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At Sandals Church, our vision is to be real with ourselves, God and others. This channel features sermons and teaching from Pastor Matt Brown and other members of the Sandals Church preaching team. You can find sermon notes, videos and more content at http://sandalschurch.com/watch
Thanks for tuning in to the Sandals Church podcast. Our vision as a church is to be real with ourselves, God, and others. We're glad you're here, and we hope you enjoy this message.
Tammy Brown:Hey, Sandals Church. I'm Tammy Brown, and I'm so glad you're joining us this Mother's Day weekend. I wanna say happy Mother's Day to all the moms in the rooms, those who are already moms, those moms who have grown children, the future moms, the ones hoping to be moms, and to all of the spiritual moms in the room. And I wanna thank you for the contribution that you make to Sandals Church. And speaking of women, it's my honor to introduce today, today's speaker, Christina Crowley.
Tammy Brown:She's not only a dear friend and a pastor's wife here at Sandals Church, but she's also the director of worship and production. So with that being said, please help me welcome Christina Crowley.
Christina Crowley:Hey, everyone. Welcome to Sandals Church. I'm so glad that you joined us today. I just wanna start off by thanking pastor Matt and Tammy for the invitation to be with you on such a special weekend as Mother's Day. And all of our moms who work so hard to make our lives and our families better, thank you.
Christina Crowley:We are so grateful for you. And as a proud mom myself, I wanna introduce you to my family. This is my husband, Dan. He's the pastor of spiritual formation here at Sandals Church. We have 3 adult kids, Danielle, Nathan, and our middle daughter, Mikaela, who's married an incredible guy.
Christina Crowley:His name is Brandon, and they met us grandparents a couple years ago. So that's been super, super fun for our family, but I'm here to tell you our love story. Dan's and mine did start off looking like that. Pulled together family picture. We actually met in high school.
Christina Crowley:I was 15 and he was 16, and I had just finished running track practice and was exhausted. And I was complaining to a friend who knew Dan and knew that he drove right by my house on his way home from school. And she's like, you should just ask him for a ride. I'm sure he'll totally give it to you. No problem.
Christina Crowley:And I was like, alright. I don't think that's that weird. You know him, so he's probably not a creeper. So she introduced us, and I awkwardly asked him. I said, hi.
Christina Crowley:I know you don't know me, but would you mind giving me a ride home from school? And I'll never forget the first words he ever spoke to me. He looked in my eyes and he said, what do you think I am, a taxi? No. You are rude.
Christina Crowley:I thought he was a jerk. He thought I was super stuck up. We did not get off to a good start. But I'll tell you this, fast forward a lot of life, a lot of lessons learned, we've been married almost 32 years. And thank you.
Christina Crowley:And when I reflect on our love, it's been good, but it has also not been easy. We've had to work hard to build a home of love. Loving is not easy. And we're in this series. It's a challenging series.
Christina Crowley:It's called Love Is where we are together learning what it means to love like Jesus. And I wanna ask you a question, have you ever experienced love in such a way that it forever changed you? Like, it made a mark on you. You are different because of it. Maybe on a day like today, you're thinking about your mom and you're thinking about how she shaped you and you couldn't appreciate her when you were younger but you do now.
Christina Crowley:You know how hard you were and her love has changed who you have become. I think about my mom, I think about the prayers and the presence and the influence in my life and I know that I would not be who I am today without her. Dads, maybe it was when you held your baby in your arms for the first time and you had no idea someone so little could make you feel so much and you'll never be the same. Maybe it was the love of a friend who stood by you through the hardest time in your life and you are standing today because of them. Listen, love has the power, the power to change us.
Christina Crowley:When our family came to Sandals Church about 19 years ago, we were pretty broken. We'd just come out of a really hard season of church ministry and tell you what, we were not looking to get involved, but when we would come to church we would usually sneak in late, we'd sit in the back, we'd bounce right after the message. We just did not want to talk to anyone. We definitely weren't filling out that new card. And I remember one Sunday in particular, the message was about being a part of the family of God and during the message, people started handing out t shirts to each person and they asked us to put it on and so I put on the t shirt and I looked down and it said, I am Sandals Church and what I realized was I just wanted to hide here and this was a hard place to hide.
