Unshakable

I’ve had the privilege of helping two teenagers learn to drive. Both of our oldest sons had the same habit. They loved to drive waaay right. As a passenger, you thought, “If he swerves to the right just a little, I’m going to be wearing a mailbox.” I’d say things like, “Whatever you do, don’t veer right because if you do, we’ll crash and burn!” And they would say, “Believe me, dad, I don’t want to swerve and hit a mailbox.”

I know something about you. You don’t want to swerve and crash and burn with your life. Not as a friend, an athlete, a student, a parent, a spouse. Not on the job. Not in your faith –something that impacts everything else.

Some of you are brand new to the faith. Last month, 60 people were baptized here. And you might not say it out loud, but you wonder, “Can I really live this life I’ve been called to live? Do I have what it takes to really follow Christ? Will I swerve, crash, and burn?”

Some of you have followed Christ far a few years now. But you have had your troubles in keeping in step with Him over the years. You’re back on track now. But down inside, you wonder, “What if I can’t keep it up? I’ve failed before. Will I swerve, crash, and burn again?”

Unshakable – no swerving, no wavering, no veering

Last week, we sent a team of three men, Joe Sanson, Jim Winar, and Kasey Rosendahl to find a place for us to serve. These are pictures from their trip. Our church will help the 1st Baptist Church serve their community in Slidell, Louisiana. It’s just across Lake Ponchartrain from New Orleans. We’re sending a team down today to clean-up, clear property, give away clothes and supplies, and share the love of Christ. You have been very generous in donating clothes and supplies. If you want to support the work our church is doing, look at the insert in the worship guide. You can write a check to CVC and in the memo section, write “disaster relief.” And locally, if it’s needed, we have secured an apartment to sponsor a displaced family.

New series: Finale. Heaven. Hell. Death. Second coming.

Today, we are going to consider what it takes to live an unshakable life. And right now, I’m going to cut to the chase. I’ll say it right up front. Life change happens best in a community group. It’s the best thing you can get involved in to have an unshakable walk with God.

What’s a community group? It’s a group of 10-12 people who meet in a home in your community. In your program is a Community Group card. Take a look. You open God’s word together. Lives enriched. People transformed. Ministry happens.

You have this great private thing going with God? Is God the most important part of your life? Why don’t you let anyone know about it? Why won’t you let anyone help you? Please hear this: The Bible is clear. Even though your relationship with God is personal, it’s never intended to be private.

Why? God knows we need each other so we won’t swerve, crash, and burn. God’s word talks about just how important this is in Hebrews 10.

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Hebrews 10:23-25 (ESV)

Don’t neglect to meet together. God knows that we grow best and we grow most in groups. We impress people from a distance, but we impact them up close. Up close and personal. That’s where we learn how to be unshakable.

You don’t want to drive off the road with your career, your friendships, your family, or your walk with God.

These verses tell us how to be consistent – how to be unswerving, how to finish well. In other versions, verse 23 reads…

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess… (NIV)

Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have… (NLT)

If you want to be then you’ve got to get hooked up relationally with a group of people who will encourage you and help you and challenge you. The Christian life is a team sport. It’s a group effort.

Show me a Christ-follower you would call unshakable and 9 out of 10 times, I’ll show you a person who is engaged regularly in meaningful relationships with a small group of believers.

Show me a person who believes all the right stuff, who has prayed the prayer to receive Christ, but who struggles and struggles in the faith on the job and in the home, and I’ll show you someone who is not yet connected.