Beneath the Surface | Firm Foundation

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Join us as Stephen Radie brings us a message about what's beneath the surface. 

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:17

Well, good morning. How are we doing today? All right. How many of you tried to sneak ice cream before the service? All right, all right, all right. At least you're honest. All right. Well, my name is Pastor Steven Randy, and I'm so excited to be here with you. Today we're wrapping up our series Firm Foundations, and uh, it's been such a joy. Hopefully, this series has been a blessing to you as much as it has been to me. Uh, it's been so much fun working on this. I got to actually kick off the series and now I get to wrap it up. So I'm excited about today. I got a question for you though. Ever see how much time we actually spend trying to impact or change what people actually see in our lives? How much energy we actually put into it. I mean, think about it. Think about uh the filters that we use on our camera. Think about the cropping that we do. Think about the editing that poor Caleb has to do to make me look good each time I speak. It's like 300 takes. Um, but we do this, right? We we we do this thing to make it look like our lives are perfect. Right? Think about Christmas time. Families over, wrapping papers everywhere, there's food, there's dishes, and mom wants to take a picture. So what do you do? You go stand in front of the mantle of the fireplace because that's the only thing that still looks the same, and you take a picture about right here up so that you don't see the rest of the house, right? Who's guilty of that? Yeah, I think we all are. I think we we we try to we try to shine what looks ugly to make it look good. We polish our shoes, we try to give this appearance, right? And then it's it's even like when someone comes up and asks us, hey, how are you doing? Instantly, what do we respond? I'm fine, I'm great. Even though inside we're barely holding it together, we're hoping that no one notices until we can get into our car where we have a breakdown, right? That's what happens in our lives. We do it with almost um not thinking. And so, as we've gone through this series, one of the questions that we have been asking about firm foundation is what do we actually build our life on? Where do we build our life? Because eventually, every one of us, it doesn't matter who it is, we discover the same truth. You cannot build a steady life on an unstable world. Amen. So today we're gonna go one level deeper. We're not just gonna talk about foundations, we're actually gonna talk about roots. Because what grows beneath the surface, before that to ever become strong, what grows out, there has to be health, right? There has to be health beneath the surface. And that's why today I've simply titled this message Beneath the Surface. Um, there's this amazing tree that was in California, this huge sequoia. Maybe you've heard of it, the pioneer cabin tree. It was massive. Millions of people visited this thing. Pretty cool, huh? In fact, people actually drove their cars right through the middle of it. They tunneled this thing out like we have some of those people, they're like 95 years old here in the first pro. No, I'm just I'm just kidding. They're my neighbors, I can pick on them. They know where I live. Um, but it was massive, right? This thing looked indestructible, like nothing could ever hurt this thing. Solid. People took many photos, but in 2017, guess what? A storm hit. That's what it looks like now. People were shocked. How could something that massive, that big, fall during a storm? Because here's the thing thousands of other trees survived that same storm. But that one didn't. Because what experts eventually led to is what was happening on the inside, what was happening in the roots. See, something was dying beneath the surface that no one was paying attention to. And so that's why it's so important because the storm didn't create the damage, it didn't cause the problem. What the storm did was it actually revealed it. And I've got another, I've got another example of that because I think that's a picture that is like a lot of us in life, right? We know how to look okay. We smile, we show up, but underneath, we're not really letting others see what's going on, right? Who else is guilty of that? All right, man, you're the most honest group I've had so far. Amen. You're the 11 o'clock service. I have a question for you. Which one of these trees is the healthiest? Tree A or tree B? Why? Why? Because it has more leaves, and it has more offshoots. They are the same tree. They are the same kind of tree. Here's the thing about tree A is it's still growing. It's got this solid root ball, right? Where it gets its life foundation from. This is where it soaks its nutrients. This is where the water gives it life, where the fertilizer gets to it. Now, tree B, tree B's got some problems.

unknown 6:28

Dude, that's awesome.

