Destroying Consumer Christianity

0:00 God, we picture you in heaven right now, sitting on your throne with all the angels worshiping you and Jesus there at your right hand, the Lamb who was slain and now is exalted above all things, high above all of us, and we've come here to worship him. we praise the name of Jesus we praise you Jesus because death has lost its sting we fear nothing in your presence we're scared of nothing because of you we've come here to worship you praise you Jesus hallelujah praise the name of Jesus we've come to adore you we've come to adore you You are so good Thank you Jesus For everything you've sacrificed Lord So we could come into the presence of God Almighty Exalt yourself in our lives tonight, God, however you want to do this.

1:11 Lead us, God. We don't want to be about our agenda. We want you to interrupt like you did 2,000 years ago. You just changed the status quo of everything. You changed everyone's understanding of God. I pray that you would do that tonight in this room. For your own glory's sake, fix all the wrong theology. that we have. God, some of us have been so tainted by the world. Some of us believe so many lies. Fix it in us, God. We want to know the truth about you, even if it's difficult, God. We want to know truth. Open our eyes, Lord. You are so good. So good.

2:11 We worship you tonight in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Amen. You can have a seat. Wow. I don't know about you, but I was just so looking forward to tonight, like just to praise, just to worship him. Like I was thinking, you know, like we haven't opened our presents at our house yet, and I got my wife a pretty cool gift this year. And so I'm excited about tomorrow morning, you know, for her to open the gift I have. You know, you ever do that? You know, some years it's just like, whatever, another shirt. But this year was like I really thought this through and took some time and went back to stores like a few times And I got something really cool that I know she's gonna like and so I look forward tomorrow morning like here It is honey, and she's just gonna be all over me. She's just be blown away. Like oh, yeah, it's gonna be great and I Was thinking You know That anticipation I have for tomorrow. Is that what you felt tonight?

3:21 night where you actually came with something for God. You know those times when you've really thought something through and you're going, God, I just want to, you know, to someone, another human being where you're going, man, I've been looking forward to giving you this. I've been thinking about it. I've been saving up and here it is. Like, do you come here with that type of mentality? See, because I did tonight. I was thinking, God, I can't wait. I can't wait to just, you know, I'm praising you right now, but I can't wait this night because I just want to pour it out and tell you how amazing you've been this year. You know, I just want to tell you how amazed I am right now that you actually left the glory of all of that. I'm going to join with my brothers and sisters, and tonight we're going to come in your presence. I'm just going to give you everything. Like that type of anticipation. You know, John and I were in this room about a week ago, and we were just here in the steps just praying for this.

4:23 And we were praying. This was my prayer as I'm walking around this room just going, God, what do you want? What do you want? Like, what do you want us to do this night on Christmas Eve? What would you like to happen in this room? And John and I were just praying, God, what do you want? What do you want to do in here? We want to just surrender whatever. You've got to understand, that's not normal church prayer. That's not the way pastors normally pray. That's not the way I've always prayed, because I used to think, what do you guys want? You know, as a pastor, you think, okay, what are the people going to want when they come in? What are they going to want? Let's give them what they want, because we want them to come back. But you've got to understand, like, that's not what we were thinking.

5:16 It's not that we don't care about you, but just not that much. You know, seriously. And it's actually the most loving thing we could do for you is to teach you to get over yourself a little bit and go, you know what, don't give me what I want. I don't come here so that you give me what I want. I come here because I want to please him. There's someone that's literally watching right now. And it's like, what does he desire? He desires for all of us, the whole church, to bring their gifts every time we gather. And just go, God, I've got something for the body. I've got something for everyone. I've got a gift for everybody. I want to bless everyone with this. I want to tell people how good you've been to me. And to come in the room and say, God, what is it that you want?

6:07 And the passage that came to mind as we were praying that other day, it's not really a Christmas passage, but it was Luke 7. Luke 7 was such a beautiful picture to me because there's a Jesus in the house of these Pharisees, these religious leaders, and as one of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table, and behold, a woman of the city who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.

7:05 And when the Pharisees who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, if this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she's a sinner. And Jesus answering said to him, Simon, I have something to say to you. And he answered, say a teacher. A certain money lender had two debtors. One owed 500 denarii and the other 50. When they could not pay, he canceled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more? Simon answered, the one I suppose for whom he canceled the larger debt. And he said to him, you have judged rightly. Then turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, you see this woman? I entered your house. You gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.

