The God Who Is Always There: You Are Never Alone

• Theology Proper / Character of God [00:25:29 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor introduces the series theme, defining Theology Proper as understanding 'What is God like?' and distinguishing between seeking God for His gifts versus seeking Him for His presence.
• Omnipresence [00:27:02 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor defines God's omnipresence, clarifying it is not monism or pantheism, but that God is transcendent yet present everywhere.
• Flourishing vs. Materialism [00:27:56 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor redefines 'flourishing' not as middle-class wealth or making money, but as a life characterized by love, kindness, goodness, and forgiveness.
• Identity and Worth [00:29:09 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor outlines four questions for flourishing, focusing on being loved at one's worst, having identity defined by Christ rather than culture, and finding worth in Jesus' sacrifice rather than personal achievements.
• Loneliness and Community [00:36:16 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor identifies loneliness as a national epidemic, attributing it to over-reliance on digital connections and people rather than God, and warns against using others to meet ultimate needs only God can satisfy.
• Digital Loneliness and AI [00:36:41 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor discusses how digital connectivity has not solved loneliness, noting that many online interactions are with AI bots, and argues that digital connection cannot replace face-to-face intimacy.
• Reliance on God vs. People [00:37:54 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains that relying on people to meet ultimate needs leads to disappointment because humans are inconsistent, whereas God is reliable and consistent.
• Biblical Masculinity [00:40:49 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor debunks cultural stereotypes of masculinity (e.g., rugged individualism) and defines a true man by the sacrificial, loving, and humble example of Jesus.
• God's Presence and Acceptance [00:42:29 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor teaches that God is omnipresent and intimately present in Christ, offering acceptance not based on human performance ('do') but on Christ's finished work ('done').
• Renewing the Mind [00:48:50 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor connects theological truth with neuroplasticity, urging the congregation to renew their minds with the gospel to transform their thinking and identity.
• Pastoral Humility and Community Health [00:49:56 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor debunks the idea of having 'superpowers' or a 'cape,' emphasizing that he is part of the congregation and that vertical health with God is required for horizontal health in community.
• Marital Vulnerability and Emotional Support [00:50:59 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor urges wives to create safe spaces for husbands to share their hearts and emotions without judgment or comparison, highlighting that men also hurt, cry, and carry burdens.
• The Lord's Supper (Communion) [00:53:38 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains the theological significance of the bread and wine, connecting them to Jesus as sustenance and the blood shed for forgiveness, drawing parallels to Passover and Yom Kippur.
• Forgiveness and Healing from Parental Absence [01:02:50 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal story about his absent father and how finding a heavenly Father healed his soul, urging the congregation to forgive their parents and release grudges before receiving communion.
• Forgiveness of Parents [01:04:44 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor instructs the congregation not to be mad at their parents, acknowledging their humanity and the hardships they endured, and urges the audience to forgive them.
• Recommitment to Christ [01:05:58 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor calls for a reaffirmation of faith, providing a specific prayer of confession for those backsliding or new believers to receive Christ.
• Baptism as Public Declaration [01:07:38 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the analogy of a wedding ring to explain that baptism is a public sign of belonging to Jesus, encouraging sign-ups for an upcoming baptism event.

• Sermon Illustration [00:30:42 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about his inability to assemble furniture without instructions, using it as an analogy for how humans need God's instructions to be 'put together' correctly, contrasting his own failure with his wife's ability to follow directions.
• Sermon Illustration [00:31:50 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references his former life as an NFL player to illustrate the struggle of finding worth in 'applause' (external validation) and what happens when the applause stops, connecting it to building one's life on the 'rock' of Jesus rather than sand.
• Sermon Illustration [00:38:37 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor mentions his wife, describing her as a 'javelin thrower from Montana,' to illustrate his affection for her while transitioning into a discussion about how people often expect others to meet needs that only God can fulfill.
• Sermon Illustration [00:38:37 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about his wife, a javelin thrower from Montana, stating that while he loves her, he knows she cannot meet his ultimate need for companionship, which only God can provide.
• Sermon Illustration [00:40:49 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor mocks the cultural stereotype of masculinity by describing men who go to the woods to ride horses and cut down trees, and another anecdote about men beating up cars to release aggression, contrasting this with Jesus' gentle nature.
• Sermon Illustration [00:39:36 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references NYU professor Scott Galloway's concept of the 'broke, lonely man' who becomes radicalized due to a lack of purpose, illustrating the societal dangers of disconnectedness.
• Sermon Illustration [00:42:47 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the historical example of Brother Lawrence, a medieval butler who practiced the 'presence of God' in daily tasks, to illustrate the concept of cultivating holy awareness.
• Sermon Illustration [00:50:01 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor humorously references his own preaching preparation, noting he goes over the sermon seven to ten times not just to practice for the congregation, but to practice on himself, admitting there are 'no superpowers' in the pulpit.
• Sermon Illustration [01:02:50 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor tells a personal story about being angry at his absent father at age 13, striving for success in the NFL to prove himself, and only finding healing when he realized God was present in every aspect of his life, including a stranger giving him a ride to a game.
• Sermon Illustration [00:49:56 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the analogy of a 'cape' to describe the false expectation that pastors have superpowers, correcting it by stating there are no superpowers, only a super God.
• Sermon Illustration [01:00:34 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references the historical practice of Yom Kippur, describing the High Priest entering the Holies of Holies, sprinkling blood over the Ark of the Covenant to show atonement, and releasing the scapegoat to represent God forgetting sins.
• Sermon Illustration [01:04:10 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about his old station wagon breaking down on the freeway. A Mexican man he didn't know offered him a ride to Fox Tech, which the pastor believes might have been an angel sent by God, resulting in one of the best games of his freshman career.
