Is There a Question God Can’t Handle?

0:43 This is the final week of the message series, Asking for a Friend, where I've been answering your questions. And oh man, you have some questions. Over 4,000 of them, very personal. Some of them very challenging, some of them painful. And the good news is, we've already covered some of the most difficult ones. We've talked about living together outside of marriage.

1:08 Sexuality. What does the Bible say about it? We talked about women in ministry. We talked last week about masturbating and we survived it. We're here to preach another week. We talked about why does God allow suffering? Why do good people go through difficult things? So finally today, we're going to cover something way less controversial. Today, we're going to talk about abortion and politics in church. That's what we're going to do. Just don't do that at or don't do it without adult supervision, don't do it with adult supervision. We're gonna talk about it today in church. Now, if you have been here, you know the ground rules. When you ask a question, I'm not gonna give you my opinion. I'm gonna tell you what most people think. I'm not gonna tell you what's culturally popular. What we're gonna do is we're gonna start with God's word and ask, what does God's word say? When his word speaks, we're gonna believe it and apply it.

2:03 There are times in many subjects where God's word doesn't speak directly to something very specifically. So when the Bible doesn't speak directly, we're gonna look for other biblical principles that apply, and then we're gonna pray about how do we bring those into the situation so that we can honor God. Now, we do know that there are some subjects that faithful Christians, very sincere Christians, disagree on those things. Let me just say it now, and you can say amen. We can just, you're already saying amen. I haven't even said it yet, but I appreciate the passion and enthusiasm. So I'll just be more clear. After I say it, you can say amen. I'll give you two chances. We can disagree and still be loving. We can disagree without dividing. Very, very good.

2:56 Let's dive in today. Are you ready? If you're ready, say I'm ready. Are you ready? Are you ready? Life Church, South Oklahoma City, Shawnee, Life Church Online, Fort Smith, Arkansas, Life Church, North Colorado Springs, Broken Arrow, Rio Rancho, Stillwater, Midwest City. A lot of people wanted to know about marijuana.

3:21 They wanted to know, is there any way to use marijuana responsibly, sort of like alcohol? alcohol. Well, first of all, we need to acknowledge that marijuana isn't exactly like alcohol. Amen. Right? It's a little bit of difference, okay? Let's just see if we can, we're going to work on our timing. We're going to get this thing down by the end of the time. Why is it not exactly the same? Well, most people can drink a glass of wine at dinner without getting drunk. And so, when it comes to alcohol, intoxication doesn't have to be the point. That's new for some of you. You thought that's only the point, but it doesn't have to be the point. With recreational marijuana, I've been told

4:14 I didn't inhale. Before I was a Christian, I've been told that generally the purpose is altering how you think and feel. So there's a difference fundamentally between you could drink a glass of wine at dinner and generally speaking, recreational marijuana is used to change how you think or feel. So what say about marijuana? Well, believe it or not, the Bible doesn't use the word marijuana anywhere in it. Now, you can find things about weed all through the Bible. And when you see the weeds, you're supposed to pull them is what the Bible says. So I don't know what you do with that, but that's just kind of making sure we're on the same page here. So the Bible doesn't say anything directly about marijuana, but it does say a lot about self-control and intoxication. So let's look principles to apply. For example, what does the Bible say about being intoxicated? Well, 1 Peter 5, 8 tells us, be alert and of what? Everybody say it aloud. And of sober mind, not altered mind, not drunk mind, not high mind. Paul says in Ephesians 5, do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. So essentially, he's saying, like, don't surrender your mind and your will and your body to the control of any other substance. You only want to be controlled and filled and directed by the Holy Spirit. Now, you may say, okay, Craig, I can kind of go with that, but, you know, marijuana is legal in my state. Well, legal answers the legal question, not the wisdom one, not the godly one. Paul said this in 1 Corinthians 6, 12.

6:07 to do anything. In other words, it might be legal, it might be socially acceptable. I have the right to do anything, you say, but not everything is beneficial. So if I can be just very direct, something can be legal, something can be socially acceptable and still not wise. So as followers of Jesus, we don't follow what culture says. We don't just ask what's legal. We don't just ask, what can I get away with? We ask, how can we honor God with our mind, with our will, with our soul, and our body. We're to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. And so I would say, can you handle marijuana recreationally like alcohol? And I say the answer is biblically, no. Alcohol, other people ask, well, can I drink alcohol responsibly? And the answer I'll give you is a definitive maybe. Meaning maybe you can, maybe you can't.

