Scripture referenced
The passage this message was preached from, in full, with every other passage it reached for.
-
Proverbs 4:20-22 central text for the series, quoted in full as the basis for burying God's word in the heart
20 My son, attend to my words. Turn your ear to my sayings.
21 Let them not depart from your eyes. Keep them in the center of your heart.
22 For they are life to those who find them, and health to their whole body.
World English Bible · Read it in another translation
Keep this verse
Romans 12:2
cited to explain that the mind must be renewed even after salvation
2 Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God.
World English Bible · Read it in another translation
Psalms 19:7-14
main passage for the week, read aloud in full and expounded throughout the sermon
7 Yahweh’s law is perfect, restoring the soul. Yahweh’s testimony is sure, making wise the simple.
8 Yahweh’s precepts are right, rejoicing the heart. Yahweh’s commandment is pure, enlightening the eyes.
9 The fear of Yahweh is clean, enduring forever. Yahweh’s ordinances are true, and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, yes, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the extract of the honeycomb.
11 Moreover by them is your servant warned. In keeping them there is great reward.
12 Who can discern his errors? Forgive me from hidden errors.
13 Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins. Let them not have dominion over me. Then I will be upright. I will be blameless and innocent of great transgression.
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, Yahweh, my rock, and my redeemer.
World English Bible · Read it in another translation
Psalms 82
Brian mentioned he is personally working on memorizing this psalm
1 God presides in the great assembly. He judges among the gods.
2 “How long will you judge unjustly, and show partiality to the wicked?” Selah.
3 “Defend the weak, the poor, and the fatherless. Maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.
4 Rescue the weak and needy. Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.”
5 They don’t know, neither do they understand. They walk back and forth in darkness. All the foundations of the earth are shaken.
6 I said, “You are gods, all of you are sons of the Most High.
7 Nevertheless you shall die like men, and fall like one of the rulers.”
8 Arise, God, judge the earth, for you inherit all of the nations.
World English Bible · Read it in another translation
Psalms 51:16
quoted during the offering moment to show God desires a broken heart over ritual sacrifice
16 For you don’t delight in sacrifice, or else I would give it. You have no pleasure in burnt offering.
World English Bible · Read it in another translation
Psalms 119:18
quoted by a congregation member as a prayer before opening the Bible: open my eyes that I may see wondrous things in your law
18 Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things out of your law.
World English Bible · Read it in another translation
Recap
The message in order, in a few minutes of reading.
This message was the second week of a series on rooting your life in God's word. Brian worked through Psalm 19:7-11, asking what actually happens inside a person when scripture gets planted deep enough to be recalled from memory. The conversation was interactive throughout, with the congregation contributing observations and personal stories alongside Brian's teaching.
What was said
Brian opened by reviewing the previous week's bottom line: that treasuring God's word deeply helps us follow God's heart faithfully. He reminded the congregation of the three categories he had offered for choosing what to memorize, namely verses that touch a pain point, verses that thrill your heart, and verses that help renew your mind. That foundation set up the question driving this week: once the word is planted, what does it actually produce?
Working through verses seven to eleven of Psalm 19, Brian drew out five things God's word does when it is buried in the heart. It revives the soul, which he noted comes from the Hebrew word nefesh, meaning the whole of a person apart from their spirit, including the mind, emotions, will, and body. It brings joy to the heart, and Brian was careful to distinguish joy from happiness, describing joy as a fruit of the spirit that cannot be stolen by circumstances, and calling it a choice that opens a gift God has already placed in your lap. It gives insight for living, which Brian said might look less like strategic advantage and more like humility toward a coworker. It warns of danger, often from threats that are camouflaged rather than obvious. And finally, the word is itself a great reward, one that holds even when a person has nothing materially.
Brian pushed back gently on the idea that planting a verse is a set-it-and-forget-it transaction. His initial bottom line for the day was "where God's word is planted, a great reward is harvested," but he held it up to the room and asked what was imprecise about it. The congregation pointed out that a planted seed still requires tending, good soil, and time. Someone added that a seed has to die in the ground before anything visible happens, and that seasons of apparent deadness are part of the process, not evidence that nothing is working.
That exchange shaped the revised bottom line Brian landed on: where God's word is planted, a great reward grows. The shift from "harvested" to "grows" carries the ongoing, cultivated nature of the work. Brian also noted that the Holy Spirit's role is to cause seeds to germinate and grow, while the work of pulling weeds and planting seeds belongs to the person. He returned to the image from the worship time earlier, describing the Holy Spirit walking with a person through the garden of their heart the way God walked with Adam in the cool of the evening.
One of the congregation's contributions before Brian landed the plane was a practical note about striving. The person observed that reading scripture out of obligation, trying to muscle through it on your own, can leave it feeling like black words on white pages. The practice she described was praying a verse before opening the Bible at all, asking God to open her eyes to see wondrous things in his law, and finding that the request itself changed what happened when she read. Brian agreed, saying there is nothing God asks of people that he does not also supply the willingness to do, and that doing it without him produces what he called dead works.
Touch points
Things you could actually do this week.
- Pick one verse that touches a pain point, your heart, or your mind, and start working on memorizing it this week.
- Before you open your Bible, pray the words Brian mentioned from the psalm: ask God to open your eyes so you can see wondrous things in his word.
- If a line of worship or a scripture came to you during the service, record a voice memo of it and send it to Lissa before you forget it.
- When you sit down with your Bible this week, pay attention to what emotion comes up on your dashboard, then let that point you to a passage rather than pushing the feeling away.
