speaker 0:   0:00
Hey there. And welcome to the city Lights. Podcast City Lights is a church located in the northwestern part of Richmond, Virginia. For more information about city lights you can visit us at we are city lights now. Enjoy today's message. Welcome. The city lights online. I'm so glad you could join us today. My name is Jacob, and I'm on the team here and we're kicking off a brand new fun. Siri's called my quarantine Tiger King. Is this really life life? And I think a lot of us are asking that question. Is this real life right now? Is this really happening? Am I gonna wake up from a dream? You know, like but no, this is real life. Guys, this is really happening where we're quarantining our homes were working from home. We're in and out of zoom calls all day. Your kids are all up in your business. Come on, man. You're all up in your business. And now you're running the magic school bus. You're a teacher. Some of you out there and on top of that, on top of all of the craziness on all the craziness going on, we have this show about big, cat loving people who are just the craziest people ever that we can't stop watching this show. We can't stop looking at all these crazy means. And somehow maybe it gives us comfort in our lives. I don't know, but but this is what is going on, you know, Is this real life right now is this was really happening now. Jesus says this Check this out on John Tintin. He says the thief comes on Lee to still kill and destroy. That's pretty intense, but he says that he has come, that she may have life and have it to the full. Now that we're sounds good, it looks good. Is one of those great wants to kind of see Jesus brings life life overflow 11 translation says that Jesus brings life abundantly. You know that That sounds good. Everyone wants that abundantly life. But this verses kind of hard to relate Thio in these conditions when Tiger King is the best thing we got going forward sometimes you know, You know So But what does this mean? What does this verse mean for us in our time? So we're gonna take the next two weeks and we're gonna figure this out. How could we live? Ah, full life in this condition. So if you're taking notes, you can title part one of this series grow in this Grow in this now for Aaron and I You know, this time of us being in quarantine, it's been a mixture of of a struggle, you know, some happiness, a little kind of depression if I'm being honest and but really just redefining what's happening here now, as most of you guys No City Lights church is brand new. Before this quarantine happened, we were under 100 days old. You know, we're a brand new church when we launched. So when we move from our home in Virginia Beach to just this wonderful city of Richmond that we that were absolutely fallen in love with, we moved to started in person. Faith community, not not an online, you know, faith community. But but, you know, like I said. But within the 1st 2 months and I want one, online service is we got all these different things happening and it leaves us asking. Is this real life? Is this really, really move to do this? You know this real life right now, but we had to make a decision, and you're gonna have to make this decision to you. We had to make a decision that God is still good. Even with things don't go the way that we plan that God is still good. God is still faithful in this. So So even with that were taken, I some some home projects. We just bought a house, you know, in the beginning of the year. And so we're taking on some projects that we wanted wanted to do. And in that I have become a Gardiner. Yes, I'm officially and Gardner now I think I have all the credentials. I'm not. I'm not really sure, but I really enjoy working on the yard, working in my garden. The only problem there is a problem. The only problem is when it comes to the guard in the yard work the yard work process takes a lot longer than my character. Like Like like I'm a instant gratification type person. I like things happen instantly. Come on, is make this thing happen. Yard work, however, was a process. It takes time for things to grow. You know, there's a few yard projects that I want tackle. But the 1st 1 has just been pulling up some weeds in our garden and then re motion now. So I have to say this. I've been watching Martha Stewart my whole life, so I didn't feel like I was pretty prepared to to pull up some weeds, remotes and plant some flowers in my head. I was thinking, you know, Martha, Martha showed me the way This fit to be a breeze. We're gonna do this thing, you know? It's gonna be awesome. So you know so but here you go. It would end up being a lot harder than I thought. So I go to Home Depot and buy what I assumed was plenty of mulch. You know, I seem like things. A lot of things. A lot of bags are heavy. There's a lot of much I got back to the house. I begin to do all the stuff that I learned in all the YouTube videos that I watched how to motion yard and I start to lay the march down. Poof. Mrs. There's a challenge that I pick up the last bag and I dump it and then I look at my look at my garden area. I'm like, Oh, shoot. I only most like 20% of my mind on my garden right now. There's still so much I got to do left. You know, I was like, What? The and I bought all this