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00:00 Would you stand with me to honor the reading of God's word?
00:03 And while you're standing, can we go ahead and thank God
00:05 for our social global family that's watching
00:07 from around the world?
00:08 (audience cheering)
00:10 Don't stop clapping.
00:10 Let's thank God for all the inmates
00:12 that are watching this message on Pando.
00:14 (audience cheering)
00:16 And it's launching on Super Bowl Sunday,
00:18 but how many know perfect practice makes perfect?
00:20 Shout out to our Echo location, launching on February 11th.
00:25 Let's just pretend like they already there.
00:27 (audience cheering)
00:28 One church in two locations, and so this is gonna be good.
00:31 I want you to go with me today to the book of Hebrews.
00:33 Hebrews chapter number 12.
00:35 And I wanna look at verses 25 through 29.
00:40 Hebrews chapter 12, start at verse 25,
00:44 and land at verse number 29.
00:48 How many got a paper Bible?
00:53 That's all the real saved folks, right there.
00:57 I'm playing, I'm playing.
00:59 Hebrews chapter 12.
01:00 If you don't have a Bible or a smart device,
01:05 we got it on the screen for you, so you're good.
01:07 No condemnation.
01:09 Starting at verse number 25,
01:10 when you're ready to read it, say yeah.
01:12 Says this, be careful that you do not refuse
01:26 to listen to the one who is speaking.
01:30 For if the people of Israel did not escape
01:34 when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger,
01:38 we will certainly not escape if we reject
01:41 the one who speaks to us from heaven.
01:44 When God spoke from Mount Sinai,
01:46 his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise.
01:51 Once again, I will shake not only the earth,
01:55 but the heavens also.
01:57 This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed
02:02 so that only unshakable things will remain.
02:06 It's verse 28 for me.
02:07 Since we are receiving a kingdom that is unshakable,
02:12 let us be thankful.
02:15 Look at your neighbor and say, stop complaining.
02:18 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
02:19 You just leave complaining in 2023.
02:22 Let us be thankful and please God
02:27 by worshiping him with holy fear and awe,
02:30 for our God is a devouring fire.
02:34 Can you say amen?
02:35 - Amen.
02:36 - Ooh, that's so good.
02:38 I want to read it again, but I just want to read
02:40 verses 28 and verse 29, and I want to read it
02:44 in the message translation.
02:46 And let me just kind of set the tone for the year.
02:48 We're going to do something different this year.
02:50 I'm about to reveal the word for the year,
02:52 but this is also going to be our scripture for the year.
02:55 Hebrews chapter 12, verses 28 and 29
02:58 is our scripture for the year.
03:00 Every single Sunday in 2024,
03:02 we're going to read this verse right here.
03:05 Even if I'm preaching from another scripture,
03:06 we're going to read this right here.
03:08 And we got a guest speaker.
03:09 If they want to stay on this stage,
03:10 they better read this scripture right here.
03:13 By the end of 2024, you're going to have this
03:16 memorized by heart.
03:18 You're welcome.
03:18 You said you wanted to learn more scripture this year.
03:21 You're welcome, I'm helping you out.
03:22 This is our verse for the year
03:24 that has our word for the year.
03:26 It's in the message translation.
03:28 Look at what it says.
03:29 Do you see what we've got?
03:32 An unshakable kingdom.
03:36 And do you see how thankful we must be?
03:40 Not only thankful, but brimming with worship,
03:44 deeply reverent before God.
03:47 For God is not an indifferent bystander.
03:50 He's actively cleaning house,
03:53 torching all that needs to burn,
03:56 and he won't quit until it's all cleansed.
04:01 God himself is fire.
04:05 I want to back that thing up biblically.
04:10 To verse 28, because in verse 28
04:15 is the word for the year.
04:17 Do you see what we've got?
04:20 An unshakable.
04:22 An unshakable.
04:26 An unshakable.
04:28 An unshakable.
04:31 Oh my Lord, we start off the year,
04:35 every year with the word.
04:37 2021 was the year of no cap.
04:40 We said there is no cap, no limit to what God can do.
04:44 2022 was the year to stretch out.
04:47 We said that God wanted to extend and expand our borders.
04:51 Last year was the year to go deeper.
04:54 We said a shallow world needs a deeper church,
04:58 but y'all 2024, would you look at your neighbor
05:01 and say neighbor?
05:02 - Neighbor.
05:03 - Oh, look at him, say neighbor.
05:05 - Neighbor.
05:05 - This is my year.
05:07 - This is my year.
05:08 - To be unshakable.
05:09 I wish somebody would give God praise in advance for that.
05:14 Come on, find you another neighbor.
05:16 Find you another neighbor, say other neighbor.
05:19 - Other neighbor.
05:20 - I don't know about you.
05:21 - I don't know about you.
05:22 - But I know about me.
05:24 - But I know about me.
05:25 - This is my year.
05:26 - This is my year.
05:27 - To be unshakable.
05:29 - To be unshakable.
05:29 - Give God some crazy praise if you believe it.
05:32 (audience cheering)
05:33 Unshakable.
05:34 Oh, I might be shocked, but I won't be shaken.
05:40 I might be knocked down, but I won't be shaken.
05:43 I might be surprised, but I won't be shaken.
05:46 Everything else in the world and in systems
05:48 and in culture will be shaken,
05:50 but I've got an unshakable kingdom.
05:54 My Lord, calm down, Robert.
05:57 You ain't even started preaching yet.
05:58 Let's pray.
06:00 Father, have your way.
06:02 Speak today.
06:03 Amen.
06:04 You may be seated in the presence of the Lord.
06:07 Unshakable.
06:11 That's our word.
06:12 (audience laughing)
06:14 For 2024, unshakable.
06:18 Social fam, some several years ago,
06:25 I think I was like 18 years old,
06:27 back in the time where people still had landline phones
06:33 and answer machines, I'll never forget my father
06:36 calling me over to the phone to listen to a message
06:41 that he was convinced was for me.
06:43 I picked up the phone and I listened to the message
06:47 and I will never forget what I heard.
06:50 The voice on the other line said these exact words.
06:56 "Man of God, I have a word from God for you.
07:01 This will not be the first time that you receive this word,
07:06 but God has called you to plant a church.
07:10 It will be a mighty work and it will be in the city
07:14 of Detroit, Michigan."
