What Movies Will You Create in 2025?
Scripture: Second Corinthians 10:3-5; Mark 5:25-34
Good morning Strangers Rest! I hope you are excited about what God is going to do in this place in 2025. The title of my message this morning is “What Movies Will You Create in 2025?” Some of you might be wondering what I am talking about, but just stay with me for a few moments and it will become clear.
I shared this Scripture with you the last time I stood before you and I want to remind you of it again this morning as it sets the foundation for what you are going to hear in this message. Second Corinthians 10:3-5 says, “(3) For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. (4) The weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood]. Our weapons are divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. (5) We are destroying sophisticated arguments and every exalted and proud thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought and purpose captive to the obedience of Christ.” I want you to keep verse five in mind as it says, “…. taking every thought and purpose captive to the obedience of Christ.” We are going to examine the role our thoughts play in our faith walk, especially the actions we take because of our thoughts. It is our thoughts that we create the movie scripts that we act on.
For this message to make sense to you, I want to first walk you through the seven essential steps for film making as defined by the New York Film Academy. The first step is the idea for the movie. Every movie ever created started with an idea in someone’s brain. The initial idea, which could change as the movie develops, establishes the foundation for the movie. The second step is the development of the script. This is where you put down the story, the setting, and the dialogue in a linear form. The third step is the storyboard. A storyboard is a sequence of drawings that represent the shots you plan to film. Step four is selecting the cast and crew who will be assisting you with the movie. The final three steps are selecting the locations for filming, the actual filming of the movie and then the post-production, where the final product is produced. For the purposes of this message, I will focus your attention on steps one through three and six and seven.
Every one of us creates movies daily. While our movies are not filmed and shown on the large screen, people are able to see some of our movies because we act them out. As you listen to this message, I want you to reflect on the movies you created in 2024 and the movies that you would like to create in 2025. If you could create your own movie, would your movie include you succeeding or failing? Would you have a movie of forgiveness or bitterness? Would your movie be about health or sickness? In this message I want you to think about your movies and consider if you have movies playing in your mind right now that need to be erased and permanently deleted or brought fully to the big screen that we call life. So, what movies will you create in 2025?
There was an article in an issue of USA Today that reported that in an online survey of 1000 adults “three-quarters of Americans believe the country was better off in the 1980s than it is right now.” And what is notable about the poll is that some of those who responded in the affirmative were not even alive during the 1980s. So, how can someone believe that their parents and grandparents were better off 40 years ago than they themselves are today? I believe the answer is simple: their parents, grandparents, relatives, and other adults shared stories with them about their lives in the 1980s that created vivid and long-lasting positive images in their minds of what life was like “back in the day.” This is why we often have a variety of emotional responses when watching certain types of movies. Let me give you an example.
How many of you have watched a movie and got so caught up in the movie that when the main character died you cried? Why did you cry? Emotional crying is a uniquely human behavior. Good movies embed us in another world, eliciting powerful emotions and triggering biological processes in our brain. Those processes temporarily connect us to the person and the movie in a physical and emotional way – our crying response. But let’s take this a step further. How many of you have sat in a darkened theater watching a scary movie and something happened on the screen that made you jump, shout, pull back and all the other reactions we have when something scary happens on the screen? So, why did you respond that way when it happened? You know it was a movie. You knew it was on a screen. You knew that there was nothing there that could hurt you and yet you responded as if you were in the movie yourself. Why did this happen? It is how our thoughts and minds work. We can get so caught up in a movie that our thoughts place us there even though, physically, we are just sitting there watching it. Our thoughts create movies in our minds that our bodies respond to.
Did you know that Jesus addressed how we create movies in our minds through our thoughts? Let us read what Jesus said about thoughts in Matthew chapter five beginning at verse twenty-seven. He said, “(27) You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY.’ (28) But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:27-28) Jesus says, “whoever looks at a woman – who has unchaste imaginations, desires, and intentions for her – commits adultery with her in his heart.” Do you see the movie that Jesus says is playing in the man’s mind? The man sees a beautiful woman and instead of acknowledging her beauty and moving on, he begins to imagine himself with the woman. Can you see it? He could have admired her beauty and let it go at that, but no, he turned around and stared. Not only did he stare, but he also licked his lips and imagined himself with that woman. Remember what I said about how movies are made? In this example the man saw the woman and the idea came to him about being with her. Then he quickly wrote the script and the storyboard for how it could be with the end result of him being with her. At this point he has not acted on it (steps six and seven) based on how “we” would judge the situation, but we live in a new Kingdom with a different standard.
