SPEAKER_01 0:10

Welcome to the Southside Church Podcast. Weekly content that inspires all of us to follow Jesus. Join us each week for a message from one of our fantastic communicators that provide practical ways to grow our faith, challenge ourselves, and to love others more. And now, this week's message.

SPEAKER_02 0:33

So we all feel, and let's be honest, we all feel accepted when we have succeeded. We feel accepted by our family, by our friends, by those around us, which is why we work so hard to present our very best self all the time. I mean, it's why we stand in front of the mirror before leaving for work or leaving to go anywhere until we have succeeded. And you know, it starts very, very early. Do y'all remember your elementary report card? I know some of you are still young enough to remember, uh, but some of us we probably have tried hard to forget. But but do you remember your very first A? Also, only a two of us got A's on our report cards in elementary. Okay, but if you remember your your very first report card, did you have a reward system for it? Like where if you got an A, you received something. What did you receive? Money. Oh, okay. A dollar, right? A dollar? A dollar was a big deal. I know some of my 20-somethings are like a dollar. No, a dollar was a big deal. You could do a lot with a dollar. Um because the school fair was coming up. Y'all remember this? Oh, yeah, and you could use that dollar to buy books, right? It starts early, so the more A's you got, the more reward you received. And then that trans transitioned over into sports, right? The better your performance on the field or on the courts, the better your social life was. And some of you don't tell me your social life, but the better your social life was. And then it transferred into the workplace. The harder you worked, right? The more likely you were to receive a raise, or the more likely you are to even receive more opportunity. And so that's why we believe this. Striving is the key. We believe that striving is the key. The harder we work, the the more perfect we appear to be, or the more excellent we aspire to be, the better our life will be, the more successful we will be, the more love that we experience. That's why we strive to be perfect. We strive to be excellent. We strive to make sure we do everything right all the time because we believe that striving is the key. And our culture, in our society, it teaches us that in order for us to feel accepted, then we have to succeed. In order for us to experience love, we have to be successful. And we bring the same approach to our relationship with Jesus. We try to earn our way into experiencing God's love and favor. Or, and this is important, we reject his love because, well, we don't understand how someone could love someone like us in such a way. And we've been taught this at a very early age. You reap what you sow, right? If you do good things, good things will happen for you. Good things will happen to you. If you do bad things, bad things will happen to you. If you work hard, guess what? You will be successful. But if you don't work hard, you might not experience success. Cause and effect, right? And if I were to make a list of things in our lives, a list of mistakes that we've made, that probably look a little bit like this. We've probably lied to avoid consequences, broken a promise, judged someone unfairly, been selfish with time, with money or attention. We've said something hurtful in anger, we cheated on a test, no one in this room has ever done that. Um, we've taken credit for someone else's work, we ignored someone in need, held a grudge, or we disobeyed parents or authority figures. And many of these same actions, many of this list of mistakes that some of us, many of us have made, scripture teaches us on. But it looks a little bit like this lack of faith. Get angry, envy, pride, greed, lust, bitterness, self-righteousness, unforgiveness, pride, disobedience. When you look at this list, many of us could find something on this list that would justify our reasons for neglecting our relationship with God or even not believing that God's love is accessible to us. So we tend to think well, if we've broken a promise, someone will break a promise to us. Or if we've gossiped or talked about someone, someone will gossip or talk about us. Or if we've if we've judged someone, someone will judge us. Or if we held a grudge, someone will hold a grudge against us. So this is how we think. We tend to believe that, well, how in the world could God love someone like me? Someone who is bound to make mistakes over and over again, someone who's bound to fail over and over again, someone who's bound for mishaps, someone who is bound to say the wrong things or do the wrong things. How in the world could God love someone like me? And on days like today, Father's Day, for many of us, we tend to think about our fathers. Some of us tend to think of the mistakes that our fathers have made or the mistakes we made to our fathers. And if you're a father in the room, sometimes you think, oh, you're probably thinking, okay, why did I do the thing that I did? Why did I say the thing that I said? We're thinking about all the mistakes that either our father has made or mistakes that maybe you have made as a father. And what's interesting is one of the hardest things for us to digest, for us to believe, is that God is a father. It's hard to see him as such because of our relationship with our earthly father. And for many of us, if we think about the mistakes that we made in our lives, if we think about this list of things that we've done, it would be easy to assume that this list of things disqualifies us from his love. And maybe it should. However, if anyone should have been