Christina Crowley:See, our vision is to be real with ourself, God, and others. And although I thought I needed to hide, God knew I needed a place to heal. And I'm here to tell you, Sandals Church and this vision has been a home of love for me. And that has changed me. That has changed me.
Christina Crowley:You know, and you may not be carrying a church shirt today as you walk in the doors, as you watch online, but we are all carrying something. You see, we've all experienced wounds from the world that have shaped who we have become and how we love ourselves, God and others. But God has a beautiful word. He has a message for us in 1st Corinthians chapter 13 and we've been unpacking this together and so what I wanna do is just start in verse 4. Let's read this together.
Christina Crowley:It says, love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It's not irritable and it keeps no record of being wronged. If that wasn't challenging enough, we're gonna look at verse 6.
Christina Crowley:That's what we're focusing on this week and it says this, love does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices with the truth. Some of your translations might say it like this, love doesn't delight in evil or unrighteousness or wrongdoing but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. See, love celebrates what is good, what is right, what is true. It doesn't hide injustice, it doesn't cover sin and at the heart, love champions, is competitive for the truth to win even if that means in the process we might lose. But to talk about love, we have to talk about truth.
Christina Crowley:You see, there is a battle for truth. Not just any battle, but a spiritual battle for God's truth Because we have a love, we're loved by God and he passionately, passionately loves us. But we also have an enemy and his purpose is to keep us from that and he will lie. He will lie to do it. So, Jesus actually is describing, Satan, the devil, our accuser, the liar and he does that in John chapter 8 verse 44.
Christina Crowley:He says he was a murderer from the beginning. He always hated the truth because there is no truth in him and when he lies, it is consistent with his character for he, the enemy, he is a liar and he is the father of lies. The impact of a lie, it's powerful, isn't it? But the most life altering lie usually has to do with feeling unworthy of love. Unworthy of love.
Christina Crowley:And although the Bible is clear, it tells us nothing can separate us from God's love. Lies from the enemy will try to isolate us from it. Lies are like that predator that we see on the nature channel, you know, drawing the weaker animal away from the path where it's supposed to stay just to get at it, you know? There's good news though, there's good news. God does it.
Christina Crowley:His character doesn't isolate but instead he invites us, he welcomes us to make our home, to plant our roots in the truth of his love. Look what Jesus says in John chapter 15, starting in verse 4, he says, live in me. This is God's invitation to us. Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you.
Christina Crowley:I have loved you the way the father has loved me. So make yourselves at home in my love and that's what we're gonna talk about today. We're gonna talk about how do we do that? How do we make our truth our home in God's truth when there are lies and there are things trying to pull us away from that? So what what I want to ask you just this morning, this evening, wherever you're watching, would you just open your heart?
Christina Crowley:Would you open your mind to receive what God wants to reveal to us today? Let's pray. God, your love has the power to change everything. Holy Spirit, Spirit of truth, would you come and would you speak to our hearts this morning? Would you reveal not just a collective word but an individual personal word each person today?
Christina Crowley:May your voice be the loudest we hear in Jesus name we pray. Amen. So Jesus says make your home in my love. But what does that mean to you? Like, what do you do at your home that you would never do in anybody else's?
Christina Crowley:So in our home, Dan has a nickname for me, he doesn't get to use it very often because he knows I don't like it, and it's Josie Grossi. And sometimes every now and then, on occasion, I might find myself leaving piles of things that should maybe end up in the trash or be put away, just like on random counters. Like, maybe my contact lenses I pull out and I just leave them randomly on a table somewhere. Maybe. Now I would never do that in your house, but see, home is meant to be the place where we can be the most real.
Christina Crowley:Like kick off our shoes, relax, be comfortable. There's no striving, there's no performing. It's a safe place to be loved. Now, I was fortunate, I grew up in a home where I knew I was loved. I never doubted that from my parents but there were some injustices that I experienced outside my home that shaped how I viewed my worth.