07:17 And then he just hung up the phone.
07:19 Now keep in mind, during this time in my life,
07:22 I'm still wrestling and grappling with the reality
07:25 of God even calling me to full-time ministry.
07:28 I wasn't sure about it.
07:29 And I had been to Detroit, Michigan,
07:33 and no shade if you're from Detroit.
07:35 But when I went to Detroit, nothing in me said,
07:37 "Oh, the Lord has called me here."
07:40 So when I heard that message years ago,
07:42 all I did was say, "You know what?
07:43 People gotta stay off narcotics
07:45 while they make a nighttime phone calls."
07:47 And I dismissed the word.
07:49 But I'm thinking about the word today
07:52 because I will never forget the vocal intonation
07:56 of certainty that the man had.
07:58 Man of God, I have a word from God for you.
08:03 And I'll also never forget the mysterious anonymity
08:07 of the message.
08:08 Homeboy called from an unknown number,
08:10 didn't even say my name, said man of God,
08:13 and didn't even tell me who he was.
08:15 So come on, even if we do have another SD,
08:18 let's just say there's a social Detroit coming
08:20 and it comes to pass.
08:21 I don't even know who to call to say,
08:23 "Bro, it took 20 plus years,
08:25 but the word of the Lord came to pass."
08:29 It's just interesting to get a message of such certainty,
08:33 but still had some anonymity to it.
08:36 When I thought about that message,
08:37 I think about the book of Hebrews, ladies and gentlemen.
08:40 The book of Hebrews is perhaps one of the most powerful
08:44 and yet puzzling passages and books
08:47 in the entire New Testament.
08:49 The book of Hebrews is filled with so much potent truth
08:53 that you can apply to your life.
08:55 But the book of Hebrews also has some anonymity.
08:58 It has some mystery around it.
09:00 As a matter of fact,
09:01 whenever you read the book of Hebrews,
09:02 you got to approach the book of Hebrews
09:04 with a magnifying glass, like you Sherlock Holmes.
09:07 You got to read the book of Hebrews
09:09 like it's an episode of forensic files
09:11 or first 48 or CSI crime scene investigation.
09:16 That's how you have to approach the book of Hebrews
09:20 because there are all kinds of blues clues
09:23 and puzzles in the book of Hebrews
09:25 that you have to use to give evidence
09:27 to what the writer of Hebrews
09:29 wants you to understand in the book.
09:32 As a matter of fact,
09:33 the writer of Hebrews makes some assumptions
09:35 when you come to his book.
09:37 First of all, he assumes that you know something
09:39 about the Old Testament.
09:41 He assumes that you know about the sacrificial system.
09:43 He assumes that you know about the priesthood.
09:45 He makes a lot of assumptions about his audience.
09:49 When you read the book of Hebrews,
09:50 you also understand because of the exhortations
09:53 and the encouragement that the writer is writing
09:56 that we are looking at a group of believers,
09:58 who are going through it.
10:00 We're looking at a group of believers
10:02 who are facing some persecution
10:04 and that persecution is making them go back
10:08 to their old life.
10:09 That persecution is making them go back to Judaism
10:13 and not continue on in the faith
10:15 that they once held so closely.
10:17 Oh yes, the book of Hebrews is not written to somebody
10:19 that is needing to hear the gospel for the first time.
10:22 The book of Hebrews is written to believers
10:24 who have put their faith in Jesus,
10:26 but all of a sudden life has started lifing.
10:30 And because life has started lifing,
10:32 they're tempted to throw in the towel.
10:34 They're tempted to walk away and go back to their old life
10:38 and say, "Forget this, it's not worth it."
10:41 I don't know if you've ever been there before.
10:43 I don't know if you've ever taken a step of faith
10:45 and started walking with God,
10:47 but as you started walking with him,
10:48 it seemed like stuff started going crazy.
10:51 It seemed like the people that you thought you could trust
10:53 are the very ones that stabbed you in the back.
10:56 It seems like you're facing pain and disappointment
10:59 and challenges that you didn't face
11:01 when you were in the world turning up every single weekend.
11:04 Anybody know what it's like to begin a journey of faith
11:08 and all of a sudden face these challenges?
11:10 And maybe you can't tell anybody on a Sunday morning
11:13 'cause you gotta act real safe,
11:14 like you're floating in here and had communion for breakfast
11:17 but maybe in a secret place, you're saying,
11:19 "God, is this worth it?
11:22 "Should I just go back to the old lifestyle?
11:25 "Should I just text my ex?
11:27 "Should I just go back to what is familiar?"
11:31 But the writer of Hebrews writes with precision.
11:34 As a matter of fact,
11:34 if you wanna sum up his 13 chapters in just three words,
11:38 it's don't give up.
11:41 Don't give up.
11:43 I know you're going through some pain right now,
11:45 but don't give up.
11:47 Don't go back to what's familiar
11:49 just because you're facing a challenge.
11:52 He doesn't just encourage the church,
11:55 he also gives them a warning.
11:56 He gives them a warning and lets them know
11:59 that you gotta be careful to not start drifting away
12:03 from the things of God.
12:05 You can't drift away from the faith you once had.
12:09 Have you noticed nobody ever drifts towards holiness?
12:13 Just like you don't drift towards a kale salad,
12:17 you drift towards crumble cookies.
12:19 Nobody ever in their walk with the Lord
12:22 genuinely drifts towards holiness.
12:26 As a matter of fact, we do the opposite.
12:29 I love what that biblical scholar D.A. Carson said.
12:32 He said, "Apart from grace-driven effort,
12:35 "people don't gravitate towards godliness,
12:38 "prayer, obedience to the Scripture,
12:41 "faith, and delight in the Lord.
12:43 "We drift towards compromise and call it tolerance.
12:48 "We drift towards disobedience and call it freedom.
12:52 "We drift towards superstition and call it faith.
12:55 "We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control
12:59 "and call it relaxation.
13:02 "We slouch towards prayerlessness
13:04 "and delude ourselves into thinking
13:06 "we have escaped legalism.
13:08 "We slide towards godlessness and convince ourselves
13:12 "we have been liberated."
13:14 This is the challenge of the human soul
13:17 is that all of our souls,
13:18 because of the culture in which we live,
13:20 we tend to drift.
