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You.

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Thanks for tuning in to the Sandals church podcast.

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Our vision as a church is to be real with ourselves, God and others.

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We're glad you're here, and we hope you enjoy this message.

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Welcome, you guys, to the last day of 2023.

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I hope you had a good Christmas.

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And as we prepare for the new year, I want us to kind of consider the fact that the last

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day of this year actually lands on the Lord's day, which I think is a bit of good news for

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us.

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Because regardless of how your year started, it actually ends with the good news of Jesus.

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And so, as your pastor, I want you to trust me today as I lead us through a time of

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teaching, yes, but also a time of reflection.

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Because here's why we need this.

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When you think back to this last year, so much has happened, so much has changed.

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I'm sure you've had moments of joy, moments of pain.

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I would imagine you've had moments of clarity and of confusion.

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I'm sure there's been rich moments with friends in which you've celebrated.

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Maybe you've even cried.

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And then you've had maybe moments of solitude.

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For the better or for worse.

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You've gained friends this year.

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Maybe you've lost some friends.

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Maybe people have passed away.

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You see, all of what this year has been has done something to you.

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It's done something to your soul, to the essence of who you are.

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And so one of the things I believe we need most as we prepare to enter a new year is for

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our souls to have space.

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Space so that we can become aware of what has happened, become aware of how we've changed,

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and space in order to heal.

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And reflection, the gift of reflection, allows us space to do those very things.

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And so I'm going to lead us to this time in which you're going to hear a teaching, yes.

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But also you're going to be prompted with questions, questions that will allow you space to

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reflect on where God is inviting you as we end 2023 and step into a new year.

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And so, for some of you, this will feel brand new.

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And that is okay.

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I want you to trust me and to engage with this practice.

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For others of you, you'll probably love this.

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You'll like some time to journal and write notes down and listen to God.

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But as this time comes, would you just again trust me and ultimately trust God and be

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attentive and listening to his voice?

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And so, with that in mind, let's read our text from today.

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It comes from Luke, chapter five.

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And then I'll pray for us.

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Luke writes these words on one occasion while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the

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word of God, he was standing by the lake of Geneseret, and he saw two boats by the lake.

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But the fishermen had got out of them and were washing their nets, getting into one of the

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boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land, and he sat down

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and taught the people from the boat.

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And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, put out into the deep and let your

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nets down for a catch.

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Simon answered, master, we toiled all night and took nothing but at your word, I will let

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down the nets.

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And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were

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breaking.

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They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and to help them.

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And they came and filled both the boats so that they actually began to sink.

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But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus'knees, saying, depart from me, for I am

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a sinful man, o lord.

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For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken.

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And so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.

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And Jesus said to Simon, do not be afraid.

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From now on, you will be catching men.

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And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

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Let's pray together.

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Heavenly father, what a gift it is for us to come to the close of this year on your day.

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And so we pray, God, that as your word is read, that we would hear your voice, that you

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might speak to us in our time today, and that you, Jesus, would give us ears to hear and

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eyes to see, so that we might become all that you desire us to be.

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We pray these things in Jesus name.

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Amen.

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Amen.

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When you think about it, this is a story all about change.

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It's about leaving the comforts of the shore and moving out into deep water.

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This is a picture of the christian life.

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Because, you see, following Jesus, being a Christian is an invitation to move out into the

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deep water.

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That the christian journey that we are all on is an ongoing journey of change, in which we

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leave the comforts of shallow water and step into the deep waters of transformation.

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That is what the christian life is all about.

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The new year kind of creates excitement for change, a curiosity around change.

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There's a lot of things we want to leave behind.

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Maybe there's some things that we want to pick up.

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But ultimately, today, we remember that the christian life is one in which we are

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constantly changing.

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And this passage is a great picture of that.

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And it offers us, I think, three things that I just want to pull out that I think will

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create a framework for how you and I understand what God is inviting us into when it comes

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to the year of 2024, the year that begins tomorrow.