Christina Crowley:See, I struggled, believing that I was loved simply for who I am regardless of what I do. So I worked really hard in relationships, different circles to prove that I was worthy of love. And we all have these beliefs, usually birth from the injustice of a broken world that shapes our view, distorts our view of love. Maybe it was the spouse that didn't stay and you believe that you just weren't enough. Maybe your parents got divorced and there's this belief that it was somehow your fault.
Christina Crowley:Maybe there is the bully online or at school or a friend who broke your trust and you believe, you know what? People are just unsafe. These love lies that are connected to people, they actually open the door for the big lie and that's this, God doesn't love. And questioning our worth with others can actually translate into questioning our worth with God and we are not alone in this. I love the Bible.
Christina Crowley:This is why the Bible is so great. Real people, real stories, real struggles. It makes me feel so good about my real life. I think about Moses when God handpicks, he chooses him to lead the people out of slavery into freedom and listen to Moses' response. He's like, Who am I?
Christina Crowley:Who do you think I am? I can't lead these people. Go pick someone else. Do you hear him? He's questioning his worth.
Christina Crowley:Have you ever been asked to do something by someone, like, so big that you actually question their judgment? Like, they had way more confidence in you than you had in yourself. Maybe it's the friend who's like, hey, we should run a marathon together and you've never won a day in your life and the race is like next week. Or your boss who asked you to head up a huge project doing something you've never led before. Or maybe it's your kid who comes home with their new math homework and they need help and you're like, I couldn't even do it the old way, go ask your dad.
Christina Crowley:There's this other guy in the Bible, his name is Jeremiah, and when God calls him to be a prophet to the nations, listen, at a very young age his response is, how can you use me? He says, I'm only a youth. He's questioning his value. You see, we know these stories in the Bible, these heroes of faith, because somehow they overcame their questioning but they started where many of us are right now today. We struggle with our worth, we struggle with our value.
Christina Crowley:And God's gonna call us to big things, some bigger than others but sometimes we just need to kick through the door of who am I, I am only first. You know, when Pastor Matt, he asked me to give the mother's day message, I was so honored that he would trust me with that But as soon as I said yes, the flood of insecurities, the flood of doubts just, like, moved in. And I started to ask my own who am I Moses question like, oh, he needs to choose someone else. There's others more qualified than me. Why would anybody want to listen to anything I have to say?
Christina Crowley:You know, all those doubts. But then there was a next level of attack that came in and I started to hear a voice similar to Jeremiah. He he was like, I I I'm only a youth. And I heard this and it was I'm only a woman. And I am so actually embarrassed to share that with you because not only does that minimize me, my daughters, every other woman on the planet, but it was loud and it was real.
Christina Crowley:And I did not recognize it as a voice from the enemy at first, or a lie. And when I realized that it was not God's voice, I actually had a choice. Do I validate it or do I reject it? And for all of us, listen, no matter what lies come our way, the truth is God is better at loving than the enemy is at lying. God is better at loving and then the enemy is at lying.
Christina Crowley:You know why? Because God is love. God is love and love is a champion of truth and it is a conqueror of lies. Look what Jesus says in John chapter 14, verse 6. This is Jesus speaking now.
Christina Crowley:He's describing his character, who he is and he says this, I am the way. I am the truth and the life. He's not just a truth, he is the truth. Goes on in Isaiah 41 verse 10, God says, do not fear for I am with you. Do not be afraid.
Christina Crowley:Are any of you afraid today? Is there something that's facing you? Hear God say, I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you.
Christina Crowley:And listen to this, I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand. Our worth, it's held secure in God's love. Our worth is in secure in God's love. But who is holding who? Who's holding who?
Christina Crowley:Because some Christians think, believe the lie that it's up to us to stay in God's hand. How secure are you about God's unconditional love for you? You? Like if you had to give yourself a grade, would it be like a 50%, maybe on a good day a 90%. Can I suggest if the answer for us is not a 100%, we might be relying on our own effort?
