God Will Not Be Mocked

Welcome to Tribe's podcast. Hey, we just wanna say thank you for making this message a part of your week. Our prayer is that these messages will inspire you to make the name of Jesus famous in your life and to the uttermost bounds of the earth. If you're ever in Jackson Hole, we'd love for you to visit our Tribe fam in person. To learn more about us, you can find us online or at Facebook by searching tribejh.com.

Welcome to Tribe's podcast. Hey, we just wanna say thank you for making this message a part of your week. Our prayer is that these messages will inspire you to make the name of Jesus famous in your life and to the uttermost bounds of the earth. If you're ever in Jackson Hole, we'd love for you to visit our tribe fam in person. To learn more about us, you can find us online or at Facebook by searching tribejh.com.

Good morning. So great to see all of you. Today, let me how's everybody doing back there in the VIP section? You doing alright? Yeehaw.

Okay, good. One of you is. Justin back. Good to have Justin back. Aaron, step right out here.

This guy got himself a black bear this season. We like that here in Wyoming. That's a good thing. That's a good thing. Nice work.

Nice work. He called me and he's like, I see one way over there. What like, I don't know. What do you think? And it was a long way to get to it and I remembered Tim Vetter when he was mentoring me in elk hunting.

He said, you never leave elk to go find elk. So, don't leave a bear to go find a bear. So, Aaron, good job. Let's see. Who else is in here?

We've got some seniors in here. Oliver Lac is graduating high school. Trinity Green is graduating high school. Where's Andy Abad? She's, oh, alright.

She's getting ready. So, Andy is graduating. I heard a lot of cheers and maybe a few tears splashes from some moms of those seniors. Splash, splash, and brothers. Oh, that got me.

Well, I'm so glad that all of y'all are here today. We're going to have a we're going to have a as you can tell, a great conversation. Picked a great Sunday to be here. I don't know how many toes that we're going to step on but it's going to be a lot of toes that will step on today. So, welcome to Tribe.

If you are new or haven't been here in a while, there's a connect card on your seat. We would love to have a record of your visit. Also, on the back, there's a place to fill out a prayer request. We take those very seriously when we meet for staff meeting. We pray over those.

When whenever we gather for staff meetings so you can either leave it in your seat or put it in that wooden box that Kat is pointing to right now. There it is. And so deal do with that connect card what you will. Also, you heard me say a moment ago that during our conversation today and that is what this is. Instead of a sermon, a sermon is delivered by one person.

It's great. It's wonderful. It has its place. Here in our particular venue, it's more conducive for us not to do a sermon but for us to have a conversation because look, we're all in the living room and if you're on the front row, if you just lean forward, you'd be on the worship team and so, here in this cozy little space, it is more conducive for us to have a conversation. So, I welcome your questions, your comments, and your connections and by connections, I mean, as we're talking, what through what we're going to talk about today, if there's something that that's a synapse fires in your brain.

Oh my gosh, that reminds me of this story in the Bible or that reminds me of this verse. I would love to hear that because when you share your connections, it just creates a new neural pathway for the people that hear you and for for me and so we all get something out of it. So, today, is it alright if we all do this together? Is that alright? Okay.

In just a moment, we're going to, well, you can turn in your Bibles to Isaiah chapter five at the top of your notes this morning, you can write the title of the conversation that we're going to have which is god will not be mocked. God will not be mocked. So, you know, it's just a little light, easy conversation today. Mm-mm. Today's conversation is poignant and time sensitive.

So, we are we're not really pressing a pause on the current series of conversations that we've been having. We have been talking about our identity and calling and soon we're going to talk about how our gifts and talents play into those things. How does god invite us into what he's called us to do? Who are we? What are we made for?

We're we're still going to be touching on those things but we're going to take a little bit of a a detour today because of a time sensitive event that will unfold on the other side of the world this coming week and really for most of the month of June but it'll it'll it'll make sense as we get there and Yes. We are one day closer than yesterday. So today, I will I'll I'll say the the very end point of my notes right at the beginning. Today's message is a call or an invitation to prayer and intercession for Israel. So, that's that's going to be some of what we cover today.

