Tribe | Your Broken Identity - Night 2

God chose you, God gave you one another called the church, the Heaven Tribe, and placed his Holy Spirit dynamite energy inside of you, the same energy that raised a man from the dead! Now, that same Spirit lives inside of every person who believes!

That’s God’s promise for you and for every one of us! Regardless of what you believe right now, God promised to give you these truths at the precise moment when you do believe.

After Paul ended that passage from chapter 1, he made a hard turn in chapter 2 that describes another truth that exists for all of us.

Tonight I want to invite you to be honest with yourself. Students and leaders alike when Paul wrote:

Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the power of the air. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. Ephesians 2:1-3

As a teenager, I grew up attending a student camp just like this, and at the end of each night, a couple hundred of us would gather around a campfire and sing songs together. Some of my most intimate moments with God happened around those campfires. At the end of the campfire, we closed the night with the same song based on Psalm 139, one of my favorite Psalms, which I read part of yesterday when I said,

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139:14

That Psalm closes with this couplet:

Search me, O God, and know my heart;

test me and know my anxious thoughts.

Point out anything in me that offends you,

and lead me along the path of everlasting life. Psalm 139:23-24

The Psalm is a prayer, which invites God to meet you in your mess and brokenness.

Tonight, I want to invite you to ask God to search your heart and know you. God chose you even before God made the world. Search for him tonight and he promised that you will find him.

Our sin and disobedience keeps Us apart from God.

The truth is: Our sin leads to death. Not only in hell and eternal separation from our God, but also dead in life here and now.

A few months ago, a good friend of mine invited me on his production set. During my visit, I met the man who directed Mac Miller’s final music video, “Self-Care,” which was released about a month before he overdosed and died at age 26.

Some of you know of Mac Miller, some of you don’t. For those of you who don’t, most people in the music industry, including Dr. Dre and John Legend, viewed Mac Miller as one of the great up and coming hip hop artists of your generation. He also dated Ariana Grande for two years. That’s how you know Mac Miller… :)

If you ever listened to Mac Miller, then you also may know that he battled substance abuse, which began in high school. Many of his lyrics express his battle with drug addiction.

About a month before his overdose, he released a track called “Self-Care,” from his last album “Swimming.”

In this single, he chronicled his emotional spiral downward into what he called "oblivion,” which he admits in his own words was “a beautiful feeling in oblivion.”

In the video, the scene opens with Miller laying in a coffin, symbolizing his own death.

Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins, Paul said.

Mac Miller knew this, all of us know this.

In his video after lighting a cigarette, he carved into the wood of the coffin these words: “Memento Mori,” which is Latin for “remember your death.”

Every part of this video resonates with my brokenness.

Because just like Mac Miller, I once felt dead, too. Dead in my sin. Dead in my emotions. Dead in my disobedience.

Friends, no pretending, I’m a broken man on this Christ Journey with you.

His music gives a voice to your generation. How do I know? Because his video has been viewed 126 million times only 9 months after his death.

Two scenes resonate with me from this video:

First, in the coffin,

[[[SHOW PIC: MILLER COFFIN]]]

jagged nails pointed down toward him, buried 6 feet under, and without any care in the world, Miller lights a cigarette, and sings:

Swear the height be too tall so like September I fall (down, down)

Down below, now I know that the medicine be on call, yeah (the ‘medicine’ meaning drugs)

It's feeling like you hot enough to melt, yeah (meaning the feeling of drugs happening in your body)

Can't trust no one, can't even trust yourself yeah (which alludes to the anxiety and isolation that is produced by the high)

And I love you, I don't love nobody else, yeah (I love you, meaning the high)

Tell them they can take it elsewhere (meaning they can take their help and advice elsewhere)

Self care, I'm treatin' me right, yeah (Meaning he is only thinking about himself and how he can find relief from his pain and worry)

We gonna be alright (his high is his only satisfaction)

The ‘we’ throughout these lyrics refers to Miller and his drug.