13:21 So the writer of Hebrews is saying,
13:22 "Don't drift, keep your eyes fixed on Jesus,
13:26 "the pioneer and the perfecter of your faith,
13:28 "who for the joy set before him,
13:31 "endured the cross, despising his shame,
13:34 "and is now seated at the right hand of the Father."
13:37 In other words, Jesus persevered
13:39 so that you could have the strength to persevere.
13:42 I don't know who this message is for right now,
13:45 but maybe the enemy has been loud in your ear,
13:47 trying to get you to drift already in this new year
13:50 and go back, but you need to start talking trash
13:52 back to the enemy and just tell him,
13:54 "I've come too far to quit.
13:56 "I've been through too much to quit.
13:58 "I've been delivered from too much to quit.
14:01 "I gotta keep on going
14:02 "because I know there's greater in my destiny
14:05 "than what's been in my history.
14:06 "I've come too far to quit."
14:09 Can somebody just take a little 10-second praise break?
14:11 If you got a strange suspicion
14:13 that there's greater in front of you
14:15 than what's been behind you,
14:17 so you cannot go in the towel and quit,
14:20 oh, you better get the spirit of Nemo.
14:23 Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.
14:26 Don't go back.
14:28 So I love the book of Hebrews,
14:30 and when I get to heaven, y'all,
14:31 ooh, when I get to heaven,
14:33 I wanna high-five the writer of Hebrews,
14:36 and I wanna thank the writer for giving us a book
14:39 that lets us know that we've got to persevere,
14:42 that we gotta keep showing up,
14:43 that we can't walk away from our faith.
14:45 Only problem is I don't know who to high-five
14:48 when I get to heaven
14:50 because the book of Hebrews is written by,
14:53 ooh, we don't know.
14:55 We don't know who wrote the book of Hebrews.
14:58 He never lets us know his name.
15:00 It's an anonymous writer.
15:02 As anonymous as the dude who gave me a voicemail
15:04 talking about I'm gonna plant a church in Detroit, Michigan,
15:07 that is the book of Hebrews.
15:09 We don't know, and there's so many scholars
15:11 who have postulated who they think
15:13 wrote the book of Hebrews.
15:14 Some people think that Barnabas wrote the book of Hebrews.
15:17 Some people think that Luke wrote the book of Hebrews.
15:20 Some people think that Apollos wrote the book of Hebrews.
15:23 Some modern scholars think that Priscilla
15:25 wrote the book of Hebrews,
15:26 and a majority of people think that the apostle Paul
15:29 wrote the book of Hebrews
15:30 because the book of Hebrews has such rich language in it.
15:34 You can tell that whoever wrote Hebrews was highly educated,
15:38 and some people think that Paul wrote the book of Hebrews,
15:40 but can I make, ooh, my declaration?
15:42 I don't think it was Paul, y'all.
15:45 I'm not a scholar, I'm not a theologian,
15:47 but I don't think Paul wrote it.
15:49 Let me tell you why I don't think it was the apostle Paul.
15:54 Have you ever read anything Paul wrote?
15:57 You ever read Corinthians?
15:58 You ever read Ephesians?
16:00 You ever read anything Paul wrote?
16:01 Paul let you know in his intro.
16:04 He always put his ad handle on everything he does.
16:09 He let you know in his intro who he is.
16:12 He will start off almost every letter,
16:14 I, Paul, an apostle, by the will of God,
16:19 to whoever he is talking to.
16:22 If he did that in every other letter,
16:23 how come he didn't do that in the book of Hebrews?
16:26 Paul let you know in the intro.
16:28 I, Paul, that's who I am, an apostle,
16:31 that's what I've been called to, by the will of God,
16:34 that's the one that called me to do it.
16:36 Ooh, I like that right there.
16:38 I, Paul, that's who I am, an apostle,
16:41 that's what I've been called to do, by the will of God,
16:43 that's the one that called me to do it.
16:45 That gets me excited right there.
16:47 I might start sending text messages
16:49 and writing letters like this.
16:51 I, Robert, the pastor of Social Dallas,
16:54 called by the will of God to do it.
16:57 I like that because Paul didn't say,
16:59 "I'm an apostle out of arrogance."
17:01 He didn't say, "I'm an apostle out of arrogance."
17:03 This is out of confidence of knowing
17:05 who called him to do what he was doing.
17:08 And every once in a while,
17:10 you gotta remind other people
17:11 and you gotta remind yourself
17:13 that I'm not doing this because I called myself.
17:17 I'm not stepping into this because of my talent,
17:19 because of my gift, because of my perfect record.
17:22 No, no, no, no.
17:23 I am who I am because God called me to do this.
17:27 I'm here because of the will of God.
17:30 If it was my will, I would be doing something else.
17:33 But how do you thankful today for the will of God
17:36 that pushes you into the call of God
17:39 so you can know who you are?
17:41 I don't know who this is for,
17:43 but you need to let insecurity stay in 2023.
17:47 Let this be your year to step
17:49 into the effulgence of your call.
17:52 I'm Paul, that's who I am.
17:55 An apostle, that's what I've been called to do,
17:57 by the will of God.
18:00 Paul didn't say that I'm called because of my talent,
18:03 my pedigree, my ingenuity, or anything else.
18:06 I'm simply here because of the will of God.
18:08 So when he writes letters, he lets you know his identity,
18:11 because how many know an unshakable identity
18:14 comes from an invisible authority?
18:16 An unshakable identity comes from an invisible authority.
18:23 Anytime you see somebody that has an unshakable identity,
18:27 they know who they are and whose they are,
18:29 is coming from an invisible authority.
18:32 Oh, I had a friend that used to always get in fights,
18:35 and I was not a fighter growing up.
18:36 I was a lover, not a fighter.
18:38 And I asked this friend, I was like,
18:39 "Man, you'll beat up anybody."
18:41 And he was crazy, he had access to weapons and stuff.
18:45 And I said, "Man, how do you have no fear?
18:49 "Like, how do you know who to fight?"
18:51 He said, "Let me tell you something, Robert."
18:53 He said, "If you're ever out,
18:55 "and you see somebody popping off,
18:56 "and they're talking a lot of noise,
18:57 "like, 'I'm about to knock you out,
18:58 "'you don't want this, you don't want this,'"
19:00 he said, "that's not the people to be afraid of."
