Hello and welcome to Church online with Mission Grove. Before we jump into today's message, we're gonna continue a segment we launched last week entitled quarantine questions. We want to try to answer the questions that you might be asking at home right now. Parents, Have you been feeling guilty about the amount of time your kids have been watching netflix? We'll just click on the subtitles and boom, they're reading next. Have you had travel plans canceled, but you still want to show your friends that you have an adventurous life? One guy has the solution. First, check out his photo. Next check out how he made it. Our next quarantine question comes from the struggle. It is with having regular zoom meetings. Would you like to spice up your zoom meetings in the office? Why not download awesome backgrounds like this one from the Office? Next thing, you know, you're like Jim or Dwight sharing with the crowd, the joys of working with Michael scott. Lastly, if you're a sports fan like me, you've probably been enjoying the documentary on sunday nights on ESPN entitled The Last Dance. That got me thinking If there was a documentary made about this time that's shown 20 years from now, what would they call it? My guess? The last roll? Well, that wraps up this segment of quarantine questions, but I want to hear from you. Do you have a funny story of trying to homeschool your kids or interact with colleagues on a zoom call, Let us know by sharing that in the comments or using the hashtag quarantine questions on social media and who knows, maybe we'll share your story here on a sunday with mission growth. But in all seriousness, we want everyone who's staying home to stay safe and stay connected. If you have a need, please let us know by filling out our connect card. We'd love to come alongside you, whether that's prayer or emotional support or even meeting a financial need, we are here for you. Let's take a moment right now and pray for our community, Dear Heavenly Father, We thank you that we can still be the church, even if it means that we are separated right now that we are watching your message for us. God, we pray for those who are fighting the coronavirus. We pray for healing God. We pray for those who are experiencing financial difficulties right now and God, we pray ultimately that you would be present here with us and meet our needs not just physically but also spiritually and emotionally God so that we can come on the other side of this trial, closer to you and ultimately closer to each other as a community, We love you. It's in your son's name. We pray Amen. I can remember the first time I rode a roller coaster as a kid. It was the racer at Kings Island, which is a theme park located just north of Cincinnati. It was in late elementary school and I was with my friends and it was on a field trip and I was terrified because I was terrified of heights. In fact to this day, I don't like freestanding heights in general, but I wanted to be cool and I wanted to connect with my friends and so when they wanted to ride the ride, I was in it with them. Now I have been to Disney World as a kid, but because I was little when I went, I primarily rode the rides that just went in circles and, and saw the mascots and the characters and, and just loved that. And so this was my first true roller coaster. I remember stepping into the metal seat that was on the old wooden track. I wondered is this would even still good? Is it gonna hold me up? I remember putting the bar down and we started to go at the slowest possible pace, it seemed like we were just like we were going up and I was so scared and as we got higher, I felt like my heart sank lower. I realized the higher we got, the farther the fall was gonna be and we were going so slow when just over the top of the hill, we looked down and I started to scream. But I think we went faster than my screen because I went down and my hands were up out of fear, I was like, and just kind of caught up to the speed and we're going up and down these hills and in the race if you've ever written it in King's Island, they go side by side with another coaster and you see which one's gonna be faster. And remember I was terrified, but when we came to a stop at the end, I remember getting off, I was shaky and I turned to my friends and I go, that was awesome. What's the next ride? And it's in that moment I fell in love with roller coasters, which is weird because I'm terrified of heights. But what I realized in that moment that it's not the danger of the drop that matters, it's the security of the seat. And when I realized that I was locked in and secured that I could experience the ups and downs of a roller coaster. So then we went on to a bigger coaster. We went onto one called the Beast. It was awesome. And then I tried one called Vortex where we dropped over 200 ft and so from that point on, I loved riding roller coasters and I still love riding roller coaster today. Now, my personal favorite theme park is cedar point in Sandusky Ohio and the Millennium Force is really my favorite ride or maybe the top speed dragster wherever you're watching this right now on our platform on Youtube or on facebook, if you have a favorite ride or a theme park, whether that's from Hollywood studios or six flags or cedar point, whatever it is right now in the comment section, I want you to put down your favorite right now. For me there was an adrenaline rush when it came to riding a roller coaster. I had security in my seat. Therefore I wasn't afraid of the danger of the drop the higher we got. I knew I was okay because I was secure in what was holding me in the same way this life right now can feel much like a roller coaster. See we are in a series entitled Breakout, becoming who God has created you to be. In week one we talked about finding your spiritual pathway and then in week two we talked about feeding your soul. Well today we