8:02 You gave me no kiss but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You didn't anoint my head with oil but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you her sins which are many are forgiven for she loved much but he who is forgiven loves little. And he said to her your sins are forgiven. And that's always been like one of the most beautiful pictures of worship to me, you know, because we live in a time where everyone's like so reserved, at least in our country, and especially in evangelical churches, like we're just so self-aware. Like, how do I look right now? who's looking at me?

8:55 Am I making a fool of myself? And I love that picture because this woman, she just comes into the room and she had her gift and she didn't care that all these religious leaders were here and all these who's who's. She came for Jesus. Then she falls at his feet and she's just crying. She's just crying. She's just sobbing. I mean, she's making a scene, but she's not trying to. She just can't control herself. She just runs and falls at his feet and starts crying. and his feet are just dripping wet because her tears are falling on his feet. And she's going, I'm sorry, sorry. She's grabbing her hair and washing his feet and pouring ointment. And everyone's just looking like, what is she doing? Man, I look at that picture and I go, man, I don't want to be one of those guys standing around going, what is she doing? I want to be that woman.

9:49 I want to be that person that comes in and say, God, I came and I brought you something because I know what I've done in my life and I know how badly I need your forgiveness. Man, when we sing joy to the world, I'm going joy to the world. God, I don't know what I would do without you. Man, I was by nature an object of wrath. I've done some things. I've hurt some people, this mind has thought some thoughts that are so wicked. And so Jesus, if you're in this room, I just want to fall on my face and worship you. And I don't care who's watching. I brought you a gift of worship, you know? And as I'm praying, going, God, what would you want? He wants all of us coming here tonight like that woman.

10:45 That's what he would love. You don't care who's sitting next to you. You don't care who else is in the room and what they think of you and how they view you. You're just so overwhelmed by him. You're still so blown away that you just want to fall on his face and worship him. You know, you think about those wise men that sought him out. You see, we have an opportunity. as I was thinking about what John and I were praying about last week. it hit me a couple nights ago. I woke up like four in the morning and with this thought like, we have an opportunity like right now. Our generation, we could be the ones starting now to put an end to this whole consumer mindset of church. Okay?

11:40 that we come to a Christmas Eve service or we come to a Sunday service or we come to any type of gathering and we critique and we walk away going, yeah, the sermon was all right. Yeah, the music was a little loud. Yeah, I don't really like that one song. Like, when did all that start? Seriously. When people would walk out of a room and go, yeah, I didn't like worship today. and think that's an okay thing to say.

12:15 Like, can we just kill that? Can we be the generation that says, you know what, who messed this thing up? I don't know when it started where we just started saying, hey, what do you guys want? What would you like? Oh, you didn't like it? We'll fix it next week. And go back to, I came, I don't care who's in the room, I came to pour out everything to Jesus. I didn't come here to receive from you. or someone on this stage or to critique the person on this stage, I came to adore him. You know, I can't picture those angels in heaven. It says, you know, day and night, they just stare at him and they never stop saying, holy, holy, holy. I can't picture those angels walking away going, man, worship wasn't that good today. You know? And our whole prayer, right, that we learned was, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

13:12 See, in heaven, God's not up there saying, okay, how can I entertain you during a worship service? In heaven, everyone's focusing on the throne and go, man, it's just amazing to be in your presence. What if we were the generation that actually got excited just to worship him again and actually showed up with a gift and said, God, I came just excited with this gift of thanksgiving, this gift of worship, this gift of encouragement to other people. What if we came tonight just saying, Jesus, it's so amazing that I get to come here and adore you. As I thought about what does he want? I think that's what he wants this Christmas. I think that's what he wants every day. That let's kill this whole consumer mindset because maybe you came honestly.

14:05 Just think it through. When you came tonight, were you thinking about giving or receiving? You don't have to say it out loud. I know it was receiving. No. I mean, honestly, like, it's weird how we start showing up expecting something for us at someone else's party. And it's the weirdest thing, but it's become normal in the church. And I'm just praying, may this be the year where we kill that. I mean, we're all about starting new trends here in San Francisco. What about the trend of worship and coming to worship rather than to consume? Wouldn't that be an amazing thing? Because the truth is, is when you come with that mentality, you leave more filled. That's why Jesus says it's more blessed to give than to receive.