19:02 He said, he didn't say it like this,
19:04 but this is how I interpret it.
19:06 He said, "They are overcompensating
19:07 "because they know they can't fight."
19:09 He said, "The person to fear
19:12 "is the person that says, 'You wanna fight?'
19:13 "And they say, 'Let's do it.
19:16 "'No, that's cool, that's cool, let's fight.
19:17 "'You wanna fight?
19:18 "'I ain't got no problem.'"
19:19 If they are that calm and that poised,
19:21 they usually have some invisible authority
19:25 that you are going to see.
19:26 And Paul is saying, "I know who I am
19:29 "because of the invisible authority that's behind me."
19:32 I wonder if this could be a year
19:35 where you have an unshakable identity
19:37 because of the invisible authority who is God behind you.
19:41 Question, I'm gonna get in your business, it's 2024.
19:44 Can I ask you this?
19:45 Is your identity rooted in something that's shakable?
19:50 Is your identity rooted in something that's shakable?
19:58 Because it is a dangerous thing
20:01 whenever your sense of self-being,
20:03 your sense of self-worth
20:04 comes from something that is shakable.
20:07 So I wanna know today,
20:09 is your identity rooted in something that is shakable?
20:14 Well, Pastor, how am I supposed to know?
20:16 I got another question for you.
20:18 What do you point to to prove your value?
20:23 What do you point to to prove I am somebody?
20:28 Whatever you point to to prove your value,
20:30 I wanna know, is this shakable?
20:33 Because if you're pointing to something to prove your value
20:36 and the thing that you're pointing to is shakable,
20:37 it's only a matter of time before your identity crumbles
20:40 because you're pointing to something that is shakable.
20:42 Ooh, it's quiet but people don't talk much
20:45 when they're going through surgery.
20:47 No, what do you point, are you pointing to your bank account?
20:51 You pointing to how much money you make?
20:55 Oh, that's why I am somebody.
20:56 Well, what happens when they say,
20:57 I'm so sorry, we're downsizing?
20:59 What happens when the economy goes bottom out?
21:02 'Cause you're pointing to something that is shakable.
21:04 Are you pointing to how good you look?
21:07 I am somebody, look at me, this body is snatched.
21:11 Keep on living, 'cause everything that's snatched
21:15 is gonna be going, that's how gratitude really works.
21:17 It's gonna start coming, all that,
21:19 and there's only so much these surgeons can do.
21:21 I'm just saying, you better point to something
21:23 that's not as shaky.
21:24 Is it a spouse, is it a house?
21:26 I'm wondering, are you pointing to something saying
21:29 that that's why I'm somebody
21:31 and the thing that you're pointing to is shaky
21:34 and if it's shaky, you will live your life
21:37 not knowing who you are, but that's why God says,
21:39 if you'll ever point to me, the invisible authority,
21:43 the one that called you, then you can have something
21:47 that's an anchor for your soul.
21:50 So the challenge of life is to look
21:52 to the invisible authority
21:54 so you can have an unshakable identity.
21:57 So I wanted to say, I don't think Paul
21:59 wrote the book of Hebrews, I don't,
22:01 because Paul let you know in the intro who he is,
22:05 but look at what the writer of Hebrews does in the intro.
22:08 Writer of Hebrews, this is how he starts.
22:10 This is how he starts the whole 13 chapters of Hebrews.
22:15 He starts with God.
22:18 Woo!
22:19 He doesn't give you his name 'cause his name is shakable.
22:22 So he said, I'm just gonna start by giving you a name
22:24 that can't be shaken.
22:26 God, woo!
22:27 I had church at my house by myself.
22:30 Just the fact that he started the whole book with God.
22:33 You would think that he would spend some time
22:34 trying to prove that there is a God
22:36 or try to give you arguments that there is God.
22:37 He said, I ain't got time to prove anything to you.
22:39 It's just God.
22:40 He starts with God.
22:42 It's almost like he's retweeting Genesis chapter one
22:45 that says, in the beginning, God.
22:47 God doesn't waste time trying to argue
22:49 to get you to prove his existence.
22:51 He just lets you know, I am God.
22:53 In the beginning, God.
22:54 How is 2024 gonna be a good year for you?
22:57 In the beginning, God.
22:59 If you would put God in the beginning,
23:02 this would actually be a fruitful year.
23:04 Preach, Robert.
23:07 God, he just starts with God,
23:11 who at various times and in various ways.
23:14 - Spoke.
23:17 - He what?
23:18 - Spoke.
23:19 - He how?
23:20 - Spoke.
23:21 - He spoke.
23:22 In times past to the fathers by the prophets,
23:25 has in these last days.
23:28 - Spoken.
23:29 - To us by his son.
23:32 God, who at various times and in various ways, spoke.
23:37 In times past to the fathers by the prophets,
23:41 has in these last days, spoken.
23:44 Anonymous writer of Hebrews,
23:46 what are you trying to let us know?
23:48 That you serve a God that communicates.
23:51 That you serve a God that speaks.
23:54 That you serve a God that since the beginning of creation
23:57 has been showing us that he talks.
24:00 He is an incredible communicator.
24:03 He spoke through the prophets.
24:04 He spoke through the early church.
24:06 He spoke through shepherds.
24:09 He spoke through the priesthood.
24:11 He spoke through parables.
24:12 He speaks through his word.
24:14 And how many know he is still speaking today?
24:17 Oh, you have a God that wants to communicate things to you.
24:21 This is why the beginning of this year is so important.
24:23 Can I just brag on you as a church?
24:25 Y'all blew my mind last Tuesday.
24:27 Over 700 of y'all showed up at Gilly's on a Tuesday night
24:31 for prayer and fasting.
24:33 It lets me know that we have a church
24:34 that believes that God is still speaking.
24:36 And if I could just shut down my flesh and listen in to him,
24:40 he has some direction and some guidance he will give me.
24:44 But this is the reality that the writer of Hebrews
24:46 wants us to know, that God is speaking.
24:48 Now let's clarify.
24:49 Yes, he is still speaking,
24:51 but thank God he's already spoken through his word.
24:53 And the best thing you can do
24:55 is to just get your face in this book.
24:57 You want to have a prosperous year?
24:59 Start eating this book.
25:01 Just get in the word of God and get the word of God in you.
25:04 That's why this is critical.