7:04 Maybe you can, maybe you can't. Craig, do you drink the alcohol? The answer is no, I don't, and I'll tell you why. One reason is my dad had a significant alcohol problem of which years later, well into my adulthood, he overcame that and spent decades sober to the glory of God. But I saw firsthand the pain of what alcohol can do to a family. And secondly, when I was in college, I had a problem with alcohol. When I tried to stop, it had a stronger grip on me than I realized. Also, I would say this, I could go out and have a beer or two or three or four or five. At some point, I go from being sober-minded to an altered state, and I don't know when that is. So I'm not gonna risk something else taking control of my mind. Another reason is I don't wanna be a confusing witness. For example, there are some of you who should not be drinking alcohol because of what it has the potential to do to you.

8:00 So I don't want you saying, well, there's Craig, and he's doing it, so if he can do it, I'll do it. and it's expensive and water's free and water doesn't stain your teeth and doesn't give calories to you. And so my summary is the upside for me is not worth drinking alcohol. That's my stance. Now, can you drink it responsibly? And the answer is maybe. Some of you, you think you can and you do drink responsibly. Some of you think that you are drinking responsibly and you're not. And you're not. And so don't just ask what's allowed, ask what's wise. And as someone who has seen the pain of what alcohol can do to a family, what I wanna tell you right now is if you think you're doing it responsibly and multiple people are telling you you have a problem, what I want you to do is I want you to shut your face and listen to people who love you.

8:54 If multiple people are telling you you have a problem, you probably do. Can you do it responsibly? Some people can. can if you can't, don't. A couple of amens. Good. Timing was good on that one. That was good. That's perfect time. It's good timing. I hope you all are staying at the right places where we are. I can't feel it. So let's deal with another question. We had people from Life.Church Moore, Life.Church Lenexa, Life.Church Tulsa, and Life.Church Yukon ask, what does the Bible say about abortion? And several people asked the question, what if I've had an abortion, how does God see me now? Let's slow this one down. Before I answer the question, some people say, well, this is a political issue. This is not just political, this is spiritual. And for a lot of people, it's very deeply personal.

9:48 And someone here right now may be facing an unexpected pregnancy and you're considering an abortion even as we speak. And there are others of you, maybe years ago, you found yourself in a situation to be in, and you made a decision that you still regret and carry the pain today. And so this is heavy, and I want to handle it lovingly and very carefully. And I do know that many people see this differently than I do, but this is not a gray area in the Bible, and I'm going to try to explain to you why. If you remember, Jesus came full of grace and truth. Let's start with the truth, And the truth is this, every human life is created in the image of God. Genesis 127 says, so God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God, he created them.

10:43 Male and female, he created them. You are created in the image of God. Every human being is created in the image of God. And David said in Psalm 139, verse 13, for you, God, created my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother's womb. God knew that life even before that life was physically born on the outside. Therefore, every life bears the image of God. And therefore, every life matters to God. And I wanna tell you, every life matters. The unborn child's life matters. The mom's life matters. Both matter to God and both should be valued and protected. Right.

11:33 So the Bible consistently shows us that the life in the womb is a life that God created, God knows, and God loves. Therefore, abortion is taking an innocent life. That's truth, and I wanna say that lovingly. Jesus also came full of grace. And so if you've had an abortion, I want you to hear this from God more than even from me. Here's what his word says. First John 1, 9 says, if we confess our sins, our God, he is so good, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness, no matter what you've done, no matter how dark it is, no matter how much you regret it,

12:25 forgives your sins, and Paul tells us in Romans eight, now if you're in Christ, now if you've turned from your sins, now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. This is the gospel, this is the good news, this is the grace of our loving God, that we have all sinned, every single one of us. I've sinned, you've sinned, and when we confess our sins, he forgives our sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. So if you had an abortion, you may carry the grief But if you're in Christ, you don't have to live in condemnation. Now, if you find yourself today pregnant and scared, and you feel like you've got no good options, and you're considering an abortion, I wanna tell you right now, please do not.