• Sermon Illustration [01:07:38 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses an analogy comparing a wedding ring to baptism. He jokes about wearing a ring to show he is married to his wife Vicki (who throws the javelin), explaining that baptism serves a similar purpose as a public sign that one belongs to Jesus.

• Pastoral Charge [00:25:10 ▶️ 📄]
  > Continue giving and maintaining faith in the church's correctional facility partnerships.
• Pastoral Charge [00:30:42 ▶️ 📄]
  > Pray for the pastor regarding his inability to follow instructions for home repairs.
• Pastoral Charge [00:37:22 ▶️ 📄]
  > Take a 10-day break from political engagement and social media.
• Pastoral Charge [00:41:56 ▶️ 📄]
  > Read the Gospels to understand the true definition of manhood through Jesus.
• Pastoral Charge [00:47:20 ▶️ 📄]
  > Memorize Galatians 2:20.
• Pastoral Charge [00:48:00 ▶️ 📄]
  > Begin each morning by thanking God for His indwelling presence and your identity as His child.
• Pastoral Charge [01:05:18 ▶️ 📄]
  > Surrender grudges to God before receiving communion.
• Pastoral Charge [01:04:44 ▶️ 📄]
  > Publicly or internally confess a decision to stop being angry at parents and release guilt/shame.
• Pastoral Charge [00:56:08 ▶️ 📄]
  > Teenagers and young adults to move to a specific location for the Lord's Supper.
• Pastoral Charge [01:06:38 ▶️ 📄]
  > Tap phone screen to indicate prayer was prayed and request follow-up service/prayer
• Pastoral Charge [01:08:12 ▶️ 📄]
  > Sign up to be baptized on May 3rd

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:00:00] To praise Jesus, no matter what you brought into this room, we have hope because the Bible says this, Therefore, since he highly exalted him, he gave him a name that is above every name, that in the name of Jesus, confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, the glory of God the Father.
[00:00:21] So no matter what you're facing, there's nothing greater than the name of Jesus.
[00:20:57] One who is near to the brokenhearted and one who leads us beside quiet, you are the good shepherd.
[00:21:04] We thank you that in you, we thank you that you are called the Prince of Peace.
[00:21:12] You are called the King through it all.
[00:21:25] You've set us free, that you've given us a new name, that you've written our stories.
[00:21:33] So we testify of you, King Jesus.
[00:21:37] Love to sing praises unto your name.
[00:21:40] We honor you.
[00:21:41] We love you.
[00:21:43] All of you.
[00:21:45] We give you all the glory, all the honor, and all the praise.

[00:22:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:22:00] Well, good morning, Transformation Church.
[00:22:02] You can go ahead and have a seat.
[00:22:04] We're so glad you're here with us.
[00:22:05] this morning. My name is Taylor, and I'm here with my friend Jack. Yeah, if it's your first time,

[00:22:11] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:22:11] thank you for joining us. We want to meet you in the Next Steps area after service in the lobby to give you a special copy of Pastor Derwin's book, The Good Life, and we're glad you're joining us
[00:22:20] for the first time. We'd also love to see y'all back next Sunday for our sermon series that God has been searching for as Pastor Derwin continues that. Yes, it's been such an incredible series

[00:22:29] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:22:29] so far. Well, TC family, we have already worshiped together through music, and now it's time to worship together through financial generosity. We serve a God who has been incredibly generous with us by giving his first and his best through his son, Jesus. And through financial generosity,
[00:22:47] we have the opportunity to worship him in response. Now, if it's your first time here, please do not feel pressured to give. This service is our gift to you. We hope that you feel welcome
[00:22:58] and encouraged, and we are so glad that you're here. But for our Transformers, this is an opportunity to worship and take a step of faith. Yeah, and if you're looking to take that step of

[00:23:09] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:23:09] faith, on the back of your seat, there's a tap plate. If you have an iPhone, you got to kind of tap the top of it. If you have an Android, you got to take your case completely off. No, I'm just
[00:23:18] kidding. You just have to tap the back of it, and that'll work. Also, through the website or the TC app works as well, but we're glad that you're going to take that next step of faith. Thank you
[00:23:28] guys for joining us this morning. We're going to be continuing our series, The God You've Been searching for. So if you guys would help me welcome Pastor Derwin. Our guests at all of our

[00:24:01] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:24:01] Transformation Church locations, our guests who are physically here, our guests online, can we give them a big welcome? Yes, welcome, welcome, welcome. And then let's give it up to the over 1,500 correctional facility partnerships of mighty men and incredible women of God that
[00:24:18] are tuning in. Now, I want to show you the impact that you are making specifically. So when we pray, when we act by faith, when we generously give, we are in over 1,500 facilities because we work
[00:24:34] with a company called Edovo. And since the start of our relationship with Edovo and the 1,500 correctional facility partnerships, there has been a download of 800,000 sermons, y'all.
[00:24:53] Our largest congregation are our brothers and sisters in correctional facility partnership. So thank you for giving. Thank you for your faith. You're making an impact in people's lives that you may never meet on this side of eternity. And it is epic and it's beautiful.
[00:25:10] To the TC family, it is so, so good to see everybody. We're continuing our series, The God You Have Been Searching For. And what we're doing is this, teenagers, what we're doing is this, young adults. In seminary, this sermon series will be called Theology Proper. That's a
[00:25:29] big word, but it simply means this. What is God like? What is the character of God? Now, understand this. There's a difference between coming to God, wanting him to do something for you, and coming to God because you want to know him because he's been gracious to you. So, God is
[00:25:50] not Burger King, have it your way. He is the King of Kings who invites you to see his heart. He invites you to be with him. He invites you and I to be his hands and his feet on planet earth.