- Show up to the prayer meeting this Wednesday at 6 PM at the TMC and spend an hour praying with the Tribe fam for what God is doing in Jackson.
Doing a Bible study?
Here is a guide we have prepared for you: the passages in order, questions for the group, and room to write.
- Lissa talked about not wanting worship songs to be empty words, and Brian said the same thing applies to scripture memorization, that it can become just reciting from the mind and intellect. When have you experienced God's word feeling alive versus feeling like black words on a white page, and what made the difference?
- Brian listed five things Psalm 19 says God's word does in us: revives the soul, brings joy to the heart, gives insight for living, warns of danger, and is itself a great reward. Which of those five have you actually experienced, and which one do you most want to experience more of?
and 3 more questions in the guide
Resumen en español
El mensaje resumido, en español.
Brian continuó la serie "Rooted in the Word" con un segundo mensaje centrado en el Salmo 19:7-11. Partiendo de lo que enseñó la semana anterior, donde habló de la importancia de memorizar la Palabra de Dios, esta vez exploró lo que ocurre en nuestra vida cuando esa Palabra queda plantada profundamente en el corazón. La conversación fue participativa, con varios miembros de la congregación compartiendo sus reflexiones.
El pasaje del Salmo 19 muestra cinco frutos de vivir arraigados en la Palabra: revive el alma, trae alegría al corazón, da entendimiento para vivir, nos advierte del peligro, y es en sí misma una gran recompensa. Brian aclaró que esto no funciona como una máquina expendedora, sino como una semilla que necesita tierra buena, tiempo, cuidado y, sobre todo, que se le pida a Dios mismo que abra nuestros ojos para ver maravillas en su Palabra. Alguien del grupo compartió que antes de abrir la Biblia ora con las palabras del Salmo 119: "Abre mis ojos para que vea las maravillas de tu ley", y que eso cambió por completo su manera de acercarse a las Escrituras.
La frase con la que Brian cerró el mensaje fue: "Donde la Palabra de Dios es plantada, una gran recompensa crece." La alegría no es emoción que fabricamos nosotros, sino fruto del Espíritu que elegimos recibir. La Palabra no solo nos transforma por dentro, sino que nos orienta en situaciones difíciles del trabajo, la familia y las finanzas, y nos protege de peligros que muchas veces ni vemos venir.
---
Pasajes bíblicos mencionados:
- Proverbios 4:20-22
- Salmos 19:7-14
- Salmos 82 (Brian mencionó que está memorizando este salmo)
- Romanos 12:2
- Salmos 51:16
Read the full transcript 8,853 words
Let's just get our minds right before we start. Just take a minute. Just exhale. Just invite him to come and speak to you today. Let's stand together and worship him.
Let's sing this bridge again and I know sometimes when when we hear certain songs they just we just kinda sing them like they're we just don't think about the words. So today, let's just really think about the words to this bridge that we will build our life upon his love today. And Lord, just pledge that to you that we will build it. Lord, I will build upon your love. Just before we sing this, just close your eyes for a second.
We don't ever want these to just be words to songs. We want this to be worship. We're speaking to our heavenly father this morning. So Lord purpose our hearts, fix our eyes right now. Lord let these words be true not just words, empty words from our mouth, but the way we live.
Lord, as we sing those songs, this is just our prayer that we would trust in you and you alone. And that means not trusting in our own strength. So, we just pour that out right now, lord. You search our hearts today, god. Let anything fall away like anyone, anything anyone would say about us or have labeled us or spoken over us, god.
We just tell you this morning, you define us. Search our hearts, god, in your great loving kindness and search out anything in us that would keep us from you this morning. If there's unrepentant sin, Lord, let us bring that to you this morning. Because you long to be close to us till you see us face to face, God. Make us ready.
Make us ready. Make us ready. This life is but a vapor, your word says. It would be like a bride on her wedding day Just longing, longing, aching to see her groom. That's our hearts crying.
Find us ready. Let's use this song to just allow the Lord by his Holy Spirit to search our lives this morning. What does he wanna refine in you this morning? What does he want you to let go of and get rid of? What does he desire for you to do?
Where's where are you lacking in discipline today? To be in his presence. Let's just use this song to just let him search your heart like a bride. Like a bride on her wedding day, longing for her groom. Ready for you.
I think about when we sat down to write this song, we couldn't find any songs that were about longing, longing, longing for his return that felt like a heart cry of really asking him to make us ready. That's what find me ready like Lord, right now while I still have breath in my lungs. Right now, not tomorrow, not you know when I feel like a grown up, But right now, Lord, none of us are guaranteed tomorrow and not like a scare tactic. It's just the truth. None of us are guaranteed tomorrow.
We don't know what tomorrow is gonna bring. We don't know what joy or what storm. So Lord, we just ask right now that you would get our faith firmly planted, that we will be longing, longing for you with everything that we do. Yes, we have assignments here on this earth. We have assignments that you've called us to.
Lord, let us be faithful with those. Maybe right now the Lord is bringing something up in your heart that he's asked you to do. Maybe it is a ministry thing, maybe it's something that doesn't really make a whole lot of sense, but you know that the Lord is calling you to it. Just surrender that to him this morning. I also think about when we wrote down these words about the how his word says that he'd rather you hot or cold because if you're lukewarm he'll spit you out.
And that's that's a big deal. There's no just riding the fence with Jesus. So Lord we wanna be Christians that are on fire. That's what it means. Finally burning, like burning with passion for you when I see you face to face.
Either you come riding on the clouds as a victorious warrior or my blood pump stops working and I see you face to face. Lord, whichever it is, one of those two things is gonna happen. That should be a a hopeful thing, not a scary thing. That should be a hopeful thing. Right, Chris?
