Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable

John 20 12 20 to 28 If you're there, you can say amen. I guess that's the preacher thing to do. Okay Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast Then they came to Philip who was from Bethsaida of Galilee and asked them saying sir, we wish to see Jesus Philip came and told Andrew And in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus But Jesus answered them saying the hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified Most assuredly I say to you unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies It remains alone But if it dies it produces much grain He who loves his life will lose it and he who hates his life in this world Listen to the word We'll keep it for eternal life

If anyone serves me let him follow me and where I am there my servant will be also if anyone serves me him My father will honor. This is the part. I want to emphasize. He said now my soul is troubled and what shall I say? Father saved me from this hour But for this purpose I came to this hour Father glorify Your name Glorify your name if you can just drop your Bibles and lift your hands and pray over the word in this service that you would Receive it God I pray right now God that the word would land on good soil that it would take root and be received And it would produce much fruit in these young people and in this generation today I submit myself to you. We understand that you are a God that is alive and well We are a people that come with an expectation of your spirit Jesus that because you are alive

You speak today and we are a people that are here with Expectation we are hearing a word from you speak God and we will listen in the name of Jesus Thank You God. You may be seated Okay, I think it's safe to say that this has been a year that's kind of knocked us all off of our feet It's been a year. We kind of weren't expecting It's served as a wake-up call if you will We've been tossed back and forth by a pummel of blows that's wounded our everyday contentment In the beginning of the year we thought our new year a new decade how exciting 2020 you know the 2.0 2.0 and That quickly shifted and it quickly changed because I don't know if you guys heard about Kobe

I'm sure you did wonderful basketball player and He passed early this year and I feel like that was just the start of something and then this pandemic came and And it just it kind of put the world in this state of hopelessness almost And they're in your safety in your health in your home and Fear has been running rampant on the streets in homes on the news Exposing its ugly face openly to this once spiritually domesticated nation more than it ever has before And I know I'm talking to young people ages 11 through 17 But if you have the ability to talk I've heard this from a woman I really admire her name is sister Janice show strand and she said it doesn't matter how old you are if you have the ability to

Speak you have the ability to receive a word So how I say it how I say and I know we're in the age old enough that I don't need to talk to you like We're little little baby girls and baby boys because I remember being your age and you can receive the word just as anybody can Fear has been running rampant in the streets, and I know that you've seen it It's tried to work its way into our homes It has audaciously yelled out as a child in a school room would to mark itself here present Riots and uproar have caused chaos among the people a nation that has labeled itself as United is now under assault by spirits of dissension which make their mission known through blinding The partaker with the idea that violence and rebellion will lead them to their peace and

In doing so these evils have tried to break down Peace by peace the harmony that belongs in our nation Blessed under God and has even gone so far as to try and tamper with the unity and the peace of the church body How dare it? How dare it? Not ever in my life have I seen and I'm sure not ever in your life in the ages that are in here Have you seen such blatant spiritual attack such flagrant? Manifestation such bare-faced warfare by the enemy as we have seen so openly this year of 2020 not just individually, but collectively as a whole Without a doubt I tell you a disturbance has taken place in the supernatural realm Hallelujah, but God has orchestrated this shifting

God has orchestrated this shifting and the enemy is now losing the self-control to hide his face behind masks of new ageism and Politics and social reform and social status any longer He's lost the self-control because he knows his time is running out and at this point he's just showcasing his face or what it truly is which is destruction of the human soul and violence and hate and obsession and lusts and discord and We've heard some question The authority of the church during this time the same ones that seems to always question it Whenever something's going on Wondering if we're gonna make it through such a trying season and We've heard and maybe we've even been tempted ourselves to think that the church is in trouble

That the world is closing in on us that this thing that we once loved isn't is no longer popular It's no longer acceptable that this season that we're in it might not completely destroy us But it might just injure us in part and the devil loves to speak those kind of lies Especially to the young people who are the future of the church and he wants us to think this is no longer in style It's no longer in season. It's no longer acceptable But I'm here to declare our young people won't listen We won't listen and while we stand and we maintain our ground on Christ Himself on the foundation of Christ while we claim victory over every enemy of that one true God who is Jesus There's a word he wants to tell you today

Our Text talks about those who wished to see Jesus and how interesting it was and how just like Jesus it was to respond in the way that he did. This is the Jesus of the Bible He said unless a seed falls and dies it's one seed One seed is gonna fall and it's gonna die one But it's gonna produce so much more and We I don't know if you know the verse, but it's a it's an often quoted verse He who finds his life will lose it he who loses his life for my sake will find it For my sake for giving up his life for my sake. He'll find it and it says We quote it. We believe it, but when it comes to living it, it's so much different Jesus said but my soul is troubled

