How do we find balance in a shaky world? In the, in the heaviness of these last couple of weeks, how do we find the strength to move forward and, and what does it even mean to move forward? Well, I think two friends of mine can help us give an understanding of the best way forward, not just as a church. But as believers And so the first is a little younger than you might think. It's my little nephew, Liam Hill. So little Liam here is a little active guy. He literally was running the hallways this morning. He'll high five everybody that that he sees. He's just Mr. spirited, high five social man. Like, when he gets dropped off at preschool, I think he's the mayor, uh, because he goes in, it's like, hey, Sally, how's your brother? Hey, Tom, how's it going? Like he's just Mr. Active. But what I think about is the fact that he's always wanted to move ever since he was a little baby. And so even uh there at like 12 years old, he was hopping on those balance bikes, right, and going, and I feel like balance bikes were a great, whoever created those in recent years, I feel like kids are riding bikes a lot faster than ever before because, you know, when you're young, it's hop on the bike, maybe the parent on you and it just gives you a shove, and a couple of times you fall and eventually you don't, right? Well, the balance bike is awesome because Because the child gets used to the feeling, right? And they get zooming down the hills and just taking off. And that, so here, little Liam not only loved riding that balance bike everywhere, but rode his bike faster than, than I can imagine. So I mean, here's a toddler, uh, 234 years old, now riding a pedal bike, and it's pretty incredible to watch these little ones just hop on a bike and go, right? So there's one guy that could help us. But now I wanna go to the other side of uh a longtime friend of mine, his name is Jay Kinzinger. And here is a guy who all the way back was one of my small group leaders as a teenager, but then stayed in the ministry there in Cedarville, Ohio, and, and was actually a small group leader when I became the youth pastor in that same church. And so here was this faithful couple, uh, he worked as an engineering professor, uh, but he's just got a great story behind him. He loves adventure, because then I would talk to him, he's like, yeah, you know, there's that one time I rode my bike across the country, and I was like, wait, what? You did, Jay, you did what? He's like, oh yeah, I, I hop, I hopped on my bike and I rode it across the country. I was like, you took a bike and went Forrest Gump on it and like just went across, like, why would you do it? Like, it's like to see the world and to see the country like and I was like, wow, that's amazing. And not only did he like ride his bike across countries, across nations, he would travel the world, ride different places, but with his engineering background, actually started making bikes. And so he founded this company, I encourage you to check it out. It's really cool, called Sojourn Cycry, and he actually builds custom wooden bikes. So he takes planks of walnut wood and laminates together, engineers it, and then hollows it out and then carves and shapes it into these custom bikes that now, not only has he traveled around the world on bikes, now he makes awesome custom, beautiful bikes to help other people travel. And I love that. Now, why do I share these two examples? Is that wherever you are on your faith journey, There is a step to take. And so this morning's message is entitled Ride the Bike. Because my hope and prayers at the end of this message that you're gonna have this picture in your head of what it means to follow Jesus in a practical sense. Go ahead and do me a favor and turn to your neighbor and just say ride the bike. OK, but now you gotta say it like you mean it. So let's try one more time. Say ride the bike. I If you're taking notes, I want you to write this down, that living faith is a moving faith. Living faith is a moving, moving faith. Little kids by nature want to get up and go. We want to move. And as we become adults, I think we still have this innate desire for adventure and maybe biking's not your thing, that's OK. But we want to go out and, and we find that adventure, whether it's through music or outdoors or sports, or even reading, right, or going through and imagining another world. There's this part of us. That wants to move. But my fear is that people come into church, and we don't attach it to the adventure that awaits outside, right? That when you read about faith in the Bible, you read about people on the move. Jesus didn't say to his disciples, come and gather in one location at one once a week and call it good. No, he says, come and follow me. It is an adventure. But this adventure It's really this idea that faith is a journey, not a guilt trip. Faith is a journey, not a guilt trip, because that's what we do is that once we start moving, we start judging how other people move, don't we? And instead of focusing on who we're called to become, we start focusing on how we're supposed to behave, and we start judging ourselves um based on the people around us. But faith is a journey, not a guilt trip, because it's, it's about becoming the man or the woman that God has called you to be. And I think this image of riding a bike, whether a toddler or building your own bike company, or whatever and you find yourself, this picture actually gives us an image that can describe what it means to follow Jesus on a daily practical basis, and it can help us find balance in an unsteady, shaky world. And so here's 3 keys to riding your spiritual bike, so, and we're gonna find this comes directly out of our passage in James, but I wanna break this down because just like the balance bike, the first part of riding is that you gotta take a seat. The seat of the seat of the bike is really this idea of being, specifically being a child of God. Do you come to God? As a parishioner, just come in to check off the box, or do