God Speaks | Sunday, November 22, 2020

Good morning, Cross-Connection Church family, and welcome to Church Online. I'm truly grateful that you are joining us as we study through the Scriptures together week after week in something of a heterodox fashion here on YouTube. I realize that this is atypical and abnormal, but in a lot of ways, it really is our new normal at this point in time.

A lot of church leaders, myself included, were a little discouraged this last week when a research organization called Barna, which conducts Christian polling and research, released their findings on a significant number of Christian churchgoers. They found that nearly 50 percent of them have not interacted with any church content online in the last four weeks. So, I want to thank you for setting aside the time to join us this morning. I think that it will be a good thing because I believe that God has a word for us.

Now, I know that I say this every single week, and it may seem a little repetitive, but I emphasize it because I think it's important. Please take a moment to share a link to this broadcast with someone you know through a text message or on social media. The greatest hope for humanity is not a vaccine for coronavirus. It is not a fix for climate change. It is not a great reset into a new economic system for the future. The greatest hope for humanity is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

This is why, for 2,000 years, Christians have been sharing the good news of the gospel with others. That's what we call evangelism. It is somewhat comical, although it's pretty sad as well, that a major news publication this last week was aghast to find out that a newly elected congressman to North Carolina's 11th district had the audacity to admit that he had, in the past, tried to convert Jews and Muslims to Christianity. In the context of 2020, it is viewed as worse in the eyes of a secularized society to do what Christians have been doing for 2,000 years—sharing the gospel—than it is to engage in things like solicitation or adultery. The modern media has been calling evil good and good evil since 1973.

Before we get into the Scriptures today, I want to invite you to be counter-cultural and to share a link to live.ccchurch.com on social media or send it out as a text to a friend or a group of friends.

Friends, as we now cut over to Pastor Anthony and our worship team, we come before you today, Heavenly Father. Lord, we are so grateful and blessed that you are in our lives and that you are in control. In a world that is spinning out of control, we know, Lord, that you never change. You are a solid foundation on which we can stand and rest.

God, may we find rest today in you, in your Spirit, and in your Word. May we find peace, Lord God, in your presence as we lift up our burdens to you through worship, through praise, through prayer, and through the reading of your Word. Bless our time now. In Jesus' mighty name, we pray. Amen.

I searched the world, but it couldn't fill me. A man's empty praise and treasures of faith were never enough. Then you came along and put me back together. Every desire is now satisfied here in your love. Oh, there's nothing better than you. Oh, there's nothing; nothing is better than you.

I'm not afraid to show you my weakness, my failures, and flaws. Lord, you've seen them all.

You still call me friend because the God of the mountain is the God of the valley. There's not a place your mercy and grace won't find me again.

Oh, there's nothing better than You. God, there's nothing; nothing is better than You.

Sing this truth: You turn mourning to dancing. You give beauty for ashes. You turn shame into glory. You're the only one who can. You turn graves into gardens. You turn bones into armies. You turn seas into highways. You're the only one who can.

Oh, there's nothing better than You. Lord, there's nothing better than You.

Lord, there's nothing. Nothing is better than You. Oh, there's nothing better than You. God, there's nothing. Nothing is better than You. You turn graves into gardens. You turn bones into armies. You turn seas into highways. You're the only one who can.

Welcome! Thanks for tuning in to Cross Connection Church. We are glad that we get to bring you church at home today. If you don't know me, hi, I'm Pastor Garrett. Here at Cross Connection Church, we're all about living life in connection. It's life in connection with God, one another, and the world through Jesus Christ.

Part of living life in connection is prayer. We talk about this every single week. It might seem repetitive to those of you who watch regularly, but we love to pray. Cross Connection Church is a praying church. We believe that there's power in prayer, that God hears our prayers, answers our prayers, and is faithful to us. He loves us so much.