15:05 And yet we come to these gatherings every week hoping to receive, receive, receive. I wonder if it's going to do it for me. And what if you came to give? Like, I bet you that woman who wasn't thinking, she just wanted to pour it. She must have left that room, the most fulfilled person in the room, when Jesus says, your sins are forgiven. She probably just went home, was even more excited. I can't believe Jesus just accepted me, and he just forgave me. That made her life. Because that's what happens when you come and you give. Let's go. I was praying about tonight and going, Lord, why? Why today? Seven hours ago, something happened. In fact, I'll put it on the screen. Seven hours ago... There's a...

16:01 My first grandchild, okay? And I'm sitting there. You guys thought it was my kid, huh? Because I look so stinking young. Thank you. But... Man, I'm thinking it wasn't that long ago that she was born. I feel like I can remember like everything. Like it just feels like yesterday. And so these thoughts, I'm going, God, I can't even imagine like how quickly life is going. So first I'm going, life is so fast. I remember her being born. and she can't be having a baby right now. This is impossible.

16:55 This is impossible. You guys know what I'm talking about. It's like, gosh, this is, and it just hit me like I'm nearing the end. You know, it's like I was picturing like a steak where you've eaten like three, four, you know, five cents. There's a few pieces left. You're going, man, I've consumed a lot. I've just got a couple bites more to enjoy. I mean, that's just what I'm thinking about life right now. me, Grandpa, that's crazy. That is so fast. Then the second thing I thought was, God, how could you be so good? Like, I was just across here. I just parked across the street getting ready for tonight, just praying, just crying, going, God, my life is impossible. You're telling me, you know, here's my daughter, Rachel, who's married, like, to one of my favorite people on earth, my son-in-law, who's an elder in our church, one of our pastors. I just love him to death. And now we've got this little baby girl, little Lily, little, you know, granddaughter. And it's like, gosh, everything that has worked so well, you know, with all of my children, how much I love them. And now with grandkids, I'm just going, God, this is an impossible life. This is an impossible life.

18:07 I'm just across the street going, God, this is impossible. I remember what I was like. I remember what I did to you. I remember all those horrible things and all those horrible thoughts when I knew better, God. And then you give me this and this. How can you be so good?

18:29 But then the last thought that came to me, and this was just so, this was the one that just took me over the top. It was not how fast. It was not how good. I just thought about that baby. And I thought about Scripture. how the Word became flesh and dwelt for a while among us. Can you go to the next slide? Give you a close-up so you can think this through, or the next picture. even as we were worshiping right now and John and I were praying even before service today I was thinking about Okay, the Bible says there's a God up there who dwells in unapproachable light, lightning, thunder, fire coming from his throne.

19:36 He spoke. He spoke. And universes appeared. and then it says that that God, it says in John 1, 1, in the beginning was the Word. That was all there was. In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning, and it says, through him all things were made. Without him nothing was made that has been made. So this God Almighty in heaven breathed all the stars, all the sun, everything you see, you, me, this voice, this mind, everything. He just spoke it into existence. This one being, and then it says that being became flesh.

20:38 Are you kidding me right now? Philippians 2 says that he emptied, so all of that power that created everything, boom, came into this little infant form. and I'm sitting there in my car going, God, how? How could there be that much power? How did you do that? How do you make yourself nothing and take the form of a man? You can turn that off.

21:18 I just... As we're praying, I'm thinking, okay, that God we were celebrating, you know, death, where's your sting? Our resurrected King has rendered you defeated. You know, all that power and how God raised him from the dead and exalted him far above all rule and authority. And yet somehow he became flesh and dwelt just for a little while on the earth. I go, how'd you do that? How did you do that?

21:58 How did all of that power become this little infant? And it just caused me to thank God. I'm sorry for ever doubting your power. If you can do that, what can't you do? I start thinking in this room. You know, I saw some people that were, um, have physical disabilities. I said, God, forgive me for disbelieving because according to my faith, I believe that you took all of that power and emptied yourself and became an infant. So if I believe that, then why would I doubt that you could heal?

23:00 It doesn't make any sense. I just got excited again going, God, no, you can do anything you want. You know, I've walked the streets here in San Francisco the first year or two I was here. I just was walking around the Tenderloin just trying to talk to people, help them get out of the mess they're in, you know? And drugs for years and everything else. And it got discouraging. You know, just when you think like someone's going to turn their light, boom, they go right back to everything else. and you can get to this point where you start to feel like hopeless. You know what I mean? And some of us have loved ones where you just feel like, oh, man, I feel like I get it. You know, and then you just start thinking, man, I try to explain things over and over the best I can. And even like amazing things will happen and nothing.

