YOUTH CAMP // THE ARK

INTRODUCTION

Who is Hector Mora?

A 23 year old Bartender was invited to church by a waitress

That day would change his life forever

He would come to faith after 3 consecutive weeks of hearing the Gospel

He would begin serving the church immediately

Finding ways for more people to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ

At 25 5he Bartender and the waitress got married

Got the call to help plant a little church in LA that is now a mega church

At 28 he became the High School/College Pastor of his home church in Fountain Valley, CA

Him and his wife were privileged to welcome 3 beautiful girls into their world.

At 32 God called him to plant a church in Long Beach, CA

And God is not done yet.

God is still in pursuit of this man, his family, his girls

Can you turn to someone and say

“GOD’S NOT DONE”

TONIGHT

I want to show you some examples of a God who is not done.

Some in scripture, and some in real time.

TURN WITH ME TO

Genesis 3:1–9 NKJV

1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. 8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”

Genesis 3:1-

FROM THE VERY BEGINNING

GOD HAS BEEN A MAN THAT LOVES

A WARRIOR THAT FIGHTS FOR HIS PEOPLE

A PURSUER OF HIS CREATION

To give this greater value

I want us to know the why.

Why does God pursue us?

Why does God love us?

Why does He desire a relationship with us?

In three years of teaching I’ve been asked the question:

Did God create out of need for community?

Did God create out of loneliness?

If God is God, why does He care?

Simple answer

Because He loves his creation

He loves Humanity

He loves People

He loves you and me

Everything He does is founded on the insurmountable truth that

“He first loved us”

The Truth that God has chosen to Love us

While we were at war with Him

While we were sinning against Him

While we rebelled against His Word

Put’s Him in a category of His own.

To give us some perspective in regards to this love

I want you to do me a favor.

When other God’s would wage war against their subordinates

Think about the person you hate the most.

This one chooses to pursue you.

Think about why you hate them

LOOK AT THE TEXT

Think about what they did

Think about what they said

Think about the fact that they don’t love you

Think about the fact that they want nothing to do with you

NOW

Can you see yourself loving this person?

Can you see yourself pursuing this person?

Desiring a relationship with this person?

Doing everything in your power to squash the beef?

Putting aside all differences

Paying their debt that they brought on themselves.

Loving them unconditionally

WHEN HIS OWN CREATION DECIDED TO QUESTION HIS WORD

God has chosen to love people who are at war with them

God has chosen to love the hard way

To love people who are furthest from Him

Not just to be a good God, but to be the Greatest of All Time.

WHEN HIS OWN CREATION DECIDED TO SIN AGAINST HIM

WHEN HIS OWN CREATION DECIDED TO NEGLECT THAT LOVE

TO NOT JUST QUESTION HIS COMMANDMENTS, BUT TO QUESTION WITH THE INTENT OF DISOBEYING

TO NOT JUST QUESTION HIS COMMANDMENTS, BUT TO QUESTION WITH THE INTENT OF DISOBEYING

You would think that God would have just started over

You would think that God would have scrapped Plan A, and moved on

Instead of retreating

Instead of retreating

Instead of isolating himself from His children

He does the unthinkable.

He presses in

He calls out

He pursues

“ADAM WHERE ARE YOU?”

HOW MANY OF US, KNOW THIS CALL?

HOW MANY OF US KNOW THAT TONE OF VOICE FROM OUR PARENTS?

VERSE 9 can sometimes lead to the internal thought that:

Oh Shoot, I’m in trouble.

Oh, no, I got caught.

How can I get out of this one?

What if we viewed this call differently?

I wonder how many of us today know that this is a sign of God’s unconditional love for us?

I wonder how many of us value this call?

How many of us appreciate that we don’t have a God who bails on us because of our sinfulness?

How many of us realize that when God sheds light on our darkness, it’s because He desires holiness?

How many of us realize that when God calls us out on our sin, it’s because He is concerned that we are settling for a lesser life?

Adam and Eve lessened their worth by obeying the serpent

They devalued themselves by disobeying the commands of God

From that point on everything changed

Death was introduced

Pain multiplied

Enmity between man and the enemy

Though there are consequences to our actions.

There is also a greater reaction to our sin.

What God does after presenting the consequences echoes throughout all of time

Genesis 3:21 NKJV

21 Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.

Instead of requiring a sacrifice from Adam and Eve

God MADE tunics of animal skin to clothe them

God COVERED them with a better sacrifice

God

God’s first reaction is to pursue.

So you know He is still there

God’s second reaction is to present a plan

So you know He is God and that He cares about your eternal well being.