[00:26:05] Now, here's a little spiritual diagnostic that I'll do every few months to see if we're coming to God to give us stuff or because we just want to be with him and know him. If all of your prayers
[00:26:17] came true and all of my prayers came true, number one, how many people on planet earth would come to know Christ? Number two, how many needless, dumb wars where innocent people get killed would be over? Number three, how many hungry people would be fed? How many homeless people would
[00:26:31] have homes? In other words, would your life only be made better if your dreams and prayers came true? One of the ways that we know we're tapped into God's heart is we pray God's prayers, which
[00:26:44] for people to be transformed. God will meet our needs, not so that we can be greedy, but so we can be gracious. We become his hands and his feet. And so today's series, or today's sermon in our series, the God you're searching for is a God who is always there.
[00:27:02] Therefore, we are not alone. We're going to learn about what's called the omni, presence of God. Omni simply means all. Presence means present. God is present everywhere.
[00:27:16] Now, here's what it doesn't mean. Two big words, two big words, monism and pantheism. Monism, mo, mono means one, ism means all. So, God is not all. In pantheism, pan means all theism.
[00:27:30] God is not all his creation. God is transcendent and separate from his creation. He's the creator, but his presence is not limited to location because he doesn't have a physical body. So his presence is everywhere. We have a God who is present, and the God who is present created you
[00:27:50] and I, and he's given us a gift. And the gift is, here are four ways that I want you to flourish.
[00:27:56] Please understand this. God wants you to flourish in life. Now, flourishment does not mean an upper class, middle class life in the South. Flourishing is a life of love and kindness and goodness. And of course, God is going to provide, but it's less about stuff and more about becoming
[00:28:19] people that the world looks at and says, why are you this way? Why are you so forgiving?
[00:28:26] Why are you so gracious?
[00:28:28] Why are you so honest?
[00:28:31] A true life of flourishing.
[00:28:34] Lord knows.
[00:28:35] I mean, in America, people, well, I don't know about us, but for the most part, we know how to make money in America.
[00:28:40] There's more billionaires than anybody, right?
[00:28:42] So the issue ain't making money.
[00:28:43] The issue is, are we letting God make us into people who make a difference in the world flowing from love?
[00:28:52] Now, for us to flourish, there are four questions that must be answered.
[00:28:56] and I'm going to phrase them differently today. So if you're new to following Christ, if you're exploring Christ, here's what God says. God says, I love you at your worst so you can live as my beloved. What does this mean? It means this, number one,
[00:29:09] we all want to be loved at our worst. Being loved at your best is expected. This is when you know you got true love, is that you're worse and they don't run out on you. And ultimately,
[00:29:22] that's what God does. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. The second question is this.
[00:29:29] God says, I define who you are so you can rest your identity in Christ. Quickly, teenagers, identity simply means this. How do you see yourself? Because how you see yourself determines how you live. So for example, you will never ever willingly hear of Derwin Gray
[00:29:49] jumping out of an airplane in a parachute. One, I'm black. Ain't happening. Two, someone would have to force me to do it. My identity tells me stay on the ground and in a plane, don't jump out.
[00:30:04] Friends, in America, we go, well, no one tells me who I am. Really? There are politicians who've told you who you are so bad that if your relative doesn't wear a red hat or a blue shirt, you don't
[00:30:17] even talk to them anymore. Think about it. People you'll never meet who probably don't care anything about you have caused you to divide from people that you came out of their womb. And you tell me
[00:30:28] people don't tell you who you are? They tell you who you are, then they lie to you over and over and over again. Confession time, okay? So pray for me. If there are things that need to get fixed at
[00:30:42] our house and my wife isn't there, I do it. If we get something new and you got to put it together with instructions, I do it. But it'll never come out right. You want to know why? Because I don't
[00:30:54] read instructions. So my wife comes over and before she goes, give me the instructions and she reads and she puts it together. I don't do that. You'd think I'd have learned after all these years. Question. Well, God has given us instructions of how to put us together right
[00:31:09] and he's given us an identity. Listen to him to define us. Number three, God has a plan for you and how to flourish. God says, I determine your worth so you can stop striving and start abiding.
[00:31:23] uh the word abiding is a is a very new testament word and it simply means this to remain to to to not freak out to enjoy the company of a presence presence of someone so much so that you're just
[00:31:37] with them now it's hard for us to do that because you and i are conditioned to believe our worth is found in what we do question what happens when you can't do what it is that you did
[00:31:50] So in my old former life as an NFL player, there are a lot of us who struggle when the applause stops.
[00:32:00] Here's why.
[00:32:01] If you build your life on the applause, what happens when they don't applaud anymore?
[00:32:06] What happens when you got to go to work for the guy who used to ask you for your autograph, now he autographs your checks?
[00:32:13] Now extrapolate that to other parts of our lives.
[00:32:16] For some of us, your identity is in how good or bad your kids come out or whatever it may be. Jesus said it this way, and this is the simplest, best way in Matthew 7, 24. If you build your house on sand, when the wind and rains comes, your house
[00:32:29] will fall down. Build your house on the rock. Well, Jesus is the rock, and he's the one who says, let me tell you how much you're worth. Now, I need everybody to lock in. This may be the most
[00:32:38] important part of this whole message. Listen, your worth is not found in what you do. What can you do that is better than the eternal son of God dying for you?
[00:32:53] How much are you worth if he died for you?
[00:32:59] If I can pour my heart out to you, I have advanced degrees, I've done some cool things, but what's healed me the most is knowing that the living God said, Derwin, in your mess, I love you.
[00:33:14] Your worth is found in the precious blood of Jesus. Exclamation point, nothing else to be written. Jesus is my resume.
[00:33:28] Friends, and that could be true of you too. But in order to do that, you got to get over yourself.
