Catch your Breath - 1
Catch your breath • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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(Welcome to Summit)
3:33 - Greeting - Welcome those tuning in online. Welcome to Summit! What an incredible weekend we had last weekend. Excellent experience in a variety of ways - Friday Evening Service - filled with scripture and moments that brought us into HIS Story. Saturday - traditionally referred to as Silent Saturday - well it was anything but silent - as you heard for the Summit Win. Fun was had by all! Then of course Easter Sunday. If you missed it, i am sorry but you really did miss it. This room was nearly standing room only - like 20 empty seats - P Kati and the team had a couple excellent moments with some fun music. Still reflecting on that a week later - so fun. Pastor Eric did some live painting during worship and connected the dots - Jesus’s hands were out so we can put our hands up!
Jesus welcomes us - all of us - everyone has an opportunity to know Jesus. He wasn’t stopping anyone from coming to Him. He put his hands out - literally on the cross - to defeat once death, hell, and the grave. His life death and resurrection is sufficient for anyone - and it is efficient for those who will Proclaim with their mouths Jesus is Lord and believe in their hearts God raised Him from the dead on the Third day!
It was a blast, and guess what we are still praising Jesus - He is still risen and we are still celebrating! Everyday that is the reality.
As we dive in today. I’m curious, what is your favorite rollercoaster? Any rollercoaster enthusiasts here? I used to love them as a kid, in KC there was a place/ well is - its still there - called worlds of fun. At the time the fastest coaster at that park was the Orient Express and it was a blast. Turns, flips, dips, and a huge drop to start.
Valleyfair has a good number of decent coasters too - Steel Venom is always a favorite. That one has a launch that is impressive for sure.
(Formula Rossa Video)
Did you know there is a roller coaster in Abu Dabi at Ferrari World Theme park launches you to 150 mph in just under 5 seconds. Formula Rossa is currently the worlds fastest rollercoaster. I don’t know about the rest of you but 4.8gs at 150 mph…I’m gonna need a minute to recover after that. I’m probably gonna need a whole bottle of dramamine, a chiropractor, and a medical team on standby if I’m honest.
I used to be able to ride those things all day but that Chad left the building a longtime ago! haha. I’m good for one or two..maybe, but I’m for sure gonna need to sit down and catch my bearings at some point.
Sometimes life can feel like a rollercoaster too can’t it? You are on your way up to the top, the climb is nice, the view is great, and then the bottom drops and you can’t even let out a scream because your breath is literally being taken from your body.
We have all experienced it in life - and if you haven’t well you will at some point need to catch your breath and regroup. Life is filled with those moments. When a loved one or you yourself experiences a life-changing diagnosis, or unimaginable tragedy.
There was a time in my life - early on my journey with Jesus - where I felt like I was on a rollercoaster. Loss of a friend and co-worker at a young age - our granddads and dads even were friends. A marriage that was crashing and burning, my kids are separated, the loss of my grandma…all bad right. But then, Jesus shows up in my life and I start a journey of real faith, not religion. I meet my incredible wife Becky and everything looks like its going well, ride of life drops again and my dad dies…Jesus meets me in the middle of pain, I surrender my life to Jesus…Up and down, and up and down, and up.
Life is not a one-way trajectory. Life isn’t always good and its not always bad. I don’t care how long or how many times you have ridden the rollercoaster of life - its gonna take a minute to regain your bearings, to recenter yourself…
Can you imagine the rollercoaster Jesus’ followers experienced over about a 45 day period. Think about their life for a moment. Some had been following Jesus for nearly 3 years, others just join the party recently. Together they experience this wild entrance of into the Holy City with Jesus on the donkey. Just a week later they are encircled with the horrors of His death. Even one from their own inner circle betrayed them, their leader, their trust. Scattered, afraid, lost…they don’t know what is coming next.
Then…then…then the mind-blowing revelation that Jesus did what he said he was going to do. The proof that he actually is the Messiah by returning from the grave. He did it! For the next thirty days the or so the remaining disciples come back, the men and women following Jesus rejoice. No doubt others who may have been close but on the fence become convinced. as if the experience wasn’t crazy enough. This happens:
After he had said this, he was taken up as they were watching, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going, they were gazing into heaven, and suddenly two men in white clothes stood by them.
They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen him going into heaven.”
Sheesh…what a wild ride…like I said Rollercoaster. Can you put yourself there?