13:16 Don't. Let us be the church with you, for you. I'm gonna tell you right now, we love you. We care. It would be our great honor to walk with you. In fact, Amy and I, just two weeks ago, it was so special. After church, we were talking to a young single girl who found herself pregnant and was gonna abort her child. And she told her life group, and the life group said, no, let us be here for you. And they threw her a great baby shower and we prayed for her baby. And she chose life because a community came around her and said, you may not be able to handle this alone, alone. Our God is with you and we are with you and we will walk with you. And so

14:03 whatever you're facing today, if it's this or something else, whatever you're going through, that does not get the final word. Jesus gets the final word and his church will help you walk into wholeness and healing. Amen. Amen. Amen. May the love of God fill this place and encourage you. you are never alone. Whatever you're facing, you are never alone. You're never alone. You're never alone. You're never alone. Let the presence of God love you through his church. In this, in any area of your life, you're never alone.

14:35 We had several people ask a question that I thought was relevant. East Kansas City, there were more details to it than this, but the summary was this. I messed up a lot sexually in my past Can God still bless me with a good marriage or did I ruin it? That'd be a story for a lot of people. Maybe one night things got, you know, you're licking faces and the next thing you're whatever. Clothes are fine off. I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry. Don't say amen. Do not say amen there. I just like you're, you know.

15:14 I got one shot at these and sometimes things come out. You know, like you're smelling hair. I don't know what it is. You're doing something and it goes too far. And then you go too far one time and you do it again, and then it becomes a pattern. Or maybe you looked at something when you were young and you couldn't stop looking at it. It's been years of pornography addiction, and then that could have led to adultery, an affair on your spouse. There are those of you right now that are literally at this moment living a double life. For some of you, it happened before you were a Christian. For some of you, something happened last night. And you wonder, have I blown it? God still bless me, can he redeem my life? After what I've done, could I ever have a good marriage? Well, before I was a follower of Christ, I was not perfect in this area at all, I've been there, and I've learned that you cannot change your past, but I promise you Jesus can redeem it.

16:09 He can redeem it, he can redeem it, he is a good God. And when you look at the Bible, the Bible's full of stories that prove God's goodness after sexual sin. You see David committed adultery and then murder, and the list went on and on. And God still called him a man after God's own heart. You see Rahab, who was a prostitute, and still by the grace of God, she's listed in the lineage of Jesus. And then there's the woman that's caught in the act of adultery, and all the religious leaders drag her to the feet of Jesus and says, we must have justice. She must be stoned to death. And Jesus looked on, and he loved her. with both truth and grace. He never lowered his standard, but he refused to let her worst moment define her. He said, neither do I condemn you. Grace, now go your way and sin no more. Truth. And the same is true for you if you've fallen into sexual sin, if you're caught even now in sexual darkness, there's freedom in Christ.

17:07 Whoever the son sets free is free indeed. And the Bible tells us from Hebrews, the author to the Hebrews says, for I will forgive their wickedness. Sexual sin feels like the shame that we often feel. Shame is often connected to our identity. And the Bible says God will roll away our shame. He says, I'll forgive their wickedness and remember their sins no more. In other words, when God looks at you, he doesn't see what you did. He doesn't see your sin. He sees his son. When you're in Christ, God looks at you and sees the righteousness of his son, Jesus. So if you're in Christ forgiven, made new,

17:49 marriage, the answer is no, absolutely not. You are not what you did. You're not what someone did with you or to you. God's grace is so much greater than your biggest regret. Now, I want to pause and talk to others of you today, because there are some of you that have a different story. You're not hurting because you sinned, but you're hurting because someone

18:19 someone did something to you, maybe sexually, that you didn't choose. and if that's your story, I just wanna tell you very directly, like I am so sorry. It breaks God's heart. We have this in my side of the family. We experienced this kind of brokenness and Amy experienced it in her side of the family. So we know firsthand the pain of sexual abuse. And I wanna just tell you right now that what someone did to you is not your shame to carry and it never was. It never was. Jesus loves you. He grieves with you. He can heal your hurts. And I promise you, in his sovereign love for you, Jesus can redeem your pain. If you're hurting today in that way, we'd love to be the church with you. Meaning, don't leave, let us pray for you.