[00:33:34] Some of you think about yourself all the time. That's self-worship. Man, we ain't even got into the sermon yet. Number four, God has a plan for you. I give you a purpose so you can live a life
[00:33:46] that flows from upward, inward, outward. If you're new here at Transformation Church, we have this thing where we say upward, inward, outward. Where does that come from? It comes from the words of Jesus. Jesus was being harassed by religious leaders, and they asked him, Jesus, what's most
[00:33:59] important? By the way, it's pretty ridiculous to ask God, who wrote the Word of God, who's the living embodiment of the Word of God, what's most important, but he plays along. And he says, love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and love your neighbors, you love
[00:34:15] yourself. The sum of the law is found in these commandments. The way we said here is love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. Upward, love your neighbor as yourself. Upward, inward, outward. People go, well, Derwin, I get upward, I get outward, but inward,
[00:34:33] loving myself. I don't get that. Well, number one, you don't get the love of God if you don't love yourself. Because you think, well, no, God loves me because I'm pretty awesome. Or God loves
[00:34:46] me because I did this. God loves me because I did that. We need to settle this right here, right now. Love is not what God does. 1 John 4a says that God is love. Love is who God is. That
[00:34:55] is the essence of who God is. And so God's love for you was before time ever began that he set his heart to say, I want you and I love you. And so when you and I look at our flaws, when we look
[00:35:07] at our past, when we look at our pain and we go, I don't love what's looking in the mirror, we're telling God what you did wasn't good. So let's put it that way. Stop telling God what he did wasn't
[00:35:17] good and start believing that what God did was good, that he clothed you in Christ. And we can begin to love ourselves. Now, guess what happens next? We start loving people. You ready? This might hurt just a wee bit, but love, you mean it. The way you treat other people is how you feel
[00:35:34] about yourself. How do you treat people when they let you down? Do you lose it? That's what you do to yourself. You're self-critical, so you criticize everybody else. You don't like yourself, you don't like nobody else. You don't have to live that way, precious friend. God wants to invade you with
[00:35:56] grace and tenderize your heart and tenderize my heart. Now, what I'm about to share next is a symptom of something that can disrupt this flourishing life that God wants for us that is rampant. It's a pandemic in American culture. Here it is. You ready?
[00:36:16] loneliness loneliness loneliness is a crisis matter of fact a couple years ago the surgeon general which means the doctor of america said that loneliness is a epidemic so loneliness is a crisis about one in six people are living with it and it's as harmful as smoking 15 cigarettes
[00:36:41] a day. In a world more digitally connected than ever, over 52 million Americans still feel deeply alone, leading to depression, heart disease, even early death. Now, pause here. If we're so connected, I got Facebook friends, I got Instagram friends, I got TikTok friends, I got Discord
[00:37:03] friends, and we got all these friends. Number one, do you know you may be talking to AI robots?
[00:37:11] By the way, most of the people you argue with with politics are AI robots.
[00:37:16] They're Russian and Chinese bots.
[00:37:18] And they're just causing strife and loving every minute of it.
[00:37:22] You will feel so much better if you took about 10 days off from all the political stuff and the robots will leave you alone.
[00:37:29] Now, how can we be so lonely and we're so connected?
[00:37:36] Digital was never meant to replace face-to-face, skin-to-skin.
[00:37:41] Also, when you over-rely on people to meet your loneliness and under-rely upon God, you will always be lonely.
[00:37:54] Listen, people cannot meet your ultimate need for companionship.
[00:38:00] And here's why.
[00:38:01] I know people very well because I'm one of them.
[00:38:08] I'm too inconsistent.
[00:38:11] Only God is consistent.
[00:38:14] I'm too unreliable.
[00:38:15] Only God is reliable.
[00:38:18] Beware of anybody who cannot be content being alone.
[00:38:22] Because when they get in community, they will expect people to meet that ultimate need that only God can meet.
[00:38:31] And when that happens, now, hear my heart, you're going to burn through friends.
[00:38:34] Because ultimately, they aren't going to measure up.
[00:38:37] So you guys know how I feel about my wife, that javelin thrower from Montana.
[00:38:42] Y'all know how I feel about my wife.
[00:38:44] I love my wife, but I love her enough to know she cannot meet my ultimate need for companionship.
[00:38:52] When God meets my ultimate need for companionship, it gives me patience for imperfect people.
[00:39:00] One of the reasons why we don't have patience with people is because we're expecting people to be God. So the more connected you are to God, the more you'll be connected to people. You know
[00:39:11] why? Because you'll give them more grace. You'll give them more kindness. You'll give them more goodness because you know they didn't die for you on a cross. Loneliness isn't just caused by relying too much on people. It's the ache of being disconnected from God, others, and our identity.
[00:39:36] Now, what I want to read to you next, and I'm going to explore more of this in the months to come, is this NYU professor Scott Galloway wrote these words, the most dangerous person in the world is a broke, lonely man. And the bad news, America,
[00:39:51] we're producing too many of them. Specifically, when a man is disconnected from anything of great purpose, they're going to find it anywhere. So when you see people getting radicalized and hate groups, over-obsessed with politics, in their basement all day on YouTube, listening to people
[00:40:14] gaming all day. Many of them are like, I need a purpose. And my purpose is to be mad at those people who came and took my job. No, they got a degree in electrical engineering, bro. That's why
[00:40:26] they took your job. And they can spell electrical engineering. But there's a lot of angry men. And when a man is lonely and angry and disconnected and radicalized, stuff gets blown up. People get hurt, people get killed, families get destroyed. And so, men, it is very, very important for this
[00:40:49] message for us to be healthy men. Now, let me pause here, guys. I don't know where this came from, but being a man does not mean you go to the woods, ride a horse, and cut down trees.
[00:41:04] I don't know if because I played in the NFL or what, but I got in the church world and all these like dudes are like, yeah, we need to be a man. Let's go get a hammer and beat a car. I was like,
[00:41:14] wow, what'd that car do to you? I got to get out my aggression. Why are you mad? Hey, you want to know what it looks like a man? You ready? This is really deep. I got a doctorate for this. You ready?