SPEAKER_00 6:31

But isn't that how a lot of us are? If we're honest with ourselves, we're actually disconnected from our root system, from the thing that brings us life. See, we're really good at looking like we got a lot of leaves and we've got a lot of offshoots, as some of you said. We get busy in life with all the things that are going on. But the problem is we're forgetting to attach ourselves for the to the foundation that matters the most. And so that's what we're talking about today. Hold on, I gotta replant this. So you can trick somebody else. All right. Now, I will tell you, I'm not taking this tree home after this message. So if you're an arborist and you think you can save this thing and reattach it, it's all yours. In fact, you can take the healthy one too. I'll give you both. Two for the price of none. So, isn't that what life is like though, beneath the surface? We're tired, we're anxious, and if we're honest with ourselves, we're kind of tired of pretending that everything's okay. That is exhausting. But here's the good news. With Jesus, you don't have to pretend. He already knows. He knows that you've been disconnected. He knows the struggles you're so desperately trying to hide from everybody else. And here's the thing: he loves you just the way that you are. In fact, he actually invites us to come to him just as we are. Broken struggles and all. That's the thing about Christ's love. And that's why it's so important that we connect our roots to the right foundation. Because even if we have one of these, it's not enough just to visit it. We have to be connected to it. Think about a house. We talked on week one about building our house on the rock, right? But it's no good to be on that rock if you don't attach yourself to the foundation of the rock. You know the story of the three little pigs, a huff and puff and blow your house down. Well, what we build matters. Again, what goes on beneath our surface determines the strength and what other people see on top. So God knows every fear. He knows all of our disappointments. And here's the entire message. If you don't remember one thing, or you only take one thing away that you do remember, I hope it's this. Right here. Strong roots in God's word. Right? Strong roots in God's word create a steady life in every season. Not just summertime, not just spring, not when the leaves are pretty, but when things are dormant, when the winter's here. So we're gonna say it together, and I'm gonna I'm gonna see how good you guys really are. I'm gonna say it and then you're gonna repeat it. Strong roots in God's word. Oh, you guys almost, oof, that was really close. Create steady life in every season. Okay, now I want you to turn to someone next to you, and I want you to say, get ready. We're gonna dig deep. Tell them dig deep. Now that person's blushing, so I want you to turn to someone else, and I want you to say, roots before fruits. Okay, now everybody's comfortable with each other. Welcome to West Side. Today's like choose your own adventure. You get to play along. So here's the truth. Like I said, what nobody sees eventually determines what everybody sees. That means things like our character, our habits, our life choices, our thoughts, our patterns, and our priorities. See, everything that we have in life is rooted in something. So the real question isn't whether or not we have roots, it's whether or not our roots are actually deep enough to hold us when life storms come and hit. So, where do roots begin? I'm glad you asked that question. We're gonna go right into this first thing. Okay, so grab your notes, buckle up, and here we go. Strong roots begin with daily delight. Daily delight. Okay, Psalms 1, verse 1 says, Oh the joys of those who fall who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers, but they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do. See, I love that image. God doesn't compare his people to a machine, he compares them to a tree. And a tree that he encourages us for our roots to run deep to the life-giving water that he provides. See, our roots need to run deep so that when we stand in those storms while everything else is shaking, we can stand firm. Notice what Psalms 1 doesn't say. It doesn't say, blessed are those who own a Bible. It doesn't even say blessed are those who can quote some Bible verses. Now, don't get me wrong, I've got our executive pastor staring me down right now. Being able to quote Bible verses is important, so I want to make that clear right now. But what Psalms 1 says is we're to delight in God's word, in the word of the Lord. See, that's a different word than I think we're even used to using. It almost feels wrong when you say it, right? Say delight. Now, don't you feel like you just went into a bakery and you're like, I want the delight delicatessing. But it is. Delight's different than that from duty, right? Let me give you an example. I don't kiss my wife because I have to. Sometimes I do, but just kidding. She's not here, so I'm not gonna get killed at least until I get home. So but I don't. I don't kiss her because I have to. Guess why I kiss her? I kiss her because I get to, right? I spend time with her because I love her. Right? That's the difference. That's what love changes. Love always changes, have to, to the words get to. That's what love does. That's what God's love does, and that's what he wants for us. He wants us to make his word not an obligation, but a place where we go that we get to meet with him. Because the goal isn't about finishing a reading plan. Caleb mentioned that last week about the streaks. That's not the goal. The goal is knowing who the author is. From Genesis to Revelations, it points us all back to Jesus. And that's why we read, not to check a box, not to impress anybody, but because when we open God's word, we want to hear the voice of the one who created us and who loves us. See, I think if we're honest for a minute, we've all started that Bible reading plan at the beginning of the year, right? January 1st, you check that. I'm gonna read the whole Bible. I'm pumped, I'm ready to go. I got enthusiasm, right? I