25:06 'Cause how many know God is never gonna speak something
25:08 to you personally that is contradictory
25:10 to what is in this word?
25:12 He's never gonna give you something
25:14 that contradicts the word that has already been written.
25:18 And the day we live in, we need some believers
25:20 that are biblically illiterate that know the word of God.
25:24 So when somebody said, "Well, God tell me this,"
25:27 you can be like, "I ain't seen that nowhere in Scripture."
25:31 So that must not have been God.
25:32 That must have been the pizza you had last night.
25:36 He's a God that communicates.
25:38 He's a God that speaks.
25:39 And the writer of Hebrews says, "God spoke,"
25:43 and hear me, he is still speaking.
25:47 And so I need the word.
25:48 Dr. Evans says it like this.
25:49 He says, "The word is like national news."
25:53 I need national news.
25:54 I wanna know what's going on in the world.
25:56 But then he says, "You need a specific word
25:58 because that's like local news."
26:00 I need to know with specificity,
26:03 God, what are you saying to me?
26:05 Because I wanna be unshakable.
26:08 Look at your neighbor, say, "Neighbor, shh."
26:11 No, tell him, "Shh, be quiet.
26:13 God's speaking."
26:16 Look at him, say, "Shh, be quiet.
26:19 God's speaking."
26:22 Ooh, this ain't in my notes, so this is for somebody.
26:25 What's the thing you need to turn down this year
26:28 so you can hear him speaking?
26:30 Is it TikTok?
26:32 Is it Instagram?
26:36 What do you need to turn down?
26:39 When I first got my office,
26:41 when I was first on staff at a church,
26:42 I had this little picture in my office
26:44 and I don't know where it is,
26:45 but I might have to find it and put it back up.
26:47 It was this little frame and it had these words framed.
26:51 It said, "Make time for quiet moments
26:56 because the world is loud and God often whispers."
27:00 Make time for quiet moments
27:05 because the world is loud and God often whispers.
27:09 Shh, what is he speaking?
27:12 So when we get to chapter 12, verse 25,
27:15 oh, he's still on it because he says this.
27:18 "Be careful that you do not refuse to listen
27:23 to the one who is speaking.
27:25 For if the people of Israel did not escape
27:27 when they refused to listen to Moses,
27:29 the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape
27:32 if we reject the one who speaks to us from heaven."
27:35 Be careful that you do not refuse to, to what?
27:39 So God doesn't have a problem speaking.
27:44 We got a problem listening.
27:47 So the writer is writing as a warning saying,
27:49 hey, God communicates, he has spoken, he is speaking,
27:53 but we have got to listen and hear what he's saying.
27:58 Listen, listen so you won't be shaken.
28:03 Okay, I did last year a challenge
28:06 and I love doing these challenges
28:08 because I'm just as much a part of this church body
28:11 as I lead this church body.
28:12 So I'll be needing y'all to hold a brother accountable.
28:15 Okay, so remember last year, it was the year to go deeper,
28:17 but before that, that was stretch out
28:19 and I spent the whole year stretching.
28:20 Remember I told y'all that I was gonna be able
28:21 to touch my toes, how many remember that?
28:23 Remember that, how many remember that, remember that?
28:24 Remember that, okay, remember that?
28:25 And I did it, I did, I still can do it, hello, hallelujah.
28:28 Okay, touch my toes and I did all that.
28:29 So I got another challenge I'm doing this year
28:32 and I need y'all to hold me accountable.
28:33 Oh Lord, I'm about to say this on the microphone.
28:36 Okay, so I'm turning 40 this year, turning 40 this year.
28:41 I'm probably gonna tell you that every single Sunday
28:43 till June 15th so you can get yourself together,
28:45 get your finance together, wait, get my gift, get my gift.
28:48 40, this is my last big birthday before it's over with.
28:51 And so, so turning 40 this year,
28:54 oh Lord, I'm about to say this.
28:56 Here's my challenge for this year 40.
29:02 This year 40, I'm gonna run a marathon.
29:04 I'm gonna run a marathon, okay?
29:06 Y'all clap it, I'm gonna be dying.
29:09 26.2 miles, okay, 26.2 mile.
29:14 Thank you, I appreciate that.
29:16 That's what I need, I can show up that day,
29:17 I need you on the side helping me out when I'm dying.
29:20 Okay, so I'm running a marathon,
29:22 I'm gonna run a marathon this year, 26.2 miles.
29:24 That's my challenge on this year that I'm turning 40.
29:27 It's so funny because the writer of Hebrews even says
29:29 that we have been given a race that's been set before us
29:32 to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.
29:34 So I mean, when we're using Hebrews
29:36 as our scripture of the year, I got to do it this year, okay?
29:39 So I'm running the marathon, and so y'all, in my mind,
29:41 in my mind, I see myself,
29:44 'cause you got to see it before you see it.
29:46 I see myself crossing that finish line,
29:49 running this marathon, not like bending over, dying,
29:52 but I see myself with a smile on my face,
29:54 hands in the air like Usain Bolt.
29:57 You see it?
29:58 I can see it, okay?
29:59 I can see it, I literally see it, okay?
30:02 That's how I see myself.
30:06 Winning this marathon race
30:09 that I ain't even started training for yet, okay?
30:12 So that's how I see myself crossing the finish line, okay?
30:16 Now, facts, I also see myself like that spiritually
30:21 with the race that's been set before me.
30:24 Y'all, I want to finish well.
30:28 Anybody can start something, I want to know,
30:31 can you finish it?
30:32 Well, I want to finish well, not with somebody saying
30:35 he had the biggest church in the world,
30:37 not with somebody saying, oh, you have the most profound.
30:40 So the best Instagram, most Instagram followers,
30:50 I want to hear him say what all of us should be waiting
30:53 for us to hear him say, well done,
30:55 my good and faithful servant, well done.
30:59 Oh, I want a well done.
31:02 Some of us ain't gonna get a well done,
31:03 we're gonna get a well.
31:05 (audience laughing)
31:07 I don't want that.
31:09 I want a well done.
31:10 And I want to finish my race like that.
31:13 So I see myself finishing my spiritual race like that,
31:16 and I see myself running like Usain Bolt.
31:19 But as I had that image in my head,
31:21 God spoke to me so clearly, and he said,
31:22 no, that's not what you look like.