[00:41:25] Look at Jesus. He said, bring the little children to me. He touched a woman with the issue of blood and said, who touched me and healed her? He found a woman caught in adultery. He told Peter, get
[00:41:37] behind me, Satan. When you look at what a man is, it's Jesus. It's not these yahoos on some YouTube channel that's not really them. Read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and you'll see what a man looks like. His name is Jesus. He's got scars in his wrist, a hole in his side,
[00:41:56] and a bloody robe. A man sacrificially loves, does not demand, but sacrificially loves, isn't worried about titles, but puts on a towel and washes feet. That's King Jesus.
[00:42:09] Where's this weirdness coming from? So men, we're going to raise up some awesome, beautiful men and women. Everybody, you know why? Because that's what the good news of King Jesus does. We're going to talk a little bit more about that in the future. So let's dive into this. The God you've
[00:42:29] been searching for, the God who is always there, thus you're never alone. Teenagers, young adults, How does God heal our loneliness? Number one, God is present everywhere, so you are never alone.
[00:42:47] It's called cultivating holy awareness. There's a guy in the Middle Ages, his name is Brother Lawrence, and he was a butler, and he would talk about practicing the presence of God.
[00:43:00] You do that now, whatever you think about is going to shape your reality.
[00:43:05] What do you think about the most?
[00:43:08] Oh my, I hope you think about God is with you the most.
[00:43:10] So let's root this in some scripture.
[00:43:12] Now, I could have gave you about a year's worth of scripture, but this isn't a seminary class.
[00:43:17] This is a sermon.
[00:43:18] So we're going to focus on Psalm 39, 7 through 10.
[00:43:21] This is King David.
[00:43:22] He says, where can I go from your spirit?
[00:43:24] Where can I flee from your presence?
[00:43:26] You know what flee means?
[00:43:28] It means run really fast.
[00:43:29] No, I'm just kidding.
[00:43:29] Where can I flee from your presence if I go up to the heavens?
[00:43:33] now quickly here, heavens just means the sky here. It's not talking about God's domain. It's just talking about the sky. You are there. If I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on
[00:43:47] the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even your hand will guide me. Your right hand will hold me fast. You're like, wait, Pastor Derwin, you just said God is everywhere.
[00:43:58] What does he have, just like a big old giant hand everywhere?
[00:44:02] So that language is called anthropomorphic language.
[00:44:06] Anthropos means man.
[00:44:07] Morphi means to understand.
[00:44:09] In the Hebrew understanding, right hand literally means you're close to me.
[00:44:15] Where Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father is speaking of intimacy.
[00:44:20] So God wants to be with you.
[00:44:22] Guys, you've got to understand this.
[00:44:24] God not only loves you, he likes you.
[00:44:26] Now, let's be honest.
[00:44:27] There's some family that we love, but we don't like.
[00:44:29] Can I get amen?
[00:44:31] If you don't give amen, you might be that person.
[00:44:34] It's okay.
[00:44:35] We're in process.
[00:44:36] Hey, guys, God loves his family and likes his family.
[00:44:41] And it's not based upon your behavior.
[00:44:43] It's based on the behavior of Jesus.
[00:44:46] He loves you so much so.
[00:44:49] Check this out.
[00:44:49] If you're new to the faith, watch this.
[00:44:52] The Virgin, this is speaking of Virgin Mary, will conceive and give birth to a child.
[00:44:55] So the Holy Spirit impregnates Mary supernaturally, and they will call him Jesus.
[00:45:01] They will call him Emmanuel, which means God with us.
[00:45:04] Now, this was written 700 years before Jesus was born from a prophet by the name of Isaiah.
[00:45:12] This is one of the reasons why we know that the Bible is the word of God.
[00:45:15] But notice what it says, God with us.
[00:45:17] God so much so wanted to be with you, he moved into the neighborhood and said, come on over.
[00:45:25] Wherever you are, God wants to be with you.
[00:45:29] The withness of God.
[00:45:31] That's how he cures our loneliness.
[00:45:34] Number two, how does God heal our loneliness?
[00:45:38] God is present with you in Christ.
[00:45:42] So you are fully accepted.
[00:45:45] Have you ever been around someone who is always criticizing you?
[00:45:53] Have you ever been around someone who's always nitpicking you apart?
[00:45:58] That's the way many of you think God is.
[00:46:01] And so it's like, well, I'll come to church, I'll read the Word, but okay, I did pretty good today.
[00:46:05] Okay, so we're talking about theology proper.
[00:46:08] So God who is eternal, past, present, future is now to him.
[00:46:12] So when Jesus died for you, the Bible says, before the foundations of the world, the Lamb of God was slain.
[00:46:18] And so God died for our past sins, present sins, future sins.
[00:46:22] So we're good with God. Everything blemish and flaw was nailed to the cross. So therefore, you are acceptable to God. Oh, not because I did a decent sermon, not because I helped the old lady
[00:46:38] across the street, but because the king of the kings took my place on a cross, because of the king of kings rose from the dead, because of the king of kings grabbed my hand and said, dad,
[00:46:47] Derwin is with me. That's what makes us acceptable to him. Now, if you got pride, gospel ain't going to be good. Pride says, what do I need to do? Gospel says, here's what Christ has done. It's do or done. We are people who live in the doneness of God.
[00:47:09] On the count of three, say doneness. One, two, three, doneness. Galatians 2, 20. This is one of the first verses I memorized, and I would encourage you to put it to memory as well. And
[00:47:20] if you go, pastor, I can't remember our songs. You remember our songs from 20 years ago.
[00:47:26] Don't let me start rapping no Fetty Wap. Y'all will be like, oh yeah, 2015.