So Lord, we just as we sing this, we thank you that your seal upon our heart is what makes us burn. It's not our own works. It's not doing all the right things. It's the fire of your holy spirit. That's why we sing in that bridge that love has sparked this burning in my heart.
Even that comes from you. Even that burning comes from you. Like all we have to do is surrender. And that's why it'll never die because Lord you are faithful. And we will burn through every storm to see your name lifted high, not ours, but yours.
So Lord, we just come before you and we just ask as a people today, a unique gathering of people, Make us ready. Make us ready. With that comes the hard work of refinement, allowing you to refine us and surrender. Sing this find me ready. Just picture this, all the saints and angels right now.
Picture this. Yes, Lord. Lord, we praise you today. We praise you today. We praise couple weeks, maybe a couple months ago, we were worshiping and Katie just spontaneously sang this beautiful line of worship and we were reminded of it this morning.
So, it will be unfamiliar to you. We do have the words but just close your eyes and just it's just two lines and just thank him for who he is this morning. Just thank him who he is this morning.
I think maybe either somebody here or watching the livestream will has the next part to this song. Now, I don't you might not like, oh, I got it like right now ready to sing it. Might not be ready to roll out right now. Maybe you do. But if you're like, oh, I'm not I think I might have something to add to this song either lyrics or what?
Melody wise? Notes? Verses? Yeah. I don't know.
I don't know. The Holy Spirit will show you. But if you're like, oh, okay. I I think I have something to contribute to this song, but I need to work on it some more. Pull out your phone and record a voice memo, so that you can hear what's already been done, and then you can add to it, and then like bring it to Liz.
Okay? So we'll play the song, what we have so far, like a few more times. Pull out your phone, record it, so you're like, okay, I got it. Alright?
Maybe it's lyrics. Maybe it's a scripture the Lord's putting on the heart.
Okay. I got a little more. This this is going to be a song that compares the God of the Bible to other gods. And I don't know what if your theology allows for the existence of other little g gods, but they're out there. The Bible speaks of them clearly and none of them.
Add them all up times 1,000,000 and they can't even come close to the God of the Bible. What are the lyrics that we have so far? Yeah. Yeah. Yahweh.
So this is a this is a description about the God of the Bible, the one whom you're here to meet with and to fellowship with and to learn about today. No other God is a God of compassion. No other God is a God of mercy and filled with Hasid, unfailing love. So so this could be maybe like part of a chorus, which you come back to over and over. The verses will have to do with the failures and the shortcomings of everything else that would try to lure our hearts into giving our allegiance to things.
So there's that. Lord Jesus, we thank you for, what you're doing in service today. I know I'm not in front of the mic, but you can hear me. In front of the camera, but you can hear me. Jesus, thank you that you are unlike any other God.
Thank you for your goodness towards us. Thank you for your transcendence, your, like, not anything like creation. You're outside of all of creation. Thank you for your unfailing love, your mercy towards us. Your mercy withholds that that is due to us.
And your grace that you lavish on us freely is all the good things from you that we do not deserve. So thank you for your mercy and for your grace. God, I ask in this moment that we would encounter a measure of your grace and of your mercy. And that our hearts would call you by name Yahweh because you have called us by name. Your word says, I gave Egypt and Seba as a ransom for you because you are delightful to me.
Help us to encounter and experience the treasure that we are to you. And as we encounter that, our lives would be transformed. Would you take just a moment and in the stillness of your heart, in your own words, just release the affections of your heart towards him. That may sound something like thank you, I love you. Whatever it is that that comes out of your heart to your mind, just whisper those words to him.
He longs to hear it. He loves to hear it. Jesus, how we love you. Thank you in advance for what you're going to do in our in our hearts and in our lives today. We are quick to give you all the glory and we tell you one more time that we love you.
We pray these things in Jesus' name, and everybody said, amen. Alright. Turn around. Give some high fives, some hugs, and we'll get into God's word together. Thank you.
Mhmm. Yeah. Which
way? Yes. Right there.
Little with some knobs. Yeah. Good morning. Okay. Let's talk oh, it's got the thing on.
Let's talk really quickly about worship and what was coming out of worship. Did anybody feel like, oh, I might have something? Put you on this oh. Is there anything like is it like any kind of like phrase, anything that you wrote, anything that you wanna like say or share or you need to like cook it up a little more? Slow cook.
Yeah. Slow cook it. Concepts or something?
I don't know, like, four or something.
Okay. Do you wanna well, you're gonna have to sing it. No. Just kidding.
Oh, You're right. You don't want Just
kidding. Okay. So say it, and then make sure to write it down and or send it to Lissa.
Okay. Yahweh maker of mountains, holy creator, faithful through sun and storm.
Okay. Alright. Well, walk away. It's on the podcast. Okay.
It's on the podcast. Yes. Yes. That's great. Because he's the lord of creation.
Every he is eternal and uncreated. Everything else is in a order of magnitude lesser than him because it was created. And everything created has a creator and that is the God of the Bible alone. Here's what we're talking about. We're gonna do one more week of this.
I'm pretty confident. I said last week that I think it may go into two weeks, and this is week two. And, I'll just give you a quick review. Last week, we talked about the importance of not just reading, but burying God's word in our hearts. And the verse that we were going off of was Psalms 82.
Excuse me. Proverbs. Excuse me. Proverbs four, and, we'll put that verse up there. This is quick review.