much, but I'm starting starting to buy more, So check this out the next day. I said, this is my project. I'm about to do this thing. I'm a gardener now. I am a gardener. You know Martha Stewart, I'm a gardener. Okay? So the next day, I get up and say, Man, I don't wanna go all the way down to Home Depot was a Saturday morning as a man. I won't go away down the Home Depot. I'm gonna go to this local harbor, So I'm gonna support from local businesses. Come on, go to this little harbor store down right down the street from my house. I go there, they have brown mulch in my head. I'm like brown Moses brown mulch. Come on, let me get it. So I go in and buy a bunch of bags by triple amount of bags up about the first time you know. So I put around, like, 20 cars 2025 25 bags in my car. So I put them all in by myself because everyone's social distance, then you can't. They can't help you. No one can come here to help you. So I put all these bags in my car. Take this to work out. I drive all the way back to my house. I take all the bags out of my car. Then I pick up the most back rip it open, and I'm beginning to dump this brown mulch next to my other brown mulch. And then I discovered very fast. There's different shades of brown. Most 50 shades of brown going on around here right now. You know, it's so so I'm I think this is that what I thought I contemplated for a second, maybe maybe two colors of brown would be cool. You know, I said, no, let's not do that. Okay, So the guy and then life is getting hard right now at this moment, so All right, I gotta take this most back. I put all the most back in my car. Besides, when I have been, of course, take all the one that goes back to the harbor. So return it. And then I got to take all the most out of my car again and then leave it on the sidewalk because social distance and they got about clean. You know, the bags of votes that I just bought because they don't want the most to be filled with the Corona. And so then I drive all the way to Home Depot. Now check this out. Like I said, it's a Saturday morning. Guess what? I pull up in the parking lot at Home Depot and there's a line like just outside the whole the whole place. I'm like, Oh, my gosh, Is this evil is even worth it, You know that That's a no No, I'm going to do this. I'm gonna tackle this thing, Gonna make it happen, you know, because this is my life right now. I'm on Gardiner. You know, this is what I'm doing. So I get in line and the line I wasn't too bad. All these companies, I was like, I've been doing a good job with people in and out of the stores and keeping people safe. So anyway, so I'm in this line, then I can't make this part up. I can't make this part up. Everyone to stand. I got the tape down, everyone standing six feet from each other. But then this do behind me, This guy behind me, either he doesn't watch the news or he's just a complete ass. One of the two. That's what's going on right now. He stands right up behind me with his little shopping cart, you know? Oh, my gosh, is this do for real, like right behind me right now, just on it on a shopping cart. Then you know, I make matters even worse. This guys is on the phone, and whoever he's talking to on the phone, he's complaining about the line, saying, Oh, I can't believe they're making a stay in a line. I can't believe I just can't go now. I like. Do I want to? Mother Do Do you watch the news like that? You gotta Do you know anything that's happening in the world right now? It's so lyric. He's talking so loud, and then I promise you came in. Then my man starts to cough. He's coughing this coffin like everyone in this line was about to go. Mike Tyson on this dude like I'm serious, man. They're about up. Cut him. All the stuff was about to go down up in this line at Home Depot in short pump. This was about to go down so fine. I'm like, man Jesus, you need to help me with this one because I'm about to go off on this do behind me right now. Eventually, everyone kind of supplies over in the line and God gives him my man his own little space over their Home Depot people. There are some of the guys right through the line, right when it right when they got me in the store, I bolted to the garden section, grabbed all the mulch. I need it. Then I went home and burn my clothes up. I'm joking. I didn't do that part, But I did watch my hands really good for more than 20 seconds. But this is real life, right? This is the life we're in right now. I'm going to Home Depot. Want an uppercut to do behind me. Whose coffin, like like, this is life right down. This is what's going on. You know But But here you go. We got the most. We did all the stuff and then the whole family, me, Aaron and Kingsley we end up doing the garden together, you know? And we just made a decision. Like we're going to make the best of this in this situation. And it's gonna be O k. We're gonna do this. See this? I want to encourage you today with this thought. Maybe you feel like I can't wait for things to go back to normal. Whatever normal is gonna be after this anyways are maybe you think I just put my life on pause right now because things are out of way. I'm gonna encourage you with this. I believe you. Congrats. Oh, where you are right now. So my starting point today is this. I can't believe this