Kerry Shook - Honoring God
Now, this week we're celebrating the 29th anniversary of Woodlands Church, which is really cool. God's done so much. Today we're just thanking God for all he's done, and we're thanking him for what he's getting ready to do. Because Chris and I are just so thankful for you, Woodlands Church, because you are a church that honors God. And whether you've been here 29 years, 2 years, or 2 weeks, I believe God is preparing you and your family and the church for an even greater purpose in the days ahead. God's getting ready to do something greater than he's ever done before through Woodlands Church. So I just wanted to remind us all of the way you have honored God through the years. But these principles for a church that honors God are really also principles for a life that honors God, so that we can receive the blessings God wants to give us. So would you stand in honor of God's word?
And we're gonna look at Ephesians chapter 3. I love this passage: "May you be able to feel and understand, as all God's children should, how long, how wide, how deep, and how high his love really is; and to experience this love for yourselves, though it is so great that you will never see the end of it or fully know or understand it. And so at last you will be filled up with God himself. Now Glory be to God, who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream, infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes. May he be given glory for ever and ever through endless ages because of his master plan of salvation for the Church through Jesus Christ".
You can be seated. Really, this passage tells us the four principles of a church that honors God and a life that honors God, and I know this has been the secret to Woodlands Church. So I'm going to give you these four principles right up front: dream big, pray hard, build people, and praise God. Dream big, pray hard, build people, and praise God. First, let's look at "dream big". It honors God when we believe him for big things. It honors God when you believe him for great things in your life. It honors God when we believe him for great things in our church. That's not pride in ourselves; that's pride in our God. God loves it when his kids believe he can do something great in our lives.
In Ephesians 3:20, let's go back to that key passage again. This is one of my favorite verses in all of scripture. "Now Glory be to God, who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of, infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes". If you're a Christ follower, I want to ask you, what are you believing God for in your life? What are you believing God for in your life right now? Do you realize that he is able to do far more in our lives than we could ever think of, ever hope for, or even dream of? A lot of Christians suffer from what I call "small God syndrome," where we make God really small and our problems get really big.
Our worries feel overwhelming. We make God small, and people get too big, and we try to please them over God. And it dishonors God when we treat him like he's smaller than our struggles. When we treat him like he's weaker than our worries and he's too small to believe him for big things in our lives. One of the lessons that God has taught us again and again in Woodlands Church is that God's vision for your life is bigger than your ability. God's vision for your life is always bigger than your ability. If the vision you have for your life is something you can do with your own ability, it's not God's vision. I guarantee you that. God's vision will be something you can't do without his power. When you follow God's vision, you'll need God's power.
When Chris and I and our family stepped out in faith to start Woodlands Church, we had no members, very little resources, no place to meet, but we did have one thing, a vision from God that was bigger than us, that only God could fulfill. So we had to depend on him. I want you to look at Proverbs 29:18: "Where there is no vision, the people perish". Where there is no vision, the people perish. But the opposite is also true: where there is vision, the people flourish. But where there's no vision, the people perish. In a business that has no vision, it will eventually perish. But if it has a great vision, it can flourish. Where there's no vision in a marriage, it's in danger of dying, but with a godly vision, it can flourish.
When you don't have God's vision for your life, your passion in life will eventually perish. Vision is what keeps you going when you feel like giving up. Let' go back to Ephesians chapter 3, verse 18: "May you be able to feel and understand, as all God's children should, how long, how wide, how deep, and how high his love really is; and to experience this love for yourselves, though it is so great that you will never see the end of it or fully know or understand it. And so at last, you will be filled up with God himself".
When you begin to see, and when you begin to feel, and when you begin to understand just a little bit of how much God loves you, you will step out in faith and take great risks in faith, and follow his great vision for your life that's bigger than anything you can do, because you know that a God who loves you that much will never let you down. You know that a God who loves you that much, when he calls you to step out in faith, that he's going to be there for you. And you surrender your life to him, everything in your life that's important, because you know how much he loves you. So whether you're 19 or 90, if you're still breathing, God still has a vision for your life that's greater than your ability.