disqualified from God's love, it would be Paul. Now I need you to lean in, lean in just a little bit because this is going to be a bit of a history lesson. It's going to feel like it, but just track with me. We're going somewhere. Okay, so Paul. Paul, one of the authors of much of the New Testament scripture, before he becomes Paul, um, the one that we we read about, the one who wrote much of the New Testament scripture, he was Paul of Tarsus. Now Tarsus is a pagan city, pagan just meaning any of the religions that were outside of the Abrahamic religion. So think Christianity, Judaism, um, Islam. Now we won't dive into that today, but Paul was a Jew. And so he grew up understanding Torah, which is the first five books of the Old Testament scripture. He could quote it back in front. He followed all of the laws. He was considered a religious elite. So Paul gets to this point in his life where because of his zeal, because of his excitement, because he wanted to protect the laws, because he wanted to keep the commandment, he ended up persecuting a ton of Christians. Persecuting, taking them home, taking their homes, making it very difficult to be a part of this Jesus movement because he didn't believe in the Jesus movement. And now I'm gonna pause here. It would be easy for each and every one of us to judge Paul. To go, how, okay, we're reading about this guy in the New Testament scripture, but before that he used to persecute Christians. Okay, how wait, we we shouldn't be following anything he says. It would be easy to judge Paul. But let's take a step back. Okay, because the thing is, Paul thought he was right. If we were to skim through Old Testament scripture, we'd see constantly that a lot of a lot of the people a part of his Jewish community just struggle to keep the commandment, one of the most important commandments, which is love God with all your heart, have no other gods before God. And they kept struggling with that. They would build idols, they would do all sorts of things. So Paul's thinking to himself that this Jesus movement is happening. Whoa, whoa, I don't want the consequences of actions that we take. Of these actions, I don't want any of those consequences. So I'm gonna protect our community, protect this law, protect this commandment. And so that's what he's thinking he's doing. So Paul persecutes Christians. And he gets word that this Jesus movement is happening. And he's thinking, okay, it's happening in this Damascus, I need to do something about it. Paul then has this incredible, life-changing transformation. He has this moment, this encounter with Jesus. And he was on the road to Damascus to stop this Jesus movement from happening. And instead, he gets there and he ends up preaching about the Jesus that he had just met. He couldn't stop preaching about him. He couldn't stop talking about him. He couldn't stop talking about the life change that had just happened before he gets there. So this is the Paul that we're gonna read a little bit from as he's writing to the church in Philippi. So the question you may be asking is, well, what's happening in Philippi for Paul to write a letter? So this community is experiencing a lot of different persecution while at the same time, track with me, they're making it more challenging, more difficult for people to follow Jesus. So what they were basically saying is that because it started off, the Jesus movement started off with predominantly mostly Jewish people, that you had to first, in order to follow Jesus, you had to first become a Jew. You had to first follow all of the laws before you could be accepted into following Jesus. So what that meant for the other Gentiles, those who were not a part of the Jewish culture, the Jewish faith, they were making it so hard to follow, so hard to be a part of the local church. They were making it difficult. So Paul, he writes this letter to this church. And this is one of the first churches he planted. And here's what he says to the church in Phiddlepot. Philippians 3, 4, verse 8. He goes, Though I myself have reasons for such confidence, if someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in their flesh, Paul goes, I have more. So Paul was striving. Remember, he was a religious elite, so he knew all of the laws. He tried to do everything, everything right from keeping the Sabbath and making it holy and all the things, knowing what to eat, when to eat it. All of those things Paul did. So he could boast about it. But then he goes on to say that he was circumcised on the eighth day. Don't think about the word specifically circumcision, just thinks that this word points to the laws, keeping all of the laws, and there were over 600 laws to keep. All right, and so he goes on the eighth day of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, in regard to the law, a Pharisee. Then he says, As for zeal, persecuting the church, as for righteousness based on the law, faultless, but whatever were gains to me, I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. He's basically saying all the things that I've done, all the accomplishments, all the striving to be perfect, the striving to be excellent, that doesn't matter. Because what really matters, what really matters, it's his relationship with Christ. And then he goes on to say, well, what is more? I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things, but I consider them garbage that I may gain Christ. This is so important because I want you to think about your own life and how many times you made the to-do list. You've created the plans, and you're thinking that if I could just excel at these things, then all of the other things will happen for me. And Paul is saying it like, no, no, no. Here's what's really important here. He