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Three things that we see.

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First is this, that God is always inviting me to move out into the deep waters.

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The second thing is this.

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Moving out into the deep is always frightening.

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It's always terrifying.

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But thirdly, moving out into the deep is always more wonderful than I can imagine.

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Now, let's look at these things.

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The first text that I want us to see is pretty crucial.

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They're found in verse four.

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It says, when he had finished speaking, referring to Jesus, he said to Simon, put out into

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the deep water and let down the nets for a catch.

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Put out into the deep.

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Now, I don't know about you, but I actually love the water.

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And so for maybe for some of you, as you hear Jesus say those words, you get a little

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nervous.

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But I don't.

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I love the water.

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I grew up going to the beach.

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I love swimming in the open ocean.

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Just even the thought of my feet just kicking in open water with the depths of a world

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beneath me just, they excite me.

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I know for some that terrifies you, but I just grew up going to the beach.

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My dad actually sailed professionally for a number of years, and so he always had us in the

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boat every summer.

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And there's just a profound moment of just being out there that's exciting.

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But regardless of how you feel about being in the water, there's always a moment in which

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you and I may be swimming in a lake, in a pool, in the ocean, and that moment in which your

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feet can no longer touch the bottom.

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This sensation comes over your body because you realize now that you're in open water,

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you're in unknown territory.

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There's a bit of uncertainty that begins to build in your heart and in your mind and in

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your body.

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That's what it means to be in the open.

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That's what it means to start to move out into the deep.

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And that's what Jesus does to Peter.

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He instructs him to move out into the deep and let their nets down for a catch.

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Now, the problem is they haven't caught anything and they've been doing that all night,

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which is why when Peter replies to Jesus, he says, master.

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The commentators are a bit troubled by this because it's almost as if Peter's like trying

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to be honorable but also really direct with Jesus, like, yo, Jesus, you're not a fisherman.

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You're a carpenter.

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And I don't know, but we've been at this all night and we've caught nothing.

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Now, as a fisherman, he would have known that that would have been the prime time to go and

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catch fish.

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Jesus is now, after finishing a teaching, telling them to go in the middle of the day and

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to put out again, to move out towards the deep and to let down their nets.

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So he's like, master, listen, we've been at this all night, but we'll do it.

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And so they go out, they let their nets down, and we're told, to their astonishment or to

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their awe.

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In other words, there was this kind of wonder that came over them in verse nine because

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they could not believe their eyes.

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Not only did they go out in the middle of the day when most fish are not around, they went

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out in the middle of day and they caught such a large catch that they asked the second boat

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to come and help.

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And at the second boat helping, they still both began to sink.

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Now, here's the picture you need to catch.

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These are not little like Rinky deek pup boats that you take out right in the channels.

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These are like 20 to 34 fishermen boats.

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These are significant boats, and both of them are sinking.

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The catch is that great.

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And it's at this point that Peter falls to the knees of Jesus, and he says, go away from

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me.

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And I love the Lord's response to him.

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He says, do not be afraid.

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From now on, you will be fishing for people.

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You're going to catch men.

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You're going to do something radically different with your life.

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Peter.

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And then we're told at that moment they left everything and followed him.

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Now, that phrase in Luke's gospel is a clear indicator for what Luke wants to say is what

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it means to be a Christian.

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To leave everything and follow him is the definition of the christian life.

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I don't know what you're going to do in 2024, but it should be defined primarily by leaving

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everything and following Jesus.

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That's what it's about.

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Everything else becomes secondary to the priority and the calling of making Jesus

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everything in your life.

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Now for Peter's got no idea where he's going.

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I would imagine that's an awkward conversation with his wife when he gets back home,

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letting her know that he's let go.

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His greatest catch, his best catch, is now gone, and he's following this man, Jesus.

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But that's what it means to be a Christian, to follow Jesus.

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Listen.

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Now, here's the first point.

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To follow Jesus is to move out into deep water.