19:12 Pray with you. Walk with you. It may not be healing in a moment. It may be healing over time. And we are the church and we walk together. We confess our needs and pray for each other that we may be healed. with you. All right, let's deal with a little easier one where some of you are picking at me a little bit. It's easier because you can pick at me and I can defend myself. I can stand strong.

19:37 People from Fort Worth, Oklahoma City, Omaha, and Tulsa said, Craig, I'm not trying to be mean or critical. and then there were some that didn't even say that so it just i'm not trying to be mean or critical but why don't you talk more about politics and current events that's a fair question it's a good question because i mean hardly a week goes by where there's not going to be a there's a school shooting there's some kind of uh big social issue or political issue or a racial injustice and the list goes on and on. And something happens and you might wonder, okay, well, why didn't you post on that? Why didn't you talk about it at church? I'll tell you. The Bible tells me in 2 Timothy 4.2, my assignment is to preach the word.

20:34 This is my assignment, to preach the word. My calling is to preach God's word, not to respond to every headline. does not mean that I won't address difficult issues. I hope that this series makes that obvious to you. But rather than always responding to what's going on in the world, my goal is to prayerfully and consistently teach you God's word to help you build what I would call a biblical foundation or a biblical worldview or a biblical mindset before the next headline hits, before the next crisis or controversy comes our way. And so if I do comment on one tragedy and not another, does it mean that I don't care about the other one? And the answer is, of course not. And I'm gonna tell you from my perspective, and I stand by this, silence isn't always indifference. Sometimes it's wisdom.

21:27 This may disappoint some of you. But to be honest, there are some issues I honestly don't know enough to speak on responsibly. There are some, I just don't get into every detail. and there are times I've spoken about some things too early before understanding all the facts, and I've regretted it. And the Bible has a verse that talks directly to that. Scripture tells us this, Proverbs 18, 13, spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish. Is that in the Bible? Yes, it is. Some of you need to tattoo that on your arm. That'll save your marriage. It'll make your kids like you. It'll make you have friends. family that isn't tiptoeing around you all the time. Let me read it again. This is the word of God spouting off before listening to all the facts is both shameful and foolish. Another reality for me is that this, at this very moment, I am honored to be speaking to people all over the world in virtually every single country at Churchill Online right now, different cultures, different experiences, and different political realities.

22:37 And so it seems incredibly obvious in one context, often looks very, very different in another context. That makes me even more careful that what I'm giving you is not my opinion, but God's word. And let's just call it what it is. And those of you that need to hear this probably won't, but I'm gonna say it anyway. A lot of you, you really don't want my perspective. You just want confirmation. Like you literally just want me to say what you want me to say exactly the way that you want me to say it, and I'm not gonna lead that way. I have a prayerful strategy of when to speak, very, very careful. I could build a church that leads heavily one way, but my goal is to reach all ways. And you have to remember this.

23:27 There's a big difference between making a difference and just making a point. You can make a point all day long. I think it's real easy for me to say something and a whole, if I can speak on, if I speak on some of these subjects and at the end of it, everybody says, yeah, yeah, yeah. That means the person that I was actually trying to reach wasn't reached.

23:49 Sometimes if my goal is to make a difference instead of make a point, not just preaching to the church, but preaching to the broken, that I'm gonna say things in a way that's different than you want me to say so that people who disagree will actually still be willing to hear. Paul asked the question. He said, who are we living for? He said, am I now trying to please people? If I're still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. So in case there's any wondering in your mind, my goal is not to please people. Honestly, and this will disappoint some of you, my goal is not to get you to adopt to my politics. My goal is to point people to Jesus and let him do in the lives of people what he wants to do to bring healing, wholeness, truth, and life. And that's why I don't always talk about everything that you want me to talk about.