In these verses Jesus is contrasting what is not acceptable under the Law versus what is not acceptable in the kingdom of God. Under the law, and how we think about this sin today, adultery became a sin once the act was committed. A person could think about committing the act but was not guilty until he did it. You see where I am going. Under the Law and how we treat it today, you can create the movie and script it out but if you do not act on it you are still saved, sanctified, and filled with the Holy Ghost. But that is not what Jesus said is it? Jesus says this does not apply to the person who is born again with and who has His life and nature. There is a higher moral standard of behavior for the person who is a Christian than there is for the person who is not a Christian. Jesus did not teach the Law, and we see this in Matthew 4:23, which tells us, “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.” Everything Jesus taught in the four gospels was prophetic about how a person would live in the kingdom of God. Jesus was talking to you, and He was talking to me. This applies to everyone who calls themselves a Christian. According to the Law, you had to commit the act before you were guilty. But Jesus says, “Where I come from, and once you’re born again, it’s the same place you come from, you are guilty of committing adultery when a movie of you committing the act plays over and over in your thoughts and minds.” What movie will you create in 2025?
I want to quickly share two stories in the Bible about how the movies we create can lead to our sinning against God versus our walking in faith and receiving what God has promised to us. The first story happened at the beginning with Eve. You know this story very well, but I just want to highlight parts of the conversation that took place between her and the devil. In Genesis chapter three, Satan created a movie of the tree of knowledge of good and evil in Eve’s mind that was so real and so vivid that she rejected the commandment that God had given to Adam concerning the tree in Genesis chapter two. In Genesis 2:15-17 the following is recorded, “(15) Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. (16) And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; (17) but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” This is what God said to Adam which he shared with Eve. But let us look at the conversation Eve had with Satan and how her understanding of what God had said shifted as the movie Satan created in her mind developed.
Let us read Genesis 3:1-6. It says, “(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.”
I want to draw your attention to the words Eve used that showed her response to the movie that Satan created for her. The word “saw;” the word “pleasant;” and the word “desired.” All three are emotion or senses-based words and originate in the same place as our imaginations – the mind. Strangers Rest, Satan has not changed his tactics. As Satan talked with Eve, he gave her the first step of movie creation – the idea. Then he helped her create the script as she began to see and create the movie in her mind based on what he was saying to her. As the movie was still in the process of being created, she saw herself agreeing with the storyline and thus she created the storyboard. All of this happened in a matter of minutes, and it has not changed! First, we get the idea, then we write the script and create the storyboard. Once this is completed, we start the filming process by acting on the movie we have created. This is exactly what Eve did. The creation of this movie was the first step that led to the fall of man. But now I want to show you another movie that was created that led to a blessing.
Do you remember the story of the woman who had the issue of blood? Turn to Mark chapter five and we will begin reading at verse twenty-five. It says, “(25) Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, (26) and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. (27) When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. (28) For she said, ‘If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.’ (29) Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction. (30) And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, ‘Who touched My clothes?’ (31) But His disciples said to Him, ‘You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ (32) And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. (33) But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. (34) And He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.’” (Mark 5:25-34)
Does not your heart weep for this woman? As her body deteriorated, so does everything else in her life. She might have been wealthy at one point in her life but year after year of what we would describe today as inconclusive, invasive tests and unsuccessful operations had left her nearly penniless. And to make matters worse, according to the law, the issue of blood made this woman unclean. Although she was forbidden human contact, if someone were to touch her then they too would be unclean until that evening. We find this in Leviticus 15:19-20 which says, “(19) If a woman has a discharge, and the discharge from her body is blood, she shall be set apart seven days; and whoever touches her shall be unclean until evening. (20) Everything that she lies on during her impurity shall be unclean; also everything that she sits on shall be unclean.” And remember the worst part, every single incident involving the issue of blood made her unclean for seven days. This woman had been in this condition for 12 years and the law declared her unclean the entire time! Also, according to the Law, seven days after her uncleanness, which would be the eighth day, the woman was supposed to bring an offering to the priest at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. She was not permitted to enter the tabernacle of the congregation until the priest had made atonement for her before the Lord, which would have ceremonially removed her uncleanness. Strangers Rest, this woman had had limited human contact for 12 years or 4,344 days! She had run out of options. But then she hears about this man named Jesus.
When you read Mark chapter five at the beginning of the chapter there is a story recorded of a man who was possessed with a demonic spirit. This man could not be constrained and lived among the tombs crying aloud and cutting himself. Then comes Jesus and cast the demon out of him and the man is now demon free and normal. The man wanted to follow Jesus, but Jesus would not allow it. Mark 5:19-20 records, “(19) However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, ‘Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.’ (20) And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.” Jesus tells the man to go and proclaim in Decapolis what He had done for him. Now imagine if you will, this woman who had been suffering for twelve years with this issue of blood hearing about what Jesus had done for this man. Can you see the idea coming to her mind? Let us play this out.
The woman with the issue of blood thinks about the God-awful sounds the man had made day and night as he cut himself with stones. “Why did he do that?” she wondered, but no one had an answer. And this is when she gets the idea for her “faith movie”! As idea comes as she thinks, “This man Jesus delivered the man who screamed and cried all the time and who cut himself with stones. But now, he no longer roams the hillside naked and raving like a lunatic. People say he is in his right mind and wearing clothes. People say he talks about this man Jesus and oftentimes he just stops wherever he is and starts to cry saying /God had had mercy on him.’” Then she thinks to herself, “Is it possible that Jesus would have mercy on me and heal me of this plague?” Do you see the faith movie starting to play in her mind? Strangers Rest, “faith movies” start with the idea that the impossible is possible. As the idea formulates in her thoughts she begins to work on the script. I want you to see this clearly.