Christina Crowley:When I was a kid, my sister and I remember we always had to do chores growing up. Anybody have to do chores? It was always on a weekend, always before we could do anything fun, and I remember at, like, the mature age of 11 or 12, kind of like declaring to myself, when I'm a mom, my kids will never, never. I'm telling you, that all changed when Dan and I made 3 messy humans and their only mission was to destroy the house every day. When my kids were old enough to, like, reach the washing machine, they were doing their own laundry.
Christina Crowley:As soon as they could load the dishwasher up to Dan Sanders because I it was I'm Josie Grossie. And my favorite day was when my kids could finally clean their own bathroom. You know, like kids are cute but they're gross. And as much as they tried, like if I had to measure their work, they barely earned passing grade. And I remember one time my son when he was little, it was way past time for him to clean his room and so I was, go clean your room.
Christina Crowley:And when he was done, he he came. He's like, okay, inspect. He was actually kind of proud and so we walked upstairs, opened the door, and I could see the carpet that had clothes all over it was gone. He'd actually vacuumed, like nice job, son. Looked at the dresser, they had been piled with trash, they had been dusted.
Christina Crowley:Okay. Upon further inspection, opened the closet and of course every piece of clothing, which made me curious about the dresser. So I went to the dresser, and trash, candy wrappers, everything. But then there was this smell. And I'm trying to find it, it was driving me crazy, my nose led me under to the bed, and come to find a bowl of half eaten cereal with milk that was still in it and, like, textures and colors of mold I'd never seen.
Christina Crowley:It was disgusting. It smelled so bad. Do you know what smells to God? When we believe that we need to do our spiritual chores to be loved by him. See, when my kids did not do their chores right, I got frustrated.
Christina Crowley:Yeah. But I didn't love them any less because their work had nothing to do with my love for them. They already had it. The enemy wants us to believe a lie. Listen, this is so important.
Christina Crowley:That the mercy of the cross could never cover our mess so we must clean it up for ourselves. And the truth is, if you're taking notes, would you write this down, this is so important, we cannot earn or lose God's love. We can earn or lose God's love and I think we know that with our mind but we don't necessarily live that out. God's love is our right for being his child, not a reward for our effort. Why?
Christina Crowley:Why? Because Jesus has already done the work. Look what Titus chapter 3 verse 4 through 5 says. When God, our savior, revealed his kindness and love, he saved us not because of the righteous things that we had done but because of his mercy. His mercy.
Christina Crowley:And our good works does not give us extra credit and listen, our worst failure does not require additional punishment. Our debt has been paid in full. Jesus paid it all, the transaction is complete. It's complete. That is a truth that we can stand on today.
Christina Crowley:Guys, I want you to imagine with me for a moment that you're planning a date for, like, your really special girl And this isn't any kind of, like, Taco Tuesday kind of date, you know. You've worked hard for this, you've saved up, maybe you've worked some overtime. You pick her up, you drive to this amazing restaurant, and when you get there, the server ushers you to your table because you've made a reservation in advance. Good job. And when you get there, like, the the view is perfect.
Christina Crowley:Overlooking the ocean, timing's awesome, the sun is setting. You guys enjoy an incredible meal, dine like royalty, have an awesome conversation. You go to pay the bill. But as soon as you start to leave and walk to your car, if she were to open her purse, grab her wallet, take out her credit card, maybe start ripping off her jewelry, and run after the server to pay the bill again, you'd probably think she'd lost her mind and also maybe be grieved by her lack of gratitude. Who does that?
Christina Crowley:Who does that? And I wonder what Jesus thinks when the enemy convinces us that the price he paid on the cross is enough to cover everyone else's sin, everyone else's injustice and wrongdoing and unrighteousness, but not ours. Not ours. And we sometimes are just like that girl chasing after God to pay a bill that he has already covered. Listen, we miss the heart of the gospel when we believe that we're loved because of our good work and not our good God.
Christina Crowley:1st Corinthians chapter 13 verses 1 through 3, Paul is talking about this. He is challenging the church. They're seemingly doing all the right religious things. Right? They're prophesying.