So, with all of that in mind, why don't we jump into Isaiah chapter five? We're going to read verses one through seven and we have a mic in the room so that your contribution, if you if you just say it in the room, it may or may not get picked up on the live stream and we have a lot of families that travel or are getting ready for graduation parties or whatever. So, they tune in to the live stream or people come back and watch later and instead of just hearing my voice when we pass the mic around in the room, we get to hear your contribution as well. So, would somebody please read Isaiah chapter five verses one through seven for us out loud.

But I will. Let me sing for my beloved my love song concerning his vineyard. My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He dug it and cleared it of stones and planted it with choice vines. He built a watchtower in the midst of it and hewed it out, hewed out a wine vat in it and he looked for it to yield grapes but it yielded wild grapes and now, oh inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judea.

Judge between me and my vineyard. What more was there to do for my vineyard? That I have not done it. When I looked for it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard.

I will remove its hedge. It shall be devoured. I will break down its walls and it shall be trampled down. I will make it a waste. It shall not be pruned or hoed.

And briars and thorns shall grow up. I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. For the vineyard of the lord of host is the house of Israel and the men of Judea. Are the pleasant or his pleasant planting and he looked for justice but behold bloodshed for righteousness but behold an outcry. Okay.

If you're tracking with those verses, fantastic. If you read along or listened and are like, what? Let me let me give you some context. So, this passage was written by the prophet Isaiah. The prophet Isaiah was alive during the time of what's known as the Northern And Southern Kingdom Of Israel.

Isaiah was a prophet called by god whose mission was to call the nation of Israel back to a relationship with the lord and he had a lot to say much of what he said to the nation of Israel is recorded in the book of Isaiah and in this passage chapter five, Isaiah is speaking of Israel in metaphorical terms. So, it's important to understand who the characters are and who's saying what. So, look at verse one. Now, I will sing for the one I love, a song about his vineyard. So, in verse one, we have a person singing a song.

We have an idea of the relationship of the person singing the song and to who is he singing? So, now I will sing a song for the one I love. That is Isaiah's voice. Isaiah is speaking to the one he loves. The one that he loves is the lord.

And now he begins to tell a story about who he be, Isaiah begins to tell a story about the lord, the one he loves and is a story of heartbreak. So, he says, the one I love planted a vineyard. Bless you. Spared no expense. Put the finest grapevine in it.

Put a hedge around it. Built a watchtower so that he could keep eye on it so that no birds or foxes or animals or looters would come. And I planted the greatest of of grapes that would yield the choices of wine. But what grew up was something completely different. Wild grapes grew up.

Not what he had intended and then as the verses unfold, verse five, now, let me tell you what I will do to my vineyard. And he essentially dismantles it. All that he had invested into this vineyard, he's like, tear it all down. This is not what I had intended. And then thankfully, for us folk, the real simple, he then connects the dots very clearly for what the metaphor is.

Look at verse seven. The nation of Israel is the vineyard of the lord of heaven's armies. Okay, got it. It kind of would have been nice maybe if you had said that at verse one but now I'm with you. He expected a crop of justice but instead found oppression.

He expected to find righteousness but instead, he heard cries of violence. So, this is the launching pad for the conversation that we're going to have. As we cover these first few verses, seven verses, does anybody have any either observations or maybe clarification questions about what we're, what we just read? This is a good stopping point to check-in. Okay.

So, god has an everlasting covenant and commitment to Israel. His relationship with Israel can be described. It's described in many ways. We just saw a metaphorical description of a a farmer and a vineyard but one of the predominant ways that the relationship between god and Israel is like that of a father and a child. Now, that if you've read your Bible before, that shouldn't be new.

In fact, he describes and reveals himself to us like a father and if he is our father, then, we are his so smart. His relationship with Israel can be described as a father and a child. You don't need to turn there but you can just practice in your notes real quick. Exodus four twenty two. There in the Bible, there is something called the principle of first mention and whenever a word or a concept or what we would call doctrine like a foundation stone of our faith.

Whenever it is first mentioned, it is worth paying very close attention to and all the way at the beginning of your Bible, the story arc of god's relationship with Israel all the way back in Exodus chapter four verse 22, god describes Israel as his first born son. So, god establishes his relationship with Israel as a parent and a child. And every one of the roles of every good father to nurture, to guide, to introduce, to adventure, to raise to maturity but also that role comes with being a disciplinarian. This verse is worth turning to. Hebrews chapter five.

I think we'll have it up on the screen. Hebrew, did I say chapter five? Hebrews 12. Sorry. Hebrews 12.

