be doing it right now in service. You get caught into the rabbit hole of social media. You just scrolling, scrolling, scrolling, you on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and before you know it, an hour has passed. Looking at absolutely nothing.

9:52 Always looking for something because there is a hunger. And what we cannot be provided by a corporation in the Silicon Valley or purchased by a luxury brand, it begins with understanding that God through Christ has already claimed us as enough. See, one must understand the purpose of the Sabbath. That is what I'm so fascinated by. It is a book by Walter Brueggemann called Sabbath as Resistance that has taken my spirit. And that Sabbath, Brueggemann says, is distinctly a Jewish art form that we as dislocated people of faith living in America, we have lost because we don't know how to Sabbath. Now, some of you are thinking that, well, I'll go to church. No, I'm not talking about just going to church. I'm talking about knowing how to Sabbath. You see, we spend so much time, many of us, especially in America, arguing legalism about when the Sabbath is, not realizing that Sabbath in the Jewish tradition is a practice.

11:03 It means I got to let go of some stuff that I can't spend time with the anxiety of what society tells me, that they literally, in the Jewish tradition, if you call a rabbi on the Sabbath, they're not going to answer because they can't answer the phone. Because they will tell you that I've got to have some time where the world doesn't infringe on my centering moments to be with God. You see, rules, we are so focused on rules. And rules are nothing without a relationship, and rules never create a relationship. We think Sabbath is about a day because we are always reading through fundamentalist eyes, and America is a fundamentalist nation. And I'm not just talking religiously.

12:00 I'm talking about the fact that we are always reading things literally, And the fact is, as human beings, that we must always learn the fact that if you are going to engage God, that you cannot limit God by a literal meaning that God is sovereign and is always beyond what we can completely comprehend. But scripture points to how we are to be in relationship with God. And so the Sabbath is an exploration. It is an invitation. an invitation to an art form of a bold testimony to resist prevailing values that exhaust and eventually break the human spirit. That we are now in a moment where there is always a ring, a ding, a new post, and something that is always drawing your attention away. That we don't even know how to truly Sabbath and say put some things away so that you can center on God, that now neurologists are saying that our brain chemistry is being changed because we spend so much time in front of screens that literally we have withdrawal. Matter of fact, you know what, just try not to check your phone for like two hours.

13:27 See what happens. You're worried you're going to miss something. You're worried that, you know, if you hear a ding, that means that somebody called, what did they say? And 90% of the time, it's not anything that you need to check out. And so by resting, the Sabbath says that I choose myself, my sanity and my health over the fleeting demands of the world bent on using my labor, but never seen the dignity of the laborer. The Sabbath rest is revolutionary in a world that hates anything slow. We like everything immediate. That's why we got drive-thrus. But have you ever noticed that when you're hungry and you go through a drive-thru, I don't know, maybe it's just me. You get stuff in the drive-thru, then you eat it in the car.

14:23 I don't know about you, I eat it in the car. And you still never feel satisfied because it's not really touching that which you truly desire. But if you really want to have a meal that blesses your spirit, it usually has to be a slow meal. Like Thanksgiving. Like Thanksgiving meal takes all day and you anticipate the time. But it's the process for some who are preparing the meal, the fellowship of the meal. And here is the thing. At Thanksgiving, you want the same thing you've had for the last 20-something years. You don't want nothing new on the menu. As a matter of fact, you don't even want to sit in a different seat. Because if you sit in a different seat, the food don't taste right because you've been in that seat for so many years.

15:24 Then after you eat the food, you have a conversation, then what do you do? You take a nap. all that time and all of a sudden you have the same thing you've been eating all of these years but the satisfaction is different because there's a slowness to it there's a sabbath practice to it that allows us to enjoy the food because it's more than just the food it's also who prepared the food it's a history behind the food you know grandma used to make these rolls and and people start talking about the roles and and you got memories of the roles in your mind or the sweet potatoes and and and they call you know sweet potatoes and the greens and the smells begin to bring back memory and so all of a sudden it does something to your spirit and when you sit down and then you pray and then you laugh and you have a good time because it takes time you can't go through a drive-through and get what you experience in that moment because for one moment we have learned how to Sabbath.