Christina Crowley:They've got incredible faith. They're ministering to the poor. Some are even willing to lay down their life but we're learning all the doing for God is meaningless to God without love. And then this challenge actually, it surfaces again in, the book of Revelation. God is speaking to the church in Ephesus and he says this, this is God speaking.
Christina Crowley:He says, I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. But I have this complaint against you. It's like he's like, something doesn't smell right. You don't love me or each other as you did at first.
Christina Crowley:Look how far you've fallen. Turn back to me. Turn back to me. Have you ever fallen into a performance mentality with God? Yes.
Christina Crowley:I know I have. I know I have. Sometimes it looks like just going through the motions. I'm doing I'm doing all the stuff. But then there are these times where we may not say this out loud, but I wonder how many of us think it.
Christina Crowley:Like, God, do you see what I'm doing? Do you see how hard I'm working? But even when we don't get that part right, God doesn't require us just to try harder, try harder. He invites us to return home, to return home and rest in a love that's secure. Can you rest in the truth today that you cannot earn or lose God's love?
Christina Crowley:If we could just, like, stop there and breathe that in, how different would our lives look? How different would we love? Because God not only wants to change us, but He wants to do great things through us. You know, it's Mother's Day weekend and this is a time for us to celebrate our moms and to think about the influence that they've had in our lives, how hard they work, up early, go to bed late, all the things that they do for us. But, you know, you don't have to be a mom to have influence.
Christina Crowley:You don't. And I think about in my life, Dan and I, the people who have, like, influenced us in the fiery trials of parenting, you know? There have been many. Parenting is incredible. I love it.
Christina Crowley:My favorite role is also really, really hard and I remember the dark days of potty training. Like, it just felt like it was going on and on and on forever, like the diaper bag was going to be my accessory forever. And there are seasons like that and if you're in that place, let me encourage you, it will end, I promise you. But there were times, man, I needed the influence and the encouragement of people just to hold up my arms and pray for me when I was overwhelmed with worry. I've had people speak truth to me, remind me, believe the best in my kids when my critical spirit only saw the worst.
Christina Crowley:I've had people lift me up and incur encourage me when I'm like, I I a failure. I've just I failed this whole mom thing. And I remember 1, one hard season in parenting. You know, it's hard when you're the oldest kid because everything is an experiment. It's just We try to not have it be like that, but I remember one hard season with Danielle, she's our oldest daughter, and she was actually launching from our home into her home for the very first time.
Christina Crowley:She found a place, to rent, a really awesome, group of roommates and a house and it was affordable. But the the problem was the room wasn't gonna be ready for several months. And to be honest with you, our relationship was a little rocky at that time and she didn't want to lose that rental, but she also didn't want to live with us anymore. So we were kind of in a little bit of a challenge. And I remember she shared this with some friends of ours who've, just walked with our family for years.
Christina Crowley:They've opened their heart to Danielle. And you know what they said? They said, you know what? Come stay with us. Come stay with us for for those several months to help preserve the relationship with your family.
Christina Crowley:Come, come stay with us. See, they not only opened their hearts to her, they opened their home. And this profoundly moved me. You see, they loved Dan and I by loving our kid. Do you know what love what love what God loves?
Christina Crowley:He loves when we love his kids. That's what moves his heart when we love his kids. And so the third truth I want to talk about today is we have been entrusted with a life changing purpose. We have been entrusted with a purpose to change lives and it's this, to love others. To love others like Jesus has loved us.
Christina Crowley:And who are the others? It's our neighbors, it's our knowing person that we work with. It's crazy uncle Ed. It's our coworker. It's our spouse who's driving us bananas.
Christina Crowley:Those we don't agree with. Those are the others. And look what John says in, chapter 15 verse 11. He says this, I have told you these things for a purpose that my joy might be your joy and your joy wholly mature. This is my command.
Christina Crowley:Let's just pause there for a second. See, if you're a follower of Christ, do you know that Jesus commands some things of you? Like, to love God is to obey God. And he goes on to say, love one another. Love one another the way that I have loved you.