you come to encounter your Heavenly Father with a God who made you, loved you, saved you, and knows you? Because the relationship you have determines the access. You give, right? Anyone else, uh, woke up several times to that monsoon storm the other day, right? You know what woke me, not the storm, but my 75, 80 pound golden retriever, who was terrified of the storm, and then jumped onto our bed like a, like a toddler would, like when they're scared, like probably 5 times. And so like it's one thing to get like licked or nuzzled, like, oh, Sophie. She would just like hop up all 75, 80 pounds, boom, right on me, like, almost like, Dad, the storm's here, what are you gonna do? Like I just, I just, I would wake up and her I love her, but the golden retriever breath is not great. Um, and so especially at 2 in the morning, right? And it's just like, I was like, it was not good. But she can do that. Why? Because our golden, who normally sleeps in the room on the floor next to us, has access to it. But we go so much further than that, right? Cause as much as I love my dog, and I didn't even think I was gonna be a dog person, but I became a dog person. I get that right? So, so I'm there as much as I love my dog, OK? It doesn't even come close to that of a child. Like for those with little ones at home, isn't it funny that like you can be so annoyed during the day. And then you find yourself after tucking them in, like just watching them sleep. And it doesn't even feel weird. It's just like, oh my child. Like they are doing nothing to add to the world in that moment, and yet I'm happy. Just to be there with them, right? So do you take your understanding of God as Some intense judge ready to punish you. Or as a heavenly Father who loves you. And see, it goes even a step further. So we, we have our two oldest boys and then our youngest girl. But man, it was a special day when this little girl that we got to foster, we got to officially adopt. And to say, you're mine. And that picture of adoption. It's really the picture of becoming a spiritual child of God. But don't take my word for it. It says in John 1:12, it says, but to all who did receive him. Who believed in his name. He gave the right to become children of God. We don't go just as far as a pet of God, but a child that has direct access to our Heavenly Father, that we can go to him at any time with any problem and any question and comes before and he looks down and says, my child. Do we get that? In Galatians 4:4-7, it says, but when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoptions as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the spirit of his son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father, this is a personalized cry. That we get to call to him. So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. If we die to ourselves in the name of Christ, then we're gonna reign in the name of God. We're gonna reign and rule with him, that whatever you're walking through, understanding that being made in his image and being saved through Jesus Christ alone gives you the right adopt gives you the right for adoption to be called his son or his daughter. eternally secure in his hand, so that whatever storms come your way, you have direct access to him, that he looks down on you, not in disappointment, but in love, that is grace. We forget that Have you ever tried to ride a bike without a seat? You can stand for a while, but you're gonna get tired. That's why the first thing we have to understand in this faith journey, not guilt trip. It's about being. It's about identity, meaning that you don't have to live for your identity, but you can live from your identity. It's not I do A, B, and C in hopes of becoming a child, but rather because I am a child of God, I will live in light of his name. And for His glory. Right? Here's the application. You gotta check your seat. You gotta check your seat. An easy way to do that is to begin each morning with this simple prayer. God, help me to remember that I'm a child of God. Can you say that phrase with me real quick? Can we say that? God help me to remember that I'm a child of God. I don't know about you, but when I say that. Even reading that, sometimes like, OK, yeah, read the list. OK, move on. If you pause. Take a deep breath. Before you jump into all your to dos, before you think about all the emails you gotta respond to, all the bills you have to pay, all the difficult situations you have to walk through, if you can start your day with a simple prayer to understand that you start living from your identity, not for it, and that God is for you, with you and in you, it changes how you approach the day, doesn't it? To take a collective deep breath. Not meditating for meditating's sake, but meditating on the truth that you are a son or daughter of God, if you put your faith in Jesus. Second thing we have to do is that the left pedal of the bike, OK? We, we got our seat, OK, we got the balanced bike. That's why it's, that's why even kids early on, right? Understand faith. It's childlike faith, isn't it? That you have to understand that have a faith like a child, faith like a child is really what's required to have entrance into the kingdom. So once you have your seat, once you kinda get used to that balance bike, OK, you get going for a little bit, just like little kids do. You have to have first the left pedal. And the left pedal is knowing the word of God. Knowing the word of God. Here's where we jump into James chapter 1 today, starting in verse 19. My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this. Oh, this, we could just stop on this one verse for our culture right now in this moment. Look at these words. Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. That sounds the opposite of social media, doesn't it? Think about that. Quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. What does our culture teach us? Be slow to listen, quick to speak, and quick to become angry. Let's continue reading. So it's because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Why do we do that? Right? It's because anger doesn't get us to where we wanna go. Verse 21, therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent. Get rid of it. Get rid of it. And instead humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Our vision at the church is to help every man, woman and child experience Jesus and that we do that through planting the gospel, growing in community and multiplying through service. This verse right here is an example. Of what we're doing, that our prayer and our hope is that the word of God would be planted into your life. Well, what is the word of God helpful for? It can save you. But also Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:16, it says, all scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training and righteousness. His word is of eternal value. Now, is it the only way you can hear from God? No. But I think it's the best way you can hear from God. It's the first way you can hear from God. It's the strongest way you can hear from God. It's the way that filters all the other ways. Does that make sense? Because sometimes you're gonna have people say, oh, I have a word of God. I have a word for you. Sometimes you're gonna get a thought in your brain. OK, is that a flesh desire? Or is that a spirit desire? I'm gonna get a nudge. Is that just a personal ambition or is it a godly ambition, right? You're gonna have these thoughts, you're gonna process decisions. What is your filter in those moments? It's the word. Why? Because God's word will never contradict God's will. And we want to try to understand the will of God, but we, we fail to even open the word of God. We just finished the series last month through Romans 12, which talks about to no longer be conformed to the patterns of this world, but to be transformed through the renewal of your mind, and that by doing so, you will be able to test and approve God's will. Or where should we put it this way, he says, when the child of God looks into the Word of God, and he sees the Son of God, and is transformed by the Spirit of God to share in the glory of God. good. I'm gonna say it one more time. When the child of God looks into the word of God, he sees the Son of God and is transformed by the Spirit of God to share in the glory of God. Application for this idea is simply to fuel your soul. Begin each morning reading scripture. If you have a Bible reading plan. We have passage guides that are available to give you a jumpstart on that. I'm working through this message at a deeper level. If you're picking a book of the Bible, We start in the Gospel of John or use this book of James or the Book of Colossians, or maybe you're reading through the Bible. It can change your life. You know, in our health conscious world, which is a little ironic because we're probably the most out of shape our world's ever been, but anyway, uh, in our health conscious world, it's all about, OK, what are you putting into your body, which is very good. But I want to go deeper and say, what are you putting into your soul? What are you putting into your mind? Because that'll impact how you think, that'll impact what you say, that'll impact how you live. So do you truly know the word of God? To meditate, to reflect, to repeat, to memorize, to discuss, to sing songs about, to study. Why? Because it'll change your life to plant your word near the living streams that God has given to us. To feed your soul. If you're riding your spiritual bike, you have to know the seat is being, specifically being the child of God. The left pedal is knowing the word. But here's the thing we have to remember. Because some of us are really good at knowing the word, and we go to Bible study, to Bible study to Bible study. But if you ever tried to ride a bike with one pedal? It's like. Uh It doesn't work So the other pedal, the right pedal, is then doing the work. You have to know the Word, do the Word. Know the Word, do the Word. Understanding. That you're not doing that to become a child of God, but because you already are one. That as a child of God. You can know the Word, do the Word. Know the Word, do the Word. You see this pattern throughout Scripture. So let's continue reading here in James chapter 1 verse 22. Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror, and after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. Have you ever, uh, made a mistake getting ready in the morning? And I'm, guys, I'm talking to you, mostly, ladies, I'm sure you've never walked out. Um, I, I've walked out, uh, wearing two different socks, like different colors. Uh, I've walked out like without a belt on the pants. I didn't realize I was gone. Uh, I think one time even I walked out with different shoes on. Right, cause they were kind of similar and I just grabbed them and go, right. Cause they're not paying attention, OK? And as silly as that sounds, we do that in church all the time. We leave the house. And we, we don't realize how foolish we look. Like, he's saying, don't be the guy that looks in the mirror and then forgets what he looks like. Verse 25, but whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom. And continues in it. Not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it, they will be blessed in what they do. Verse 26, then those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues, deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Think about that. It's a strong statement. But if you don't actually live out anything that this says, why do, what are we doing? Honestly, what are we doing? What are you doing here? I don't mean that condescending, like I want you here, but what is the purpose of gathering? If we're not going to go out and live what this says. Cause that's what it means to actually live out your faith, because a living faith is a moving faith. It's a journey. It's not a guilt trip. That we have to understand that being a child of God then involves us knowing the word and then doing