There's a whenever I whenever I speak, there's always a delay in my own ears and I'm evaluating the words that just came out of my mouth. Sometimes, I catch it. Sometimes, my lisdexia just doesn't catch it and I roll right through but that's why I love you guys because you always call me out. Yeah. I just love that.

Yeah. Help me. You're such good helpers. Hebrews Hebrews chapter 12 verses five and six. It's a passage that most of us are familiar with.

My child, don't make light of the lord's discipline and don't give up when he corrects you. For the lord disciplines those he loves and he punishes each one he accepts as his child. For all of you who are or were children in the room, aren't you so happy that your fathers, if you had one, disciplined you? Yeah. Now, you are as an adult I was raised by a single parent and my mom had to be the disciplinarian and boy, did I chafe underneath her discipline?

But the Bible says, don't make light of the lord's discipline and don't give up when he corrects you. For the lord disciplines those he loves and he punishes each one he accepts as his child. I would suggest to you that you have not really begun on your journey of relationship with the lord until you have been disciplined by him. Everything up until the moment he corrects you puppies and unicorns and rainbows. It's really easy to sing the songs that we sang.

Until you have encountered the discipline of the lord. And that can come in the form of his holy spirit sternly warning you in the stillness of your heart. Or after you have gone against his will. What would be known as conviction or feeling guilt. Those are part or of or aspects of the discipline of the lord.

And hopefully, you have responded to those things and not have experienced what could be known as the judgment or the chastisement of the lord. Okay. So, story time. I was on staff at a church in Oklahoma and it was a large church. Couple thousand people and this church had small groups and the way that it worked is you had a small group leader and then a host home.

So, like those two couples kind of partnered together and they would have people over in their home And I was in charge of all of the community groups. And we had like hundreds of them that met across the metro area. And I would vet the curriculum. And so, each small group season, I would be like, hey, you know, you guys are small group leaders. What study are you doing?

Just check-in with me. Okay, long as it wasn't too weird, wild, or wacky. Great. Lord bless you. Sometimes, the lead pastor would say, alright, we're all going to do this study together so we'd all be on the same page but whatever.

So, I was in charge of community groups and Lisa and I led a community group. We got done with one study and it was great and fine and I was like, you know, I I really would like to do like a five week series on the the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit. Like, these people that that that go to this community group, they need that and this is like, hey, you should like exercise wisdom in what you talk about. She's like, I'm all for it and I'm like, these people need it and this is what we're going to do. Yes.

Yeah. This this was in Oklahoma and so, husbands, you know that the voice of the Holy Spirit like often comes through the mouth of your spouse, right? And if you don't know that, you should wise up real quick. So, this is like, use wisdom. It's not like she's against but she was like, you gotta read the vibe and I was like, here we go.

We got like three weeks or so in into this and our senior pastor was also like a close friend of mine calls me into his office and I was, know, I go in there all the time and I'm like marching in, sit down. What are we doing? What's going on? And he's like, hey, what are you teaching on? Long story short, I was like, I got a spanking big time.

Now, it was not the that pastor that rebuked me. He was not like anti holy spirit. It was nothing un biblical. He was not out of line at all. I was out of line because I was not sensitive to, aware of, and obedient to the voice of the Holy Spirit.

The the the point of the story is not about like the curriculum of the Holy Spirit. That's not the point of the story. The point of the story is, I was disobedient. The Holy Spirit tried to warn me. Lysa tried to warn me.

I forged ahead blindly because I was like, well, I mean, it's the Holy Spirit. And boy, did I get a spanking. I had to apologize to my pastor. I had to apologize to the host home couple. And I had to apologize to our community group.

And I had no. No. No. And I had to apologize to my and I had to apologize to my wife. So, here's here's so so Hebrews 12, I don't know if any of you else have been disciplined by the lord but that was one of many times that I have been disciplined by the lord.

Here's what's amazing about the discipline of the lord. Is it is always exactly just the right amount of force, pressure, whatever. Fill in the blank needed to get your attention that will cause you if you have a soft heart to come running back to him. My reputation stayed intact my my honor was restored. I felt guilt and shame but that was from that old dirty devil.