Maybe you can’t imagine in your mind what that day would’ve looked like. But thats not what I’m wondering. What I am wondering is if you can put yourself in their shoes? Can you put yourself in that place where you are not really sure what is going to happen next? You are not really sure what direction you are supposed to go next? You have an idea but lack the details. Not sure if you can trust tomorrow
Over the next couple of weeks we are going to talk about getting our posture right. We are going to talk about what we do when the rollercoaster of life rolls over us, what kind of posture is the best posture to take to move forward.
What is the best way to catch our breath, to regroup. When you find yourself gasping for air, or or how do you find your feet when your equilibrium is messed up…How do we Catch our breath…
Catch your Breath
The best place to begin is to look at what the early followers did. We all just agreed that last 2 months - Jesus last month before his death and the moths after his resurrection until the moment of ascension would have required a little breath catching…So, what did they do?
Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, which is near Jerusalem—a Sabbath day’s journey away. When they arrived, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying: Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James.
This time around they stuck together. Jesus heads off into the clouds - and they eventually make the short journey back to the infamous upper room. How many of you would read this and not see anything significant in it? I know I have plenty of times. But this year something struck me. There is a lesson to be learned here.
The last time the rollercoaster dropped - the day of Jesus’ crucifixion - this crew of misfits disbanded, they scattered. Some locked themselves into a room, some left the region. We know for sure two of the original 12 were missing. One was Judas and the other was Thomas.
But Thomas (called “Twin”), one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.
He was somewhere else that the other 10 were not. Fight, Flight or Freeze kicked in and it looks like flight was the common response.
When it was evening on that first day of the week, the disciples were gathered together with the doors locked because they feared the Jews…
Fear response. Not sure what to do - Even though Jesus warned them explicitly what was going to happen. Even though he gave them directions for what to do…They let fear take over. AND who wouldn’t?? But look what happens this time. After they watch Jesus head off into the clouds…Sorry, I do actually wonder what that looked like. Was it like a divine elevator, did he float like the old guy from UP, more like Mary Poppins with her umbrella?
(Sorry, I digress…He’s coming back the same way Matt 24:30 and Rev 1:7 so it’s not a bad question.)
But again Jesus is leaving - this time much more peacefully yes, but the leader is leaving all the same. This time instead of being afraid they
Sat with other believers, they sat with the people they trusted. They gathered in a room with the list of Disciples and women and Jesus’ mom that I read earlier. AND AND a pile of other NAMED people (Luke just doesn’t give us the list, but its fair to assume there was a list for him somewhere) totalling around 120 people.
And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty), and said,
Here is the thing Summit - When you need to catch your breath - your physical breath sometimes you need to sit down for a minute to catch it. The same is true when you are trying to catch your emotional and spiritual breath. You need to Sit, but not just anywhere or with anyone.
Sit with People
Not just any people, sit with Jesus’ People. One of the things we say all the time around here is how important it is to
BE KNOWN
I don’t wanna gloss over this too quickly. I don’t wanna move past the reality that there were 120 people whose names were recorded in that room. They were all known by each other. Summit that’s what we’re trying to build, we are trying to build a place where you can feel comfortable being known.
You don’t have to be perfect, you don’t have to have it all figured out, you don’t have to know the answers, or have some religious upbringing. You don’t have to have it all figured out. That is the whole point.
You need someone to know you…to know your story and know theirs. So when the rollercoaster of life leaves you breathless, you can sit with them to catch your breath.
The disciples were not arbitrarily gathered and just sitting around having convo and coffee or tea. They sat together in prayer.
They all were continually united in prayer, along with the women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
When you find yourself in need of catching your breath - Sit with People who sit in Prayer. The purpose of prayer as you wait on God’s power to rest on you.
Sit in Prayer
Quick show of hands around the room. How many of you have felt like you were out of breath, but when you entered into prayer with people that you know, love, and trust things changed? Maybe the circumstance didn’t necessarily get better. Or maybe it did. Maybe the problem didn’t dissipate. Or maybe it did. Maybe the answer didn’t come the way you wanted it to. BUT BUT BUT - Who in this room would say that sitting with God’s people in Prayer made a difference in your life?
Who in this place felt like you were able to catch your breath because you sat with trusted people and were united in prayer.
Encouragement:
Let me just take a moment and talk to those in the room who maybe don’t know Jesus yet. Let me talk to the 20 or so of you who gave your life to Jesus last week. Or the 30 or so whoever recommitted their life over the last several months. I hope that you see this as an encouragement. Because the world’s going to try to do all the things that the world does. The talking points the social media posts. The whatever is going to try to come after prayer. Like somehow us sitting together, unified and prayer has no power.