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And this is always happening to us.

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In other words, God is always drawing you and I to this kind of place in life, not just

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because it's the new year, but because we are dealing with an unchanging God who desires to

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transform us in the deep.

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And so today, I want you to hear me.

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Jesus is inviting you.

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He knows you by name.

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He sees you exactly where you are at today.

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He knows what's going on in your life, and he's coming to you today, and he's saying, I

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want you to move out into the deep waters.

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Now, you may be a teacher.

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You may be a business leader, a social worker, a janitor, a secretary, a doctor, a

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government official, a first responder.

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Today, a college student, still in high school.

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At the height of your career, at the very bottom of your career.

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You might be unemployed, retired.

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You may be in a crisis right now, and you can't wait for the new year.

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You may have children, young children, no children.

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Wherever you are at in your life, hear me say this.

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Jesus is coming to you and saying, I want you to move out into the deep waters with me.

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Now.

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With this invitation, though, we need to acknowledge a few things.

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The first is this.

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All of us, at some level, deal with layers of deception in our lives, which are profoundly

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strong.

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And these deceptive voices oftentimes keep us from believing that life is actually better

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in the depths.

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Right?

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So there's a kind of safety.

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There's a pullback to stay ashore, to not go out, and to not believe that in the depths is

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where God can transform us.

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In the depths is where we can experience more of his love and more of his goodness.

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And those layers of deception will keep us from actually believing that God can carry us

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out there, that he can sustain us out there.

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And so part of today is embracing this invitation to step out by the power of the Holy

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Spirit and allow God to do a work in your life.

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Now, what can this look like?

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I remember learning to pray for the first time.

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I grew up in a religious environment, even though I wasn't a Christian at the time.

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And I remember just watching people pray.

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Where are they talking to?

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Who were they talking to?

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And so the thought of speaking to an invisible God was just strange to me.

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And then I began to pray.

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And I'm like, oh, my gosh, I'm really praying.

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I started to step out into unknown territory.

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I remember going to church consistently, and then I would watch people lift their hands.

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And I'm like, man, they're weird.

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Like, they're fanatics.

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And then I remember actually having moments like that in worship where I'm surrendering and

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the words that we're singing are becoming, like, deep and penetrating to my heart.

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And I'm being moved to worship, to be attentive to God.

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I'm like, man, I'm stepping out into the deep.

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So here's what I'm saying.

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To put out into the deep, to move out into the deep waters as Jesus invites us to, is

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really to release control of your relationship with God.

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It's a moment of surrender, and it's about submitting yourself to both his presence and his

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work in your life.

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It is, for sure, an open handed act of surrender.

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And so maybe for you, putting out into the deep is you just starting to come to Sandals

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church.

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Maybe you're watching for the first time, or someone sent you this, or you're at a church

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campus now and you're like, wow, what am I doing here?

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I'm with Jesus, people.

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This is deep water for you.

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Maybe for some of you, moving out into the deep is realizing that your understanding of God

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is just changing.

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Like, you used to have a relationship with Jesus, and things made sense.

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They were simple, they were rich.

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But now it feels confusing.

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You're praying, but you haven't heard from God.

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You're in the deep.

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Life is in the deep for you.

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It's confusing, but you're still going through it.

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Maybe your community has changed dramatically.

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Like, you had a community that used to help you grow in Christ.

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Things made sense, and now you're a bit more isolated than you've ever been.

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Like, you're in the depths now.

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And so maybe for some of you, though, like, getting into the deep is getting involved,

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being more committed, being more open with your life.

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Like, you're ready to follow Jesus and you're ready to do so by serving other people.

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Maybe you have two different life options as you begin the new year, right?

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Like, you want to take this risk, but it's where your passion is and the temptation is just

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to kind of stay in the safe area, the shore, like, where things make sense and you're

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provided for.

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Where is God inviting you?

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That's the question I want us to spend time reflecting on now.

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Take a moment to Journal and to think about this question.