[00:47:32] To my Caucasian brothers and sisters, Fetty Wap is...
[00:47:36] I've been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but check this out, but Christ lives in me.
[00:47:48] The best friend you could ever have, who happens to be a Savior and the eternal Son of God, lives in you.
[00:47:54] Question, when you wake up in the morning, when was the last time you went, God, thank you that you live in me.
[00:48:00] Thank you that I am forever your friend.
[00:48:02] Thank you that I'm the Father's child because you blood-bought me.
[00:48:05] Thank you.
[00:48:09] If you don't, it's going to be hard not to be aware of his presence.
[00:48:14] But not only is he indwelling you, but we are fully accepted.
[00:48:20] The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in who?
[00:48:24] The Son of God who what?
[00:48:25] Loved me and gave himself for me.
[00:48:27] Number one, he loves me at my worst.
[00:48:31] Number two, he gives me an identity.
[00:48:34] Christ lives in me.
[00:48:35] Number three, he tells me my worth.
[00:48:38] Christ died for me.
[00:48:42] Are you seeing the holy logic of this?
[00:48:46] One of the things that I'm trying to do, you ready?
[00:48:47] This is kind of big, but I'm going to explain it.
[00:48:50] So Paul says, be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
[00:48:55] Modern day neuroplasticity says your mind changes based on the way you think.
[00:49:01] And so I'm trying to help you to think in the manner of the gospel because you are only going to go as far as you think.
[00:49:11] the scene of the crime is your mind. So we want to be transformed by the gospel with the renewing of our minds. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you. Guard it with the help
[00:49:28] of the Holy Spirit who lives in you. So Jesus lives in us. The Holy Spirit lives in us.
[00:49:41] God the Father lives in us.
[00:49:43] Question, why would I want a mere mortal to try to meet my needs for loneliness?
[00:49:49] Hey, guys, if I showed y'all some of the emails that I get as a pastor, I'm like, where is my cape?
[00:49:56] Because I need to put that thing on today.
[00:49:59] By the way, there is no cape.
[00:50:01] I tell you guys, I don't know if you believe me, I go over the sermon seven to ten times before I preach it to you, primarily not to practice for you, but for it to practice on me.
[00:50:11] I'm in the congregation too.
[00:50:14] There ain't no superpowers here.
[00:50:16] There's a super God that I love and know and who lives in me.
[00:50:20] But don't put any mortal in the place of God.
[00:50:26] Listen, in order to be healthy in community, you have to be healthy vertically.
[00:50:34] You have to be healthy internally.
[00:50:36] then horizontally i won't put expectations on you that are reserved for god alone now yes yes we can clap about that amen okay now okay now some of the ladies were leading the charge and clapping that's beautiful this right here men this is a safe place okay
[00:50:59] hey ladies particularly for those of you that are married uh ladies one day you want to get married when your man comes to you and he's emotionally hurting, would you let him share his heart with
[00:51:16] you? Would you let him be vulnerable with you before you go into, well, what you got emotions about? I got this and I got this. How does it become about you so fast? Would you let that man
[00:51:28] share his heart? Okay, when your little boy was little and he gets all the snuggles, you know how you are moms with sons, and the little boy was little. Well, the little boy just became a big
[00:51:39] man. You're his wife. You're his friend. Let him share his heart. We hurt too. We cry too. We're broken too. We're carrying a lot too. Do you know that most men are the ones who commit suicide?
[00:51:51] Would you listen and not compare your burden to his burden? Would you let him cry sometime and not make him feel weak or small, but say, baby, I'm with you. Can you get over yourself for a
[00:52:02] minute and do that. Men, you can clap. This is a safe space. Now when you get home, I don't know.
[00:52:14] You better call Tyrone when you get home. Hey, seriously, I talk to men all the time, bro.
[00:52:24] Ladies, why do you listen to your girlfriends but don't listen to your man?
[00:52:28] Why you got to compare your stuff when your man just... Can we just talk about me for a minute?
[00:52:33] The more secure you are in Christ, the more you can listen and love Him. We're hurting. A lot of us are hurting. I know we're big and strong, but we are meant to have emotions too. And this ain't
[00:52:47] a comparison. After I vent, can we talk about what you're going through tomorrow and I'll listen to you? We good? Doc, we good? Okay. I got to check with my wisdom here, people, to make sure we good
[00:53:07] on that. Another aspect. Hey guys, when shame tells you to run from God, run to Him. His presence is not condemnation. It's communion. Because God loves you at your worst, you don't have to hide.
[00:53:22] You can come to him. Is there discipline? Yes. Is it hard? Yes. But hiding and hurting is harder than coming to him and being healed as you hurt. All right, teenagers, how does God heal
[00:53:38] our loneliness? God is present in the Lord's Supper so you can experience him now. In a moment, we're going to receive the bread and the wine. In a moment, we're going to experience what Christians around the globe for 2,000 years have experienced. If you come from a Catholic or Greek
[00:53:58] Orthodox background, from the Northeast, maybe the Midwest, you know this as Eucharist. That's a Latin word for thanksgiving. You may know it as the Lord's Supper. That's what we call it here, the Lord's Supper. It doesn't matter to me what you call it, but for us to understand that in the
[00:54:15] bread and in the wine, God is saying, I am for you, I am with you, and you don't have to ever, ever be alone. I really want to make sure I'm saying this the right way. As much as you have
[00:54:36] people to love you, the ache for eternal loneliness is only found and healed in an eternal God.
[00:54:46] then it gives me patience with people when they let me down. Be kind to each other.
[00:54:58] We all have on a sign that says, fragile, handle with care. So here's how we experience life.
[00:55:08] We're born, right? That's wild. They put us under like a heating light to cook us.
[00:55:14] And by the time we meet people, we have all these experiences and some of them not so good.
