DREAM BIG (Cornerstone)

INTRO

Good morning Cornerstone! My name is Ryan, I’m thrilled to be here with you all today.

I’m grateful for your staff and leadership for having me.

This is pretty much like coming home for me… you may be aware that I’m Terry and Gail Beavers’ son

I grew up about 10 minutes away on Millikin Rd… Went to Lakota East...

I have worshipped with you all many times when I’ve been back visiting… so I can already tell you that I love this church

And seriously, I’m thrilled to be here.

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Much to my parents’ disappointment… it is just me today.

I have a beautiful wife & daughter, Allison and Zoe… but my daughter is headed to her first ever overnight camp this week… so they couldn’t be here.

And my parents and I were talking about this plan where I would come and be a guest preacher… and when I told them that Zoe couldn’t make it… honestly I wasn’t convinced that they wouldn’t just rescind that invitation.

“Oh Zoe’s not coming… nevermind, we’ll just see you when we see you.”

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So you just need to know up front that you’re getting Terry and Gail’s 3rd best option.

Either way… I am excited to be here with you all.

ME

So we’ve been living in Florida now for the past several years… and when we moved down there I was surprised to find out that our little area was actually a really popular surfing destination.

Kelly Slater is from there… please don’t ask me to tell you anything about him… I just know that that is a name people throw out when they talk about surfing…

I grew up here… I’ve got nothing to offer.

BUT… I figured I had to try it… I mean if this is where I live now… then there is an opportunity in front of me to, maybe learn how to surf.

We have several church members who surf and, one day, I was going to get the courage up to ask one of them to teach me.

But the more we went out to the beach and watched them… the more nasty falls I would see.

One of the pastors I used to work with… his son surfed and I’m pretty sure he chipped the same tooth about 3 times in the same year… hitting it on his surf board.

Not to mention I had a bad experience several years ago in a rip current and am terrified of the ocean when it gets deep.

***And then I would end up seeing pictures like this one online…

Okay, life has handed me enough reasons why surfing is not in the cards. It was a good thought, but…

See I had big dreams of being a surfer… it actually looked like a lot of fun.

But then one thing after another and I found myself not really believing that I could do it.

And so I never really tried.

WE

Has this ever happened to you? You had a dream, a goal, an ambition…

It was exciting, it was risky, it’s nerve-racking, but you were passionate about it.

As soon as the stir of emotions is over… what happens… reality. All of the reasons why it won’t work. All of the reasons why it can’t be true.

And so maybe it doesn’t happen.

We have a phrase for this… you’ll say that someone “missed their calling,” right?

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We have a guy in our church right now who is retired from the banking and finance industry.

And I’m sure he was talented and did well for himself… and he has a wonderful family that he provided for...

But he KNOWS… and his family KNOWS… he missed his calling.

He should have been a pastor.

And I’m not saying everyone should be a pastor, like it’s the pinnacle or something… I’m sure banking and finance hasn’t been a bad career… and it may be exactly where you should be… but he wonders if he was built for something different.

And he wonders if he missed his calling.

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Sometimes there are possibilities in front of us… there is potential out there… but wait…

You don’t have the experience. You’re too young. You’re too old. You don’t have the right degree. You don’t have a degree at all. You don’t have the talent…

And then you stop BELIEVING that you can do it.

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Belief is a powerful thing. It can stir us into action. It can give us a will to press on. It can inspire us to achieve.

But there’s something unique about the idea of belief in the Bible.

You see, when we believe in ourselves… or when we believe in others… it can drive us on, give us a shot in the arm to reach those things that are actually possible. To truly reach our potential.

BUT… when you truly believe in Jesus, suddenly this thing happens where you can reach these things that you thought were IMpossible… you might just reach beyond your potential.

GOD

In the Bible you’ll find 4 different accounts of the life and ministry of Jesus… they’re called Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John...

You’ve probably heard of those guys before.

My favorite one to read is Mark. Mark is shorter than the others… that alone might be why it’s my favorite :)

But Mark moves really fast and is very to the point.

Mark drives home one theme in particular throughout the whole book… belief.

Throughout all of Mark you’re constantly wondering if Jesus’ disciples are actually going to get it. When will they finally understand who Jesus is and believe.

It’s almost frustrating at how slow they are to pick up what Jesus is laying down.

In fact, the book of Mark portrays them as so dim that some people will refer to the disciples, particularly in Mark, as the “duh-sciples.”

I know… I know… I’m being hard on them today… but honestly, we have the same problem don’t we?

Do we REALLY believe Jesus is who He says He is?

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The story I want to look at today is from Mark chapter 9… so get your Bibles or your phones out and go there with me…

And in this story you’ll notice that belief plays a key role. The story turns on a dime and, more specifically, it turns on belief.

