Taste and See | Chad Veach

0:00 Hey, what's going on, everybody? Thank you so much for listening to this week's message from Zoe Church. We are starting a brand new series today called Better and Brighter out of Matthew chapter 5. We're going to jump in in just a moment. Grab your Bibles. But I want to say thank you to every person that gives to and through Zoe Church. We are hosting I Love My City this Saturday here in Los Angeles, serving people that are in need. And so thank you for your generosity as it makes an impact both locally, nationally, and globally. We thank you for your giving. If you'd like to give today, go to the website and you can give there. But let's jump into this week's message called Taste and See. Go in your Bible. Go to Matthew chapter 5. We're starting a brand new series today. We're starting a series called Better and Brighter.

0:54 I want to talk for the next three weeks about how you and I are called to live for God. Called to live in this world, making things better and making things brighter. Matthew chapter 5, these are our theme verses. You are the salt of the earth. but if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. I wanna preach a message in installment number one called Taste and See. See, I think that as believers, as followers of Jesus, our life should taste a little different, and I think we should shine a little bit brighter. That we've been not called to live for ourself, but we've been called to live for something bigger than ourself. We now live for God. We now live to help people find grace.

2:09 This is the exciting thing about following God. Someone said to me one time, Pastor Chad, I think Christianity is boring. Like, shut up. Christianity is not boring. Living for yourself is boring. But when you live for God, you get swept up into the adventure of a lifetime because you're living not to bring glory to your name. You're living to help other people find faith. As we, we march through this for the next three, three weeks, I just want to encourage you. Our, our goal is that LA would get better and brighter. we want the city of Los Angeles not to get doom and gloom and oh LA needs God LA need no LA's LA's just fine you want to know why because there's churches in LA that are living not for ourself but there's a bunch of churches that are living for the glory of the living God And I just love this.

3:17 You gotta know that when Jesus was sent by God, God sent Jesus on a rescue mission. He sent Jesus not because he was mad at the world, but because he was madly in love with the world. This is the whole point of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Look here on the screen. Watch this in John chapter three, verse 16. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and his only son, that whoever believes in him, even that guy that loves the raiders, shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but he sent his son into the world to save it. I just love this. God didn't send Jesus because he was upset with humanity. God sent Jesus because he was obsessed with humanity. God didn't send Jesus to condemn everybody.

4:12 He sent Jesus to save everybody. In fact, write down point number one today. I love this about God. God sent Jesus to rescue those who are far from him. Anybody that's far from God, it is not the will of God. God wants every human to be close to Jesus. So God sent Jesus not to condemn people, but to rescue people. Oh, I know it's the Oscars here in LA. I know it's Oscars night. so I'm going movie references on you today. How about the movie Taken? Little Liam Neeson for you today in church. That man flew over to Europe to go look all through Europe to find his daughter. God sent Jesus to find lost people. He didn't say, Jesus, go into the temple and just hang out with already believers. No, he sent Jesus to go outside of the temple to help people that don't know God. Come to the saving knowledge of God. Oh, I just love this. Lost. If you're wondering what lost is, it's spiritually separated from God. It's being spiritually blind and without direction.

5:22 Heading toward destruction without rescue. It's spiritual blindness. It's walking towards destruction and not having anybody to rescue you. No, God sent Jesus to rescue us from our destruction. First John chapter 4, put it on the screen. This is how God showed his love among us. He sent his one and only son into the world that we might live through him. This is love. not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins he sent Jesus to go rescue us he sent Jesus for those that were spiritually blind know they got money they've got a great outfit they might have a great home a great car and a great lifestyle but spiritually they're blind spiritually they're lost oh I love what Jesus says, put this on the screen, Luke 19, 10, for the son of man came to seek and to save the what?

6:27 The lost. Jesus said, I have come and I'm looking for anybody that is spiritually blind, looking for anybody that's on a path to destruction. And it's going to be my mission. I'm going to go on a rescue mission to help people find the love of God. This is love that God sent his one and his only son to find us when we were lost. You didn't find God. God found you.

6:58 And God didn't find you when you were in your right place. God found you when you were in your lost place. When you were spiritually blind, when you were on a path towards destruction, God, through his grace and his mercy, rescued you. So you got to understand something about God. God places a premium on lost things. God places a value on things that are lost. In fact, write down number two. Just because something is lost doesn't mean it's lost value. I love this because this last week, I was trying to teach my boys about an appreciating asset versus a depreciating asset. I was trying to let them know like, sons, if you buy real estate and you buy a house, that asset is going to appreciate over time. While you sleep, you're gonna make money. It appreciates over time. And a depreciating asset, I was trying to just illustrate for them like, how can I explain that?