I can't the week whatever night it maybe Sunday night. Sunday night was that particular community group. The week after I apologized, I came back into that community group with my tail tucked between my legs, feeling about this tall, and literally every single person in that community group was like, Brian. Like, we'd gotten ticket like, it was a miracle. Alex, that next week, we he had us over for we just cruised on with life.

So, so, the discipline of the lord. Have you ever experienced the discipline of the lord? If you have not yet experienced the discipline of the lord, I would say that that's when your relationship with the lord goes to the next deeper level. I pray that you would never experience the discipline of the lord but you would obey right away all the way but if you don't and you experience the discipline of the lord, was that sounded familiar in your house? No.

Trinity is like, no, I think maybe maybe they we said that at our house too. We also say that delayed obedience is what? Trinity, why are you blushing from head to toe? All of you green girls and you're looking back at mom. That's right.

So, let's now talk about Israel. When we see a history of disobedience with Israel. And god is a committed, loving father to the nation of Israel. And from time to time, god disciplines or chastises rebukes Israel. Here's the question that's important for us to grab a hold of before we move further in the conversation.

Think, consider, what would you say is god's primary mode of disciplining the nation of Israel and if you know it like quickly, give it a moment for other people to think. What would you say is god's primary method or modality for disciplining the nation of Israel like a good father does to a child that needs correcting. And after you thought you can just throw it out there. Other nations coming against Israel. Yes, and Time out in the wilderness Yes, I mean, if if you are throwing hand grenades, you'd be like right there.

You're you're you're you're you're super good enough but let's see if there's more that we could pull out of you. If you look through the story arc of god's relationship with Israel, when they are naughty, what is the primary way that god disciplines Israel? He Yes. He removes his blessing. Yes.

Yes. I mean, we just saw in Isaiah. I'll tear down those those vineyards. Yes. There's something that there's something a little more that I'm I'm looking for that's like the bull's eye.

Think. Oh. They do turn against themselves but that is not the primary instrument of god's discipline. What does he do to Israel when they're naughty? Oh man.

He, yes. Before the spanking comes, he sends the prophets. So, so yes, that's part of it. God never, god never just yanks off his belt and goes, that's it. There's always.

The Bible describes the lord as being long nosed. It's a Hebrew idiism that means like like it, you know, when you like you get worked up, your neck gets flushed, maybe the tips of your ears get red, sometimes your nose gets red, and the idea that god is long suffering, he has a long nose. He's got, it it takes a lot to get him worked up. Any other thoughts or ideas? Removes protection.

Yes, which is similar to the the blessing but when I say it, you're going to be like, oh. Say it. Do you want me to just say it or do you want to keep guessing? No, because you know. No.

First time when you asked me.

So do you want credit in front of the class now?

He separates

them from the land that he promised them. Exactly. Yes. You are all hitting around. Boy, this you need a lot of positive affirmation.

Yes, and you're competitive. Yes. Yes. God's primary method of chastisement of Israel after his patience has run out is to remove them from the land. You need a time out step away from the land that I have that is mine belongs to me, that I have set aside and given to you.

And if you look at the story arc of god's relationship with Israel, it is marked time and time again of a soft, tender heart, good relationship with the lord, waywardness beginning, god sending the prophets. Sometimes, the prophets are effective in calling them back. Many times, it ends up with infighting, idolatry, rebellion, and after the prophets have been stoned and killed and their words rejected, god steps in and disciplines his child, Israel and historically throughout the story arc of the Bible, we see that it involves removal from the land. Are does would anybody disagree with that? Are you able to see from what you know of the story arc of god's relationship with Israel?

Does that connect with you? Like, okay, I I okay, I see that. Okay. Are you in Isaiah? So, we read verses one through seven a little while ago but now, in that same chapter, look at verses 13 through 16.

And it's up here on the screen. So, or therefore, my people will go into exile far away because they do not know me. Those who are great and honored will starve and the common people will die of thirst. The grave is licking its lips in anticipation, opening its mouth wide. Great and lowly, all the drunken mob will be swallowed up.

Humanity will be destroyed and people brought down even the arrogant will lower their eyes in humiliation. Intense so intense but listen to this, god will always use the least severe means necessary to create the maximum amount of opportunity for the greatest act of repentance and return to him. He he never overdoes it. He never loses control. He never loses his temper.