You can actually see, in real-time, how belief can actually change the outcome.

PASSAGE

Mark 9:14–24 (NIV)

14 When they (Jesus and a small group of disciples) came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. 15 As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.

16 “What are you arguing with them about?” he asked.

17 A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. 18 Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”

19 “You unbelieving generation,”

[WHAT KIND OF GENERATION?]

19 “You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”

20 So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.

21 Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”

“From childhood,” he answered. 22 “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

23 “ ‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”

[FOR ONE WHO WHAT?]

24 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

OPENING PRAYER

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in Your sight… O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

REFLECTIONS

Belief is such a strong concept in Mark that you’ll find that Jesus in some cases can or… oddly enough… cannot do certain things because of people’s belief or lack thereof.

For example… Jesus visits his hometown, where he grew up, and the people there, they just can’t take Him seriously.

This is where he delivers this classic line you may have heard before… He says,

Mark 6:4 (NIV)

A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.

And you know… as I read that, the irony is not lost on me that I’m preaching in my hometown… with my relatives here.

But the story goes on and says:

Mark 6:5 NIV

5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them.

Just healed a few people… not a big deal.

But still, you get the idea that he could have done more… IF THEY HAD BELIEVED.

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And it works the other way too…

Elsewhere in Mark you have a man seeking healing for his daughter and he simply says,

Mark 5:23 (NIV)

“My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.”

He says… “SO THAT SHE WILL BE HEALED...” like he just KNOWS… well that’s what happens when Jesus shows up!

Like there’s not a doubt in his mind. She WILL be healed!

And it happens.

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And then right after that there is this woman seeking her own healing… and it says that she thinks to herself:

Mark 5:28 (NIV)

“If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.”

“I WILL BE HEALED.”

Not a doubt in her mind… this is just what happens when Jesus is around.

And she is.

They just BELIEVE… and the impossible becomes possible.

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And in our story of a father and his son we actually get to see the situation turn around…

You kind of take an emotional journey as we read this story.

It starts with despair doesn’t it?

You have the disappointment of the disciples’ failure… which has apparently devolved into an argument.

How many of us have been there before?

For whatever reason you have those days when you’re just not at your best.

And then you’re irritable… and maybe argumentative… and you’re probably not fun to be around.

For your co-workers… maybe for your family?

And then, in our story, the spotlight goes back to the boy… where it should have been the whole time.

And you get this pretty intense description of what’s happening.

Convulsing, foaming at the mouth… it looks like his life is on the line sometimes.

Can you imagine how hard this would have been for the father to watch.

Can you imagine how helpless & hopeless that might feel?

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I can remember when my daughter was first born and you take them for regularly scheduled appointments and vaccines.

And I can clearly remember watching her get like 3 or 4 shots in a row… and I think I cried harder than she did.

I was a bigger baby than the infant in the room.

And… as if that’s not hard enough… they look at YOU.

Like, why are you letting this happen?

And I’m like “I don’t know!”

And I felt so helpless in the room.

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I know… that’s kind of ridiculous…

Some of you all have like 5 kids and you’re just hoping I can pull it together.

Your 4th and 5th one may have driven themselves to those appointments. You don’t even remember.

BUT… some of you may have been through real helpless moments…

Not silly ones like watching them get a vaccine… but those gut wrenching moments where there is literally nothing you can do for them.

And you’re helpless… maybe hopeless.

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And the emotional roller coaster continues in the story and the father cries out in desperation to Jesus… “If you can do anything, help us!”

And it’s right here that Jesus recognizes a profound teachable moment.

For the father… for the disciples, for the crowd…

And for you and me today…

Right there is the root of the problem.

“...IF you can do anything, help us.”

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My wife and I had dated for about a month when I knew I was going to marry her. I just knew it.

But for a long time I was way too timid to ask her.

On one particular night I remember trying to just casually slip it into conversation… I felt like I just needed to fish around to see how she felt.

I said, “Hey uh… Do you think we’ll get married someday?”

Man I was so sly…

And I’ll never forget… she looked me straight in the eye and said, “You can’t ask me that.”

And I know now, about 15 years later, that Allie has no time for nonsense...

But it’s all still new in that moment… and right away I knew I had made a mistake somewhere…

It was clear that I wasn’t allowed to be shy or timid or unsure about that question.

Did I really believe in this thing or not?

Did I believe in it enough to just put my feelings on the line… boldly ask the REAL question… and just see what happened?

Don’t worry… we got married… it’s all good.

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And so the father in Mark starts off asking politely… feeling unsure… giving himself an OUT- you know, just in case Jesus can’t do it.

“Well I did say, ‘If you can…’ I guess he couldn’t…

He’s going to save his pride, you know…

In case his son isn’t healed and someone calls him out, “You didn’t really believe in that Jesus guy did you?”