7:54 Okay, so the car that I'm driving right now, The moment we drove off the lot, it started to lose money. It depreciates in value. See, you and I think that lost people are not important to God. We think lost people have lost their value. Jesus teaches the opposite. It's those that are lost that God values even sometimes more than those that are found. in Luke 15, Jesus tells three stories about lost items. Look here, the first one. Go to Luke 15, verse four. Then Jesus told him this parable. Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn't he leave the 99 in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? When he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and he goes home and then he calls all of his amigos and his neighbors together and says, rejoice with me. I have found my lost sheep.

8:57 I have found, oh my gosh, I leave the 99 to go find the one that is lost. Second movie reference, Finding Nemo. Let's just go Finding Nemo. Great movie. Finding Nemo, the dad swims through the Pacific Ocean to find his lost child. Do you realize that God, when you were lost, didn't write you off as a lost cause? He didn't turn his back and say, oh, you're going to miss out. Come on, clap if you're grateful that he left the 99 to go find you. Come on, clap a little bit louder if you believe that God is gracious. See, the shepherds didn't chase sheep because they were perfect. They chased them because they were his. They looked up and down and everywhere to find because this sheep belongs to me. You got to know you're a son or a daughter of the most high God. God looks for you because he values you. You are his son. You are his daughter. He loves you.

10:04 He's willing to leave the 99 to go find the one that's lost. Oh, put this on the screen. Being lost doesn't change your worth. It only changes your location. And most of us think like, oh man, they are so lost. Oh, so-and-so is so lost. It's like, I just feel bad for them because they're like lost. you were lost too.

10:29 And God didn't write you off as a lost cause. God looked for you high and low to let you know that everything about the gospel is for lost people. Everything that I do is for people that are not yet spiritually awakened to my reality. Anybody that's on a course towards destruction is a candidate for my very best. And I'm just trying to get us to understand that people that you have written off, God hasn't. People that you've canceled, God hasn't. People that you've turned your back on, God hasn't. If you're lost, good luck. God's gonna come and do everything he can to shower you with his kindness, shower you with his mercy, and let you know that he's obsessed with your life. I love this about God because everything, put it on the screen, everything about Jesus his teachings, his miracles, his friendships and sacrifice flowed from the heart of God to rescue people who are far from him. Everything that he did was to rescue people that were far from him and he rescued you. He rescued you from destruction. Third movie reference, Dark Knight.

11:44 great one bane great voice and what did that what did what did that man have to do batman that man batman he had to go on a rescue mission to save people from destruction. God knew that you were headed towards destruction. God knew that you had no way out unless he were to leave the 99 to go find you and spiritually awaken you to the love of Jesus Christ that will change your life.

12:20 And I just got to be honest, I'm grateful today that God didn't stay in the temple. I'm grateful today that God didn't go, we've got a good crew here, we're fine. I'm grateful that when I was lost, he put a premium on who I was. He didn't say I've lost value, I actually gained in value because he left the 99 to find me when I was in my worst place. Come on, clap and thank God if you're grateful that grace found you and saved you. Come on, clap a little bit louder if you're grateful. right down number three God never stops searching until what's lost is found just love this about God it's not like okay buddy we're giving you a 30-day window right now in the news every day there's an update about a mom who is somehow we think abducted from her house and no one can find her and I love that the search hasn't ended did you know that heaven didn't stop searching for you when you were lost. Heaven didn't say, well, they're lost.

13:24 We're going to turn our back. I think that's enough. No, God kept looking for you until he found you. Oh, I love good. Come on. Let's just stay in Luke 15. Watch what it says. Verse eight, or suppose a woman has 10 silver coins and loses one. Doesn't she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it. And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, rejoice with me. I have found my lost coin. In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. I'm telling you, I've been preaching at Zoe Church a long time. I've been in services where it felt like 50 people raised their hand. I've been in services where I've seen only one person raise their hand. Heaven doesn't get crazy over the 50 and get quiet over the one.

14:18 The Bible says when one person says, I was lost, but now I'm found. Come on, clap if you're thankful today that God lets heaven rejoice over one person that says yes to grace. This is the good news of the gospel that God will not stop until you're rescued. He doesn't just start a rescue mission. He stays on the rescue mission until that which is lost becomes found. This is the grace of God. This is the good news of the gospel. This is the heart of God for humanity. He loves us so much that he says, I'm not going to stop until you're found. Have you ever lost something in your house? Have you ever lost something and you turned your house over looking for it? I don't know if you've lost keys, wallets, sunglasses, or a remote control. A TV remote control will make you turn up your house upside down. Where is that remote? I know I put it here.