got championship level enthusiasm. By the middle of January, I'm posting Bible verses. Hey, look at me, here's what I read. Come February, I'm in Leviticus. And now it's like my Bible plan is a hostage situation. You find yourself actually negotiating with God. God, will you still love me if I skip ahead to Matthew? Right? That's what's happening because we've we've all been there. But here's what I learned: that spiritual growth isn't built on occasional inspiration. No matter how fired up I am, it's not built on that. It's built on daily consistency. Five minutes today, five minutes tomorrow, five minutes the next day, over time, those small amounts of time, guess what? Grow our roots. Because our roots, they don't grow overnight, they grow one day at a time. And some of us came to church today thinking, well, I just gotta try harder, right? I'm guilty of that. And that's not what I'm saying here. I'm saying there's a father in heaven who wants to spend time with his children. And that's what we should look at when we open up the scripture. It's an invitation. So every time we open up God's word, our Heavenly Father is inviting us to know him more. And the more you know him, guess what? The more you trust him, and the more you trust him, the deeper your roots grow. Because delight always leads to deeper roots, right? The thing we invest our time with, we come can become consumed with. And that's what we fill ourselves with. So the number two thing in your notes is this strong roots grow through daily doing. We're gonna jump into James chapter one. Caleb brought up this verse last week, verse 22. But don't just listen to God's word, you must do what it says. Otherwise, you're only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don't obey, it's like glancing in a mirror. You see yourself, you walk away, and you forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. See, James exposes one of the greatest dangers that we have in church. And James is saying something that we all need to hear. Don't just hear God's word, but let God's word change your life. Because information alone doesn't produce transformation. Obedience does. Now, don't un don't misunderstand me. Again, I want to make this clear. Knowledge matters. We should study God's word. We should ask questions when we read. We should grow in our understanding of our Father. But knowledge without obedience can be a very dangerous thing. It can convince us that we're spiritually mature simply because we're spiritually informed. And I personally have fallen in that trap before. I've listened to a sermon thinking, oh, that's great. Walked away thinking, that's really good, just like you guys will today. Okay, I'm gonna say that again, just like you guys will today. All right, there's a better laugh. Okay. But here's the thing: somewhere along the way, I started confusing learning with following. James refuses to let us confuse the two. It's possible to know a lot about Jesus and yet still resist letting Jesus shape your life. The question shouldn't be how much Bible do I know? The question that we should be asking ourselves, the question I try to ask myself is how much Bible am I allowing Jesus to shape my life with? Because every time we say yes to Jesus, a little root grows deeper. Every act of forgiveness, obedience, when we trust him, when we surrender to him, it's another root growing deeper into Christ. And James gives us this picture. He says, God's word is like a mirror, right? He used that reference. Now I added something else. It's not a museum. This isn't an artifact that we should put on the shelf and and try to preserve. A lot of other people have already preserved it for a lot of years. God's given this as a tool to use. And James tells us that it's like a mirror. Because what do mirrors do? They tell the truth, right? Whether we like it or not. I looked in the mirror the other day and I was like, who is that tired guy? How did he get so old and when did he move into my house? And then I realized it was me. See, my mirror wasn't trying to, my mirror wasn't trying to be disrespectful. It was merely showing me what reality was. It does no good if I look in the mirror and I have toothpaste all over myself and I go, hey, thank you, mirror, for telling me I have toothpaste. And then I walk out, close the bathroom door, and I try to leave my house. Right? No. What the mirror does is it lets us know what our reality is. It teaches us the things that we're doing wrong, or it convicts us, or it comforts us, or it says, Hey, you got toothpaste on your lips? Right? Because it looks really weird when you walk out of the house and your wife goes, honey, let me get that for you. The neighbors take pictures every time. A mirror's just meant to reveal something. And that's what God's word does in our lives. And sometimes it reminds us just who we are in Christ. And every time we open it, God is inviting us back to become. More like Christ Jesus. So I want you to hear me. The Bible was never given to you just for knowledge, just to increase your knowledge. It was given to you to transform your life, to change you. So I want us to say this together. Like I said, choose your own adventure. The goal is not Bible information. The goal is a life formed by God. See, you guys are doing great. I made the other services repeat that like four times because they couldn't follow along. You guys are doing wonderful. But here's the beautiful part about it is we don't obey because we're trying to earn God's love. We obey because we already received it. See, Jesus has already done for us what we can never do for ourselves. So obedience isn't about making God love us more, it's simply a grateful response from a people who he's given love to beyond measure. That's you and that's me. And that's how deep roots grow. One surrendered yes at a time. Number three, strong roots grow through daily dependence. Strong roots grow through daily dependence. Everybody is afraid of something. Doesn't matter. Maybe it's a phone call, you hope never comes. Maybe it's a diagnosis. Maybe it's your job announced that they're cutting back and you're getting laid off. Or maybe it's even watching someone that you love so dearly drift away from God. Maybe it's even wondering how we're just gonna make it through the next season of life. See, fear has a way of getting in. It finds our weaknesses and it worms its way in there. We're gonna look at some scripture from Joshua and of anybody, Joshua knew what it felt like. See, Moses, the greatest leader of Israel, was now gone. Joshua was now leading an entire nation into an unknown future. The promised land was ahead, but so were the battles. And people were watching. Just like our lives, people are watching. Maybe you don't recognize it, but it could be your neighbor, it could be your child, it could even be your aunt or uncle. People are watching, and if anyone knew what it was like to be afraid, it was Joshua. So here's what it says. God tells him this. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this book of instruction continually, meditate on it day and night, so that you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you succeed and prosper in all you do. And here's verse nine. This is my command. This is God's command. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Notice God doesn't encourage Joshua to believe in himself. He doesn't do that. He doesn't tell Joshua, hey, you've got this. He doesn't cheer him on. No, instead, he gives Joshua two solid life anchors that we can learn here. One, stay rooted in my word. And two, remember my presence. Joshua's courage wasn't rooted in his confidence. It was rooted because he was looking to the Lord. And that is still true today for you and I. We can have that same confidence. And that's why it's so important that we spend time in God's word daily, because it matters. Not to check off a box and not that it magically removes our fears, but because every time we open it, and the scriptures remind us of who God is. It reminds us that he's faithful. It reminds us that he's sovereign. It reminds us that he's present. And it reminds us of his promises. And when our views of God grow, that's when our fear starts to shrink. Not because our circumstances have changed, but because our focus has. Faith isn't something we manufacture. In fact, Paul says in Romans 10, 17, he says this faith comes from hearing, hearing the good news about Christ. It's something God grows in us continually when we hear his truth. Every day we spend in God's word deepens our roots and it strengthens our faith. And it reminds our hearts just how much God loves us and that he's here with us. See, courage isn't the absence of fear. What courage is, is trusting in God in the middle of it. Again and again and again. See, the strongest Christians that I know aren't necessarily the ones that can recite the Bible back and forth, but it's the ones that know that their confidence isn't in themselves, but that they go to God's word and they find the answers. That's the strongest Christians, because they realize something that their confidence can only be in Him. Because Jesus made this promise I will never leave you nor forsake you. So when our roots run deep into God's word, they also run deep into God's presence. And that's where our steady faith is found. So number four, strong roots produce daily stability. Paul writes in Colossians 3, let the message about Christ in all its riches, richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to him through him to God the Father. And I love that first phrase. Let the message about Christ fill your lives. Not visit occasionally, not show up once a week, but fill it. Another translation actually says it this way: Let the word of Christ dwell within you richly. I love that word dwell, because it's not a guest or allowing him to take up permanent residence. Let God's word shape you the way you think, the way you speak, the way you make decisions. Remember, you're his representative, the way you respond when life goes unplanned. Because whatever fills us eventually flows out of us. Last week Caleb used the example of a pickle. I like to think of more of an orange. If I squeeze that orange enough, apple juice isn't gonna come out of it, is it? No, orange juice is. And the same is true about life squeezing us. What we fill ourselves with is what's gonna come out when those storms of life hit. Jeremiah paints a beautiful picture, again, reminding us that God's people are like trees planted along a river. Their roots run deep into the water. And then listen here what he says next. They do not fear when the heat comes. He's telling us that when we plant ourselves here and we connect ourselves with God's word, we can survive it. That's what he's saying. Their leaves stay green. They don't grow anxious when there's seasons of drought. Now, God's promise is that there's not ever going to be heat. God's promise is that there's not gonna be a drought, and God's promise is there there's not gonna be storms. That's not what he's promising. What he's promising is that we can remain steady through them when we're rooted in him. Because strong roots help us stand during the storms. And that's why when we spend time in God's word, it's not preparation just for the good days. It's actually preparation for when the bad ones hit. Have you ever tried putting a piece of furniture together for Mikeia? I can tell by your response, you have. And uh you get that little instruction booklet that's written in 32 different languages, and it's so small your glasses need glasses to be able to see it. And so you get so frustrated with it that you just throw it to the side and go, I think I can do this, right? Isn't that kind of how we approach life? But when we do that, we end up with four extra screws and a shelf that's going up and down instead of across like it should. And then we blame the manufacturer. Well, they didn't know what they were doing. Obviously, they gave us extra parts. But I see, I think that's how we we treat life. We throw our instruction booklet aside when we think, oh, everything's going good. But when everything's going good, that's when we should dwell in this. That's when