I can see the woman smile as she thinks about the possibility of being whole again – the possibility of being clean again. “Oh my,” she says as tears well up in her eyes. She has not been in the synagogue for 12 years. Then she says, “If Jesus can do what He did for the man who was a lunatic, I believe He can stop me from bleeding and being unclean,” she says softly. The tears are flowing freely now. “Oh, I will be able to have lunch with Lydia again,” she says softly as she whimpers. When she sees Lydia, they smile, fold their arms across their chests and sway back and forth as if they are giving each other a great big hug because they cannot touch. “Our husbands are gone, and we had each other. I miss her so much, but I believe Jesus can change that,” she says. Do you see the faith movie developing? Do you see the script starting to develop now that she knows how it wants to end?
Every day she walks to the town square in the shadows hoping to see Jesus. In her mind, she sees herself walking up to him, falling at His feet, and telling Him her story before begging Him to have mercy on her and heal her. The script she has written in her mind has played on repeat for weeks. In her movie, she feels Jesus’ hand touch her head as she bows before Him, and she feels the pain that has been caused by the bleeding vanishing. Do you see the faith movie developing? Do you see her story board? Then the day finally arrives. She runs to the door when she hears all the noise and excitement. Something is happening. “Jesus,” she says softly. She rushes out into a crowd so large it will be impossible to get to Jesus without touching someone – making the person she touches unclean. But she could not concern herself with this now. And remember this: because she was unclean and everyone she touched became unclean; she still had every intention of touching Jesus. And get this, she knew if Jesus touched her He would be unclean, but that did not stop her. She was not concerned about making Him unclean because the movie in her head told her that if He could heal her then He would not be affected by her uncleanness. Can you see her friends telling her she was crazy for venturing out and taking that chance? You see, sometimes our family and friends can talk us out of walking in faith because of their unbelief. But not so with this woman! I mean, everyone knew who she was and still she did not care! Jesus is her only hope after 12 years of futility.
But I want to remind you of what is recorded in the book of Hebrews because this woman lived this! Hebrews 11:1 from the Amplified Bible says, “Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things we hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].” This woman created a movie of faith in her mind, and it grew so strong that she knew she had to act on it. As she works her way through the crowd, the people step aside and turn away from her. They know her. They know that they cannot let her touch them. She is unclean. The woman realizes that she will not have a chance to talk to Jesus and tell Him her story. So, she quickly rewrites her script and adds another scene to her movie. “All I need to do is just touch His clothes and I will be made whole. I will be free.”
So, she gets as close to Him as she can and reaches behind Jesus and touches the hem of His clothes as He walks by. The moment her fingers touch the garment, the moment they touch just the hem, she feels the healing power flow through her. Jesus feels it too. Did you see the movie as I described it? Jesus walks past the woman and she touches the fringes of His clothes and draws the healing power she needs from Him! She added a scene to the movie that had been playing in her mind for weeks. During the process of editing her movie, she went from begging Jesus to heal her to simply touching His clothes and receiving her healing. After Jesus identifies her and realizes what had happen, he tells her in verse thirty-four, “…Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”
Strangers Rest, I want to remind you of what is recorded in Second Corinthians chapter ten. It says, “(3) For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. (4) The weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood]. Our weapons are divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.” (Second Corinthians 10:3-5) I believe Bible shows us that we will allow one of two movie genres to play in our minds: movies that are based on what we see, hear, taste, touch and smell, or movies that are based on what God has said in His Word. Movies based on our flesh, or movies based on our faith. And I must tell you that if you are not reading and studying God’s Word for yourself, you lose the ability to create movies based on what God has said in His Word. Going to Church on Sundays and hearing a sermon might create a short story in your mind, but it will be forgotten before you get home if you did not take notes. And, if you did take notes, you will not capture everything that was stated in the sermon because it is impossible to do that unless you also recorded it. My point is this: you cannot create a faith-based movie in your mind if you are not studying God’s word for yourself. And here is the kicker, by default; if you are not creating faith-based movies then you are more than likely to create movies not grounded in faith.
As we enter 2025, what movies are you creating? What movies are you currently playing in your mind that need to be erased? Are you playing movies as Eve played or are your movies more in line with the woman with the issue of blood? If you have not noticed it yet, we need to have “faith-producing” movies playing in our minds on a continuous loop if we want our lives to resemble the life of Jesus. We have seen what happens when flesh or senses-based movies play in our minds as most of us are dealing with some of those right now. So again, what movies are you creating and playing for yourself and for this Church in 2025?
? Are they movies of you walking in the power of God and doing what Jesus did?
? Are they movies of this Church growing beyond its current capacity and operating debt free?
? Are they movies of helping those in need without constraint because you have more than enough?
? Are they movies of you casting devils out of the possessed and healing the sick?
? Or are your movies those of defeat because of every negative thing that has happened in your life?
Jesus said in John 14:12, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.” Are you creating “greater works than these” movies? What movies will you create and play repeatedly in 2025?
Until next time, “The Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26