We have an awesome opportunity for you. You can simply submit your prayer request online while we're meeting virtually. Just go to prayer.lifeinconnection.com. We'll get your prayer request right away. Know that we have a huge, amazing prayer team that's praying with and for you. We would love to see how God is going to answer your prayers this week. We do believe that God answers our prayers. So whatever's going on, whether it's for you, your family, or loved ones, we would love to be praying with and for you this week. Again, that's prayer.lifeinconnection.com. Check that out. We want to be praying. We're a church that prays, and we love it.

Our mission this week is with Samaritan's Purse and the Christmas boxes. I have to say, as Cross Connection Church, the pastors here are stoked. We received 127 boxes back from you all, packed up. I know you have been praying for them. Thank you for turning those back in. We just got those over to the distribution center.

And we're going to just ask now that you would be praying for those kids that the boxes are going to. Before they get to the kids, of course, there is a distribution process where they are sorted and sent out. So please pray for the whole process, all the volunteers working through it, and specifically for the kids who will be receiving them around the world. It's just such a blessing. We are so blessed here at Cross Connection Church to receive so many of those boxes and even extra items. Thank you, Cross Connection Church, and please pray for Samaritan's Purse and the Christmas boxes this year.

With that, I want to give you a quick reminder before we go back to Pastor Anthony. We are meeting tonight at 5 o'clock here at the church for a devotion from Pastor Myles, and we would love for you to be there. You can bring your lawn chair, and we will have a fire pit set up with some fun activities. We would love to see you tonight at 5 o'clock here at the church. You're welcome to wear a mask or not; we will be outside and socially distanced. We look forward to some fellowship, a time of worship, and a short message from Myles.

Now, we will jump back to Pastor Anthony, who will lead us in a time of worship. This is a time set aside for those of you who call Cross Connection Church your home church to worship the Lord with your giving. There are three different ways you can do that. First, you can text the number 84321 on your cell phone. Second, you can go to give.lifeinconnection.com on our website. Third, you can simply mail your offering to the church address at 1675 Seven Oaks Road, or you can drop it off here physically. Just put it through the mail slot if we are not here.

With that, let's go ahead and worship the Lord together. God bless you all, and have a great week. I'll see you next time.

I don't want to be afraid. Every time I face the waves, I don't want to be afraid. I don't want to fear the storm just because I hear it roar. I don't want to fear the storm. Peace, be still. Say the word, and I will set my feet upon the sea.

Until I'm dancing in the deep, peace be still. You are here, so it is well. Even when my eyes can't see, I will trust the voice that speaks. I'm not going to be afraid, cause these waves are only waves. I'm not going to fear the storm; You are greater than its roar. I'm not going to fear the storm. I'm not going to fear at all.

Peace be still. Say the word and I will set my feet upon the sea until I'm dancing in the deep. Peace be still. You are here, so it is well. Even when my eyes can't see, I will trust the voice that speaks.

Peace, peace over me. Let faith rise up, oh heart, believe. Let faith rise up in me. Let faith rise up, oh heart, believe. Let faith rise up in me. Let faith rise up, oh heart, believe. Let faith rise up in me. Let faith rise up, oh heart, believe.

Let faith rise up in me. Peace, be still. Say the word, and I will set my feet upon the sea until I'm dancing in the deep. Peace, be still. You are here, so it is well. Even when my eyes can't see, I will trust the voice that speaks peace, peace over me. Amen.

I want you to just pause for a moment.

Think about those words. We have seen this day that God speaks with man. What is fascinating to me is that those words, or rather the idea that those words present, stopped the people of Israel 3,400 years ago, but not really for the same reason that they stopped me. Those words and the idea behind them stopped Israel because they understood something of the power, glory, and holiness of God, such that they expected the outcome of Almighty God speaking to them would be their own death.

Last year, HBO came out with a historical drama revolving around the nuclear disaster that happened in Chernobyl in 1986. I was only six years old when that happened, so I don't have a lot of memory of it, but some of you remember watching all of that unfold. I haven't seen the whole Chernobyl series on HBO, but I have watched a number of clips that people have sent to me from it, and it's gut-wrenching.