16:37 We've learned how to rest. Sabbath is about learning self-worth again. When we live by the values of this world, we drown out God's whisper in our spirit and we do damage to our heart. that when we are so preoccupied by this world, we will even do damage to our children. That there is a story that I heard that a sister was sharing that when she was small, she wanted to take dance lessons. She wanted to be a dancer. She just wanted to take dance lessons. And when she brought it up to her parents, her mother and her father, the first thing out of their mouth was, don't you know how much that costs? The second thing was, if you get dance lessons, don't you know that we've got these other bills that we have to pay? You're being selfish by wanting to dance.

17:39 Placing their anxieties on their child. And as a result, this sister had always wanted to dance, but when she got older, she realized she was doing the same thing to her own child, saying that if you want that, Don't you know what you're taking out of our mouth if you desire that? That's the anxiety of the world. But if you slow down enough, you learn how to rest and find out what's really important, you won't put your anxiety on another generation. Just because you're worried about your business, I get it. But don't necessarily place your anxieties on another child. Sabbath is this idea of resting. It's this idea of resting.

18:33 But here is the thing that I learned as we were reading in the scripture. You will see that it gives these commandments that yes, God rested. But you are to honor your mother and father. You are not to commit murder. That you shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. It gives all of these what we say are particular rules. But here is the thing. When you learn how to Sabbath. When you learn how to rest. it leads to release and how does it lead to release it means this that when you learn how to rest and that you are enough you don't have to spend time looking at what somebody else has in order to bolster what you think you don't have in your own spirit the first five commandments are about the relationship we have with God. And if you get your relationship with God right, then you can have the right relationship with other people.

19:29 So if you know that God is at the center of your life, then it becomes natural that you got to honor your mother and your father. And then you don't want to take somebody else's life or commodify sex in such a way that it becomes a transaction and then lie to someone in order for someone else to make think that you are better or bigger than you actually are. You see that the commandments are speaking about relationship, but it begins with a Sabbath that you can't understand honoring and having this idea until you learn how to rest in God. that Sabbath rest leads to release that I am secure that I'm not seeking to take your life I'm not seeking to lie because most of the time when people lie they are lying because they are trying to impress somebody else because there's something insecure in them so they have to lie in the process and so I don't have to do that because I've already rested in God and I'm not I'm enough already. So there's things that I don't have to do anymore because I've learned how to rest.

20:46 So all of those commandments are rooted in a wrestling spirit, an uneasy spirit. I have to take out somebody. Let me see if I can explain. I was so blessed. I've been listening to this podcast entitled The King of Crenshaw, the 30 for 30 podcast by ESPN. And The King of Crenshaw is a podcast about a powerful artist and activist by the name of Nipsey Hussle. And they have these interviews with Nipsey, and Nipsey said something that blew me away. And Nipsey said this. He said, because Nipsey was a part of the rolling 60s, Nipsey was in gang life. But he said that when he came out of gang life, he realized something. And he said that when you were sent on a mission by your crew, a mission means to take somebody out, to find somebody and beat them up or worse. He said you would pass by someone who was dressed a particular way and you knew that they were not someone you were looking for.

21:51 You would pass by someone of a different ethnic group. You knew that that was not the person you were looking for. He said, but then you saw somebody who was walking the way you walk, who was wearing particular colors. And this is what Nipsey said that blessed me. He said, I realized what we were doing was we were looking for somebody that looked like us. He then said, I was looking for myself, but I didn't realize it. So I was going to try and take out myself because there were things I didn't like about myself. But I did not have the consciousness, no, the spirit to understand the spirit that had taken over me, that I was going out looking for myself. And when people raise the question, what is happening in Chicago? that there is a spirit that has taken over many of our young people, that they are looking for themselves to take themselves out because they've yet learned how to rest in the security of actually who they are.