“Ah no… but I was willing to try anything…”

We do this, right? We say things like “If you can…”/we believe cautiously so that we can keep our pride in tact if it doesn’t work out...

And so Jesus responds and essentially says, “That right there is the problem!

You can’t ask that way.

Do you believe or don’t you?”

APPLICATIONS

You may read through the miracle stories… the stories of healing in the New Testament and you may wonder… okay what is it?

What makes the difference?

Why does this person get a miracle?

I’m not going to claim that this is a perfect formula… but it looks like your belief… your faith might just be a game changer.

In Jesus’ hometown they don’t believe and it says he COULD NOT do any miracles there.

Not that He CHOOSES not to… it says He couldn’t.

That’s hard to know what to do with… especially when you serve an all powerful God.

I don’t know what theological box to put that in… but I DO know that belief makes a difference.

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In the story about the woman seeking healing from earlier, Jesus tells her that her faith is what heals her.

In fact, over and over again, you’ll hear this from Jesus… “Your faith has healed you, Your faith has made you well.”

There’s a story where a Roman soldier asks for healing for his servant… it says that Jesus was amazed at his faith.

But back in His hometown where Jesus can’t do any miracles… you know what it says there?

It says He was amazed at their lack of faith.

Jesus is amazed twice in scripture… once He’s amazed at someone’s faith… and once He’s amazed at the lack of it.

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Which leads me to a really hard question for us today:

***Church… is Jesus amazed at our faith? Or is He amazed at our lack of faith?

Is He amazed at our belief? Or amazed at our unbelief?

It seems like both of these things have the ability to maybe surprise and move God… but for opposite reasons.

So is He amazed at our faith… or amazed at our lack of faith?

WE

There really is something profound that happens in us we start from a position of belief.

Like, what if we didn’t give ourselves an out… what if we didn’t hedge our bets in case it didn’t happen...

What if we put God on the spot and said, “I believe you can, so I’m praying that You will.”

What if you truly believed that God is who He says He is and that He does what He says He’ll do?

I think something significant can happen within each of us… as individuals.

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But Cornerstone… I think something significant can happen for you as a church.

And this where I want to go as I wrap things up today…

Can I get real and maybe into your business just for a second?

You know… I have a connection here and I’m able to visit every so often… and so I’ve remained somewhat aware of the challenges and opportunities here.

Honestly… the past few years have been tough on any church… but there’s a few extra things here that you didn’t ask for.

You’ve had some leadership change and some turnover beyond your control.

You had a worldwide pandemic… certainly beyond your control.

Like my church you’ve been dealing with denominational drama… I know extremely well what that is like.

And so much of this is completely out of your hands… and you may be very familiar with that helpless feeling.

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And now you’re on the cusp of this whole new beginning… and it’s exciting…

But maybe given the past few years you might find it hard NOT to approach things from a place of unbelief… from a place of doubt… maybe even from a place of mistrust.

Things maybe just haven’t gone like you’d hoped.

***But Church… is Jesus amazed at our faith? Or is He amazed at our lack of faith?

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Let me ask you this...

Next Sunday… when you kick off a whole new season of ministry...

Can you believe again?

You may have felt helpless… you may have felt like you weren’t in control…

But can you let yourself believe again?

***Is Jesus going to be amazed at our faith? Or is He amazed at the lack of it?

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Here’s the point.

My dad and I were talking about a week or so ago and he was asking want I wanted to share...

And I said, “I just don’t want Cornerstone to be gun-shy.” I just don’t want you all to be timid.

Like, I am aware of some of the challenges here and the challenges of churches all over the place and I don’t want you to be discouraged.

So… let’s just dream for a moment…

What if God wants a 2nd service here again?

Do you believe that He can?

What if 2 services spill over and God wants a 3rd one and a 4th one?

Do you believe He can?

What if God wants to fill up your student ministry building with teenagers?

Do you believe He can?

What if God wants to fill this place with young families… and create a direct pipeline from your weekday preschool to your weekend worship?

Do you believe that He can?

What if it’s wild stuff that you haven’t thought of before?

Like I know there’s a Thanksgiving Outreach and an Easter Outreach that is really special here.

And if I heard right you supplied meals for over 150 families… that’s amazing.

But what if God wants Cornerstone to feed 1000 families?

What if it was 10,000 families?

That’s crazy right?

But do you BELIEVE Cornerstone… DO YOU BELIEVE He can do it… and that He can do it through this church?

I don’t know what Kingdom work God might have for you… but whatever it is… Cornerstone do you BELIEVE He can do it?

Even after a challenging few years… Can you believe in a big mission and a big church and a big God… and a calling that is bigger than all of us?