31:25 You don't look like Usain Bolt running your spiritual race.
31:29 That is not what the race looks like for you.
31:32 He said, Robert, you look like Henry Wanyoke.
31:37 Yeah.
31:41 Spiritually, I am the man on the right with the glasses.
31:46 His name is Henry Wanyoke,
31:52 who is a Kenyan marathon Olympic winner
31:56 who runs blind.
31:59 (audience murmuring)
32:02 He's won several gold medals in the Paralympics,
32:07 and he runs blind.
32:10 He's only as good as his guide, Paul to the right.
32:16 (audience applauding)
32:19 His guide, Paul, who runs with him,
32:23 who necessitates his ability to run,
32:27 is not just as good as him.
32:29 He's better.
32:30 And he runs alongside him,
32:33 and he has to go out and plan and map out the race
32:37 before Wayne ever even runs.
32:40 He has to look for obstacles that he might trip up on.
32:44 He has to go ahead and know where the turns are
32:47 because he can't see the turn.
32:49 His guide goes before him,
32:51 and he stays right next to his guide,
32:54 and his guide will whisper in his ear,
32:57 and if you ever see them run,
32:58 they are so in sync with each other.
33:01 They have a rhythm with each other,
33:03 and even when he can't speak words,
33:05 if you look at their hands,
33:06 they have a rope that's connecting them,
33:09 and all he has to do is pull that rope,
33:11 and that knows I gotta go to the right,
33:13 and then he'll pull the rope again,
33:14 and that means I gotta go to the left,
33:16 and he's only as good as the guide
33:18 that's running beside him.
33:21 Oh, now I know why the writer of Hebrews
33:23 lets us know that if you got Jesus,
33:25 you got everything you need,
33:27 that Jesus is better than angels,
33:29 and Jesus is better than the Torah,
33:31 and Jesus is better than any high priest
33:33 because if I can run with my guide,
33:36 it doesn't matter if I can't see what's in front of me.
33:38 I just gotta stay connected to my guide.
33:42 I need my guide.
33:46 I need my guide.
33:48 I need my guide.
33:49 I need the guide to tell me where to go
33:52 because I can't see.
33:53 That's how I'm gonna run my race,
33:57 and even when I don't hear him speaking,
33:59 I pray that I always hear him tugging at my spirit,
34:02 saying, "Right here.
34:04 "Make a right.
34:05 "Right here.
34:07 "Make a left.
34:08 "Right here.
34:09 "There's an obstacle coming."
34:11 That's how we run the race that's been set before us,
34:15 but if you don't hear him speaking,
34:18 you will be shaken,
34:22 and how many of us have been running our race,
34:26 and all of a sudden, like the church
34:28 that the writer of Hebrews is writing to,
34:31 we're about to say, "Forget the guide.
34:33 "I'm good.
34:36 "I can do this on my own.
34:38 "I'm gonna go back,"
34:40 and no wonder you're about to crumble and fall
34:44 because you cannot do it without him.
34:47 You need him.
34:49 God will speak with his voice.
34:54 He will speak with the tug.
34:56 He will speak through his word,
34:59 but can I tell you,
35:00 he will speak through shaking.
35:03 Whenever there is a shaking,
35:08 God is speaking.
35:11 God will often shake the things we can see
35:16 to get us to pay attention to the things that we can't see.
35:22 It's a shaking,
35:24 and can I prophetically speak to you right now
35:26 and tell you that the last days
35:28 in which we are living in right now,
35:30 there is a shaking that is occurring,
35:35 and guess who's doing the shaking.
35:38 It ain't the devil.
35:40 God is doing the shaking.
35:43 - Can you prove it in the text?
35:44 - I sure can.
35:45 Can you put verse 26 up there?
35:47 When God spoke from Mount Sinai,
35:50 his voice shook the earth,
35:53 but now he makes another promise.
35:56 Once again, I will shake,
36:01 not only the earth, but the heavens also.
36:04 This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed
36:08 so that only unshakable things will remain.
36:12 God often is speaking when the world is shaking.
36:18 I love that I have to always have my ears open
36:23 whenever I'm writing a message
36:25 'cause God speaks through everything.
36:28 I was putting my little Rem Rem to bed,
36:30 and in Remy's room, she has this little globe.
36:36 Tell me, though, we didn't buy, it says love in it,
36:41 we didn't buy this for Remy just for her viewing.
36:48 Do you know why she wanted this little globe?
36:50 Because of what happens with the shaking.
36:58 There's something that happens in the shaking
37:01 where that which is solid remains
37:06 and that which isn't is revealed.
37:08 Whenever God wants to get our attention
37:13 globally in the earth,
37:17 he does a shaking.
37:18 When I was in Sunday school, we used to sing a little song.
37:21 ♪ He's got the whole world in his hands ♪
37:24 He got the, oh, you went to the same Sunday school class
37:26 I went, ♪ In his hands ♪
37:28 ♪ He got the whole world in his hands ♪
37:31 ♪ He got the whole world in his hands ♪
37:34 That song gives me hope that I could be a songwriter
37:36 'cause that's it.
37:39 He's got the whole world in his hands.
37:40 Next lyric.
37:41 Say it again.
37:42 ♪ He's got the whole ♪
37:45 They didn't say that often this world that is in his hands,
37:50 he will shake.
37:55 Because when God shakes the world,
37:59 he does the shaking so that you can understand
38:03 the things that are temporary
38:04 and the things that are eternal.
38:06 He does the shaking to get your attention
38:12 so your ear will be open to listen to what he was saying.
38:17 I know we in 2024, but anybody remember 2020?
38:20 When things that nobody thought could be shaken
38:26 were shaken, where businesses that nobody thought
38:29 would be closed were closed,
38:31 and every once in a while, God allows in his sovereignty
38:36 or he will do it himself.
38:38 He will do the shaking so that the things
38:42 that are temporal will dissolve
38:44 and the things that are eternal would be revealed.
38:47 And how many know he doesn't just do it
38:49 in the global world, he will do it in your world.
38:52 Somebody right now knows what it's like
38:54 to go through a,
38:55 the job you thought you would have
38:59 and all of a sudden, God does a,
39:02 the relationship you thought would always be there
39:04 and all of a sudden, God does a shaking.