15:12 Where did that go? That's how God treats humans. God doesn't go, we lost it, we can buy a new one. There's not another one that can replace you. You're a designer's original. God's hand as imprint is on your life. And so God does everything he can to rescue you. He does everything he can to come after you because he's a God not full of wrath and condemnation. He's a God full of love and mercy. He's a God of second chances and new beginnings. This is how the gospel operates. In fact, read down just next verse, Luke 15, 24. For this son of man was dead and is now alive again. He was lost, but he is now found. So they began to celebrate. He began to celebrate. I just love this. He was lost, but I found him. He was dead, but he's now alive.

16:05 I don't know about you, but I'm grateful that I was once dead, but I'm alive in Christ. I was once blind, but now I see. I was once lost, but now I'm found. Not because I found God, but because God found me. Clap a little bit louder if you're grateful for the grace of Jesus that is relentless. He's relentless. He's relentless. Have you ever had a friend that's relentless, that just won't give up something, that just won't stop until you give them the answer that they're looking for? My 10-year-old is this way. This last week, my 10-year-old got in trouble at her night. And I got a bad report about his behavior. So, you know, I'm a man of God. So you're in trouble. I told you, if you behave good, your life is good. If you behave bad, welcome to my world. and so he wanted the teacher to verify how bad he was so the next day he said dad you text on sauce and no i didn't text him yet then like five minutes later dad you text on so i was like man chill no five minutes later dad did you text him i'm like bro you better back up he just kept wearing me out i finally i was just like let's just see how long this can go this guy was like 10 12 times dad text him did you text him i text him i confirmed you were bad same consequence.

17:26 but what I love about God is he doesn't show up one time and go, this is your one opportunity to be awakened to the things of God. He keeps pursuing. He keeps knocking. He keeps showering. He keeps loving. His love is relentless.

17:48 He looks for that coin like he looks for that sheep, like he looks for that son until that which is lost is found. I'll put this on the screen. God is not distant from the lost. He is searching for the lost. He is searching. You won't find him in the temple. These are found people. No, God is out in the highways and the byways trying to find anybody that is away from the goodness and the knowledge of Jesus Christ. He will move heaven and earth to find the coin, the sheep, the son and you until you're found. This is the gospel and the good news of God. Not that God's a quitter, but his love is relentless. because sometimes God will have to show up in your life two times. For others of us, it'll take five times.

18:44 For some people, it took a hundred times before you said, you know what, I want to wake up to the reality of Jesus and stop living for myself, but now live for the glory of God. Clap and praise him today. If you're alive spiritually, if you're awake spiritually, if your eyes have been opened to the goodness of God, I'm grateful that God didn't quit on me the first time. I'm grateful that God didn't stop showing up for me. I'm grateful that he didn't give me one chance, but he's given me a thousand chances to wake up to the reality of God. He's a relentless God, and he pursues us through all of his love and his grace and his mercy, and he leaves the 99 to go find the one, and he won't stop searching until he finds the one. And I'll just tell you, today, he's using your hands, and he's using your feet and he's using your car and he's using your money and he's using your house and he's using your social media to help lost people find Jesus.

19:42 In fact, write down the last point today. Can you believe it? Ordinary us carrying an extraordinary message. Can you believe it? People like you and I, nobody's trying to tell the world about a somebody. People as broken and messed up and still under construction as us get to tell others that there's a God in heaven that's obsessed with them. and how will God find lost people? It'll be through your hands and your feet. In fact, I love this scripture. Put up 2 Corinthians 4. Remember, our message is not about ourselves. We're proclaiming Jesus Christ, the master. All we are is messengers, errand runners, from Jesus for you.

20:35 It started when God said, light up the darkness, and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ. All bright and all beautiful. If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That's to prevent anyone from confusing God's incomparable power with us. As it is, there's not much chance of that you know for yourselves that we're not much to look at.

21:17 I like the Bible. It's like, you're not that cool. You're not that impressive. and I know it's Oscars, and I know we live in LA. I know there's famous people all through our city. I know you go to a spot, and you gotta pretend like they're not sitting next to you. But all of us are just not that impressive. What is impressive is that you are carrying the hope for humanity inside of you. What is impressive is that the message of the gospel is inside of you so you can you can make LA better and brighter. What is impressive is that God's chosen to put his glory inside of broken humans like you and I so we could walk through our neighborhoods and our workplaces and shine bright for the glory of the living God.