said, all of those things you want to strive to have a plan, that's okay, that's good. But Christ. He goes, Christ is the center of all things. I'm okay with losing all of the things I have. I'm okay with losing my status as a religious elite. I'm okay with losing that because I'm gaining Christ. And what's really important here is that here's a switch in his identity. I want you to think about how many things that you have placed your identity in. The things that you have been striving for have mostly been the things that you would say, well, if you're an attorney, I'm an attorney. If people ask you, hey, who are you? You might not even say your name. You'd say, I'm an attorney. I'm a mother, I'm a father, I'm a counselor. You list all the things that you do, all the things that you're probably good at, too. Paul goes, no, no, no. Here's what's important that I may gain Christ. And for many of us, if we were to take a inventory, full inventory of our lives, we look and see this deep desire to perform, this deep desire to be perfect, this deep desire for excellence. And for many of us, we'd also see the mistakes and the failures that we've made. And we'd go, well, when it comes to God's love, does he really love me? But here's what I need you to know: when it comes to God's love, you have no say in the matter. His love for you, it is unconditional, it is unshakable, and completely independent of your ability to measure up. So if God's love is unconditional and independent of our performance, then here's a question What does this mean for our lives? What does this truly mean for our lives? Here's what it means. We've got to stop striving for God's approval and we've got to rest in his love. Now, I understand that this feels easier said than done, especially when our culture teaches us that we have to perform our way into excellence, that we have to strive to be perfect, that we have to strive to do all things right all the time, that if we're not doing this right, we're not a good mother. If we're not doing this right, we're not a good father. If we don't do this right, we're not a good friend. It teaches us that in order for us to experience being accepted, then we've got to succeed. That we get what we earn, we get what we deserve, and we have to try our best to earn every single thing because it is all about what we need, what we want. It is all about earning our way into experiencing love. And one of the most challenging things for us is to let go of that desire. That desire to perform. But that's not true. Because if we really want to experience God's unconditional love for us, it's going to require us, every single one of us, to let go of the guilt. Let go of our ego. Let go of our pride, let go of the shame, and embrace the freedom that comes from knowing you are fully loved and fully known by God. And that's why when Paul writes this, he goes, For I am convinced. Convinced. This is important. I want you to think about what did it take for someone to convince you of something? I mean, if I told you today, if I stood up here and said, hey, I have on blue pants and a cream, I think, color shirt, um, and you'd say, No, I can convince you that it's something different. I'd go, no, you'd really have to work to convince me. Actually, would anybody like the chance at trying to convince me that this is different? So this is why I love what Paul writes. He goes, For I am convinced. So that means that he had experienced something so much far greater than he could imagine to go that I am convinced. Something happened in his life to go that I'm convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers. Anything. Neither height, nor death, neither anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God. That is in Christ Jesus our Lord. And when you think about some of the things that have separated you over the last couple of years, or maybe the last couple of months, or for some of you, it could be the last couple of decades. What would you say has separated you from his love? And here's why Paul is writing this. There are followers all over Rome who are experiencing persecution. They're experiencing exile. All of the things are happening, homes are being stolen from right underneath them. So many things are happening in their community. So he writes this to encourage them, to reiterate them that no matter what's happening around them, no matter what's about to happen to them, that there is absolutely nothing that could ever separate him. Nothing that could separate them, nothing that could separate any one of us from experiencing his love. But often for many of us, for many of us, the barrier to experiencing the love of our Heavenly Father. It's the barrier we have with us and our earthly father. And here's what's important: your your relationship with your earthly father can influence your relationship with your heavenly father. So maybe, maybe today, the first step for you to experience the freedom of God's unconditional love for you is to say these words to your earthly father. I forgive you. I miss you. I wish you were here. And maybe today. If you are father, the words you need to say look a little bit like this. Will you forgive me? I'm sorry for. I miss you. I want you here. And here's the thing, in many cases, forgiveness makes space for us. Let's experience the depth of God's love like nothing else can. Maybe you came here today thinking about your earthly father. Maybe you came in here thinking about yourself as a father, looking in in the mirror, and it's it's easy for us to see the things that are wrong. It is easy for us to see the mistakes we made. And so maybe you came in here looking from that vantage point, looking through that lens of man, if only I could have gotten this