As long as you heart's still beating, God still has a plan for your life that's going to outpace your ability, and God will have to do it. Look at Jeremiah 32:27: "I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me"? When life feels so overwhelming that it's hard to believe that you can do anything more or greater, just remember nothing is too hard for God. You know, many times we get our heads down because of the stresses and the problems we face every day, just the everyday stresses and struggles of life! And we feel overwhelmed with what we're doing, and we just have our head down, and all of those problems and all of those stresses, and we don't look up to see that God has something so much bigger and greater.
But God, I can't do that, my plate's already so full. I can't even think about the big vision you have for me because I can't even find my keys! I mean, and here's the point: don't let your problems today keep you from believing God for great things tomorrow. You have to lift your head for just a moment and remember it's God doing it, not you. Remember, God's vision for your life will be bigger than your ability, but not bigger than your God. And one of the reasons we don't dream big is because we know we're ordinary and we can't do it.
One of the most important lessons we've ever learned at Woodlands Church is God has taught us that he uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. God always uses ordinary and imperfect people because that's all he's got to work with. God uses ordinary and imperfect people who've chosen to place their faith in an extraordinary and perfect God, and that's why God's using you. God's doing extraordinary things through you. We're ordinary and imperfect, but we've chosen to place our faith in an extraordinary God who's perfect, and he does extraordinary things through us. God always uses people, ordinary, imperfect people, because that's all he's got to work with. God does great things, and it honors him when we place our ordinary faith in him. That honors God. He loves that. He blesses that.
I thank God for you, Woodlands Church, because you're a visionary people. I honor you for your faith. I honor you for your vision. So many of you get the big picture of what God is doing. You see beyond yourself and you dream of what God is doing in your family, in our church, in our city, in our world. And God is calling Woodlands Church to a greater vision, to step out in faith to make a greater impact in the world. See, God will always keep stretching your faith and growing your vision.
So many times, we want to get comfortable. That's just human nature. We want to get comfortable, but the comfort zone is the death zone, and whenever you start to get comfortable, if you're a Christ follower, God will allow something in your life to shove you out of the comfort zone into your calling, because he always stretches your faith. Right now at Woodlands Church, God is stretching our faith to take risks in faith more than ever before, because that's when you come alive. That's when you see God work.
As you begin to trust him, you realize how much he loves you, when you step out in faith and he opens a door and he comes through. Because where God guides, God provides, and it builds your faith in him. God is always growing your vision. God doesn't want you to get stuck in the comfort zone. He wants you to live life passionately, not comfortably. He wants you to live in the passion that he designed you for, where you've come alive, finding fulfillment, stepping out in faith, being fully alive in Christ and seeing him work in your life. Your vision will always be stretched. He will always grow your vision, but his purpose stays the same.
God's purpose is so important, and it will always stay the same. So let's look at it in Psalm 33, verse 11. In Psalm 33, verse 11, it says: "But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through every generation". God's purpose lasts forever. You see, if a vision is from God, it will be all about his purpose. Because if your vision doesn't line up with God's purpose, it won't last. God's purpose stands forever. You see, if you have a selfish vision that's all about you, when you die, the vision dies. Even if you have a good vision, if it doesn't align with God's purpose, then it's not gonna last for eternity, because God's purpose is eternal.
Now, at Woodlands Church, our purpose has never changed. God keeps expanding our vision to trust him more, but our purpose has never changed. Our purpose is to help people experience Christ, rather than man's creation of religion, so that they can grow strong in Christ and take the Christ experience to the world. You see, our purpose is to get rid of religion so people can experience a relationship with Jesus Christ, because Christianity is not about religion. It's about a relationship with God through his son, Jesus Christ. Religion is all about following rules and rituals to try to earn God's love, to try to earn God's acceptance, and try to get to perfect God and get to perfect heaven. But we can never get to perfect God and perfect heaven because of all our imperfections, all our sins and faults.
You see, God's a perfect God and heaven's a perfect place for perfect people, but none of us are perfect. We couldn't get to God, so that's why God came to us and became one of us, and died for us and rose again so that we can have a relationship with him here on this earth and in heaven for all eternity. And when you have a relationship with Christ, you love him. You love him because he first loved you, and you want to obey him because he changes you from the inside out. You want to walk with him, you want to follow him because you know he loves you so much, he wants the best for you. You see, religion is all about outward stuff, acting a certain way. It's all about do-s and don'ts, and using spiritual words, looking religious on the outside.