22:26 What's impressive is not our accomplishments, our physical stature. What's impressive is not our bank accounts or our homes. What's impressive is that the gospel of Jesus resides inside of us. and what i'm praying and what i'm believing for zoe church is that we would stop living for ourselves and start living on the rescue mission christianity's not boring living for yourself is the worst life you could imagine but when you live for something bigger than yourself when you live to help people that are lost come to the saving knowledge of Jesus, I'm telling you, you'll live the greatest life that you've ever lived in the history of the world.

23:21 And I'm just wondering if there's anybody in our church that wants to have some salt and some light. Last night we did a little barbecuing at our house and we, you know, we had to Whole Foods. We got some burgers because it's so nice out. We're making some smash burgers at the house and we let the boys go through the freezer section to pick out some fries, you know, so we can put them in the oven. And so they picked out the fries they want. And when we got the oven all ready and we went to go put in the fries, my son was like, oh, Dad. We picked out the wrong fries. these are unsalted they're not at all salt dad I go good news we got salt right here in the house we can put salt on the french fry I just wonder how many of us you've lost your salt and you've lost your light then it's time for us to rise up to make LA better and to make LA brighter we're not that much to look at but when you look at the message that you're carrying the gospel of Jesus I've got something for my neighbor I've got something for my community I've got something for my city I've got something for this region I've got all that I can tell you as I was lost but I'm not anymore I'm a nobody trying to tell the world about a somebody that God found me in my worst place. I was broken. I was lost. I was against God. I was without God, but God called my name, pulled me out of a pit, set my feet upon a rock, put a new song in my mouth. Many are going to see and hear about the goodness and the glory of my God. Oh, come on South Bay. Come on Highland Park.

25:09 Give them a shout of praise if you want to live for something bigger than yourself. This is what the early church got. This is when the church started, they understood it like power. The Bible says in Acts chapter one, put it on the screen. He said to them, it is not for you to know the times or the dates the father has set by his own authority, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. And then you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and even the Ratchel Cucamonga. Thank you. what did Jesus say? He's right before he goes to the Father. He said, you're gonna receive power. It's the power of the Holy Spirit. When the power of the Holy Spirit comes over your life, you're gonna wanna be a witness everywhere you go. It's not about Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, or the other, it's about everywhere you go.

26:02 I wanna tell others, there's a God in heaven that loves you. There's a God in heaven that's obsessed with you. There's somebody that made you and it's got a plan for your life. The good news of Jesus is not just for me. Come on, clap, everybody. the good news of Jesus is for you as well. I like that word power. I like that word power because the Bible says in Romans chapter one, verse 16, for it is the power of God unto salvation. The power of God. We're not ashamed of the power of God. We're not ashamed of the gospel. Jesus said, if you're afraid or ashamed about me on earth, the father is going to be ashamed about you in heaven. I'm not ashamed about my faith. I want to be bold about my faith. I'm not bragging about what I've done. I'm just bragging about what he's done. Somebody asked me the other day, Pastor Chad, do you get nervous before you preach? Not when I'm on my key line pants. No, I'm good. No, I don't get nervous about preaching because when I preach, my job is to brag about somebody else. If I tried to make this impressive about me, I'd be shaking in my key line. But because I'm trying to tell everybody about God, I get bold about the cross. I get bold about my faith. Come on clap if you want a boldness to rise up in you. I don't care what anybody thinks. I don't care what anybody says. I don't care what anybody criticize. I got to get the message of the good news of Jesus out of my life.

27:25 Can you believe it? Can you believe it? This ordinary, this ordinary life is to share such an extraordinary message. There is not much, if anything, that is impressive about you or about me, but one thing that is impressive is that I was lost and he came to rescue me. that's pretty awesome and I'd rather brag about that than anything I've accomplished here on earth there is no accomplishment no Oscar no Grammy no trophy no amount of money nothing you could do on earth to impress God the only thing you could do to impress God is having faith in his son Jesus and I'm just wondering for us here in our church have you become so desensitized to lost people that you see them as having lost value.

28:21 I'm saved. Sucks to be a Raider fan. I'm saved. I'm saved. And you are so clearly lost. God looks at the loss and he says, I got to leave the 99 because I'm going to go find them because they belong to me. And when I find them, just so you know, I'm going to throw a party with a purpose and I'm going to get all my friends and we're going to gather around and I'm going to say, can you please give me a holy hop? Because I lost the coin and I found it. I lost the sheep, but I brought him home. And I know it might not seem like a big deal to you, but it was a big deal to me because I sent my son for this mission to rescue those that were spiritually blind and without hope.