[00:55:21] In our nervous system, your body keeps score.
[00:55:25] So you can see something and you're like, danger, danger, danger.
[00:55:28] And it may not even be danger.
[00:55:30] And so we have to learn how to slow down and be patient with each other.
[00:55:34] One of the things throughout Scripture is be kind and patient with each other, forgiving each other.
[00:55:41] Now, I'm not talking about craziness where people are unrepentant and breaking.
[00:55:45] I'm not talking about that.
[00:55:46] I'm talking about normal human being stuff.
[00:55:49] So in the Lord's Supper, God is saying, I am your ultimate source of companionship who will give you the strength to enjoy my presence and to overflow with that presence.
[00:56:06] So watch this.
[00:56:08] Teenagers, young adults were skedaddling over to 1 Corinthians chapter 10, 16 and 17.
[00:56:15] The Apostle Paul is writing to these churches in Corinth.
[00:56:18] There's a multi-ethnic church just like us, people from all over the world.
[00:56:21] And he's reminding them about something about the Lord's Supper.
[00:56:25] He says, is not the cup of thanksgiving.
[00:56:29] So this is where we get the word Eucharist from.
[00:56:31] For which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ.
[00:56:38] So in a moment when we drink the juice, which is representing the blood of Christ, it's reminding us of a few things.
[00:56:46] One, we're fully accepted and fully forgiven by God.
[00:56:52] Number two, we all share the same blood.
[00:56:57] Ooh, this ain't a part of the message, but let me just add this in there.
[00:57:00] One of the reasons why we're a multi-ethnic church is because when we drink the same blood, we're saying that we're a part of the same family regardless of our ethnicity, cultures, and backgrounds.
[00:57:14] Next, next, we're going to look at the bread.
[00:57:17] The bread represents Jesus as the sustenance.
[00:57:22] So Jesus in John 6, 35 is called the bread of life.
[00:57:26] When the children of Israel got free from Egypt and slavery in the wilderness, they complained and grumbled, and God sent down bread for them to eat.
[00:57:34] Jesus was born in Bethlehem, which means house of bread.
[00:57:38] So when we receive the bread, Jesus is our sustenance for companionship.
[00:57:43] Jesus is our sustenance of spiritual life.
[00:57:45] Jesus is all and all.
[00:57:52] So, be real gentle here.
[00:57:56] On the bottom here, teenagers, you got a wafer.
[00:58:01] In the early days, we used to do like Hawaiian bread.
[00:58:04] It was good.
[00:58:06] Don't tell nobody, but one day I want to do Krispy Kreme donuts so we can taste and see that the Lord is good.
[00:58:18] Okay, here's the backdrop.
[00:58:21] Young adults, this is the third time Jesus is having what's called a Passover meal with his Jewish disciples.
[00:58:29] Passover is when God freed the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt.
[00:58:36] And one of the ways that he did it was the last plague is he told them to put the blood of an unblemished goat over your door.
[00:58:43] And ironically, it's in the shape of a cross.
[00:58:46] Put the blood here, put the blood here, put the blood there.
[00:58:49] It's the shape of a cross because it's an echo to that Jesus would be the ultimate Passover lamb, okay?
[00:58:55] So they're set free.
[00:59:00] And Jesus says, this is my body broken for you.
[00:59:03] So this bread represents, he is our sustenance.
[00:59:08] He wants to feed us himself.
[00:59:13] He really wants to be with you.
[00:59:18] Think about that for a minute.
[00:59:20] Even if you know very little about Jesus, isn't it amazing that God is like, I want to be with you.
[00:59:27] and immediately we try to put on new clothes and dress up and slick our hair back.
[00:59:34] No, no, no, come as you are.
[00:59:38] God cannot change a future version of you, only the real you and me.
[00:59:44] Come as you are.
[00:59:49] Together, brothers and sisters, let us receive the body of our Lord Jesus.
[01:00:01] Next, he took wine.
[01:00:04] We're gonna use a little juice, so be real gentle when you pull off the top.
[01:00:08] and the scripture says, and this is my blood shed for the forgiveness of sins. And the gospel of Luke, I believe says, and this is my blood shed for the new covenant. So what's happening here?
[01:00:24] It's one of my favorite things to talk about. I hope I say it so much. You know it by heart. Now the nation of Israel as a people needed forgiveness. And there was only one way for it to
[01:00:34] happen. Yom Kippur. That means day of atonement. So the Jewish people had a temple and in the temple was a room called the Holies of Holies where God's presence was. So the priest would get two goats. They both had to be unblemished. The first one he would slaughter and he would
[01:00:54] walk into the temple. He would go into the Holies of Holies. And what he would find there is some furniture called the Ark of the Covenant. On the sides of the Ark of the Covenant were two
[01:01:03] angels called the cherubim. In the middle, teenagers, was the Ten Commandments. And above the Ten Commandments was this smoke called Shekinah Glory, representing God. So when God would look down, saw the people breaking the Ten Commandments. And so the priest would sprinkle
[01:01:19] blood over the Ten Commandments showing atonement, people's sins wiped away, smeared away, forgiven.
[01:01:29] Now, the other goat was called the scapegoat. Now you can read about this in Leviticus 16.
[01:01:34] The priest would get his hand and put it on top of the scapegoat's head and says, all the sins of the people of Israel is upon the head of this goat. He would then take the goat
[01:01:45] out to the wilderness and let it run free, representing that God has not only forgiven your sin, but he has forgotten your sin. That's why the scripture says, as far as the east is from the west, so has God forgotten our sins. Friends, the east will never meet the west.