24:42 Now remember, you're clapping today. Because six weeks from now, you're gonna be mad. Why didn't he say what I wanted him to say? That's why. Hendersonville Life Church and Life Church Edmond, people ask the question, how do I recognize God's voice or know if it's my own? Really, really good question. Many of you, you're trying to make a decision right now. You've got something, should I take this job? Should I stay where I am? Should I marry this person? Should I kick him back and wait for an upgrade? Should we have more kids right now? Should we buy this house? Lots of questions. And then you have a thought in your mind speaking to me? Was that my own desire? Was that the pizza I ate too late last night talking back to me now? So what I want to do is I want to give you three questions from principles from God's word to help you discern, is this God speaking to me or is this my own will? Question number one, you feel like God wants you to do something, ask yourself, does it line up with God's word?

25:46 Does it line up with his word? Psalm 119, verse 133 says, direct my footsteps according to your word. Not my opinion, not what I want, not what I hope, not my dream wall, but direct me according to your word. Let no sin rule over me. So the best way to know God's will is to know God's word. You read his word, you get to know his word. In fact, one of the most dangerous things about many modern day Christians today is you may love Jesus, but you don't know the word. That's why you're vulnerable to all the lies of the enemy. The enemy tempts you and you can't fight back. How do you fight back? You fight back with the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. Get in the word, know the word. Let the word conform your mind to the image of Christ. Let the word direct your steps. If there's one thing I'd want our church to do is be in the word in community where we can sharpen one another.

26:39 The best way to know the will of God is to know the word of God. One time this guy told me, he said, Craig, God gave me a piece about sleeping with my girlfriend. I said, oh, did he? How do you know? He said, well, I just have a piece of my heart. I said, bro, you got hormones in your pants. That's what you got.

27:02 God won't lead you to do something that his word tells you not to do. If what you're thinking about doing contradicts God's word, you don't have to pray about it's not God's voice. Ask yourself, does it line up with God's word? Second thing is ask yourself, does wise counsel confirm it? Does wise counsel, the people that love God, do they stand with you on your decision? Proverbs 15, 22, plans go wrong for a lack of advice. Many advisors bring success. So can I just say this? Don't just ask chat GPT until it tells you what you wanna hear. Because you talk about a people pleaser, think you're the most special person in the world. Don't just ask your friends that you know are going to tell you what you want to hear. You want to get around godly people, people who know his word, who know God intimately, and who love you enough to tell you the truth. One of my friends yesterday got in my face and made me mad because he loved me enough to tell me the truth. Ask, does godly counsel confirm it? And the third question, ask yourself, does it make you more Does it make you more like Jesus?

28:14 2 Corinthians 3.18 tells us, and the Lord makes us more and more like Jesus. As we're changed into his glorious image, the Lord makes us more and more like Jesus. So that's really the goal, to become more like him. And so ask yourself, I'm thinking about doing something. Is this leading me toward humility like Jesus

28:42 Is it about me or is it about him or others? Is this leading me toward generosity or toward selfishness? Is this leading me toward forgiveness like Jesus or making me bitter and angry? Is this leading me toward holiness, lining up with the word of God? Or is it leading me toward sinfulness? Because the Holy Spirit always leads you toward Jesus. And if something is leading you away from Jesus, then that's not God's voice.

29:13 And this is really, really good news. It's our God is a relational God. In the beginning, God spoke. I mean, the very beginning he spoke. He is a relational God who speaks. He's not playing games like hide and seek, like little mystery clues about his will and hoping that you're gonna miss it. Jesus describes himself as the good shepherd and we're the sheep. And the good news is that we actually hear the voice of the shepherd and he directs our steps. God's word tells us, if you know his word,

29:43 you will find him. And so you wanna know what his will is for your life? Well, the more you get to know him through the word, and the more you become like Jesus, and the more you're around wise people, the more you'll learn to recognize his voice. And so if you have a decision to make today, let's just come to him with open hands and say, not my will, but your will be done. That's the way Jesus prayed. And what I wanna do is I wanna slow it down now and just give a chance for the Holy Spirit to speak to you where you are. I'm gonna breathe out because we covered a lot. Last four weeks, we covered a lot. We covered a lot today. Marijuana, abortion, sexual past, hearing God's voice. And if you look at almost everything over the last four weeks, we've had different questions, but underneath almost every single question is a similar question. And today, this is very true.

