What’s Wrong With Me // Austin Svangren

This message today is 24 years in the making. I've been born again about 24 years and this message is coming with all that all that experience. I have my lovely assistant here. Wonderful, strong, handsome assistant. Round of applause for Caleb. Go ahead and hold this right here. Greet the brethren with the holy kiss. He loves it. He loves it. Go ahead and hold hold it out right here. I got a couple of uh anointed tennis balls. I'm gonna be throwing them out at the audience, okay? Not too far. Not too far. They have scriptures on them. You guys can look them up. If they feel crusty, it's cuz I shoot these out of my flaming tennis ball shooter. They go halfway across Ven City. Okay. So, I'm going to I'm going to try to make You guys think I can make it? You guys think I can make it? Oh, >> I got it this time. I got it this time. What about this one? I really need to make this one, man. I have a lot writing on this one. All the pride. Everybody's looking at me. Life decision. Ready? Ready. Maybe from this angle. Thank you. You can have a seat. You can only miss in life so many times before you begin to think something's wrong. Even worse, feel like something's wrong with you. I want I want an honest, sincere show of hands. How many of you guys feel like something's been wrong with you? Or you've had that question, what's wrong with me? Hands up all over the place. Good. So, this should be a timely word. This sermon is to encourage those of us who feel like we may have missed one too many times. And I want to let you know that the pain and the delay and the pressure you are walking through does not mean that God has forgotten you. It can actually be a place of deeper fellowship, spiritual formation, and future ministry. So, I'd like to propose a new way of thinking this morning. Instead of being guided by frustrations and failures and setbacks and help you know that there is a purpose, let's transition today from a what's wrong with me or what's wrong with them or what's wrong with everybody else. identity to what am I being acquainted with so I can learn and grow and go deeper and be fruitful and conquer and multiply. Amen. >> You know what our main purpose on this planet is? What God created everything for is for his people to become like who? >> Him. That's it. I'll just put the mic down and leave. You got it? Your main purpose on this life is to become like Christ. That's it. There's nothing there's nothing greater. There's nothing better that you could have said about you than that's a Christian. And God will take us through that process to become like him. Apostle Paul knew that as he cho as he spoke to the church in Philippi. And we see in Philippians 3:10, there is a little recipe or an ingredient for becoming like Christ and walking in what we call resurrection power. Everybody say resurrection power. >> Resurrection power. >> Apostle Paul says, "Oh, that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being conformed to his death." Now, I'm on board with walking in the fellowship or the the the resurrection power, but but the prerequisite for that is to have fellowship of Christ's sufferings and being conformed to his death. You know, there's something powerful that happens to you when you go through the things that Jesus went through. Apostle Paul knew for him to experience resurrection power, he had to be acquainted with the fellowship of Christ's sufferings and being conformed to his death. So, let's look at a couple. Let's look at a short list. There's many. How about I want to look at a short list of the sufferings of Christ that you may be acquainted with. Isaiah 53 lays it out wonderfully. Isaiah 53:3. He was despised and rejected, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. He was wounded and bruised. He got punished for other people's sins. And he was oppressed and afflicted. Many of you today may find yourselves very familiar with that list. By show of hands, anybody familiar with that list? >> Anybody feel any of that? You've been waiting, hurting, fighting, feeling rejected, dealing with familiar battles, facing the same thing over and over again. And again, the question often becomes, man, what's wrong with me? Everybody else is getting it. We're all in this together. >> I believe today God may wanting you to propose a different question instead of what's wrong with me and it's father what are you doing in me father what are you going to do through me what are you acquainting me with that I may become like Christ and walk in the power of his resurrection you know not one detail of your life escapes Christ calls every star out by night by name every night and not one of them fails because of his power you know where it says that Isaiah chapter 40 Every star has a name. Every sparrow that falls to the ground and dies, he knows. And every hair on your head is numbered. He knows. Not one detail of what you're going through escapes him. He knows your pain. But the deeper issue is whether we know him in it. >> Point number one. You're invited. And you'll attend whether you want to or not. >> You get born again. You start a process. You start a journey. and you get invited >> as a Christian. You begin this journey. It's often called your walk with the Lord. Your walk includes heavy, hard, discouraging moments, which are open invitations to get to know Christ better. >> They're not moments where you can just withdraw and hide and be frustrated and blame and become a victim. Jesus is not distant from your human pain. I just love this guy. I just love this God. I love this