What shall I say? But the world is in chaos What shall I say? But I'm in this situation that nobody knows about No one knows What shall I say Save me from this trouble make it easier make the chaos go away Make it better now No, this is what Jesus said he said but for this purpose I came here I Came here in this trouble for this purpose Father glorify your name see I thought this word that God gave me I was like, this isn't a Saturday morning word. This isn't a conference word This isn't a preachy word like I need something that people are gonna get riled up about I need something that's gonna be

Exciting and powerful and in this human perspective that we have we are so We are so blind sometimes We're so blind by what God what God's doing because this natural man can only see so far But God said I want you to tell them this word scarlet. I want them to hear this word He said tell them You need to get comfortable being uncomfortable Get comfortable being uncomfortable God is doing something with this generation with you He's doing something with you and it's gonna be something we've not seen before Listen listen, it's not gonna it's not gonna be familiar to you because you've seen it

It's not gonna be familiar to you because you have read about it It's not gonna be familiar to you because you've heard about it It's gonna be familiar to you because you know the one doing it You know the one the spirit of the one Doing it Jesus said Greater things than this will you do? things you have not seen things you have not imagined you will do we can't keep looking to the comfortable we can't keep looking to the conventional we can't keep looking to the common and think that we're gonna get greater we can't keep looking to the familiar and think that we're gonna get greater not in these last days we've got to step out into the unconventional and get uncomfortable for God in the last days hallelujah if you believe that just lift up your hands and say Jesus I receive it hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah

listen the world is shifting and I know that you feel it I know that you feel it the truth is the common stranger across the street whether they give credit to the supernatural or not they can even agree something a disturbance something's taken place because it's that open and just as the world is shifting and just as it's getting uncomfortable out there you better believe that God is gonna do something in his church that is gonna shift the atmosphere of the supernatural just like he's allowed it to be orchestrated out there you better believe that in the last days something's gonna be shaken up and you won't be used to it because you've seen it before and you won't be used to it because you've worked in it before you're gonna be used to it because you know the spirit of the one doing it hallelujah his spirit is what's

gonna be the marker his spirit is what you're gonna understand his spirit is what is going to bring you comfort hallelujah hallelujah thank you Jesus hallelujah Jesus have your way and understand this because as young people sometimes and I think this is a beautiful thing but I think this can also be something that hurts us we have so much boldness and we have so often not all of us but some of us as young people we have so much vigor or we have so much zeal and passion and it makes us want to step out and do things and you need to know

that although it's unconventional and although it's gonna be uncommon and although it's gonna be a little unusual that doesn't mean that it's not gonna be that it's gonna be outside of the spirit of God right okay so he's not asking you to walk into places that show no relation to him he's not asking you to walk out step outside of the Bible he's saying that where he's bringing this generation where he's bringing this generation to it's gonna be so a part of his spirit that it will exceed the understanding of man it will exceed our understanding and that's why if we look to the familiar here on this earth if we look if we go through the motions and all we know is God through a church service and all we

know is God through Sunday morning and all we know is God through youth service and all we know is God through our parents and all we know is God through our pastor in the last days Jesus said it long ago he said wheat will be distinguished from tears wheat will be distinguished from tears and that's gonna be based on who really knows him he said the Pharisees scarlet he's scarlet he said scarlet the Pharisees will even they even looked at me and I was the Messiah I am the Messiah I stood before their face these people that had given up their life for me had given it up for me I stood in front of them and they did not see me they actually wanted to kill me because they

were not familiar with me because I was a little unconventional for them I was a little bit uncommon unusual unorthodox I didn't fit a formula I wasn't familiar to their services or to their ideas of me sometimes our perception of God actually restrains him because all we all we know all we see all we allow ourselves to see of God it has nothing to do with who he truly is it's all about our idea of what we formulated through services and through conferences and through preachings on Sunday but we got to read his word right because his word is who he is and by the word we will know him and by the word we will

see him hallelujah he said scarlet I'm not I keep saying scarlet but you know what he said scarlet so whatever I'm a I'm a roaring line of Judah I don't know if you guys have been to the circus I don't know if you've been to the zoo I love going to the zoo I love animals ask my parents I ask them for every animal I've ever seen get me a dolphin please my biggest one as of late which is kind of as of late means like in the past five years is a pig I really want to pig guys and I don't know why I can't tell you I can't give you a good reason as to why because they are nasty but I just think they're cute God is a lion of Judah lions can't be tamed they're wild God is an all-consuming wildfire to try to