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Where is God inviting me?

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To move out into the deep, to launch out into the deep by asking God, what is your will for

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my life?

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To open your hands and to pray.

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The words of Jesus, your kingdom come, your will be done.

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Now, again, though, the temptation is just to say, nah, I'm good.

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I'm not moving from the shore.

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It's comfortable here.

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It's safe here.

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And I know that that pull is strong because of fear, because of the things that frightened

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us.

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And so let me be clear.

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There's plenty of good fears in our lives that keep us safe.

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They're good boundaries, guardrails.

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But I'm referring, though, to the kinds of fears in our lives that actually restrict us,

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that narrow us, that actually shrink us from experiencing the full life that God has for

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us.

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These are the kinds of fears that lead us to make bad choices and decisions in our

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relationships.

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Fear will lead you to settle in a relationship with someone.

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Fear will lead you to cave to extended family's expectations of you.

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Fear will lead you to make bad decisions with your money.

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Fear will lead you to take jobs that you shouldn't take.

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Fear will lead you to cave to the peer pressure around you.

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Right?

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Those are the kinds of fears that shrink our lives, not expand them to the fullness of what

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God is inviting us into.

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And so I want to acknowledge, though, that, listen, moving out into the deep is always,

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always frightening.

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And because it's so frightening, it keeps us stuck at the shore.

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And so, even as Jesus invites us today, I want you to move out into the deep.

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You're like, no, I'm good.

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I'm good.

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Fear has you in many different places.

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Maybe fighting it, you're feeling a bit defensive.

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Maybe you're fleeing it, like you're just cutting yourself off from God's vision.

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Maybe some of you are frozen, like you can't move.

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You're not sure what to do.

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Others of you are fusing yourselves with other people, right?

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So you see others stagnant, so you just kind of are stuck with them.

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Maybe some of you are fixating on your fears and you think control is telling you you can

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manipulate the situation to give you a desired outcome that you want, that will make you

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more comfortable.

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Some of you are just floundering in, like, some new addiction, whether maybe it's food or

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social media or sex or some other kind of hobby spending.

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All of us are tempted and drawn to kinds of habits that just numb the feelings of fear in

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our lives.

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And those things are very real.

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And so I want to just ask you and take a moment and have you reflect on the second

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question.

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What are the fears that you are carrying today that are keeping you from moving out into

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deep water?

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Take some time.

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Listen to God and name those fears.

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The good news of Jesus Christ is that God has a profoundly beautiful life for us.

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But guess what?

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It's in the deep waters of transformation.

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And I say that because I want you to know that even in light of your fears, that Jesus is

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here today.

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He's in this very room.

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He is next to you.

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He is speaking to you.

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And even in the face of your fears, the reality of what frightens you most, he's still

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inviting you to meet him, to move out into the deep waters of life.

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But I want to be careful here, because I know many of us, we're just like Peter, and we're

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tired, like, we're exhausted for good reason.

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2023 has felt like a long night, and you've caught nothing.

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And so what you need to hear in the deepest part of your soul today are what Jesus said to

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Peter and the rest of his disciples there in verse ten.

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Don't be afraid.

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In the face of what was frightening them, but also in the face of the wonder and awe of

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what God did in the deep.

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Jesus responds with this phrase, don't be afraid.

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Now, if you were to ask me what I think some of Jesus's best responses are, this would be

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up there near the top of my favorite things that Jesus says, and here's why.

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It's a common response from him, but it's also a compelling one, because in moments when

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Jesus says, don't be afraid, I think he's acknowledging both the complexity of life in

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being a human being and learning to trust God.

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Like, there's a kind of sympathy to him.

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Yes, he's fully God, but he's also fully man, so he knows what it's like to be you and I.

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And so he's not dismissing our fears today.

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He's not laughing them off, but he's saying, listen, we don't have to stay there.

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Like, we can name them for what they are, but they don't have to keep us where we are.