39:07 You don't really know what your convictions are
39:10 until God does a,
39:12 you don't really know what you believe
39:14 until God does a,
39:16 I don't trust anybody's relationship,
39:18 anybody's marriage that has not been through a,
39:21 I don't trust a friendship that hadn't been through a,
39:25 oh, of course you can be my friend
39:27 when everything's going good.
39:29 Of course you can serve when everything's going well
39:31 and you get a massage and flowers every week
39:33 and everybody says thank you,
39:35 but whenever there's a shaking,
39:37 there is a revealing of what is substantive
39:40 and what is flaky and every once in a while,
39:43 God has to do a shaking in your life to reveal
39:47 what really matters.
39:51 God says, hear me, I'm speaking prophetically now,
39:54 2024 will be the year
39:58 of shaking.
40:01 And in the shaking, God is speaking
40:05 and he's trying to show us the things that will last
40:09 and the things that will not,
40:12 the things that are temporal
40:14 and the things that are eternal.
40:16 And hear me, if you're in here today
40:18 and you feel like he's been shaking your world,
40:21 he's speaking in the shaking.
40:24 God will shake the things you can't see
40:30 because he's trying to open up your eyes
40:32 to the things you can't see.
40:35 God will shake the things that are temporal
40:40 so he can get your attention to focus
40:43 on the things that are eternal.
40:46 And my word for you this year
40:48 is we have received an unshakable kingdom.
40:52 And no matter the shaking that is occurring in your life,
40:59 you've got to listen to hear what God is speaking
41:01 in the shaking because he's trying to make you unshakable.
41:06 The shaking is not that bad.
41:11 I know you feel like you're about to lose your mind,
41:15 but the shaking is revealing something.
41:19 If I've received a kingdom that is unshakable,
41:26 how else can I have evidence that the kingdom is unshakable
41:31 until something is shaken?
41:32 The only way I can have confidence to know
41:39 that the kingdom I have received is unshakable
41:42 is for things to be shaken.
41:45 ATU, you still here?
41:49 There he is right there.
41:50 AT, come up here and help me real quick.
41:52 I love AT, he serves on the parking lot team.
41:57 [audience cheering]
42:01 And I told him I wanted somebody on our serve team,
42:06 first of all, has been so faithful.
42:10 Talk about unshakable, unshakable.
42:16 Last Sunday was the first Sunday of the year.
42:17 As soon as I pulled in the parking lot,
42:18 he's on the parking lot team,
42:20 I rolled out my window, he was out there,
42:21 Pastor, let's go, first Sunday of the year!
42:24 That's what I like, unshakable.
42:29 And AT, I heard that sometimes when you're parched,
42:33 when you're thirsty, you don't mind having a Coke,
42:37 but you like Coca-Cola.
42:38 So I wanted to just say thank you and give you a Coke.
42:43 That's a Coke for you, unshakable.
42:51 Now AT, I'm a little more spiritual, I don't drink Coke.
42:55 [audience laughing]
42:58 We're on a fast.
42:59 I drink water.
43:02 I don't know we have our own water.
43:05 Got our own Coke too.
43:07 Here's the details for me.
43:11 AT, that Coke is just to say thank you.
43:17 You can play, make it sound more spiritual.
43:19 That Coke is just to say thank you for serving.
43:24 I think they had a motto, have a Coke and a smile.
43:28 That Coke's for you.
43:30 You drink your Coke, I'm gonna drink my water.
43:32 I don't know, don't drink it yet.
43:34 Before you do the drinking.
43:38 [audience laughing]
43:44 Now keep in mind, I'm not asking you to do something
43:47 that I'm not gonna do.
43:49 Let's do some shaking before we do some drinking.
43:56 You ready, go.
43:57 Everything I do, you gotta do.
44:04 [audience laughing]
44:08 You ready, you ready, here we go.
44:23 [audience laughing]
44:26 [audience laughing]
44:35 Why you do that, Pastor Robert?
44:49 Why you make a mess on the stage?
44:51 I'm trying to show you your life right now.
44:54 See, the problem is never with the shaking.
44:56 Some of you think the problem is with the shaking,
44:59 but the shaking is not the problem.
45:01 All the shaking does is prove the contents of the container.
45:06 I went through the same shaking he went through.
45:09 I was thrown up and thrown back down,
45:12 but the reason his life was exploding
45:15 and mine was still water is because of the content.
45:21 God is raising up a church
45:24 that knows who the living water is,
45:26 that knows how to be unshakable
45:29 when everybody else's life is on the floor.
45:32 Somebody give God some praise
45:36 if you're ready to be unshakable this year.
45:38 God's raising up an unshakable church.
45:42 This kingdom we've received
45:45 is unshakable.
45:50 Shakable.
45:51 Amazing.
45:56 You've been complaining about the shaking.
46:01 The shaking is never the problem.
46:05 The shaking is just the revealer
46:09 of the contents of the container.
46:18 You don't know what's in you until there's a shaking.
46:21 I don't care what you praise about,
46:26 you don't know what's really in there
46:28 until there is a shaking.
46:29 So no wonder the writer of Hebrews,
46:35 he concludes by saying, "What let us be thankful
46:39 "and brimming with worship."
46:42 Hold on, pastor, you're telling me
46:45 I gotta thank God for the shaking?
46:47 You're telling me I'm supposed to thank Him for the shaking?
46:51 It's not that I'm thanking Him for the shaking,
46:53 it's what the shaking reveals.
46:57 (congregation applauding)
47:00 And it gives me an opportunity to say,
47:03 "God, continue to conform me
47:05 "to the image of your dear Son, Jesus."
47:07 In every shaking, there is a revealing.
47:12 This still water
47:16 can be shaken all day,
47:18 and it won't explode, it won't make a mess.
47:22 God says, "This year, I want your eyes
47:27 "fixed on the unshakable things."
47:29 I wanna give you the strength to stand
47:33 in a world that is shaking.
47:36 You have received an unshakable kingdom.
47:40 It starts with being thankful,
47:43 and it starts with worship.
47:47 I'm gonna ask every head be bowed and eyes be closed today.
47:51 Father, I thank you for what you are doing in the earth.
47:58 Lord, we're not just saying empty words.
48:03 This is the year, and in these days,
48:06 we will see all kinds of things
48:10 that will be shaken.
