We all think we want to see the big picture. And how our story and our circumstances fit into the big picture. We ask questions like, Why me? Why today? Why this street? Why this building? Why this friend? Why now?

What we'll see today is that we rarely get the answers to those questions. And what God's Word has to teach us is that true wisdom is trusting God with the big picture.

Psalm 111:10

Oftentimes we have a scarcity mentality when it comes to grace. We behave as though he's not still as gracious toward us as when we first believed. But what we must see is that God’s posture toward humanity is abundant grace. It always has been, and it always will be.

John 1:16-17

When we don't get what we think we deserve, we will leverage all our resources to make it right. But we are rarely burdened to do justice for others. Thank God that he is always…is just, loves justice, does justice, and commands justice.

Have you ever wondered what would motivate God to send Jesus to rescue humanity when we are described as "adulterous people" and "children of disobedience"?

The answer is mercy. Mercy moves God to save.

We tend to think of wrath as a bad thing. Anger is called a negative emotion. But are hate, wrath, and anger really all that bad?

What we'll see this morning, as we look at God's wrath is that God hates evil, and that's a good thing!

70% of Americans say they are good people. Almost 50% go further in saying they’re the nicest person they know! But are we legitimately good? Who defines what good is? If we look in God’s Word for what he has to say about it, we see a much bleaker picture of humanity’s goodness. What we find is that only God is good, but because of his goodness, we can be good.

When there are needs around us, we assume someone else will meet them. Maybe we assume that it is not really our responsibility. Maybe we feel like we don’t have anything to offer or that someone can step up do it better than us anyway. We doubt our abilities or feel inadequate. And while it’s easy to point fingers or make excuses I think that this attitude easily creeps into our churches today as well. But what our text today is going to show us is that part of your purpose is found in serving the church AND the church will never reach its full maturity without you. You are God’s gift to the church.

We tend to intellectualize our faith. We’re prone to engage God and his Word with our minds to the neglect of our hearts. We settle for knowledge of God without truly knowing him. But what our verses show us this morning is that an encounter with Jesus should ignite heartfelt praise!

Apart from God we believe foolishness is wisdom and wisdom is foolishness. The wisdom of God and the “wisdom” of this world are complete opposites! As we’ll see this morning, that’s because the wisdom of God is revealed through the Spirit in the mind of Christ. And the only way to leave behind the foolishness of this world and grow in the mind of Christ is through faith in Jesus.

“When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

If you have been called by Christ, then you have been called to die. Entrusted with the message of the gospel, we must answer the call to give our lives for the joy of the nations.

We are so often afraid to share our faith because we won’t know what to say, we won’t be prepared for objections, or we won’t have the answers to the questions that are asked. We feel like we are the primary part of the process and we talk ourselves out of it. Here the disciples are not the primary actors in the book of Acts. God is. Acts is about what Jesus is continuing to do by the Spirit though his people. Yes, the disciples will be his witnesses to the ends of the earth, because Jesus is going to sovereignly orchestrate it.

Often times pride fuels our desire for greatness. Jealousy of others’ abilities and envy grows in our hearts. Comparing ourselves to others constantly or thinking we are better than someone else. Our pride causes us to be jealous and value self-promotion instead of humility. But in the kingdom of God, true greatness is found in childlike wonder. Don’t lose the wonder. Don’t lose the awe of who Jesus is and what He has done for you. Don’t adulterate the simplicity and beauty of following Jesus with envy, jealousy and ambition.

We like to live on the mountaintop. Excited. Happy. To move from one epic experience to the next. Especially in our spiritual lives. But to follow Jesus is to behold his glory on the mountaintop and embrace suffering in the valley, and everything in between that this broken world has to throw at us.

Do you want to save your life? Lose it. Do you want to truly live? Die to yourself!

It’s hard to believe we’ll have what we need. Whether starting a new business, going through financial trouble, finding good community and making deep friendships, or even just having our basic needs met. But what Jesus’ sending out his disciples and the feeding of the five thousand shows us is that Jesus gives provision for every commission. And following Jesus means trusting he’ll provide for your needs.

We regard God as an airman regards his parachute; it’s there for emergencies but he hopes he’ll never have to use it.” – C.S. Lewis

So much of our lives are spent living as though we can save ourselves. But when the emergency hits, we are reminded that we are saved through faith alone in Christ alone. What if we trusted God with every moment? What if Jesus was our first thought instead of our last resort?

We are most comfortable when life is predictable. We are “creatures of habit,” we “live by our calendars,” we plan our days and work our plans. But following Jesus is rarely comfortable or predictable. Jesus’ rule upends life as we know it. The reign of Christ disrupts business as usual.

Everyone is either going into a storm, is in the middle of one, or is coming out of one. This is the human experience. And it is in these storms that followers of Jesus are invited to trust his words more than the winds and the waves. Every storm is an opportunity to exercise our faith in the midst of our fear.

This life will steal your soul, choke you out, and tear you apart. Only Jesus can save your soul, give you life, and make you whole.

What story am I believing to be true about my identity, and who’s telling it? What could happen in me, and what could happen around me if my interior story changed? “We are not what we do, we are not what we have, we are not what others think of us. Coming home is claiming the truth. I am the beloved child of a loving creator.” -Henri Nouwen