But can I tell you that it absolutely has power. And this room right now the people who raise their hand or a living breathing testimony. They are a living breathing, walking witness of the power of Christ through the posture of prayer.
If you find yourself in need of catching your breath and are not sure where to start. Two things. Sunday mornings during worship you can always come forward. If you walk forward someone will come and pray with you for sure.
Midweek - every week throughout the school year we have kids, youth and adults meeting here at church from 6:15 for a meal together and 7:00-8:15 for small groups. These are great spaces to come and BE KNOWN and FIND HOPE in Jesus. Don’t miss it. Be here on Wednesdays for the next several weeks.
To step into a space where you can catch your breath. Where you can sit with People who are happy to sit in prayer with you. There is power in it, because when you catch your breath its not just your natural breath…
The disciples where in prayer awaiting the promise Jesus offered. He told them there was a breath of power coming. They were not catching there breath as much as they were waiting on the breath of God the Spirit of God to baptize them - to come upon them. They were about to catch the breath of the Spirit!
While he was with them, he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father’s promise. “Which,” he said, “you have heard me speak about; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit in a few days.”
That is exactly what happened.
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.
And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
I know I am supposed to go a certain direction with this iconic text in a church like this one. For some the mention of a verse like this makes you nervous - oh man there is that “and began to speak in tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
Easy, easy, these languages - gave the believers the ability to speak the gospel in the language of those in the city - at minimum they were unknown to the speaker and known to the hearer. Which would have been a significant number of people. This gift is still alive and well today. Not just known but prayer language as well. Praise the Lord for empowering us to pray in a way that our minds cannot hijack!
But here is what I hope you grab today Church. If you want to catch your breath when the rollercoaster of life leaves you breathless. When you find your head spinning, your body with all kinds of mixed emotions, good, bad, elated, anxious, nervous, scared, excited, expectant - Multiple things can be true at once - all of those things can reside in our bodies at the same time.
When you need to catch your breath for the first time or for the 200th time.
Sit with People in Prayer with Power
The outcome I want you to focus on is the gift of that power encounter with the HOLY SPIRIT. The filling of the breath of God - Love the OT Word for Spirit - RUACH. It just sounds powerful doesn’t it? Catch the RUACH of God in your life as you sit in prayer with God’s people.
God’s promise to the Apostles and the Disciples is the same promise to you. He will fill you with his Spirit and you will catch your breath!
Wouldn’t it be great if we could say this is a one and done thing. That once we are filled with the power of the Holy Spirit we never have to catch our breath again. We never feel empty, we never feel struggle, pain, hurt, out of control. Wouldn’t that be amazing…but then there is this reality we all face.
Truth #1 - If you surrender to Jesus and ask to be filled - continually be filled - Paul says in Ephesians- you will be filled. That is true. We are people of the Holy Spirit, there are some gifts that bring evidence of that truth…and you can have those gifts AND still feel like the wind got knocked out of you!
Truth #2 - As a follower of Jesus you will be better AT life - when you do it His way - but life won’t always be better. Life is still going to be filled with ups, downs, twists, turns, and it will leave you trying to Catch your breath.
BUT BUT BUT - you are not a helpless to external forces. We are not victims, we don’t have to be. Jesus was not a victim of Evil and neither are those who have followed him for 2 Millenia. We do need to take a moment and catch our breath.
When you find yourself in a the place of needing to catch your breath, do me a favor and don’t fake it or ignore it. There are times when we need to just sit.
If you are a brand new believer, don’t just take off and start running. Listen your rollercoaster of worldly things just stopped, and its gonna take a minute to catch you breath, to find your feet. Learn to follow before you try and lead.
Sit with people who have a proven record of faithfulness as you catch your breath. For those who have followed Jesus for a while, you know there are times you need to sit and regain your composure. Sit with those who will pray you through it.
So what steps can we take to
Sit with People in Prayer with Power
I already mentioned midweek, and small groups. If you are interested in leading a summer small group send me an email, or a text, or tell me then follow up from a lobby convo! But being in groups with one another is important.
Being here is critical on Sunday. DO NOT NEGLECT THE MEETINGS like some followers have done as the author of Hebrews wrote. This is important to BE KNOWN.
Finally, I want to invite all of you to May 7th - Wednesday night all pray. 30 minutes to catch your breath…
May 7th - ALL PRAY - Intentional Invite