23:02 Because when you know who you are and whose you are, you don't go rolling through a neighborhood trying to take somebody out because you know I'm satisfied and I am enough. So Sabbath rest leads to release. It leads to the release of having to prove to you that I am okay. And see, when you rest, you also, when you get release, you also move to resistance. So now I'm... dear anymore but but i'm released but then i begin to resist because i refuse to be who you think i'm supposed to be so when you when you learn how to rest when you learn how to sabbath when you learn how to then enter into worship you then no longer are worried about what other people think about you. You completely missed what I said. That's what I love about African-American worship, especially those that have Pentecostal proclivities. There are some people that when the spirit hits, they don't care what you think. You can cut an eye all day long. But you see, there's a transaction going on. That's between me and my Savior. That ain't got nothing to do with you this is an a and b spiritual conversation you need to see your way out i'm not worried about what you think because i've already rested in the fact that my god said i'm enough and because god said i'm enough i've released myself from the anxieties that are saying that i'm not enough and now i resist anybody that tries to pigeonhole me because i'm fine just the way i am

25:11 You can say all day long, you oughta, you oughta, you oughta, I'm fine. You see, my name is Otis Moss III. I'm fine the way I am. I can't sing. There's a whole bunch of stuff I can't do. But I'm here to let you know I can do what I can do better than anybody else because I've rested and I'm satisfied with who I am. Because you've got to know you are enough. And is there anybody in here right now, do you know when you rest in God, that God will remind you that you are enough as who you are? You are enough.

25:55 Sabbath rest leads to release and that release will lead to resistance. Somebody say resistance. But here's the thing. Here's the final thing. And I'm done. I'm out of here. May the road rise to meet you and make sure that you register for next week. Amen. Praise God. That when you are in the midst of resistance, all of a sudden, Reverend Mark, then it moves you to acceptance. You see, when you learn how to rest in God, Now, eventually, all the stuff that the world is telling you you need in order to be a full human being, you realize, you know what? I'm all right. I'm good.

26:48 I love it when somebody says, no, I'm good. You do your thing, but I'm good. And there's something powerful in that colloquial phrase of saying I'm good. You see, because good is also a moral term. It doesn't say I'm perfect. It just says I'm good, meaning that God has already made me good. And I accept who I am. And I don't need your particular opinions because your opinions are not rooted in developing me. They're rooted in your anxiety and in your insecurity. and you are looking at me because when you look at me or someone else, you are trying to many times project on them some stuff that you're struggling with yourself and trying to put it on them. And so I am satisfied with who I am and I rest in who I am. There's a wonderful book by a person who's no longer living by the name of William Sell.

27:52 He wrote this book entitled Surviving the Stained Glass Jungle. And in this book, as a pastor, he wrote the stories of what it was like for him to become a pastor in Georgia. And he said that when he was young, he was always, every new church he started, whether he was a youth pastor or whether he was an associate pastor, he was always, always, always listening to the advice of church folks. and it almost drove him crazy because he then realized that it had nothing to do with me. He said the issues that they had were issues they had with themselves, but they were projecting those issues on me. And so one day, he had an experience where someone, he started a new church, he was working at this new church, and one of the elders who'd been there forever since Moses had been there.

28:51 And it was one of these people who, you know, were the pillars of the church in a particular way. Some of you understand what I'm saying. They've always been in church. They've always been in church. Says to Reverend Bill Sell, he's a young person. He says, you know what? I want you to know that, you know, you're too close to your wife. We need a preacher who has some distance from his wife. and he was so confused. He was trying to figure out, he said, have I done something? You know, he was young. He wanted to respect what his elder had until he realized that the person who was giving him the vice, it was all kind of hell going on in his household and he just wanted to make sure that somebody else could join him in the challenges that he was facing in his house. And he said, it took me some time but I finally realized that I had to accept myself and the moment that I accepted myself, then I could be a minister to God's people. The moment you accept who you are is the moment that you are able to do the ministry that God called you to.

29:58 Please understand that ministry is not behind a pulpit. Ministry has been given to everybody in this space and everyone who is online. And the moment you accept who you are, the moment that you learn how to rest, the moment that you release and that you resist is the moment that you are able to accept the person that you are. The day you realize that you are enough is the moment the enemy will run for cover and have to call in reinforcements. God through Christ has already claimed that you are enough so much so that God was willing to put God's life on the line when you are enough you don't need to prove anything to anybody you ain't got to cuss nobody out you are just satisfied in who you are you'll keep a smile on your face they cannot deter your spirit because you are not looking at what is in front of you you are always looking toward the hills and you know where your help comes from.