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And the apostle Peter, in this moment, had no idea what laid ahead of him until he saw that

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catch come up into the boat, until he saw the gravity of how much they actually caught, so

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much so that they actually were beginning to sink.

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And I think many of us are in that same place.

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We have no idea of the kind of transformation that God longs to do in all of us if we would

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just move out into the deeper places of life and of the water so that we might be

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transformed.

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Because, listen, moving out into the deep is always more wonderful than I can imagine.

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I love this verse from Ephesians one, where the apostle Paul says, all praise to God, the

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father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us.

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Listen now with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms, because we are united with

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Christ.

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Now, if you are hearing that passage rightly, Paul is saying, all that we can possibly

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need, we already have in Jesus.

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It's already ours.

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And it is so easy to miss the reality that we are already swimming in the blessings of God,

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because the fear that's right in front of us.

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And there's a way that we can reflect on what's happened to us in 2023 and neglect the

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significant presence of God's blessings in our lives.

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So much has transformed you.

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So much has done something to your soul, which is why we've needed this time of reflection.

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But this time of reflection is also so that we might get a sense of clarity and that we

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might get confronted with how things really are.

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And if you are in Jesus, then you are really and fully blessed in God.

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And all that you need for life, you already have in Christ.

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And so the invitation to move out will lead us to a place where we experience a kind of

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transformation that is so much more wonderful than we can possibly imagine and leave us, I

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think, in a place in which we're in awe of what can happen in our lives, in awe of what can

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happen in our relationships, in awe of what can happen when we get vulnerable, when we shut

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off false versions of ourselves.

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And we actually operate from a sense of who we truly are before God and before people.

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Now, I want you to hear me clearly.

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What I'm offering to you today is not a technique.

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This is not a formalaic approach to the christian life.

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In other words, this is not a, do a, then b, and then you'll get the result of c.

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That's not what this is.

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But what I am offering you today is to seriously consider the invitation of Jesus, to move

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out into the deep and to know that transformation does happen there.

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Because when you go out to those places, your view of God is transformed.

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You are transformed.

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The way you see the world is transformed, and then you actually become a gift to people.

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Like transform people, people who are confident in who they are in Christ and can take

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risks and be a demonstration of who God is in the world.

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They're a gift to be around.

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And that's the result that we can have.

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That's the hope, is that we might be a gift to the world in 2024 in the way that we have

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become transformed by following Jesus into the depths into those places of transformation.

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And so, man, think about where he's inviting you.

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Be honest about what those fears are, but know that something wonderful is coming.

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Something wonderful is coming to all of us.

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And so, as we end, I actually want to just create an opportunity for us to allow the words

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of Jesus to be prayed over our lives.

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And so I'm going to just repeat a phrase from this passage.

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I'm going to encourage you just to close your eyes.

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Maybe if you're in a position where you're comfortable, just open your hands and allow me

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just to say the words of Jesus over you as we close.

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Jesus speaking now.

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Move out into the deep waters and don't be afraid.

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Move out into the deep waters and don't be afraid.

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Let's pray together.

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Heavenly Father, would you help us as a church, as we enter into a new year, to meet you in

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the depths of our lives?

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Would you help us, God, to know where you are, inviting us to move deeper in our

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relationships, deeper in our practices.

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And would you help us to name those fears and still move forward?

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Because, Jesus, you plan to transform us in this next year.

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This year can be great and new, not because there's something special about January, but

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because there's something special about you.

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You are the same yesterday, today and forever.

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And so we look to you now.

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Would you transform us?

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We pray these things in Jesus name.

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Amen.

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Hey, Sandals church.

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Thank you so much for watching this message with Pastor Fredo today.

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I hope you guys have had a good time being able to reflect on this year that we've just

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had.

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As we get prepared for the new year, as we wrap up our time today, I would love to invite

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you to become a partner with Sandals Church.

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And one way to do that is by going to donate.

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Sc.

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I love you guys.

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I hope you have a safe and happy New Year's Eve.