23:58 Man, I remember even when I first got into ministry, you know, I was like helping out like these college students. and I remember there's this one girl, Jen, and she was always partying and I just wanted her, you know, just to get her life together. And I remember one night, you know, we were kind of gathering as a church and Jen wasn't there. So I started walking around the block and just praying, God, wherever she is, right now, just get her attention. Just get her attention. I believe in you, God. I know you can get her attention.

24:29 You know, don't hear anything. The next morning I get a phone call from that girl. And she goes, friends, I got to tell you what happened last night. I'm like, what happened? She goes, I don't know. It was crazy. I was driving, and my foot got stuck on the gas pedal, and I ended up running into a house, and I ended up in their living room, and in the hospital. I'm in the hospital right now. And all night, I just kept thinking to myself, man, what if I would have died? What if I would have died? Would I have gone to heaven? Man, I don't know. I mean, why did this happen? Why does this happen? I'm like, I think I did that. You know, seriously, I was like, man, man, hear me out. Like, I seriously prayed last night that God would do whatever it took to get your attention. She's like, well, he did.

25:22 He did. He got my attention. All I'm thinking about is how do I get it right? How do I? I want to follow. I want to follow. I want to follow. I'm like, right on, right on, right on. that lasted for about a week. And then she went right back to her life. I'm like, come on. Like, what can he do? You ever feel that way? Like, man, I'm begging, I'm begging, I'm begging. Please, please, please, I want you to get it. Like, what more could he do for you? And for some of us, it's so frustrating, right? Because you come in and you're like, God's amazing. I just wouldn't do anything for him. I love him. I'm insanely in love with him. I'm obsessed with him. I don't get enough of him. I wake up in the morning. I'm like, oh, I can't believe I'm talking to you. I can't believe you listen to me.

26:16 I can't believe I pray, and I actually get to see the answers to that. And you come, and you worship, and yet there's so many people that you love, and you're like, they don't get it. no matter what happens. And the last passage I want to read is that passage from John that I was quoting from earlier, you know, where it says that in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Then in verse 14, it says the Word became flesh. But a few verses before that, it says this, the true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He, because this is Jesus, He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.

27:15 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. He says, so this is what happened. The light, Jesus, came into the world. But the world that he made didn't know him. And earlier in that passage, the world actually preferred darkness. It's like the light was coming to the world, but there's some people in the world, the Bible says, that actually prefer darkness. They don't want light to come in and expose what they've been doing.

28:07 And I was talking to some of my friends in the TL that live in SROs. They go, gosh, I just want all my windows blacked out, my doors just closed. I just don't want anyone to see me. I want to be in the darkness. And that's exactly what the Bible says, that the light came to the world, but the people are like, I don't want to be exposed. Turn that light off. Because when you turn the light off, suddenly I'm seeing all these things in my life. When the Bible started showing me the stuff that I was doing, it's uncomfortable. You go, man, I'm arrogant. Man, I wake up and I think about me. Like, that's not the way I was created. You know, I even came to church thinking about me. What am I going to get out of this? even when I come to gather to worship him I'm still about me like I want you to please me tonight I want you to give me a message you didn't have enough jokes you didn't have enough this you know you could have done showing a video the music could have been this this we're still about this is like the whole point he says all things were created by him and for him I was made for him. We were made for the creator. And when the light, the true light comes in, it exposes, man, I'm selfish. I just think about me. God changed me, fixed me, healed me. My prayer is, and John and I were praying this tonight, that maybe the lights would go on for some of you. You know, I texted him a picture of me at the hospital today you know a picture of my granddaughter you know he was just he says man the first thing i thought about he goes i just pictured that baby you know that was in darkness in the womb and she saw light for the first time like for the first time she was exposed to light and i thought i go man that's crazy because i was was going to teach out of John 1. I wasn't planning on it, but the whole thing was that there comes a time when we need to be born again. That's what he's talking about. It's like suddenly

30:19 the lights go on, and you realize, God, I'm not as good as I thought I was. You see, that's what the light shows you. It's like, oh man, I thought I was pretty good because I was comparing myself to my friends, you know? Or I thought I was pretty good because I would, you know, read stories about Hitler and I'd feel good about myself, you know? You know? I won't get into politics, but anyways, you know, you start feeling like pretty good because you compare yourself to other people. But suddenly the light goes on when he says, you know what, God?