the Word. So then what is religion, true religion really look like? It tells us in verse 27, it says religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless as this, to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. So in these last couple of verses, it really tells us to be a believer, OK, is to watch how you speak. Right? To watch who you serve. And then to watch how you stand. Right? A polluted tongue isn't gonna be helpful. If you don't take action, your religion is worthless. It gives the example of serving those who have needs. Widows and orphans. It doesn't limit to those groups, but it's a clear picture of that. Right? And then not to be polluted by this world. In other words, are you willing to take a stand for truth? OK, John, but that seems a little difficult. OK, well, let's look at our model. Let's look at Jesus. Jesus is our example. He says this in Philippians chapter 2, verse 5 to 8, he says, have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus. Who through he, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking on the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross. If anybody could have just chosen his own way, it would be Jesus. But Jesus Christ, the Son of God Himself, when his obedience led him to death. In his prayer in the garden, say, Lord, if there's another way, Heavenly Father, if there's another way, please, let's go that way, but not my will, but yours. And so, through Jesus, we see that Jesus Christ even died to himself, giving us the example of humility, giving us the example of obedience and says come and die with me. So it's you that I might come and live with you. You see, obedience is less about the destination and more about the direction of your life. The Christian life is not about, say a little prayer, accept Jesus into your heart, and then just wait till you die. And then at some point, you get to hop up to a cloud and then everybody learns the harp and it's great. Your faith journey starts. Not the moment you die, but the moment you place your trust in him. The Lord's pray. What prayer, what are we praying? We are praying for your, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Can we say As Lord, may your work be done in Cave Creek as it is in heaven, as North Phoenix as it is in heaven. As in Scottsdale or fill in your place. Can you say it for your workplace, as it is in heaven, in your family as it is in heaven. You see, we are not called to live culture up. We are called to bring heaven down. That God is alive and active in this moment, and he reigns and rules in this moment, and you are no longer a slave. You are no longer separated, but as a child of God to be his ambassadors of peace and purpose in this life, and we do that how? By knowing the word and living it out every single day. Amen. So as believers, then we are called to share God's story. That every day we are called to reflect the gospel to the world around us. And how you speak, and how you love, and how you serve, and how you encourage, and how you forgive, and how you move. We are called as Christians to share God's story. And it might be a big thing, like start a church or an organization or adopt a child or something there. Or it could be an a simple prayer. Or a question to the co-worker, or an invitation to church, or a meal to a neighbor. The 5 minutes of peace to rock the baby of the young mom that you know in your life, the opportunity. To rake the yard. of somebody nearby to to follow after what God's called you to do, to to serve and work with integrity in a business that may otherwise not have it. You get the chance. To bring heaven down. Into your family, into your life, into your workplace, into your friendships, and we do that, how? By riding that spiritual bike. And let me just tell you something, if, if you feel like, John, that's hard. I love these things now that they have called e-bikes, right? Where you can all of a sudden go for 100 miles, and you're like, yeah, I rode my bike. Right. OK, that's great. But then what happens when that bike battery runs out and now you have to ride like all those miles back? Do you understand that we have the Holy Spirit living in us, that the very power that created the world, the very power that conquered death is now living in you and in me, calling us to move forward? You don't think that's not gonna power us every single day? Cause if you do that, I'm telling you. The best faith, a living faith, is a moving faith. And if you're just on this journey, look just like that young child, get on the bike. Wrestle with this truth, get your balance. Understand that you are a child of God. But when you know that, then start to move forward and adventure and take a journey. And that daily decision to know the word, and to do the word, to know the word and to do the work. And then as you start to grow in your journey, not only will you move, you'll eventually land in a place where you will help other people get on bikes and to do the same. In this moment we're in, let us remember the mission we're on. That God has called us to move, and we could see the greatest survival. that our country has ever seen. If we put our faith in Jesus and we live it out on a daily basis. Will you pray with me? Dear Heavenly Father, we love you. God, you have given us A new identity God, help us to make a new direction in our life. This idea of saying, you know what, I'm gonna walk, I'm gonna move, I'm gonna ride towards you. Help me to understand the idea of being and knowing and doing. That I am your child for those that put their faith in you. That then we can study the word and to know what you tell us to do to feed our souls. That then we can live that out and to take action. And ultimately share your story with the world around us, with all that we say and do. Help us to ride the spiritual bike. Help us to remember that a living faith is a moving faith, and help us to all move closer to you. As children of God. We love you and your sister and we pray. Amen.