is really life. I can't believe this is realized. I can't believe that I'm not at work. I can't believe that I'm a small business owner that had to let people go. I can't believe that I can't freely go in and out of stores. I can't believe kill Baskins got away with feeding her husband the Tigers. I can't believe it. She probably did it. I don't know, you know, But I can't believe this is really life. But my destination point today is this. You can be a better you at the end of this you can pee, have better you at the end of this. I mean, you can everything. You can do this. The resistance is our best opportunity. Toe push harder and get the results that we want. Like I mentioned earlier. Jesus says that there's a thief who wants to still from you kill and destroy. But Jesus brings a full life now what does that mean now? Jesus does tell a parable about a farmer and planting the seeds. And since I'm a gardener now but like it was the right story to tell. So check this out. Matthew 13. In the message version of the Bible. It says this is Jesus store. He says, What do you make of this? Ah, farmer planted seed as he scattered the seed. Some of it fell on the road and the birds ate it. Some fill on the gravel and a sprout it quickly, but didn't. But But Dennett put down roots. So when the sun came up here, whether it just as quickly some filling the weeds. And as it came up, it was strangled by the weeds. Some fella, good earth, and produce a harvest beyond his wildest dreams. Are you listening to this Really listening? Hey. Jeez. I'm listening to this right now. You know, like like that here is Do you tell him this parable about seeds fall into four different areas that have a four different results. And I believe, no matter the season of life, you are in no matter the conditions, you have to determine your approach to the season of life. You are in C. C. When Jesus says he gives us a full life. He's not talking about giving us vacation spots. He's not talking about giving us just our dream jobs he's not talking about life is just gonna be easy. Part easy walking the part when he says I'm giving a full life. When Jesus was talking about giving us a full life, he's saying, You saying something more like this, see a full life and Jesus is found when you have a complete piece in a challenging season, see a full life in Jesus is found when you have complete joy when this hard to be joyful in a season of life that is challenging Ah, full life for Jesus is found when you do not have to go back to your old destructive behavior, behaviors and inhabits and rituals and routines to fill a void that you feel right now safe with Jesus followers say up to here you go for jesusfollowers. Hard times are when you actually put into action what you believe. See, I'm gonna tell you this. The way you approach your life determines what you believe about your God. So the way you live your life is a direct reflection on what you think about your God. And I'm gonna tell you this today. Jesus says, there's a full life for you. There's a full life and you've got to keep going. But Jesus says there's a thief is a sneaky little feet out there, and this thief has a motive in the season of life you're in right now. You may be saying I can't believe this is real life, but I'm telling you, you can be a better version of you at the end of this. But I'm gonna be honest again. A better version of you is only found when you become a better reflection of Jesus. So how do we do that? How do we become a better reflection of Jesus? They actually think it's the attacks off the thief that could help us make choices to become better. Reflections of Jesus. Check this out. See, the thief steals from you. The thief steals from you. Jesus reveals himself to you. See, the thief steals from you. But Jesus reveals himself to you. You can find Jesus in this season. You can find him. He's there. You can find Jesus. Notice how Jesus says a thief as a three step plan to get to you. But Jesus says, Hey, there's just there's one path. There's one path to get to me and it's not complicated. See, the thief steals from you. And as I'm gonna ask you this question, what in your life is being stolen from you? What do you feel like being stole from you right now? Is there is anxiety still in from you. Is anxiety still in peace Still in time? Because you're consumed and worry. It's still in productivity because you're because you feel like like you're stuck where you are. Maybe it's depression and the thief is still in your joy. Maybe it's anger, and now you're just you're snapping off on people too fast because you're stressed and you're worried and it maybe maybe the thief is still in. Your self control is still in your gentleness. It's still in relationships. Maybe the thief is still in motivation, and you just find yourself having a lack of motivation. You're sleeping in way too late. You're not being productive with your time. You're not being disciplined, what you eat or drink. They, like the thief, has come to steal from you in this season. But Jesus reveals himself to you in this season. See where there is anxiety. The Apostle Paul says this. Be anxious for nothing. Check this out. Philippians 46 Does this Do not be anxious about anything but in every situation, by prayer and