30:35 Think about it. What's the question under all these questions today, really? who gets the final word in your life? That's the question. Is it what you want? Or is it what God wants? Is it what people think? Is it what God, is it your physical desires? Is it what God wants? We've really been asking that the whole series. Who gets the final word? Not what culture says. What does God say? And so some of you might notice some areas in your life right now that are not lining up with God's word. It could be some sexual areas.

31:10 area. It could be a spiritual area or a financial one. It may be where you're following your desires instead of God's word, your wants, your feelings. It could be something else. Is something else getting the final word in your life? And I want you to name it. Name it. I'll go first.

31:33 If there's something in my life that's been getting the final word is fear. And I hate to I say that even out loud, but it is. I'm afraid of something happening to someone that I love. I get hit by spiritual attacks right and left, and I'm afraid one's just gonna come out of nowhere and hit me too hard. Sometimes at night, I'll have a shortness of breath, and I literally have to pray it through at two in the morning. The burden I feel for you, the feeling inadequate that I can't keep up, and I just, I'll breathe in,

32:09 breathe out, Holy Spirit in, lies of the enemy out and I depress through fear. And God's word tells me that he has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. That's mine. What's yours? Some of you it's control. Some of you fear like me. Some of you it's pride. You're doing what you want no matter what. Some of you it's unforgiveness. it's the sin of lust, greed, materialism, loving money, not forgiving someone, pleasing people, some sin that you've been justifying along the way. What I want you to do is just give it a second for God to show you, is there some area in your life where God's not leaving you in that area and something else is? I want you to name it, if you will, and then I'm gonna pray for you. If you have something like that, just raise your hand Raise your hand.

33:05 Raise your hand. All of our churches, raise your hand. I hope God's speaking to more of you online. You can say, God, show me what it is. And Father, I just pray that we would take whatever that thing is and lay it down at the altar, that your word would direct our steps. God, would you forgive me for all the times that I trust in the worst outcome more than I trust in you? Forgive me, God. And God, would you forgive us any way that our church is being people-pleasing,

33:34 conforming to the image of this world. whatever your issue is, you can just confess it before him. You can just say, God, forgive me for this. If you want to just real quietly, you can just think it, forgive me for this. And God, we thank you that when we confess our sins, you're faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Thank you, God, for your forgiveness. Now heal us. As we keep praying today, some of you, Jesus has never had the final word in your life. You come to church, you know about Jesus. You might even consider yourself a Christian not something else, but you've never fully surrendered your life to him. We looked last week at the truth of God's word that Jesus says, if you declare with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you would be saved. There's a phrase in there I want you to think about. Jesus is Lord. Not just he forgives your sins and keeps you out of hell, but he is Lord of your life. I'm going to ask you right now, is he the Lord of your he gets the final word.

34:38 That means that it's not our desires, our will, our plans, but his will, his way, his word. And all of our churches today, if you recognize that you've never fully surrendered to him as Lord, we're not praying a selfish prayer, just forgive me, just keep me out of hell. We're praying a sacrificial prayer. I lay down my life, Jesus. You be the savior and the Lord of my life, first in every way. And all of our churches, some of you recognize you've never fully surrendered to him.

35:07 We're stepping away from our sin. We're stepping into his grace and into his forgiveness. When you call on his name, he will forgive your sins. He will make you brand new and fill you with the spirit of God. Those of you today who say, yes, Jesus, forgive my sins. Don't just save me, but be the Lord of my life. That's my prayer. I give my life to you. That's your prayer. Lift your hands high right now, all over the place and say, yes, right there. God bless you. Praise God to you. Others today, both of you right there. Come on up here in this section. Say, yes, Jesus. Jesus, I surrender. Be the savior of my life. Lift up your hands and say yes, I surrender to your Lordship today. Online, you can type in the comment section, I'm surrendering my life to Christ, and we're all gonna pray. Pray aloud wherever you are. Pray, Heavenly Father, forgive all of my sins. Fill me with your spirit. My life is not my own. Jesus, be my Lord.

36:01 Direct my steps. Thank you for new life. in Jesus name I pray. Church, can you celebrate and worship big? Come on somebody, give God praise.