Proverbs four twenty through 22. God is speaking through the author of this proverbs, and he says, my child, pay attention to what I say, listen carefully to my words, and don't lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart for they bring life to those who find them and healing to the whole body. And then we talked about practical ways that we can memorize God's word. Like, where do I even where do I even start, and what do I what do I try to put into my heart?
And then there are three categories of things. Thank you. Like, what touches a pain point in your life? There's a there I promise you, God's word has something to say about whatever pain point you may be experiencing. When you put God's word into your heart around a pain point, it helps bring healing and liberation into that area.
What touches your heart? And what I mean by that is is there a verse that wherever you read it, it just it it thrills your heart. Like, oh man, I love it when you say that. Like, oh, it's so good. That's something that touches your heart.
Put that into deep into your heart. And then whatever touches your mind. Is there an area? Maybe it's a a according to Romans chapter 12 verse two says, do not be conformed any longer to the patterns of this world, but instead be transformed by the renewing of your mind. When you get saved, you get a brand new heart.
Like like that gets born again. But our minds have to be renewed. How do we renew so is there a verse that touches you? Maybe there's an area of your life that that you need to discipline your flesh. You can discipline your flesh with god's word.
Paul says, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I preach to others, I myself will not be disqualified. So maybe there's an area of your mind that that needs to get your mind right. So that those are three areas, three places, three arenas or categories of places that we can go to memorize God's word. Because if it has a the better connection it has with us, the more likely it is for us to grab a hold of it and and bury it deep in our heart. Now I know that some people are, like, still kind of looking around like, oh, what what can I add?
And I I just want to remind you that it doesn't have to be, like, obscure and recognized. It needs to be relevant to something that's in your life. Question. Has anybody, like, started chewing on, working on a new verse to plant in there? I mean, I almost, like, am even afraid to ask.
I know. I know. Keep my keep my stamp away. Joy is like, ah. Do you okay.
Gretchen, for all of us. Yeah. Alright. So I invite you to bury god's word deep into your heart. I am working on Psalms 82.
I'd like to get the whole thing buried in there, but don't worry. It's not like a a big one or a long one. And it goes, God presides over. I mean, what do you got? God provides over heaven's court pronouncing judgment on the heavenly beings.
It it very meaningful to me. And so that's what I'm working on. Psalms 82. Okay. And the takeaway from last week, if this was kind of last week's bottom line.
To treasure his word deeply helps us to follow his heart faithfully. To treasure his word deeply helps us to follow his heart faithfully. And that leads us into what we're going to talk about this week. And so if you have your bible with you, would you turn to Psalms 19? And I'm going to turn there myself.
Psalms 19. Yeah. We're doing good. Parker, did you text that to Lisa or something? Oh.
Yeah. Yo. What? What? Okay.
Write it down then. Yeah. Oh, could I have my coffee, please? It helps me to memorize God's word and bury it deep in my heart. Psalms 19, we're gonna read verses seven through 11.
Kat has a mic. Obviously, we could hear you in the room today, but these are for all of our friends and families that are traveling or watching the livestream or celebrating birthdays in Idaho Falls that are tuned in to the livestream, you'll still get to be a part of today's conversation, and that's why we have the mic. So who would like to read for us Psalms 19 verse seven through 11? Man's got it.
Alright. And this is the New Living Translation. Mhmm. Like it. The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul.
The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The commandments of the lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the lord are clear, giving insight for living. Reverence for the lord is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the lord are true, each one is fair.
They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb. They are a warning to your servant, a great reward for those who obey them.
Man. You know, let's let's take her on down through the end of the verse because there's some there let's take it on down to the end of that chapter. Excuse me. Because it's just so good. 12.
How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults. Keep your servant from deliberate sins. Do not let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin.
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, o lord, my rock and my redeemer.
There's a Hebrew phrase. It is a musical term. The phrase is Selah, and it means in Hebrew to, like, stop and think about what was just said. Let's do that. Man, it's so good.
The goal for today's conversation is to just keep things simple, sweet, and poignant. So with that in mind, as you review verse seven through 11 of Psalms 19, I would love to hear from you what observations do you have. What stands out to you? Or what grabs your attention? Look carefully at those verse.
I'm not fishing for something when I say look carefully as if there's something specific that I want you to find. But I'd love to hear from you. What do you see? How do those verses what would the holy spirit speak to you about those verses?
I just I really like all the different ways like different synonyms for commandments or like instructions, decrees, commandments, commands, laws. Just all the different ways that like synonyms that are all they're all exploring a different aspect of, like, what god's law does for us. It's not just like, these are the rules, and they're really good, but it's like all the different aspects of those.
Oh, that's great. That's probably when you see that, you should probably, probably, for for you, you, just go and underline those different words and then chew on that. I think there's more to unpack for you in there. That's that's really cool. As our friend Steve Strobing would say, there's some oil on that.
I like that. Chris Bates.
With the prompt that you listen Katie Head for us from the song in worship, I have a little sneak peek into the slow cooker I got going.
Okay. Oh, yeah. Lift lift lift
Slow cooker.
Lift the lid and waft some of it up to us.
Yeah. So one of the things so I had kind of five comparisons of God to the little G gods. And so since this came up with the lord as kind of a judge, that was one of the kinda comparisons that that the holy spirit started to trickle into my heart to to let simmer. And this is this is just kinda showing how he makes the law. You know, he made gravity.
He made physics. He made all of this and how it's it's clear. There's so many very loving adjectives in here. It's clear. It's it's joyful.
And how that's such a just juxtaposition to the laws of the secular world or just the little g gods that pull us away from him outside of his kingdom. Not that, you know, how Jesus says paying your taxes is bad or you know? But it doesn't bring anyone joy, really. So I'll just leave it at that.