Christina Crowley:Listen, what Jesus knows that I think sometimes we forget is there is a promise of joy when we live out the truth of that purpose, to love others the way that he has loved us. But but some of you, I think we all do this, we fall into this, we search we search for purpose and things that will never fully satisfy. Maybe it's more followers and likes on social media and influence equals your purpose. Maybe it's if you're married. How many of you are married?
Christina Crowley:Listen, marriage is a blessing but your spouse can't be your everything. Maybe in your career, it's one more promotion will finally validate my value to the organization. Listen, these are not bad pursuits but they're not our primary purpose. Telling the world about the love of Jesus is The love of Jesus that has the power to change everything and you can do that, I can do that in a lot of different seasons of life. As a mom, as a dad, as a single, as a just so many different ways we can do that.
Christina Crowley:But if we're not grounded in the truth, that that is where our purpose comes from, we're missing out on the joy that Jesus has for us. You know, the crucifixion of Jesus was the greatest injustice that the world will ever know, but there's a beautiful story that emerges 3 days later. See, some of Jesus' closest followers were women and one woman in particular, her name was Mary, Mary Magdalene. And she encountered the life changing love of Jesus when he healed her of 7 demons. Can you just imagine the the torment, the injustice, the evil that must have met her to be in that condition?
Christina Crowley:And so she met his unchanging love and she was loyal with him to the end. See, when many had left the cross, she stayed, she remained and I wonder if after his death, she asked, what's the truth of my purpose now? What's my purpose now? But we read after his resurrection, Jesus actually, he reveals himself very personally, not to the masses, to her, to her, and he calls her by name. He says Mary.
Christina Crowley:See, Jesus has not only set her free from her past, he is preparing to trust her with a great purpose. Look what it says in John chapter 20 verse 16. This is Jesus speaking to Mary. He says, go go to my brothers and tell them that I ascend to my father and your father, my God and your God. And it says Mary went telling the news.
Christina Crowley:Telling the news to the disciples. The purpose of the first gospel ever preached was go and tell. Go and tell. And this message was entrusted to Mary. It was entrusted to the disciples, the church, through the last 2000 years and it has been entrusted to us, to us.
Christina Crowley:And listen, the most loving thing that we can ever do for someone is lead them to the truth of Jesus, The truth of Jesus and listen, the enemy is so threatened by truth. He is so threatened by truth and he will use anything to silence your voice and to steal your purpose. When I was a little girl, the greatest injustice done to me ended with a voice of someone whispering in my ear, don't tell anyone. Don't tell anyone. And even as I prepared for this message, I was reminded of that experience.
Christina Crowley:And I started to wrestle with a lie. You don't have anything to say. Just be quiet. Be quiet. And I think of all the years that the enemy tried to keep me quiet.
Christina Crowley:And as I prayed for our time and I wrestled in God's word and I asked, what do you wanna say through me for whatever reason? I'm here. What do you wanna say through me? Something kinda began to rise up in me. And I wasn't gonna just, like, reject the lie of the enemy when he whispered in my ear, don't tell, don't tell, don't tell.
Christina Crowley:Instead, I choose to rebel against his lies and to tell everyone that the love of Jesus is real. It's real and it's alive. And listen, the power that conquered sin and death and the grave, that is the same power that sets captives free. We are the captives. We are the captives and god's truth sets us free and listen, I believe this so much.
Christina Crowley:God's truth is taking back territory that the enemy has stolen today. He's doing it today Because love is calling people out of hiding and into healing. Listen, I don't know what your home was like. I don't know what your what you grew up in. I don't know where you are today, but will you listen to me?
Christina Crowley:Hear this. You are not only welcome in God's house, you are wanted here. You are wanted here. And no matter what injustice has been done to you or listen, by you. We've all done some stuff.
Christina Crowley:And I believe that there are some people who are sitting in a lie of guilt. You're carrying something from 10 years ago, 20 years ago, maybe 50 years ago, maybe last night. But listen to me. No matter what injustice has been done to you or by you, you are worthy of love. You are worthy of love and it's not just any love, it's not the way the world loves, it's one that knows every truth about you and still chooses you.