A relationship with Jesus changes you on the inside, so you want to follow him and obey him on the outside. Religion is all about looking right and it's all about acting spiritual so on the outside, people go "Wow, that's a good Christian". But it doesn't really get to the inside. And religion also adds on some more rules and traditions. It seems like, you know, in some churches you just gotta do these certain things and say these certain prayers each week, and then you're okay with God. It's all about little traditions added on, some rituals added on. They really burden you.
I grew up Baptist, and I'm proud of that because I came into a relationship with Christ there. I learned how to study the Bible for myself there. But there were some religious rules that were added on, some things, you know, these things that we kind of add on that we think Christianity is. And one of the big rules was: don't dance. I mean, there was murder and then dancing. You know, you could tap your foot in church singing, but don't tap too, because then you're dancing. Some churches get caught up in that outward stuff and it's like don't drink, don't smoke, don't chew, and don't run around with girls that do, and you'll be a good Christian. Write that down.
Now, some of those things may not be the best for you, but that's not what sends you to hell. Smoking won't send you to hell; it will just make you smell like you've been there! It may send you to heaven 20 years early. But that's not what it's about. Our purpose is to kick religion out the door and help people experience a relationship with Jesus Christ that changes them from the inside out, and then they grow strong in Christ so they can take Christ to their neighbors and to the world. And our purpose will never change. That's always what it's all about.
So we dream big, and then we pray hard. Once you dream big and step out in faith to believe God for great things, you start to realize how desperately you need God. Because the dream always draws out problems, but it's the problems that turn you to prayer. And prayer honors God because it shows that you realize how much you need him, that you depend on him because you can't do it in your own ability. The problems keep you on your knees. That's the way it's always been at Woodlands Church. From the very beginning, we've always had problems, but God has used those problems in a powerful way. God has worked through the problems.
In the first four years, we met in four different buildings for our services. Because of the growth that was happening, and we kept having to move. And they were rented facilities, so we never knew what to expect when we got there on Sunday. And I remember one Sunday, we got to the school early to set up like we always did, but the school had forgotten to turn the AC on, on Saturday night. And it was about 95 to 100 degrees with 95 degree humidity outside, and when we got there it was about 95 degrees in the building. And I thought, well this is the end of our church. People are going to come in and they're going to walk out. What am I going to do? I'm going to have to change my message to what hell is like or something, because this is terrible! But God took care of us.
Week after week, little problem after little problem, big problem after big problem. And in life, you'll always face problems, but it's the problems that turn you to God's power. But many times the problems get really big and the dream turns to dead end. Dreams always hit dead ends. It's the dead ends that lead you to desperation, so you can totally and fully surrender to God. At Woodlands Church over the years, we've hit dead end after dead end, and that's where God has done his greatest miracles. Sometimes God uses the dead-end to really help us pray hard, and then he redirects us. It keeps the door closed, a door we would have gone through that would have led to some problems, and he redirects us into something that was better for us.
But many times when we've hit a dead end, we've prayed hard and turned it over to him, and he knocks a door down that we could never knock down. He makes a way where there was no way. And maybe today, you're facing an overwhelming problem in your life or your family or your business, and you've tried everything to fix it. You've tried everything to get through it, but nothing is working. You can't fix this one. You can't solve this one. You can't change this one, and you've come to the end of your rope. Could it be that God is trying to get your attention? Could it be that God has allowed the dead end to get you to a place where you realize you need him desperately?
And you stop trying to fix it in your own strength, and you finally surrender to him because you've got no other choice, and you start praying hard, looking to him. It's at the end of your rope that you find that God is your only hope. It's at the end of your rope where you realize you've got to look to God. Now, God is your only hope all the time, but we don't realize it till we're at the end of our rope. Look at what Jesus said in Matthew chapter 5 in verse 3. He said: "You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you, there is more of God and his rule".