Perhaps for you, the ‘we’ in his lyric isn’t a drug, but all of us have a we… All of us have attached ourselves to something that takes away from our lives rather than gives life to us.

maybe it’s sex or porn or gossip or food or the desire to be liked by everyone.

What is that for you?

Let me talk to the middle schoolers for just a moment: perhaps you don’t struggle with drugs, sex, porn, and gossip, and junk right now - maybe you do, but for others you may not. Regardless, when the day comes when you face these questions and decisions, I want you to know that these are empty promises that will lead you down a road that God never intended for you to travel.

I am giving you a Haka challenge not to travel down that road.

Instead, help others off that road and back to toward life with Christ.

The second scene that resonates occurres right after Miller came up from the ground when the explosions started happening all around him.

[[[SHOW PIC: MILLER COLOR EXPLOSIONS]]]

For the rest of the video, we don’t see a clear view of his face again, as he sang,

I got all the time in the world

So for now, I'm just chillin'

Plus, I know it's a beautiful feeling

In oblivion

Oblivion literally means ‘nothing.’

And for Miller he felt a beautiful feeling in his own nothingness.

At one point, we see him falling from the sky into oblivion,

[[[SHOW PIC: MILLER FALLING]]]

away from the outside world, apart from every who knows him.

I wonder how many of us run into our own oblivion in order to escape from:

Pressures

Pretending

Prejudices

through things like:

Drugs

Alcohol

Sex

Gossip

Food

Sugar

Binge TV

Anything that can distract you from what’s happening in your heart.

Mac Miller died in his Los Angeles mansion alone on September 6 with cocaine, fentanyl, and alcohol in his system, and then additional cocaine on him to use later.

My heart breaks for this man I never I knew.

But let me tell you who I do know:

I knew a beautiful, caring, talented, young 16 year old girl who’s funeral I officiated because she jumped off the golden gate bridge, believing that her life was hopeless and helpless.

I knew a wonderful 24 year old young man who filled out this small group card only a couple of days before he overdosed with fentanyl and cocaine in his system, who battled the same addiction as Mac Miller, and longed for the day when he would be free.

I knew another 24 year old young man who attended our church. On the night that he graduated from Fire College, he drove home drunk and died in a car accident. I officiated his funeral and wept with his parents.

My heart breaks for every young man and young woman who feels dead inside, living in their own oblivion apart from God who gives life and life eternal!

My heart breaks for every young man and young woman who has ever been hurt, hurt someone else, or has hurt themselves.

Friends I know some of you tonight feel:

Lost

Unknown

Unloved

Invisible

Broken

Inadequate

Worthless

And the shame voice inside of you says, ‘run away from everyone and everything into your own oblivion.’ Where no one will reject you.

Hide, build your walls, and escape from everyone and everything.

Have any of you ever felt that way?

Me too.

I know that feeling all too well of wanting to feel nothing, and escape my reality. I get it. I lived it. Truthfully, I think all of us at one time or another has experienced those feelings of numbness and rejection…

...

Yet, I also know what freedom feels like.

Tonight isn’t about shaming.

Tonight isn’t about ignoring.

Tonight is about freedom, and the only way to freedom is through honesty.

Tonight, I’m inviting every person in this room to experience freedom tonight through honest truth telling.

C.S. Lewis, an author and theologian who wrote “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” once wrote, “The prayer that precedes all prayer is ‘Father, may the real me meet the real you.”

That’s the definition of honesty: may the real me meet the real you.

Tonight, may the real you meet your real Heavenly Father!

Let us pray:

Heavenly Father, tonight, we need courage to hear your voice of truth speak fresh words into our lives. Tonight, may the real me meet the real you. In your name we make our prayer, Amen.

One of my favorite Proverbs says,

As a face is reflected in water,

so the heart reflects the real person. Proverbs 27:19

Reflections don’t lie. They always reveal the truth. Tonight, I’m holding up a mirror to you, and I am inviting you to see the truth about your life.