petition with Thanksgiving present, your request to God and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Now this is amazing verse, but I want to be clear about something here Paul is not dismissing your feelings of anxiety. He's not. He is not dismissing. Those fillings are riel. Noticed something else here. Paul does not say. Don't be anxious and present your request to God And then guys gonna give you everything that you requested him. So this Don't be anxious. He's not saying. Got some kind of Jeannie. See, that's not true. You may have gotten laid off. You make you make. Can't work right now. You've prayed about it. That does not mean God is gonna make your job reappear. And I were in a world crisis. This is a real issue that that we're going through right now. Cee. Cee. But here you go. This is what I want you to get. Where the thief will still externally God will reveal himself to you internally if you allow it. If you allow him to, God will be going to teach you something in your heart. See, I like I like I truly believe that God is far more interested in the conditions of our heart than the things going on around us. See the peace of God, which transcends our surpasses. Our understanding will guard your heart and your mind. So I want you. I want you to do something for me. I want you to do something. I want you to start making the devil mad, man. Gotta get old school preacher on you right now. I want you to start making the devil mad. See, the enemy is gonna try to steal your joy in this season. The enemy is gonna try to steal your piece in this in this season, the enemies on trying to get up in your household and try to take over your house. So I'm gonna tell you this The enemy is going to try to make you anxious. The enemies don't try to make you depressed. The enemy's gonna try to make you feel defeated. But in this season, you gotta stand up and say I'm gonna be more like Jesus in this sea in this season. You've got to say, I'm going to trust God even when I don't understand what's going on around me if I have. If I have time to be anxious, guess what? I got time to pray about it. If I got time to be depressed, I have time to be productive in a hobby if I got time, toe waste time on a lack of motivation. I have time to get me a new motivation and take on life. And I'm gonna make the double mad upon my house today. See, Friends, I want you to know today that God is for you that he's with you. And in this season, you can become a better reflection of Jesus, man. About to grab that camera right now and start preaching to somebody up in here. See? See if I'm stuck in the house. If I'm stuck in the house. If I'm in this house, you better go toe Beachbody dot com and download that 14 day free subscription. And you get that Shaun T body that he promised you is you going to get Are you going to stay stuck in the house? He and Garrido was all day. Maybe I'm preaching to myself right now, but I'm gonna tell you this. I'm gonna tell you this which each squad that you do when you gonna get that body because you won't get your heart right. You'll get your mind right. You make the devil pay for. Do you see that the enemy wants to come and steal from you. Jesus reveals himself to you than in the second thing that the thief kills. But Jesus draws near. The thief kills with Jesus draws near sea Star was interested The way the enemy works. First he'll try to steal from you. Check this out. He steals from you Because if he can get close enough to you, he'll just try to kill you. It struck you try to take you down When Jesus told the parable about the farmer and the seas the disciples and understand what he meant. See? Seed fell on the road and the birds killed it. See Phil on the gravel sprouted up. But then a storm came in. The storm killed. Seed fell on the weeds in the weeds. Killed it. See, Jesus explains the parable Later on, Matthew 13. Start in verse 18 again. And the messages says, Jesus says this. Study the story. The farmer planted seed with anyone, hears of the kingdom and doesn't take it in. It just remains on the service. And so the evil one comes along and plucks it right out of the person's heart. This is the seed. The farmer scattered on the road, the sea cast in the gravel. This is the person who hears an instantly responsive enthusiasm, but there's no soil of character. So when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there's nothing to show for it. And check this one out. The sea cast in the weeds is the person who hears the kingdom nudes. But the weeds of worry and illusions about getting more and one in everything under this one wanted everything. Understand? Strangle what was hurt and nothing come from, say, friends. There's an enemy who wants to kill your hope and your dreams. But now is the time to dig deeper into the heart of God. Jesus continues and says the seed cast on the good earth is the person who hears and takes in the news and then produces Ah, harvest beyond their wildest dreams. Jesus says, what the craziness of life. You can still be planted in the word of God in the presence of God and produce a harvest beyond your wildest dreams. Don't let the enemy convince you that you need to be strangled. Don't let the enemy convince you that you got a pause your life. But Jesus