man. Listen to listen listen to some of the stuff Jesus is nor is he's not distant from human pain. He's a man of sorrows acquainted with grief. We read in Isaiah 53:3 Hebrews 4 15 and 16 it says for we do not have a high priest speaking of Jesus who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses but was in all points tempted as we are yet without sin. So he's like he knows what you're going through. He knows exactly what you're going through. And the and the wonderful thing about our God is he sympathizes with it. He's like, "Oh man, I know that. I know that battle. I know that struggle. I know that frustration. I didn't sin. I want you to come and get to know me and find out how I didn't sin when I face the very same thing you're facing." We can draw strength from him as we are close to him. Here at Hungry Jen, we lead people to encounter God daily. If you were not having daily bread and in the word of God daily, you have no life. The Bible says that this is this is life to us. >> Yeah. >> This is life. If you're not in your word and and in your prayer, you have no life. You may be trying to live on yesterday's mana. Jesus is the daily bread. >> The bread has to the bread has to be consumed daily. What happened in the Old Testament when they tried to live on yesterday's mana? >> It was moldy and wormy. We are we are called to be in daily fellowship with God. You cannot win this life and you cannot do this battle and walk this journey without this word of God being the closest thing to you. I opened this word of God the other day and I was just telling him I'm so thankful >> for this. >> I'm so grateful for these words. >> God, I'm just so grateful. I'm so grateful that I can come in here and find power >> and find inspiration. I don't like it when it rebukes me, but it's necessary. Ask my wife. Ask Mona. Jesus understands. Check out verse 16. Says, "Therefore, so we don't have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted yet without sin." How many time how how often does it sound like I've been to that scripture memorized? Because I've spent time with him. I got to know him. I don't just like spit out a scripture like I felt that. I smelled it. I walked with him. And then verse 16 says, "Therefore, let us come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace in a time of need." Jesus is like, "I sympathize with you. I know what you're going through. Come on up here to the throne of grace. Find mercy. Find grace. Let me empower you. Let me equip you. But you got to be going to the word of God. You got to be going to grace." years ago in my devotional time, Jesus told me, "Because of my blood, you have every right to be in my presence." So don't let condemnation, guilt, and shame. How many of you guys are major sinners? Show of hands. Big- time sinners. These folks over here, then you need to come to the throne of grace. You want to throw it right in the devil's face. You mess up. Immediately after you mess up, stomp up. March right up to that throne of grace. Lord, I messed up. I'm here to obtain your mercy and find some grace in the time of need. Praise God. [applause] You know, a lot of times when I've sinned, how many you guys have sinned? You're like, "Well, I already messed up." And then you wallow in it for a day, a week, a month. Biggest thing you could do to show that you have faith. Soon as you mess up, get in the presence of God. >> He understands rejection. Listen to this. You come to this God, he understands it. He understands rejection. It started before birth. There was no room at the end for him. This world started rejecting Jesus before he came out of the womb. They're like, "We ain't got a place for you. Go where the animals go. You belong where the animals were." And thank God, he was born where animals were born cuz he's the lamb that takes away the sin of the world. >> It was prophetic. He understands betrayal. On the night he was betrayed, they all forsook him. He understands loneliness. In the Garden of Gethsemane, he asked his his top three crew to come out and pray with him and watch and pray and they all fell asleep. How many people have had folks sleeping on you, >> not believing in you, not seeing the gift and the call and the promise of God in your life? Jesus does. He's He knows what it's like to be misunderstood and had have his motives questioned. He knows what it's like to be overlooked. He knows what it's like to suffer without retaliation. And maybe some of you are in this room and you suffer and you never say anything back. You just bottle everything up. You bottled all your emotions. You bottled up all your pain. He he he he was persecuted in front of the entire uh hair uh pilot's uh courtyard and didn't open his mouth. He even understands, and check this out, he even understands. Maybe you're in this room and you didn't hit the genetic gene pool lottery. He understands what it's like to not be handsome or attractive or beautiful. Isaiah 53:2 says that there was no beauty, no form or cleanliness, nor beauty that or anything that would cause us to desire him. He knows what it's like to not turn heads. We have a God that has experienced everything and anything that anyone in this room could ever go through. And he's here today to empower, equip, and change your mind from a what's wrong with me to come on, get closer to me, and we're going to fix some stuff. You're not walking through a road Jesus has never walked through. And your struggle does not disqualify you. Don't be shocked as a Christian when your life starts looking the way Jesus did. Point number two, don't