When the disaster happened in Ukraine, the reactor core at Chernobyl was exposed, releasing devastating levels of radiation. Many of those who were exposed to the radiation died of acute radiation syndrome shortly after that. In the months and years that followed, countless individuals died from the effects of radiation as well. The radiation that they came in contact with didn't immediately kill them; it just didn't do so right on the spot, but the effects of it did.

The people of Israel were afraid in a similar fashion. After they had come in contact with the living and holy God, they feared that the same sort of thing would happen to them. Deuteronomy chapter 5 says, "Surely the Lord our God has shown us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice from the midst of the fire, and we have seen this day that God speaks with man, yet he still lives. Now, therefore, why should we die?" In fear and reverence, they said, "If we hear the voice of the Lord our God anymore, we will die."

So, 3,400 years ago, the idea that God speaks with man caused the people of Israel to stop in their tracks. These words that God speaks with man caused me to pause for a different reason.

This idea that God speaks with man makes both believers and unbelievers in the 21st century uncomfortable. If you're a believer, this makes you uncomfortable for at least two reasons.

First, it makes you uncomfortable because if you affirm that you believe this is true—that God speaks with man—then people you know are going to think that you're crazy if they don't believe in God like you do. I'm not wrong. In our current cultural moment, you are made to feel stupid if you publicly avow that you believe it to be true, that God is and that God speaks with man. Just like you are made to feel foolish and crazy if you share your faith with other people, as I mentioned at the beginning of the message. The newly elected congressman, Madison Cawthorn, in North Carolina's 11th District, has been made to feel like a fool for sharing the gospel.

The first reason that we might feel uncomfortable with this idea that God speaks with man is that there is a pressure in our society to not acknowledge that you believe in God or that God speaks. The second reason that I think this idea makes Christians uncomfortable is that you want it to be true. I mean, I want it to be true that God is and that He speaks to us. But you don't know that it is because you're not sure that God has ever spoken to you.

I don't know about you, but even though I have been a Christian for most of my life and have served in Christian ministry for all of my adult life, I have always been a little bit bothered when I hear Christians say, "The Lord told me" or "The Lord spoke to me." Many times, I've stopped people when they've said, "The Lord told me" or "God spoke to me," and I've asked them, "How did God speak to you?" or "How do you know that it was the Lord who spoke to you?"

I personally think that a lot of shenanigans and trouble have followed people who have said, "The Lord told me." I kind of wonder if God doesn't sometimes raise an eyebrow when He hears one of His followers begin with, "The Lord spoke to me." More than a few disasters have followed that saying. It might be the Christian equivalent of "Hold my beer."

But as it is said, I digress. Be all of that as it may, I don't know that I, even as a pastor for more than 20 years, have ever heard God's audible voice.

Of course, that's not to say that God does not speak. He does. That's exactly what this text in Deuteronomy 5 says, and I believe this to be true. God has spoken, and He has spoken to me through the Scriptures. Albeit, I don't think I've ever heard the audible voice of God.

Now, I may be confusing you, but please stick with me. The idea that God speaks with man makes many believers uncomfortable because it weirds out their non-believing peers and friends, and because they're not sure that God has ever spoken directly or specifically to them. But these words also make unbelievers uncomfortable.

The obvious reason that these words make the skeptic uncomfortable is that the skeptic thinks, "I like this person. I like this person that I work with or that lives next door to me. He's a nice guy. But he doesn't actually believe that there is a God. He doesn't actually believe that this God speaks. Does he? I mean, I like you for the most part. You seem to be a pretty together and sane person, but you don't actually believe this, right? I don't want you to believe this because I don't want to have to quietly think that you're crazy. Or even worse, I don't want to have the awkward conversation with you where I tell you that I think the belief in God is crazy."

So, that's the obvious reason that I think this idea that God speaks with man makes the skeptic uncomfortable. I can tell you that this is the obvious reason because that's what I think I would be thinking if I were a skeptic or an unbeliever.