[01:02:05] When God says forgiven, it is total and complete. So that means we stand in the presence of God because Jesus placed us there. We stand with Jesus and we stand with the power of the Holy Spirit
[01:02:27] to commune with our Father who says, I want to be with you. So y'all mind if I take just two more minutes? So, you know, when you get older, right, you can see things better. At about age 13,
[01:02:50] I was angry with my dad. He lived about six blocks away, never went to any games.
[01:02:58] I didn't know what addiction was. I didn't know what mental illness was. I didn't know any of those things. I just knew I'm a 13-year-old kid. No one's telling me nothing, and he ain't around.
[01:03:07] I distinctly remember working out in high school and college and in the NFL going, I'm going to show you. No one told me this. My mind, I'm going to show you. I don't need you.
[01:03:18] I'm going to be successful. And then here's the sad part, is you get successful and you make it, quote unquote, to the NFL, and that hole is still in your soul. But when Jesus introduced me
[01:03:35] to his father, I began to see my earthly dad may not have been there, but my heavenly dad was at every game, was at every practice. He was in the face of every coach that loved me, every teacher
[01:03:50] that supported me, every person that helped me. Y'all, a freshman football game, I-35 on San Antonio going to Fox Tech High School. Our cars always broke down. Our old station wagon broke down literally on the freeway in the lane where you can merge off. So it just stopped working.
[01:04:10] Boom, I pull over. I can't make it to the game. This Mexican dude pulls up. He's like, what's up, ese? You need a ride? I'm like, yeah. He's like, where do you need to go? I was like,
[01:04:21] Fox Tech. He goes, I went to Fox Tech, bro. Get in. I don't know who that man was. I wonder if it was an angel. I don't know who that dude was, but he got me to that game, and I had one of the
[01:04:31] best games of my freshman career. God was always there. I don't know your story. I don't know your pain, but one thing we're not going to do, we ain't going to be mad at our parents. They're
[01:04:44] human just like you. We're not going to live with guilt and shame anymore because God's been too good. So right here, right now, confess, I am not going to be mad. You don't know the hell they've
[01:04:55] been through. You don't know what they've been through to bring you into this world. As I got older, I found out what my dad went through and I forgave him and I loved him as best I could.
[01:05:06] Holding a grudge is only going to hold you back. Today, you got a grudge. Give it to the Lord before you receive this. Give it to the Lord. He can carry it. Let us receive the blood of King
[01:05:30] Jesus. Father, we thank you so much that you're gracious and that you're good. Hey, right now in this moment, if you need to reaffirm your faith in Christ, maybe you've been backsliding or ignoring his presence. I want you to recommit your life to him. If you've never given your life to
[01:05:58] Jesus, I want you to do that right now. What does that mean? It means this, a prayer of confession.
[01:06:04] Jesus, I believe on the cross you died for me.
[01:06:07] I believe you rose again to live in me, and I want to follow you.
[01:06:11] Hey, if that's you right now, drop the guilt, drop the shame, and let Christ pick you up.
[01:06:19] Say this to him.
[01:06:20] Today, King Jesus, I believe you died on the cross for me.
[01:06:25] You eternally forgive me, and you rose again to eternally live in me, and I choose to follow you in Christ's name.
[01:06:31] Amen, amen, and amen.
[01:06:32] Let's give God a round of applause.
[01:06:36] All right, fam.
[01:06:38] Listen, if you prayed with me, if you got an iPhone, you got to tap on the back of your seat, tap the top of it. Android-based phone, tap the back. If you are superiorly intellectual,
[01:06:47] you'll probably have an iPhone. Just kidding. You'll have an Android. I know. I'm joking, by the way, but am I? Tap the back for Android, tap the top for iPhone. Seriously. And let us know you pray to receive Christ. Let us know how we can serve you and walk with you. Let us know
[01:07:05] how we can pray for you. It would be great if everybody filled it out because it helps us to understand. Okay. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. What is our soul tattoo? What is it we think about
[01:07:17] throughout the week? Here it is. Cling to the presence of Christ. Relisten to the sermon throughout the week. Study the questions. Action step. Take your next step and be baptized on May third if you have not been baptized. So quickly, this wedding ring does not make me married,
[01:07:38] but it shows the world I'm married. So say I'm at the gym or something and somebody roll up on me, I could be like, bow. I belong to Vicki. She throws the javelin. You shall be impelled.
[01:07:49] Now that's never happened. Ain't nobody rolled up on me, but in case it did, I'm ready. Seriously, guys. Hey, when you, when you get baptized, it's like a wedding ring saying I belong to Jesus.
[01:08:05] So if you're baptized as a child and it didn't matter, you just pray to receive Christ or if you've never been baptized, sign up to be baptized.
[01:08:12] We wanna baptize you May 3rd.
[01:08:15] Hey, I love you guys.
[01:08:16] I appreciate you more than you know.
[01:08:18] Please continue to pray with me.
[01:08:20] Morning prayers with Pastor Derwin on our app.
[01:08:24] Let's welcome our campus host.

[01:08:32] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[01:08:32] All right, thank you, Pastor Derwin for that wonderful message.
[01:08:35] If you are looking to get baptized on May 3rd and taking that next step, please let us know.
[01:08:40] you can tap the back of the plate there again with the top of your iPhone or the back of your Android or whatever kind of phone you have let us know that you want to get baptized so we can
[01:08:47] connect with you or you can meet us in the next steps area in the lobby for that as well that's

[01:08:52] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[01:08:52] right we are so excited to celebrate baptisms on May 3rd all right TC family it is time for our benediction I'm going to invite you to stand on up a benediction is just a good word that we say
[01:09:05] together before we go out into the world. So we point upward because we love God completely.
[01:09:11] We point inward because we love ourselves correctly. And we point outward because we love our neighbors compassionately. We're going to point at you and you'll point back at us and we'll say Transformers roll out because this is just the... And now it's time to go play the...
[01:09:27] all right here we go one two three upward inward outward transformers roll out have a good week