right, then this wouldn't have happened. If only I would have said this at the right time, at the right moment, then this wouldn't have happened. Only if I knew my father. Only if my father would have given me a hug. Maybe I wouldn't have experienced some of the pain that I've been experiencing. Maybe I would have been able to miss the mistakes. Maybe I would have I would have missed the pitfalls. Maybe I would have missed some of the things that feel like they're holding me back. From experiencing a future that's right, from experiencing a future that's filled with love. I want you here are the words or the phrases that you need to say. Because when it comes to God's love, you have no say in the matter. Because his love is completely independent of your performance. It is unshakable, it is unmovable, it is unconditional, it redeems, it restores, it provides freedom, it gives you new life and life more abundantly, it holds you, it hugs you tight, it lets you know that you're valued, it lets you know that you're loved, it lets you know that you're esteemed, it lets you know that you are you're filled with worth, it lets you know that no matter what you've done, the mistakes you made, that he is with you, that he is for you, that he cares for you, that he sees you, that you're not in this thing called life by yourself, it reminds you that no matter what's happening to you or around you, that there's nothing, absolutely nothing, that can ever separate you from the love of God. And I can get emotional talking about this because it matters. You guys, on today, like today, it is easy for us to think and look at ourselves as people with filled with mistakes and miss the fact that he loves you. That no matter how distant you feel from him, he loves you and he cares about you. And often our earthly father represents our heavenly father in such a way that we see God in a way that's not actually who he is. And it forces us to miss the character of God, it forces us to miss who he truly is, our Heavenly Father. And you have no say in the matter. Because he loves you, and because he's for you. So when Paul writes, nothing can separate you from his love. Nothing can. Nothing will. And when it comes to God's love, you have no say in the matter. It's unconditional, it's unshakable, but there is one condition. One you've got to accept it. You've got to be willing to know that he does love you. Well, how do you accept it? Well, by accepting what he's already done through Jesus. Can you imagine for anyone in the room who's a parent? Can you imagine sending one of your kids to die for other people? I can't. But that's how much he loves us. So here's the thing, I don't know what your relationship is like with your earthly father. Maybe it's been filled with heartbreaking disappointment and mistakes. And I'm so sorry. And as a result, you've you've projected that onto your relationship with your heavenly father. And I would love to pretend as if I know exactly what you're facing, what today holds for you, what it means for you. But I won't pretend to do that. Um but I'd love to invite our friend John back up. He's one of the best fathers, fathers I know. Part of my story is that my father died years ago, years ago, and um often there have been men in my life that I've gotten a chance to see, to watch, father, their kids. I can name a ton of you here today. And so I've been able to get a front row seat a little bit to John loving his family, loving his kids. And maybe I thought, well, if he could read something to you, then maybe what he would read to you would um maybe help you see God in a different way. Be a gentle reminder that your love, no matter what you're facing, your love, no matter what you're going through, and you're cared for. So, John, I'd love for you to read this letter to us.

SPEAKER_00 27:17

I want to read this letter to you as an earthly father that occasionally gets things right, but often fails, but finds myself so grateful that God is always faithful and with us. Even when it's not even my choice, God is still there. So, my friend, God loves you. The God who created the heavens and the earth loves you. He knows you, he created you, he breathed his breath into you. When he looks at you, he sees his son, he sees his daughter. God has wonderful plans for your life. I'm sorry. I realize that you may have had painful experiences with your earthly father or seen examples of what a father should never be. I'm truly sorry for that, but please know that those experiences do not represent the character, heart, or love of God. He is a perfect father. He is a perfect father who loves you completely. I don't know the weight of everything you're carrying, but I need you to know something. Something that maybe you've never heard before, or perhaps need to be reminded of today. God loves you deeply. I know you haven't always made the right choices. I know there are parts of your story that you wish were different. But God's love for you is not based on your performance. He loves you because he created you. He knows you and calls you his own. I get it, there are days when you feel unloved, unappreciated, unseen, and distant from God. There may be moments when your failures, struggles, and disappointments seem louder than his promises. Yet the truth remains. God still chooses to love you completely, and nothing will ever change his love for you. My prayer is that you would experience the love of God in a fresh and powerful way. May his peace quiet your fears. May his grace cover your mistakes. May his presence remind you of how deeply loved you truly are. You are seen. You are valued, you are known, and you are loved by God more than you could possibly imagine. From a Father who is deeply loved by his heaven.