[[[HOLD A MIRROR]]]

Stop pretending. Take off your mask. Come out of your oblivion and back into the real world. Get honest with yourself and with others.

Look into your eyes, what do you see?

Do you see the fruits of the Spirit coming alive in your heart: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control?

Or, do you see the opposite of those fruits alive in your heart: hate, sadness, frustration, cruelty, dishonesty, difficulty, betrayal, impurity?

What do you see in your reflection?

Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.

‘Memento Mori’ - Remember your death. This is our story. This is every person’s story.

Death always follows us whenever we choose to turn away from God and make ourselves the gods or goddesses of our own life.

The author of Genesis recorded Satan’s temptation to Adam and Eve, and every person who has ever lived , “Your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God.” Genesis 3:5

And not like God in the way that we reflect God, but be like God in a way that we actually want to be God and live like the god of our own life.

This is the core temptation behind every sin.

Friends, please understand this. The core motivation behind every sin, every evil, every hurt, and every wrong is the core desire inside of every single one of us ‘to live like the god of our own life’ with you in control to make whatever decision that pleases you. This is the purest definition of selfishness and sin, and this completely goes against each one of the core truths that we discussed last night.

Sin has separated all of us from our Heavenly Father:

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Romans 3:23

And all of us face this consequence:

For the wages of sin is death. Romans 6:23

Like a rose cut from its root

[[[CUT A ROSE]]]

Sin is a death sentence. It is eternal oblivion, nothingness, apart from our God, one another, and love.

Sometimes, you can live like the god of our own life disconnected from your Heavenly Father, your true life source, and still look alive on the outside just like this flower. It looks alive, But make no mistake: this flower died the moment I cut it from its root. It may look alive, but this flower is dead.

Friends, some of you appear alive on the outside, but you’re dead on the inside. Sometimes sin kills quickly, and other times it kills slowly over a lifetime. Either way, sin always kills every time.

This is what happens when you choose your own way apart from God, obeying the devil—the commander of the power of the air. Paul says.

Let me ask you something: how much power does the air have over you? The answer is nothing.

[[[SPRAY MIST BOTTLE]]]

Satan is the commander of nothing, Paul says. Satan has no power over you, except whatever you give to him. Some people give the devil a lot of power, but please do not miss this: The devil has no power. Satan is not a god. He is a fallen created being. His only offensive weapon is deception.

You give Satan power whenever you fall for his deception. Unlike God, Satan does not know your heart, does not dwell in you, nor does Satan possess any power over you. Satan simply wants you to turn from God and back to yourself and deceive you from your true source of life in order to follow him into death.

Satan is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. … And choose to live like the god of their own life apart from the one true God who:

Created all of us in his image and calls us “very good.” Gen 1:31

“Fearfully and wonderfully made you” Psalm 139:14

The New Testament writers use 9 different words for sin, but Paul here uses one of the most interesting and widely used terms for the word Sin - “hamartia,” which means “to miss the mark.”

Literally an archer who pulls back the string on the bow and misses his target, the free throw shooter who misses the shot, the pitcher who misses the strike zone, the quarterback who throws an interception.

All of us miss the mark in some way shape or form on what God desires for our lives, so don’t feel ashamed about falling short. Instead, be honest about it.

Friends, we live in a world with real consequences to our behavior. And the more we lie, them the greater the consequence.

No one who lives like the god of their own life, choosing their own way apart from God and obeying the commander of the power of the air, leaves this life without facing real consequences here and now, as well as eternal consequences.

Please listen carefully, the eternal consequence of hell results from who owns your heart. Your behavior matters because they indicate who owns your heart.

The commander of the power of nothing wants you to take your heart back from God and own it for yourself. He wants you to leave those 12 glorious truths about you for your own selfishness. Every lie and deception from the devil intends to take you away from God and others, and away from this tribe. Period.