31:05 They don't come from the hills. They come from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. When you're enough, your taste for things changes. That no longer do you want to take some things into your spirit. When you know that you're enough, there are some people, because you now have the ability to see who is calling, you no longer are answering the calls because you don't have time to deal with toxic stuff in your life because I'm enough. I know I'm enough. I'm going to take my time. I'm going to be who I'm going to be. I'm going to rest in my God. My God has already blessed me. I'm enough. And there's somebody here that needs to know that you are enough the way you are, that when you rest in God, that you learn how to Sabbath, you will find out that God's going to release you from some things and release you from some relationships, release you from some institutions so that you can become the one that God wants you to be. Is there anyone in here that you can proclaim with authority that you are enough?

32:14 Is there anyone in this space? Can you open your mouth with a mask on and say, I am enough. I'm satisfied in God. I rest in God. I'm fine the way I am. I'm going to take my time and grow in God. I am enough. We have to learn how to Sabbath. And in the act of Sabbath, we then are able to release some things. So when, so when on Tuesday, this is Labor Day weekend, when you get on your Zoom, when you go back to work, when you're talking with your family, before you even do something, take some time to Sabbath and then enter into those conversations. It will change everything. The moment you learn how to Sabbath is the moment that it will change your outlook in life and change every relationship that you have.

33:29 Do you know you're enough? Do you know that God spent so much energy, so much time to bring you into existence? This is not cosmic coincidence. You are here for a purpose. and you have to discover the purpose that God specifically has for you. You're listening to this broadcast. It is not by happenstance, but God is speaking to you that you return to your Sabbath rest so that you can release and resist and accept who you are. Stop letting people who are insecure and anxious define your spiritual trajectory.

34:36 You're enough just the way you are. And there may be someone here today, online, or even in this space, that you, you want to learn how to rest and learn that you're enough just the way you are. The door is open to you at this moment. We welcome you at this moment. God is looking for you to make a decision that will change your life forever. We welcome you right now. The door is open to you. For you to build a relationship. A relationship that will change your life. A relationship with Jesus Christ. We welcome you. If you want to become a part of this community, we just ask that you just raise your hand right now. We invite you, praise God, for our brother right here.

35:37 Amen. Amen. I'm going to ask that you would greet our brother right here. Where are our deacons? Deacons, y'all want to help our brother? Y'all just step right over the stuff. There we go. There we go. There we go.

35:59 Amen. clean everything. I want to go with him when he comes. Now y'all just gave me a sermon illustration on that one. He had to step over some stuff. God is the joy and the strength of my life. But was ready to be a part of this new community. The door is open online for those who are in the United States, in the United Kingdom, in Canada, in South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, all across the globe. We welcome you right now. Those in Australia, what's going on, Jared? We welcome you. We praise God for you. We want you to learn how to Sabbath rest. The power of that rest and the power of that relationship when you rest, that you know that you are enough.

36:57 We welcome you. We welcome you right now. Amen. The door is open. The door is open to you. And we welcome you. I'm going to invite everyone to turn and reach your hand toward our brother at this moment. We thank God for you. We want you to know that you have made this step on this day. This commitment to be a part of this community and to accept Christ. And we simply say this, repeat after me, say welcome. to Trinity, greatest church, this side of the Jordan.

37:39 Amen. Praise God. I'm going to ask that you would take our brother and gather some information from him. We welcome you. Yes, thank you very much. And we thank God for those who are online at this moment as we prepare for our benediction. I want to offer a very special benediction as we depart. You will be directed as we depart by our ushers and our deacons. And please listen to them as we won't be lingering in fellowship. Because again, we want to make sure that everybody is safe, that you are safe, so that we'll be exiting out. But we just give God praise that you were able to be with us on this day. And that we had someone who joined to become a part of this worship experience today live. and folks who have joined who are virtual.

38:36 We would just praise God for the virtual community. Our last, get this y'all, let me tell y'all this. Our last new members class, we had somebody in our new members class who joined from London, who joined from London. I'm just telling you, it's so exciting. It really is what God is doing. but I want to offer this prayer this prayer, a portion of it comes from this book that I absolutely love John O'Donohue to bless the space between us he is a poet and he's a writer of prayers and prayers that are poetry and I praise God for his witness and these beautiful prayers that he writes and I give you the OM3 version of these prayers but I offer this to everyone who is here and those who are online I first begin as we always do when we close out the benediction by saying that may the peace of God be with you.

39:35 May the peace of God be with you and with you. And may no demonic force enter your household. May God place a head of protection around you.