misunderstand the process. Amen. Don't misunderstand the process. Everybody wants resurrection power, but resurrection follows death. Everybody wants oil. They want they would like to have anointing oil. And if you don't know what resurrection power is or you don't know what anointing oil is, find out. Get in the word. Cuz trust me, if you find out what it is, then you're going to want it. >> Come on. >> But that happens through the crushing. It happens through the process that God takes you through to break the outer shell, to break the image, to break our hypocrisy. You've got to go through some stuff and you got to be broken. That way, Christ can can shine through and you can get to know him better. He's got to break the pride. He's got to break the control. He's got to break the self-reliance and the need for approval. He's got to break the bitterness and fear off of your life. He's got to break off that Egyptian mentality where we learned to survive without him. When we pray, "Lord, make me like Jesus." God may answer and lead you down some of the very same paths that he went. >> Come on. >> You cannot hold on to this old life and expect to fully walk in resurrection life. I I want I want people to walk out of here feeling fortified like a soldier. >> Let me tell you about this. For your sake, we are killed all day long. That phrase killed all day long doesn't necessarily mean that Christians are being killed all day long. Although in some places they are. It's vivid language describing continually being exposed to suffering, rejection, persecution, hardship, and even the possibility of death because they belong to Christ. Let me show you where that scripture is sandwiched. I'm going to read fast, but I can read. Okay, I told you guys that before. If I skip something, don't worry about it. Let me show you where we are killed all day long is sandwiched in. Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose. For whom he forneew, he also predestined to be conformed into the image of his son." So, we're in a conforming process. You get born again, God's going to start conforming your life to the image of his son. It's this is the process that we're in that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Verse 30, moreover, whom he predestined, he also called. Whom he called, these he also justified. Whom he justified, these he also glorified. What shall we say about all these things? Then if God is for us, >> who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall we not with him also freely give us all things? God's like, I gave you my best. How will I not also freely give you all things? >> Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who he who condemns? It is Christ who died and furthermore is also risen who is even at the right hand of God who is also making intercession for us. We got a God right at the right hand. We got a Jesus right at the right hand of the father making intercession for us sympathizing with our weaknesses saying come up here and find some grace and mercy. Come up here and be empowered so you can walk this life out >> without being in your daily bread. You're missing all that. >> You're not being filled with that life. You're not being filled with a mindset change. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword? As it is written, here's our kicker scripture. For your sake, we are killed all day long. We are counted as sheep for the slaughter. Verse 37, yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. You're a lamb >> just like Christ being led to a slaughter, and for his sakes, we are c killed all day long. What's wrong with me? You're a Christian. Get used to it. >> We got to toughen up a little bit. >> Come on. We got to be willing to go through some hard stuff and not bounce out of a church and bounce out of a marriage and bounce out of a relationship. We got to be willing to put our feet and be like, "LORD, I'M MESSED UP. >> I don't want to blame everybody. I don't want to be a victim to everything anymore." >> We got to get tough. YOU'RE A LAMB. You're going TO BE KILLED. THIS IS A HARD SAYING, AUSTIN. So were the teachings OF CHRIST. HE FED 5,000 PEOPLE AND THEN GOT UP THERE AND DROPPED SUCH HEAVY revelation on them, telling them to eat my flesh and drink MY BLOOD. THEY ALL left >> to the point to where Jesus was like, "You going to leave me too to his disciples." And they said something special. You are the words of life. >> We have come to know that you are the Christ. What's wrong with me? You guys want a little list of what's wrong with you? Can I share just a little list? Not like a condemnation list, but a small, short, quick list. What's wrong with me? Probably a lot. Probably a lot, but maybe not what you think it is. Let me tell you this. What's wrong with me? This is a short list. We'll get through it quick. You're probably a little more fleshly and carnally minded than you'd like to admit. >> We all are. You got to stop looking at things with mere human reasoning and begin to see or think spiritually. A lot of what's going on is spiritual. A lot of what is going on in your life >> is spiritual. >> Amen. >> These words, they are spirit and life. I'd like to be filled with some spirit things that this life is secondary to what's happening in the spiritual realm. This life and your life is largely a reflection of what's going on spiritually. Like the children of Israel, your circumstances sometimes will dictate what you believe about God rather than his divine proven character and his nature. What else is wrong? Maybe you compare your season with other people's