But this is very intense. Now, let's quickly put this into the the historical context. Isaiah was a prophet called Israel to repent. There were there was a king or two during Isaiah's ministry that heeded the word of Isaiah and helped to steer the nation away from idolatry and back towards Yahweh. And god said, because of your act of contrition, the Assyrian army that I have poised ready to come and invade the land and take you into exile and captivity.

That that hand of judgement or chastisement or discipline will be stayed. I'm going to delay it because of your active contrition and obedience. But about one hundred years later was the next prophet Jeremiah and by the time that Jeremiah got on the scene, he said, god's nose that is long and slow to anger, you've just run out of nose, chastisement is coming and what's interesting is that the people of Israel are like, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's what Isaiah said. And it didn't happen. Jeremiah's like, it going to happen.

And as a result, they were exiled from the land. The temple was destroyed and they were taken off into captivity. Expulsion from the land historically is the highest level of discipline that god can place on Israel. I wanna bring all of what we've talked about forward to 2023 and I have to say this very carefully and with humility but for those of you remember, we all remember what happened on 10/07/2023 where Hamas terrorist came across from Gaza into Israel, raided, raped, looted, murdered, 1,200 innocent civilians in Israel took almost 250 captives back to Gaza. We're we're familiar with that, right?

Some would deny it ever happened. As Hamas terrorists crossed the border from Gaza into Israel, they stumbled across an outdoor music festival. Revelers had been partying in the desert listening to EDM music, electronic dance music. I'm not a fuddy duddy like that's terrible. Music is whatever.

But but the scene was very well known for and popular among the drug culture and promiscuity and like like being wild and unhinged. Jacob just said idolatry. If you've seen any photos from the Nova Festival at the center, the epicenter of the festival above the main stage was this giant 25 foot tall inflatable Buddha statue. As they were dancing in revelry. The picture in my mind is much like that of when Moses has gone on the mountain and the nation of Israel gave themselves to wildness.

And they literally have an idol. And they literally had an idol. Listen, I have been at the spot that was most likely the place of the golden cap idol in Saudi Arabia at the foot of the mountain of Jebel El Luz. I have to be the my next couple of words, I have to choose carefully in case you try to hear what I'm not saying. What I'm not saying is that Hamas did what it did rape, murder, butcher, 1,200 Israelis, many at the Nova Festival, and take 250 people hostage because of this.

Here's what I'm going to allow room for. For you to consider the connections yourself and for you to draw some among a variety of conclusions that can be drawn. Did god remove his hand of blessing? Somebody else said, did god remove his hand of protection? Because this drunken drug induced debauchery and revelry.

God has not told me. He's not counted me worthy to be like, hey, here's here's here's why I did what I did. In fact, he really doesn't tell me anything about why he does what he does. He's like, that's my business. And this is this is or allowed what he'll, did he do this?

Did he allow this? But I think that enough time has gone by from those events that we can consider other elements and aspects to this tragedy. And the reason why we're talking about it today, this Sunday is June starts when? Tomorrow. The first through the fourth and pretty much throughout the whole month of June.

Israel is hosting the largest series of pride events in the entire Middle Eastern region. With a goal this year of having more attendees and participants in the history of pride events that they have had. Starting June 1, which is tomorrow, near a region of the near region of the Dead Sea, another desert festival starts tomorrow called Prideland and it is a four day music and pride event festival. Celebrate what they would what's known as diversity. I don't know the exact, like, venue spot.

But in looking it up, it's just 10 miles down the road from Sodom and Gomorrah. Israel. God will not turn a blind eye to this vile, detestable celebration of debauchery. Galatians chapter six verse seven. Do not be misled.

You cannot mock the justice of god. You always harvest what you plant. God will not be mocked. That Greek word for mocked literally carries the idea of turning up one's nose in dismissal and contempt. Hey, tourist, you should only cross the street at the crosswalk here in Jackson.

And they're like, I'm gonna cross in between. You're like, I can I just bump them? Right? I mean, how it's like, we've all expressed, we've all expressed contempt at some time in some way for some ruler law. We've we've we're all guilty of that.

Yes. So, in a similar way, god says, I I will not be mocked there will be a time of reckoning and accounting for all of our lives will stand before a righteous and holy god on the day of judgement someday. But as we read earlier in Hebrews, it's very important for us to understand that god is not a god of like loses his temper, that's it or he's capriciously angry or if he he flies off the handle. God does not fly off the handle. But it is also equally important that we never mistake god's delayment of discipline for empathy, for apathy.