48:15 But Lord, would you help us this year
48:18 to open up our ears to hear you,
48:20 to know that in the shaking, you are speaking?
48:22 Open up our ears and open up our eyes to see
48:28 that we have received a kingdom that is unshakable,
48:33 that everything that is temporary will not last,
48:38 and we choose to fix our eyes
48:39 on the things that are eternal this year.
48:44 God, a shaky world needs an unshakable church.
48:48 So Father, I pray that you would make us unshakable this year
48:54 and that even in the shaking,
48:57 the things that need to dissolve from our lives
49:00 would go to the side.
49:02 But as the writer of Hebrews said,
49:04 "We will keep our eyes fixed on you,
49:08 the pioneer and the perfecter of our faith."
49:12 Do it for my brother, do it for my sister in Jesus' name.
49:16 Heads are bowed, eyes are closed.
49:18 If you're in here today and you say,
49:21 "Pastor Robert, I'm going through a shaking right now,
49:28 and in the shaking, I feel like the church
49:34 that the writer of Hebrews is writing to,
49:35 I'm feeling like walking away, I'm feeling like giving up.
49:39 But today, I need the strength to persevere.
49:43 I need the strength to stand."
49:47 I wanna echo what the writer of Hebrews
49:51 is doing in 13 chapters, don't give up.
49:54 Don't throw in the towel just because life has gotten hard.
49:58 If you will persevere to the end.
50:01 This is not a sprint, this is a marathon,
50:07 and we're running blind,
50:08 and you can't afford to be disconnected
50:10 from your guide who is Jesus.
50:13 That's you today, and you say, "You know what?
50:16 I've been tempted to walk away, to go back,
50:19 and I need the strength to remain, to stand."
50:22 If that's you, would you lift up your hand high enough
50:24 and long enough to where I can see it today?
50:26 I believe today on this first Sunday of the year,
50:28 God is releasing perseverance and steadfastness.
50:32 Come on, thank you, thank you, I see those hands.
50:34 Thank you, God, thank you, God.
50:35 That's why you have to be here today.
50:37 Thank you, Lord.
50:38 Anybody else, lift it up and put it right back down.
50:41 Thank you, Jesus.
50:43 I wanna be real specific.
50:44 How many in here today say, "You know what?
50:46 I have never surrendered my life to Jesus,
50:49 the author and the perfecter of my faith,
50:53 and today I need to give him my life."
50:57 Giving him your life does not mean
50:58 everything in your life is gonna be perfect,
51:00 but it does mean that you have received
51:02 an unshakable kingdom.
51:05 (gentle music)
51:07 And as you today, you say, "Pastor,
51:09 would you include me in this closing prayer?
51:10 I've never given him my life,
51:11 but today I need to surrender my life to him."
51:14 When I count to three, I just want you to lift up your hand.
51:17 One, two, three, lift up your hand high enough,
51:20 long enough to where I can see it,
51:21 saying, "I'm giving him my life today."
51:22 Thank you, Jesus, thank you, Jesus.
51:24 I see those hands, keep it raised, keep it raised.
51:26 Come on, some of you, maybe you were walking with God
51:28 for a while, but your heart's gotten cold,
51:30 and today God is calling you back home.
51:32 Thank you, Jesus, thank you, God.
51:33 Thank you, God, I see those hands.
51:35 Come on, this is the unshakable year.
51:38 Come on, if you're gonna be unshakable,
51:39 you cannot worry about the opinions of other people.
51:42 If you lifted up your hand this second time,
51:44 saying, "I need to give him my life today,"
51:46 I'm gonna ask you to do something so bold and so brave.
51:49 We prayed for you today.
51:50 This whole atmosphere was saturated with prayer.
51:53 I'm just gonna ask you to get out of your seat
51:55 and come right up here to the front.
51:57 Today is the first day of the rest of your life.
52:01 Come on, I want you to come right now.
52:02 You gotta tell somebody, "Excuse me, excuse me,"
52:04 if you lifted up your hand,
52:05 or you should have lifted up your hand,
52:07 saying, "I need to give him my life today."
52:09 Come on, come on, I don't care how far in the back
52:11 you gotta walk from, this is your day.
52:13 This is your day, come on, just come right up here
52:15 to the front, saying, "God, I'm giving you my life today."
52:18 Come on, this is an unshakable kingdom.
52:22 Come on, anybody else?
52:24 Come on, you know when God is speaking to you.
52:27 Don't deny his voice when he's speaking.
52:30 I want you to come.
52:32 Anybody else, come on, I see you, come on.
52:35 Come on, come on.
52:36 At the beginning of this year, God's calling you home.
52:39 Your father is saying, "Come on home."
52:42 Come on, come on, I wish I had a church
52:47 that would give God some praise today.
52:49 Come on.
52:52 Unshakable, unshakable, unshakable.
53:00 Unshakable kingdom.
53:03 When everybody else's life looks like that,
53:06 you can have a life that is unshakable.
53:10 Anybody else, come on, come on,
53:13 I wanna wait a few more moments
53:15 because somebody needs to respond to the voice
53:19 that's been speaking from the beginning of creation.
53:21 Come on, I want some of our prayer team to stand behind
53:27 all those who have responded.
53:29 Thank you, God.
53:31 Those of you at this altar, can you just lift up your hands?
53:34 Can we all do it and join them?
53:35 Lifting up our hands as a sign of surrender.
53:41 I'm gonna lead you in this prayer,
53:45 but I just want you to say it from your heart.
53:48 Say, "Jesus, I need you."
53:56 Lord, thank you so much for loving me enough
54:00 to pay the price for my sin.
54:06 Jesus, I know I've been running blind.
54:11 I need you as my guide, as my Lord,
54:18 and as my Savior.
54:21 Forgive me of my sin.
54:25 Make me brand new.
54:26 From this moment forward, all that I am is yours.
54:33 Jesus, today I receive the unshakable kingdom.
54:40 No matter what's shaking around me,
54:44 I hold on to you.
54:47 You're unshakable.
54:53 Today, and all of my life, I will point to you
54:58 to prove my value, that you loved me enough
55:05 to die for me, and you're coming back for me.
55:11 But until that day, I'll keep running my race,
55:17 eyes fixed on you.
55:22 In Jesus' name.
55:23 Come on, somebody say amen, amen,
55:26 and give God some praise today.
55:27 (audience applauding)