31:00 I need to be forgiven. the Bible says that all of us have sinned. All of us. All of us. I don't care if you've never missed a church service and you memorized the whole Bible, you've sinned. Okay?

31:21 And we all have secrets in this room. And no one wants those secrets put up on that HD screen right there. all your thoughts, everything for us to watch tonight. We've got some gross secrets. Okay? God says that's why I came into this world. It's not for those who think they're so good that they deserve heaven, but it's like that woman we just studied, right, in Luke chapter 7, who just came in bawling her eyes out, crying at his feet, wiping his feet with her hair saying Jesus I've screwed up is there any way you'll forgive me and Jesus is using her as an example but a positive example saying see she gets it she didn't come in here thinking she was righteous she came in here realizing who she was and Jesus forgave her my prayer is that tonight you came to worship Jesus and for some of you you just came and you just want to pour out your heart not worrying what anyone thinks or anything else and my prayer is that, that tonight's a release for you that you get over yourself and you stop worrying about the way everyone else is looking at you and you be like that woman who just came to the feet of Jesus bawling her eyes out and wiping his feet with her hair. But then there's others, you, that maybe you go, man, I never got it.

33:03 I never understood the story of Jesus. Okay, so you're telling me that all of those dark sins, that's why Jesus came? Like he came to the earth to buy it? Jesus says, I didn't come to be served, but to serve and to give my life as a ransom for many. Jesus came down to actually pay for those crimes that we're so ashamed of. And for those who get it and don't come here saying, no, I'm a good person, I don't need Jesus. You know what? Fine. But for the rest of us, we get it. We need forgiveness. And God so loved the world. that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him will not perish, but have eternal life.

33:56 And so our prayer is that the light would go on tonight. And here's what I want to do. If the worship team could just kind of come back up there. I haven't totally planned this out. You know, Acts 17 says that God actually determines when everyone was going to be born and the exact places where they're going to live. And he says, so that they could feel their way towards him, Acts 17 says, and find him. That God actually orchestrated tonight. Isn't that crazy? I think he orchestrated that my first grandchild was going to be born this afternoon. It was all the timing.

34:53 He's like, you're going to teach about God becoming flesh? Let me just show you. And I don't think it was coincidence that he had me out there just crying, praying for some of you who maybe you just never got it. You just saw this as a church thing, a service you go to. I don't think it's coincidence that John and I have been hanging out and praying, and both of us have this heart that says, you know what? I love this guy. Those of you guys that go to this church with him, man, keep going here. I mean, there are very few pastors I trust that actually love Jesus. That's a sad thing to say, and I hope that doesn't sound cynical or judgmental. I'm just saying, I love this guy because I believe he loves Jesus. And so I love hanging out with him, you know? Yeah.

35:48 And I don't think it's a coincidence that you're in the room tonight, that you were born wherever you were born, and somehow you ended up here. And you've probably had situations where maybe God's even had you crash into a living room to try to get your attention. And He's been pursuing you. That was the whole point of the incarnation. He was pursuing us. He wanted to come to where we were to reach out to us. And I just think there's some of you tonight that you never really got it. You never realized how desperate you were. You were always too embarrassed to be like that woman who just bawled her eyes out before Jesus and said, oh, I need your forgiveness. I'm going to ask John and Jessica, if you guys don't mind just standing here and some of the other, we are church pastors and women's leadership.

36:59 If you guys, if you're able to come up here just to pray for people. I just think... It's good. I think we're good with this crew. Thanks, you guys. Here's what I want. Here's what I think God wants. Who cares what I want? I think he wants to open some of your eyes and have you leave here just totally forgiven. I think some of you come here with these doubts like, I don't know if I even really know him. Man, he came to this earth to pursue you.

37:47 Maybe some of you just thought you were a good person and you never really understood the cross, never understood your need for forgiveness. I think tonight he wants you to just come and say, you know, can you pray for me? Maybe some of you, you need to be healed of some things. You're realizing, you know what, if all that power could come into this infant, if God can do that, of course he can heal me. Of course he can fix this area of my life.

38:12 Maybe some of you just need to confess to someone some of the stuff that's going on in your life that you need power over. It's not like we're some sort of magical priest or something like that. But you know, the Bible does say, confess your sins and let us pray for you so you can be healed.