God will not be mocked. Just rewind the tape the from events of 2023 and how that disrupted and grieved and broke the hearts of millions of Israelis living in Israel and around the world and how that disrupted the entire world. And tomorrow they're gonna start something else? What will happen as a result of this festival in a month long, a month of events in Israel. What will be the result?

I'm not a prophet nor the son of a prophet. I don't know. Here's what I do know. Number one, god will not be mocked. Number one.

And then I wrote this in my notes. If god is true to his word and history repeats itself, we are going to see another act of chastisement from the lord The Bible speaks of a future coming ultimate chastisement from the lord that will once again expel Israel from the land. Decimate the people crushing their souls that will result in the return of the Messiah and the salvation of Israel. Did Assyrian invasion get their attention for a little while? Did expulsion from the land of Babylonian captivity get their attention?

For a little while, finally, at the the murder of their Messiah, Did that get their attention? Exiled from the land. Seventy AD with the sacking of the temple, the burning of the city of Jerusalem, and the dispersion among the nations, what's known as the diaspora. And almost almost continual persecution around the world since then. We all know the big bullet points in history.

1947, the creation of the land of the nation state of Israel that bring people back together to the land to inhabit the land that they have continuously inhabited for over three thousand five hundred years. They've been back in the land for since 1947. And since 1947, the biggest act, what I would say, act of chastisement against Israel happened October seventh in twenty twenty three. What Israel? What is What are you doing?

Let me read to you what's known among Jews as a time of Jacob's trouble among Christians as the tribulation. As Christians, we've heard of the tribulation and we think of it all like that's like for Christians at the in the in the end times but really Christians are just in the splash zone for god's ultimate hand of discipline against Israel. And Jews know of it as a time of Jacob's trouble. Jeremiah chapter 30, it's big and there's a lot of words but I wanted to put it on one slide. Ugh.

Maybe I'm sorry. Oh, you you like it all? I just wanted to put it all in one place. In all of history, there's never been such a time of terror. It will be a time of trouble for my people, Israel.

Yet, in the end, they will be saved. So, has the first part of that verse been fulfilled yet? No, because it hasn't resulted in the national salvation of Israel. So, this verse is still for a future time for the nation of Israel. For in that day, says the lord of heaven's armies.

I will break the yoke from their necks and snap their chains. Foreigners will no longer be their masters. For my people will serve the lord their god and their king descended from David. The king I will raise up for them. That's Jesus.

So, don't be afraid, Jacob, my servant. Do not be dismayed, Israel, says the lord, for I will bring you home again from distant lands, from your children will return from their exile. Israel will return to a life of peace and quiet. No one will terrorize them. For I am with you and will save you, says the lord.

I will completely destroy the nations where I have scattered you but I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you but with justice, I cannot let you go unpunished. And so what is to to make a few connection points? What is in the same way that we've been talking about our identity? What is Israel's identity?

Who are they? They are god's firstborn. They are his chosen people Among all the nations of the earth. He chose a people that were not even a people and made them into a nation. What is Israel's identity?

How can you really fulfill your mission and purpose and utilize your gifts and and step into your calling if you don't first know your identity. Israel's identity is god's firstborn. Now, what about their calling? This is a good chance for me to check-in with you before we land the plane here in a moment. What would you say is Israel's calling?

What were they born to do? What's Israel born to do? In the same way that individuals have an identity and a calling, so do nations. What's Israel's calling? Yeah.

They do. Their calling is to be a kingdom of priests, holy unto the lord to be a light to the nation and to bring salvation to the Gentiles. Would you go back to that picture of the Nova Festival? What is Israel's calling? Is it that?

Are they walking in their calling? When they've been called to be a kingdom of priests holy unto the lord, a light to the nations, to bring salvation to the Gentiles? Are they walking in that calling here in this moment? Sorry.

I couldn't help myself. Will just say, as I look at that picture, I can't help but see there's a saying that like drinking alcohol is the right thirst for the wrong drink. And when I look at that picture, I can't help but link it back to David dancing wildly for the lord and like if we just replace, it's like the wrong dance for the right, you know, like or the right dance for the wrong king, you know, and if we just put Jesus up there and remove the Buddha, like, they would be in their calling like David and as someone that used to go to Burning Man before being saved and this looks very similar. I think, and I really believe, that people that are there and people that will be there for June are searching for something, and so they're right for the picking. And I think that we in this room have a really big opportunity right now that if every single one of us committed to praying for those people that will be there for June every single day and if we prayed for them to meet Jesus, like we could actually see revival in in Israel.