seasons too much. When an issue or a long season of waiting happens, are you a doubter? Are you a murmurer? Are you a complainer? You begin to whine and become a victim. These things insult the very nature and character of our God. He's a good father. Anytime stuff starts getting rough in my life, I have to center myself and realize, nope, he's a good father. Good things are going to happen for me. God wants to see a little faith out of us. Amen. He wants to see a little faith. And a lot of times I forget that I can have faith. I got to choose to have faith. Problems and issues and and and and circumstances will be happening. I'm like, I'm trying to rack my brain and figure things out in the natural. And then I realize, oh yeah, I can have faith about this. Let me go find some scriptures. Let me get my sword out. Let's do some spiritual warfare. Let's find some promises that we can trust God with and figure life out. Do you know I was reading the other day, I shared this a handful of the people in my connect group that are close to me. I was reading Ephesians 6 and I was going through the list of the armor of God. Armor of God, right? Got the helmet of salvation, breastplate of righteousness. You got the belt of truth, feet shot with the preparation of the gospel of peace, the sword of the spirit. Do you know what the most important piece of armor is? >> According according to scripture, Ephesians 6:16, it says, "Above all, taking the shield of faith." Why? So you can quench the fiery darts of the wicked one because they're coming at you. Listen, the fiery darts of the wicked one are coming at you. If you don't have that shield of faith and it's firing at you, then things are going to begin to get through. And you know what's most of the things that arrows that the enemy fires at you, he is the accuser of the brethren. He is going to start accusing you to you, you to your pastor. He's going to accuse your church of all kinds of bad things. He's going to accuse your your family of bad things about you. He is the accuser of the brethren. How do you know if your shield of faith has been down? I'm talking to a couple individuals in particular. Because you've partnered with a bunch of arguments where the enemy has just shot darts through to get you to accuse everybody. >> Let's not do that. You know, faith, God wants to see a little faith out of you. Faith speaks. Faith has a voice. It speaks to the mountain. It speaks to God. It speaks to the enemy. It speaks to the soul. Faith speaks. Point number three, delays, distractions, disobedient, or development. Probably a little bit of it all. God is not only preparing you or preparing the promise for you, but he's preparing you for the promise. In Judges 4:es 1-2, I turned 20 years old in the Lord a few years ago, and I was like, man, I want to look up what the number 20 means and try to figure out some revelation. And sure enough, God had a little birthday present for me in store. I looked up 20 and found that it was associated with the children of Israel being sold in, you know, given over to the hand of King Jabin. And I'm like, man, okay, so they were sold over the hand, you know, hand of sold over to the king of Canaan. His name was Jabin. And I was like, what does all this mean? So I looked up Jabin, and it means whom God observes. Could your season of waiting and delays and and disobedience and and distractions, could that be just a season where God is observing whom God observes? So instead of always asking questions like, "What's wrong? What did I do wrong? What's wrong with me?" Begin to ask God, "What are you observing in me? How is my heart being changed because of this? What are you teaching me about yourself? What are you removing from me? What are you developing in me? How can I trust you in this season? And who is being encouraged by watching me endure this with faith? God may not be changing the situation, but he's surely changing the person in the situation. >> Point number four, just like Christ, your wounds can become someone else's healing. In John chapter 9:es 1-3, I want to read this. Now, as Jesus passed by, he saw a man who was blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned? This man or his parents that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him." I want to say something twice. Not everything that's happening to you is against you or because of you. It may be actually happening to advance the kingdom of God. So don't always think, "What's wrong with me? What did I do wrong? How what's wrong with them? How come this is happening to me or this isn't fair? I want to say it again. Not everything that's happening to you is against you or because of you. It may be actually happening for the advancement of the kingdom of God. God can turn that place you got wounded into a place from which you minister. One day the things that you survived may become the very language someone else needs to hear. I know what rejection feels like but Jesus was with me. I know what betrayal feels like but he healed me. I know what waiting feels like, but God remained faithful. I know what it's like to be broken, but God did not leave me there. Your testimony carries a little more weight when it comes from a real walk with God. God does not waste pain surrendered to him. This world does not need a little surface level Christianity. It needs believers who have been tried, who've been tested and humbled and pressed, and yet still trust God. Amen. [applause] I'm telling you guys, this generation is tired of all the fakery. They need to hear the real honest fire of people who