tame God and to try to put that fire out will be dangerous to you and it cannot be done anyway so don't try don't try don't get stuck into the confines of your mind of what man has or you really might have created the vision that you've seen for yourself and your calling and your ministry and your future you have a ministry and you have a purpose and you have a future but don't get so caught up in all that you see and think that this is exactly where I'm supposed to go this makes the most sense this is the easiest hallelujah there's a chatter amongst the angels this morning a chatter about a people a generation a

peculiar people this word wasn't in a response to people that weren't willing to get uncomfortable it's not in response to a young people that aren't willing to step out actually it's in response to a people that just like our texts they went to Philip and they said I wish to see Jesus I wish to see Jesus it's in response to a people that burn for God you know who you are you burn for him it bubbles over and you can't put your finger on it and you can't exactly formulate it into words what you're feeling and the specific calling that God has on your life because to be quite honest you don't understand it yourself but you burn for him you there's there'll be moments here in your

room and you don't know why but you just start crying hallelujah you just start crying because you don't understand but you just love him and even though you're in a situation that's a bit uncomfortable and it doesn't make sense to you all you want is to see Jesus you aren't just wanting to see him at his coming on the clouds you're too eager for that you want to see him in the every day you want to see him in the morning when you wake up on your knees at your bed at night in your relationships at the bank at school in your job you wish to see Jesus and to you I say he has heard your wishes he has heard your heart he has heard he can't let such an all-consuming craving and

passion and burning desire within you to be ignored because he won't leave his seed begging for bread he says I have news for you you the apple of my eye you the object of my affection you the reason why I came in the first place you you you here today you there's a reason you're here on a Saturday morning and it's because you wish to see Jesus and it doesn't matter how it looks to you whether it's the Friday night service or the Saturday morning you wish to see him he says I have heard you and my answer to you is get comfortable being uncomfortable because something is shifting and you're gonna be a part

of it to those who burn to those who wish to see him we are not swayed by what happens this past year we are not worried we are not confused by the enemy's attempts at confusion we are not downcast by his attempts at depression and our soul is going to grow in health in spite of his attempts at spiritual and physical sickness because he's fighting a losing battle whatever he tries to manifest whatever he tries to manifest the church will only prove the opposite why because what the enemy meant for evil what the enemy meant for evil God turns to good and he's tried to hurt some of you and he's tried to keep some of you down and he's tried to put you in a box and he's tried to make you feel like you can only be one thing one way you can only do

things in your own way and you feel chained up because to be honest like me I'm not up here because I am super intelligent unfortunately I wish I could I wish I could pretend that I was but I'm not and I'm not up here because of my education I'm not up here because I'm so special and I've done everything right no I'm up here because I wish to see Jesus I'm up here because even though the enemy tried to put me down and even though there's things that he tried to put in my way for some reason I still found peace and I still found hope and I still found joy and even in the distress of a situation just like you I continue to worship and eventually to win because that's what happens when you're on the side of the King of Kings and the Lord of

Lords and you stand by the roaring lion of Judah a consuming fire that overtakes you that's what happens when you're on the side of the Lord he said get comfortable being uncomfortable because that's where I'm going to use you that's where I'm going to use you hallelujah sometimes we are uncomfortable and we think sometimes we're uncomfortable and it's not because the enemy put us there sometimes we're in a situation and it's and we give too much credit to the enemy and we think he's put me here and I'm in this pain I'm in this distress I don't feel good and it's the enemy no sometimes it's God and sometimes we choose the path I'm guilty we choose the path of less pain

and less discomfort and we think we're in the will of God by doing so but because we weren't actually seeking his spirit we end up serving ourselves instead of the one who sent us in the first place if we talk about Moses today if you think about Moses Moses stepped outside of what he had gotten himself comfortable in he had to go back to a land to free a people he had kept enslaved for so long and he had to lead them into a wilderness only to die there but his ministry is just so powerful and we talk about him all the time and we talk about wanting to be like him he parted

the Red Sea he yeah well do you see his life he had to get comfortable with his natural man being uncomfortable he had to get comfortable with it and when God comes when the world is turned upside down because they're hungry and they're searching as you see now as you see now when the world is turned upside down it's not going to be comfortable for this natural man for this generation I say there are going to be ministries and there already are ministries God is calling people out into that are uncomfortable and they are unconventional they're going to be something we are not used to seeing we aren't used to being around but God is going to use them to shake the foundation of the earth at