Like, I actually believe that. Nick, you're telling us before this happened. So, like, let's use the opportunity instead of being like, what are you do? Like, yes, what are you doing, Israel? But like, let's pray because they are right for the picking because they're all searching.

I know these people because I was them before I got, I met Jesus.

That's beautiful. And god always, always, he always preserves a remnant. There's a there's a remnant that's genuinely searching and hungry for god. As Israel countrywide across the entire nation which it only takes about seventeen seconds for an F 16 fighter jet, Israeli fighter jet to fly from the western border to the eastern border of the country. But the entire country is getting ready for this these pride pride events.

I I I don't think I said this but I I I need to at least like say this foundationally. God has a prohibition on the exercising of homosexuality. It's it's clear throughout scripture. He has a prohibition against it. And he loves everybody and he wants the best for each person.

So, what you just said, I was thinking about this as like, what is the, what is the call to action? What is the right response of the human heart to these unfolding events in light of scripture, in light of god's heart, and and historically what we've seen and it reminds me of a clip from that movie from Interstellar. If you've ever, how many of you have seen that movie, Interstellar? It's like the like the quintessential ultimate sci fi movie of all time and it's can be so complicated but just like just watch and and enjoy. It's a great one.

But there is a moment in the movie where the main character is in another, oh gosh, I'm not really confused. He's in another dimension but he's able to look back in time and see when he was in his daughter's room and his daughter, Murphy, didn't want him to go into outer space to like save the world but he was coop was saying, I have to go. I I have to go and Cooper forward in time through a portal gets to look back into the past. Are you with me? He gets to look back at a moment in his past when he is leaving his daughter's bedroom and current time, Cooper is pounding looking through this bookcase.

Like, like, like, interceding. His heart is breaking and he's telling his daughter Murphy, don't let me go into space. Do you know that moment? This, let me just play the clip and this is kind of how I feel about like us and and Israel. On one hand, are we not like the astronaut coup calling out to wayward, rebellious Israel.

What are you doing? What you as we as the

Gretchen? No. I'm just

kidding. The contribution that you made is that clip. And is what I feel in my heart as I found out about these events that are unfolding. Going to unfold for the month of June. And if you're like Israel's Israel could you, where you are today in your journey with the lord and in your maturity, have you fought back on your past season or acts of rebellion before the lord?

And if you could go back like an astronaut and see yourself in your dreadlock, long hair, cross country, college, wild days. Could you he was talking about me.

I was like, yes.

All of you with dreadlocks in the room. Could you not pound on the bookcase and be like, you're gonna save yourself some heartache. You're going to save yourself a lot of pain. Turn, turn, turn, turn, turn. Oh, if only I could go back and talk to Brian about times and things and seasons past, pounding on the bookcase.

Turn, turn, turn, turn. If you can think of that for yourself in in can you have empathy? You don't even, I'm not even asking for sympathy. Can you have empathy for Israel and their waywardness and rebellion? And if you can't, you're being judgmental and would you not ask god to extend the same grace and kindness to you and you're not willing to extend that to another and expand that out to a nation?

Watch yourself. Be careful. I'm talking about Israel right now. I'm talking about Israel right now and I'm talking about your heart right now. Let's do another message for persecuted Christians in Nigeria another time.

The world is not starting a pride celebration in right now. The world does not have the calling that Israel does. We're talking about Israel. We're talking about your wayward, rebellious heart. Turn to the lord.

Turn to the lord. Israel be a cautionary tale for us. Return to the lord. All of you nations turn to the lord. All of you individuals, all of you nations, turn to the lord.

That was the end of my notes. Let's pray. Lord, help us. We'll start micro and go macro. Lord, help us Search our hearts.

Is there an area or an aspect of our life or heart that in in in this season, in this moment, that we're walking in stubbornness and rebellion to you? You've you we've read it in your word You have tried to get our attention with the voice of your holy spirit fulfill the conviction but yet we insist and persist in a mindset and attitude, a course of action, or whatever. Lord, may we repent and return to you before discipline comes. Now, you take just a moment and if the lord's dealing with you about any one thing, just bring it before the lord Tell him that you're sorry, repent, and be glad you don't have to do it in front of your pastor and your whole community group and your wife. Just do it real quick right now.