want to talk about having an unshakable faith. You see just as in that roller coaster, it's not the danger of the drop but the security of the seat, it doesn't matter the ups and downs that you're going through right now. If you know that you are secured in the God who created you, if you have your bibles open up to Acts. Chapter five. Now let me give you the background before we jump into this passage, you see the disciples received the holy spirit in Acts chapter one and then in Acts chapter two, Peter preaches a sermon and the church begins in Acts chapter three, They heal somebody. It's miraculous and people are getting saved. It's crazy, they get arrested in Acts chapter four, but then they get let go because they really couldn't hold them against any charges. They're just seeing these miraculous things happen in the beginning of Acts chapter five people die because they lie to the disciples in the early church and they lie to God and so some crazy things are happening, lives are changed, people have died, miracles are happening and so the leaders of the community don't know what to do and so they arrest the disciples And so they have the disciples, they're arrested and they're talking as a group of leaders what they should do and we pick it up now in acts chapter five verse 33 and when the leaders they heard this they were furious and wanted to put them to death these uneducated fishermen and and this ragtag group of people were influencing the community and talking about how the true king was jesus and that they can experience power and life if they put their faith in jesus. And so when someone is saying you can receive power and life, the leaders of that town who supposedly have the power are going to get mad at that. But a pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law who was honored by all the people stood up in the ST Hedren and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while, it's almost like he said, okay kids go to the other room because mom and dad need to talk Amelio was this incredible teacher, well respected, very wise and he turns to the sanhedrin here and then he addressed them and he said, this men of Israel consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. Some time ago Thadeus appeared claiming to be somebody And about 400 men rallied to him, he was killed and his followers were dispersed and it came to nothing after him, judas, the galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt and all his followers were scattered. You see, Gamma leo cited two examples of movements that ended when the leader left in the same way jesus was no longer there. And so they assumed this movement known as Christianity or more specifically called the way they were going to scatter and there's no way that the disciples could lead this movement without their leader, jesus. And so he says this, since therefore in the present case I advise you leave these men alone, let them go for if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. And then I highlight this verse because this really sets us up for today, he says, but if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men, you will only find yourselves fighting against God. What's incredible about this story, Gamaliel, This incredible teacher understood that while he didn't agree with these disciples that if God was truly on their side, then there, God would be unstoppable. And there's nothing they could do in human ways to stop the movement of God and what's interesting and what some of you might know, do you know who that wise leader Gamaliel, Do you know who his prize student is? His name was Saul and later turned to paul and his prized student was the one who would later lead the movement known as the Church. And so if you're taking notes, I want you to write this down. If our God is unstoppable than our faith is unshakable, think about that. Let those words sink in. If our God is unstoppable, then our faith is on Shaka Ble. Just as when I was riding in that roller coaster, I didn't have to fear the drop because I had security in the seat. We understand that our faith is unshakable because our God is what's holding us just as you cannot stop the sun from rising. This world cannot stop God from moving the author, Mark Sauter in his book, disappearing church. He noted this that our world seeks the kingdom without the king. In other words, we seek perfection, we long for heaven. We long for progress, but we don't want to submit ourselves to God. What we learned in this moment known as COVID-19 in the coronavirus is that what we held dear will not hold us securely. In other words, we love progress and we love control the coronavirus is destroying our idols of progress and control. How can we say that the human race is getting better when the entire globe is shut down because of something we can't even see. And in an age where we love to have things our way, every restaurant, every movie and Tv show is now on our terms, on our devices when we want it, how we want it. And so everything is individualized and customized and done for me and for you. We love to think that we're in control. Right? Well I can do what I want when I want. I can watch what I want when I want, how I want it. I can eat what I want, how I want when I want it. And so we love this power or this assumed power and we think that we are in control of our lives. But in an instant we are reminded that we are not meant to live forever on our own in our mortal flesh. And we were reminded that really were not in control and much in our lives in the old testament. The prophet Jeremiah and Jeremiah 10 4 talks about how people would build idols out of gold and silver, but then they would nail them to the table or the ground so that they don't fall over think about that gods that people prayed to had to be nailed to the floor of the table so they don't fall over in the same way in