But there's another, less obvious reason that this idea that God speaks with man makes the unbelieving skeptic a little uncomfortable. If you're an unbelieving skeptic—and we have more people who are skeptical listening to this now because we're out on YouTube—if you're honest, this makes you a little bit uncomfortable because deep down, in places you don't talk about at parties, there is a part of you that is actually somewhat concerned that it could be true that there is a God and that He speaks.

And for the skeptic, that's terrifying. If it's true, that's terrifying. I know that this makes you uncomfortable, though I won't make you admit it openly because you've got to save face. I totally understand.

Now you may object: How do you know that it's true, that I deep down might be concerned that this is true? Because the Scriptures say that unbelievers do not like to retain God in their knowledge. You don't like that God is stuck in your mind. However, the thought of God doesn't just go away. That's why every unbeliever always has to replace the thought of God with some other superordinate idea, which is always insufficient as a penultimate answer to the deeper questions of life.

What deeper questions of life? Things like questions having to do with identity and purpose, origin, destiny, and morality. If you'd like further teaching on this idea of these deep questions of life, I recommend a teaching series that I did called Identity. You can find it at thelifeinconnection.com/identity.

Three thousand four hundred years ago, it was discomforting for the people of Israel that God speaks with man. I believe, as I have suggested, that this concept is discomforting for both believers and skeptics today, albeit for different reasons than it was for Israel 3,400 years ago. But as uncomfortable as this may be to us, it should also be a great comfort that God speaks with man.

Why? It should be a great comfort to us, as the late Christian philosopher and apologist Francis Schaeffer wrote decades ago: He is there and he is not silent. God is there, and he is not silent. This is the philosophical base of the Christian worldview. At the most basic level, this is what you discover when you open the pages of Scripture: God is. He has made himself known. Therefore, God is knowable. He desires to be known by us, which means he desires a relationship with us.

Listen, if you're a skeptic or if you're a believer, this is one of the opening propositions of the Christian faith: God is there. He is not silent, and he desires a relationship with you. But, of course, there is a problem. You knew that was coming, didn't you? The problem is that there is something that stands in the way between God and man. There is something that hinders our relationship with a holy and righteous God.

It is the very thing that caused the people of Israel to be fearful when God spoke with them 3,400 years ago. What stands between us and God? What hinders us from having a relationship with Him that He desires to have with us? Our sin hinders the relationship God desires to have with us.

Ultimately, this whole section of the Bible in Deuteronomy, dealing with the statutes and the judgments of God, is all about how the holy and righteous God would deal with the hindering power of sin. God recognized that there was this gulf between us and Him. The problem is that we often don't recognize or acknowledge the chasm of sin that separates us from Him. Nor do we have the self-awareness to recognize that the chasm is one of our own making. The sin that separates us from God is the result of our disobedience and our rebellion.

The law, the very statutes and judgments of God that we've been studying through this passage in Deuteronomy, includes commands such as: you shall have no other gods before God, you shall not bow down to idols, you shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, you shall honor the Sabbath, you shall honor your father and your mother, you shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not lie, and you shall not covet. These statutes and judgments are not established to make it possible for you and me to become holy so that we can have a relationship with God. Rather, they are given to show us that we are unholy and that we cannot get to God by our own efforts. These are given to reveal our sinfulness.

In the New Testament book of Romans, specifically, we see this very clearly outlined. In Romans chapter 3, Romans chapter 4, and Romans chapter 7, it is by the law that we have the knowledge of sin. So, these are given to reveal our sinfulness.

Why? Well, it is not only true that God is there and that He is not silent. It is not only true that our sin hinders the relationship that God desires to have with us, but it is also true that from the beginning, God determined to deal with the sin that has brought separation and death. How would He do so? Well, Deuteronomy and the rest of the Old Testament scriptures provide the answer.

It is the setup for the whole story of the Gospel. Ultimately, God's determined plan to deal with sin, the separation, and death brought about by sin is the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross 2,000 years ago. But to make that a reality, to make it possible for Jesus to come, Israel—the people to whom Moses is speaking these words in Deuteronomy—had to come into the promised land and remain in the land.