Christina Crowley:And if you find yourself in the middle of a broken story today, listen, God's not done. He's not done. You can't go back and change the beginning but God can change the ending and that's where he does his best work. That's where he does his best work and he doesn't want to just use my voice, he wants to use yours to tell of the love and the truth of Jesus. We're all truth tellers.
Christina Crowley:Amen. We're all truth tellers. And I wanna leave you with an image today. You know, when, my kids were little, that time was bananas in our house. It was drama.
Christina Crowley:If you have little kids, you know, you know, you've got the bath and you've got the water and the books and the brushing the teeth and the one more story, mommy, one more story. It was super sweet and I actually miss those days. But when all the drama was done, turn off the light, I always pray, and then we'd sing a song. And sometimes it was a silly song. I like to make up silly songs.
Christina Crowley:But there was one song that was really special because it's a song that my mom used to sing over me. And the words said, I'll walk in the rain by your side. I'll cling to the warmth of your tiny hand. I'll do anything to help you understand. I love you more than anybody can.
Christina Crowley:And my mom sang those words over me and I sing them over my children and now my daughter is singing them over my grandchildren. Like words of sweet truth, like this generational blessing. But long before that, like a mother sings over her child, God has been singing heaven's lullaby over you, over me, his children. And it's a song of truth, It's a song of love. There's this little verse in, the book of Zephaniah in the Old Testament chapter 3 verse 17 and it says that the Lord rejoices over you and he sings over you.
Christina Crowley:He delights in you with singing. So think about this today. We're trying to unpack what it means to rejoice in truth and God is rejoicing over us with his truth. Can you see that? Get that picture.
Christina Crowley:Every time we worship and we offer our song and our love lifted to God, he is singing over us, singing over us. But can you hear it? See, some of us, we have a lie on repeat in our heads and it's playing over and over and over and over like a broken record. And it's time, it's time to take the needle off that record and break it, shatter it today. Today.
Christina Crowley:So here's the challenge. What lie needs to move out so God's truth can move in? What do you need to evict from your mind, from your heart? Listen, from your family, from your home. It's not welcome anymore.
Christina Crowley:It's not welcome. Maybe lies that have come from generations past that you are still cycling in. You could be the one to break that, to break that today. And listen, maybe there were horrible words spoken over you. I'm so sorry because you can't unhear those but God's truth can heal that hurt.
Christina Crowley:Will you surrender it to him? And maybe it was the absence of words that you needed to hear. God's voice can fill that void. Will you listen? Will you listen?
Christina Crowley:I wanna take a moment right now and just invite you to listen. Maybe just close your eyes, maybe bow your heads, maybe just need to take a a deep breath and posture yourself, maybe even open hands before God, representing God, I'm ready to give you something. There is something that needs to move out of the home of my heart. And as our palms are raised, god, would you would you pour in? Would you move in what I need to hear?
Christina Crowley:Holy Spirit, would you just come and move right now? Would you speak? And as we just rest secure in your love, I just wanna read some words over you. Listen, these are words of Jesus to you. He's calling you.
Christina Crowley:He knows your name. You're not a number to him. He knows your name. And listen to his words speak to you. Live in me.
Christina Crowley:Live in me. Come on. Come make your home in me. Come make your home in me. I have loved you.
Christina Crowley:Oh, I've loved you. I've loved you so much just the same way the father has loved me. Make yourself at home. Come, make yourself at home in my love. Jesus, I ask for your voice, your voice of truth in this moment to be the loudest the loudest in the room.
Christina Crowley:Jesus, you know what each person needs to hear very personally to the home of their heart. God, I ask that you would shatter lies in Jesus' name. God, I ask that you would tune hearts and ears to hear your truth in a way that they never have before. God, your love, your love has the power to change everything. And, God, I pray as we receive it and we live in it more deeply, May we extend the truth of your love to a world who needs it so desperately.
Christina Crowley:We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.
Danielle Crowley:We are so glad that you have joined us today. But before you go, I wanna give you an opportunity and invite you to be a part of the work that God is doing here at Sandals Church. You can do that today or anytime by going to give.sc. We hope you have a wonderful week and happy Mother's Day.