So a verse about how paying taxes does not bring joy, but big g Yahweh does. Okay. Good. Good. I love that.
How many yeah. I hate taxes, but I love you. We could tweak the melody. How many worship songs include the opportunity through lyrics to meditate on God as judge? You know, we say you reign and and things like that, but, like, God is judge.
Like, that's some good theology there to, like, chew on and to get into our heart. When we sing worship song, well, music in general, has a special way of bypassing some of the filters in our brain and can impact our hearts directly, which is why you gotta be careful what you allow in musically because and so, like, through a worship song okay. Alright. Here's a few things that that I see. As we bury God's word deeply into our hearts, here's some amazing things that happen.
Look at verse seven. The instructions of the Lord are perfect. And what do they do? They revive the soul. When we bury God's word into our heart, it revives our soul.
Oh. Oh. Oh. I know that some of you, like, really like a a linear progression from, like, top to bottom on the pages of your notes, and sometimes I throw this in at the beginning, sometimes at the middle, at the end. But if you are taking notes this morning, at the top of your notes, you can write the title of our conversation today.
The title is rooted in the word, week two, a great reward. When we are rooted in God's word, it is a great reward. Okay. Verse seven. Look at what God's word produces in our lives when we take time to get rooted in the word.
And the best way to root get rooted in the word is when you take the word and plant it deep into your heart. It is planted so deep in your heart that you can recall it from memory. Memorization. In number one, in verse seven, it says that when we get God's word planted deep into our heart, it revives the soul. What's that Hebrew word for soul, Chris Bates?
Yeah. Nefesh. Nefesh. It was right right there. Nefesh.
And it means flesh. Our soul, which is everything apart from our spirit. So our soul includes our mind, our will, our emotions, our physical body. Do you need healing, rejuvenation, or to have your physical body revived? Planting God's word deep in your heart helps transform even your physical body.
Number two, look at verse eight. When we plant God's word deep into our heart, it brings joy to our heart. Now you may go to see the latest. I don't know. We're on episode 17 or 18, Mission Impossible.
I mean, how many impossible missions does he have to pull off before it's like mission like really hard, but Tom Cruise, we know you can do it instead of impossible. I didn't write that joke in there. It just kinda came Yeah. That's off the cuff y'all. Stop.
Stop. Logan, Kai, Kai, Logan, Logan, Kai is my son and and you two both were like so you Everything's fine. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Yep. You both laugh.
It.
Yeah. Yes. Yeah. Okay. So I'll go to see Mission Impossible for amusement, but it does not bring joy to my heart.
So happiness is an emotion. Emotions come and go and they vacillate like, you know, that that like when you start going out and you're dating, woo hoo, you're happy. Then you break up and you're sad. Or maybe you get married. When you start dating somebody, it's gonna end one of two ways.
Right? You will either get married or you will break up. And if you try to take the middle ground of like perpetual dating, you should dump that guy because you you deserve a guy that will commit to you. Wisdom. But joy is different.
Joy transcends circumstances and emotions. There's nothing wrong with emotions. Emotions can be a great gauge on our dashboard of our of our soul to let us know how things are going. Pay attention to being hungry or being angry or feeling unsettled or uneasy. But emotions are terrible drivers of our actions.
Joy is is a fruit of the spirit, as you read in the New Testament. Joy is something that cannot be stolen from us by circumstances or people or situations. And I would even say that joy is a choice. So when we bury God's word deep into our heart, it brings joy to our heart. Now just in case you get a little confused on where in in a Venn diagram of my the body, the soul, and the spirit, where which circle does the heart go into?
It depends on the context of the writer. Because in some verses in the Old Testament, the Bible says, the heart is wicked and deceitful above all else, and you can't trust it. That would be that would then, in the context, context, fit into our soul. You know that little cutes, pithy saying on the coffee mug, like like, the heart wants what the heart wants. Okay.
That's your flesh. Don't give in to what your heart wants. Yeah. The heart yeah. That is true.
The heart does want what the heart wants. But in this instance, in verse eight, brings joy to the heart. The deepest, most innerest part of you, your spirit. It brings joy. Should we keep going?
Any thoughts on this? Clay. I have five of these, by the way. We're on two, so we're doing good.
So it's funny. You should bring this up because at work couple months ago, I was a little bit down, beat down a little bit, and, I made the comment that I wanted the joy back in work like I used to have when I was back in Alabama. And I'm I'm getting ready in the morning and looking in the mirror, and I'm like, hey, you. You're the reason that you don't have joy. You know, it's a like you said, it's a it's a choice to get up and be joyful and to take that with you throughout the day.
Also, just a side note, last week, all of the prayer, all the encouragement, all of the scripture about healing was just magical. And then the the video that Alyssa, I think it was sent to me on Memorial Day. I listened to it over and over and over again, and you just I don't know. It just it it it touched me in a a incredible way. So thank you.
Praise the lord.
Thank everybody for for all the encouragement and scriptures, and then god just laid a lot of scriptures on me and whoo. It's crazy.
Praise the lord. Joy is a choice, and we don't manufacture that from our flesh because it then comes forward as wax fruit like you're wearing a mask. And at work, people can be like, hey. How's your day? And you can be like, it's great.
Everything's great. People see right through that. They're like, oh, there's another fake wax fruit Christian. But when we bury God's word deep into our heart, joy comes up and we use our chooser to allow it to come forward. And so the other thing that you said is, the impact of people's prayers and a video that was sent to you.