***Is God amazed at our faith? Or is He amazed at our lack of faith?

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And I know it’s hard.

And the father in the story knew it was hard.

And he had this beautiful, honest response to Jesus… “I believe, help my unbelief.”

And so maybe you don’t know exactly WHERE your level of faith is… but know this… Jesus responds to that prayer too.

I believe, help my unbelief.

That was all the father could get to… and still Jesus acted… and He healed his son.

Let me just tell you… I pray those 5 words all the time.

I believe, help my unbelief.

And if you don’t feel like you can respond with an impressive display of faith… know that you can still respond with honesty.

I believe, help my unbelief.

***Is God amazed at our faith? Or is He amazed at our lack of faith?

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I’ll tell you how I know this is true.... that belief and faith can change the outcome.

I’m so incredibly blessed to serve at a pretty amazing church in Florida.

It’s a church of about 600 or so.

Dynamic worship. Great leadership there. Amazing people.

But it’s their generosity that is just astounding.

About 3 or 4 times a year we will have special events that all revolve around sacrificial giving and extravagant generosity.

It’s not uncommon for our people to simply give away tens of thousands… sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars away… simply because there is a need that we rally behind.

What’s really amazing is that none of that stays in the church… 100% of it goes right out the back door where it is needed.

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It’s really an amazing place to be… but let me tell you the tiniest bit of history.

***Georgianna Church dates back to 1886 and it literally sits in the middle of an island. You don’t just happen to drive by it… you have to know it’s there.

And so there’s really no reason for it to grow a whole lot and have a big impact.

And honestly for over 100 years… it didn’t.

It was a little chapel on a little island… and I really think that’s all they ever wanted to be.

But about 20 years ago that all began to change with new leadership and a new pastor who BELIEVED that God wanted to do something bigger.

That Church was meant to be more than just an island country club… it was meant to gain ground for the Kingdom of God.

For over 100 years that church just went about their business with probably 50-60 people on average.

Now it’s 10 times that… and it’s giving away over a half a million dollars a year to people who need it most.

I don’t say that to brag… I’ve only been there 2 years… I can’t take credit for any of that.

I’ve just been had the blessing of seeing it happen.

Georgianna is not a boast for me.... today Georgianna is an example.

This is what happens when you can move beyond your history… move beyond the discouragement… maybe move beyond what you’ve always known.

This is what happens when churches choose to BELIEVE.

Astounding things happen… miracles happen…

I know from my church… that You can literally turn around the oldest, most stagnate church in the community.... to a powerhouse for God’s Kingdom.

Here’s what it boils down to: What do YOU believe God can do?

Cornerstone, you’ve had a discouraging few years… but it’s time to dream again.

So as you look ahead to a bright future… don’t be gun-shy! Don’t be afraid to think big and more importantly, BELIEVE BIG!

And if you need to…

Make this your prayer… “I BELIEVE! HELP MY UNBELIEF!”

“I BELIEVE! HELP MY UNBELIEF!”

CHURCH… I pray that you would amaze the living God with the profound faith that you have in Him.

CLOSING PRAYER

Who You are, who we are, who You’ve called us to be…

BENEDICTION

So can I tell the really fun part about being a guest speaker?

There’s all sorts of things that I can say because I’m not your pastor :)

But here’s what I want to leave you with today...

There’s a couple things you can do for Pastor Tim to support him and give him the best start that you can.

There’s some things that would be awkward for him to say himself… but it’s really nice when someone says them for you :)

So… a couple things:

PRAY for him.

Please lift Tim and his family up in prayer daily. It’s hard… they’re moving… all new church… all new people… all new house… all new schools… ALL the things.

The funny thing about the story today from Mark is that the disciples finally ask Jesus why they couldn’t help this poor boy… and Jesus responds by saying that it only works through prayer.

I’m sorry, were the disciples NOT praying this whole time? Was that the problem?

They were trying to work miracles without praying?

Listen… The backbone of a BELIEVING church… has GOT to be a PRAYING church. So pray for your pastor.

The second thing you can do for him is you can BELIEVE in him!

This is who God has brought to Cornerstone for this particular season.

I don’t know him… but I stalked him online…

He has experience, he has education… and he will be your spiritual leader.

So start from a position of belief… be his cheerleaders.

And those times when he’s not perfect… be the first to give him the benefit of the doubt… and choose to trust him anyway.

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Those two things… pray for him and believe in him… that will give him and his family the biggest jump start when he gets here.

And it’s going to be awesome.

Cornerstone Church… I choose to BELIEVE that your best days are ahead of you. And I want you to believe it you.

And I pray that we would all amaze our God with the belief that we have in Him.

Thanks again for having me… have an amazing week!