Hell isn’t filled with lost souls who simply made bad decisions. All of us make bad decisions. We’re all broken men and women. All of us fall short of God and one another.

Rather, hell is filled with lost souls who fell for the lie that their own lives mattered more than God. They chose to let the commander of the power of nothingness - of our their own oblivions - deceive them from placing their trust in Christ, who offers real and eternal life for all of us who believe, and who offered us a way into this tribe!

Friends, tonight, how would you answer this question:

Who owns your heart?

Does God own your heart?

Or do you own your heart?

Tonight, before you go to sleep, I want you to share your honest answer with at least one other trusted leader here with you. Leaders, do not go to sleep until you hear from every person. Students, you don’t need to explain yourself tonight. Just be honest. Take a heart assessment. Who owns your heart? And then after a good rest tonight and a good breakfast in the morning, then continue the conversation with your leader about why you answered the question that way. Let the honesty begin tonight. Say no to the lies. Stop deceiving yourself and others, and listen for the voice of truth by sharing your honest truth tonight with another leader.

James, Jesus’ own brother, wrote in his letter:

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. James 5:16

The prayer of a righteous person has great power - dynamite energy - which produces wonderful results because the Holy Spirit lives in them!

Confess your sin tonight, share your honest truth, and be healed by the Holy Spirit.

Do you want to know how to become part of this tribe? God made you part of his bloodline. He created you for this tribe, but God gave you the choice as to whether or not you want to be part of it?

Listen, I need to say this: Some of you may need to feel the consequences of your behavior tonight, and if so, then I am going forehead to forehead with you, and I am giving you a Haka, a challenge, to own it. Feel it.

The heaven tribe is a safe place for you to be known and belong by God and others in this tribe and live with purpose.

As a face is reflected in water,

so the heart reflects the real person. Proverbs 27:19

Some of you for the first time tonight need to make eye contact with the face in the water and see your true self and ask:

Who owns your heart?

Tonight, think on that question: Who owns your heart? Does God own your heart, or do you own your heart?

Jesus once said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32

Who owns your heart?

Talk this over in your groups. Take some time by yourself. Write down your thoughts. Embrace the tension, welcome the awkward... and, as crazy as this may sound, feel the pain and emotions… for at least one night. In order to overcome your pain, you need to feel it, and release it. Don’t rush to ignore your emotions and climb back into your oblivion. Don’t dodge this moment by telling stupid jokes or chasing that guy or girl.

Tonight might be one of the most important moments of your life. Don’t waste it. Get honest with yourself. Find a trusted leader. Share your truth.

Who owns your heart? The one true God, or you? Are you obeying the lies whispered to you by the commander of your own oblivion, your own nothingness?

Tonight, you decide.

I want to close tonight by doing something a little different… I want to close tonight with the same song that I ended my campfire nights with as a high school camper, reflecting on a message like this and a great God who came to save me. As we sing together, I want to invite you to sing this song with me as an honest invitation for the Lord to know you and for the Lord to be known by you. Sing along with me:

Search my heart, oh God

Make it ever true

Search my heart, oh God

May I be like You

Heavenly Father…

For the 6th-8th graders - let me say something to you, perhaps this isn’t your struggle right now, but you will be faced with these questions and decisions, and i want you to know that these are empty promises. Some of you haven’t faced it, but i want to prepare for you when you do so that you know that these are empty lies that can you down a road that God never intended.

Consider shrinking the end so that it doesn’t go too long.

This is all smoke and mirrors - just like miller’s video.

Even if this isn’t your struggle, then know this is the world we live in and our friends face.

Middle school years - Sarah McW struggled with language that she wasn’t used to, and the overall disrespect from students toward others and their teachers. From 7th to 8th grade, kids begin experiencing with stuff.

Maybe friends face this who help you give you a framework to help them.

Give them a haka challenge

Mac miller playing with his mom as a baby.

Include a couple of sentences on the jagged piece for night 3

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