The word that you used to describe it was magical. That's alright to say here in church When it's said in its proper context, which you nailed the context. I don't know how to describe it. There's no logical reason for it. It was just magical.
We'll allow it.
I'm seeing through some lines here. I'm reading through the reading between
Mhmm.
Throughout Yeah. All over.
The Venn diagram you mentioned, I had a thought of how our god will allow people to uniquely produce joy and and experience and choose joy through grief and sadness, which I think is a very unique aspect of his kingdom on earth now that we live in.
Yes. Paul says in the New Testament, we don't grieve like those who have no hope. So, yeah, there's something different that is intended to come out of a Jesus follower, and it comes from spending time with him, meditating on his word. Check-in with you again? We'd love to hear it.
Here comes a mic. Come on, Jean.
It's very small. I'm reading a book by John Piper right now, and the whole, like, premise behind it is that joy is a gift and that, like, we can't force ourselves to have
it. Alright.
Or we can't, like, muster it up within ourselves. Like, if we have it, it's because God gave it to us.
There you go. Okay. So how about this? Instead of a gift, like, well, I'm just waiting for the present of joy to fall in my lap. What if the present has been put in your lap, but you need to open it?
Have you really received the gift if you just go, thank you so much. The wrapping paper is so pretty, and then you put it on a shelf. Like, that's insulting to the gift giver. The best way to honor the gift giver is by ripping and shredding the paper and tearing open the box and grabbing a hold of what's inside. Joy.
Okay. Number one, God's word revives the soul. Number two, God's word brings joy to the heart. Number three, God's word gives insight for living. Was that a is that a, like, a something you'd hear on k love?
Like, wasn't there a radio segment by, like, the old Southern Baptist preacher? Insights for living. What's the guy's name? Renee thought he was Don Knox? No.
Doctor Stanley. Doctor Charles Stanley, Insights for Living. Help me, Joy, maybe? Okay. Anyways.
Anyways. Anyways. I mean, I don't mean that in a out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. Okay. So number one, when we bury God's word deep into our heart, it revives the soul.
Number two, it brings joy to the heart. Number three, it gives insight for living. Is there a situation at work that you are having trouble navigating? God's word will give you insights on a successful way to navigate this. And the successful way to navigate this work situation very well may include just doing your job.
It very well may include going to a coworker or a supervisor and humbling yourself. Like, wait a minute. I thought insights for living means how I can, like, you know, like, Sun Shi in the art of war, like, defeat and destroy my enemies. That's not necessarily the way of God. The way of God may be overcoming your enemies by loving them and serving them.
The Bible says that when you serve your enemies, it's like what on their head? Heaping, burning coals on their head. Do you know the do you know the the supposed historic significance behind that? So the idea is in in Semitic cultures, if you were going from one camp to another, that you would have the fire from that morning, and you would keep several of the embers burning hot in this clay jar with ventilation to keep the coals burning so that when you got to the new camp, that you wouldn't have to start all over from scratch, and you could, like, get that fire going again when you move to your new camp. Are you with me?
And the the idea was the very safest place to keep those precious coals burning was not in a backpack, not under your arm, not on the on the kimble, but sitting right on top of your head. And so the idea we like to think of heaping burning coals as like, take that. But the idea of heaping burning coals on your enemy's head is this idea of adding fresh coals to their fire to serve them, to love them by, let me add to your fire so you don't have to oh, well, that one maybe save your phone for after church. Moving on. Number number one, God's word revives the soul.
Number two, brings joy to the heart. Number three, God's word gives us insight for living, whether it's a work situation, a family situation, investing situation, financial situation. And then here is the fourth one. God's word warns us of danger. Like Admiral Akbar says.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. It's a trap. Yeah.
I gotta make up for lost time. Not my son. My son. So here's the thing about danger. Some of you have a proclivity for despite the blaring signs and the warning, you're like, oh, that looks cool, and you run right for it.
Most of us fall into danger because it's camouflage. That's why to warn us of danger. This situation, continuing down this path, is not good for your heart, is not good for your investment of your energy. What if maybe this is just a question for me. What if god's word only ever kept me from stepping on a rake that would then snap up and hit me in the face?
I would be so thankful. God's word does so much more. But when you bury God's word deep into your heart, it will help you from snap stepping on rakes and have a number one, God's word revives the soul. Number two, God's word brings joy to the heart. Number three, God's word gives insight for living.
Number four, God's word warns us of danger. And when we take all of those, it brings us to the fifth one. God's word is itself a great reward. God's word itself is a great reward. Sometimes with some of the things I say, I've had people ask me, wait a minute.
Brian, do you believe in a prosperity gospel? And they have a a a sensitive area, especially to that phrase prosperity gospel because it has been abused that that following Jesus leads to your very best version of life. That people with that revelation and that they march with that message, it gets off into the weeds and is most often mistaken for just material blessings. And so I have to clarify. And I usually get their theological undies twisted in more of a bunch by saying, yes, I do believe in a prosperity gospel.
I believe that everything that we invest our lives into into God's kingdom will yield eternal rewards. And what is more prosperous than eternal rewards? This verse says that when we bury god's word deep into our heart, that we will that there is a a great reward for us living our lives according to that. Even if your life is destitute and homeless and as a vagabond, you can still be joyful. You can still have your soul revived.
You can steer clear of danger, have $0 in your bank account, and have God's God's word buried in your heart be a great reward. Let's go back to the top, click through these one at a time, and then I'd love to hear any thoughts that you may have on any of these, and then we're gonna land the plane. Simple, sweet, concise to do. Efficacious for right living. Oh, yeah.