Help us, Lord. Help us. And lord, would you give us a heart that we could see ourselves before we got saved in Israel's waywardness and rebellion? It's so easy to point the finger and cast judgement and armchair quarterback them. And it's literally the pot calling the kettle black.

Like, really? Are you different than Israel? Are you less guilty? In god's eyes? Knowing what you have saved us and set us free from and forgiven us Oh, that we would extend that same long nosed, long suffering for others around us including the nation of Israel in their waywardness and rebellion.

As Gretchen said, we come before you in intercession I don't, maybe we're the only church in The United States. That would be fairly arrogant of me to think but I don't think there are many churches having this conversation today. So, lord, here we are, send us. We will stand in the gap and we will pray that you would have mercy, that you would raise up a remnant, that you would spare your hand of judgement. You would soften their hearts that they would come to repentance and that they would say, blessed is he who comes in the name of the lord.

They would turn to their Messiah Yeshua, Jesus of Nazareth. We pray these things. In Jesus name. And everybody said, amen. Now that your feathers are all ruffled, let's see if Amanda can smooth them out with offering and announcements.

You go.

So, we know that when we bring our tithe and our offering to the lord, it is an act of obedience and it's between us and the lord how much we give but anything, any practice of discipline is good. It's good for you, right? Physically, emotionally, spirit ually, and so when we bring our tithe and our offering here at Tribe Anyhow, it is just to say, god, we love you and trust you and it's all yours anyway but it's just one of hundreds of things that help keep us calibrated to the lord. So, when big global things like we talked about today are are rising. I'm not connecting tithe to like be an understanding but when you are in line with the lord and when your heart is part of his heart, it's all connected.

So, when we bring our tithe, it is threefold. I did two. It's threefold. It is to do the work of the local ministry because food costs money and we buy food for people or we get hotel rooms when people are homeless or you know, whatever, whatever. To do the local work of the ministry.

Number, it happened this weekend. Number two, it blesses god's heart because you're being obedient. Just like any good parent, when you push your kids and when you teach your kids and they finally do it, you're just like, receipt. I did all that hard work. Blesses the heart of the father and then the third thing is that it keeps our hearts calibrated to his and that's such a beautiful thing and again, bringing our tithe is just one of the many ways that we can do that.

So, every time we gather as a local church, we do this act. You can doesn't have to be on Sunday. You can do it anytime and then, practically speaking, ways to give, you know, we, Kat showed you that box there at the door. There's also a black lock box downstairs. Our website, drivejh.com.

You can always give and then, you see on the screen just the easiest way to give is if you have a smartphone and you can type this number, (833) 369-7847. Type the word give and the dollar sign and the amount. So, let's just pray whether you're giving now or another time. Let's just pray together as a tribe family. Heavenly father, you're so good and you are so worthy of all of our praise.

Thank you that you are a faithful god and scripture says, you are unchanging. You're the same yesterday, today, and forever. Your ways can change through generations but your character and your nature are unchanging. What an anchor that is for us to hang on to through the storms of life. We just thank you so much for who you are and that you are faithful.

We bring this tithe and this offering to you today and we just say, it is yours anyway. Have your way. Thank you, lord for speaking to each one of us individually. What you want us to give but also just changing our heart and getting it softened towards things of you, big and small. We love you and thank you in Jesus name.

Amen. Really just check the fridge on your way out for announcements. Is there one or two more men's Bible study? Two more. Even if you haven't been to this men's Bible study, you can come tomorrow.

It's Monday at six. Tomorrow and then last one next Monday but come if you haven't. We're extending it one more week. Okay.

Were you trying to hang out? Stand up. Let me pray for you. Lord, I command a blessing on each and every person who's here. There's no accident that anybody was here today to hear our conversation.

Holy Spirit, will you help to unpack all that was talked about? Help us to help today's conversation to find fertile soil in our hearts. God, we ask that you would use our lives to make your name famous and I command a blessing on each and every person here today. We tell you one more time that we love you. We pray these things.

In Jesus name, the strong son of god and everybody said, amen. I love you guys so very much. Have a great week and I'm always here for conversation. Bye.