God’s third action is to present an eternal solution

So that His standard of holiness is met by a sacrifice that speaks to how much He loves you.

When we should be like: “Dang, why does God still loves us?”

Did you know that the Bible says that God is able

In Genesis he did it with an animal.

But in the Gospels, he did it with His Son.

John 15:13 NKJV

13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

To do Exceedingly

TONIGHT YOU MAY BE HERE

ASKING YOURSELF WHY YOU CAME

WHY YOU ARE HERE

MAYBE YOU HAVE BEEN KILLING IT

MAYBE YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF A GOOD PERSON

MAYBE YOU ARE IN MINISTRY

MAYBE YOU ARE SEEN AS A LEADER

YOU HAVE BEEN GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS

YOU MAY HAVE EVEN MEMORIZED SOME VERSES

LET US LOOK AT THE LIFE OF A MAN THAT WAS JUST LIKE YOU.

The New King James Version Chapter 3

If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; 6 concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.

PAUL THE APOSTLE WAS KILLING THE GAME

DOING ALL THE RIGHT THINGS

Abundantly

THOUGH HE WAS KEEPING THE LAW FOR A SEASON

IN THE BACK OF HIS MIND, THERE WAS STILL THAT MEMORY OF THE TIMES HE HADN’T

THIS GUILT CAUSED PAUL TO COME TO GRIPS WITH HIS FAILURES

IT CAUSED PAUL TO BE OPEN TO A NEW MOVE OF GOD

IN THE MIDST OF HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS

IN THE MIDST OF HIS PURSUIT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS ACCORDING TO THE LAW

GOD INTERRUPTS HIM TO SHOW HIM THAT THE ONE HE IS TRYING TO WORSHIP WITH GOOD WORKS AND ZEAL, IS ACTUALLY IN PURSUIT OF HIM.

Acts 9:3–5 NKJV

3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. 4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” 5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”

ACTS 9:3-

FRIENDS, GOD IS IN THE BUSINESS OF PURSUING AND INTERRUPTING OUR SO CALLED CHRISTIANITY TO HAVE A MOMENT WITH US

ACTS 9:3

TO REALIGN OUR PRACTICE

TO REMIND US THAT MAYBE ALL OF THIS WORK WE HAVE BEEN DOING IN ORDER TO PROVE TO PEOPLE THAT WE ARE SAVED IS NOT THE MOVE.

FOR PAUL, PERSECUTING CHRISTIANS SEEMED RIGHT, HE THOUGHT THAT WAS THE MOVE.

IN THE MIDST OF HIS “MINISTRY”

GOD RE-INTRODUCES HIMSELF TO PAUL

Above all that we can ask or think?

NOT AS THE GOD OF THE OLD TESTAMENT, BUT AS THE SON OF GOD WHO DIED ON THE CROSS FOR HIM.

Immediately, all of his accolades

Did you know that what God has for you and me is unmatched?

All of the things that he stood for

No one on this planet

All of his good works

No things on this planet

No status

No accolades

Were trumped by the Love that Jesus had shown him on the cross.

NOTHING CAN MATCH THE VALUATION THAT GOD HAS PLACED ON YOUR LIFE.

All of His Self Righteousness was overshadowed by the Cross

The things that had been messing with his mind

The drive to prove to people and to God that he was right

All of that was counted as loss

The New King James Version Chapter 3

7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,

FRIENDS, GOD HAS BEEN IN PURSUIT OF EVERY ONE OF US

IT IS TIME FOR US TO RETURN THE FAVOR

MANY OF US SEEK THE VALUATION AND VALIDATION OF THIS WORLD

AT THE EXPENSE OF GOD

WE WANT TO BE TIK TOK FAMOUS

WE WANT TO BE VERIFIED ON TWITTER

WE WANT TO HAVE THE LITTLE BLUE CHECK ON INSTA

WE WANT TO BE YOUTUBE STARS

We are willing to do whatever it takes

To find worth

To feel loved

To be known

ALL WHILE THE LORD STANDS WITH HIS ARMS WIDE OPEN

ALL WHILE THE LOVE OF GOD REMAINS UNTAPPED

ALL WHILE HIS WORD IS LEFT AT READ

FRIENDS, WE CANNOT TAKE THE RELATIONSHIP GOD DESIRES FOR GRANTED

WE, AS THE CHURCH, MUST RESPOND TO HIS CLAIMS

How many of us want to be tik tok famous?

How many of us want to be Certified on the gram?

How many of us want to be known as a YouTube Star?