Alternative title. Don't ask me how to spell it. God's word revives the soul and brings joy to the heart, gives insights for living, warns of danger, and is a great reward. Kat, I can tell that your wheels are spinning. Any thoughts?
Sure. I would say this is a good reminder of exactly what it's supposed to do. I would say I'm not good at at getting in the word And this is a good reminder for me personally of what it's actually transforming in me when I do. So I guess that's why my wheels are turning. It it was just been a good reminder for me personally.
And
sometimes it doesn't feel like this when you're in it and your flesh convinces you that it's just reading black words on white pages.
Mhmm.
But it's not. It's alive, and it's transforming you. Mhmm. Again, good reminder.
Mhmm. Do you know there are lots and lots and lots and lots of verses about righteous government? And the and the execution thereof in this book. So In Psalms. In Psalms.
Mhmm. So when so find something that touches your heart. Okay. Don't write this down, or you can write both of them down. But I was thinking about, like, what's the bottom line takeaway for today?
And I came up with two statements. So I wrote this statement earlier in the week, and I was meditating on it. I was considering it. I was chewing on it. And then, but I've been like, it could be better.
It could be more accurate. It could be more potent. And then this morning, I was I was like, oh, let me take another run at that. And then I was like, that's better. So let me share with you the first version of today's bottom line.
Where God's word is planted, a great reward is harvested. So I had that all week, and I was like, oh, that's good, Brian. But then I was like, and then I could be it may not be as fun for you to hear. And wouldn't it be great if this just were automatically true? That all I do is bury God's word in my heart, and then a a great reward is harvested.
But that's not theologically precise. Can you can you see what's wrong with this or what's not precise about this? What does your tell you? Joy? Because you've got a really strong
Well, just like a seed in a garden where a seed is planted, you don't just leave that seed alone and then show up in the fall and there's a harvest. There it takes it takes tending. It takes cultivating. It takes all the things that it doesn't just it's not a one and done thing.
Yes. Wouldn't it You're welcome. Be Yeah. Wouldn't it be great if this were completely true? Set it and forget it.
Like a vending machine. Yeah. And
where it's planted matters too. Oh. Jesus had the parable where he talked about the environment in which the seed is dropped.
Yeah. Tell me go go on. Tell
us Being a little rocky soil Mhmm. There's not gonna be a harvest there. Nope. You can't plant well, volcanoes can eventually grow stuff, but if it's thrown on the sidewalk Yes. Birds go and pick it up.
And then there's good soil Good soil. And a good farmer.
A good farmer.
There's gonna be a harvest.
There's gonna be a harvest.
Come on down.
Come on down. And now, the real bottom line at the most critical moment has cut out. Isaac's gonna work on it, so you can get the real bottom line.
One more thing, and I thought of mentioning this when Clay was talking about healing last week and I chickened out. But last week, you had when we were talking about healing, we're talking about a seed to an oak tree. And I thought that was such a good comparison because of the time factor that is involved from seed to tree. And just a reminder that as we are putting God's word in our heart and we're cultivating it and continuing to take care of it, it's not a vending machine. It does take time.
And just because it takes time doesn't mean it's not working. The same thing with, like, the ground and a seed. The seed has to die in the ground, and there's a long time that you don't even see anything happening.
Yes.
And then it starts to come. So just because you're not seeing things on the outside Yeah. Know. There you go.
That's like a screen saver.
There we go.
Yeah. So just remember that time factor and that just because we're not seeing it with our eyes doesn't mean it's not working. And one more thing. And then remember the seasons too of winter being part of the four seasons. If you watch a tree besides the evergreens, but in winter, they don't look like they're doing so hot.
They usually look pretty dead. But now we can look out at the trees and we can be like, woah. Look at all that new life that came out of that little tree that looked like just dead sticks and just reminding ourselves that there's seasons that things that even though you don't see anything going on, and it feels and looks real dead, the spring is coming too.
Ladies and gentlemen, Joy Abad on our teaching team, Who is and is always brings such wonderful insights.
Sorry. I know you have a point that you're trying to get to,
but The real bottom line for today is forthcoming.
I just wanted to go back to what Kat was talking about before. That like there are times that you can be looking at your bible and it's just black words on a page. And and like and I've been in that place where it's like, I know that I'm supposed to do this and it sounds like that. I know I'm supposed to be doing this and so like, I'm reading and I'm reading and I'm reading. But then I'm like doing it in my own striving.
And so there can be a step before that. And one of the things that I've done that's been very very helpful is before I open my bible, I say, which is also a verse, but I say, open my eyes that I may see wondrous things in your
law. Woah.
And he helps me then to do the thing that I'm supposed to do for him. Yeah. You know, and like that just makes it so I'm not doing it in my own striving and it really has like opened up the bible. And I wasn't going to him with it because it felt like it was something that I should be doing, so I should be doing it on my own. But like even in that, going to him first and being like, help me do this.
Yeah.
There is absolutely nothing that God asks of us that he doesn't also supply us with the gumption to do it. We can do some of those things out of our own strength, and he's like, those are called dead works or works of the flesh. That's a different sermon. But but he's the author and source of everything. Let's put up a better bottom line.
Where God's word is planted, a great reward grows. How about that, Joy? Where God's word is planted, a great reward grows. It still needs to be cultivated. And what's great about a harvest, like a fruit tree, how many times can you harvest that fruit tree in the life of that fruit tree?
A lot. Let's take just a moment and tend the garden of our hearts for a moment. Walk among the growth that's happened. The Holy Spirit may highlight weeds to you. Do you know that he does not pull weeds from your heart?