our community today. The idol of progress and the Idol of control and the idol of self power have fallen over at this point, haven't they? And so we're reminded that while those idols cannot last, we must look to the king and for his kingdom and we know that because God is unstoppable. Then our faith is unshakable. Let's talk about what this means first. Nothing can separate us from God's love. Nothing can separate us from God's love. This comes from Romans, Chapter eight, verses 37- 39. No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us for I am sure that neither death nor life nor angels nor rulers nor things present nor things to come nor powers nor height nor depth nor anything else in all creation. This phrase right here, you know what that includes, that includes the coronavirus pandemic. That includes your health, that includes your loss of job or your broken relationship or you're feeling of shame or guilt or insecurity. Nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God and christ jesus. Our Lord pastor john piper puts it this way, he says, christ's love is not a memory. It is a moment by moment action of the living son of God. There's no social distancing from the love of God. There is nothing no uncertainty, no question, no doubt, no battle in your head or in your heart or on your hands right now that keeps you from the love of your heavenly father and jesus christ your savior. You cannot send your way out of heaven. There is no hole that you can dig yourself. That God's love is not deeper still. So when there is uncertainty about your future, when you're battling a sinful addiction, understand this, that God loves you, God loves you as you are right now, Christianity is not about a memory of a prayer, you prayed when you were younger or an experience that you had years ago, but rather it is a moment by moment interaction and relationship with the God who created you and jesus who saved you. It's in this that we find that our faith is unshakable. The fact that God cannot be stopped means that his love cannot be separated from us and us from his love. I want you to think about this for just one moment when jesus died. On the cross, On one side you see grace and on the other side you see justice and it's in the middle, the person of jesus where he satisfies what the law of God required. A judge cannot be considered a good judge if he simply let sin and wrongful doing go, he says no, there's no punishment, it doesn't matter. But rather a judge is a good judge when there is a penalty paid. And so jesus took on that penalty. One time I was talking to somebody having a conversation about why was there so much wrath in the old testament. Now there is a lot of crazy things and there's wars and honestly there's been some sense and being transparent. There are times where christian leaders have not got it right. The crusades are a negative dark time in our faith as a people. There are there have been religious leaders and rulers who have worked in their humanness and in their Brokenness and in their sinful nature, grab for power and put a stain on the name of jesus and of the faith and people called us judgmental or hypocritical. But I want you to consider this, that our faith is not based on other people. It's based on the son of God who took all of the wrath and took it on himself. It says in 2nd Corinthians chapter five that he who knew no sin became sin so that we could become righteous. In other words, there was a great exchange that he took our sin and we took on his name and so be comforted by the fact that not even the wrath of God on the cross can keep you separated from the love of jesus. Everything in these verses point to extremes, death and life, angels, rulers, powers present future sickness, health. There is nothing that can keep you from God's love and that should remind us that if our God is unstoppable, then our faith is unshakable. So, first we see that nothing can separate us from God's love. But next, I want you to see that nothing can steal from us. God's Joy. Our joy is not based on circumstances, it's based on a relationship with a God who loves us and gives us the power to endure and persevere. Nothing can steal from us. God's Joy paul, the student of Emilio, who said that if this is from God, he won't be stopped. His prize student who then becomes a christian and leaves the movement of the church and now is planting churches and he's a pastor and he is a writer and he's writing to the church at colossi who he had never even been there personally. But the movement of God was spreading like wildfire. And so he writes this to them. He says, Being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might. Now notice this phrase being strengthened. He doesn't say strengthen yourself. He says, Being strengthened. In other words, God's power, his might. The same might that rose him from the dead. Is being given to you in the form of the Holy Spirit. Well, why did he give it to us? It says for all endurance and patience with joy. Okay, isn't that exactly what we need right now? We need endurance and patience with joy. Well, how can we have joy when we're in a time of uncertainty. It says here that we are giving thanks to the father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the Saints in light. He has delivered us from the Domain of Darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved son in whom we have the redemption, the forgiveness of sins. So you see this kingdom, but you also see the king and that the same power that took us from death to life. Darkness to light. Sinful to forgiven. This is the same power he gives you and me to have endurance and patience with joy. There's nothing that this world can do to separate us from God's love. And there's nothing this world can do that can steal from us, God's Joy. So how do we apply it? What does it mean to have unshakable faith? three