this time someone is being called to something that's a little unconventional the Bible says the preaching of the cross is to them that perish is to the world it's foolishness but it pleased God to use the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe foolishness to the world it pleased God so it's uncomfortable when you see some people come up here and preach and you see them jump around and you see them go crazy you think people in the world are like wow look at how wise they are look at how important look at how educated no but the spirit flourishes their ministry flourishes because they

are being used by the spirit of God through the foolishness the foolishness of preaching thank you Jesus I'm a nurse I work at Cleveland Clinic here in Florida and not too long ago I had a patient that coded which means they were dying and I had to do compressions on it so I go in there and I went to start doing my compressions and I don't know if you guys know it's supposed to go ha ha ha ha staying alive staying alive okay like this not first I was paid I was petrified they'll die more big joke okay so I'm doing these patients I'm not

singing ha ha ha staying alive I'm saying Jesus Jesus Jesus literally and I'm doing these compressions on the patient and it's not uncommon and I'm not to say that I did it or I didn't but it's not uncommon to break ribs when you're when you're doing compressions because you're having to put your full force on this person's body and enough to push the ribs down to get to the heart you got to put your full weight on them I'm doing these compressions and I'm thinking to myself by myself yeah dark room real uncomfortable talk about uncomfortable okay this guy's dying the room there's no lights on the hospital's going code blue 341 or whatever the room was that's not the room but and I'm

thinking I don't want to break this guy's ribs because that's gonna when he wakes up that's gonna hurt and I feel bad I'm a nurse I'm not supposed to be breaking ribs I'm here to help restore the body to health and I just thought hmm it's his life or my comfort in this situation or his comfort really it's his life or his comfort because what is a broken rib to a dead heart what is a broken rib sometimes we've got to deal with the broken rib to revive the spirit and the ministry of God in our life sometimes we've got a step outside of what is comfortable and what is easy and what is painless and into

the ministry and the calling of God in our life step outside of our idea of what we should be and into the call of God in your life outside of the confines of your mind and into the purpose of God in your life today and it's not gonna look like what you're used to seeing but that's okay you get comfortable in that position when Jesus told the people follow me and the Bible says one of his disciples said but I've got to bury my father first and he said let the dead bury their dead and not in another words in other words you've got to let go of your familiarities and let go of your comforts and let go of what pleases you that's the Jesus of the Bible and that's the difference between the watered-down Christian and a disciple a true disciple of Jesus Christ a disciple

will say I will pick up this cross I will follow you whether it's uphill whether splinters wait wherever I've got to go whoever I'm leaving behind I'm gonna pick up this cross and follow you because even though it's uncomfortable it's gonna please you and the world today rejects this message it rejects this message and your friends at school will reject this message because it's afraid of it it doesn't like discomfort and it doesn't like dismay and to the natural man it hates it this world is all about pleasing but to God it's the kingdom of God when many of Jesus's followers walked away I'm gonna skip all this

because I know that if I follow my notes whatever I'm getting away from them when many of Jesus's followers walked away and he because he was talking and some of the people didn't agree with what he was saying Jesus God okay the one that we talk about on the pulpit all the time he had people that saw him face-to-face and walked away from him and he looked over at his disciples and I can just see him doing this genuinely and just saying hey well you leave me also and I can just imagine those disciples thinking in that moment man what he just said was a lot and it made me a little uncomfortable and I didn't necessarily like it in my flesh they could have left but they didn't they didn't and they decided to get

comfortable being with Jesus even though it was uncomfortable to the flesh because they knew that their ministry would flourish that way that is the kingdom of God Jesus said blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy but he said blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is what the kingdom of God so you mean to tell me that those who are a little uncomfortable in their spirit are the inhabitants of the kingdom a little uncomfortable in their flesh yeah how many of you know the story I don't know

how long I've been going I should have brought my phone up here but somebody can come and play so I can just like head out how many of you know the story of Peter in the boat raise your hand if you don't it's fine you can still raise your hand and pretend you do I give you permission Jesus in the boat I mean Peter in the boat and the story talks about the Bible talks about how they're in the boat the waves are tossing and turning it's dark it's at the fourth hour of the night or something like that or whatever the word says and they see this figure on the water out in the sea and they're like who's that what is that it's a ghost they're afraid and Jesus quickly says don't be dismayed don't fear it's me

it's me they're already in this uncomfortable situation okay they're on a boat they're nervous that they're gonna sink they're out in the middle of the sea what where are they supposed to go what are they supposed to do and here comes Jesus on the water on the water I don't think it it's ever talked about Jesus being on the water before this moment because this is the thing if the disciples knew Jesus walked on water you think they would say it's a ghost they be like oh there's Jesus out on the water as usual it's a ghost Peter said he said it's me guys it's Jesus Peter said hmm you're kind of far away and I can't necessarily see you and I'm in this really weird spot I don't know if