He will point them out, and it is your job to pull the weeds. It is also your job to plant the seeds. His specialty lies in causing seeds to germinate and sprout and grow. And it's almost oh, what was the word that was used earlier? Magical in the way that it happens.
Holy Spirit, just like you walked with Adam in the cool of the evening in the garden, walk with us in this moment through the garden of our heart. You just take a moment and be with him in the garden of your heart.
As I was, listening to Gretchen share, and as we transition into this next form of worship, I was reminded of a quote from good friend of tribe, Carla Waters, and she said, you can't have it stacked your way to sanctification. And for me, like, I grew up memorizing scripture and then, like, did theater, so, like, memorizing things is, like, there's a system to it. And when I think about it that way, I'm like, you can't just, like, do the practice of like, well, I'm gonna just memorize these words and get it down. There's an extra piece of it of asking God to help embed it deep within our hearts, not just locked in our minds that we could just recite it, but that he wants it to be deep within us. That it's not just about the doing.
We could do so much, but he wants it to be deep within us. And thinking about our tithe and above that above and beyond that, our offerings. Psalm fifty one sixteen came up in my head. You do not desire a sacrifice or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering.
Sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart. Even in the Old Testament, where the law was sacrificed, it was God wants our hearts. And the same goes for our finances. Like, God doesn't just want us to like check the box and do our 10%, but he he gets all of us.
And he wants our heart and we get to pour out and give from that place rather than just checking the box. Yeah. Why don't you guys bow your heads and pray with me as we pray over the tithe and the offering? Father God, we give you all that we have. We ask that you open us up as we surrender every part of our lives to you, God.
And we ask that you take our finances, God, and multiply them. Use them to further your kingdom, God. Here at Tribe, and at Jackson, and all the surrounding areas, God, and to the uttermost bounds of the earth. Use us, Father. We wanna partner with you.
This is you. You didn't just you don't need our money, but instead you invite us into the sweetness of doing kingdom work with you. So use us, father. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.
Amen. We don't pass buckets here at Tribe, but we've got a little lockbox back by the door and a black box down at the front of the building that you could throw cash or check into. You can give online at our website @tribejh.org or you can give through your smartphone, by just opening a new text to 84321. That's still the number. 84321.
It's going to be changing soon, so we will keep you guys posted on that. But you just type in any dollar amount and hit send and from then on, it just becomes as easy as texting a friend. Announcements. On your car or on your seats today, you guys had connect cards. If you don't get a text blast doing all the announcements of what's going on each week, You could just fill out your info there and you'll be able to get that text blast.
And if you're already on that, on the backside, there are spaces for prayer requests. Our staff prays over that altogether as a group and we would love to be able to pray for you guys. So please, it'd be awesome to fill have you guys fill those out and to be able to pray for you. Today at 06:00? 05:00.
05:00 on the town square, we will be gathering together to support our local Jewish community to stand in solidarity with the hostages that are still Still. Still missing and unaccounted for. And so, we believe that God's heart is for the Jewish people and we love getting to support our local Jewish community and go out there and stand with them. So 05:00 on the town square, first Sunday of every month, and it is a beautiful rhythm that we get to engage in with loving on them. There will be prayer meetings that we're gonna start doing every few weeks here through the summer.
And the first of which is this Wednesday at 6PM here at the TMC. It's gonna be a beautiful opportunity to just gather together, pray as a community, just for what's going on here at Tribe, what's going on, in Jackson. And I'm really looking forward to getting to just join in prayer for about an hour, once or twice a month with all of you guys. So 6PM here this Wednesday, and then we'll have a few more dates through the rest of the summer. I think that's all we got.
You wanna come pray us out?
Eve, you wanna mention next Sunday, the film?
Yes. One more thing. I think we have a graphic for it. There is a film that the local Jewish community is sponsoring to show where is the venue at the wart. And I would encourage you to, at a bare minimum, look up a preview for this film.
You can rent it and watch it. I would strongly encourage you, watch this film, and then come support the local Jewish community as they work to bring awareness about the lies of the enemy, the narrative that has been spun as a result of what happened in October October 7. The film is called October 8, and it is all about the the deceitful, mendacious lies of the enemy trying to be propagated here in The United States to poison the minds of many college students against Israel. And so watch the film, Chabad, Wyoming, Jack and Old Jewish Community tribe, and Cornerstone, the other Christian church, were partnering together to bring this film to the ward. And so, it does say r s v RSVP required.
So take a picture of this. We'll also send it out in a graphic. Last thing is this. Our we are getting a real legitimate 10 digit phone number for text to give. That transition happens tomorrow, June 2.
And so if you use the old text to give number, 84321, you will get a reply that says, hey. This is Tribe's new number. Change the contact. It's gonna be really easy. This week, we will send you a text blast reminder about the transition of the number of texts to give, and then for the next couple of Sundays, we'll have a graphic with instructions on that.
But it's pretty seamless and easy. Even if you text to the old number, it'll say, hey. Here's the new number. Sound good? Mhmm.
Would you stand up? Can I pray for you, Shay, and the rest of you? Lord, thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you for the the potency of the potential of your word. That if it is only recited from our mind and our intellect that it's just meh. But when it's buried deep into our heart, it transforms our life. And so, Lord, we thank you that your word is the great reward. I pray the great reward of your word over each and every member of our tribe fam here today.
I command a blessing over them. Lord, help our students to go strong to the finish. The end of school is coming. Give us a great week. We pray these things in Jesus' name, the strong son of God.
And everybody said, amen. I love you guys so much. Have a great week. And remember, you got this.
Share this message
Every word on these came out of the message. Download one and post it anywhere.