Moses spoke to them 3,400 years ago as they stood on the border of the promised land, bordering the blessing of the promised land. He teaches them this law, preparing them to enter into the promised land. He speaks to them these words in Deuteronomy 5:32: "So that you may live and that it may be well with you and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess." The children of Israel are preparing to come into the land, and Moses is preaching once again these statutes and judgments of the law so that they can go into the promised land and remain in the promised land.

In effect, God says, "Israel, keep these commandments so that you are positioned to prepare the way, so that you are in the land, so that you may be the people through which the blessing of the Messiah may come to bring salvation to all people among all nations." These statutes and judgments were preparatory for the coming of the Messiah. The law is our schoolmaster to lead us to Christ. The law will not save you, but it prepares the way for the Savior, Jesus Christ.

God had spoken to the children of Israel's father, Abraham, and He said, "I want you to come and follow me, and if you follow me, I'm going to give you this land to you and your descendants so that through you all the nations will be blessed by the coming of the Messiah." The children of Israel, 3,400 years ago, after God, through Moses, had brought them out of their bondage in Egypt, were now being brought into the promised land to set them up to be the ones through which the Messiah would come to bring salvation to all people. This law was to order their lives as a nation.

As the people of God, the law was given so that the Messiah could come. This law was not given to save them from their sin. The law is not given to save us from our sins. Therefore, we will never be able to stand before God as holy and righteous on the basis of our keeping the law. However, the law will bring us to the place where we recognize our need for the Savior, Jesus Christ, so that we would call out to Him to receive His salvation.

This is a significant part of the reason why these statutes and judgments are so important. It is a big part of the reason why, over the last many weeks, I have been encouraging you to get to know the Scriptures and to become well acquainted with these commandments. I hope that you will continue to do that as we study through the Scriptures together.

Now, if you don't mind, I want to close out our time this morning a little differently, with a kind of public service announcement. 2020 is not over, and the chaos of 2020 is not done. As we conclude our study in Deuteronomy today, I want to share a little bit of the way I see it as this moment comes to us on November 22, 2020.

As your pastor, I can speak not just for myself, but for the other pastors on our staff and our leaders as well. I miss seeing all of you on Sunday mornings. I miss preaching on Sunday mornings in our facility as we gather together as a family at Cross Connection Church. We have been gathering together on Sunday evenings at 5 p.m., and a number of you have been coming. It has been a real blessing, and I hope to see some of you this evening again at 5 p.m.

However, there are still many of you who have not and probably will not join us on Sunday evenings, and I completely understand that. Some people are very fearful and still very hesitant about gathering in a group, and I cannot fault you for that. I do understand. I am not one of those who thinks that coronavirus is a sham. My wife works in the critical care unit of a local hospital, and she has spent a lot of time with people over the last eight months who are dying of COVID-19. These people die alone, aside from the nurses, like my wife, who are standing by their side when they die.

This is real, even if it is not as deadly as we first feared. We should all thank God that it is not as deadly as we first feared, but it is real. Now, you may not fully agree with the way that our government has...

I find myself very conflicted regarding my agreement with the way our government is responding to these issues. I don't always know if they are doing things the right way, and I can certainly voice my opinion about those matters. In some respects, I believe that the authorities have gone too far. Within reason, we, the leadership at Cross Connection Church, have done our best to follow those guidelines. However, we are still going to gather together on Sunday nights at 5 p.m., and I encourage you to meet in small groups. I want to encourage you again to prayerfully consider doing so.

I continue to communicate with many people in our church regularly through email, text messages, and phone calls. If you would like to reach out to me or the other pastors via email, please contact me at pastor@ccsgo.org. In my communication with people within the church, I find that those who are doing the best right now are those connected to a Connect Group. This is why we began Connect Groups more than seven years ago as a church, for such a time as this. We didn't know seven years ago when we started Connect Groups that we would be in the midst of this season going through coronavirus, but we did recognize that, historically speaking, the church has always existed as a gathering of people who come together corporately. We are continuing to do this on Sunday evenings, and we will keep doing so until Jesus comes.