we should delight in it, because it prepares us for how life is supposed to go. You know why? Because God was the author of life. He created it. He's the one that loves us, and he's the one that knows how to lead us. And that's how life works. So let's go back to that pioneer cabin tree. When it finally fell, people blamed the storm. But again, that's the real story wasn't that. The real story was what was happening beneath the surface for years. Again, that storm simply revealed the condition of the roots. And the same is true for us. Storms reveal what we've been trusting all along. And that's why the deepest work that God usually does is usually hidden. It's usually beneath the surface. It's the place that no one applauds. It's the prayers that no one hears. Because people don't see that, but you know who does? God does. God sees it. So how do we grow those roots? Thankfully, God doesn't make it complicated. It's simple. Simple, but not easy. It's simple. We need to read. We need to reflect. We need to respond, and we need to repeat it. We have to keep it simple, right? When we read God's word, we we can't start off with that level of enthusiasm that says, I'm gonna read 14 chapters today. I'm gonna do it, right? No, that doesn't work. It doesn't work going, hey, I'm gonna learn Greek, then I'm gonna learn Hebrew, and then I'm gonna memorize Leviticus. Doesn't work that way either. We have to just start one chapter at a time, 10 minutes today, 10 minutes tomorrow, and then we have to do it again. We also need to reflect when we read God's word. And it and this took me a long time in life to realize. Like, what is the author really speaking to? What is God trying to help me see? What does this teach me about God? And then after I'm done answering that question, I have to ask myself, what does this teach me about me? Right? We have to reflect on it and then we have to respond to it. What is God asking me to change in my life through what I just read? What is he asking me to do today? And then we have to go do it. Again, I said it was simple, but it's not always easy. But consistency is more powerful than intensity. Five minutes or ten minutes in your Bible a day beats one really intense hour a month. Because most spiritual growth happens underground, it happens quietly, it happens unnoticed, one ordinary day at a time. So remember that tree. No one went and flocked to the tree after it went down. No one went and admired the root system. No one took pictures and said, hey, look at this awesome root that's sticking out of the ground. No, they didn't. And the same is true with us that God often does his deepest work beneath our surface. One prayer, one chapter, and one act of obedience, one surrendered yet, yes, again and again and again. Until one day that root starts producing fruit in our lives. And maybe that's where some of you are today. Maybe you've been faithful reading, maybe you've been faithful praying, maybe you've been faithful obeying, and you're wondering, is any of this even making a difference? And I want you to hear this word from God in Galatians 6, 9. Hear these words. Let us not grow weary in doing what is good. For at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. And our perfect example is a Savior that hasn't given up on us. So don't give up. God is doing more beneath your surface than you really even know. Even today, even at this minute, right here. And today, if you're here and all you heard is that I need to try harder, I've failed you as your pastor. Because that's not what God is saying. Because Christianity, our faith has never been about us trying harder, it's about a God that comes closer. When we couldn't reach Jesus, Jesus came to us. When we wandered, he pursued us. When we were broken, he still loved us. And when sin separated us from God, Jesus went to the cross for us. And then three days later, he walked out of that grave. So today, I want you to realize we don't obey to earn God's love. We obey because we've already received it. We don't read his word so he'll accept us. We read it because he's already welcomed us into his family. Every time we open scripture, we're not trying to earn an audience or more likes. We're meeting with God. The one that created us, the one that loves us, the one that invited us to his presence through Jesus. Because one day, a storm will come. Maybe not today, maybe not this week, maybe not even this year, but eventually every one of us will be tested. Maybe it's a diagnosis or a betrayal, a loss, or a disappointment, or a season you never thought could ever come your way. And when that day comes, I promise you, you won't wish for more likes on Instagram. You'll be grateful for the roots that you've grown in Jesus. Roots that remind you of who God is, roots that remind you of who you are, and roots that remind you that Jesus is still faithful, even when life isn't. Because our deepest root in the Christian life isn't our discipline, it's not even our obedience, it's not even our consistency. You know what it is? It's not our ability to hold on to Jesus, it's knowing that Jesus is holding on to us. Some of you needed to hear that today. You've been wondering if your faith is strong enough, if you failed too many times, if God's tired of hearing your prayer. But if your trust is in Christ, your hope is never rested on your grip. It's always rested on the strength of his. So let's pray. God, thank you for loving us. Thank you for allowing us to be together, to grow deeper in you, so that today can be a fresh start. And if you're here today or you're online and this is the moment that you're ready to place your trust in Jesus, you can pray something like this. Not because these words save you, but because they express the faith that God's put in your heart. You can say it just like this Jesus, I give you my life. Thank you for saving me. I believe in you, your life, your death on the cross, and your resurrection. Forgive me of my sins. Fill me with your Holy Spirit. Lead me and teach me to follow you. God, thank you for today, and in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.