I love that passage from the Beatitudes. The end of your rope is a blessed place to be. Now, it doesn't feel blessed; it feels awful. But it's the best place to be, but it feels like the worst place. But it's at the end of your rope where God does his greatest miracles in your life. So if you're at the end of your rope and you're holding on with all your might, just let it go and let God catch you. Just turn to him in prayer. It's not complicated. Just give him the problem; ask him to intervene so God can get involved and give it over to him. Another huge lesson that we've learned and continue to learn at Woodlands Church is God fights for you when you fall on your knees. God fights for you when you finally fall on your knees and realize you need him desperately.
Look at 2 Chronicles, chapter 20 verse 15. It's a powerful passage. There were three armies that came against the people of God, and they felt overwhelmed, and so they got on their knees. They prayed hard, and God came through. In 2 Chronicles 20:15 it says, "This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don't be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God's. Tomorrow, march out against them. But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord's victory. He is with you". Somebody needed that today. Somebody needed that today, because you're fighting a battle that you were never meant to fight. You're fighting and you're struggling, and God says, "I'll fight for you if you'll fall on your knees".
We've learned at Woodlands Church when you fall on your knees, when you've got nowhere else to go, sometimes you fall on your face, but you get to your knees, God fights for you. But I love how this passage says take your position; you won't have to fight this battle because God is with you. But take your position. We take our position in prayer, and God fights for you when you fall on your knees. So are you praying for your family? Are you praying for your workplace, for your business? Are you praying for the church? As we step out in faith more than ever as a church, we pray hard. Because we know what God has called us to do is beyond our ability, but not God's. Give it to him.
And I want to honor you because you're a praying church. I honor you because you pray hard. You depend on God. This church has been bathed in prayer, I honor you because you dream big and you pray hard, and thirdly, you build people. When we build into the lives of people, it honors God. Why? Because God is a builder! He always has been. And God has always called us, his people, to be builders, starting all the way in the Garden of Eden when God told Adam and Eve to plant, to grow, to increase, to build. God called Noah to build an ark. God called Abraham to build a great nation, and Jesus Christ of course said, "I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it".
And God made us to be builders like him. The real question is, what are you building? What are you building with your one and only life? Are you building anything with your one and only life that's going to last for all eternity? You can be a home builder, or the builder of a big stock portfolio. You could be a business builder, a body builder, but the greatest thing you can ever be is a people builder, because that's what God is about. Look at 1 Thessalonians, chapter 5, verse 11. This really describes you, Woodlands Church. "So encourage each other and build each other up as you are already doing". Talks about you; you're already doing this. You're people builders.
Now, there are two types of people in the world: those who build up, and those who tear down. There are builder-uppers, and there are tearer-downers. Don't email me if you're an English teacher. I understand. It's hard for you to hear. Builder-uppers and tearer-downers. And most people are tearer-downers, because it's much easier to tear something down than it is to build something up. It's much easier to tear someone down with criticism than to build them up with truth and love.
That's hard. It's much easier to tear down a marriage than to build up a marriage. It's much easier to tear down a business with one act of dishonesty than it is to build up a business with thousands of acts of integrity. But God calls his people to be people builders, to build people up. And I honor you, Woodland's Church, because you are people builders. You're the most encouraging church I know of. And we decided early on at Woodlands Church that if we focused on building people, God would build the buildings.
You see, the church is not a building, and we need buildings. You know, and I mean we've built buildings here and all over the world through our missions, given resources and planted churches and built buildings and recreation centers, and all kinds of things that are so important, you know, for people. We need buildings. We need these buildings because every army of compassion needs a base. And so, buildings are great and fine, but that's not the church. The church is not a building, it's the body of Christ. The church is not a place you go; it's the people who come here to worship, to get our hearts aligned in fellowship, and the Word of God taught to us.
But then the church goes out, Woodland Church goes out all over the world to be Jesus to people during the week. You see, we said, you know what? The church is people. We're gonna build people, and God's gonna take care of the rest. Because that's what the church is. And that's why it was eight years before we got our first building. We met in rented facilities for eight years and kept moving from place to place. We said if you're smart enough to find us, you can join. That's qualification. God wants us to join him in what he's doing. What's he doing? He's building his church. He's bringing people into his family and building them up to become all he's called them to be.