I'm gonna sink or swim but something tells me that's you you're over there but I have I can't get over there I can't there's no way the only way would be to get the boat over there but we can't right now we can't because the storm the waves are tossing and turning and it's dark and there's thunder and there's lightning and there's the boat starting to fill up and it's getting heavy and they're all soaked trying to get the water out get the water out that we got to focus Jesus said hmm something tells me maybe I should just step out but that makes no sense that makes no sense that's gonna you're gonna die if anything you're gonna

look really silly gasping for air in those crazy waves and when you get back in that safety of the boat everyone's gonna look at you sideways and say what were you thinking that's what God is calling this generation to that's what God is calling this generation to do you hear me he's calling you to step outside of the boat today hallelujah hallelujah Peter said Jesus if that's you bid me bid me to come on to you it wasn't it wasn't Jesus that said hey come over here no no no no no it was Peter in the midst of the storm that said there doesn't seem

to be a way to you right now but if it's you I've just got a trust that even though it makes no sense and even though it's a little not a little this is life or death I guess I'll just see no one has stepped and walked on water before if it's you God bid me bid me to come on to you and Jesus said come he didn't say you're gonna walk on the water to me he didn't say look to the right or to the left and then and check the temperature of the water before you get in he said come come step outside of the confines of the safety of your boat and what you're used to and what you think you understand it's not gonna

make sense to you but come to me it might not make sense but there's a Moses that needs to part the Red Sea in this generation and there's a Peter that needs to walk on the water in this generation come on if you believe me you better receive the word today step outside of what you're used to set outside of the comfortable and get into the unconventional in this place everybody raise your hands and close your eyes Jesus hallelujah let them speak to you right now hallelujah Jesus have your way speak to these young people God in the name of Jesus speak to them hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah

and some of you feel that some of you feel that bidding from Jesus that calling from him you feel it but you can't put into words what it means and you don't know the specifics of how and you do not even see necessarily the what that's okay actually you're not meant to see it because if you see it it's been done before some things you aren't meant to see until you step out and do it hallelujah hallelujah your ministry might be something no one's ever done before and this is what I believe God wants to say to this generation there

are going to be people in this generation that he is going to raise up to places high in status on this earth if he told me if you say anything you better tell them this he's gonna raise some people up in this generation high in status on this earth and it's gonna be uncharted territory and your footprints will be the first to mark the water I was gonna say ground get out of it get out of the conventional to mark though the waters there but God's gonna confirm it through your pastor and he's gonna confirm it through your leadership and he's gonna confirm it through the voices of men and women of

God in your life and it will be unique and it will be different and some may look at you and say who do you think you are what are you doing that's weird that's unconventional that doesn't make sense that makes my flesh feel a little weird but God will confirm that it's him through his spirit and he will use you in this last generation he said my sons will prophesy my daughters will prophesy my old men will dream dreams my young men will see visions and I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh and it's not gonna be comfortable to this flesh and it's not gonna be comfortable and conventional and what were used to but let me tell you something you are going to be used to part the waters of the Red Sea to step on to the water you are going to be used to call down fire from heaven you are going to speak to

your people today some of you need to go home and anoint your own head with oil anoint your own head with oil and it might feel a little weird and you think someone else is supposed to do this for me you go anoint your own head with oil and you go pray for your own ministry and you go pray for your own calling and you go pray to step out into the unconventional who cares what people think because God's about to use you to pour out his spirit so that I got about see hallelujah just lift your hands and call out to Jesus genuinely without any ideas of what you think it should look like without any ideas of what you want it even to be put that aside for a second some of you need to step out into the sea and walk on the water for Jesus hallelujah Jesus

have your way have your way speak your word confirm it in this place confirm it in their life God we lean and we rely on your confirmation and we know that you will in your spirit thank you Jesus hallelujah you will do what only you can do and we know we won't be able to blame it on ourselves and take the glory because it will be so outside of the confines and the construct of man because it will be the spirit of God hallelujah