29:16 I'm preaching to somebody today that the spirit of evangelism is gonna awaken you and you're gonna start sharing your faith. We got an eight-year-old down in South Bay, four weeks in. By the way, historic day for Zoe Church today. We've never made it four weeks with three locations until today. Because the last time we had three locations, three weeks in, the world shut down. The devil's a liar. But we're week four, baby. And I heard this story about this eight-year-old down in the South Bay. Shout out to the South Bay. This eight-year-old invited his teacher to come to the South Bay. the teacher came to church to the South Bay location. My son this last week told me, Dad, he was out of basketball after school. He said, Dad, there's this middle school teacher out on the playground where we were having practice, and she was listening to worship music.

30:17 So I went up to the lady, and I was like, do you know who you're listening to? And the teacher said, yeah, this is Zoe Worship. He goes, yep, that's my dad's church. She said, no way. He said, do you want to come? come on if the eight-year-olds in our church can be invited somebody to church oh come on what could happen through the power of your invitation what could happen if somebody at zoe says i'm not afraid to post about god i'm not afraid to talk about god i'm not afraid to share about god i've been redeemed by the blood oh come on let the redeemed of the lord say so give them a shout of praise and thanksgiving today. We got another young person in our church, Vivian Narayan. Shout out to Viv.

31:09 Vivian invited one of her friends to church. The whole family showed up. They loved Zoe so much, they came back the next week with the grandparents. Grandparents loved it so much, they said, let's invite the other set of grandparents. now they come on Sundays with the whole family and both said to the grandparents if the kids can do it Come on, clap. What are y'all waiting for? Come on, stand to your feet. Last scripture today, Romans chapter 10, verse number 13, for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How then can they call on the one they have not believed in and how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard and how can they hear without someone preaching to them?

32:04 How can anyone preach unless they are, what's that word right there? What's that word right there? Sent. Just as God was sent, just as Jesus was sent by God, you and I have been sent by God. God didn't send Jesus and say, well, we don't know if we can trust you guys, so we're gonna see if you're send worthy. let's see how you do on your reading plan or your tithe record let's see if you join a connect group and then you can go through the application process and we'll pray about sending you no just as God sent Jesus he's also sending you and how is he sending you to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world he says how can anybody believe in the one they've never heard of and how can anyone preach unless they are sent as it is written how beautiful are the feet of those that bring good news i don't have bad news to share i got good news i don't have a message of doom and gloom and condemnation i got a message of love and grace and forgiveness.

33:27 How beautiful are the feet of those that would bring the good news in Los Angeles. I want to tell you, please, the worst life you could ever live is living for you. What can I get? Who could I meet? How much can I accumulate? But I think the most fun life you could ever live is going on the rescue mission from heaven. how can I share the message of the gospel what can I do to help so-and-so find God the early church like when the church first started they lived with urgency they lived with urgency.

34:13 And I'm just wondering for you and I, because of the culture we're in today, have we been lulled to sleep just to go, ah, lost? Yeah, walk by it all the time. Lost? See it on my feet. Lost? Oh, my coworker is so lost. But we've lost our urgency.

34:34 In the early church, they were breaking bread, They were praying together. They were studying the scripture. They were having fellowship. The Bible says the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. Why? Because when you live for God, you're in his word and you're in your prayer life and you're in good connect group and good community. How could you not spill out the love of God? It's like a sponge. A sponge can only receive so much water before you've got to take it out underneath that faucet to go get wrung out. My prayer is that on Sundays you come and get filled up so Monday through Saturday you can be wrung out for the glory of the living God. That we're going to do everything we can to be better and brighter in Los Angeles. We're going to do everything we can to help people that are far from God come to know God.

35:30 We're going to do everything we can to share. I know I'm not impressive. I know I'm not much to look at. I know I don't have anything to brag about me, but there's a cross that I got to tell you about. There's a man that I got to share about. There's one that paid the consequence of sin. He became sin so that you and I could be blessed. Come on, clap if you believe it today. Just put your hands out in front of you today. Father, we're praying. Again, we want to say thank you to every person that listens and is a part of our community, both near and far. if you would like make sure you hit the subscribe button so you don't miss out on any of the messages and feel free to share and leave a comment we love you and we pray god's blessing over your life we will be back next week for part two of better and brighter