Aside from those corporate gatherings, Acts chapter 2, beginning at verse 42, says that the church also gathered together from house to house in fellowship groups, experiencing the Greek word "koinonia," which means fellowship and communion with one another. For such a time as this, these Connect Groups are essential. The church has existed as a body of believers living in fellowship with one another since A.D. 32, and it will continue to do so until Jesus returns. With everything that is going on, it sometimes feels like that could be at any moment.

You need to be a part of a small group. You need to join one of these Connect Groups, even if it's just with one or two other couples in the church. This is the new reality. This is the new normal, and things are not going back to the way they were. You can hope for it and want it to return to the way things were, but it is going to be different.

And even when we begin to gather together again in normal church on Sunday mornings, Connect Groups are always going to be central to who we are as Cross Connection Church. Cross Connection Church is all about living life in connection with God, with one another, and the world through Jesus. That is our call, our mission, and our vision.

I want to call you again to engage in life in connection with God, one another, and the world. One of the best ways that you can do that is through our small group ministry. Please go to athome.lifeinconnection.com and consider hosting a small group or joining a small group as we continue to move through this season. This is essential; this is the way. I hope to see some of you tonight at 5 p.m., but I also hope to see many of you gathering together in small groups within these Connect Groups. I think that it will be a real blessing to your walk with the Lord, and it will also be a real encouragement during this challenging period of time.

I want to encourage you to check out the recordings that I'm doing. Just like this, they're shorter, but they're delivered every single day through YouTube, or you can get them as a podcast. Just go to coffeetime.pastormiles.com, and you can be connected with those videos. I've heard from a number of people that they are an encouragement, and I hope they will be a blessing to you as well.

With that, let me pray, and then we'll finish our time together with a song.

Father God, as we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, help us to pause this week to think about all the things that we can and should be thankful for. Lord, I am grateful for our church. I'm grateful for this body of believers that You have put together. I'm grateful for the encouragement that they are to me, to my wife, to my kids, and to my extended family.

I pray that You would draw us together even more as we come into this holiday season. Remind us of how good it is, how pleasant it is for the body of Christ to dwell together in unity. I pray that You would unify us together as Your people and help us to rejoice. Help us to be a city set on a hill, a light shining in a dark place. I believe that the church has the ability to shine brightly now more than at any time in my lifetime and probably in the lifetime of anyone else watching this right now.

So God, would You use us to shine brightly to our community and to reach people with the good news of the gospel?

The hope that we have in You. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

I love You, Lord. Oh, Your mercy never fails me. All my days I've been held in Your hands. From the moment that I wake up until I lay my head, I will sing of the goodness of God.

And all my life You have been faithful. And all my life You have been so, so good. With every breath that I am able, I will sing of the goodness of God. I love Your voice. You have led me through the fire in darkest nights. You are close like no other. I've known You as a Father. I've known You as a friend. I have lived in the goodness of God.

Your goodness is running after, it's running after me.

With my life laid down, I'm surrendering now. I can't thank You enough for anything! Your goodness is running after me; it's running after me. With my life laid down, I'm surrendered now. I give You everything. Your goodness is running after me; it's running after me.

And all my life, You have been faithful. And all my life, You have been so, so good. With every breath that I am able, I will sing of the goodness of God. Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God.

Father God, we rejoice in the good things that You are doing in and through Your church. We pray that You would pour out Your Spirit, Lord, the fullness of Your Spirit with all the gifts and all of the fruit associated with Your Spirit. Lord, may we be a people who are experiencing and manifesting love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness, and self-control— all of these things.

God, pour out on Your church and cause us to experience and show the fruit of the Spirit this week. Lord, once again, lead us into gratitude, we pray, as we celebrate Thanksgiving coming up here real quick.

And now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of His Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. We'll see you next week.