things quickly here. First, I want to challenge you to live this moment in God's love. Just as john piper said that God's love is not a memory but a moment by moment interaction with Jesus choose to live this moment today, in the name of God, choose to have a healthy conversation to make a difference where you can maybe send an encouraging text message or email or to buy groceries for a neighbor. Whatever you can do to live in the love of God right now, in the gospel of Matthew, Jesus is talking about worry and he says, do not worry about tomorrow. I rather treasure him today. So choose to live this moment. I don't know how long we're gonna be in quarantine. I know earlier in the week, Governor Ducey talked about a plan of solely rolling things out, but even his mentioning of the plan goes, you know, we can't say exactly what's going to happen, but while we don't know the future, thankfully, we know that God who holds our future. And so it's not about the danger of the drop, but the security of the seat and the security of God's love around us. So choose to live in the moment with God's love right now. Secondly, choose to live this moment with God's Joy. You know, paul wrote a letter to the church in philippi And he used the word joy 18 times in four little chapters. But what's interesting is that he wrote to them about having joy while he was beaten, being beaten in prison. How can someone in prison who had all his stuff, taken away his ministry, taken away his influence, taken away? How can he still celebrate jesus and celebrate joy? Well, he says in Philippians 121, which I still call my life first for me to live is Christ and to die is gain and when you choose to live this moment for jesus, you can live this moment with God's love and then God's Joy the last way you can live out an unshakable faith is to keep faith in front of you, keep faith in front of you. C position matters, That same guy Paul talks about putting on the armor of God and in Ephesians chapter six verse 16, he says this in all circumstances. Now notice he says not in the good circumstances but in all circumstances take up the shield of faith Which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one. So picture holding a shield in front of you, placement and position matter because your faith protects you from the negative thoughts. The temptations from satan, your faith secures you in the love of God and the joy of God because position matters, let me share with you a humorous story of why position matters. Someone was trying to encourage people in the neighborhood. So they've created yard signs with encouraging phrases like you matter and don't give up. But the problem was, is you put those two signs side by side. So when you read across it reads, you don't matter. Give up. Now, obviously his intentions were in the right place. But the positions of those signs matter and when it comes to faith, we need to place faith in front of us as a shield so that when you walk into any situation, maybe it's a difficult conversation at work or having a meal with your family or on a walk, battling some doubt and negative self talk, whatever you're walking through, you want to lead with the shield of faith to protect you from the flaming darts of the evil one which is known as satan because we know this to be true that our God is unstoppable. And if our God is unstoppable, then our faith is unshakable. But in order to have unshakable faith, it starts with acknowledging him as king. You can't have the kingdom without the king. You can't have the power without humbling yourself before God and receiving him as Lord and Savior. And so right there wherever you're watching this online, on your computer, on tv on your smartphone, I want to challenge you. Have you received this unshakable faith and power in your life because you can do so by receiving him as Lord and Savior by admitting that you are not in control of your life. That you are not able to take care of yourself in an eternal sense. But rather you admit that you've sinned. You admit that you cannot get to God that you believe that jesus christ is Lord and Savior and that same power that died on the cross and rose again is now available to you. If you commit your life to him, will you pray with me? If you pray with me right now, you can receive jesus christ and then I will talk with you afterwards. What this means. Let's pray together dear heavenly father. This coronavirus has reminded us that we are not in control that God, we need you in our lives. We admit that we are sinners, that we fall short, but God we believe and trust in you, that you are the only way to heaven and that by dying on the cross and rising again on the third day that my sins can be forgiven, that I can be transferred from darkness to light from death to life. And so God, it's in that power. I commit my life to you. Got nothing can separate us from your love, nothing can steal from us, your joy. And so God may we experience that love right now in this moment, but we experienced that joy from trusting you as our Lord and savior. We commit our lives to you in your son's name. We pray amen right now, wherever you're watching, I want you to click that button that says, I have decided, there's no button there. Then you can comment below or you can click or email the email that we post in the comments, let us know that you have decided to follow jesus because take that step of courage and move forward because when you trust jesus as your Lord and Savior, your faith becomes unshakable and you can face anything that this world has to offer. I want you to know that God loves you, that God is for you and that we are for you. And if you committed your life to christ today, we'd love to come alongside you and help you to take that next step in your spiritual journey wherever you are today. God bless, have an incredible week and we'll see you next weekend.