says you can still be planted and floors even in this. Now I want to be practical here. I wanna be practical here Seems to be. See here. This is what we see. The first, the 1st 3 weeds. The 1st 3 seeds are easy to do. See one You're just hearing but not applying. It's easy to do that. See, two when the storms come is easy to give up. C three is easy to worry about the things going on and not trust God. But it takes someone with some Great. It takes someone with some courage someone with some gumption to do C four and C four is to grow even in this, even in this season, I'm gonna grow. Even in this condition, I'm going to grow. Even in this, I'm gonna become a better version of me by becoming a better reflection of Jesus. So So he go. I want to get in your corner way. Has a church want to get in your corner? So this week, What kind? What kind of kicking off online? Small groups again. You need to get yourself in a group. You get yourself in a group. Now, here you go. Maybe you're kind of like someone who doesn't know how to use Zoom and all that stuff. That's fine. You can literally join a group and just listen. You could join a group and just sit in and listen. You have no pressure to talk while you can join a group and you can talking mouth off. But the leader may tell youto, but But But But we want you in a group, you need to be around community. One of things. I would hope you t not let the enemy get too close to you. See, if you have a good group of people around you who are supporting it, like then we'll have groups. We have fun group, some hanging out and watching Netflix. We have a short group that's just for Mom's. We're gonna start a group for women. We have a group called Pub Theology. Where's a safe place to learn about God and just have what? Have a nice drink with someone you know, and then we have a group that highlights our Bible reading plan C. C. We want you to get a group and then another thing we're gonna do. Then they I'm going to start a four week group before a four week part group that I will be leading on Monday nights called Best Life Possible. And it starts this Monday. And in this group, What we're gonna do is I want to show you how to write devotions, how to read the Bible for all it's worth. Howto have an experience with the Holy Spirit daily. That's what that's what I want to do in this group. I want to give you next steps so you can experience all that God has for you in your life right now. See, the enemy wants to kill, but Jesus draws near the last thing. They're gonna end with this. The thief destroys. But Jesus rewards surprise yourself in this. So the enemy wants to kill, but he doesn't stop there. He wants to completely destroy you. And what does that mean? See, the enemy wants to destroy your legacy. See if the enemy can still from you kill your dreams that he can destroy your eternal impact. So you have to become a better version of you, not just for yourself, but for your legacy. For the future generations. Jesus rewards you. You will reward your faith in this season. He will reward your obedience in this season. He will reward your trust in him in this season. See? Surprise yourself. In this season, pick up a new hobby that you didn't think that you could do. Start working now. Get healthy so you can live a long life. Start having family nights, start having some date nights, which just spouse. And let's get some Corona babies happening. See? See what? This is what I want you to do. This is that Once you do it this time I want you to declare I'm gonna live life and life to the full. Pray with me. God, we thank you. Here we thank you for your faithfulness. Even in this season. We thank you for your goodness. Even in this and God. Right now I pray for the people who are just struggling. They're having a hard time. God, I pray she will bring peace and joy. Laughter in their lives God pray for the people who the thief has tried to come and still purpose Still dreams deceive us, try to come and kill the family dynamic, kill, hope and destroy legacy God, I pray that she will provide protection and hope for people and that people would choose you. Even as I was talking about those people who are dealing with so much anxiety, they don't know what's gonna what tomorrow is going to bring. But God, your board says you take care of the birds, you take care of the flowers. You said your word says, How much more would I take care of my Children, goddess for you and God, I pray for a new perspective in this season, not his perspective, that wood down and we're out. We have victory in you. Maybe you're watching today and you never made a decision to trust Jesus with your life. But I want. But you're hearing me talking said I want that relationship. I want a relationship with Jesus and maybe you have before. But thing has gotten away and you want to re commit your life back to Jesus wherever you are. I want you to repeat this prayer with me. I want you to say Jesus, forgive me for my mistakes. Make me new today. I trust you with my life today I follow you in Jesus. Name a man. Thanks for checking out the city lights Podcast. If you'd like to partner with us financially, you can go toe. We're city lights dot com slash give or you can text any dollar amount to 84321 Thanks for joining us today.