have been there, who have been stripped, been broken, are sincere, genuine, and don't have a convenient store-level Christianity. People need the real Christ. The Christ that comes out of the hearts and mouths of soldiers acquainted with the sufferings of his son so they walk around with some anointing. So when you share the gospel, there's resurrection power on it. He needs, you know, there's there's there's an element that when you walk around with power, it's because you've carried a cross. When you walk around with a new identity, it's because old things have died and passed away. You want power, here comes the cross. You want anointing, here comes the crushing. You want influence, be ready to be poured out. Philippians 1:29. This is a straightup gangster scripture. For to you, everybody say, for to me. >> For you. It has been granted on behalf of who? >> Christ. Not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake. This isn't just some cute little sermon I'm trying to come up with. This is my life. You know, if something bothering you, good. This kingdom is supposed to bother your flesh. Is someone bothering you? Good. It means you maybe you're being acquainted with the suffering of Christ so you can walk in forgiveness or not be offended all the time or have to grow beyond, you know, grow your little mercy walk a little bit. >> God could be using you as an example to those around you watching your life. Amen. >> He's making you a real one. He's making you true. You going through it good. I am too. My Bible tells me that narrow is the gate and hard is the road that leads to eternal life. First Peter in closing, first Peter chapter 4:es 12 and 13. Beloved, don't think it's strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you as though some strange things happening. But rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when his glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. So you got Apostle Paul talking about having fellowship with Christ's sufferings and you got Peter over here saying rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings that when his glory is revealed you may be glad with exceeding joy. Hebrews 5 verses 8 and N the beginning in the new living translation says even though Jesus was God's son he learned obedience from the things that he suffered in this way God qualified him. Could God be qualifying you? >> Could he? Yeah, he's qualifying you. What's wrong with you? What's wrong with me? Probably a lot. But you're in the good hands of a good father who's got good plans for your future. >> As messed up as we all are, especially this part of the audience, as messed up as you guys are, these guys are these guys little better than you. Everything's going to be okay. >> Get some faith. You're invited on a journey. You're in a process. You're being observed. You're being qualified. You're being conformed into the image of Christ so people can see what Christ looks like when he looks at you. Be like Paul and Peter who rejoiced at the extent that they parttook of Christ sufferings. Totally willing to be acquainted with pain so they could walk in resurrection power. Some of you have had hard lives because you choose easy things too much. You know, knowing that I'm being acquainted with his sufferings gives purpose to my hardships. It makes them worth it and it makes them endurable. Knowing that the good father has resurrection life at the end of whatever tunnel I'm going to go through with this journey means everything to me. You know, we see in John chapter 11, Lazarus dies. His sisters are crying. He's in a tomb. His sister Jesus finally shows up four days later. Sister say, "Lord, if you would have been there, he wouldn't have died." And Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he dies, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die." Do you believe this? If everybody could close their eyes and bow their heads, I want you to take a personal inventory real fast. Is there something dead in my life? A dream, a relationship, a hope, a calling, your confidence, your sense of purpose? Just as Jesus stood outside Lazarus's tomb and he wept, he sympathizes with that. He's not indifferent to your pain. He does not stand outside your tomb and say, "Get over it. He says, "Take my hand this morning. Will you take his hand?" If you're here in this place and you need a fresh touch on God, you've walked away from him. The process has gotten to you too a little bit gotten to you a little too hard or you've never walked with Christ before and you want to start this journey. The alternative is to be led by the world. Jesus says today, "Come forth." If that's you, go ahead and lift your hand. If you know the Lord's speaking to you and you need him aresh and new in your life, he says, "Come forth. Come forth from the shame. Come forth from condemnation. Come forth from hopelessness. Come forth from the lie that God has abandoned you." If you know the Lord speaking to you, would you lift your hand high today and you want to accept him as your Lord and Savior and walk with him a fresh and a new? I want everybody in the church to pray this with me. Father God, >> Father God, >> I call on the name of Jesus. >> Save me. >> Speak life to me. >> Speak life. >> I'm going to walk in this process. >> I'm going to walk in this process >> faithfully. >> Faithfully. >> Thank you for your words today, Lord. >> In Jesus name. >> in Jesus name. >> Amen. >> Amen. You know, the cross was not the end for Jesus, and the tomb was not the end for Lazarus. And whatever season you're in is not the end for you.